By CONOR SHEA
Executive Editor
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DC Comics, the creator of the ever-popular Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman characters always has been, and will always be, praised. The prevailing theory is that when children grow up they identify most with the “family- friendly” comic book characters from Marvel comics. Spiderman, X-men, and the Avengers enthrall kids at a young age, but that interest dies eventually.
Data from the sales of comics repeatedly show that DC comics has become the defacto “graduate course” for the older crowd. They offer darker storylines, gripping pathos, and villains to make the hair on your neck stand up.
Segue into the medium of film, and we see a similar trend. Despite major Marvel and DC blockbusters both producing PG-13 comic book movies, the content is not equal in the level of maturity/tone. Marvel offers its wisecracking Iron Man as its cornerstone, while DC pushes the dark and brooding Batman.
For the longest time the fan perception of the MCU model had been, “Give the fans what they want.“ If you like the characters from the comics, their movies cater directly to that fandom. At the same time they keep the universe simple and accessible enough to allow new fans to jump in without needing external context. This is advantageous because they can accurately show on screen what once was printed in panels, but at the same time not alienate those who have no clue what happened in the comics (the majority of the movie-going audience). This creates a kind of recurring feedback loop where fans will watch the films, grow interested in the comics, thus furthering the reach of their movies.
With the release of Christopher Nolan’s Batman films, the model was to give the audience what he felt they needed. To said director, “what they needed” was a darker and more realistic Batman that grounded the comic mythology through science and technology. This largely served the purpose of a palate cleanser for the campy, often criticized Batman and Robin.
For example, Batman’s cape isn’t just a cape that can let him glide; it’s a fabric that turns ridged when an electric current (from his gloves) is passed through it. I thoroughly enjoyed the Dark Knight trilogy (save perhaps Christian Bale’s Batman voice), but even I got tired of the “realistic and gritty” universe after a while. I don’t want to need an explanation for everything; I want to be immersed in the universe and the mythology. What’s more is when the standard of realistic and grounded is established, it limits the storytelling ability, because pushing the boundaries of realism takes the viewer out of the experience. Don’t have Batman be able to somehow escape the blast of a nuclear explosion (without being seen I might add), because that only serves to pull me out of the tone that has been established.
Now on to the recent Man of Steel film and its sequel Batman v. Superman; Dawn of Justice. This is where I feel DC might finally be getting themselves on the right track cinematically. I enjoyed Man of Steel quite a bit, and felt it created a universe where I had no trouble believing that Superman existed. From rumors and leaks it can further be gathered that the sequel will not be holding back Batman with the real and grounded universe.
The recently released images of Batman’s costume look like they were ripped directly from the pages of the comics. Unlike Nolan’s designs, this Batman will not have armor plating, and instead has a cloth-like garb not unlike Henry Cavil’s Superman in Man of Steel.
This came as a delight to fans of the comics, and even more so for fans of the Batman Arkham video game series (who have been clamoring for a comic-accurate cinematic batman). Recent images of the bat mobile on set show what appears to be a hybrid between Nolan’s “tumbler” (a militarized tank-like vehicle) and the Arkham game series. It’s sleek, it sounds like an American muscle car, and probably wasn’t borrowed from Lucius Fox and Wayne’s R&D department.
As a fan of Batman, the one thing I wanted to see more than anything in this film was the white eyes on Batman’s mask. Too long have fans put up with the black face paint under Batman’s mask, something that personally takes me out of the film. It feels too much like poor executed cosplay, and not the Dark Detective. It seems like a small detail, but there’s something inherently intimidating about not being able to see Batman’s eyes.
Leaked clips of the teaser for the film may mean that director Zack Snyder has heard the fans wishes. The teaser shows a brief clip of Batman (armored in a suit reminiscent of the one seen in The Dark Knight Returns comic) staring down a red-eyed Superman, with his cold, glowing white stare. The cheers and screams from the fans at Hall H of San Diago Comic Con were overwhelming, and that tells you all we need to know about audience reception of the film.
The Nolan films were a nice change of pace from the camp of previous Batman incarnations, but times are changing. We now live in a world where sassy talking raccoons and walking trees can make more money than Iron Man at the box office. Marvel has been giving its fans live-action interpretations of their favorite comic, not grounded, scientific, explanations. Only time will tell if DC will follow this same trend, but with everything I’ve seen leaked so far it may just be on the right track.
