Not Anonymous

I want to be excited about Watchmen, but I'm just not managing.

The Trailer is very cool, visually beautiful, though I'm not sure why Dr. Manhattan is so shiny and Silk Spectre has this whole half naked thing going on... strange, no?

It would seem that Mr. Moore (as in Alan Moore, the one who wrote the bloody graphic novel!) has requested that his name be removed from the credits and wants to disassociate himself from the movie, which is only natural... seeing as adaptations tend to not be similar to their original medium - this is notorious when it comes to Alan Moore comic and their movie adaptations.

I love V for Vendetta, as you know; kind of hard to miss V's introductory speech posted on the side bar (also Vox Populi, Vox Dei, right :). I love the book - which can leave you speechless - and the movie - which makes you run out and read the book! Having read V4V before I saw the movie I went in there with quite low expectations and was not disappointed.

Watchmen is one of those life changing books. You come out of it different than when you went in. Very few books have the power to alter your perspective on things.
I became a comic book reader quite late in life, at around 15 and it started with Neil Gaiman - Sandman is another of those life changing stories - and when I began to delve deeper into the genre and its history you can't not find the Daddy of the Modern Age and read him.
I always think how much more appreciative I would have been of Gaiman (whose power comes from creating a meta level in the stories themselves) if I'd discovered and/or read Moore before hand (whose power comes from completely recreating the foundation of sequential story telling, beyond meta and deconstructing itself).

Watchmen takes the classic comic book genre (super heroes) and completely turns it on its head. After Watchmen heroes could no longer be Good and villains could no longer be Bad. It made no sense for things to be that way anymore.

The ethical questions raised in the story (and answered in one of the most gruesome and brilliant, sequences ever written and drawn) are questions we tend to not ask ourselves, they are too big and most likely not something we think about on a conscious level.
In any event it is a book of great philosophical and social commentary on the simplest of levels, so a deeper reading can be mind blowing.

I'm not excited about the movie. I thought I would be. I want to be. But I really can't imagine what a director like Zack Snyder will be able to get out of it. Especially since his directorial record leaves much to be desired in my opinion: Dawn of the Dead didn't live up to the original and 300 couldn't have been good since the source material was an overrated, indulgent, racist, testosterone laced excuse of Effing Frank Miller's self-congratulatory wank fests.
And so was the 300 the movie.

That's not to say I won't go see it when it comes out, but my expectations that it manages to even capture the atmosphere of the book are pretty much non-existent.

The trailer is cool though: ( Watch it )

#1 Yay! Joss is returning to Television and away from comics, because alas, he writes comics a whole lot worse than he writes tv. He writes tv like the demi-god he is *swoons into fangrrl apoplexy*.

#2 Yay! Eliza Dushku will be starring in this new tv show. She is awesome, she is in fact made of awesome and she will be our new heroine.

That being said... I'm not keen on the description of the show, the name of the show which reminded me of this and the name of Eliza's character Echo - which rang the Greek Tragedy Bell in my head, about the mythic Echo.

FOX network's description of the show found at E! Online is thus:

Echo (Eliza Dushku) [is] a young woman who is literally everybody's fantasy. She is one of a group of men and women who can be imprinted with personality packages, including memories, skills, language—even muscle memory—for different assignments. The assignments can be romantic, adventurous, outlandish, uplifting, sexual and/or very illegal. When not imprinted with a personality package, Echo and the others are basically mind-wiped, living like children in a futuristic dorm/lab dubbed the Dollhouse, with no memory of their assignments—or of much else. The show revolves around the childlike Echo's burgeoning self-awareness, and her desire to know who she was before, a desire that begins to seep into her various imprinted personalities and puts her in danger both in the field and in the closely monitored confines of the Dollhouse.

Um, yeah.
This does not sound like what my icon is saying.
So with all the above in mind, is this show going to be kickass, or is my Joss Love going to be seeping out of me slowly if there isn't going to be a redeeming thing in this show.

I hate to be a party pooper, but when a place is described as a Dollhouse, with a character named Echo in which she gains self-awareness... the woman is described as nothing but an object for someone else's desires and these missions... are they secret agents, al a modern day Mata Hari's or are they Whore for Hire.
*sigh* conflicting feelings regarding Joss and this description, and often even if the description is an exaggeration... it isn't too far from the truth.

Anywho, other places to read about this new show: TVweek and TVguide and Feminist SF, where you can find the Frank Miller Test which should tell us if this show is what I hope it isn't. It's still Joss and I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.

ETA: An article in Hebrew Welcome to the Dollhouse - ברוכים הבאים לבית הבובות.

In addition, the genocide in Darfur must be stopped.

וכמו כן, צריך לעצור את רצח העם בדרפור.

As the title suggests, I'm going to discuss, the big two, the most recognized (though not the most popular, Marvel has those) comic book characters in the world.

I'm focusing specifically very specific graphic novels I have at home that feature Superman and Batman together, the Batman:Hush arc, the first three TP's of Superman/Batman - #1 Public Enemies, #2 Supergirl and #3 Absolute Power – Written by Jeph Loeb and The Dark Knight Returns, which was written by Frank Miller.

Frank Miller (May his homophobic, misogynistic, films, adapted from his equally homophobic, misogynistic books be laid to waste) wrote a genre changing book in the late 80's known as "The Dark Knight Returns"; it is a futuristic look at the fate of the DC universe, where Batman and Superman no longer agree to disagree (as they usually do in present times) now they really want to kill each other!
Despite my, shall we say, dislike of Frank Miller's work; "The Dark Knight Returns" is really good, it's beautifully written and the art is very (for it's time and IMO, at least) very cutting edge, that and it's unfortunate sequel - "The Dark Knight Strikes Again" - are the only Frank Miller books that will ever be on my bookshelf.

In an interview with Frank Miller I once saw, Frank Miller discussed the relationship between Superman and Batman, the way he wrote and presented it in “The Dark Knight Returns”, because of the inherent differences between the two of them could never allow their friendship to be sustained.
This makes sense on a certain level, Superman and Batman are inherently different in their approach and methodology and of course their psyche.
One could argue that Superman is the well adjusted (to a certain degree), sweet, All American tm, Hero; After all his goal (used to be at least) to defend "Truth, Justice and the American Way". He's the straight-laced, G-Man.
Batman, on the other hand, is a certified psychopath, who on occasion would seem to be no better than the certified psychopaths he fights*.
I've always found it fascinating how Superman, the arguably most non-human superhero in existence (I know the J'onn J'onzz, Scott Free and Big Barda and many other are aliens as well, but let's keep this focused on these two guys shall we) is the most Human in behaviour; I mean the only thing that ever came close to killing (and in fact did) is Doomsday. Kryptonite aside, not much can harm Superman. While Batman, the only human, not meta, superhero, wears such thick armor and a lone wolf persona** it's easy to forget sometimes that he is most vulnerable of them all. He has no "weakness"... he himself is his own weakness and he knows it... he bears many scars***.
Batman is human, the only truly human “Superhero”

Bottom line, while I agree with Mr. Miller that when it comes down to it, Superman is a Policeman, Batman is a Vigilante. They have more in common than not, because they both strive for justice for all and they complete each other in their different attitudes.

I bet you're thinking, she's going in for the feminist angle. And that's right, there is a feminist angle here, but not to do with the fact that “I'm outraged about the fact that here are two old school macho-men whose relationship with women have been iffy at best.”
I'm not outraged and they are Macho-men.
There is plenty evidence in the graphic novels I mention that Batman is an elitist chauvinist and of course Superman is superior to everyone so it's clear that he can he viewed as the Grand Patriarch.
No where is this clearer than in the third Superman/Batman TP “Absolute Power" where they are both rulers of an alternate DCU.
It's all very disturbing, since not only are they rulers they are also the enforcers of their own brand of "Justice for all".
It was nice to see the old Anarchist Oliver Quinn in his Green Arrow outfit shout-out in dissent and revolution to his old allies. And who they subsequently murder early on.

And what's very feminist about that particularly patriarchal TP?
First, the love and affection between Superman and Batman crystal clear here, it more often than not extremely rare to see unabashed affection between these two Macho Best Friends, where the closest they ever come to a hug is when one or the other is injured and they have to carry each other (most often Superman carries Batman).

Second, the leader of the rebellion against Superman and Batman's “Absolute Power” is none other that Wonder Woman (though she isn't officially called that in the TP) and she cries out in battle "For Truth! For Justice! For All of Humanity".
Not just America.
Or Mankind.

And third, in one of the best art sequences ever, we see Diana in black and gold, under a red sky stab Batman while shouting "Die Oppressor!" and thereafter Superman destroys a green eagle made by the Green Lantern's Power Ring and kills the current Green Lantern who goes by the name of Samuel (and it's very obvious, almost idiotically transparent, that Samuel is supposed to represent Uncle Sam - the classic symbol for American Militarism "Uncle Sam Wants You!" and the hardened old man points at us from the poster).
Superman cries out to the heavens while holding a dead/dying Batman, he screams "No! Bruce!" and Samuel lies dying on Liberty Island. Interestingly, the Green Lanterns are the galactic policeman.

So not only do we witness the clear love between these two men (what kind of love is debatable, but the Slash can't be ignored) which does not coincide with modern western heterosexual behaviour, but we also see the beginning of the end of their reign as dictators of this AU. With the death of Uncle Sam and the stabbing of Batman by Wonder Woman (I know very phallic) we have a metaphor to the evil of modern imperialism, which I see personified in US military aggression and globalization.

More on this subject in later posts.

Gosh this is fun! I wonder why I took such a long break from this.

Notes
* I suddenly realized the correlation between Superman and Batman to Riley Finn and Angel from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" more on that subject at another time.

** In "Public Enemies, Part Five: State of Siege"; Lex Luthor comments, as he is surrounded by the Bat Clan, consisting of Nightwing, Robin, Huntress and Batgirl, "I've always been curious as to why Batman -- who has such a reputation for being a lone wolf -- Would surround himself with children." Emphasis Theirs.

*** In "Hush, Chapter Nine: The Assassins", there is an Interlude in the Batcave, where Alfred is tending to Bruce's wounds, this after Batman reveals his secret identity as Brose Wayne to Catwoman. Incidentally, throughout this interlude, they keep their masks on, despite the fact that Batman is shirtless and Selina is shocked at the extent of the scarring on Bruce's back;
Catwoman: Oh, God.
Batman: Something Wrong?
Catwoman: I just... Didn't expect... The scars.
Batman: Each of them carries a memory.
Catwoman: Most people opt for a photo album
Batman: *thought* I am not... most people */thought* (no, shit)
Emphasis theirs, parenthesis mine.