amredthelector (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
amredthelector) wrote2010-12-18 10:54 pm
amredthelector) wrote2010-12-18 10:54 pm
Entry tags:
i have so many words on this
I finally got my hands on the Batman Beyond miniseries comics! Well, sort of. I went to the comic store for the first time in months the other week, and they had issues 4-6, so I bought those. But they didn't have 1-3 and didn't think any store in town would. So I resorted to buying online... but couldn't find issue 1. BUT. I got 2-6, so I at least got to read them. Here's my thoughts on the miniseries, under the cut because of spoilers.
Overall, I liked it, but I feel that there is a lot of room for improvement. The first issue I read (the second) did not give me high hopes of the series. The plot felt kind of rushed, the characterization felt off, and the while the art for the characters in their costumes was good, the faces out of costume were just... terrible. I was very pleased to see things pick up in the later volumes. The art improved drastically, and the plot came together a bit better, if a bit rushed. The characterization, though... well, I'll get to that.
The biggest problem with this series is that it sort of ignored one of the basic tenants Paul Dini established for the cartoon - that 'Batman Beyond' would, for the most part, be its own show, without constantly recycling old villains. No 'Catwoman Beyond' or anything like that. A few rogues ideas were recycled and a few of Bruce's rogues made appearances, but the bulk of the show was original content. From the very title alone, you realize that 'Hush Beyond' is not going to use original villains. Now, I liked Hush - to this date, the Batman Hush TPB is the only Batman comic I've read. But it was good. The way they handled it in this mini series was somewhat original, as well, but it still didn't feel right. I would have much preferred to see Terry fighting his own villains.
On that note, I may as well drop the biggest spoiler of this review: they have a new Catwoman. And... I hate that. Okay, well, not entirely. I like that she has no connection to Selena, that she's got powers, and that she's a hired thief. I also loved her banter with Terry, and the adorable way he kind of geeked out over her. But they really didn't need to bring back Catwoman. At one point, Terry says to her "Aren't Batman and Catwoman kind of a thing?" Yeah, sure... but he already has a shades-of-gray lady thief love interest. Have we forgotten about Ten? I like this character, I really do, but I wish she was a new villain, not a recycle of Catwoman.
The characterization was also a big problem with this comic. I'd never really stopped to think about it before, but comic Bruce and cartoon Bruce are very different, and when you compare the writing in this comic to the writing in the cartoon, it shows. Dear lord, does it show. Bruce is very pushy, controlling, and emotionally distant in this comic. He refers to the people he works with as 'soldier' and most of his conversations with Terry are him yelling at Terry about how he's a screw up. He even builds an army of Bat-bots to sort of replace Terry. Bruce would NEVER. EVER. DO THIS. in the cartoon. He believed in Terry, trusted him. He criticized, but Terry usually brushed it off. They had playful banter in the cartoon. That banter is gone in the comic, which makes me so, so sad. The relationship between the two was one of the best things in the cartoon. (Also, he tries to take the suit away from Terry... um, comic writers, this has happened like three times in the cartoon. And Terry more the proved himself in RotJ) Terry also came across as more whiny then a smart ass, like he does in the cartoon. There wasn't much focus on his home life, either, which is a big part of his character. Though, due to space constraints for this story, that's understandable. I hope they put some more focus on it in the ongoing series.
For all my complaints, there was some awesome stuff that happened, though. A LOT of fanservice for the fans of the cartoon in the form of awesome characters. And an awesome, AWESOME team up with someone who I won't say because it would spoil it. As I said, the art got a lot better by the end, and there was some fun banter. Terry got the crap beaten out of him a lot in the comic, which I'm sure some fans will find disappointing, but I loved. Maybe I'm just sadistic and like seeing my favorite characters hurt, but... Terry was never a great fighter. That fact that he screwed up works for his character, and keeps him from being a Stu. The characterization problems I had with the comic got fixed a bit towards the end, and I think that most of it was just the problem of trying to blend comic and cartoon canons. I'm sure that with a bit more practice, the characterization in the ongoing series will be fantastic.
Wooooow, TL;DR. Congrats to whoever read through all my nerdy ramblings. So, long story short: There are some problems with characterization and the villains, but I still really enjoyed the series. I look forward to the ongoing series, and hope the fandom will get more active. Oh, and expect some icons from the comic from me soon.
Overall, I liked it, but I feel that there is a lot of room for improvement. The first issue I read (the second) did not give me high hopes of the series. The plot felt kind of rushed, the characterization felt off, and the while the art for the characters in their costumes was good, the faces out of costume were just... terrible. I was very pleased to see things pick up in the later volumes. The art improved drastically, and the plot came together a bit better, if a bit rushed. The characterization, though... well, I'll get to that.
The biggest problem with this series is that it sort of ignored one of the basic tenants Paul Dini established for the cartoon - that 'Batman Beyond' would, for the most part, be its own show, without constantly recycling old villains. No 'Catwoman Beyond' or anything like that. A few rogues ideas were recycled and a few of Bruce's rogues made appearances, but the bulk of the show was original content. From the very title alone, you realize that 'Hush Beyond' is not going to use original villains. Now, I liked Hush - to this date, the Batman Hush TPB is the only Batman comic I've read. But it was good. The way they handled it in this mini series was somewhat original, as well, but it still didn't feel right. I would have much preferred to see Terry fighting his own villains.
On that note, I may as well drop the biggest spoiler of this review: they have a new Catwoman. And... I hate that. Okay, well, not entirely. I like that she has no connection to Selena, that she's got powers, and that she's a hired thief. I also loved her banter with Terry, and the adorable way he kind of geeked out over her. But they really didn't need to bring back Catwoman. At one point, Terry says to her "Aren't Batman and Catwoman kind of a thing?" Yeah, sure... but he already has a shades-of-gray lady thief love interest. Have we forgotten about Ten? I like this character, I really do, but I wish she was a new villain, not a recycle of Catwoman.
The characterization was also a big problem with this comic. I'd never really stopped to think about it before, but comic Bruce and cartoon Bruce are very different, and when you compare the writing in this comic to the writing in the cartoon, it shows. Dear lord, does it show. Bruce is very pushy, controlling, and emotionally distant in this comic. He refers to the people he works with as 'soldier' and most of his conversations with Terry are him yelling at Terry about how he's a screw up. He even builds an army of Bat-bots to sort of replace Terry. Bruce would NEVER. EVER. DO THIS. in the cartoon. He believed in Terry, trusted him. He criticized, but Terry usually brushed it off. They had playful banter in the cartoon. That banter is gone in the comic, which makes me so, so sad. The relationship between the two was one of the best things in the cartoon. (Also, he tries to take the suit away from Terry... um, comic writers, this has happened like three times in the cartoon. And Terry more the proved himself in RotJ) Terry also came across as more whiny then a smart ass, like he does in the cartoon. There wasn't much focus on his home life, either, which is a big part of his character. Though, due to space constraints for this story, that's understandable. I hope they put some more focus on it in the ongoing series.
For all my complaints, there was some awesome stuff that happened, though. A LOT of fanservice for the fans of the cartoon in the form of awesome characters. And an awesome, AWESOME team up with someone who I won't say because it would spoil it. As I said, the art got a lot better by the end, and there was some fun banter. Terry got the crap beaten out of him a lot in the comic, which I'm sure some fans will find disappointing, but I loved. Maybe I'm just sadistic and like seeing my favorite characters hurt, but... Terry was never a great fighter. That fact that he screwed up works for his character, and keeps him from being a Stu. The characterization problems I had with the comic got fixed a bit towards the end, and I think that most of it was just the problem of trying to blend comic and cartoon canons. I'm sure that with a bit more practice, the characterization in the ongoing series will be fantastic.
Wooooow, TL;DR. Congrats to whoever read through all my nerdy ramblings. So, long story short: There are some problems with characterization and the villains, but I still really enjoyed the series. I look forward to the ongoing series, and hope the fandom will get more active. Oh, and expect some icons from the comic from me soon.