Hank McCoy (Before the Fur)
I’m not one of those fanboys who runs around criticizing every move the comic book or video game industries make. I’m really not. I mean, they’re trying to give you something you can enjoy. It’s entertainment. It’s fun. What’s the big deal? Really, I’m very lenient.
So why am I having such a tough time assimilating this Superman vs. Batman business? I almost don’t know why my reaction is what it is, but for some reason the words ‘sell out’ keep on blasting through my head.
Maybe the problem is that Superman doesn’t deserve to have a sequel that’s overshadowed by Batman. We all love Batman, but isn’t it time for a Superman movie with Braniac? Or with Mongul? Or Lex Luthor, but an incarnation of Lex that’s more than just an annoying prankster obsessed with scamming people? Something that’s pertinent to Superman and nothing else? I enjoyed Man of Steel and felt like it was a good launch of that type of fleshing out the Superman universe.
I guess my biggest concern is that it seems to so clearly match up with Marvel’s next Avengers movie, which is bound to be a superhero crossover of epic proportions. The thing is, I can justify Batman being in this movie. It's debatable, but he and Superman meeting up is an interesting and important event that helps kind of shape Superman.
It's just that I want something like that done right, not fast. This all just seems, to me, to be part of the DC objective of fast tracking a JLA movie. And I’m just not sure about that. I know there’s some Hollywood ex somewhere screaming about money but see I imagine a good JLA movie coming the latter half of this decade, not two years from now. Marvel took its time. And when The Avengers happened it felt organic.
Not only that. I have concerns about Batman’s appearance in this movie.
First of all, I wish it was Christian Bale.
Second of all, if it isn’t Bale, I at least wish it was Christopher Nolan’s incarnation of the Batman. But considering the resolution of the third movie, I think they’d be hard-pressed to maneuver Bruce Wayne back into the role of Batman without another movie in there. I'm not criticizing the ending as I loved that ending and like to imagine it as one possible finale to the Batman saga. I just think that’s unlikely. And that concerns me.
Of course, I’ve eaten my words before. Chances are, a year from now I’ll be yelling "that was awesome!" while the staff of Omnicomic walks out of the movie theater. But I’ve been burned by DC a few too many times. They seem like they have something good going here--finally--but they’ve got to demonstrate some sensibility if it’s ever going to turn into something more than just a business opportunity to compete with Marvel.
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