shinynewwriting

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Okay, the Gotham Knights game is fun as hell.

-You can dress them like pirates! Playing dress-up with the blorbos is such an important part of the modern superhero genre.

-In order to ensure that no one links Bruce Wayne and Batman even after his death, Bruce arranges for a 'leaked' video of himself acting like a fool in the Iceberg Lounge. He is only wearing his underwear, and he is grinding against a man-sized penguin ice statue. The crowd is loving it. Oswald Cobblepot is begging him to leave. Our heroes had to break into like 5 different locations to plant this incredibly important video. I like to imagine Clark downloading it while shedding a single tear.

-The game is truly a plethora of Bat-shipping opportunities, because the following cutscene features Babs noting that they'll need a new "sexy distraction" and immediately looking at Dick. Jason volunteers, as he's "great at table dancing" and immediately begins gyrating at Tim. Tim, depending on your shipping preferences, is either mortified or having a difficult realization about his taste in men.

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I've felt particularly 'meh' about the last several issues of Superman (2023). It's blatantly clear that several plots that were supposed to be developed further were instead axed and "wrapped up" in a few panels in favor of more BIG! EVENT! BULLSHIT! It's been a problem several times in the series, but this arc feels the most incomplete because of it.

Having said that, I can appreciate that both of Lex Luthor's significant situationships have been put on pause while he has some Me Time. A summary of Lex/Mercy:

Lex: "Mercy, I am going on a journey of self-discovery. Do you want to come with me or stay in Metropolis and be an evil billionaire CEO?"

Mercy: "Definitely the latter. We can sext, though."

Lex: "That's fair. Here is all the money."

Meanwhile, Lex's "it's not you, it's me" breakup speech to Superman is surprisingly sweet:

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ONE OF HIS FINISHERS IS JUST SHOOTING SOMEONE POINT-BLANK IN THE FACE.

Truly carrying on the proud comic book tradition of "Traumatic brain injuries aren't real and so 'non-lethal rounds' can't possibly kill you." My favorite version of this is still the Arkham City Batmobile, a tank covered in guns that goes 90 miles per hour but is totally not obliterating the people it runs over. But Jason, you are a close second.

The Gotham Knights video game was on sale and so I finally decided to get it. I decided to start out playing as Jason Todd, because that seemed like it would be the funniest option.

Oh my God. Jason, baby, what happened to your face? Why did they do that to you? Did they hold you down and shear you like a sheep, and that's why your hair looks that way?

Fortunately, when he has the mask on, I can focus on what has indeed been both fun and funny. Watching a man with shoulders as wide as a Volkswagen crouch-walk for like a mile is exquisite. His melee attack is just pistol-whipping people. Some takedowns are indistinguishable from that Homura Gun Dance video.

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Truly an incredible little add-on. I just picture Zack Snyder popping up in the corner of the screen like a Youtuber and saying, "By the way, Lex Luthor and Deathstroke are fucking." Then never answering another question about any of it.

#ZACK SNYDER DID THIS AND THEN DID NOT ELABORATE # HE SAID 'FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO SAT THROUGH ALL 4 HOURS OF THIS MOVIE HERE IS A GAY LEX LUTHOR SCENE' # 'ROLL THE CREDITS'

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Fully agree. Stories where Superman isn't dead when Kon is created remove some very important context for who he is and how he perceives himself. He was never 'meant' to be anyone's son; he was always meant to be Replacement Superman Who Will Be Obedient, regardless of who is creating him. It's especially frustrating because the idea that Superman dies fighting Doomsday has become a pretty standard part of the meta-canon, but Kon doesn't get folded into that reliably.

I understand the reason people enjoy the test-tube kid/babytrap perception, and it has lead to some very hilarious posts. But it does create a tiresome and ridiculous situation where I find myself arguing, "No!!! Lex is not quite that weird, but is simultaneously much, much weirder about Superman in many ways." To say nothing of people judging Clark for being a 'bad parent' to a dude who has never thought of him as a father.

(I personally don't mind the Lex retcon, although I feel like they've never done anything particularly interesting with it in the comics besides the very basic Does Your DNA Make You Evil? question. There's the possibility for some very cool stories between Lex and Conner, but it's never going to look like a standard father-son relationship. Plus, it relies on Kon wanting anything to do with Lex, which is often a tall order.)

this may be a hot take, but - for me, adaptations extricating kon's creation from its original circumstances (i.e. superman was dead!!) bothers me almost as much as the lex retcon

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This comic was made for me specifically

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David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult recreate iconic scene from "The Princess Diaries" to promote the new "Superman" movie

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I think the new Superman should be pg-13 and that's so it can have the fuck word one (1) time. And I think that one (1) time should be Supes looking Lex straight in the eye and asking "man, what's your fucking problem?"

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Everyday hero

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He said, like a liar.

Didn't expect this dialogue with Clex😭😭

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superman Trust us, you’ll want to see these two on the big screen.

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You're a loser 🫵

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Wait so Bruce can literally just turn off the power grid when he feels like it? May not be authorized, but the fact that WayneTech is so integrated into the power grid that he has the ability to turn it off so easily is. Um. Concerning.

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NICHOLAS HOULT as LEX LUTHOR Superman 2025 | Dir. James Gunn