‘The Flash’ Ranks Characters Over Spectacle for a Surprisingly Heartfelt Speedrun
Warner Bros/DC were able to rewrite the timeline and deliver a good, fun The Flash film. Here’s what stood out.
#superheroes
The Annihilation of Bruce Wayne
How the Batman Becomes a Popular Avenger I knew I’d love The Batman about thirty minutes in when Robert Pattinson (as Bruce Wayne) locks eyes with the mourning son of Gotham City’s slain mayor. It’s a weighted moment, heavy with meaning but free of the excessive, drawn-out cinematic melodramatics typical of Zach Snyder’s DC takes….
Why Batman Is a Terrible Superhero (Or, Why Our Present Social Crises Demand a Different Class of Hero)
I’m a huge fan of the Dark Knight, so I was ready to throw hands a few weeks ago when someone told me they considered Batman to be a terrible superhero. “You can’t just say that. You have to give reasons,” I demanded. Well, she did: “Bruce Wayne has wealth and access and power, and…
Life and Death in the World of ‘The Punisher’
Close your eyes and imagine a long-running battle between a hero and a villain coming to an end. It doesn’t matter which hero or which villain; they’re all interchangeable here. It doesn’t matter how long the two have been pitted against each other — ten episodes, maybe twenty, maybe 110 minutes of a two-hour movie….
Stan Lee is Giving You Permission
I didn’t know Stan Lee. You probably didn’t either.
Yet, within the past week, you’ve likely been touched by one of his creations.
Inside Out: The Ultimate ‘Zeroes’ Power
Recently, I finished reading the incredible Zeroes series by Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan, and Deborah Biancotti. This story about a bunch of teenagers who discover they have crowd-based superpowers is probably the first series I’ve ever read where I felt completely satisfied at the end. It didn’t end on a cliffhanger, demanding endless what-abouts. Nor did it end with me wishing there was another book in the series. It’s okay that there isn’t.