To be fair, the Avatar series as a whole has some bad power creep. Mostly due to the Avatar themselves. Because once they Master the Avatar state, that's it. It's over, you can no longer make interesting conflicts around them unless you take it away or depower them.
It doesn't help that the Avatar themselves is overpowered compared to the rest of the benders.
What, like Kuvira? Shall we remember how many of either she ended up with? Her social company now relies on the avatars good graces. Don't make yours rely on mine.
I like Batman. I do, but what puts me off is when writers just make him seem far better than he really is when it comes to crossovers and team books. He's street level. For better or worse, that's what he is. Trying to make him more than that is ludicrous. Play to his strengths. Batman during Justice League and Unlimited is a good example of how to use him. Have him go to the objective. He should be the scout, not the brawler. He's a tactician, so he should act like that.
What, like Kuvira? Shall we remember how many of either she ended up with? Her social company now relies on the avatars good graces. Don't make yours rely on mine.
People say that making your story or characters dark is not inherently good writing, and it's not, but more often than not, it's the darker stories that are more meaningful than those that encourage what you already know: that light is good and you should be good. There are good stories from that perspective, but none of them grip me like the ones that take me to more uncomfortable places. Of all of Marvel's Batman's, it's Daredevil that holds the aspect that I love the most: his darkness. I'm not talking about the violence and gore, but the central question: is Daredevil a real hero? A good man? This is a conflict that no other Marvel hero has faced. Iron Man was someone who didn't pay attention to his legacy, but once he started to, he had no issues about what the right thing to do was. Bruce Banner has power, but it more considered with directing it somewhere else. Hawkeye and Black Widow may be these kinds of heroes, but there is no real time devoted to developing that.
As it is with a lot of good hero-villain dynamics, a big point is made of how similar they are. Both are people who do illegal activities to help better the city that they are in. Both believe that they are doing good. And both like to claim they don't enjoy what they do, but there's doubt over whether that's the case.
It's a little odd, but that is the separating line that the characters in the series decide to take.
Claire was perfectly fine with Matt's activities, because she didn't believe him when he told that random mook that he enjoys hurting people. But when she starts to cast doubt over whether that is the case, that is when their relationship is at it's most tense. The episode where Matt talks to his priest, he poses the question whether Matt wants to kill Fisk and is looking for an opportunity, or doesn't want to and is looking for an excuse not to. Similarly, when confronted with the atrocities that he has commited, Wilson Fisk defends himself by saying how much he regretted doing it, how much he doesn't enjoy doing what he's doing.
While a bit simplistic, this is a decent dilemma.
There are many people who wouldn't care or even encourage their superheroes to enjoy their vigilantism without realizing what a slippery slope that is when you're spending your nightlife beating people close to death. Similarly, Wilson Fisk represents the potential end result that simply does what he wants and justifies it every time by simply "not enjoying it'. And that's what makes Batman and Daredevil's brand of superheroing more compelling to me, I suppose. They don't want to do it, they just feel they have to. Because the moment you start enjoying work like this....
So Wilson Fisk is a very worthy antagonist, which I feel should sell the show enough, but I feel it's these two are the two biggest characters that get fleshed out. Wilson's little circle of evil is compelling, especially Madame Gao and Owlsley is hilarious, but I feel they're either there to further develop Fisk's character or just foreshadow some future shit.
Matt's circle of friends is better, I feel. Foggy and Karen both play their parts very well, being very likable people. The episode where Foggy discovers his secret is actually pretty well acted for how betrayed he felt. And I liked how they worked into the narrative. Matt couldn't take care of Fisk by himself, even just in a straight up fight, but working together, they brought him down legally, which is also a good resolution to the dilemma Matt had before. The thing about Superheroes, I feel, is that their purpose should be to empower ordinary citizens. If Matt had killed Fisk as Daredevil, they just have another person outside the law taking care of their problems for them. By doing him in through the legal system, it empowers the city to take care of it's own corruption. And Stick was AMAZINGLY played.
Overall, very good show. I don't know if I'd call it the best superhero show, but it might very well be that. Good cast, good storytelling, set in a very unique world compared to the rest of the marvel universe, and the action is extremely well shot. Recommend.
Finished book 3. That was pretty good. Korra went from being John Cena at the end of book 2 to literally Superman (or rather Superwoman) in her fight against Zaheer Zod (at least the victims here were mostly rocks not people in crashing skyscrapers). Stunning animation though. Jinora saves the day again and it was way better than whatever the fuck she did in her glowy explosion the last time. Someone fucked up by not making her the Avatar it seems.
I didn't like the sudden developments in episode 12 though, that was all a bit much. Oh look this dude can fly now (wat?) and oh look Bolin can lavabend now. Again though, just minor things in comparison to book 2. Death of combustion lady was kind of fucked up. They didn't straight up show it but I played enough Mortal Kombat to know what happens in such a situation and it ain't a pretty scene.
Oh and Mako actually won his last fight. Madness! I had to laugh at the foreshadowing with Kuvira though (don't know exactly what happens in book 4 but I know enough). Hey random guard lady, just tell us your name in a close up shot, I'm sure you won't be important at all later on.
Anyway, on to book 4 and to a apparently pretty fucked up Korra. I already know it's going to be a bummer when I finish this. We need more animated shows of this quality.
Finished book 3. That was pretty good. Korra went from being John Cena at the end of book 2 to literally Superman (or rather Superwoman) in her fight against Zaheer Zod (at least the victims here were mostly rocks not people in crashing skyscrapers). Stunning animation though. Jinora saves the day again and it was way better than whatever the fuck she did in her glowy explosion the last time. Someone fucked up by not making her the Avatar it seems.
I didn't like the sudden developments in episode 12 though, that was all a bit much. Oh look this dude can fly now (wat?) and oh look Bolin can lavabend now. Again though, just minor things in comparison to book 2. Death of combustion lady was kind of fucked up. They didn't straight up show it but I played enough Mortal Kombat to know what happens in such a situation and it ain't a pretty scene.
Oh and Mako actually won his last fight. Madness! I had to laugh at the foreshadowing with Kuvira though (don't know exactly what happens in book 4 but I know enough). Hey random guard lady, just tell us your name in a close up shot, I'm sure you won't be important at all later on.
Anyway, on to book 4 and to a apparently pretty fucked up Korra. I already know it's going to be a bummer when I finish this. We need more animated shows of this quality.
I didn't like the sudden developments in episode 12 though, that was all a bit much. Oh look this dude can fly now (wat?) and oh look Bolin can lavabend now. Again though, just minor things in comparison to book 2. .
They weren't sudden. Zaheer has been mentioning Guru Laghima all season. In the first episode of book 3, he mentions that Guru Laghima attained weightlessness and the guards said something like "is this how you plan to escape? With some fairy tale?"
He always talked about letting go of his earthly tether and all that jazz. He loved P'li, and she was essentially Zaheer's last "earthly tether," so when she died, he lost his last earthly tether, which is why he was able to attain weightlessness like Guru Laghima.
Also, a lot of people were calling the lavabending thing. The fact that he kept screwing up with metalbending had me thinking that they were going to give him lavabending instead. That and how much he awed at Ghazan's bending, but yeah I guess I could see how that could still seem off since he's never tried to do it before and he just picked up on it instantly. I thought it was fun surprise though.
They weren't sudden. Zaheer has been mentioning Guru Laghima all season. In the first episode of book 3, he mentions that Guru Laghima attained weightlessness and the guards said something like "is this how you plan to escape? With some fairy tale?"
He always talked about letting go of his earthly tether and all that jazz. He loved P'li, and she was essentially Zaheer's last "earthly tether," so when she died, he lost his last earthly tether, which is why he was able to attain weightlessness like Guru Laghima.
Also, a lot of people were calling the lavabending thing. The fact that he kept screwing up with metalbending had me thinking that they were going to give him lavabending instead. That and how much he awed at Ghazan's bending.
Oh I get what they were hinting at but that doesn't make it any less sudden. It was *snap* he can immediately fly without having any trouble controlling his abilities whatsoever and *snap* Bolin can control this huge lava flow from one second to another without ever trying to lavabend before (at least that we saw). I also still think the straight up Superman flight was a little bit goofy and didn't really fit in.
Like I said it's just a minor gripe. I generally don't like the trope when a character just gains a new power in a tough situation. Anime uses that a lot as well. It's fine when I see a character training and struggling with something (training montages are awesome) and he finally gets it in a moment of need but a sudden and random powerup (again, it's not quite as bad in Korra) always rubs me the wrong way. Metalbending would have been more predictable but also more fitting (though one could counter that he didn't show any progress with metalbending at all) and I personally would have preferred that.
They weren't sudden. Zaheer has been mentioning Guru Laghima all season. In the first episode of book 3, he mentions that Guru Laghima attained weightlessness and the guards said something like "is this how you plan to escape? With some fairy tale?"
He always talked about letting go of his earthly tether and all that jazz. He loved P'li, and she was essentially Zaheer's last "earthly tether," so when she died, he lost his last earthly tether, which is why he was able to attain weightlessness like Guru Laghima.
Also, a lot of people were calling the lavabending thing. The fact that he kept screwing up with metalbending had me thinking that they were going to give him lavabending instead. That and how much he awed at Ghazan's bending, but yeah I guess I could see how that could still seem off since he's never tried to do it before and he just picked up on it instantly. I thought it was fun surprise though.
Zaheer gaining the ability to fly similar to the same way Aang was supposed to gain control of the avatar state aka letting go of your earthly tether. Except Zaheer actually did it.
Agreed on the lava bending part, thats reminds me that we see a bit of lava bending in ATLA.
Actually, in the original/early comics Kryptonite didn't kill/Weaken Superman to near death. It just took away is powers so he was a normal man. They were probably going for the idea that, if the planet they were on was Kyrptonite then it made sense that they were normal...of course the red sun explanation was just as good and it is legit one of the most pointless changes ever.
Actually, in the original/early comics Kryptonite didn't kill/Weaken Superman to near death. It just took away is powers so he was a normal man. They were probably going for the idea that, if the planet they were on was Kyrptonite then it made sense that they were normal...of course the red sun explanation was just as good and it is legit one of the most pointless changes ever.
People say that making your story or characters dark is not inherently good writing, and it's not, but more often than not, it's the darker stories that are more meaningful than those that encourage what you already know: that light is good and you should be good. There are good stories from that perspective, but none of them grip me like the ones that take me to more uncomfortable places. Of all of Marvel's Batman's, it's Daredevil that holds the aspect that I love the most: his darkness. I'm not talking about the violence and gore, but the central question: is Daredevil a real hero? A good man? This is a conflict that no other Marvel hero has faced. Iron Man was someone who didn't pay attention to his legacy, but once he started to, he had no issues about what the right thing to do was. Bruce Banner has power, but it more considered with directing it somewhere else. Hawkeye and Black Widow may be these kinds of heroes, but there is no real time devoted to developing that.
As it is with a lot of good hero-villain dynamics, a big point is made of how similar they are. Both are people who do illegal activities to help better the city that they are in. Both believe that they are doing good. And both like to claim they don't enjoy what they do, but there's doubt over whether that's the case.
It's a little odd, but that is the separating line that the characters in the series decide to take.
Claire was perfectly fine with Matt's activities, because she didn't believe him when he told that random mook that he enjoys hurting people. But when she starts to cast doubt over whether that is the case, that is when their relationship is at it's most tense. The episode where Matt talks to his priest, he poses the question whether Matt wants to kill Fisk and is looking for an opportunity, or doesn't want to and is looking for an excuse not to. Similarly, when confronted with the atrocities that he has commited, Wilson Fisk defends himself by saying how much he regretted doing it, how much he doesn't enjoy doing what he's doing.
While a bit simplistic, this is a decent dilemma.
There are many people who wouldn't care or even encourage their superheroes to enjoy their vigilantism without realizing what a slippery slope that is when you're spending your nightlife beating people close to death. Similarly, Wilson Fisk represents the potential end result that simply does what he wants and justifies it every time by simply "not enjoying it'. And that's what makes Batman and Daredevil's brand of superheroing more compelling to me, I suppose. They don't want to do it, they just feel they have to. Because the moment you start enjoying work like this....
So Wilson Fisk is a very worthy antagonist, which I feel should sell the show enough, but I feel it's these two are the two biggest characters that get fleshed out. Wilson's little circle of evil is compelling, especially Madame Gao and Owlsley is hilarious, but I feel they're either there to further develop Fisk's character or just foreshadow some future shit.
Matt's circle of friends is better, I feel. Foggy and Karen both play their parts very well, being very likable people. The episode where Foggy discovers his secret is actually pretty well acted for how betrayed he felt. And I liked how they worked into the narrative. Matt couldn't take care of Fisk by himself, even just in a straight up fight, but working together, they brought him down legally, which is also a good resolution to the dilemma Matt had before. The thing about Superheroes, I feel, is that their purpose should be to empower ordinary citizens. If Matt had killed Fisk as Daredevil, they just have another person outside the law taking care of their problems for them. By doing him in through the legal system, it empowers the city to take care of it's own corruption. And Stick was AMAZINGLY played.
Overall, very good show. I don't know if I'd call it the best superhero show, but it might very well be that. Good cast, good storytelling, set in a very unique world compared to the rest of the marvel universe, and the action is extremely well shot. Recommend.
You know what pisses me off about BvS? Assuming that trailer is accurate, it's coming off as an anti-Superman movie.
Yes, let's take the character who, considering how popular he is and his position within the comics industry as both a character and a franchise, has the single-worst track record in the film industry, and make the movie constantly be against him. Let's do that.
The Batman stuff is hype, sure. Not gonna deny that. But there's no Superman hype. Man of Steel was controversial amongst fans as it is, and this doesn't exactly look like it'll be any more of a step in the right direction.
But alas, it's just a trailer. There are parts of this film that I'm looking forward to.
You know what pisses me off about BvS? Assuming that trailer is accurate, it's coming off as an anti-Superman movie.
Yes, let's take the character who, considering how popular he is and his position within the comics industry as both a character and a franchise, has the single-worst track record in the film industry, and make the movie constantly be against him. Let's do that.
The Batman stuff is hype, sure. Not gonna deny that. But there's no Superman hype. Man of Steel was controversial amongst fans as it is, and this doesn't exactly look like it'll be any more of a step in the right direction.
But alas, it's just a trailer. There are parts of this film that I'm looking forward to.
Is that the case? I don't remember that much of that movie, then.
The movie is somewhat inspired by the Dark Night Returns, where Superman is not shown in the best light but like you said its just a trailer so who knows.
I can't remember either, I know kryptnite is kryption but the way I remember it the planet was destroyed in such a way there was no way Earth could get a piece of it.
The movie is somewhat inspired by the Dark Night Returns, where Superman is not shown in the best light but like you said its just a trailer so who knows.
I know that's what it's inspired by, which is upsetting. Frank Miller always paints Supes as a right-winged tool. Dark Knight Returns and Year One, as good as they are, are Batman stories. Using DKR as the template for a movie that is supposed to be equal parts MoS sequel and DCCU jumping off point is a terrible idea.
I know that's what it's inspired by, which is upsetting. Frank Miller always paints Supes as a right-winged tool. Dark Knight Returns and Year One, as good as they are, are Batman stories. Using DKR as the template for a movie that is supposed to be equal parts MoS sequel and DCCU jumping off point is a terrible idea.
Considering her lack of a back story I would've preferred if this was her back story. Especially if Kuvira didn't know it herself. It would've made that tension between her and Su so much better.
That's because Miller is a crazy man, sitting in an old room full of papers on political conspiracies, trying to figure out if JFK was really killed and that JFK is now actually Batman or some shit.
Because he's crazy. And his political ideals are super garbage.
And you know the scriptwriters won't do jack about that vision. People who hate Superman are making movies with Superman in them. It's upsetting.
I want DC to kill everything. Restart it with a new Superman movie based off of Superman For All Seasons. There's your damn fine Superman movie.
