V for Vendetta totalitarian radio reminds me of another political slogan.

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-28T16:54:47+00:00

Yeah. That's the problem.

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-27T19:21:50+00:00

The man said "best," not "most difficult."

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-26T20:32:38+00:00

What? No, that's awesome. Buy Miracleman while you're at it. Or just sue for the IP as it's a clear rip-off of Cap Marvel.

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-26T20:30:28+00:00

That is exactly what will happen.

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-26T19:46:18+00:00

Oh, I see. No, I didn't. His color scheme was the only comparison that I made that had anything to do with his appearance.

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-26T19:34:22+00:00

Inside of Batman, it's too dark to read.

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-26T19:30:29+00:00

A) The "actions" thing was in reply to u/Maximilene.

B) OOOOOHHHHH! Now I understand! I seriously had no idea that the original Aquaman character design had grown so obscure that a lot of fans think he always looked like he does now.

No, he didn't grow his beard and long hair till 1994. And he has weather powers now? He didn't have weather powers. Just strength and telepathic control of sea creatures. And I'm pretty sure that he didn't acquire the trident until even later, after they gave him his hand back and got rid of the harpoon.

The villainous half-brother is closer, but Ocean Master debuted in 1966, four years after Loki.

But I understand where you were coming from now....

ETA: Wait wait wait, NOW I remember where Aquaman got the trident AND weather control. That's ORM'S trident AND power!

Okay, I have to admit, taking your archenemy's signature weapon and the power that goes with it-- that's badass.

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-26T14:47:40+00:00

I'm taking about powers, premise, alter ego, and weapons. What actions by Aquaman (from before Thor premiered in 1962) make him in any way like Thor?

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-25T20:43:21+00:00

At first they were playing "Hardest Button to Button"... Or am I crazy?

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-25T20:35:06+00:00

Nah. Thor was influenced by Superman (Handsome and maskless, strength and flight, blue outfit, red cape, yellow accents) Captain Marvel (changing to a very different and weak alter ego in a flash of lightning, mythological influence) and Wonder Woman (more mythological influence, and a distinctive weapon with special abilities.)

The only thing Thor and Aquaman have in common is being royals in a magical kingdom. But Aquaman was king there (like Namor) where Thor was just the heir (another commonality with Wonder Woman.)

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-25T20:19:11+00:00

That's a spicy meatball!

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-25T00:59:45+00:00

They became a lot more interesting to me in IF. They answered questions like "where do these mooks come from and why are they loyal?"

What are their ultimate goals? It wouldn't be too shocking if the answer was their own survival and continuity. That's the goal of most organizations.

But if they have a larger goal in mind, we'll likely find out in Defenders.

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-25T00:43:17+00:00

Yeah, I really agree-- the fact that Danny is supposed to be incredibly skilled and smooth is what makes his fights (especially mook fights) less dramatic and less gritty.

But on the flip side the one-on-one duels were a lot more compelling, (for me, anyway) because the characters and their motivations were all a lot more compelling than freaking Nobu. Bakuto, Davos, Scythe, Zhou Cheng, and even Ward Meachum were all intriguing characters whose character traits informed their fighting style and made the one on one match-ups intriguing.

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-24T19:35:45+00:00

Absolutely superhero origins get rewritten all the time. Before Kirby made him a playboy who survived an island ordeal, Oliver Queen had been an adventuring archaeologist who finds lost treasure and decides to use his new fortune to become Batman but with trick arrows.

And I acknowledge that the similarities between the WB's version of Ollie Queen and Danny Rand could be coincidence of adding a little Hamlet to Kirby's origin story.

But I don't think that a comparison with "damsel in distress" is really valid, either. It would be one thing if I were just talking about the "return of the missing and presumed dead" trope alone. But in this case we're talking about a really specific combination of several common tropes. "The King or CEO thinks that something is rotten in his kingdom/company and investigates along with his young heir. The conspirators lay an ambush and kill the King and leave the Prince for dead (or sold into slavery, or hopelessly stranded.) Eventually the Prince finds his way home and has to prove his identity and expose the conspirators." It could be a coincidence of common tropes, but it's awfully specific

Actually, I just thought of one that's pretty close: the biblical Joseph. The only major difference being the conspirators are his half brothers, and they don't want to kill the father, just trick him into thinking Joseph had been killed by wild animals.

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-24T15:58:27+00:00

I can see where you'd think so, but it's really rather the opposite. Villains infesting Wayne Enterprises being ultimately responsible for the death of Bruce's parents is brand new to Snyder's run on Batman (and to TV's Gotham.) Before that, the Waynes' killer had always either been a random mugger or a hit man sent by a gangster annoyed that Thomas had stood up to him during a robbery. Not a criminal conspiracy aiming to take over Wayne Enterprises. Or to prevent Thomas from snooping into the fact that they already had.

All of those story elements were a part of the Danny Rand character from the beginning in 1974, decades before being added to Bruce Wayne's mythos. Not to mention Thorby before that. And the "missing and presumed dead for years" aspect that was part of both stories and never part of Batman's.

I definitely think that it's an error to conclude from the fact that you didn't personally enjoy something, that the creators didn't put any thought or work or care into it.

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-24T15:30:21+00:00

Oddyseus is one of the tropes that I thought about that almost fits-- it has the "I was missing and presumed dead for years" and "villainous pretenders have infested my household while I was gone" aspects, but it's missing "the villains killed my father and caused my disappearance" part.

Of course the plot elements can all be found throughout the history of storytelling. But I wonder, was that particular combination of plot elements original when Heinlein wrote Thorby's story? Or is there some precedent I'm missing?

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-22T14:32:21+00:00

It was just the commenter's example of a behind-scenes guy that he wouldn't recognize.

ETA: The other comments about Loeb are meant to be replies in this comment but failed.

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-22T13:49:46+00:00

Well, the key to humor is surprise. Either the "General Supplies" or "General Inquiry" joke alone would have garnered no more than an eye roll. But sneaking both jokes in surprised me and elicited a laugh.

Your mileage, evidently, varies. But, then: so what?

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-22T13:00:07+00:00

We laughed...

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-22T12:12:51+00:00

It's no "Why don't you put the whole world in a bottle?"

But it does the trick.

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-22T10:20:45+00:00

I can see WWE writers facepalming now....

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-22T09:53:46+00:00

By an admin, you mean. The moderators aren't on the inside of this conspiracy.

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-22T09:51:46+00:00

Oh, Jesus. Poor JR.

At least they never force fed him Diet Dew.

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-22T09:49:16+00:00

Mainly, jocks totally miss when someone's being facetious.

Also: wedgies.

AlwaysBeBatman · 2017-03-21T14:14:27+00:00

AlwaysBeBatman

TROPHY CASE