DC Fandome 2021: My Top Five Major Takeaways

It came and went like a Flash of Shazam! Yeah I’ve been waiting to say that. Long enough to give you loads of information. Short enough to keep you wanting for more. DC Fandome gave us a glimpse of what is to come for all things DC. And yet, with all the news and fan service, there are some news that are better than others. I’m sure there will be some people who would question my list. However, note that this is MY LIST. So, if you disagree with it or highly agree with it, check mine out. Here are my TOP FIVE takeaways from DC Fandome.

At number five, we have ‘Catwoman: Hunted’. In celebration of Catwoman’s 80th anniversary, DC has decided to give her a film all her own. Selina Kyle has been one of DC Comics’s longest anti-heros, and has appeared in many media. It’s fitting that she gets her own animated film for the first time. Why is this so groundbreaking for me? Normally you get material spearheaded by the DC Trinity. In this case, you have a female character (not Wonder Woman OR Harley) heading this film. It comes as a surprise for me, and I am glad for it. Gives me hope that one day we’ll have a Zatanna project in the works (MAKE IT HAPPEN!).

At number four, we have the Peacemaker series on HBO MAX. I’ll be honest, I really don’t like Peacemaker for the Suicide Squad. That film was awesome mind you, but I’ve always seen Peacemaker as a solo operator or at the very least a member of Checkmate (look it up DC Fans). So, seeing this series come into fruition just shows how Warner Brothers is allowing other DC characters to spread their wings. Though, it helps that you have geek fans of the property in the form of John Cena and James Gunn heading the reigns of this series. Also, you have Vigilante here as a supporting character who appears pretty comic book accurate. Time to give ‘peace a fuc@ing chance. Speaking of fans…

At number three, we have ‘Black Adam’. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnshon has been pushing for this movie since time immemorial. You can see the passion in his eyes when he talks about the ‘man in black’. We’ve seen very little of the film so far. That is not the case for Fandome. We got a visual feast with a reveal of Black Adam in his costume AS PART OF a clip for the upcoming movie next year. I’m hyped more than ever with this news and video.

At number two, we have ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths (2?). In the build-up to DC Fandome, visual artist god, Jim Lee, has been revealing pieces to a puzzle that were completed at DC Fandome. Combined we see an homage cover to the seminal Crisis on Infinite Earths cover by George Perez. In the image above you notice that the frames are not the same, but depict similar concepts. Also, during the interview with Jim Lee most of the dalogue was censored teasing what the image actually means. I’m going to give a shot at this as to what this all means. Quite recently, Darkseid has returned to his villanous ways, and stories across the comics have been hinting on an incoming ‘crisis’ Also, this year marks the 35th anniversary of ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’. Could this be the next major storyline for DC Comics? One can only hope, and if the image given above is any indication it will be EPIC. This was actually a very sneaky bit of news mostly lost in the shuffle of all the other media shown. However, let’s remember that everything DC springs from the comic books. This story, if it happens, will just give more material for other related media. This news would be in fact number one if not for my choice for number one on this list.

At number one, we have ‘Young Justice: Phantoms’. It’s here! The fourth season of Young Justice has made an appearance in DC Fandome. I’m not kidding. DC Fandome gave us the FIRST EPISODE of ‘Young Justice: Phantoms’. While all other things DC gave us sneak peeks, behind the scenes updates, and trailers; ‘Young Justice: Phantoms’ gave us the first episode to watch ahead of the season. This is the animated series with layered storytelling, and in-depth chaaracter development. It’s focus is on the legacy characters without alienating fans of the comic books while providing new material for followers of the series alone to not be alienated as well. You have a rich source of DC comic book lore all fabricated by some of the most brilliant minds in DC’s creative pool. Of course, it helps that the animation is drop-dead gorgeous, and the voice actors knock it out of the ballpark. How else could I not put this at the top of my list?

And, that’s all for DC Fandome. Agree with me or disagree? Let me know in the comments below.

‘Batman: The Long Halloween’ Presents the Dark Knight Detective

“All we get is all we take.”—Carmine Falcone

‘Batman: The Long Halloween’ is a two-part animated film by Warner Brothers that tells the story of Batman in his early years. It is based on the series of the same name by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Tim Sale. I’ve been waiting for part two to come out so I can come up with my full review, and the wait was well worth it. This two-part movie is one of the best animated stories that has come out recently.

I’ve always liked stories where Batman deals with street level adventures. This is highlighted in ‘Batman: The Long Halloween’ where we get to see Batman start to develop into the super detective we all know and love in the streets of Gotham. Created as a continuation of ‘Batman: Year One’ , this two-part film shows how Batman learns to appreciate detective work as part of his crimefighting repertoir. In ‘Batman: The Long Halloween’, we get to see the Caped Crusader realize that crimefighting does not only involve slugfests to strike fear into Gotham’s underwold. To get to the heart of a crime, Batman needed to develop his powers of observation and deduction. There are scenes wherin I couldn’t help myself but laugh at the snide remarks Commissioner Gordon gives towards Batman’s lack of patience in detective work. Rather than make Batman less of a hero, these situations just emphasize that even Batman had to work his way to the hero he is known to be. These little anecdotes make him far more appealing and relatable to the viewers, and that is partly the strength of ‘Batman: The Long Halloween’.

Another strength of the movies is the relationships Batman builds with Harvey Dent in his days as Gotham’s District Attorney. In current time, Harvey Dent is known as the villain Two-Face. ‘Batman: The Long Halloween’ provides the back story of the friendship between Batman and Harvey Dent before becoming one of Batman’s greatest adversaries. This just underpins the tragedy of the rivalry between these two friends and former allies. It is more so painful for Batman then to see Harvey’s tranformation into Two-Face first hand with him having little control of the outcome.

Aside from his relationship with Harvey, ‘Batman: The Long Halloween’ shows viewers the origins of the cat and bat relationship of Catwoman and Batman. From its inception, the relationship was doomed to fail. Or was it? As much as it is denied, there is a certain chemistry that exists between these two characters. The sparks are obvious tto all except the bat and cat involved. Until, both acknowledge that there is more to their relationship than they deny.

Aside from the relationships Batman builds with Harvey Dent and Catwoman, ‘Batman: The Long Halloween’ provides us a smorgasborg of the Gotahm underwolrd including some of the greatest members of Batman’s rogues gallery. There is more than one villain in the story, and more than one mystery to solve. Though, theere is one overarching mystery and villain, this is masked by peripheral encounters will other adversaries who sidetrack Batman from his main goal, but form pieces of a puzzle he is trying to solve. With these, meetings, we see Batman adapt to thwart his foes on subsequen encounters which is a trademark of Batman’s resiliency to stop crime at most any cost.

Though, at its heart ‘Batman: The Long Halloween’ is a story about family. Do the sins of the father translate to the sins of the son? Does the daughter end up like the father?Does the daughter end up like the mother? Does the wife end up like the husband? Does the friend become family? These are questions that ‘Batman: The Long Halloween’ sought to answer, and you will get the answers by story’s end. Which characters am I referning to in these questions? You are going to watch this two-part adventure to find out in detail.

In sum, ‘Batman: The Long Halloween’ gives us a lense into Batman’s past. It reveals part of his life, development and relationships. More so, the film provides us a deeper understanding of why and how Batman is the hero that he is today.