It's dark days for DC's animated television department.
CN has almost unofficially confirmed that Beware the Batman is
not coming back on TV by not showing episodes of a show that has been off air so long it's first DVD came out with two additional never-before-seen episodes. Instead, we’ll have to make due with Straight-to-DVD
outlets. It’s a sad state of affairs for the DC TV-oriented programming that
this happens to one of it’s star players – Batman.
But from death, hope springs anew.
Now the only ‘new’ thing going on right now is the so-so
Teen Titans Go, a juvenile version of the popular series. And I’m being very
nice on the ‘so-so’ view. Given the situation, it’s an ideal time to
‘reboot’ their television animation properties.
Why? And How? Those are the things I want to discuss now.
But NO comparisons with Marvel. They’re trying to do a
shared animated universe right now themselves and it’s been a fairly succesful effort, though I would like
them to be a bit less juvenile in tone.
First Why?
DC comics started a new universe three years ago, called the
New 52. It was aimed to bring new readers without the baggage of previous
history. In that, they seemed selective. Only those that had decent readership
before the reboot were almost unchanged (Batman and Green Lantern), but
compressed while the others had much stripped away (Superman and Flash).
This was an ideal opportunity to start a new animated line.
But it seems they have made progress only this year, stating that an
in-continuity Justice League movie series will be started with JL: War, most
likely one each year. Batman will also have the same status with Son of Batman.
But what about television?
There is a rich history of the major DC properties, most of
which have been widely popular sadly AFTER Bruce Timm completed his DCAU. At his
time, I’ll list the status quo (as far as I know, sitting in India) and show
you how different the situation is now:
Before:
1. Batman and Superman were mostly in a good place, with the
sour taste of the Jason Todd years making way for an optimistic Tim Drake Robin
phase.
Pros: Bruce Timm and Paul Dini used this brilliantly and
added several great aspects to the Batman saga, giving us a humanized Mr Freeze
and Harlenn Quinzel aka Harley Quinn in
BTAS. I’m not sure, but I think Dan Turpin was also a STAS newbie.
Cons: Jason Todd and Barbara Gordon injury were serious
no-no territories. I felt Batman’s failures should have been highlighted in
both regard and Oracle could have led to a Birds of Prey, especially with their
great use of Huntress later on.
2. Green Lantern was going through a state on neglect. After
Hal Jordan
was gone, Kyle struggled to rein in readers while John was a permanent JL
fixture only. The Green Lantern Corps, for all names and purpose didn’t exist.
Pros: The John Stewart- Shayera Hol relationship was handled
brilliantly
Cons: One use of Kyle and that’s it? I felt Timm missed a
trick by not focusing on the Corps more and maybe rebuilding it. Still, Johns
came along and….that’s for the ‘Now’ segment.
3. Flash was only Wally West. There was not ‘Flash Family’.
Barry, the Silver Age Flash was gone while Jay Garrick and Bart Allen were
leaves in the wind.
Pros: Wally’s growth during the Justice League cartoon was
well scripted. His moment against Branor (Braniac-Luthor) is still my favorite
Flash moment.
Cons: But nothing else. Who was Wally outside the league?
Only a few hints were giving with a Linda Park cameo and his ‘special’ understanding
with his villain gallery.
Special Mentions: JSA and Teen Titans: I have no idea what
the situation was back then, but the total absence of a teenage hero team and
getting only brief glimpses of Wildcat and co during JLU didn’t cut it. Same goes
for Captain Marvel, who was featured in only one episode and in such a way that
we couldn’t get to know the person.
Now:
Batman is still going strong and arguably in a better state
in comics than in the Timm days.
Superman has been so-so but the potential is there. Superboy
and Supergirl, not to mention a universe displaced Power Girl can prove to be
strong supporting character. Superboy aka Connor was a major reason why Young
Justice worked.
Geoff Johns has greatly enhanced the Green Lantern mythology
bringing back Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner into the fold, while creating an
entire spectrum of light instead of just one color. His saga ended this year
and would make a great 7-8 year TV series run by itself.
Flash is the same. The Flash family with Barry Allen
returning and Wally and Bart there proved to be great fodder for the Young
Justice show, especially with Wally being in Barry’s shadow and managing to be
his own speedster.
Aquaman, Captain Marvel, Animal Man, Swamp Thing,
Constantine – the list is long. We’ve seen great growth in those characters and
rise in popularity, making their rich mythology ripe for television exposure,
atleast in the animated department.
Bruce Timm revitalized a great portion of the DC universe
with his team. John Stewart is still one of the most popular GLs. Heck, most
didn’t know who Hal Jordan
was when the live-action movie released. Harley Quinn is hugely popular. IGN
brought out an article yesterday to highlight that and she also got a small
cameo in Arrow the tv show.
But he didn’t have what some can have now. What Greg
Weisman had with Young Justice but couldn’t complete his vision. Just see that
show and you will realize the DC universe deserves a much more in-depth
treatment on screen.
Not taking anything away from the animated movies, which are
almost always excellent! But the problem has been an excessive focus on Batman
and followed by Superman (there is a significant gap) with the rest left in the
cold. Green Lantern has been criminally unknown despite being the best thing
about DC comics for the last 5-6 years.
So, now my remedy to DC:
1. MAKE A NEW CHANNEL! You must have the resources, and
since CN doesn’t seem to have a cordial relationship with DC, a new channel
would solve that. Morever, DC Nation wouldn’t have to be restricted to
an hour only.
2. Create segments for different age-groups: Morning can be
for shows like Teen Titans Go and a Lil’ Gotham
(I’ll get up for that early). Evening can be for more adult oriented
shows like Young Justice and DCAU. And Night for DC Dark (Swamp Thing,
Constanine, Spectre) and co, that have mature undertones (see for example, the
Spectre showcase).
3. The rest can be buffered with previous shows. Batman TAS,
Superman TAS, Young Justice, GL TAS etc can fill in the blanks, without most of
us needing to check monthly listings of show schedules for DC content. If
possible, live-action shows like Smallville, Arrow and the rest can also air
repeats. Not to mention the many straight-to-DVD movies.
4. Here’s my list of new shows you can do:
9:00-14:00:
Teen Titans Go, Lil’ DC (Lil’ Gotham,
Lil’ Metropolis and the other variants). But try to be educational, entertaining and
informative, not banal and slapstick overkill.
16:00-18:00:
Start with the usuals – Batman, Superman, Green
Lantern and Wonder Woman. If possible, fit in a DC Universe Presents once in a
while to get a sense of who else needs to be featured more among the rest. With
more seasons, shows like Birds of Prey, Justice League, Teen Titans can be
added.
21:00-22:00:
DC Dark, featuring a rotating cast of Swamp
Thing, Constantine
and the Justice League Dark, Spectre, Phantom Stranger, Blue Devil and the
Shadowpact.
And get Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti as showrunners.
It’s a solid plan, but only if you have the foresight to
plan it though. Please get on it, for us fans and for DC.
No comments:
Post a Comment