Gotham Knights

Last Wednesday I finished the 1st draft of a particularly difficult project - to celebrate, I spent the next three nights watching Batman Animated series season 4 . I've had the DVDs for months now but haven't gotten around watching them. Here are the episodes I loved:

• Sins of the father - the season started with Batman minus Robin (Dick). This episode was the origin of the next Robin (Tim Drake) whose story had a Jason Todd feel to it. Tim was the son of a criminal who was murdered and Batman saved him from the goons looking for the loot that Tim's father stashed somewhere. Batman got injured and Tim saved him, brought him to the Batcave - well, events of course led to Tim becoming Robin. This episode had heart - Bruce is a big softie when it comes to orphans. Further into the series, I liked the detail that Batman worked with Batgirl more since she was better trained and well, bigger, than Tim.
• You scratch my back - Nightwing (!) and Catwoman worked together -- fun!!! Catwoman double crossed Nightwing but Nightwing and the Batgang were expecting it.
• Joker's Millions - What if Joker didn't need to steal anymore because he became richer than Bruce Wayne (in a legit way)? It was the only thing that could have stopped his criminal activities but that would be too easy, right? I never would have thought that Mark Hamill was the voice of Joker till I saw the credits. Harley Quin and Ivy were also in the episode - having both of them together is always funny.
• Old wounds - Dick tells Tim why he left. Batman wanted to beat up a Joker-minion in front of the minion's family. Dick wouldn't have anything to do with that. To complicate things, Dick and Barbara were going out without knowing about each other's secret Bat-related commitments. Of course when Dick found out that Batman had knowingly put his girlfriend in danger... (yes, he blamed Batman for anything and everything).
• Legends of the Dark Knight - three kids were telling each other Batman stories: one of them was a silver age story - the illustrations/drawing/art (whatever you call it when its cartoons) and dialogs were silver age!!! The other story as from Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns - the final showdown with the mutants. (And the story where a kid pointed that Robin was a girl) This got me to sit-up from bed and pay close attention, and rewind, and watch it again.
  
• Girls' Night Out - Batman was out of town. Batgirl and Supergirl worked together to bring down Livewire. Harley and Ivy were also in the mix - so yeah, more fun!
• Mad love - Harley Quin's story - why is she obsessed with the Joker? (In this episode, Joker (voiced by Mark Hamill) said, "May the floss be with you!" It was a joke. You have to watch the episode to get it.) Now I know why Thor loves Harley. Paul Dini did an absolutely great job in characterization. She wants to be better but she couldn't help but give in to her psychosis. I liked it that Batman sympathized with Harley and that you knew he wanted to help her become better.
  

Speaking of... Here's the Joker in the next Batman movie (*excited!*)

Annual Fix

Nightwing is one of my guilty pleasures. (I have said before that I cannot explain why – except that I think he’s the Robbie Williams of DC – may pagka-gago. Its embarrassing to admit but well … basta!) But unfortunately Nightwing by Marv Wolfman is fast becoming uninteresting and I may have to let go of Dick soon. The story arches are becoming a “monster of the week” and “girl of the week” event. Bleh. But I was looking forward to the Annual written by Marc Andreyko (Manhunter!) that was going to tell why Dick and Barbara’s engagement did not push through and OYL – they weren’t even a couple anymore (since Dick was being a DICK in New York City – grrr…). I know that you guys would not have bought and read the annual – or the series – but indulge me …

The Annual starts with the proposal taken exactly from BoP / Nightwing before the Crisis and how Nightwing was hit by a blast from Alexander Luthor and then how Barbara nursed him back to health. The way Andreyko wrote the flashbacks – Barbara and Dick recalling their first date and their adventures as Batgirl and Robin – was sweet and funny. Seeing Dick – then a big strapping teen-ager - in green “panties” and pixie shoes was silly! The laugh-out-loud moment was when Batgirl and Robin were trapped in a safe (hehe!) and because of the tight space, Robin got “excited.” He had to come out crouching, covering himself with his cape. (Now we know anotheruse for the yellow cape.)

Andreyko also answered a question that was bothering me before – what happened between Babs and Dick before Dick and Starfire became a couple. In Teen Titans – it was as if Babs didn’t exist. (I told you before I was stalking Nightwing!) Well, the scene where Babs finally decided to tell Dick that the feeling was mutual was – was like the scene in Bridget Jones 2 (the movie of course) where Rene almost gave in to having sex with Hugh Grant but then a beautiful Asian woman knocked on the door! It was a “Argh! MEN!!!” moment. Babs knocked on Dick dorm room and then Kory opened the door (scantily clad, tall, green eyes, long hair). Andreyko didn’t make Kory a gorgeous-evil-stealing-slut - in four small panels he showed how Kory was insecure and how much she wanted Dick that she lied about who knocked on the door (pizza guy with the wrong address). So not evil – just gorgeous-stealing-slut.

Babs finally did have sex with Dick – he was gone for six months and he came back from Tamaran to find out that Babs was shot by the Joker and was paralyzed from the waist down. After the sex, he gave her the engagement announcement – Kory and him were going to get married! (“Argh! MEN!!!”)

OK, back to the present (or one year ago), in the end Babs decided to give the engagement ring back – when Batman asked Dick and Tim to accompany him in his soul searching she knew that Dick was conflicted – it wasn’t a easy decision for him to choose between Batman and the woman he loved. Well, I guess she had enough – it must be all or nothing. Babs was a strong woman – but her biggest “flaw” was Dick, she knew that Dick was still unsure of what he wanted in life. Still she let go but not completely … the last panel showed her holding Dick to his promise that he will come back. (BUT HE WAS SLEEPING AROUND IN NEW YORK ONE YEAR LATER!! IS THAT WHAT YOU CALL SOUL SEARCHING?!!!!)

Thank you Marc Andreyko, Joe Bennet, and Jack Jadson for the chick-flick - it was well told and well drawn – I wish you guys were writing the series….