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bibimbap-anti-fragile · 1 year

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To What Extent Do Films Have to Be Realistic to Be Enjoyable?

These days more people watch movies and films as a way of escapism, to experience stories that are beyond the world rather than focus on the hyper connected world we live in. Most people prefer to enjoy the film that they are watching instead of pondering upon the nihilism some films show and experiencing tales from other worlds. However, there has recently been an increase in films talking about the harsh reality that we live in, which invites the viewers to reflect upon the films they watch to evaluate their current surroundings. So, do films really need to be realistic for it to be enjoyable?

The plausibility of believability is a way that filmmakers use to make the viewer immerse themselves in the events that occur but having a few deviations from reality would not impact the films enjoyability. Take for example “A Wrinkle In Time'' a movie which features actors who are famous in beauty magazines, however they are called ugly in the movie making it feel unbelievable. Yet scenes like it still do not hinder what the movie is trying to present to the viewer, which is that everyone deserves love no matter who they are. Take another example, “Jurassic World Dominion'' showing a raptor chasing the protagonist in a motorbike which may be unrealistic, but it still manages to appeal to the viewers as a fun chase scene. The scene does not focus on how realistic a dinosaur will act but it is meant to convey a fast paced chase scene to create excitement. The subway fight in “John wick 2” is highly unrealistic since silencers in real life will most likely not be as silent as what is shown, but it is still a thrilling scene to watch happen. The enjoyability of these scenes can be seen from the box office gross profit on the opening weekend with John Wick 2 $30,436,123 (33.1% of total gross).

Given the above there are films that are very realistic which are then followed by something unrealistic which may be shocking to the viewers. The drama series “Breaking Bad” is grounded in reality from the scenarios to how the characters act, but it is also followed by scenes that are incredibly unrealistic. For example, a man is unscathed after jumping off a cliff to reach a car that crashed, someone walking out with half of his body charred and still being able to walk out of the room normally after being blown up. Despite how unrealistic the scenes are, the majority of the viewers still found it enjoyable with a 9.5/10 IMDB rating. A sudden unrealistic scene like it doesn’t throw away the impact of the show’s storyline.

A child’s mind is simple and imaginative so unrealistic movies would be enjoyable for them. A “Happily ever after” or the villain’s always losing may not be realistic but it is still enjoyable for children. A large majority of Disney movies end with a “Happily ever after” which gives happiness and hope for children. A movie like Shrek will be more enjoyable for children compared to Batman the dark knight rises. A movie or a tv show with a simple premise will still be very enjoyable for them, for example the animated movie “Hero Factory” where the villain’s motivation is simply “I am evil and want to do evil.” If you were to show this to an adult who understands basic morality, they might think it’s boring. However, for a child watching the show they enjoy it because characters look cool and not the complexity of a moral grey area.

In addition, there are people who enjoy watching the deep thematic themes a film shows rather than the shallow themes of an action film like Iron man. There are countless movies about how dangerous someone could be if they are mentally ill in certain circumstances, however this kind of plot has been used countless times, to the point that it has become a cliché. The film “Split” can be used as an example, where the main antagonist is a person with multiple personalities. So when someone with multiple personality disorder watches the film, they won’t be able to enjoy the film or even feel offended by the movie’s themes. Such topics are only used as window dressing as a way to scare the audience because older films say they're creepy and not because they were trying to make a point. In contrast, the film Parasite talks about the difference in power dynamic between the rich and the poor, mirroring the real world issues that surround us all. Its enjoyability does not just come from the writer’s intention to comment on the world’s current state of affairs but how these issues could happen in real life, if we choose to continue to ignore all of the signs.

Unrealistic films may sometimes be a possibility of reality, which is one of the major reasons why people may get delusional from watching too much. The “Truman syndrome”, a term coined by the drama film “The Truman Show” is one example where viewers believe that their lives are either a staged reality or they are being watched on a camera. Being too delusional is a bad thing in one way or another, it blinds you from reality. Which in the “Truman syndrome” case most of the patients feels that there privacy has been invaded and this is a serious case as some of them would rather suicide if they can’t get rid of the so called “reality show”. Although a small percentage of them take pride in their imagined celebrity, they are still blinded by ideas from unrealistic films, which may sooner or later cause them to be hit hard by reality. This can show that unrealistic films may be very fun to watch, we should not engage in our imaginations too as it may cause us to be severely delusional.

However, there is no movie which is totally realistic or unrealistic. Each facet of a movie from the emotions to the story mirrors reality in one way, shape, or form. The writer can subvert the viewers’ expectation by having a character act realistically despite the fictional world that they inhabit. The movie Scream shows the murderer anticipating the characters to call the police, so they took precautions beforehand to make sure the protagonist enters a scenario where they have no choice, but to do so. The film “Doctor Strange, The Multiverse of Madness”, a film that is famous for its wild and unrealistic imagination. The film shows Wanda being corrupted by the darkhold stating "You break the rules and become a hero I break the rules and become the enemy", Strange from another multiverse stating, “Your Sacrifice Is Greater Than Your Power” and Charles Xavier stating, “Just Because Someone Stumbles”. This shows that although the film may be unrealistic it doesn’t mean that the lessons we learn from the films can’t be used in reality. In short, films that we watch may seem unrealistic on the outside, but there is always a bit of realism in it that we can take, a lesson that we can apply in reality.

In conclusion, there are many reasons why realistic movies are enjoyable, but ultimately the greatest deciding factor on a film's enjoyability comes down to the viewer's experience. A movie can be incredibly unrealistic to show an exciting fight scene or have a shocking scene to catch the viewer off guard. However, some films prefer to stay grounded in reality to reflect the current world today and movies that are unrealistic could cause some to become delusional. Then more realistic shows might not be enjoyed by everyone, like how not everyone will enjoy a cartoon designed for children. Therefore, it is not necessary for movies to be realistic for it to be enjoyable.

Fried by: Gabriel

#films #realistic films #essay #argumentative essay

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hashtagonlyingotham · 4 years

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Can you suggest a great place to start for a new Batman comics fan?

Hi! Ooooh this is a tough one. It kinda depends on what kind of Batman stories and which characters from the batfamily you like.

A great place to start is Batman: Year One by Frank Miller because it’s basically a modern retelling of the origin story.

I can also recommend some classic/pre-n52 Batman stories that you can read as standalones (in other words, they don’t require catching up with a year of comics before reading):

- Batman: Two-Face and Scarecrow Year One. Introduction to well-known villains. Basically, everything with “Year One” behind it is designed to be a starting point.

- The Long Halloween, by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. Very well-known and acclaimed. It has a sequel, Dark Victory.

- The Killing Joke, by Alan Moore. This one is a bit controversial in the fandom, some hail it as a classic, others don’t care for it much or downright hate it. In any case, it’s famous, maybe even famous enough for your library to have a copy.

- Hush, followed up by Hush Returns, and Heart of Hush. Hush isn’t a very well-known villain outside of the comics, but I feel like he’s brought up pretty often in the comics after his introduction, so it might be a good idea to read “Hush” just so you know who he is. "Hush” also has lots of appearances by other Batman characters, villains and heroes alike.

- Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. This is an AU story (which of course makes it a perfect standalone) but it’s a very famous one. Its success kinda started the “darker and grittier” trend that most movies follow.

There are many more but it has been a while since I’ve read them. No doubt some of my followers will be able to add to this.

If you’re interested in the Batfamily, here are some pre-n52 books for them:

- Robin Year One (Dick Grayson)

- Batgirl Year One (Barbara Gordon)

- A Death in the Family (the death of Jason Todd)

- “Robin” is a solo title for Tim Drake’s Robin, the collections are called Robin: Flying Solo, Robin: Teenage Wasteland, and Robin: The Big Leagues.

- Battle for the Cowl: this story takes place after Bruce Wayne/Batman has “died”, leaving Gotham in disarray. It introduces Dick Grayson as Batman with Damian Wayne as Robin.

- Tim Drake becomes Red Robin and has another solo title. Collections are: Red Robin: The Grail, Council of Spiders, Collision, Hit List, and Rabbithole.

- Gates of Gotham: a solid story that features Dick Grayson as Batman.

If you do want to read an actual run, I can recommend the Batman n52 run. The n52 was a reboot in 2011, which had a lot of issues as a whole because it erased fan favourite characters and storylines, so you’ll find a lot of people complaining about n52 online (usually for good reasons). However, the “Batman” title was actually pretty good. (Although I’ve only read the first 5 TPs, I couldn’t keep up with comics anymore when I started working full-time so if they became terrible after Zero Year, do let me know in the comments lol.) Here are the collections of that run: Batman: The Court of Owls (2012), Batman: The City of Owls (2013), Batman: Death of the Family (2013), Batman: Zero Year - Secret City (2014), Batman: Zero Year - Dark City (2014), Batman: Graveyard Shift (2015), Batman: Endgame (2015), Batman: Superheavy (2016), Batman: Bloom (2016), and Batman: Epilogue (2016).

(I personally wasn’t a big fan of what the n52 did with the other members of the batfamily, so I focussed mostly on Batman stories during this time. I heard the n52 “Detective Comics” run, which is Batman’s other title, was decent as well but I wasn’t keeping up with that one so I can’t be sure.)

I can’t recommend anything more recent (after 2016) because I actually wasn’t able to keep up with comics anymore. (I know the n52 ended, but idk anything about what followed it.) But I’m sure some of my followers will be able to give even more recommendations!

In the end, this is very personal. When it comes to comics, there’s just so much out there, you can’t possibly read it all and there really isn’t such a thing as “required reading”. There will be writers whose interpretation of the characters you like, and ones you hate. ^^; You’ll have to discover what your taste is, and have fun along the way. :)

#mod robin #ask #Anonymous #Batman #dc comics #onlyingotham #is it obvious I grew up with Tim as Robin?#feel free to reply to this with your own recommendations!#esp for the batfam bc I kept it very short since I was focussing more on Batman himself since taht's who the anon mentioned in the ask #it's been a while since I read some of these so if I'm remembering something wrong or if you simply have a different opinion #feel free to add that #just be polite about it yknow #btw one of my favourite Batman books is actually this one-time spinoff from n52s batman eternal #called Arkham Manor #OH I have one specific anti-rec though!!!#like I usually just conclude something wasn't for me when I didn't like it #so it doesn't mean nobody else will but #the absolute worst comic I ever read was All-Stars Batman & Robin #I'd recommend to avoid that one at all cost no matter how pretty the art looks

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goprandall · 6 years

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DC MASTERPOST >3

It’s no secret the DC universe is something of a DCpointment. There’s no cohesion in sotrylines, films are released at odd and illogical times and I decided to rewatch and give proper reviews.

MAN OF STEEL 2013 7/10

This film is something of an outlier on the DCEU, because it is not terrible.

The strengths of this film are defiantly the first act, I feel it was a clear and concise way to create backstory without the stereotypes of following him through childhood into adulthood, they did a great job of creating krypton and establishing an antagonist with a clear motive. I liked the jump straight into adult with flashbacks when confronted with items from his past, it allowed us to understand his past without saturating his journey all at once. Arguably the first arc of this film is completed here with Clark/kal discovering who he is and why he is here. The second arc of General Zod trying to bring back his people is still very well done, providing us more relevant backstory and shows logical actions from both sides of the fight nearing the end of the film. The biggest weakness of the film in my opinion is that it is 20 minutes too long. When superman destroys Zods ship killing the artificial children of krypton, I feel this arc was complete, although the after fight solely fought between SM and Zod does show us the struggle superman goes through becoming the last kryptonite in exaistance, this does not outweigh the pointless mass destruction this causes, on top of a already destroyed city. In my cut this would be disregarded.

Final thoughts of the film; my favourite part was the shot of ‘ALERT’ that slowly turns to ‘Toner empty’, a good transition and piece of direction. I’m giving this film 7/10, in my classification would make it a good Netflix film, one I’d be happy to watch but not pay money to solely see. It was a hard choice to not make it a 6 however, I rank wonder women as a 7, and this is more than equally as good, the only things preventing me from giving it a higher rank is it’s rewatchability. Personally I rarely would due to its lack of joy and humour, and overall darkness, not just in plot but also in cinematography and colour grading.

BATMAN V SUPERMAN 2016 6/10

Batman v superman had all the the ingredients to be the summer blockbuster, but as predicted it followed every DC film and tanked.

Their are some aspects of this film that are genuinely good, giving it a 6, one of those things is the first act of the film where we are introduced to Batman, although I didn’t personally feel the need for another origin story, the way this scene is directed especially with the earl sequence is fantastic, adding depth and differing from older versions of the same story. The other good thing about this film is the Batman fight scene, it is so well articulated and choreographed, i struggle to see how it fits within the wider film which is strangely badly directed, edited and in-cohesive.

Continuing from this idea, I feel the dream sequences are one of the leading problems for the in-cohesion of the film, the issue with these sequences is, if they are not well done it stops the audience trusting more daring scenes, ultimately taking you out of the story. Next, I feel another reason this doesn’t live up to its hype is, again, DCs continuous frenzy of oversaturating it’s film with characters. Here I argue Wonder women is not needed in the end fight, the fight could just have easily gone on sitbout her, or, if they had released wonder women before this film so we felt more engrossed in the character it wouldn’t been fine. However her and all the other justice league promo clips, should not have been in the film in the context they were as they’re a corporate shoehorn, promoting further projects. The other character I feel is unneeded is ‘Doomsday’, he’s quickly thrown in at the end of the film, and honesty an antigunist shown to us at the end of the film will never give the depth and fear of a hero fight, as a villain shown throughout the movie.

To me, Batman V Superman is a movie. Not a film, crafted and worked on to create a narrative for the audience, but a summer movie to get the kids out the house. The idea of having two meta humans as important as Batman and superman battling each other should boggle the mind, as the first avengers did for me or civil war for a closer comparison. But the difference with the MCU spectaculars is, they earned their right to blow people’s minds, DC is playing catch up and trying to get praise and awe without the hard work.

SUICIDE SQUAD 2016 3/10

Wow. This review has been hard to create and will most likely feature ideas from other reviews via podcasts and YouTube due to the fact this movie boggled my head in the sheer awfullness that ensued.

As always, I begin with the strengths of the film. In this instance it’s slight. I loved the aesthetics of the branding for the film, the colours, the neon animations, I loved it all. The mini descriptions in the film were funny and added to the VeRy little personalities of the characters. It is important to point out this clearly wasn’t present in the first edits of the film, but due to good feedback of later trailers that were released they were added, which is why this element of humour is the only of its kind that lands in the film.

Next I normally look into the storyline and the character arcs of the film, arguably my second favourite aspect to look for in a film. In suicide squad there is none, and there aren’t any. That sounds harsh, but the reality is there is no cohesive storyline, it follows no one character individually and the film darts back and fourth between every character, no matter the timeframe. Dean Dobbs (from adventures with dean and Bertie’s podcast) best describes this as ‘like playing a video game where someone is skipping every cutscene’ and this is absolutly true, especially when looking at the relationship of the joker and Harley Quinn. This film is so badly edited, As jack Howard describes, this film contains no scenes, it is obvious the whole film was rehashed and re-edited after the release of BVS (which crashed at the box office) and the final trailer was released, which was very different from the first few as it showed humour and action, and it is evident they cut out almost everything apart from these things. I would best describe it as many GoPrandall videos I have scrapped as I tend to forget to film opening sequencers and filler clips to show the progression of the story told apart from the action, and this is exactly how I felt about the editing of this film, they did the best with what they got but it wasn’t enough.

Although there was a lack of character arcs, this film had an ABUNDANT amount of characters to fill its shoes. This film crams as many famous faces in as many characters

As it can, because for some reason DC refuses to create stand alone films due to the catch up to the MCU that’s going on. We’ll start with the joker, or more exactly the 10 minuets of joker we got. Many scenes with the joker were so heavily edited, and deleted, it is hard to judge Jared Letos performance, because he didn’t have chance to give one. But, as a side note the hand on the mouth laugh is one of the WORST cinema moments I’ve experienced only closely beaten by ‘were bad guys it’s what we do’. Yuck. But we’ll finally look at the ‘suicide squad’, although looking at them it’s hard to identify why they are in this squad. We’ll start with reason no one on the team seems to have a reason to be there, aprt from deadshot, who had his daughters arc to think about. All the others just seem to around and don’t want to die and get out of prison. VERY good motives DC, you’ve outdone yourself this time. Next we can look at the abilities of this so called ‘meta human’ squad and how under utilised they really are, which could show why this film failed so badly. Firstly deadshot- ‘never misses a bullet- amazing at trick shots.’ Who in the film performs close quarter headshots, the same as the Seal team next to him, and in the film performs 1 trick shot. 1. That was in establishing scene right at the beginning, but he isn’t the only victim, we can look at Boomerang, my favourite character by far, with one the coolest abilities, who throws a total of:5 boomerangs and catches: 2. Let’s be honest Harely is there as the jokers Love Interest and to keep him in the film. We can also look at el deablo, the man that can shoot fire but refuses until he’s bullied for a whole minute. The worlds worst archaeologist who starts the entire battle, after BREAKING AN ANTIQUE immediatly after finding it (bravo) who if wasn’t attempted to be weaponised, would’ve skipped this whole mess. Slipknot, a man who could climb any wall or anything, who immediatly dies after climbing a wall, but don’t worry because they don’t even want you to worry about this due to the fact they don’t even intro him before he magically appears on the squad, hoping the audience will react ‘oh he’s going to be important!!! What a mystery man!!’. This is almost as bad as Katana, who adds nothing the story apart from a short intro and when she cries to her dead husband, at which point I began to cut my toenails, something I gave more of a shit about.

But, it is obvious I’m a teenage marvel fanboy just shitting on DC,and I hate when people complain without offering another viewpoint, therefore, to fix this, I would dedicate this film to the viewpoint of deadshot, giving him the character arc of changing with the goal of seeing his daughter- eliminate the extra characters- slipknot/katana and either dedicate more time to the joker and harley sub plot or eliminate entirely, NOT BOTH. With this, better editing around these eliminated plot points could make a more coherent story with more empathetic story arcs. I have a full idea for a plot but this is too long as it is.

WONDER WOMEN 2017 7/10

Wonder women is a refreshing instalment into the DCEU, showing they seem to e learning, but are still falling behind on some of the most basic hurdles.

Firstly, as always we’ll start off with the strengths of his film, firstly it is vividly important to recognise that this is the first major Superhero film to be directed, and sustain a heavy female cast. It does so fantastically and leaves me more excited for the next instalment now knowing female directors and stars now have evidence for an accomplished superhero movie, which arguably has outdone the past 2 major films. With this we see a brilliantly refreshing opening act with a subtle and bright, vibrant origin story.

However, this film slowly returns to madness throughout the film when major plot holes appear, and the film making quality slowly deteriorates. Firstly, the iggest plot hole that has been so easily overlooked is the WW1 aspect. Given a World War Two film, having the Germans be the sole enemy is obvious and logical, however WW1 is not as simple as this and the use of Germans as the enemies is vaguely lazy. Also, as DC loves to do, it adds in extra characters and neglects to give them logical and coherent backstory and arcs. We only need to look at the ‘best marksman in the war’ who doesn’t fire a single shot, and continues not too all the way to the end of the film, showing no growth. The final plot hole is what draws it into the wider EU. The entirety of this film is showing Diana that the human race is bad and should be left alone, although when she defeats arias, this is meant to break this curse and peace seems to be restored. But, in BVS she claims to have stopped helping mankind because of their evils, neglecting Stalin, WW2 and the Vietnam war to name a few, but making a reappearance for- lex Luther. Wow.

Although in almost most of its entirety this was a pleasant watch, my personal issue stopped this at the third act when the final fight begins. To me the film returns to DCs favourite colour scheme of dark and clouded, and uses quite frankly some of the worst CGI I’ve seen recently, making me wonder why they didn’t at least try to incorporate real elements, such as Marvel, but this is still the best DC film after man of steel and I’m excited to see more female led and directed films come to screen.

JUSTICE LEAUGE 2016 5/10

This will be the shortest of the DC reviews, this is the film I’ve seen least of the lot and I feel I’ll need at least another viewing to get a full understanding. To premise this I fully understand Zack Snyder had personal issues leading him to leave and Joss take over, and this is in no way mocking him.

But I’ll dive in, maybe the fact I’m struggling to write this review tells me a lot about the movie. Wonder women was one of the only saving graces of this move, she was well understood and I feel her likeness as a character was well transferred from WW to JL. Contrary to this, I’m struggling to write about cyborg and flash, we were given next to no backstorys, although the flash’s was hinted at at least twice that I recall and what we were given were quite chaotic. Batman was a major letdown for me, coming down from BVS where he was a certified badass taking on superman, he turns into a wimp and hides for a majority of the film, quite evidently showing Ben affleck Clearly does not want to be there. I feel the overall plot of the film was almost underatsnvle, but had the taken the time to set up this storyline in previous films it would’ve been much better, this movie lacked the right to have all these characters on screen together. The characters had adequate screen time each, but contrary to its biggest rival ‘the avengers’ this really wasn’t that special, most of the characters had the same abilities, barring the flash, and the way the avengers films have shown all the characters working together simultaneously in cinematic mastery, you can see hints of Joss attempting this, but with a bad set up it’s an impossible task.

I conclude, not going into the issue with the CGi because I don’t have that much time.

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secretlystephaniebrown · 7 years

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I'm new to the Batman comics and was wondering if you could answer a question? I saw another blog talking about Batman adopting kids and how it helped him recover which I follow for the most part. But then they said he relapsed after Jason. What happened to Jason? I don't mind spoilers, it helps me get through the darker parts.

… oh gosh you poor soul.

Okay so um.

Well first of all let me start off with saying that if you can find it, you should track down the animated movie Under the Red Hood. It’s a very solid, if streamlined, adaptation of everything I’m about to tell you, and it probably will do a better job than I ever could.

Let’s continue this under the cut, because this got long, and I have pictures, some of which will be… unpleasant, as will be the topics discussed. Warnings for violence, death, and references to sexual assault below!

Now, since you’re new to comics, I’ll give you a quick rundown.

(Batman (1940-2011) #368)

Jason Todd was the second Robin, and he had the misfortune of being the first attempt to make the role a legacy.

He was a very controversial figure. Dick Grayson was widely beloved, and while Jason had his fans, he also was present in a time in comics when many people, both among the readers and the writers for DC, believed that kid sidekicks weren’t dark enough, and fans of Dick often found Jason to be unlikable and too edgy. Jason smoked, he was lower-class and drew attention to a lot of the less palatable parts of Gotham, his mother died of a drug overdose, and he became Robin by stealing the tires off the Batmobile.

(Batman (1940-2011) #408)

And infamously, towards the end of his run as Robin, he might have possibly killed a rapist who would have gotten off otherwise because of diplomatic immunity.

Batman (1940-2011) #424

… yeah. That was a thing.

A lot of Jason’s “bad Robin” stuff which he has become slightly infamous for was in fact retconned in after… everything else, but, as seen in this story above, Jason was a character who was pushing a lot of traditional boundaries in Batman comics, and the violence and temper were there from the beginning, but it was presented as something that Jason was relatively in control of, and that Bruce was helping him with.

(Batman (1940-2011) #411 - for context, Two Face killed Jason’s father)

But Jason had some bright spots; he joined the Teen Titans briefly, he was Robin present for For the Man Who Has Everything, one of the most famous comic stories during that time, and had a pretty decent relationship with Dick Grayson (which… they retconned later.)

(Batman (1940-2011) #416)

And then, in 1988, one bright DC executive decided to try a gimmick to drum up publicity for the upcoming storyline Batman: A Death in the Family. (Because those always work out well.) It was decided that in the upcoming story, they would have a phone poll, to see if Robin lived or died.

The vote was taken, and the people spoke. Jason was to die.

(I’ll note here that there’s a LOT of controversy about the vote; apparently there was a robo-calling scam, people were charged per-call so younger readers couldn’t vote, people weren’t sure if the question pertained to Dick or Jason, and some people voted just to see if DC would actually do that.)

So Jason undertook a rather fascinating story where he discovered that the woman who had raised him wasn’t his birth mother, and began to track down his birth mother. After a few false leads, including Lady Shiva, he eventually tracked down his birth mother, Sheila Haywood, who was a volunteer doctor in Ethiopia. Jason and her had a relatively cute reunion, before it was revealed that Sheila was involved with the Joker, who was blackmailing her.

Batman (1940-2011) #427

Jason, against Bruce’s advice, revealed his identity as Robin to Sheila and offered to help. She then lured him into a trap, where the Joker beat Jason to near-death with a crowbar.

(Batman (1940-2011) #427)

While she smoked a cigarette.

Batman (1940-2011) #427

The Joker double-crossed Sheila, because he’s the Joker, and left her and Jason both to die in the warehouse with a bomb. Despite his injuries, Jason tried to rescue Sheila and get them both to safety, but he wasn’t fast enough.

(For the record, anyone who blames Jason for his death here can fight me. He was trying to help his mother, and it bothers me a lot that most interpretations cut out this angle.)

(Batman (1940-2011) #427)

Sheila, possibly having some regrets, managed to tell Bruce that Jason had tried to save her before she died. Jason had no such opportunity to exchange last-words with Bruce.

(Batman (1940-2011) #427)

Bruce had arrived at the warehouse just in time to see it blow up, which shook him to his core, and for which he blamed himself.

I can’t emphasize enough how huge this was to comics at the time; the death of Robin was a major shakeup to the status quo, and for years Jason Todd was defined as one of the three perma-dead characters in comics. (The others being Bucky Barnes and Uncle Ben.)

The Joker then… went off and had a wacky sideplot about getting diplomatic immunity by becoming the ambassador for Iran, and then he tried to blow up the United Nations. It was… weird.

But back to Jason, his death severely shook up Bruce for years.

Batman: Gotham Knights (2000-2006) #45

His costume literally haunted Bruce in the Batcave in the form of the memorial case, and Jason’s death affected Bruce’s relationships with the next three members of the Bat Family; Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, and Cassandra Cain, while the Joker became cemented in his place as The Man Who Killed Robin.

Batman: Gotham Knights (2000-2006) #44

Batman (1940-2011) #629

Brucefrequently hallucinated Jason, and his fears of losing anotherRobin/Batgirl/protege (compounded by the fact that The Killing Joke happenedjust beforehand) lead to extremely over-protectiveness towards Tim, and shaped hisentire relationship with Stephanie Brown prior to her run as Batgirl. Butthat’s a post in and of itself.

Jason came back from the dead in Under the Red Hood. (The movie version of which kind of… simplified Jason’s death by cutting out the bit about his birth mom. But the details vis-à-vis the Joker and the crowbar remained the same.) In the comic, we don’t see how Jason got resurrected, but it was revealed in a later comic that, in a major event called Crisis on Infinite Earths, a character named Superboy Prime punched the walls of reality and resurrected Jason Todd.

Batman (1940-2011) Annual #25

Yes. Really.

Anyways, Jason then had to dig his way out of his own coffin in one of the most horrifying sequences ever.

Batman (1940-2011) Annual #25

Jason then wandered Gotham in a catatonic state, living on the streets and scavenging for food, until he and his still-retained fighting skills were recognized by someone, who called Talia al Ghul. Talia tried to help Jason recover on his own, before realizing that wasn’t going to work, so she shoved him in the Lazarus Pit (against her dad’s wishes), which solved the catatonia, and, depending on your interpretation, possibly made Jason violent and angry.

Most more recent adaptations/continuity reboots chose to place Jason’s resurrection solely as a Lazarus Pit endeavor, which I’m iffy on, simply because Jason digging out of his own grave was an image that really stuck with me when I first read the comics.

After escaping from Ra’s, Jason started to figure out his new place in the world. Jason discovered that the Joker was still alive, and that there was a new Robin.

Batman (1940-2011) Annual #25

Red Hood: The Lost Days (2010-2011) #4

This enraged Jason, who set about on a multi-year journey to learn the “skills that Batman never taught him”, before making his return in Under the Red Hood. (Which, I should note, occurred almost directly after the infamous War Games saga, where another Robin, Stephanie Brown, was killed. This isn’t actually addressed in the story itself, but on a meta narrative level, it’s interesting to note.)

Batman (1940-2011) #635

Jason became a Crime Lord known as only The Red Hood, which was the Joker’s original nome-de-guerre. He played a series of mindgames and plots, before finally revealing his identity to Bruce. His endgame eventually lead to him kidnapping the Joker, beating him with a crowbar, giving Bruce a gun, and telling Bruce that he’d either have to shoot the Joker, let Jason kill the Joker, or shoot Jason. Bruce found a way around that, because he’s Bruce, but Jason vanished afterwards, leaving Bruce dealing with the fact that his greatest failure, to save Jason, had literally come back to haunt him.

Jason went on to be a villain/anti-villain of various flavors, featuring in Battle for the Cowl, and the preboot’s Batman and Robin by Grant Morrison, before getting an image shift in the Nu52, primarily in Red Hood and the Outlaws, which shifted him into anti-hero territory.

But that’s another story entirely.

Hopefully this has answered your questions! Panel credits all go to @renaroo, who’s always the best to call up for screenshots.

#Jason Todd #Steph Reads Comics #Bat Family #Bruce Wayne #DC #Steph Replies #Steph Speaks #Anonymous #anon #asks #Steph vs The Bat Fam

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wazafam · 3 years

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As the saying goes, if at first you don’t succeed, sign on to a Marvel property. After the backlash Jared Leto received for his portrayal of the Joker in Suicide Squad, the actor jumped the DC ship, and he’s now playing Morbius, the living vampire from the Marvel Universe.

RELATED: Venom And 9 Previous Movie Villains Who Should Return For MCU’s Spider-Man 3

It isn’t technically part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but there some strange links between them that are yet to be cleared up, which is one of the reasons to be excited about the movie. However, given the strange premise, as it’s about a doctor who inadvertently becomes a vampire after trying to cure himself of his rare blood disease, it’s a hard sell. Regardless, these are movies that will get any cinephile in the mood to see the upcoming dark flick.

10 Venom (2018) - Available On Spectrum TV

Sony has confirmed that both the Venom series and Morbius are set in the same universe, which doesn’t exactly come as a surprise considering that they are both villains of Spider-Man and everything is always tied to a bigger universe these days.

A crossover between the two antagonists seems inevitable, whether it’s going up against each other or teaming up to go against a larger force. And as Venom is an ugly beast that literally bites heads off people, and Morbius is a vampire with a rare blood disease, a team-up would be gruesomely exciting.

9 Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) - Available On FX

Given that Morbius is originally Spider-Man’s villain in the comic-books, it’s worth watching the first movie of the reboot, if only to see who Morbius could potentially be facing off against in the future.

RELATED: MCU: 10 Spider-Man Scenes That Prove He’s The Best

Not only that but Michael Keaton, who played Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming, will also feature in the vampire movie. And though it hasn’t been announced what Keaton’s role will be, it’s heavily rumored that it’s the same role he played in Homecoming, especially considering that his character name hasn’t even been revealed yet.

8 Suicide Squad (2016) - Available On HBO Max

The DCEU's Suicide Squad might have been a critical miss, but the aesthetics of the film are so appealing. The movie has colorful cinematography, a stacked soundtrack, and the first live-action portrayal of Harley Quinn. But the most talked-about part of the movie is the Joker, who is unlike any Joker that had come before.

Leto plays the character as a flashy gangster. He drives a pink Lamborghini, hangs out in nightclubs, and is covered in tattoos. Though it was polarizing, it was at least unlike any Joker that came before.

7 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) - Available On HBO Max

After so many years of playing Roman Pierce in the Fast & Furious franchise, Tyrese Gibson has finally gotten a role in a different property, and it seems like it’s going to be an important part of the movie. The actor plays FBI agent Simon Stroud, who is trying to hunt down Morbius. It’s hard to imagine Gibson in a serious role, as he’s such a hype man and somewhat of a joker based on his work in the Fast & Furious series.

But viewers can’t help but smile whenever he’s on-screen, and the best example of that is in his breakthrough movie, 2 Fast 2 Furious, as things immediately become something much bigger when he’s first introduced. Gibson is responsible for many of the best scenes, whether it’s antagonizing gangsters or busting Brian’s chops at every chance he gets. Bringing that kind of energy to Morbius, which looks pretty gloomy, is exactly what the movie needs.

6 Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) - Available On HBO Max

Though Suicide Squad was financially successful, it was universally panned and fans of the series were split on Leto’s gangster-like portrayal of the most famous movie villain of all time.

However, with the newly released Zack Snyder’s Justice League, a four-hour version of the 2017 movie with tons of new footage, the epilogue actually redeems Jared Leto’s Joker. The gangster attitude is dropped and it’s a brilliant philosophical conversation that goes back and forth between the Joker and Batman. And it’s the chief example of how great Morbius can be, being led by Leto.

5 Dallas Buyers Club (2013) - Available On Peacock

After getting so much flack for some of his more recent movie choices, it’s easy for viewers to forget that Jared Leto is actually an Academy Award-winning actor. In 2013, Leto won Best Supporting Actor for his role as Rayon, a transgender AIDS patient in Dallas Buyers Club.

Having swept up most of the acting categories at the Oscars, the movie is so powerful due to the performances, and there's a reason why most audiences, even its stars, love it so much.

4 Blade Runner 2049 (2017) - Available On HBO Max

Being the long-awaited sequel to arguably the biggest cult movie of all time, Blade Runner 2049 is one of Ryan Gosling’s best movies, but Gosling isn’t the only actor who pulls in a great performance.

RELATED: 15 Gorgeous Sci-Fi Movies To Watch If You Loved Blade Runner 2049

In the movie, Jared Leto plays the evil CEO of Wallace Corporation, Niander Wallace, and just like most of Leto’s roles, the character is typically strange, as he spends a lot of time sitting in a chamber surrounded by water. Given the dark tone of Morbius and how the character is a villain, 2049 is the perfect movie to watch to see how Leto could portray the vampire.

3 Lost River (2014) - Available To Rent On Vudu

After shooting two movies with visceral filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, Ryan Gosling directed a movie of his own in a very similar style to Drive and Only God Forgives. Lost River is visually stunning and completely ambiguous, just like the work of Refn.

The highlight of the whole movie is Matt Smith, who plays Bully, a man who lives up to his name and who runs the criminal underbelly of the small town. He’s psychotic in the way he deals with problems head on, and it’s quite a departure from the actor’s role as the Doctor in Doctor Who. In Morbius, Smith plays a friend of the titular character who suffers from the same blood disease, and it could be that he has a much bigger role than fans actually know.

2 Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows (2011) - Available On HBO Max

Jared Harris is one of those actors who pops up in so many films and can be found all over TV, even if he isn’t immediately known by general audiences. In Morbius, Harris plays the titular character’s mentor, which is the type of role he has become known for playing.

Having been a character actor for decades, he’s given so many great performances, but he’s most well known for playing the iconic James Moriarty in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows. After the first movie, A Game of Shadows pulled a Dark Knight, by having Holmes go up against his toughest foe, and outside of BBC’s Sherlock, it’s the best on-screen depiction of Moriarty.

1 Blade (1998) - Available On HBO Max

So many studios seem wary to make an R-rated movie, as they fear they won’t make any money. However, the 1990s was a very different time and studios hadn’t quite realized what was possible with the Marvel properties. Due to that, fans were treated to an R-rated Blade movie. The film follows the character who has vampire strengths and uses them to hunt down vampires.

Though it’s unlikely that it’ll happen, Blade is one of the characters fans want to see in a cameo. But as the character of Blade has been cast for an upcoming MCU movie, it just got a little more likely, as Mahershala Ali will be portraying the vampire hunter in the reboot.

NEXT: MCU: 10 Storylines Spider-Man Can Have In The Third Movie

10 Movies To Watch To Get Excited For Morbius | ScreenRant from https://ift.tt/3m5e7DT

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gyrlversion · 6 years

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Dumbo flies again! Everything you need to know about blockbuster

The whimsical story of a flying baby elephant melted hearts when it hit the big screen in 1941, and has been a family favourite ever since.

Now, 78 years on, a whole new generation of children are set to fall in love with the tiny elephant with the big ears with Disney’s live-action remake of Dumbo.

And thanks to an array of technical wizardry, the computer- animated junior jumbo looks just as real as his human co-stars.

So just what did it take to bring this £90 million epic to our screens?

From actors in purple suits covered in tennis balls to an RAF hangar and rumours of an on-set romance, Alison Boshoff reveals the secrets of how Dumbo took flight — and all without a single real elephant . . .

The live-action remake of Disney’s Dumbo, which stars Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green, Nico Parker and Finley Hobbin, is set for release on March 29

Based on 1941 animated classic (pictured), the storyline faces some changes including Timothy Mouse, who originally hlps Dumbo, being dropped

The British Boffins who made magic

Like Disney’s 2016 remake of The Jungle Book, the computer-generated animals in Dumbo are hyper-realistic, but have been given human expressions. With his large, liquid, blue-green eyes, the adorable Dumbo has reduced preview audiences to tears.

But bringing Dumbo to life took some doing, with British visual effects firm Moving Picture Company — who won an Oscar for The Jungle Book and are working on this year’s Lion King remake — adding in all the CGI elements after the scenes had been shot.

For the actual takes, the cast came face to face with a range of models and human stand-ins.

Bringing Dumbo to life took some doing, with the British visual effects firm Moving Picture Company behind Oscar-winner The Jungle Book adding in all the CGI elements after the scenes had been shot

Colin Farrell, who stars as former circus performer Holt Farrier, explained: ‘We have a couple of people in green suits, and a couple in aluminium outlines of how big an elephant would be with eyes represented by little tennis balls.

‘The baby was green and the mama was purple, and I guess when they draw it, that’s how they separate it.’

In one scene where the elephants are seen walking off a train, the ramps were pulled down by a hydraulic pump to make it look as if they were bending under the beasts’ weight.

Other special effects included making the straw from which Dumbo first emerges move as if a real elephant was wriggling out.

Danny DeVito, who plays circus owner Max Medici, said: ‘There’s a fake trunk coming out, and the special effects people have little filaments that move the hay. And that’s really cool to watch.’

There’s an animal rights agenda

The original film was a simple fable about an elephant who could fly, if only he believed in himself.

In the new film, the human storylines have been vastly expanded. Set in 1919, just after World War I, much of it is about the men who run rival circuses.

The question of whether it is right to exploit animals is also answered in a way that will appeal to modern sensibilities.

Originally set as a fable about an elephant who can fly, the new version looks at animal rights abuses and whether it should be legal to exploit any animal

Farrell’s character is a war veteran who has lost an arm. ‘He was away for five years, and by the time he comes back, the two children have been raised by the circus and his wife has died,’ says Farrell. ‘So he is a single father ill-equipped to deal with parenthood or the changes in the circus.’

Holt’s friend Medici, in financial trouble, buys an elephant to try to bring in the crowds. Mrs Jumbo has baby Dumbo — and when it’s discovered he can fly, Medici thinks his troubles are over. However, the villainous V.A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton), wants Dumbo for his amusement park, Dreamland.

Farrell adds: ‘It’s a new narrative . . .There’s the shyster type of circus leader with a heart of gold, that’s Danny. Then there’s the evil, megalomaniacal owner of the really big fantastical circus.’

…But Timothy Mouse is dropped

After losing his mother in the original, Dumbo is helped by Timothy Mouse, who persuades him he can fly with the help of a ‘magic feather’.

Yet Timothy doesn’t feature in this version. Instead it is Milly and Joe, the children of Holt Farrier, who discover that Dumbo can fly after he inhales a feather and, while sneezing it out of his trunk, becomes airborne.

Finley Hobbin and Nico Parker star as the children of Holt Farrier to replace Timothy Mouse. They realise that Dumbo can fly when he inhales a magical feather

Roles for Batman and the penguin

Dumbo is directed by Tim Burton, who revamped Alice In Wonderland into a billion-pound blockbuster in 2010; critics say he is about to repeat the trick.

Though Burton has a reputation for the Gothic and phantasmagorical, many of his films have scenes that touch the tear ducts.

Who can forget the magical moment in 1990’s Edward Scissor-hands where Johnny Depp, as Edward, carves an ice sculpture and creates a blizzard under which Winona Ryder dances?

Describing his attraction to the Dumbo project, Burton said: ‘It’s symbolic of things that don’t fit in, and trying to find your place in the world.

‘Also, circuses always seemed to have that kind of . . . you know, just weirdos from all over the world, and that was always appealing.’

Child star with a ‘lioness’ Mum

Nico Parker, the 14-year-old daughter of British actress Thandie Newton and director Oliver Parker, makes her acting debut playing Milly Farrier. Finley Hobbins plays her brother, Joe.

‘At first it was nerve-racking remaking such a classic story,’ said Nico. ‘In the end, though, I got swept up in the magic of it all — the costumes, stunts, effects.’

As Nico was 12, a tutor provided her with lessons on set. But this wasn’t the only person watching over her.

Nico Parker, the 14-year-old daughter of British actress Thandie Newton and director Oliver Parker, makes her acting debut playing Milly Farrier

Mum Thandie said: ‘Having a mother and father in the industry . . . she’s been on endless sets. It’s not that she takes it for granted, but it’s not a world she feels she’s not entitled to be in.

‘She has her mum right there like a lioness checking that everything is looked after.’

Romance on the flying trapeze

Neither cares to confirm it, but director Burton, 60, appears to be enjoying a romance with 38-year-old French actress Eva Green — who is also his muse.

She appears in Dumbo as trapeze artist Colette Marchant.

They met when she starred in his 2012 film Dark Shadows and seem to have started dating in late 2015, about a year after he and actress Helena Bonham Carter announced their 13-year relationship was over.

Did Walt mock his striking staff?

At only 64 minutes long, the 1941 original was the shortest Disney feature ever made. The new version is 130 minutes.

Walt Disney declined to write more for the first movie, saying: ‘You can stretch a story so far, and after that it won’t hold together.’ It was based on 1938 book Dumbo The Flying Elephant, by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl.

Following on from Pinocchio and Fantasia — both costly and relative flops — Walt instructed animators to keep the film inexpensive.

Veteran filmmaker Tim Burton (right) is in the director’s chair for the first time since 2016’s Alice Through the Looking Glass. Colin Farrell (left) stars as Holt Farrier

The characters are simpler and backgrounds less detailed, with the film costing just £715,000 (£12.2million today) to make — half what Snow White had in 1938.

Yet it became an instant hit and was the most successful Disney film of the 1940s, grossing £1.2 million (equivalent to £20.5 million) during its original release.

Time magazine even had plans to honour Dumbo as ‘Mammal of the Year’. But then the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and they opted for a more serious cover.

Dumbo’s beautiful animations took some time. A scene where the clowns decide to ‘hit the big boss for a raise’ seems to be Walt mocking the animators who went on a five-week strike during production.

Hankies out…the song is back

One of the most poignant moments in the 1941 film is the lullaby Baby Mine, sung to Dumbo by his mother during a brief reunion.

It has been re-worked by the band Arcade Fire for the new film, where it is sung by Glaswegian actress Sharon Rooney — made famous by E4 TV drama My Mad Fat Diary — who plays circus performer Miss Atlantis.

A behemoth in Bedfordshire

The 2019 Dumbo was mostly shot in Shed 2 at Cardington, Bedfordshire — a behemoth originally built by the RAF during World War I to hold airships.

Movies shot there include Batman Begins, Inception and Fantastic Beasts. The total amount of floor space is 223,000 sq ft — or five acres — making it five times the size of the largest sound stage available in Hollywood.

The sheds fell out of service after an experimental hydrogen-filled airship, the R101, crashed during its maiden voyage in 1930, killing 48 of the 54 people on board.

Cardington became a storage station and the RAF ended its association with it in 2000. Warner Brothers started using it in 2005 and the hangars became available for renting by other film studios in 2012.

Sets created in Shed 2 for Dumbo included a full-size circus big top. Farrell said: ‘Cardington, the stage is like nothing I’ve ever seen.

‘I’ve been lucky enough in the past 20 years to be around some extraordinary sets. But I’ve never seen anything like the boulevard.’

Oscar winners’ artful outlook

Production designer Rick Heinrichs, who won an Oscar for Burton’s Sleepy Hollow, is behind the look of the film.

He wanted it to look like a painting by American Depression-era master Edward Hopper. Period circus costumes are by Colleen Atwood, who has won four Oscars.

The sequel that never happened

After the millennium, plans were made for a Dumbo II, with him and his circus friends stranded in the city. There were to be twin bears, Claude and Lolly, a zebra, an ostrich and a hippo.

Announced in 2001, it was cancelled in 2006 by the new chief creative officer of Disney Animation Studios, John Lasseter.

DUMBO arrives in cinemas on March 29.

The post Dumbo flies again! Everything you need to know about blockbuster appeared first on Gyrlversion.

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mredwinsmith · 7 years

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Diamond Select Toys Previews Toy Fair 2018 Offerings

Every year, the International Toy Fair in New York delivers a score of toy-related images onto the Internet, many of them items that are being seen for the first time. Diamond Select Toys will have a slew of new products – and even a few new licenses – at the show this year, which runs fromFebruary 17-20, and now they’re giving us a sneak peek! Check out new action figures, statues, banks, busts, dolls, vinyl figures and Minimates from Pacific Rim, The Predator, Kingdom Hearts, Batman: The Animated Series, Marvel Comics, Marvel Studios and more! Then see your local comic shop or favorite online retailer to pre-order yours! Look for them this summer!

Batman Animated Ra’s Al Ghul Resin Bust

A Diamond Select Toys Release! The Demon’s Head has arrived! One of Batman’s oldest villains joins his rogues gallery as part of DST’s bust line based on Batman: The Animated Series! Featuring his distinctive appearance from the show, this approximately 6-inch resin bust of Ra’s Al Ghul is ready to pounce on a pedestal base inspired by the architecture of Gotham City. This bust is limited to only 3,000 pieces, and comes packaged in a hand-numbered, full-color box with a certificate of authenticity. Sculpted by Varner Studios! (Item #FEB182293, SRP: $59.99)

Also Coming Soon:

Clayface Bust (Item #DEC172270, SRP: $59.99)

Killer Croc Bust (Item #JAN182370, SRP: $59.99)

Batman Classic TV Series Batgirl Vinyl Bust Bank

A Diamond Select Toys Release! Nananananananana bat-bank! DST’s detailed and affordable line of vinyl banks based on the Batman Classic TV Series continues with a new character — Barbara Gordon, a.k.a. Batgirl! The purple powerhouse is now a 7-inch vinyl bank, with a coin slot on the back and an access door in the base. With the authentic likeness of actress Yvonne Craig and collectible-quality sculpting and paint applications, this bank comes packaged in a clear polybag. Hand-sculpted by Jean St. Jean! (Item #JAN182371, SRP: $22.99)

DC Vinimates Injustice Vinyl Figures

A Diamond Select Toys Release! The DC Vinimates line returns to the world of DC Comics-inspired video games with three vinyl figures based on the world of Injustice! Batman, Black Manta and Harley Quinn each feature their game-specific outfits, with Black Manta wielding twin daggers and Harley Quinn packing a pistol. Each Vinimate stands approximately 4 inches tall and is sculpted in a block-figure style. Each comes packaged in a full-color window box.

Batman Vinyl Figure (Item #FEB182295, SRP: $9.99)

Black Manta Vinyl Figure (Item #FEB182296, SRP: $9.99)

Harley Quinn Vinyl Figure (Item #FEB182297, SRP: $9.99)

Also Coming Soon:

DC Vinimates Comic Series 3 Batman Vinyl Figure (Item #JAN182373, SRP: $9.99)

DC Vinimates Comic Series 3 Catwoman Vinyl Figure (Item #JAN182374, SRP: $9.99)

DC Vinimates Comic Series 3 Batwoman Vinyl Figure (Item #JAN182375, SRP: $9.99)

DC Vinimates Supergirl TV Show Supergirl Vinyl Figure (Item #DEC172256, SRP: $9.99)

DC Vinimates Supergirl TV Show Martian Manhunter Vinyl Figure (Item #DEC172257, SRP: $9.99)

DC Gallery Arrow TV PVC Diorama

A Diamond Select Toys Release! You have failed this city! The Green Arrow brings his brand of justice to the DC Gallery line with this sculpture of Oliver Queen from the CW TV series Arrow! Based on Stephen Amell’s portrayal of the character on the show, this 9-inch PVC diorama shows him drawing an arrow from his quiver atop a Starling City rooftop. This sculpture features detailed sculpting and paint applications and comes packaged in a full-color window box. Sculpted by Rocco Tartamella!

PVC Diorama SRP: $45.00

Also Coming Soon:

DC Gallery Flash TV Series PVC Diorama (Item #JAN182372, SRP: $45.00)

DC Gallery Supergirl TV Show PVC Diorama (Item #DEC172255, SRP: $45.00)

DC Gallery Justice League Movie Wonder Woman PVC Diorama (Item #DEC172251, SRP: $45.00)

Femme Fatales Gallery Dawn Executive Goddess PVC Statue

A Diamond Select Toys Release! It’s business time! The ever-changing Dawn, star of Joseph Michael Linsner’s comic books of the same name, returns to the Femme Fatales PVC statue line with this 9-inch sculpture of her in her Executive Goddess attire! You’ll have your fingers crossed for a hostile takeover once you get this statue onto your conference table! Made of high-quality plastic with collectible-quality paint applications, this statue comes packaged in a full-color window box. Designed by Joseph Michael Linsner, and sculpted by Sam Greenwell! (Item #FEB182299, SRP: $45.00)

Kingdom Hearts Select Action Figures Series 2 Asst.

A Diamond Select Toys Release! It’s time to return to the Kingdom! The second series of Kingdom Hearts Select Action Figures brings fans new, beloved Disney characters as well as characters created for the Kingdom Hearts series of games! Three sets of figures arrive in Series 2, including Roxas with Donald Duck and Goofy, Pete with Chip and Dale and a Soldier, and Aqua with Goofy in his Birth By Sleep Outfit! Action figures range from 2 to 7 inches tall and feature multiple points of articulation. Each set comes packaged in the display-ready Select action figure packaging with side-panel artwork. Sculpted by Oluf W. Hartvigsen! (Item #SEP178688, SRP: $24.99/ea.)

Kingdom Hearts Vinimates Vinyl Figures Series 2

A Diamond Select Toys Release! The toy story continues! The Vinimates line dives deeper into the world of Kingdom HEarts with three new 4-inch vinyl figures based on the hit video game series. Organization 13 Mickey Mouse, in his black coat, is joined by his old rival Pete, as well as Tron in his Tron-style outfit from Space Paranoids! Each figure is sculpted in the block-figure style, striking a pose inspired by the game. Each comes packaged in a full-color window box.

Org. 13 Mickey Vinyl Figure (Item #JAN182365, SRP: $9.99)

Pete Vinyl Figure (Item #JAN182366, SRP: $9.99)

Space Paranoids Sora Vinyl Figure (Item #JAN182367, SRP: $9.99)

Marvel Gallery Savage Land Rogue PVC Diorama

A Diamond Select Toys Release! She’ll steal your powers, and your heart! This 9-inch sculpture of the X-Men’s Rogue is based on her famous Savage Land storyline, in which the power-absorbing mutant found herself stranded with Magneto in the Antarctic paradise. Based on Jim Lee’s artwork, this 9-inch PVC diorama shows Rogue in her distinctive outfit from the story, and features detailed sculpting and paint applications. Packaged in a full-color window box. Sculpted by Alejandro Pereira! (Item #FEB182308, SRP: $45.00)

Also Coming Soon:

Marvel Gallery Black Panther Movie PVC Diorama (Item #DEC172278, SRP: $45.00)

Marvel Gallery Black Panther Movie Killmonger PVC Diorama (Item #JAN182376, SRP: $45.00)

Marvel Gallery Black Widow Comic PVC Diorama (Item #DEC172277, SRP: $45.00)

Marvel Gallery Netflix Punisher Version 2 PVC Diorama (Item #JAN182377, SRP: $45.00)

Marvel Premier Collection Elektra Resin Statue

A Diamond Select Toys Release! She’ll pierce your heart, and we don’t mean figuratively! This breathtaking sculpture of Marvel’s premier assassin is posed atop a marbled pedestal, holding her signature twin sais. Measuring approximately 16 inches tall, this 12-inch scale statue features detailed hand sculpting by Clayburn Moore, as well as high-quality paint applications. Statue comes packaged in a full-color box with a hand-numbered certificate of authenticity. Limited to only 3,000 pieces! (Item #FEB182309, SRP: $150.00)

Also Coming Soon:

Marvel Premier Collection Cable Resin Statue (Item #DEC172279, SRP: $150.00)

Nightmare Before Christmas Deluxe Collection Cloth Dolls

A Diamond Select Toys Release! The Nightmare Before Christmas Deluxe Collection is back, and it’s more deluxe than ever before! Two new releases take the line into new territory, with Snowman Jack — who includes a removable snowman costume, with hat and umbrella – and Lock, Shock and Barrel, the line’s first three-pack, with removable hat and masks! Each cloth-costumed figure looks like it stepped off the movie screen, with multiple points of articulation. Lock, Shock and Barrel measure approximately 5 inches tall, and Jack measures 16 inches tall with doll stand.

Snowman Jack Doll (Item #FEB182304, SRP: $79.99)

Lock Shock Barrel Dolls (Item #FEB182305, SRP: $74.99)

Nightmare Before Christmas Resin Busts

A Diamond Select Toys Release! Turn your shelf into a nightmare! The cast of Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas continues to populate DST’s line of resin busts. Featuring the movie’s most popular characters atop diorama bases, the line continues with villain Oogie Boogie and Jack Skellington’s dog, Zero. Oogie measures approximately 7 inches tall atop a pedestal inspired by his lair, while Zero stands approximately 4 inches tall atop a pile of books and a jack o’lantern. Each bust is limited to 3,000 pieces and includes a numbered certificate of authenticity in a full-color box. Sculpted by Joe Menna!

Oogie Boogie Bust (Item #FEB182306, SRP: $59.99)

Zero Bust (Item #FEB182307, SRP: $59.99)

Pacific Rim Uprising Select Action Figures Series 2 Asst.

A Diamond Select Toys Release! Cancel the apocalypse! Three new Jaegers are joining the fight against the kaiju menace, and each giant robot is cooler than the last! The mysterious Obsidian Fury with his twin blades, Guardian Bravo with his mace, and Titan Redeemer with his whip each measure between 7 and 8 inches tall, and each features approximately 16 points of articulation, plus interchangeable parts that are exclusively available to the specialty market! Packaged in display-ready Select action figure packaging, with side-panel artwork for shelf reference. Sculpted by Gentle Giant Studios! (Item #JAN182369, SRP: $24.99/ea.)

The Predator Movie Minimates Box Set

A Diamond Select Toys Release! The Predator is back, and it’s all brand-new! Shane Black’s new take on the Predator franchise is joining the Predator Minimates line, and this box set includes four figures from the upcoming film that are exclusive to comic shops and specialty stores! Each Minimates mini-figures stands approximately 2 inches tall with 14 points of articulation and feature fully interchangeable parts and accessories. Packaged in a full-color blister card. (Item #FEB182298, SRP: $24.99)

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englishmansdcc · 7 years

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Diamond Select Toys revealed some of the products they will have for display at International Toy Fair in New York. The event takes place February 17-20 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, will see quite a few products displayed for the first time. Among the products that DST will be displaying are items from PACIFIC RIM 2, THE PREDATOR, KINGDOM HEARTS, Marvel Comics, Marvel Studios, BATMANL THE ANIMATED SERIES, and more!

Full press release and images are below courtesy of Diamond Select Toys.

Toy Fair Sneak Peek: Pacific Rim, Kingdom Hearts, Marvel and More!

Every year, the International Toy Fair in New York delivers a score of toy-related images onto the Internet, many of them items that are being seen for the first time. Diamond Select Toys will have a slew of new products – and even a few new licenses – at the show this year, which runs from February 17-20, and now they’re giving us a sneak peek! Check out new action figures, statues, banks, busts, dolls, vinyl figures and Minimates from Pacific Rim, The Predator, Kingdom Hearts, Batman: The Animated Series, Marvel Comics, Marvel Studios and more! Then see your local comic shop or favorite online retailer to pre-order yours! Look for them this summer!

Batman Animated Ra’s Al Ghul Resin Bust

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Preview: Diamond Select Toys reveal NY International Toy Fair 2018 display lineup Diamond Select Toys revealed some of the products they will have for display at International Toy Fair…

#Diamond Select Toys #International Toy Fair #New York International Toy Fair

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actionfigureinsider · 7 years

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Every year, the International Toy Fair in New York delivers a score of toy-related images onto the Internet, many of them items that are being seen for the first time. Diamond Select Toys will have a slew of new products – and even a few new licenses – at the show this year, which runs from February 17-20, and now they’re giving us a sneak peek! Check out new action figures, statues, banks, busts, dolls, vinyl figures and Minimates from Pacific Rim, The Predator, Kingdom Hearts, Batman: The Animated Series, Marvel Comics, Marvel Studios and more! Then see your local comic shop or favorite online retailer to pre-order yours! Look for them this summer!

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@CollectDST Toy Fair Sneak Peek: Pacific Rim, Kingdom Hearts, Marvel and More! #NYTF Every year, the International Toy Fair in New York delivers a score of toy-related images onto the Internet, many of them items that are being seen for the first time.

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15 Marvel Characters Who Need Their Own Movie

As soon as the Walt Disney Company bought Marvel Entertainment in 2009, Disney proclaimed that it now had access to Marvel’s “treasure trove” of over 5,000 characters. That ever-growing library of characters has been the beating heart of the Marvel Universe for decades. With the announcement that Miles Morales’ Spider-Man will be headlining his own feature film, one more character is set to come to life on the big screen.

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Despite that, most of those 5,000 characters still haven’t had a starring role. Now, CBR is taking a look at some Marvel characters that should have their own films. For this hardly comprehensive list, we’ll be looking at characters and teams from Marvel’s comics and movies that have either never been adapted or have never starred in a solo adventure.

NICK FURY

Although he’s been absent from some of the more recent Marvel films, Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury was the nucleus of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in its earliest years. Since his debut at the end of 2008’s “Iron Man,” Jackson’s Fury has given Marvel’s films a sense of gravitas as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Thanks in part to Jackson’s commanding performance as the manipulative spymaster, the MCU is a world that can cohesively mix espionage and Asgardians without coming apart at the seams.

While Fury’s excelled as a supporting player, he hasn’t had a starring role since David Hasselhoff’s ill-fated 1998 “Nick Fury” TV movie. Jackson’s Fury would be an ideal candidate to star in a gritty, high-octane action thriller. Even after five seasons, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” still hasn’t introduced some major S.H.I.E.L.D. players like Jimmy Woo, G.W. Bridge and Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine. With those kinds of characters on the table, a stylish Fury-focused film could draw from Jim Steranko’s iconic run on the character, flesh out the early days of the MCU and maybe even show just how he lost the eye.

THE INVADERS

While “Captain America: The First Avenger” and “Agent Carter” both spent time exploring the World War II-era MCU, the Invaders, that era’s premiere superhero squad, still haven’t made an appearance. Created by Roy Thomas and Sal Buscema in 1969, the Invaders brought Captain America, Namor the Sub-Mariner and the original robotic Human Torch together for WWII adventures. While that team was known as the All-Winner’s Squad in the 1940s, the Invaders have an expansive roster that has included characters like Winter Soldier, U.S. Agent and Union Jack over its various incarnations.

With characters like the Howling Commandos already established, an Invaders movie could give Hayley Atwell’s Agent Carter a new home and introduce Namor and the android Human Torch to the MCU. Between Atlantis and his famous flooding of Manhattan, Namor could bring an unparalleled spectacle to Marvel’s films. In addition to tying up loose ends from “Agent Carter,” an Invaders movie could be the perfect venue to introduce some of the early ill-fated attempts to recreate the Super Soldier formula and set up future Captain America plotlines.

SILVER SURFER

While “Guardians of the Galaxy” has opened up the cosmic side of the MCU, Fox’s Fantastic Four and X-Men franchises have remained distinctly earthbound. While that may change soon, the Silver Surfer could help expand Fox’s Marvel Universe in a major way. Created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in 1966, the Silver Surfer has a conceptual elasticity and complexity that makes him one of Marvel’s richest characters. Whether he’s racked with guilt from serving as the Herald of Galactus or riding the spaceways in a psychedelic romp, the cosmically-powered Surfer is a compelling character who can easily hold down a stand-alone adventure.

While the Silver Surfer appeared in 2007’s “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer,” he’s conspicuous by his absence in the MCU. If Fox continues to hold on to the Fantastic Four rights, a Silver Surfer movie would be the first logical extension of the franchise. By embracing Dan Slott and Mike Allred’s lighter “Doctor Who”-esque take on the Silver Surfer, Fox could rebuild the Fantastic Four universe with a much-needed tonal shift.

MYSTIQUE

Thanks to the fortuitous casting of a pre-superstar Jennifer Lawrence, Mystique has taken on a surprisingly large role in Fox’s three most recent X-Men movies. While Rebecca Romijn’s Mystique was more of a silent supporting villain in the first X-Men trilogy, Lawrence’s Mystique has literalized the philosophical conflict between Charles Xavier and Magneto. While this focus has added some unique wrinkles to the familiar character, the continued emphasis on the character has taken screen time away from underserved X-Men like Cyclops and Storm.

While Mystique doesn’t have an extensive history as a solo character, the 2003 series “Mystique” provided a solid template for a more heroic interpretation of her. In that series, which was partially written by Brian K. Vaughan, Mystique was cast as a secret agent who worked for Xavier. While the idea of a shape-shifting spy is a fairly compelling idea in its own right, this could be a convenient way to tease some less flashy pieces of X-Men lore like Genosha or the Legacy Virus.

MARVEL BOY

With the blockbuster success of Fox’s “Deadpool,” audiences seem willing to embrace a different, more violent kind of superhero. While Marvel’s Netflix shows have fulfilled that role in the MCU so far, Marvel could shake up its reputation for relatively safe, predictable fare by adapting “Marvel Boy.” Created by Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones in 2000, “Marvel Boy” follows Noh-Varr, a young Kree alien, as he viciously wages war against the trillionaire Doctor Midas and the sentient corporation known as Hexus.

While Marvel Boy would eventually become more traditionally heroic and join the Young Avengers, that initial miniseries was filled with a cosmic punk aesthetic that would be a shocking change of pace for the MCU. With all of the power and none of the responsibility, Marvel Boy could offer a dramatic counterpoint to fellow teen superhero Spider-Man. A Marvel Boy solo film might finally give Cobie Smulders’ S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Maria Hill, something to do, and could begin to set up a Young Avengers film.

HAWKEYE

While audiences got to make an extended visit to Hawkeye’s farm in 2015’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the Avengers’ archer still feels like a far cry from his comic book counterpart. Jeremy Renner has done what he could with a fairly thankless role, but Hawkeye’s trademark charm has gotten lost in some overcrowded MCU outings. A Hawkeye solo film could give Renner’s character a chance to breathe in between all of the Civil Wars and Infinity Wars.

Along with several other modern comics masters, Matt Fraction and David Aja perfected this kind of low-key Hawkeye with their 2012 run on “Hawkeye.” By following Hawkeye on his days off from the Avengers, the creators had the room to innovate and flesh out Hawkeye’s supporting cast, especially Kate Bishop, the younger Hawkeye. Given the prominence of teen superheroes in comics, there’s a surprising lack of them on screen. Introducing Kate could help remedy that while also setting up a Young Avengers movie. Although that comic starred a single, city-dwelling Hawkeye, a movie focusing on Renner’s rural, married hero could unearth some new depths for the character.

SPIDER-WOMAN

In 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War,” Tom Holland’s Spider-Man joined the MCU to great fanfare. While that newfound cooperation between Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios has let Spider-Man swing alongside the Avengers, it could also pave the way for a Spider-Woman film. Since her 1977 debut by Archie Goodwin and Marie Severin, Spider-Woman has lived in an occasionally macabre world of espionage and lies that could help connect the desperate points of the MCU.

Given Spider-Woman’s history of working for both Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D., a dark Spider-Woman solo film could dig into the complex psychology of what it’s like working for these impossibly massive organizations. In addition to serving as a new potential Avenger, Spider-Woman could act as a sustainable link between Sony’s Spider-Man movies and the larger MCU. Spider-Woman’s nemesis, Morgan le Fay, could make an obvious foil for Doctor Strange and help establish the role of magic in the Marvel movies. Given the character’s prominent role in the 2008 crossover “Secret Invasion,” a Spider-Woman solo film could almost single-handedly set-up a major storyline for a future Avengers movie.

STARJAMMERS

In 1977, Dave Cockrum created the Starjammers as an independent feature. When there wasn’t any room for them in any of Marvel’s anthology titles, he and Chris Claremont introduced them to “Uncanny X-Men” in the middle of the landmark “The Phoenix Saga.” While Corsair, Raza, Hepzibah and Ch’od have always been close X-Men allies, Fox could easily give the ragtag team of space pirates their own X-Men-free adventure. Even though the characters have only appeared irregularly since their debut, they could overcome the inevitable comparisons to “Guardians of the Galaxy” and thrive on film in a light-hearted space romp.

Thanks to Fox’s control of the X-Men and Fantastic Four rights, a Starjammers film could feature some tantalizing match-ups. The Starjammers could watch as the Shi’ar Imperial Guard make a desperate last stand against Galactus or fight off Annihilus’ Annihilation Wave filled with the Brood and the Phalanx. By introducing some of these more science-fiction elements, a Starjammers film could also pave the way for the X-Men and Fantastic Four’s intergalactic adventures.

MOON KNIGHT

While Marvel has had tremendous success with its solo character films, none of them have been the same kind of grand urban epic that Christopher Nolan perfected with the “Dark Knight” trilogy. With its dark premise and a strong library of underrated source material, Moon Knight could be Marvel’s celluloid answer to Batman. While most of Marvel’s street-level heroes have a home on Netflix, the earthy avatar of Khonshu would make a striking image on the big screen with his eerie all-white ensemble.

With the character’s relatively complex premise, a Moon Knight feature could mix the grimy heroics of Marvel’s Netflix shows with the magic of Doctor Strange and the mythology of Thor. While Moon Knight could bridge all of these worlds, it could also serve as a spiritual sequel to the Blade franchise. By drawing on Bill Sienkiewicz’s depiction of Moon Knight or Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey’s recent run on the character, Moon Knight could also work as a thrilling standalone psychological horror film.

BISHOP

In comics, Bishop’s history is hopelessly tied to the X-Men’s convoluted possible future timelines. Without the minutia of X-Men continuity, Bishop makes a compelling protagonist with a brilliant high-concept. Created by Whilce Portacio, Jim Lee and John Byrne in 1991, Bishop is a time-traveling policeman who comes back to the past to hunt an energy vampire named Trevor Fitzroy. While Omar Sy only had a few moments as the character in 2014’s overcrowded “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” that kind of time-traveling fugitive tale is the perfect set-up for non-stop sci-fi action in the vein of “Timecop” and “The Terminator.”

A Bishop film could also take a more grounded approach and adapt the short-lived crime series “District X.” In that comic by David Hine, David Yardin and Lan Medina, Bishop served as a policeman in the mutant-haven known as District X. Either one of those premises can stand on its own merits with a loose connection to the X-franchise, or could establish a number of plotlines for further X-Men movies equally well.

SUPERIOR FOES OF SPIDER-MAN

Even after five movies, most of Spider-Man’s villains still haven’t appeared on the big screen. While Spider-Man’s iconic villains should make their debuts fighting the wall-crawler, some of Spider-Man’s less lethal foes could build up his rogues gallery in their own feature. As “Suicide Squad” proved, a villain-focused film can succeed with nothing but cameos from established heroes. With that in mind, Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber’s “Superior Foes of Spider-Man” could be the perfect basis for a different kind of Spider-Man movie.

While most Spider-Man films have been fairly kid-friendly, a Superior Foes movie could exhibit the world-weariness and desperation of blue-collar criminals like the Shocker or Boomerang. A Superior Foes movie could make Spider-Man’s New York feel more expansive and lived in. Like Spencer and Lieber’s comic, the movie could be a light-hearted comedy of errors or more cynical look at the psychological toll of getting repeatedly beat up by a teenager in tights.

X-STATIX

Outside of Deadpool, the X-Men doesn’t lend itself terribly well to the world of comedy. While X-Statix doesn’t share “Deadpool’s” violently absurd sense of humor, the team could star in a solo film with vicious social satire. Created by Peter Milligan and Mike Allred as a later incarnation of “X-Force” in 2001, “X-Statix” cast its young mutant team as immensely popular reality TV celebrities. While that concept lends itself well to parody, the book was equally noteworthy for its sudden bouts of extreme violence and expendable team members.

Beyond tonally pushing Fox’s X-Men franchise in a drastically new direction, an X-Statix movie could offer a glimpse of how the world views mutants outside of the X-Men. Along with the compelling romance between Mister Sensitive and U-Go Girl and the commercial appeal of Doop, the team’s floating potato-like videographer, some of the comic’s less satiric elements could also translate to the big screen fairly well. Given the role of media in the series, the X-Statix movie could also be the ideal place to introduce the media-obsessed X-Men villain Mojo.

SPIDER-MAN 2099

Since Miles Morales is finally headed to the big screen, Spider-Man 2099 could add a whole new dimension to Sony’s Spider-Man franchise. Created by Peter David and Rick Leonardi for Marvel’s 2099 imprint in 1992, “Spider-Man 2099” showed how a future Spider-Man could operate in a corporately-owned dystopia that’s unlike anything Marvel has put on screen. While that line folded in the mid-1990s, Spider-Man 2099 has lingered long after the imprint’s cancellation and still stars in an ongoing title today.

Thanks to his appearance in a few Spider-Man video games and cartoons, some of the general public would already be familiar with Miguel O’Hara and the world of 2099. By clearly establishing the legacy of Peter Parker, a Spider-Man 2099 film could help set Tom Holland’s Spider-Man apart from his predecessors and offer audiences their first glimpse of the future of the MCU. Along with Spider-Man’s other film incarnations, a Spider-Man 2099 film could also help set-up a potential “Spider-Verse” crossover movie.

THUNDERBOLTS

While the MCU has many strengths, an expansive roster of well-defined villains hasn’t been one of them yet. A Thunderbolts movie could go a long way to changing that. Created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley in 1997, “Thunderbolts” originally followed a group of villains who were posing as heroes. As the series progressed, some of those characters actually reformed and the title morphed into a work release program for super-criminals akin to DC’s “Suicide Squad.”

While many of the classic Avengers originally started out as villains, those origins haven’t really been reflected in the MCU. Although “Suicide Squad” relished in its characters’ misdeeds, a Thunderbolts movie could be a sincere underdog story about redemption. The Winter Soldier could find a home in a Thunderbolts movie, and longtime Thunderbolt Songbird could be a logical choice to join a future film incarnation of the Avengers. With its focus on villains, a Thunderbolts film could draw from Marvel’s Netflix shows, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and older MCU movies, and serve as a regrouping point for the larger MCU.

BLACK WIDOW

At this point, it’s absolutely ridiculous that Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow hasn’t starred in a solo feature. While the character doesn’t have the most extensive history as a solo character in comics, Johansson’s super-spy has been a consistently engaging part of the MCU since her debut in 2010’s “Iron Man 2.” Thanks to her continued presence in Marvel’s movies, the Black Widow has unexpectedly risen from Marvel’s B-list to become one of the most visible superheroes in the world.

With Johansson’s proven box office appeal and experience headlining action thrillers like “Lucy,” the Black Widow could easily carry a Bourne-esque action-packed spy thriller in the espionage-rich MCU. As the rest of the Avengers movies continue to grow in size and scope, a Black Widow thriller could offer a necessary re-grounding after “Avengers: Infinity War.” Over the past few years, creators like Mark Waid and Chris Samnee have given the character several standalone comic stories that could model for the character’s solo cinematic outing. Even “The Avengers” director Joss Whedon has expressed interest in giving the Widow her first stand-alone starring role.

For all the latest Marvel Comics features, stay tuned to CBR! Let us know what Marvel character you want to see on the big screen in the comments below!

The post 15 Marvel Characters Who Need Their Own Movie appeared first on CBR.com.

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Batman’s 15 Most Powerful Suits

One of the reasons fans love Batman is that he’s a regular person who has made himself into something amazing. He doesn’t have super-strength or speed, and he isn’t even bulletproof, but what he does have is a tactical genius, a highly trained body and an ironclad will.

RELATED: The 15 Best (and Worst) Superman Costumes

Iron Man is known for his powered armor, and especially for the way he develops different versions of his armor for different situations, but he’s not the only one who equips himself with special suits. Batman has created a wide variety of different duds for fighting enemies, especially for ones stronger than he is. Since he doesn’t have superpowers, he needs all the help he can get. CBR is here to run down 15 of the most powerful batsuits we’ve seen in the comics and beyond.

BATMAN BEYOND SUIT

Beginning in 1999 as an animated TV show, “Batman Beyond” was a cyberpunk take on the Batman mythos created by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and Alan Burnett. Set in the distant alternate future of 2039 where an elderly Bruce Wayne had retired, the mantle of Batman was taken up by teenager Terry McGinnis. With guidance from Wayne, McGinnis fought new enemies such as the shape-shifting Inque, the master of sound Shriek and older versions of Mister Freeze and the Joker.

Even though McGinnis’ batsuit was created by Wayne in 2019, it was still considered cutting-edge in 2039. Instead of relying on a plane, the Batman Beyond batsuit had its own wings and limited flight capabilities, as well as weapons such as retractable claws, projectile batarangs and grappling guns. It also worked as an exoskeleton to enhance the wearer’s strength and speed. One major feature was the suit’s cloaking ability, allowing Batman to become invisible to the naked eye. Even more amazing, the suit was still flexible as regular cloth.

BAT-BOT

On the 2004 animated TV series “The Batman,” the episode “Traction” introduced a new version of one of Batman’s most famous foes. Written by Adam Beechen and directed by Sam Liu, the episode started with mob bosses hiring a mysterious mercenary known only as Bane. The episode played as sort of a light version of the 1993 storyline“Knightfall,” where Bane beat Batman and left him for dead in an alley. To defeat Bane, Batman built the Bat-Bot armor to fight for him.

The Bat-Bot was an exoskeleton that made Batman much larger, making him as big as Bane. It also had powerful servo motors that gave him superhuman strength. The Bat-Bot also had a jetpack so he could fly in short bursts or slow down a fall from a building, but all that power still didn’t keep Bane from smashing the Bat-Bot and peeling it open like a tin can. Fortunately, Batman managed to grab a power cable and give Bane the shock of his life.

SUIT OF SORROWS

The armor known as the Suit of Sorrows first made its debut in “Detective Comics” #838 in 2008, written by Paul Dini and penciled by Ryan Benjamin. Presented to Batman as a gift from Talia al Ghul, the daughter of the ancient villain Ra’s al Ghul, the Suit of Sorrows was first forged in 1190 during the Crusades. The Suit drove the knight who first wore it insane, leading him to slaughter hundreds of people, but that didn’t deter the Bat.

The Suit of Sorrows was forged from the blades and breastplates of fallen soldiers from the Order of Purity, a splinter sect of the Order of St. Dumas. Batman found the Suit made him stronger and faster, but also made him more violent. Batman decided to stop using the armor, but couldn’t bring himself to destroy it, leaving it in the Batcave. The Suit ended up being stolen and used by the Order of Purity’s new Azrael.

DARK KNIGHT RETURNS EXOSUIT

In 1986, Frank Miller’s graphic novel “The Dark Knight Returns” introduced a darker and grittier Batman, one who had grown old and retired, but came out of retirement to fight new and old threats. One of those threats involved Superman, who had become a powerful weapon under the control of a corrupt US government. When the government decided that Batman needed to be stopped, it sent Superman to take him down, but Batman was prepared.

Batman had created an exoskeleton specifically designed to fight Superman, one with heavily armored skin hard enough to take blows from the Man of Steel, and equipped with strong motors that let Batman punch harder. The suit also allowed him to deliver a powerful electric shock to Superman’s skull, and spray acid to distract him. The exosuit is one of Batman’s most famous, and also made an appearance in 2016’s “Batman v Superman” movie in the climactic battle.

PREDATOR SUIT

In 1991, Batman faced the alien Predator in “Batman Versus Predator,” written by Dave Gibbons and drawn by Andy Kubert. In book one, Batman was investigating the grisly murder of a boxer who had his spine and skull removed. At first, Batman was just concerned with stopping a war between two mob bosses, but discovered the ruthless alien warrior Predator was hunting in Gotham City. In order to defeat the Predator, Batman created an exoskeleton to give him an edge.

Batman’s Predator exoskeleton was specially designed to fight the Predator. The suit used sonar to compensate for the Predator’s invisibility technology, gave him additional strength to fight the hunter hand-to-hand, and armor to keep the Predator from cutting him open with its razor sharp blades. In the end, Batman managed to defeat the Predator so badly that the alien committed suicide, proving Batman is the Galaxy’s greatest warrior (as if we didn’t already know).

THRASHER SUIT

In 2012, Batman discovered the existence of a secret and deadly organization, the Court of Owls. “Night of the Owls” was a story arc where the Court of Owls sent its Talon assassins to attack the Bat-Family and strengthen their control over Gotham City. In “Batman” #8, written by Scott Snyder and penciled by Greg Capullo, they struck at the heart of the Family, Bruce Wayne. They entered Wayne Manor and found their way into the Batcave itself, but Batman was ready… because he’s Batman.

One of the main weapons of the Talons are their regenerative abilities that allow them to survive fatal injuries and even bring them back to life. To fight them, Batman lowered the temperature of the cave to freezing, but needed precious minutes until it dropped. That’s why Batman armed himself in a special Thrasher exoskeleton that could survive the subzero temperatures, but also gave him the strength and armor to battle the Talons without holding back.

TRINITY ARMOR

Written and drawn by Matt Wagner, “Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman: Trinity” was a three-issue series about the first meeting between DC’s greatest heroes. In the story, Ra’s al Ghul, Bizarro and Wonder Woman’s enemy Artemis worked together to bring chaos to the world, and the three heroes were forced to unite to fight the triple threat. Usually, Superman is the one who faces Bizarro, but in the third issue, Batman went toe-to-toe with the mixed-up villain and he was armed to do it.

Like all of his exoskeletons, the Trinity armor gave Batman enhanced strength and speed, and also protected him from the full impact of Bizarro’s fists. It didn’t protect him completely, though, since Bizarro was able to smash the chest in until Batman couldn’t breathe, and Wonder Woman had to rip it off. The armor also had gadgets like a titanium electrified net he could throw over Bizarro, a flurry of miniature grenades and solar lasers mounted on the gloves to add punch to his fists. It wasn’t enough to beat Bizarro, but it did distract him until Superman arrived on the scene.

PROJECT BATMAN ARMOR

In the conclusion of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s 2014’s storyline, “Batman” #40 seemed to end with the death of the Dark Knight at the hands of the Joker. With Batman allegedly dead, Gotham City was left without its protector. In order to fill the void, the Gotham corporation, Powers International, brought Commissioner Jim Gordon in to become the new Batman. Without the years of training and skill of the original Batman, Gordon was fitted with a suit of armor to bring him up to Batman’s level.

The armor, which was tied to Project Batman, gave Gordon the usual assortment of super-strength, durability and speed, but also had a few tricks up its sleeve. For one thing, the armor was sanctioned by the Gotham City Police Department, so he stayed in contact with a GCPD blimp at all times and worked with local governments. He could fire batarangs and even an EMP pulse, and had magnetic boots to give him a powerful grip. Gordon was never more of a warrior than in that suit.

DC ONE MILLION BATSUIT

“JLA” #23 (written by Grant Morrison and penciled by Howard Porter) was the introduction of the Batman in the “DC One Million” event, which was set in a far future version of the DC Universe. The DC One Million Batman was born in the 853rd Century, where the criminal Xauron had taken control of the prison planet Pluto and slaughtered thousands while the children watched. As one of those children, Batman had taken on the then-ancient identity to prevent injustice from happening again.

The Batsuit of the DC One Million Batman was a huge technological leap forward. Though it didn’t look that different from the original costume, it had collapsible armor, a fireproof cape and a stronger skeleton to keep him safe. It also had night vision and camouflage for stealth, built in wings for flight and could project holograms. DC One Million Batman also had his Bat-computer built into the suit with 10 times the power of the modern version. It made the regular batsuit look like a set of long underwear.

BATWING ARMOR

David Zavimbe was a former child soldier who became the African version of Batman in his self-titled issue, “Batwing” #1 in 2011. Written by Judd Winick and penciled by Ben Oliver, “Batwing” introduced the title character as part of Batman Incorporated, an initiative to turn the ideal of Batman into a global crime-fighting network. To help with his war on crime, Batwing had a new suit of armor jam-packed with gadgets for the crusade.

The Batwing suit began with the usual enhancement trio of speed, strength and durability, as well as the ability to fly with a jetpack. A second Batwing came along when Lucas Fox took over the role of Batwing, and the suit got an upgrade to cover his entire body, hiding his appearance. The Batwing suit was became more sophisticated with limited medical treatment while in the field. For instance, the suit could detect broken bones and stiffen the area to form a cast until the wearer can get medical help. The suit can’t fly, but it can glide pretty well with a retractable cape, and project holograms and blend into its surroundings.

STEALTH SUIT

When we talk about power, it’s not all about brute force. There’s also the ability to hide and become invisible, which is job number one for Batman, since he doesn’t have a ton of superpowers on his own. His vulnerability makes him especially paranoid (let’s call it “concerned”) about Superman, who has a ton of superpowers and very little that can stop him. In “Superman Unchained” #2 (2013), written by Scott Snyder with art by Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Dustin Nguyen, we saw his stealth suit designed as protection against the Man of Tomorrow.

When Superman visited the Batcave, he was surprised to discover he couldn’t see Batman anywhere. Batman revealed his new stealth suit, a full-body armor that could adapt to any system used to try to detect it, and adjust itself to hide from it, even Superman’s X-ray and various super-visions. The suit was armored, so it also came in handy in the seventh issue when Batman used it to fight Wraith. Plus, with its glowing lines, it just looked freaking cool.

THE INSIDER SUIT

In 2010, Batman’s life had become really complicated, having just been apparently killed during “Final Crisis” and forced to journey through time to return to the present. In the meantime, the role of Batman had been taken on by Dick Grayson, and Batman decided to put on a new identity to discretely see how things had been going without him. First appearing in “Bruce Wayne: The Road Home: Batman and Robin” #1 (2010, written by Fabian Nicieza, penciled by Cliff Richards), Wayne become the Insider and had an incredible new suit to match.

The Insider Suit was designed to mimic some of the powers of the Justice League with a heat vision mode like Superman, a Speed Force mode that would let Batman move at high speed like the Flash, a camouflage mode that could let him turn invisible like Martian Manhunter, an electrified wire that could act as a lie detector like Wonder Woman’s lasso and a force beam powered by willpower like Green Lantern. It also could fly and teleport, using the Justice League teleporter. It had everything, really, except Batman’s ears and the logo.

MAN-BAT BATMAN

In 2013, writer Grant Morrison and penciler Chris Berman introduced a deadly new Batman in “Batman Incorporated” #12. In the issue, Batman faced Talia al Ghul and an army of ninjas transformed into half-human half-bat monsters. She also had an inhuman clone monster with the power and will to destroy Batman. In order to fight them, Batman went to extreme measures in preparing for the battle by injecting himself with the Man-Bat serum, one of the most powerful and deadliest substances among his rogues gallery.

Diving into the fight, Batman also wore the Suit of Sorrows (which we mentioned earlier) that made him stronger and faster, modified by a jetpack for flight and extending metal arms. Not only were the arms strong, they could deliver a powerful electric shocks into the ground. The suit itself had a “negative refractive index,” which allowed him to turn invisible. It turned Batman into a monster, which he needed to fight monsters.

HELLBAT ARMOR

“Batman and Robin” #33, written by Peter Tomasi and pencilled by Patrick Gleason, introduced one of Batman’s most powerful suits of armor: the Hellbat. As one of the few members of the Justice League without superpowers, the other members worked together to design and build the Hellbat armor to protect him. Formed by Superman in the heart of a sun and forged by Wonder Woman in Olympus, assembled by Cyborg, given a shape-changing cape by Green Lantern and tempered by the Flash and Aquaman under extreme conditions, Hellbat seemed to be the ultimate weapon.

The Hellbat gave Batman speed, strength and durability, but had other tricks. For instance, the cape was capable of changing shapes to let him fly, and created shapes like tendrils under his control. The suit also had a photonic cloak to make him invisible. The biggest problem with the Hellbat suit was that it drained Batman’s metabolism so much that leaving it on too long would kill him. He only used it to try to get the body of his son back from Apokolips, and it was a price he was willing to pay.

JUSTICE BUSTER

There’s an old saying that just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean people aren’t out to get you. As we mentioned before, Batman doesn’t trust anybody, and sometimes he’s right. That was certainly the case in 2014’s “Batman: Endgame” #1 (written by Scott Snyder and pencilled by Greg Capullo), which brought one of Batman’s worst scenarios to life when the Joker infected the Justice League to turn them against the Dark Knight. Fortunately, Batman was prepared.

He turned to an exoskeleton designed to quickly take down the Justice League. It bound Wonder Woman with the mystical Bind of Veils to make her think she beat him, then knocked out the Flash at hyperspeed. For Aquaman, the suit sprayed a foam to dehydrate him. Cyborg was downed by an electromagnetic nerve tree and a “citrine neutralizer” was used for Green Lantern, but the best was saved for Superman. The gauntlets had microscopic red suns for added punch, a coating to deflect Superman’s heat and cold powers, and even gum laced with kryptonite as a last resort. Who could make a suit capable of taking down the most powerful humans on Earth? Batman, that’s who.

Which is your favorite Batman armor? Let us know in the comments!

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Digital Justice: 15 DC Comics Video Games You Forgot Existed

In 2009, the critically-acclaimed “Batman: Arkham Asylum” redefined what a superhero game could be and helped establish the definitive Batman for a new generation. Although the influence of that Rocksteady Studios game can still be felt across DC Comics today, most superhero video games aren’t so lucky. While DC has seen success with titles like “Injustice: Gods Among Us” and abysmal failure with the Nintendo 64’s infamously bad “Superman: The New Adventures,” most games only achieved momentary notoriety before becoming footnotes in the history of the DC universe.

RELATED: 17 Indie Comics Video Games You Forgot Existed

Now, CBR is taking a look back at some of DC’s most forgotten video games. In no particular order, this hardly comprehensive list will be looking at games that were officially released after 1990 and feature DC Comics’ characters in starring roles.

BATMAN: RISE OF SIN TZU

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, “Batman: The Animated Series” spawned several video game adaptations. While the quality of these games varied, they all shared a sense of design that was based on Bruce Timm’s iconic interpretation of the Dark Knight. In the wake of 2001’s moderately successful “Batman: Vengeance,” Ubisoft’s “Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu” gave gamers one last chance to visit DC’s animated universe on the PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube in 2003.

In the 3D brawler, players can take control of Batman, Robin, Nightwing or Batgirl in order to save Gotham City from the Scarecrow, Clayface, Bane and the original character Sin Tzu. Created by legendary artist Jim Lee and writer Flint Dille, Sin Tzu was a strategic mastermind who was meant to become a regular member of Batman’s rogues gallery. While the game received average reviews and still has a decent reputation, Sin Tzu never appeared again outside of the game’s promotional tie-ins.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: TASK FORCE

While Capcom’s Marvel Comics-centric fighting games have been around since the 1990s, DC’s characters struggled to find a suitable fighting ground for years. In 1995, Acclaim, Sunsoft and Blizzard Entertainment gave the Justice League its first official game appearance with the 2D fighting game “Justice League: Task Force” for the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo.

While the Task Force of that era’s comics featured more obscure characters, this game stars a small roster of traditional Justice League members like Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Green Arrow. Outside of the game’s story mode, players can also fight as the villains Cheetah, Darkseid and Despero. Despite an early chance to see Batman and Superman face off onscreen, the title earned poor reviews that criticized its controls, graphics and lackluster combat. “Task Force” would be the League’s only fighting game appearance for over a decade and Blizzard’s final licensed game before the developer shifted its exclusive focus to its own properties.

SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL

As many of the entries on this list can attest, most DC Comics-based games have been based on or released in conjunction with a film or televised adaption. In 2002, Circus Freak, Atari and Warner Bros. Interactive bucked this trend with the Xbox-exclusive “Superman: The Man of Steel.” While it shares a name with a movie that would come years later, this game’s primary influence was the 2000 comic book storyline “Superman: Y2K,” where Brainiac unleashed a technology-advancing wave across that Metropolis that literally turned it into the “City of Tomorrow.”

Like the comic, the game follows Superman as he tangles with several of his most famous villains including Mongul, Metallo and Bizarro in addition to Brainiac. In the title, players use Superman’s full power set to fight villains, rescue civilians and find bombs. While the game received slight praise for its story and depiction of a future-infected Metropolis, the title was heavily criticized for its confusing controls and timed missions.

WATCHMEN: THE END IS NIGH

As CBR just reaffirmed, “Watchmen” remains an incredibly rich text that still reveals new depths upon reexamination today. While no adaptation could ever hope to fully capture the intricate majesties of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ masterpiece, Zack Snyder’s film made a valiant effort. In conjunction with the movie’s 2009 release, Deadline Games and Warner Bros. Interactive released “Watchmen: The End Is Nigh” over two installments on the PC, the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade.

In the 3D brawlers, players can control either Nite Owl or Rorschach in a pre-“Watchmen” adventure that depicts their final days as crime-fighting partners in the early 1970s. While “Watchmen” purists might scoff at the idea of any ancillary adventures, “Watchmen” editor and comics legend Len Wein wrote the game’s story, which expanded on a few details mentioned in the original miniseries. Despite Gibbons’ blessing and some praise for the game’s graphics, both portions of the title received mixed reviews that criticized its repetitive gameplay and short running time.

BATMAN: GOTHAM CITY RACER

In almost every interpretation of Batman, one of the character’s signature gadgets is the Batmobile. In the era when themed racing games like “Diddy Kong Racing” and “Mario Kart 64” were commercial hits, a Batman-themed racing game seemed destined for success. In 2001, Sinister Games and Ubisoft put the Batmobile on center stage with “Batman: Gotham City Racer” for the PlayStation.

Based on “The New Batman Adventures,” the game lets players control the Batmobile as well as Nightwing and Batgirl’s Batcycles in order to round up Batman’s rogues gallery after a breakout at Arkham Asylum. All of this action takes place exclusively on the road as players try to disable the villains’ vehicles in a sparsely populated Gotham City. While the game received a modicum of praise for including clips from the Batman cartoon as cut scenes, it was largely panned for abysmal controls and baffling gameplay decisions focus on time trials rather than any kind of actual racing modes.

GREEN LANTERN: RISE OF THE MANHUNTERS

While Ryan Reynolds fulfilled his destiny as an onscreen superhero with 2016’s “Deadpool,” his turn as Hal Jordan in 2011’s “Green Lantern” received an all-out promotional blitz. Like many superhero movie tie-in games, Double Helix and Warner Bros. Interactive’s “Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters” saw Reynolds reprise his role across platforms including the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2011.

Serving as a sequel to the film, the game follows Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps as they take on the robotic alien Manhunters in a story penned by veteran comics scribe Marv Wolfman. While the game mirrors the film’s look, some of its features had originally been developed for an unreleased Justice League game that would’ve prominently featured Green Lantern. While the Green Lantern movie was largely panned, the game received mixed reviews that leaned fairly positive. Although reviewers found the gameplay too simple and somewhat derivative of “God of War,” several said that it was a relatively fun, decent experience.

MORTAL KOMBAT VS. DC UNIVERSE

After Capcom stumbled upon an unlikely but ingenious pairing with 1996’s “X-Men vs. Street Fighter,” a meeting between some of DC’s heroes and “Mortal Kombat’s” fighters seemed inevitable. The idea of brawls between Superman and Scorpion or Batman and Baraka remained purely theoretical for a decade, until Midway Games and Warner Bros. Interactive unleashed “Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe” across platforms in 2008.

In the game, players can chose from a roster of over 20 characters pulled from the two universes. While the Mortal Kombat games are famous for their gory brutality, this title features toned-down finishing moves with only mild dismemberment. While that lighter tone received some criticism, the game sold well and garnered mostly positive reviews that were impressed by its outlandish but cohesive story. After a few years, this title was largely eclipsed by well-received subsequent fighting game released from both franchises. Mortal Kombat ant Scorpion faced off with DC’s characters again in NetherRealm Studios’s 2013 hit “Injustice: Gods Among Us,” and could feasibly show up later this year in “Injustice 2.”

SWAMP THING

After a few low-budget movies in the 1980s, Swamp Thing was all over television screens in the early 1990s. While the character’s live-action cable show lasted for three seasons, his vaguely environmentalist Saturday morning cartoon only lasted for a few episodes. While that show didn’t last for long, it still spawned a line of action figures, and Imagineering and THQ’s “Swamp Thing” for the NES and Game Boy in 1992.

In the 2D action platformer, players can take control of the plant elemental in order to defeat the evil Anton Arcane and his Un-Men. While it doesn’t really invoke the spirit of its Vertigo roots, the game carries over the cartoon’s environmentalist message by rewarding players for collecting and recycling garbage. While a planned Sega-exclusive version of the game would’ve greatly expanded the character’s in-game power set, this title received mediocre reviews that criticized its difficulty, poor controls and lackluster graphics.

BATMAN: DARK TOMORROW

Like “Superman: Man of Steel,” “Batman: Dark Tomorrow” gave players a chance to play as Batman in a comic-inspired adventure years before “Batman: Arkham Asylum.” Developed and released by HotGen and Kemco, this title was originally meant to be an open-world adventure exclusive to the GameCube. After four years in development, the game was released as a more linear 3D action game on the GameCube and Xbox in 2003.

In the game, players control Batman as he tries to stop a gang war between the Ventriloquist and Black Mask, rescue Commissioner Gordon from the Joker and keep Ra’s al Ghul from taking over the world. Despite a nice roster of both major and obscure villains, as well as a well-received story, the game was torn apart by critics for its controls and bug-filled gameplay. Reviewers also took issue with the game’s ending and a hidden ultimate objective that was only explicitly revealed in supplementary real-world materials.

THE FLASH

While the Flash is zooming across screens on his ongoing CW show, the Flash’s first live-action TV series came out in the early 1990s. While that show only lasted one season, it spawned two video game tie-ins. The first game was a fairly standard platformer that was released on the Game Boy during the show’s run in 1991. Two years after show’s cancellation, Sega and Probe Entertainment’s “The Flash” was released exclusively in Europe for the Sega Master System, which had become an afterthought in the American and Japanese markets

In the 2D action platformer, players control the Flash as he tries to free Central City from the control of the villainous Trachmann and the Trickster. With gameplay that’s not too different from Sega’s “Sonic The Hedgehog,” the Flash must collect tokens and activate switches as he races through timed levels. Although the game only received average reviews when it was released, it’s somewhat collectible today.

CONSTANTINE

With so many supernatural games about demon hunters and the like on the market, it’s a little surprising that more magic-based heroes haven’t headlined their own titles. With “Constantine,” Bits Studios, Sci Games and THQ gave DC’s master magician John Constantine his own interactive adventure in 2005. Like the Keanu Reeves-starring film that it’s based on, the game was loosely inspired by the character’s long-running Vertigo series “Hellblazer.”

Released for the PC, PlayStation 2 and Xbox, the game follows Constantine as he fights various demonic opponents under Los Angeles in a third-person adventure filled with horror and action. The title received some praise for an RPG-esque management system and combat that allows players to manage and combine magic powers, gunplay, and melee attacks. While the game has its defenders, most reviews said that the release was a fairly standard movie tie-in that didn’t innovate on the usual movie game tie-in formula.

SUPERMAN: SHADOW OF APOKOLIPS

After the absolute failure of “Superman: The New Adventures,” more commonly known as “Superman 64,” another game based on “Superman: The Animated Series” seemed like a questionable idea at best. With 2002’s “Superman: Shadow of Apokolips,” Infogrames and Atari created a Bruce Timm-inspired adventure that still ranks among Superman’s better video game appearances today. Released on the PlayStation 2 and GameCube, this title accurately captured the style and tone of the DC Animated Universe.

In the 3D action game, players control Superman as he tries to stop Lex Luthor and Darkseid from reviving the intergalactic criminal organization known as Intergang. With much of the cartoon’s cast reprising their roles for the title, the Man of Steel uses his full array of powers to battle with villains like Parasite, Volcana and Livewire. While the game’s existence was initially met with skepticism by critics, it received moderately positive reviews that highlighted its cel-shaded graphics.

AQUAMAN: BATTLE FOR ATLANTIS

Despite years of valiant efforts, Aquaman is still a punchline to most of the general public. While Jason Momoa might still change that in the upcoming films, “Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis” certainly didn’t help the cause. Released for the Xbox and GameCube in 2003, the Lucky Chicken Studios and TDK production is generally considered one of the worst games of the early 2000s.

In the 3D action game, players control the King of the Seven Seas as he tries to defend his kingdom Atlantis from the attacks of Black Manta and Ocean Master. Instead of the character’s traditional orange outfit, this title features the hook-handed, bearded and bare-chested Aquaman that dominated the 1990s. While that era’s other superhero games feature fully-animated cut scenes, “Aquaman” featured silent screen shots that were turned into faux comic panels with word balloons. Contemporary reviews savaged the game for dull graphics, lackluster action, and needlessly complicated controls. After the commercial and critical failure of the title, ports for the PlayStation 2 and Game Boy Advance were canceled.

BATMAN FOREVER: THE ARCADE GAME

In 1995, Acclaim and Probe Entertainment’s “Batman Forever” brought a darker version of Joel Schumacher’s Batman to Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo. With a move set and photo-based character sprites that owed more than a little to “Mortal Kombat,” the game was poorly received and deemed largely unremarkable. The same can hardly be said for Acclaim and Iguana Entertainment’s “Batman Forever: The Arcade Game.”

Released in arcades in 1995 and on PC, PlayStation and the Sega Saturn in 1996, the 2D side-scroller follows Batman and Robin as they battle endless waves of criminals. While “Batman Forever” was criticized for its plain combat, this title’s frantic action was defined by 100+ move combos, grappling hook attacks, exploding items and Super Saiyan-esque special moves. While the game is rather collectible today, it accurately captures the gaudy tone that the Schumacher’s Bat-movies embraced. With bizarre character designs, endless token-collecting and constant onscreen text bursts, the title is a blinding assault on the senses that’s difficult to forget.

THE ADVENTURES OF BATMAN AND ROBIN (SEGA CD)

“The Adventures of Batman and Robin” was probably the best Batman game of the 1990s. While Konami’s Super Nintendo version and Clockwork Tortoise’s Sega Genesis version have different plots, both titles feature impressive side-scrolling action modeled after Bruce Timm’s designs. While those two are fairly similar, they bear no resemblance to Clockwork Tortoise’s “The Adventures of Batman and Robin” for the Sega CD. Despite the game’s title, players never actually control Batman or Robin in this fascinating 1995 release. Instead, this title lets players operate the Batmobile and the Batwing in order to capture various members of Batman’s rogues gallery.

Unlike “Batman: Gotham City Racer,” the graphics are genuinely impressive for the era and effectively evoke the neon noir of the DC Animated Universe. The game also features 17 minutes worth of exclusive fully-animated cut scenes that are sometimes called a lost episode of “Batman: The Animated Series.” Although the system’s graphical limitations kept the animation from looking totally crisp, Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill and the rest of the show’s cast reprised their roles in these segments. Since this was the second-to-last game released on the Sega CD, these clips remain largely unseen and unknown to generations of Batman fans.

Stay tuned to CBR for all the latest on “Injustice 2” and all of DC’s upcoming video games. Let us know what your favorite DC game is in the comments below!

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