So as my first entry into our fair blog I figured I would set the trend for what could very well be all subsequent entries by yours truly. As you will learn more with each passing entry I am among many things: completely enamored with pop culture (most notably cinema), horrendously random and subject to tangents and weird allusions and of course a complete and utter nerd.
Take for instance my evening tonight:
A planned event with 2 of my boys which we entitled ”Qdoba Knight,” where we combined the Wednesday affair of Qdoba double points night with a screening of the new animated feature Batman: Gotham Knight. I repeat, nerdtown, population: me.
But let me tell you this film was a delight. I had watched a preview in the extras for Justice League: A New Frontier (another great animated feature) and I was pumped. So I eagerly waited for its release on DVD (yesterday) – a compilation of shorts that bridge the gap between Batman Begins and the upcoming The Dark Knight. Now plot wise I wouldn’t say this so much as bridges the gap as it hits a couple touch points. Detective Gordon, now Lt. Major Crimes Unit, established. Narrows, now considered fully as Arkham Asylum grounds. There’s a bit with Scarecrow, fear toxin is brought back into play, but otherwise the flick stands on its own without needed pretense of Begins. However, I will say that this is probably less enjoyable without said knowledge of the film or Batlore. Did I mention Killer Croc and DeadShot show up?!
What really caught me about the film was the striking difference in style from previous Batmanimation (I really hope I just coined that term). The artistic style in this film is heavily influenced by anime and each vignette’s AD is completely varied. The final vignette “Deadshot” was by far my favorite artistically, and was definitely the most entertaining for me with a good action pace and plenty of snarky/campy commentary (shouts to jels for also recognizing this) It did have a little too much of a Wanted flair to it with sniper shots and subway battles, but perhaps that’s just TOMA. However, I was really intrigued by “Working Through Pain”. This vignette, through flashbacks, tells of Bruce’s training in some unnamed (or at least to my knowledge) Hindu country to dismiss his pain. Through meditation and training Bruce learns to work through his pain, of course only physically because really where would Batman be without his inner turmoil? Very Rashomon meets “Cruel Tutelage of Pai Mei“.
The other segment that might very well be my favorite of all was the first, “Have I Got A Story For You.” This one tells several varying accounts of the Bat Man through the eyes of children who may or may not have had interaction with him in the past. It’s an interesting look at perception of the hero by children who seem to struggle between feelings of fear and impressions of virtue. An interesting concept considering the upcoming film, TDK’s presentation of Gotham as being torn between opinions of Batman as a hero by some and vigilante by others. The art style is this was much different from the rest, varying from the playful depiction of the children in a style reminding me slightly of Travis Milliard to the frightful dark (and varying) depictions of Batman within each of the children’s accounts.
So yeah that was probably more than you ever wanted to know about this straight to DVD animated bat-flick, but whatever – I loved it and I’m on Batman craze right now (T-7 days, 1 hour).
For more of my Batffection, check out my horrendously not well written account (due to pure adrenaline) of just a portion of my involvement in the TDK/ARG at our brothers in blog’s site, internetpunch.com
