Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (2012-13)

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (2012-13)

Dir. Jay Oliva (both parts)

A two-part animation adapted from the 1986 book of the same name by Frank Miller. 

I enjoyed much of Miller's comic work in my younger years, but his dialogue is very much of that particular medium and as such isn't really suitable for film. That meant I wasn't overly concerned that Batman's inner-monologue was removed in the movie version. I thought it would be compensated for through more visual means, but it wasn't.

01. Regarding Part One, what remained was the slow pacing and the deconstruction of the typical superhero genre through various TV broadcasts, offering up conflicting views of the action and the possible motivations of the very different kinds of sociopaths.

Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo (2006)

Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo (2006)

Dirs. Michael Chang + Ben Jones + Matt Youngberg

A feature-length adventure set after the end of the Teen Titans TV Series (2003-06). It's a movie in its own right, but can be seen as a series finale, too, which helps salve the feeling that the series didn't get a satisfying final episode of its own.

The mini heroes go to Tokyo in pursuit of a bad guy, and despite Robin insisting that it's not a vacation, the rest of the team don't pay much attention to him - Beast Boy, in particular.

It's funny, fast-paced, well-written, full of heart, and has wonderful characterisation. The Titans are voiced by the same actors as they were in the series, with the addition of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and Keone Young on the Japanese side.

As well as tackling the main villain, the team members have their own challenges to overcome.

Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015)

Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015)

Dir. Sam Liu

An alternative universe story in which the League's primary members, that's Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman, are superpowered killers, autonomous but sanctioned by the government - for as long as it suits either party to keep the association. Superman's idea of leadership is to respect his fellow League members and to trample all others who may be in his way. Feared by a vast percentage of the populace, he looks upon himself as a God among ants.

The last son of Krypton's origin story has been shown many times in DC's output. Gods and Monsters does it yet again, but with a difference, one that explains his domineering and militaristic attitude. There's a similarly flashbacked origin story for the other two members, too. It's not just their costumes that differ from those of the usual Justice League world.

Teen Titans (2003-06)

Teen Titans (2003-06)

5 seasons | 65 episodes total, approx 22 mins each.

From front centre and going clockwise, the TT's are Robin, Beast Boy, Raven, Starfire, and Cyborg.

Their base of operations is a T-shaped skyscraper named Titans Tower, located on an island in Jump City bay. Besides the obligatory training rooms and gym, it has a large TV for movies and video games because even superheroes need a hobby.

Just like their elder peers in the DC universe, the teens defend the world from those that would threaten personal freedoms, all while battling personal conflicts. The latter may be unique to each member, but more often than not problems are best resolved through teamwork, highlighting the importance of acknowledging and accepting individual strengths and weaknesses, which is a theme that defines the series, overall.

Batman: Year One (2011)

Batman: Year One (2011)

Dirs. Sam Liu + Lauren Montgomery

Year One is Batman's origin story retold yet again, this time based on Frank Miller's 1987 story arc of the same name (in Batman #404–407).

Visually, it closely resembles David Mazzucchelli's character designs, which I was very pleased about.

It's a surprisingly faithful adaptation, with instances of dialogue and scene setting lifted directly (and at times almost verbatim) from the source text. The perspective is split primarily between Batman/Bruce Wayne and Lieutenant James Gordon, with occasional input from Selina Kyle. Both men provide a rather dry but useful v/o, offering insight into their private thoughts.

Ben McKenzie is okay as Batman, but Bryan Cranston steals the show as a Jim Gordon who has to work hard to win his battles and fix his mistakes. Eliza Dushku is pretty weak as Selina, but the character is very underdeveloped, so she didn't have much to work with, to be fair.

Superman: Red Son (2020)

Superman: Red Son (2020)

Dir. Sam Liu

An Elseworlds tale that explores what the Man of Steel might have become if he'd been raised and come of age in a post-World War II Soviet Union locale instead of a 'friendly' US state.

The one and only time I read the comicbook miniseries that Red Son is based on was about twenty years ago, so, naturally, I remembered absolutely nothing about it. I hoped the movie's story might attempt a meaningful exploration of how much a location's dominant system of beliefs and cultural identity might influence the cognitive development, moral standing, ethical mindset, psychology, etc, of its citizens.

Or, to put it another way, the nurture vs nature debate, which could've critiqued or commented on the accepted, overused norms of the US version of the costumed superhero and his alien origins, through reflection at the very least. Otherwise, what would be the point of shifting the protagonist's all-important location?

Justice League: Doom (2012)

Justice League: Doom (2012)

Dir. Lauren Montgomery

Batman is a notable and valued part of the Justice League collective, but he's never really been what one would call a 'team player'. He'd much rather be alone, doing things his way, accountable to no one but his his own (troubled) conscience.

But it's while alone that each member is most vulnerable. Ergo, if a megalomaniac with strategic knowledge and the proper resources was to target each of the individuals while they were divided…

JL: Doom is an exciting animation that's loosely based on author Mark Waid's four-issue Tower of Babel story that ran in the JLA comics in 2000.

The pacing is excellent, the action is plentiful, and there's a decent level of subtext in play. It's so well assembled that you might not even notice until afterwards that the villains are mostly blank slates who exist to facilitate the main antagonist, himself a character who gets some back-story but doesn't actually do very much. A more devastating threat comes from a less obvious place, and isn't as straightforward as it might sound.