Some context:
In 1989, Warner Bros. released this little movie by up-and-coming director Tim Burton called Batman. Starring Michael Keaton as Batman, and Jack Nicholson as the Joker. The only other superhero movie known to my nine-year-old self was Superman 1-4. Quite the contrast from Hope and Justice to Doom and Gloom. Until then, I didn't really know what superheros were, or what a comic book was. I just knew Superman and Batman existed. And they were real.
Three years later, Warner Bros releases Batman Returns in the summer, and then in the fall,what is highly regarded as the best cartoon of all time: Batman: The Animated Series. Everyday after school, our Caped Crusader was put in a very different light, with inspired elements from Burton's universe, Batman was introduced to us in a film noir-scifi setting. The stories were deep, well thought out, character driven-all in one episode. They were adult. And it was brilliant.
Click RAWR to read my complete thought on the subject!
But it didn't stop there, an influx of animated superhero cartoons came pouring in at the same time. Marvel released plot driven cartoons that spanned multiple episodes, X-Men, Spiderman, and Fantastic Four to name a few. They were very kid friendly, flashy, action driven. They were saturday morning fun. But Warner Bros. just had Batman-outside of their Steven Spielberg's animated block of Tiny Toons and Animaniacs. And it set the stage for what was to come.
From 1992 -2006, Bruce Timm opened the doors to DC's universe of characters and brought them into an obvious media like no one else. And he did it right. He produced, wrote, and directed the influx of animated cartoons that came from Warner Bros. Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League (which then became known as Justice League Unlimited). For 14 years he took Batman: TAS and evolved it. It grew with the viewers while still being enjoyable for new audiences to come.
Meanwhile, Marvel continued to keep up. Debuting new series then cancelling after a few short seasons. The turnover was so great, they after a while, I didn't want to get invested in their shows. They became bland, the characters didn't feel the same anymore. And they were stuck catering to the 10 year old boy who would grow out of them 1 year later.
Eventually, to a lot of fans heartbreak, WB finally cancelled the television outlet for the animated series. And decided to go with direct-to-DVD animated movies. Self contained, 90 minute movies, that for the most part, kept the same team: writers, animators, and most importantly, voice over actors. These movies, as you can expect from Bruce Timm, were amazing.
But the problem? Not widely known to the new generation of kids and adults who are now on board since the influx of Marvel's live action films. And now WB has been trying to step up to the plate and compete on the big screen. Unfortunately, the only movies that can go toe-to-toe are Christopher Nolan's Batman Trilogy. And in my opinion, hands down are better than Marvel's.
Side Rant:
DC released Bryan Singer's homage to Richard Donner's Superman movies. A complete, one man's fanboy wet dream sequel on the silver screen. A strawberry-sundae-donkey-punch to my very existence. Then came Green Lantern. A 2 hour movie that didn't explain anything except some guy got a ring from an alien and you need to save earth now. What? The story was flat, the origin not completely explained for again an audience new to DC's comic book movies, and a tease that made no sense unless you were familiar with GL comic books. And of course there was the much anticipated Wonder Woman that never saw the light of day. Joss Whedon was brought on board to write the screenplay, but WB didn't have enough faith in a writer who's original creations and main heros are... women? And eventually he went on to write/direct a billion dollar movie known as The Avengers. Yeah, someone at WB should be fired for this.
And Im Back:
So what does this have to do Bruce Timm?
Marvel has been the telling what I call the social story. Relate-able stories from a more human perspective.They are everyday people thrown into situations that begs the question what would you do? You have these big over-the-top characters that you can relate to because of their personalities and relationships in their community. These stories are more grounded and are intersting. You don't know what they are going to do, and when they do they are justified and it makes sense to the viewer.
Bruce Timm was able to tell the stories that a lot of people have a hard time grasping: The battle for good and evil. This is what DC is all about. You have characters with tragic backgrounds and do something with it. They become heroes or villains. Its that black and white, with a little bit of gray for added substance. You have these big, over-the-top characters that you can relate to because of their ideals and morals. These characters at their core are good or evil. They have their equals and its fun to watch. The key thing, the stories are solid, the characters are developed and they never get stale.
So DC, do us a favor. Bring Bruce Timm on board. Give him the reigns on your upcoming Justice League movie. Let him do what Marvel did for their franchise. Marvel did it with the unlikeliest of heroes: Iron Man. So here is my idea. Introduce the Justice League franchise with the Flash. If i haven't convinced you, let Bruce Timm's work speak for itself.
SPOILER:
In the series finale of the Justice League cartoon, each member has been defeated by Lex Luthor and Brainiac. There is only one person left who can save them.
Oh, and this is just funny:
Here are the Direct to DVD movies which together have grossed $82 million.
1.1 Superman: Doomsday
1.2 Justice League: The New Frontier
1.3 Batman: Gotham Knight
1.4 Wonder Woman
1.5 Green Lantern: First Flight
1.6 Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
1.7 Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths
1.8 Batman: Under the Red Hood
1.9 Superman/Batman: Apocalypse
1.10 All-Star Superman
1.11 Green Lantern: Emerald Knights
1.12 Batman: Year One
1.13 Justice League: Doom
1.14 Superman vs. The Elite
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