One of my dreams is to see a regular human comedy-drama set in a superhero world. Your main character is a guy who works in an office, hangs out with friends etc. etc.. Maybe one day they see...
One of my dreams is to see a regular human comedy-drama set in a superhero world. Your main character is a guy who works in an office, hangs out with friends etc. etc.. Maybe one day they see Superman fly by, high in the sky, and that's about as much superhero stuff their month is going to get.
You'd probably have to spice it up with conflict and Bad Things Happening. I'll take it. I just want to experience a little escapism with what it could be like to live in such a world as a regular human being, in a visual (film/TV) format.
Maybe do a Breaking Bad-esque personal-drama-gone-mad. Show all that Stark tech in your apartment, or show Lex Luthor on screen addressing the nation as the president. I wanna see the real-life details.
Powerless was a thing for a bit, NBC comedy about Wayne Enterprises R&D that lasted for a season. It wasn't the best thing on TV, but it fits your bill. There was also plans for a Damage Control...
Powerless was a thing for a bit, NBC comedy about Wayne Enterprises R&D that lasted for a season. It wasn't the best thing on TV, but it fits your bill.
There was also plans for a Damage Control show that did insurance company stuff after superhero fights, it got caught in development hell but maybe now that everyone has a streaming service it could make a comeback?
Kinda sorta does, but they both still revolve around their respective superheroes in question. I'm talking about Suits who do not (usually) represent superheroes. Maybe it's Person of Interest and...
Kinda sorta does, but they both still revolve around their respective superheroes in question.
I'm talking about Suits who do not (usually) represent superheroes. Maybe it's Person of Interest and the supers just happen to exist in that world.
None of this is close, and my preferences are particular in this regard. One can dream.
Because the one thing people are desperately clamoring for is another TV show that's Batman adjacent. I too love watching the stories of people who live in the same city as the characters I'm...
Because the one thing people are desperately clamoring for is another TV show that's Batman adjacent. I too love watching the stories of people who live in the same city as the characters I'm interested in, that's why my Harry Potter fanfic about the Dursley's neighbours is so popular.
Gotham Central is quite literally one of the best Batman comics off all time, and it barely features Batman. It’s very much not a fanfic. If this show takes any inspiration from it, it can be...
Gotham Central is quite literally one of the best Batman comics off all time, and it barely features Batman. It’s very much not a fanfic.
If this show takes any inspiration from it, it can be pretty great.
Of course, a good story is a good story. But you can't tell me TV hasn't run a lot of "Batman minus Batman" shows lately, and trying to get milage out of a character without featuring the...
Of course, a good story is a good story. But you can't tell me TV hasn't run a lot of "Batman minus Batman" shows lately, and trying to get milage out of a character without featuring the character is a dirty trick to keep playing on your audience.
I must point out that Batman comics have been discussing law enforcement, vigilantism, and the problem of evil for the past 30 or so years, with many stories that make no light of their...
I must point out that Batman comics have been discussing law enforcement, vigilantism, and the problem of evil for the past 30 or so years, with many stories that make no light of their shortcomings (something it inherited from its noir origins).
This is something we saw in Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns (no relation with the movie), The Killing Joke, Gotham by Gaslight, Identity Crisis, Year 100, and Gotham Central, as well as many regularly numbered stories that problematize Batman’s relation with criminality and sometimes emphasize the fact that he is the source and motivation of many criminal acts.
Frankly, at least in the comics, discussions about the excesses of policing and vigilantism are now an essential component of the franchise. Bruce Wayne is frequently portrayed as a billionaire psychopath moved by revenge instead of justice.
So yeah, this show could be actually pretty great and relevant for 2020/2021.
I don’t think Batman causes THE crime in Gotham, but I do think that he causes a non negligible amount of crime, for sure. If not directly, he does so by contributing to a perverse justice system...
I don’t think Batman causes THE crime in Gotham, but I do think that he causes a non negligible amount of crime, for sure.
If not directly, he does so by contributing to a perverse justice system that clearly doesn’t work—otherwise he would not fight the same villains over and over again.
The whole Batman schtick has little to do with rehabilitation and the Arkham Asylum is just a loonie deposit that makes criminals worse and more perverse.
On a broader view, Bruce Wayne (as a child), Gotham’s criminals, and citizens are all victim of extreme economic inequality and the corruption of the elites.
Batman is very much in the noir genre, a type of crime fiction that emerged during the Great Depression, embodying crippling disillusion and deep distrust toward the elites.
okay, time for wild speculation! Bruce Wayne saw his parents die at a very young age. He never truly faced the enormity of this loss, and as a consequence never accepted the fact that life is...
okay, time for wild speculation!
Bruce Wayne saw his parents die at a very young age. He never truly faced the enormity of this loss, and as a consequence never accepted the fact that life is fleeting and everchanging. Instead, he developed an obsession for control. Ra's al Ghul taught him to master his body and conscious mind. He learned reasoning, investigation, and criminology through endless studying and experimentation. He used his financial resources to fund numerous gadgets and vehicles that shield him from the world, both literally and metaphorically. On social events, he employs acting to create a persona that disguises his true identity. In everything, control.
Bruce is only himself when he's The Batman. The mask reveals more than it hides: a defenseless child living a vigilante fantasy, desperately trying to hide the emptiness in its core.
In that context, it's only natural for his relationship with criminal elements to be profoundly disturbed. On the one hand, he detests them, since they represent his parent's killers. On the other, the villains are the only lasting connection Bruce has with them. His foes are frequently deranged, signaling need for attention and companionship--in that context, Batman's austere figure has paternal overtones (and his ultra-masculine presentation is a consequence of a desire to fulfill this role: be the thing he didn't have). Deep down, Batman doesn't want to either eliminate or rehabilitate his enemies. He has the resources for both. But he just sends them to their room so they think about their actions--like the children he once was. Because, if they do, maybe, just maybe, they'll realize that they love him. And being loved by the only ones that can truly understand him is all Bruce Wayne really wants.
Yes and no. Sheer will only take you so far. I like to say that, if The Batman is a superhero, his super-power is wealth. He's the opposite of a self-made man.
Batman is almost this Ayn Randian/Nietzschian ubermensch where through sheer will he has risen to the peak of human existence, all in order to exert the control he never had as a child when he witnessed the murder of both parents
Yes and no. Sheer will only take you so far. I like to say that, if The Batman is a superhero, his super-power is wealth. He's the opposite of a self-made man.
Depending on the story/canon/writer, Batman funds all sorts of philanthropic efforts, public works, and rehabilitation. Along with Batman-created villains, this has also popped up a lot more in...
To be fair, the fact that Batman doesn't fund a stronger mental care system, and a new (more secure) mental institute in Gotham, through his Bruce Wayne persona, is pretty damning.
Depending on the story/canon/writer, Batman funds all sorts of philanthropic efforts, public works, and rehabilitation. Along with Batman-created villains, this has also popped up a lot more in more modern stories.
Yeah, what a great time for more pro-cop and pro-vigilante TV shows.
Maybe it is not pro-cop, but relevant and nuanced like Gotham Central.
One of my dreams is to see a regular human comedy-drama set in a superhero world. Your main character is a guy who works in an office, hangs out with friends etc. etc.. Maybe one day they see Superman fly by, high in the sky, and that's about as much superhero stuff their month is going to get.
You'd probably have to spice it up with conflict and Bad Things Happening. I'll take it. I just want to experience a little escapism with what it could be like to live in such a world as a regular human being, in a visual (film/TV) format.
Maybe do a Breaking Bad-esque personal-drama-gone-mad. Show all that Stark tech in your apartment, or show Lex Luthor on screen addressing the nation as the president. I wanna see the real-life details.
Powerless was a thing for a bit, NBC comedy about Wayne Enterprises R&D that lasted for a season. It wasn't the best thing on TV, but it fits your bill.
There was also plans for a Damage Control show that did insurance company stuff after superhero fights, it got caught in development hell but maybe now that everyone has a streaming service it could make a comeback?
Kinda sorta does, but they both still revolve around their respective superheroes in question.
I'm talking about Suits who do not (usually) represent superheroes. Maybe it's Person of Interest and the supers just happen to exist in that world.
None of this is close, and my preferences are particular in this regard. One can dream.
Didn't we just finish a Batman-themed police procedural?
You mean Gotham?
Because the one thing people are desperately clamoring for is another TV show that's Batman adjacent. I too love watching the stories of people who live in the same city as the characters I'm interested in, that's why my Harry Potter fanfic about the Dursley's neighbours is so popular.
Gotham Central is quite literally one of the best Batman comics off all time, and it barely features Batman. It’s very much not a fanfic.
If this show takes any inspiration from it, it can be pretty great.
Of course, a good story is a good story. But you can't tell me TV hasn't run a lot of "Batman minus Batman" shows lately, and trying to get milage out of a character without featuring the character is a dirty trick to keep playing on your audience.
That’s HBO. It makes sense to have distinct expectations.
I must point out that Batman comics have been discussing law enforcement, vigilantism, and the problem of evil for the past 30 or so years, with many stories that make no light of their shortcomings (something it inherited from its noir origins).
This is something we saw in Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns (no relation with the movie), The Killing Joke, Gotham by Gaslight, Identity Crisis, Year 100, and Gotham Central, as well as many regularly numbered stories that problematize Batman’s relation with criminality and sometimes emphasize the fact that he is the source and motivation of many criminal acts.
Frankly, at least in the comics, discussions about the excesses of policing and vigilantism are now an essential component of the franchise. Bruce Wayne is frequently portrayed as a billionaire psychopath moved by revenge instead of justice.
So yeah, this show could be actually pretty great and relevant for 2020/2021.
I don’t think Batman causes THE crime in Gotham, but I do think that he causes a non negligible amount of crime, for sure.
If not directly, he does so by contributing to a perverse justice system that clearly doesn’t work—otherwise he would not fight the same villains over and over again.
The whole Batman schtick has little to do with rehabilitation and the Arkham Asylum is just a loonie deposit that makes criminals worse and more perverse.
On a broader view, Bruce Wayne (as a child), Gotham’s criminals, and citizens are all victim of extreme economic inequality and the corruption of the elites.
Batman is very much in the noir genre, a type of crime fiction that emerged during the Great Depression, embodying crippling disillusion and deep distrust toward the elites.
okay, time for wild speculation!
Bruce Wayne saw his parents die at a very young age. He never truly faced the enormity of this loss, and as a consequence never accepted the fact that life is fleeting and everchanging. Instead, he developed an obsession for control. Ra's al Ghul taught him to master his body and conscious mind. He learned reasoning, investigation, and criminology through endless studying and experimentation. He used his financial resources to fund numerous gadgets and vehicles that shield him from the world, both literally and metaphorically. On social events, he employs acting to create a persona that disguises his true identity. In everything, control.
Bruce is only himself when he's The Batman. The mask reveals more than it hides: a defenseless child living a vigilante fantasy, desperately trying to hide the emptiness in its core.
In that context, it's only natural for his relationship with criminal elements to be profoundly disturbed. On the one hand, he detests them, since they represent his parent's killers. On the other, the villains are the only lasting connection Bruce has with them. His foes are frequently deranged, signaling need for attention and companionship--in that context, Batman's austere figure has paternal overtones (and his ultra-masculine presentation is a consequence of a desire to fulfill this role: be the thing he didn't have). Deep down, Batman doesn't want to either eliminate or rehabilitate his enemies. He has the resources for both. But he just sends them to their room so they think about their actions--like the children he once was. Because, if they do, maybe, just maybe, they'll realize that they love him. And being loved by the only ones that can truly understand him is all Bruce Wayne really wants.
Yes and no. Sheer will only take you so far. I like to say that, if The Batman is a superhero, his super-power is wealth. He's the opposite of a self-made man.
How come?
Depending on the story/canon/writer, Batman funds all sorts of philanthropic efforts, public works, and rehabilitation. Along with Batman-created villains, this has also popped up a lot more in more modern stories.