#sonia alcana

[jondoe297]

Batober 2023 Day 15 - Memento

[lightwingtoongal]

Ok, out there concept, but….what if the characters from the DCAU mystery of the Batwoman (Sonia Alcana, Rocky Ballantine and Kathleen “Kathy” Duquesne) were aged down in the comics and became Kate Kane’s kid Sidekicks. (Similar to what happened in DC Bombshells universe, which was one of Kathleen first comic appearance since her debut in the dcau)

They could be like the PPG equivalent of the bat family! (just with no powers) Honestly, I just like the idea of a badass female crime fighter having her trio of kids tag along as she fight crime. We need more hero moms DC! Anyways, thank you reading and thoughts?

[romancemedia]

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman Turns 19 Years Old

On October 21st 2003, Batman faces his biggest mystery yet when a new vigilante arrives in Gotham and it’s none other than a Batwoman! She proves to be a natural crimefighter and her target; The Penguin and Rupert Thorne’s smuggling operation, but her methods are far too extreme for Batman’s liking and he sets out to uncover her true identity. However, it’s easier said than done, when Batman finds himself with 3 suspects and it could be any of them. Gotham PD Detective, Sonia Alcana, Wayne Tech scientist, Rocky Ballentine or crime boss’s daughter, Kathy Duquesne. Can Batman uncover who Batwoman truly is before it’s too late.

[docgold13]

Heroes & Villains The DC Animated Universe - Paper Cut-Out Portraits and Profiles

Renée Montoya and Harvey Bullock (New Adventures)

Some people just do not change.  And this can be said of Detective First Class Harvey Bullock.  Oafish, slovenly and lacking in good manners, Bullock has nonetheless proven himself time and again as an excellent officer and ally to the city of Gotham.  

Bullock became partners with Detective Montoya when she was promoted to the major crimes division.  Although the two were quite dissimilar from one another, the pair worked well as a team and continued to be Commissioner Gordon’s most trusted officers.  

Following her transfer to the Major Crimes Department, Renée Montoya was quickly promoted to Detective. Renée later left the GCPD where upon Harvey Bullock was partnered with Detective Sonia Alcana.  The reasons behind Renée’s departure from the force remains unknown although it is possible that it was due to bigoted blowback she received after coming out as a lesbian.

Actor Robert Costanzo voiced Detective Bullock with the character first appearing in the second episode of the first season of Batman: The Animated Series, ‘On Leather Wings.’  Actresses Ingrid Oliu, Liane Schirmer and Adrienne Barbeau have each provided the voice for Renée Montoya, with the heroine first appearing in the ninth episode of the first season of Batman: The Animated Series, ‘Pretty Poison.’

[dclegacythingy]

[ultrahpfan5blog]

Retrospective Review - Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman

I believe Mystery of the Batwoman was the last DCAU movie for a long time. I remember as a young teenager, renting this movie from Blockbuster, excited because it was another DCAU movie. DCAU had a pretty good track record with the animated movies with MOTP, Subzero, and ROTJ. MOTB has a bit of a mixed reception, but while I definitely don't think its on the same level as MOTP or ROTJ, its a pretty entertaining movie.

This film is a bit of a mystery thriller, which is always something I enjoy. The central mystery around this movie is the identity of the Batwoman, who is destroying the arms supplying operations of the Penguin and Rupert Thorne. The film gives us a few different suspects and gives each one of them a possible motivation to go after the operation. For a direct to video animated film, I felt the mystery was fairly clever. I always enjoy seeing Batman the investigator, one thing which the Batman from the DCAU was really good at. So its fun to follow Batman as he investigates the various suspects. One of the suspects turns out to be a new love interest so there is also a slight romance in the movie.

Compared to some of the other animated films, this film is relatively slight. As in there is no personal stakes for Batman in this story. In a way its refreshing to have a straightforward story. Its just him to trying to investigate and figure out who is donning the Bat logo to cause unwanted destruction. Batwoman in this film is nothing like the comics so she feels like a fresh character, and there are some parallels to the Phantasm, but she's less a villainous figure compared to the Phantasm. The film is briskly paced with quality animation. There are a lot of fun animated action sequences. The film also brings in Bane, along with characters like Penguin and Thorne, to have a trio of comic book villains.

The issues with the movie are what comes with brisk pacing. The film establishes three main suspects in Kathy Duquesne, Dr. Rocky Ballantine, and Detective Sonya Alcana. All three are given motivations against one of the antagonists, which includes Carlton Duquesne. While I think the twist, that all three of them are Batwoman, works quite well, the movie doesn't give the three all that much characterization apart from the superficial. I would say Kathy probably gets the most since she gets a bit more screen time as a love interest for Bruce. But apart from a few lines of dialogue here and there, there is not much to the characters. The down side of it being a straightforward story with not personal investment for Batman is that its also less emotionally investing for us. While MOTP hits you in the heart with Bruce's heartbreak, ROTJ is enthralling with the darkness of the backstory with Joker's death, and Subzero continues to make you feel sympathy for Mr. Freeze, here you don't feel anything. This is one film that could have maybe used 10-15 mins extra to beef up the characterization of the three ladies and the villains.

The voice acting for the DCAU is top class as always. Kevin Conroy is strong as always. Kimberly Brooks, Kelly Ripa, Elisa Gabrielli, and Kyra Sedgewick all are strong as the Kathy, Rocky, Sonia, and Batwoman respectively. David Ogden Stiers, Hector Elizondo, Kevin Michael Richerdson, and John Vernon deliver the goods as the villains. Also, this was the last film roles for Bob Hastings, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., and John Vernon in the roles of Gordon, Alfred, and Thorne respectively.

Overall, despite having less of an emotional pull, this was still a pretty fun movie. Good job by Alan Burnett, who had the story, and Michael Reaves and Curt Geda, who wrote and directed the film. A 7/10 for me.

[dykerachelsummers]

I’m interested in your take on Kathy. For me, she was the first Batwoman and is the mother of Bruce Wayne Jr due to her father’s genetic experiments. I kept the Spyral stuff and I had Kathy”s faked death mark the end of Bette’s Bat-Girl tenure. Kathy’s dead in my continuity having been assassinated. Bette was heartbroken when she found Kathy was alive due to her being Bette’s main parental figure. Kathy Duquesne is best friends with Sonia and is the 6th Batwoman. She shares it with Sonia & Rocky

that’s super neat! i really, really like all of those ideas they have me 👀📝

sonia and rocky are both important figures in my kathy’s life, but neither are ever batwoman. i’m thinking abt having them be her partners at argus

[theimpossiblescheme]

Even More Overlooked Bat Ladies with @ummmmandy piccrew, inspired by the series by @dykecassandrawayne

barbara, charlotte, lucy, rocky, sonia, rochelle, tina, and tris

[bestaminoever]

Looking for DC Comics RPers! DC Next Gen Amino takes place 15 years in the future, older generations (Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson) are retired but younger generations (Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne) are still going! Warning: lots of OCs! Upper case is what we especially want. Anyone not on the list is still welcome!

DO NOT JOIN IF PREJUDICED AGAINST MINORITIES.

no batcest or anything of the sort.

We’re an awfully friendly and silly group, so be prepared! Semi-lit to literate rps, no illiterate please!

Characters already from the future like Terry McGinnis and Carrie Kelly will be the same age as canon, everyone else will be 15 years older than Pre-52 versions

http://aminoapps.com/c/NextGenDc

Looking for (by group):

•Batfam: ✨ALFRED PENNYWORTH THE IMMORTAL!✨BARBARA GORDON (wheelchair or nothing), Kate Kane, Harper Row, Duke Thomas, Luke Fox, TERRY MCGINNIS, Matt McGinnis, Thomas Grayson, John Grayson, Maxine Gibson, Janet Drake, Rocky Ballentine, Sonia Alcana, CARRIE KELLY, Duela Dent, all of Gotham Academy, COLIN WILKES, Tiffany Fox, Maya Ducard, Harvey Dent

•Titans: DONNA TROY, ROY HARPER, Garth/Tempest, Starfire/Koriand’r, Amistad Ervin

•Team Arrow: OLIVER QUEEN (comics), EMIKO QUEEN, Robert Queen, Jonathan Queen, Connor Hawke

•Flashfam: Barry Allen (comics), Iris West-Allen, Linda Park-West, Jesse Chambers, Danica Williams, Jeven Ognats, Meloni Thawne

•Young Justice: Cassie Sandsmark, CONNER KENT, BART ALLEN, Mia Dearden, Lorna Marquez, Cir-El

•Green Lanterns: HAL JORDAN, all of the lanterns, Tai Pham, Milagros Reyes, Jason Jordan

•League of Assassins: Mara Al-Ghul, Athanasia Al-Ghul, TALIA AL-GHUL, Nyssa Raatko, BETHANY THORNE, Ibn Al Xu’ffasch

•Aquafam: Ceridian, ARTHUR CURRY JR, Arthur Curry, Mera

•Superfam/Shazam Fam: KARA KENT, Ariella Kent, Susie Thompkins, Lara Lane-Kent, Kathy Branden, LOIS LANE, Clark Kent, Lex Luthor, Chris Kent, Billy Batson, Mary Batson, Darla Dudley, Freddy Freeman, Eugene Choi, Pedro Peña, Jimmy Olsen, Cissie Summerly

•Magic Fam and others: ZATANNA & John Constantine, Boston Brand, Rose Constantine, Booster Gold & Blue Beetle, Rani Carter, Jacob Free, Susie Lang, Jenny Quantum, Luke McDunnagh, Ramsey Robinson, Maxine Baker, Imako Hoshi, Traya Sutton

•Wonderfam: Hunter Prince, Hippolyta Milton, Peony Gill, Terry Long, Nubia

•Justice Society: Matthew Tyler, Jack Knight, Hector Hall, Kendra Saunders, Courtney Whitmore, Micheal Holt, Jakeem Williams, Jennifer Pierce, Kyle Knight, Patricia Dougan, Violet Robinson, Malcolm Allen

•Rogues: Colin McCulloch, Jerrie Rathaway, Joshua Jackham, Billy Hong, Owen Mercer

If your character isn’t on this list, but you want to join, here’s a list of canon characters we have

Future state characters welcome!

Once again, this is mostly an OC group, we’re trying to get more canon characters in.

We have:

•Batman Villains: Pamela Isley, Harleen Quinzel, Lucy Quinn, Hazel Isley, Thorn Isley, Rose Isley, Selina Kyle, Shawn Tsang,

•Batfamily: Bruce Wayne, Nell Little, Helena Wayne, Cassandra Cain, Bette Kane, Stephanie Brown, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Damian Wayne, Kathy Duquesne, Tim Drake, Alysia Yeoh

•Team Arrow: Dinah Lance, Connor Queen, Sin Lance, Lian Harper

•Flashfam: Wally West, Jai & Irey West, Jenni Ognats, Don Allen, Dawn Allen

•Wonderfam: Diana Prince, Hippolyta Prince (daughter, not mother)

•Superfam: Jon Kent, Karen Starr

•other: Helen Jordan, Thomas Blake Jr, Isabelle Rose Mahkent

That’s it! Thanks! ❤️

[dragonmp93]

You know, i think that the less stupid way that the CW can do the change of Batwoman from Kate to Ryan is turning it into a collective identity, like it happened in Batman: Mistery of the Batwoman.

This is a movie belonging to the DCAU (you know, the Justice League, Batman Beyond, the 90′s cartoons of Batman and Superman) from a couple of years before Kate was formally reintroduced in the Post-Crisis comics.

So to spoil the decade and half old movie, the movie is about Batman trying to figure out who is this costumed vigilante known as Batwoman, and then finding out that actually the three main suspected women are working together to achieve their mutual goals of revenge, explaining the seemly inhuman combat prowess, agility and durability.

So, Kathy Duquesne,(DC higher ups didn’t allowed them to use Kathy Kane because of this Batwoman’s brutality, so she was changed to a rich socialite and daughter of a mafia boss), GCPD Detective Sonia Alcana and Wayne Tech scientist Roxanne "Rocky" Ballantine, respectively were a team and all used the same identity and outfit, plus other things like a voice modulator.

So, given Ryan’s description, and that other character have already used the Bat-suit besides Kate; Batwoman becoming a collective identity where more than one character is officially Batwoman is probably the only way that i see this working.

[sallyhasopinions]

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman

Today I was trying to ease myself back into this whole process after skipping a day by choosing a shorter movie than average, the 2003 direct-to-video Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman. This was a mistake, as it took me in the neighborhood of four hours to watch it and take notes. This movie is an hour and fifteen minutes in length, but I take notes like I’m going to be tested later and I had to keep pausing to catch up. It’s animated and filled with superheroes, so the pacing was faster than I was prepared for.

Spoilers below; you’ve been warned.

I took fifteen pages of notes for this plot description.

Note - In the interest of relative brevity I am going to assume that readers have at least a passing familiarity with Batman.

The film opens on a seemingly innocuous car hauler and following car driving through the night before being intercepted by a mysterious Bat~woman~, who interferes with the disguised cargo, revealing it to be weaponry, and battles the men in both vehicles. This fight draws the attention of Batman and Robin, coincidentally cruising by in their jet, who interfere to save the lives of the truck drivers and make note of this mysterious woman who is totally jacking their brand.

As Bats stresses over who could possibly be behind the mask, the Penguin is visited by criminal colleagues Thorne and Duquesne, who break the news about the ruined shipment and the newest Bat on the block. The Batwoman also appears on the news, and Commissioner Gordon even questions Batman directly about who she is, though he has no information.

At Wayne Tech, Bruce sits through a presentation by clumsy employee Dr. Roxanne (Rocky) Ballantine, where she demonstrates a new alloy of “programmable” metal that can be made to take different shapes. Bruce invites her to dinner, but their evening is interrupted by the appearance of the Bat-Signal.

Commissioner Gordon, along with detectives Sonia Alcana and Bullock, have recovered the weapons destroyed in Batwoman’s battle and identified them as high-tech plasma rifles of unknown origin. Batman deduces from the distinctive keychain holding the truck’s keys that they have come from a business owned by the Penguin, Thorne, and Duquesne.

Investigating the shady business, Batman and Robin find Batwoman already there and causing trouble. The boys step in to help when she is surrounded by thugs, only to find out from her that she has rigged bombs in the rooms below them, and they all need to make their escape. As the building is destroyed, she explains that they were manufacturing weapons for illegal export. Batman demands to know who she is, but she tells him he’ll have to figure it out himself and escapes. He tracks her to Duquesne’s home, where he gets into a tussle with some bodyguards and Duquesne himself demands that Batman leave his property.

Now suspecting Duquesne’s daughter Kathy to be the Batwoman, Bruce and Alfred spend the next day tailing her as she goes on a shopping spree. She incidentally recruits Bruce to help her escape her bodyguards in a shopping center, and he agrees. The two of them speed off in her car and she tells him about herself, her mother, and how she blames her father for her mother’s death before they are located by her bodyguards and she agrees to go home.

Batman immediately passes on his suspicions about Kathy and her potential motive of revenge for her mother’s death to Commissioner Gordon, Sonia, and Bullock, and shares the information regarding the Penguin’s illicit weapons factory. The police put a tail on Kathy while Bruce researches her on his own.

Batwoman breaks into Thorne’s office to photograph evidence from his files as Thorne and the Penguin decide their next steps in completing their arms deal in light of the destruction of their factory. She is discovered, but escapes after a scuffle with the men. Later, Kathy overhears her father Duquesne raging as he discovers that the Penguin, with Thorne’s support, has called in additional help to complete the deal.

At Wayne Tech, Rocky shows Robin how to reach a game’s bonus level. Bruce reminds him that Alfred is waiting for him. Rocky tells Bruce she has been working late, but their casual chat is interrupted by the arrival of Kathy Duquesne, who has dressed up and come to ask Bruce out that evening.

Sonia and Bullock follow Kathy and Bruce to the Iceberg Lounge, a club owned by the Penguin and filled with Duquesne’s associates. They are greeted warmly by the Penguin himself. Bruce asks Kathy about her intentions in bringing him to a place full of her father’s associates that are sure to report to him, and she takes offense to his tone and excuses herself from their table. Meanwhile, the Penguin takes a telephone call from his new associate, who has agreed to assist with their arms deal and will meet him at the club shortly. Batwoman, lurking in the shadows of the Penguin’s office, is spotted as he completes his phone call. She restrains him with a metallic device and begins questioning him about his new associate, but the Penguin manages to push a panic button under his desk, causing two of his lackeys to come to his aid just as he reveals that it is Bane who will be helping to facilitate the arms deal.

The fight that ensues sends Batwoman through the office wall and crashing onto the club’s dance floor, causing immediate chaos and confusion. Sonia and Bullock outside the club call for backup as patrons flee the continuing battle. Just as the Penguin has Batwoman cornered, Batman swoops in to prevent him from shooting her. Batwoman is able to escape and as she flies away, Batman sees that Kathy is standing in a nearby doorway - she cannot have been Batwoman. Distracted by this revelation, Batman is caught off-guard by a chair to the back and is knocked into the pool at the center of the club. The Penguin starts shooting into the water as Batman sets up an underwater explosive to destroy the pool and serve as a distraction to allow him to slip away. 

Bruce escorts Kathy safely home, where they exchange apologies about the evening at the door. They nearly kiss, but are interrupted when one of the bodyguards enters and tells her that Duquesne is looking for her. Kathy leaves with the bodyguard once again. 

Batman and Sonia discuss the information they’ve uncovered at the lounge. Sonia points out that Kathy must not be Batwoman as they were seen at the lounge at the same time. Bruce provides Sonia with a piece of the restraining device that Batwoman had used on the Penguin as a piece of potential evidence. Sonia intimates that Batman saved her life nine years prior, during an arson fire set by Thorne’s lackeys, and that this incident is what led to her becoming a detective. Working in the batcave, Bruce identifies the material used in Batwoman’s restraining device as the same programmable alloy that Rocky was working with at Wayne Tech.

Rocky goes to prison visitation to see her boyfriend Kevin, who has been serving the past four years after being convicted of a crime actually committed by the Penguin. She tells him she is trying to get someone who works for the Penguin to talk, and Kevin expresses his displeasure that she is putting herself in danger by spying on known criminals. Kevin breaks up with her, telling her not to waste her time when it will be another five years before he will even be eligible for parole. She returns home and finds Batman waiting for her. He accuses her of being Batwoman, explaining he is aware that her boyfriend was framed and that he has found her more advanced designs for her alloy on her home computer. Rocky denies that she has done anything illegal, and Batman warns her about the dangers of continued vigilantism as Batwoman.

Thorne and the Penguin meet up with Duquesne to go meet with their new associate, tailed by Batwoman. After discussing the terms of their agreement, Bane and the Penguin go over their plans to transport the weapons that night, sailing them out to international waters onboard a luxury cruise ship. Batwoman listens in.

Batman abruptly realizes that he knew Rocky’s whereabouts during one of the previous Batwoman sightings, thus she cannot have been Batwoman either. Alfred passively remarks that she can’t be in two places at once unless she has the power to duplicate herself, causing Batman to consider that Kathy and Rocky could both be using the Batwoman persona. He asks Robin to investigate any possible link between the two women and goes to search for further evidence himself.

Batwoman returns to her secret lair with the details of the criminals’ plans in hand. Rocky appears from the shadows and says that Batman is onto her and will surely ruin their plans. As she worries, Kathy also enters the scene and agrees with her that Batman has been catching on too quickly. Batwoman points out that he thought Kathy was Batwoman only two days before and was now accusing Rocky, so he would probably move on to suspecting someone else soon. Removing her mask, Batwoman - revealed to be Sonia - assures them that she would know about it if he had any new theories. They are too close to success to quit now, and just have to stop the shipment tonight.

Batman breaks into Kathy’s room and begins searching for evidence that might tie her to Rocky or the Batwoman persona. As he stands in her art studio, flipping through her sketchbook, Robin contacts him to report that he has found no connection between them. Batman, however, recognizes one of the sketches, and tells Robin that the two women just needed someone to introduce them.

Kathy and Sonia review their plans to infiltrate the cruise ship carrying the weapons. Rocky provides Kathy with a bomb to destroy the weapons onboard, and Kathy sets out as Batwoman to disrupt the shipment. She boards just as the ship is leaving the harbor and successfully reaches the weapons cache, but as she is preparing to set the explosive she is suddenly attacked by Bane.

Thorne, the Penguin, and Duquesne are waiting for word of their success when the telephone rings. Bane has called them to report that he has captured the Batwoman and is waiting for them in the harbor. The three men hurry to leave.

Sonia is watching the ship from a rooftop when Batman joins her and accuses her of knowing Kathy. He shows her the drawing from Kathy’s sketchbook - a younger Sonia - and says that the two of them took art classes together. He then accuses that she also knows Rocky, Sonia attempts to deny this, but Batman knows that they were roommates as college freshmen. He continues his accusations by identifying her as the mastermind of their Batwoman scheme. Sonia, obligingly, delivers her Motive Rant about her desire to get revenge on Thorne for having ruined her parents’ business with his arson fire. As they stand in a moment of tension, Sonia’s phone rings. Rocky has called to report that something has gone terribly wrong with their plan, and asks Sonia what they are going to do.

The Penguin, Thorn, and Duquesne take a speedboat to rendezvous with the cruise ship in the harbor. Unknown to them, Batman and Robin follow via submarine. Onboard the cruise ship, the trio meet with Bane, who has captured Batwoman. Bane explains that he called them once he figured out who she was, and removes Batwoman’s mask, revealing Kathy to her father and his associates. Thorne and the Penguin immediately accuse Duquesne of duplicity, while Bane shows them the bomb she intended to plant onboard.

Duquesne and Kathy argue bitterly about their mutual feelings of betrayal. The Penguin realizes that he also saw Kathy and Batwoman at the club at the same time, and thus she must have accomplices. He threatens her with toxic gases, much to the dismay of Duquesne. Bane restrains Duquesne while the Penguin continues interrogating her, only to be interrupted once again by the arrival of Batman, who disarms Thorne and begins to battle Bane. Kathy, her hands cuffed behind her back, manages to kick the Penguin away and get her shackled hands in front of her before Batman grabs her mid-Tarzan Swing. They flee as Thorne shoots one of the plasma rifles at them, causing large amounts of destruction.

Bane contacts the crew to have them begin sailing out towards international waters as quickly as possible. Robin tails the cruise ship in the submarine, while in-costume Rocky and Sonia fly in, awaiting a signal from Batman. Thorne and Duquesne argue, while the Penguin notices that the bomb is missing, causing Bane to threaten Duquesne. Batman and Kathy have escaped to an engine room, where he removes her handcuffs and informs her that her friends are here to rescue her. Kathy plants the bomb, warning him that it can’t be removed without detonating and they now have two minutes before the explosion.

Thorne and the Penguin retreat to the speedboat, where they are spotted by the other Batwomen, who disarm them and demand to know Kathy’s location. Kathy and Batman escape to an outer pool deck, only to discover a chained and beaten Duquesne being swung above the pool by Bane. Bane tosses Duquesne into the pool, and Kathy dives in after him while Batman meets Bane. Underwater, Kathy attempts to unchain her father while Batman and Bane fight. When Bane is knocked from the higher deck of the ship while tangled in his own chain, Duquesne and Kathy are both rapidly pulled out of the water. Batman manages to ensure that they are on the deck before the bomb detonates, knocking him off the higher deck.

There are several inexplicable explosions that follow the bomb blast. Fire rapidly overtakes the weapon stores, which leads to another, larger explosion. The crew abandons ship. Rocky is seen flying with her cape and cowl on fire, which she removes. Sonia has been knocked into the water by the blast. Rocky swims to rescue her, but the Penguin spots her from the speedboat and attempts to run them over. Robin deflects the speedboat with the submarine, and takes Sonia aboard, leaving Rocky free to pursue the speedboat.

Bane and Batman continue their battle, which Batman, outmatched and injured, attempts to flee. Kathy is dangling by her cape from a piece of debris over a crater in the damaged ship. Duquesne looks over the ledge above her, sees her in this predicament, and crawls away. Her cape begins tearing, and she struggles to hold onto it, until a life ring is thrown down. Kathy grabs onto the life ring and Duquesne hauls her up to safety.

Thorne and the Penguin lament the sinking ship as they depart on the speedboat, commenting that at least it will take some Bats with it as it sinks. Rocky suddenly grapples onto the back of their boat from her rocket glider. Thorne attempts to shoot her down, but she uses the cable to entangle a buoy, which jerks the speedboat to a sudden stop and throws Thorne and the Penguin into the harbor.

Batman and Bane continue to fight, with Batman deploying a restraint device much like the one previously used on the Penguin by Batwoman. This manages to incapacitate Bane long enough that Batman can grapple himself away just before the ship strikes a bridge and runs aground. The impact causes Bane to fall into a pit of fire that is entirely without context. Batman dangles from his grappling device attached to the bridge, injured by Bane and struggling to hold on. Sonia, on her own rocket glider, manages to rescue him before he falls into the flaming debris below. Rocky and Sonia, Batman in tow, both confirm that Kathy and Duquesne are secure on another boat. Firefighters attempt to extinguish the blazing wreck as Commissioner Gordon and Detective Bullock observe the scene from a police boat. Sonia, unmasked, flies over to them to deliver the injured Batman to Commissioner Gordon.

At police headquarters, Sonia packs up her desk. Batman appears and expresses his belief that the city is losing a good cop with her exit. She reminds him that she is lucky she is not being prosecuted for her actions. Batman gives her an envelope, which he explains contains exculpatory evidence that will allow Rocky’s boyfriend Kevin to be released, and leaves.

Rocky and Kathy loiter outside the prison. Kathy explains that she used to hate her father, but now feels sorry for him since he’s been locked up. She inquires about Bruce, who she says has not been in contact with her since their disastrous date. The pair are interrupted by Kevin, freshly released. He and Rocky embrace, apparently no longer broken up. Kathy leaves them, only to find Bruce leaning against her car, waiting for her. The two of them drive off together as the credits music begins.

Do I even have the energy to review this?

It’s now been seven hours since I started watching this movie, which I was neither over- nor underwhelmed by. Consider me demiwhelmed maybe. The scene at the Iceberg Lounge includes an inexplicable pop song called Betcha Never which is performed by a cartoon cameo of the actual artist, Cherie, who was not to my knowledge even remotely recognizable or notable to the target audience of animated Batman films at the time. Overall it has not aged super well. 

The Metrics:

Bechdel Test: Failed. The three women don’t get a ton of screen time together, and when they do, they are exclusively talking about men.

Mako Mori Test: Failed. Each of these women is motivated solely by a desire to act against men who have wronged them, and do so whilst partially usurping the identity of another man. One of them is acting against a man who wronged another man and not herself.

Representation, etc:

For a movie that’s nominally about three women it’s kind of a shitshow in how it perceives and portrays women, even aside from the issues of their motivations mentioned above. Kathy is a major victim of this in particular.

Early on in the film, Alfred makes a reference to the Rudyard Kipling poem The Female of the Species. This is a fairly common cultural reference, but a sexist poem espousing sexist views. 

Kathy Duquesne is shown to be an avid and frivolous shopping enthusiast. At one point, while shopping, she says “Worst thing that could happen is I’ll need a size eight,” which is one of the most disturbingly open instances of body-shaming I’ve ever heard in media meant for CHILDREN.

Kathy is catcalled repeatedly by men who are presumably associates of her FATHER at the Iceberg Lounge, and this is not treated as harmful or even particularly bothersome to her.

Kathy’s father literally raises his hand to backhand her and tells her to shut up after she has been unmasked. This is, again, children’s media.

Bruce receives a brief call from Barbara Gordon in which she behaves jealously about the idea of a Batwoman and is openly flirtatious with him. Bruce appears to be in his 30s, Barbara is away at college and presumably no older than 21. Bruce gets out of this conversation by rustling papers and pretending his cell signal is breaking up.

All three female characters have essentially identical body models and extremely similar facial features. It would be extremely difficult to tell them apart if they weren’t designed as a white/black/latina trio.

When Rocky rescues Sonia who is at risk of drowning in the harbor, the way they are drawn and physically interact seems very much a creation by and for the male gaze. They also somehow manage to float in the water at about lower ribcage level, keeping those breasts well above the surface in clear defiance of the laws of physics.

There’s a ~fun~ little nugget of homophobia at one point when Rocky and Bruce are chatting. Rocky mentions that she is working late, but her boyfriend is very understanding. She then asks, “what about yours?” Before Bruce even reacts, she panics and corrects herself, clarifying that she meant girlfriend. Bruce, to his credit, responds that he doesn’t have anybody special.

Final Scores: 

Deaths: Batman doesn’t like killing people, so probably none. Bane did fall in that weird pit of flames though.

Smooches: None. Nearly one, interrupted.

Sex: None; this is for kids.

Substance Use/Abuse: Nope.

Violence: Moderate to heavy by kids standards, but I’d say about average for the superhero genre.

Profanity: None. 

Watch with Kids: I have real problems with the way women are portrayed in this and I probably wouldn’t let a child watch it.

Watch with Parents: Nothing in here is NSFP.

Sally Says: This is probably for DCAU/Batman fans only. Y’all, it’s been over nine hours since I started watching this freaking movie. It’s technically tomorrow for me now.

[romancemedia]

Sonia Alcana - Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (Appreciation Post)

[gainaxvel3o]

Mystery of the Batwoman may have been mediocre but dang I wanted Rocky Kathy and Sonia to continue their partnership. I could see an Ocean’s 11 style spin off where they foil heists and gangs together.

[phantom-le6]

Film Review - Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (Batman: TAS tie-in movie #3)

To complete my reviews on Batman: The Animated Series while also starting off my between-show film reviewing interlude, I’m now going to take a look at the one DCAU Batman film not included as part of the Blu-ray boxed set of the show, Mystery of the Batwoman…

Plot (as given by me):

Batman is concerned when a new costumed crime-fighter named Batwoman shows up in Gotham, taking out a shipment of illegal arms disguised as cars on a car transporter.  Not only does Batman have no idea at first who Batwoman is, but she doesn’t display his restraint with regards to tackling criminals, risking their deaths multiple times. Barbara Gordon later calls Bruce about this, hinting that she has romantic feelings for her mentor, something Bruce is teased about by Tim Drake and Alfred.  Meanwhile, the weapon shipment is part of a larger order being handled by the Penguin, organised crime boss Rupert Thorne and gangster Carlton Duquesne.  Penguin is worried as they’ve already spent the money they were paid to manufacture the weapons, so if Batwoman destroys anymore shipments, the trio will be in serious trouble with their buyers.  Penguin orders Duquesne to eliminate Batwoman, as he was brought in on the deal to provide muscle.

 As Batman begins to investigate Batwoman, three women cross paths with him that each might be Batwoman.  First is Kathy Duquesne, a talented athlete is also Carlton Duquesne’s daughter and blames her father for her mother’s death, the result of a botched hit on Carlton. Second is Roxanne “Rocky” Ballantine, a clumsy young woman working for Wayne Enterprises as a metallurgist, whose fiancé was framed by the Penguin for smuggling.  Third, and finally, GCPD Detective Sonia Alcana, whose family was torn apart after one of Thorne’s protection rackets torched the home and business of Sonia’s parents.  Each, however, has an alibi for one of Batwoman’s appearances, seemingly ruling each of them out.  Ruling out Kathy is of particular delight for Bruce, who meets and falls for Kathy in his time as Bruce Wayne.

 After a couple more incidents, Penguin decides they need additional help to ensure Batwoman won’t disrupt their main shipment.  To this end, Bane is hired to deal with the issue, arriving in secret just as Batwoman disrupts an evening at Penguin’s club.  Unbeknownst to the villains when they later meet to finalise the operational details, Batwoman is spying on them.  Eventually, Batman comes to a realisation about Batwoman; she isn’t one of his suspects, but all three.  Kathy and Rocky met via Sonia, and all three brought something to the scheme besides their motivations; Rocky’s scientific expertise, Kathy’s wealth and Sonia’s concept and will.  He goes to confront Sonia, just as Kathy fails to report in from trying to blow up the final gun shipment.

 The guns are being sneaked out of Gotham aboard a luxury cruise liner, where Bane has captured Batwoman and insists the others join him on board when he discovers her identity.  Carlton is shocked that his own daughter was Batwoman, but Penguin remembers Kathy still being at his club as herself the night Batwoman accosted him.  He presses Kathy for the names of her accomplices, joining with Bane to use her father as leverage.  However, Batman arrives in time to interfere.  During the ensuing escape, Kathy insists on planting an activating the bomb she brought to sink the ship.  While Batman battles Bane and Kathy and her father save each other, Penguin and Thorne try to escape.  However, the other two Batwomen stop Thorne and Penguin with an assist from Robin, while Batman delays Bane until the ship crashes due to damage from the bomb explosion.

 In the aftermath, Sonia is forced to resign from the GCPD after her role as one of the Batwomen is revealed, and Batman gives her evidence for Rocky that will prove the innocence of Rocky’s fiancé.  Later, as Rocky picks up her newly freed fiancé from prison, Kathy is picked up by Bruce Wayne, who claims to have fallen for her based on her wild girl antics.  While Kathy states she wants to live a more settled life than she has been able to live before, she hints that she is still a bit of a wild girl as Bruce drives her away.

Review:

I suspect the reason this film wasn’t included in the Blu-Ray boxed set for Batman: The Animated Series like its predecessors were is two-fold.  First, this film wasn’t produced by Bruce Timm, who was a producer on the series and the first two tie-in films.  Second, it’s not entirely consistent with the wider DCAU.  More specifically, this film is meant to occur between the end of the Batman series and a flashback sequence in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. That sequence shows Batgirl and Robin as younger than they are in this film, which to a degree makes sense since the Batman Beyond film was about 2-3 years earlier in its release.

 To my mind, going by the fact that the Justice League series in this continuity show-cased parallel realities, this just means there’s a split in the DCAU timeline; timeline 1 plays out as per Batman Beyond, timeline 2 is where this film and subsequent DCAU-style stand-alone films fit.  That headache of rationalising an inconsistent continuity aside, this is a pretty good film overall.  For one thing, it’s a far better use of characters like Penguin and Bane than their previous outings in Batman Returns and Batman & Robin, and we get a great original take on Batwoman prior to eventual re-invention in the comics.  The plot is well thought out, the animation well done as ever, and of course the voice cast is the usual high quality one expects from a DCAU production.

 For the most part, the same actors from the series reprise their old roles, but we also get a few new additions.  Notable voice actor Kevin Michael Richardson steps into the main new villain role of Carlton Duquesne, while on the old villains’ front, notable actor David Ogden Stiers took over the voice of the Penguin from series regular voice actor Paul Williams.  The film also swaps out Bane’s regular voice actor from the series Henry Silva for Hector Elizondo, among whose past film credits are included the likes of Beverley Hills Cop III, The Princess Diaries and Runaway Bride. In addition, the film’s one song of note, “Betcha Never”, is a single by French singer Cherie, and this is performed by her both within the film and during the credits.  It’s a good song, and it’s quite a rarity to find any song in a film be performed by the same person both in story and credits (I think the only other time I’ve seen this is when Phil Collins has done soundtracks for the Disney films Tarzan and Brother Bear).

 Continuity rationalisations aside, the only other flaw I can find in this film concerns Barbara Gordon.  Unlike the Batman and Mr Freeze film, however, the issue is not her lack of agency in the film.  Indeed, Batgirl is kept to the side in this film and only has one scene. Unfortunately, that scene involves her hinting at her being romantically interested in Batman and Bruce having to duck the issue.  Honestly, she’s the daughter Batman’s best mate and the ex-girlfriend of his original protégé; how bloody inappropriate can you get?  It’s this kind of thing that effectively spoilt the film adaptation of Batman: The Killing Joke.  To my mind, DC and Warner Brothers need to make sure this idea of a Bruce-Barbara romance is dead and buried for all future productions, unless it becomes some kind of Elseworlds set-up where the pair of them are of similar age and there’s no Dick Grayson around.

 So anyway, in summation, a good film that could have been great, if they’d not stuck in the hint at a creepy Batgirl-Batman romance and sorted out the continuity better.  Overall, I give this film 8 out of 10.

[lagazhang]

CoolNoodle cosplaying Sonia Alcana-TV animation Batwoman. #sneakerart #cosplay #batwoman #illustration #sneakerhead #comic #airjordan #airjordan14 #pink #sneakers #sneakerhead #dc #dccomics #dcanimateduniverse #soniaalcana

[fakemoviestvshows]

Gotham City Police Department ABC’S TV Series

Plot - When the heroes of Gotham are not around the GCPD is here to protect the city.

The Cast.

Rinko Kikuchi as Police Commissioner Ellen Yin.

Michelle Pfeiffer as Chief of Detectives Sarah Essen-Gordon.

Elisabeth Harnois as Major Crimes Unit Captain Maggie Sawyer.

Chaz Bono as MCU Lieutenant Harvey Bullock.

Jessica Camacho as MCU Detective Renee Montoya aka The Question.

Damon Wayans, Jr. as MCU Detective Crispus Allen.

Lamorne Morris as Vice/Gangs Lieutenant Michael Lane aka Azrael II.

Shyrley Rodriguez as Gangs Detective Sonia Alcana aka Kraken.

Colin Farrell as Forensics Captain Jason Bard.

Merrin Dungey as District Attorney Marian Grange.

Justin Chatwin as Assistant District Attorney Adrian Chase aka Vigilante.

Priscila Fantin as Assistant District Attorney Kate Spencer aka Manhunter.