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Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






How do?

Just been reading an article about the forthcoming Gotham by Gaslight, and it's got me all in a tizzy.

See, whilst I'm ambivalent at best to their live action efforts, DC simply cannot be whacked for their animated fare.

For every Suicide Squad, there's an Assault on Arkham. And of course, for every Batfleck, there's the near-genre defining Batman The Animated Series (personal taste here folks).

But which ones would you recommend? Before I go making a 'found a bunch of recommendations on Amazon' shopping list, are their any Must Haves, or indeed any Absolute Stinkers?

Sing the praises and give me your recommendations, Dakkanauts.

   
Made in ca
Gargantuan Gargant






Under the Red Hood is one of my top faves, with great storytelling and animation. It has a very suitable and haunting ending. Justice League Doom, Batman:Mask of the Phantasm, Superman vs the Elite, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earth's, the Flashpoint Paradox are all super great stand alone DC movies. Also justice league God's and monsters if you want a cool elseworld story.

The ones I would stay sway from is sadly the Killing Joke, the weird new 52 Justice League movies (except maybe Justice League Dark, that was okay) and basically anything with Damian Wayne in it. Batman and Harley Quinn was okay but nowhere near the calibre of the best hits selection I previously mentioned.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/01/15 09:42:46


 
   
Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






Yeah, I bought Killing Joke.

Didn't quite work for me in the end, which is a shame. Just felt like, I dunno, 'there was a calorie missing' or something, some vital spark which should've set it all off?

Mark of Phantasm is superb, and I'll check out the other recommendations.

On the New 52 stuff - other than watching the moves and animated stuff, I know very little about DC's stable. Does that affect your recommendation any, or are they just generally a bit rubbish?

   
Made in gb
Is 'Eavy Metal Calling?





UK

Absolute top tier, must watch ect:
- The Dark Knight Returns parts 1 and 2 (very faithful adaptation, absolute top quality voicework and animation)

- Under the Red Hood (likewise, a very good adaptation of a classic, some incredibly slick fight scenes and as a bonus, the fantastic Jason Isaccs as Ras Al Ghul!)

- Batman: Bad Blood: Probably the best of the new Batman ones, if you're a fan of the Bat-team dynamic currently going on in Detective Comics then this is a cracker, it's got a similar setup with Robin, Nightwing, Batwoman and Batwing stepping in while Batman is MIA. Jason O'Mara is no Conroy, but I still think a lot of his work as The Bat is very good.

- Justice League: War- The first of the 'rebooted' JL films with a new cast, but it's based on the (fantastic) first volume of the N52 JL run and while it's a fairly straightforward 'heroes do battle and banter against, each other, a faceless army and their boss', it does it better than anything since Avengers Assemble.

- Batman/Superman: Public Enemies: Based on the comic of the same name, this one is great just because it's one of the few times you get to see the more mature version of these characters in the DCAU. Batman and Superman have gotten over their issues and are now the firmest of friends, Lex is on the up and up as president. And they've voiced by the great Conroy, Daly and Clancy Brown respectively.

- The Flashpoint Paradox: The ultimate in DC animated. Superb voice work, slick animation, faithful and entertaining adaption. Probably the best


Also recommended:
- JL: Crisis on Two Earths
- Superman vs The Elite
- Superman Unbound
- Son of Batman and Batman vs Robin (way better than it sounds)
- Justice League Dark (More Matt Ryan as Constantine, 'nuff said)
- Justice League: The New Frontier (Bit of an odd one, you'll love it or hate it. It's a throwback to the silver age which will either really work for you or won't fly at all)


Avoid:
- Superman: Doom (the version of Death of Superman/Reign of the Supermen so bad they're remaking it next year with a promise to do it properly.)
- Killing Joke- The awesomeness of Conroy and Hamill squandered on a a film that shoehorns in a weird Batman/Batgirl romance and is far longer than it ought to be. Just watch your pick of the BTAS Joker episodes instead.
- Justice League Vs Teen Titans- There's a 5-minute long Robin-vs-Beast Boy dance-off segment, and the whole thing is basically a 'Damien Wayne could beat up the JL just like his dad' story which just falls flat. The sequel, Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, is much, much better and can be watched on its own.


There are plenty others that are entirely decent (Wonder Woman, Green Lantern: First Flight, Supes/Bats: Apocalypse, JL: Throne of Atlantis) if you like the characters/stories they're based on, but the list above is what I reckon to be the best and worst. It'd also be remiss of me not to plug Young Justice, both seasons are on Amazon Prime and well worth a watch (and a third is happening later this year). Actually, that's a good point, quite a few of these are on Prime so check before you purchase them if you have access to that.




Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:


On the New 52 stuff - other than watching the moves and animated stuff, I know very little about DC's stable. Does that affect your recommendation any, or are they just generally a bit rubbish?


The biggest difference is the cast. Gone are Kevin Conroy, George Newburn and Susan Eisenberg, but their replacements do a very good job making the characters their own. Jason O'Mara's Batman in particular is consistently good, especially in the JL stuff where he absolutely nails the dry remarks and comebacks (and, incidentally, has a buddy-cop dynamic with Green Lantern which is absolutely crying out for a team-up movie!).

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/01/15 10:03:29


 
   
Made in gb
Executing Exarch





If you want to watch stuff from the silly and fun department I recommend;

Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders

Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Lego Batman

"AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME...SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED." 
   
Made in us
Secret Force Behind the Rise of the Tau




USA

Speaking strictly of the animated film canon they've been chucking out these past few years, without a doubt I think the best ones are;

Assault on Arkham
Batman: Under the Red Hood*
Batman Year One
Superman vs The Elite

*I love the depiction of Joker in this one. He's just sinisterly evil fun.

Most of the films in the animated films they've been chucking out range from okay to good. Only one or two I think are truly bad (their first attempt at Wonder Woman). You really can't go wrong here.

As for other films Lego batman is amazing. Personally I think that regardless of how anyone felt about Batman Beyond as a show, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker was a superb film.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/01/15 11:11:36


   
Made in gb
[DCM]
Et In Arcadia Ego





Canterbury

There's also a new suicide squad movie on the way


https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/suicide-squad-hell-pay-sets-voice-cast-1073646

The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
 
   
Made in gb
Using Inks and Washes





It's rather dated now, but I still think Mask of Phantasm was the best one.

But it's really only been the last few years that they've gotten rather hit and miss, pick any before Justice League: War and you've got a decent film.
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut






Burtucky, Michigan

Yeah Under the Red Hood was really good, mask of the Phantasm is an oldy but good enoughthat I still remember liking it all these years later.

Killing Joke just sucked. All that hype and I finished it with a scowl on my face. I never read that comic and its constantly on the best comics lists so maybe I missed something.....I dunno
   
Made in us
Secret Force Behind the Rise of the Tau




USA

The Killing Joke suffered from a few things I think.

One is that to make the film feature length (the comic is long enough on its own) they added a whole other and ultimately irrelevant first half that has nothing to really do with the source material and really just wasn't that good. I'd also say that given the whole thing came off as an excuse to berate Barbara Gordon as a card board cut out of "the stupid teenage girl who thinks she should be taken seriously while constantly fretting about stupid teenage girl stuff." IMO it was in horribly bad taste given the second half of the movie. So in a film based on the Killing Joke the movie is half over before any of the content from the comic actually comes up. And the half that comes before it not only wasn't very good, but was borderline jarring in how it handled a principle character of the story.

Two the animation quality was noticeably mediocre and does a horrible... no not horrible outright gak job of translating the comic to screen. The film follows closely to the animated style of Batman: The Animated Series. So closely in fact I'd charge that the quality is too low for a movie, even a direct to DVD one. The other side of this coin is that the art in the comic is iconic. Numerous frames are famed at this point and even people who haven't read it have probably seen this one. Now compare. The animation worked sucked and wasn't remotely up to any standard imo.

The only good thing about the film adaptation was the voice work, which I can't hate. Mark Hamill as Joker will never be bad. I suppose the film may have been doomed in a way. The comic is only 46 pages long. They inevitably had to fill time with something. Ultimately though I think the chief issues with the movie were its horrible animation quality, and the irrelevant (and again, horribly bad taste) first half of the film.

This message was edited 4 times. Last update was at 2018/01/15 12:21:06


   
Made in gb
Veteran Inquisitorial Tyranid Xenokiller





Colne, England

No love for Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker ?


Brb learning to play.

 
   
Made in us
Secret Force Behind the Rise of the Tau




USA

 Mozzyfuzzy wrote:
No love for Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker ?



Right here bro;



It really is a good movie. Sensible plot. Good twists. Some mystery. The ending in particular I felt really cemented Terry McGinnis as having earned the name Batman as his own, rather than simply going on as Bruce's shadow/replacement. It was a worthwhile resolution to the Beyond sage at the time, and I think a pretty damn good film on its own.

   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka







Under the red hood is definitely the best. Though Bender as Joker can throw me off a bit, sometimes the voice is a little too close.

I find a lot of the more recent New 52 stories to be not great, including JL and Batman. Like others have said though, Justice League Dark and Bad Blood is the best of them.

The Flashpoint Paradox is great and is easy is far better than the comic is based on. It works surprisingly well as an introduction to The Flash.

Superman VS The Elite I feel is an essential film to understand who and what Superman is and why he's important. If someone thinks Superman is boring or the Zack Snyder version of the character is the only way to make him worthwhile, this is the film I recommend to them, if tackles that point of view head on.

For bonus points afterwards, I recommend "All Star Superman" - its kinda sappy but there's just something about it that just makes me feel all these... Shudder... Feelings... And... Emotions each time I watch it.
   
Made in us
Androgynous Daemon Prince of Slaanesh





Norwalk, Connecticut

Under the Red Hood has a perfect 100% score from the critics on Rotten Tomatoes. It's also my favorite. I recommend it above all others.

Flashpoint is easily my second favorite too. Dark and brutal.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/01/15 14:45:20


Reality is a nice place to visit, but I'd hate to live there.

Manchu wrote:I'm a Catholic. We eat our God.


Due to work, I can usually only ship any sales or trades out on Saturday morning. Please trade/purchase with this in mind.  
   
Made in us
Hangin' with Gork & Mork






 Turnip Jedi wrote:
Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders


Speaking of which did anyone see the follow up Batman vs Two Face?

Amidst the mists and coldest frosts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.
 
   
Made in gb
[DCM]
Et In Arcadia Ego





Canterbury

...I've got it, yet to be able to watch it however.


.. Shatner & West though.....

The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
 
   
Made in au
Incorporating Wet-Blending






Australia

I've watched and enjoyed Under the Red Hood, Public Enemies and Apocalypse.

I've also seen Superman vs. The Elite, The Dark Knight Returns and the first half of Wonder Woman, but found their politics annoying, so YMMV.

And Doomsday just sucked.

"When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."
-C.S. Lewis 
   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka







I rewatched the WW film over Christmas. There's lots of good things in there, mythology fun, Steve Trevor played by Nathan Fillon. The problem is WW herself. I wouldn't say it's the politics of it, as such, WW is inherently a political character, that's her job. The thing I found lies enjoyable was unlike the live action film of the recent WW rebirth series, Diana is an angry Wonder Woman.

It's like that bit in the live action with "we are all to blame" but for the whole film, which is rather, well, not fun to watch.
   
Made in us
Androgynous Daemon Prince of Slaanesh





Norwalk, Connecticut

I liked the WW animated movie. It's my third favorite after B: UtRH and Flashpoint.

Nathan Fillion absolutely kills it as Trevor, and they ripped the Aquaman scene with the lasso straight out of the animated WW movie.

Reality is a nice place to visit, but I'd hate to live there.

Manchu wrote:I'm a Catholic. We eat our God.


Due to work, I can usually only ship any sales or trades out on Saturday morning. Please trade/purchase with this in mind.  
   
Made in gb
Is 'Eavy Metal Calling?





UK

My issue with the WW one is that the story is pretty much identical to the live action movie, but the latter just does it way better. I've got nothing against the film itself, but there's just a better version of the same out there so it's never a priority to watch.

Suicide Squad has the opposite issue, I'll put the first 30 minutes on then watch Assault on Arkham instead!

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/01/15 20:59:18


 
   
Made in gb
Norn Queen






 Paradigm wrote:
Avoid:
- Superman: Doom (the version of Death of Superman/Reign of the Supermen so bad they're remaking it next year with a promise to do it properly.)
- Killing Joke- The awesomeness of Conroy and Hamill squandered on a a film that shoehorns in a weird Batman/Batgirl romance and is far longer than it ought to be. Just watch your pick of the BTAS Joker episodes instead.
- Justice League Vs Teen Titans- There's a 5-minute long Robin-vs-Beast Boy dance-off segment, and the whole thing is basically a 'Damien Wayne could beat up the JL just like his dad' story which just falls flat. The sequel, Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, is much, much better and can be watched on its own.

Pretty much this. Watch them all other than these. Also check out the original Batman TAS movies, as well as the Batman Beyond: Return of The Joker movie.
   
Made in au
Owns Whole Set of Skullz Techpriests






Versteckt in den Schatten deines Geistes.

Assault on Arkham is one I really like. Flashpoint Paradox is also great.

 LordofHats wrote:
I'd also say that given the whole thing came off as an excuse to berate Barbara Gordon as a card board cut out of "the stupid teenage girl who thinks she should be taken seriously while constantly fretting about stupid teenage girl stuff." IMO it was in horribly bad taste given the second half of the movie.
I saw it as an attempt to give something for Batgirl to do, to make her a character rather than just someone who gets crippled at the start of the story. Add some reason for the audience to care other than "good person getting hurt".

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/01/16 01:49:02


Industrial Insanity - My Terrain Blog
"GW really needs to understand 'Less is more' when it comes to AoS." - Wha-Mu-077

 
   
Made in us
Secret Force Behind the Rise of the Tau




USA

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
I saw it as an attempt to give something for Batgirl to do, to make her a character rather than just someone who gets crippled at the start of the story. Add some reason for the audience to care other than "good person getting hurt".


I think they wanted to humanize her before getting to the whole shot and tortured thing certainly. I just think the story they told to do that was in bad taste given where she was going to end up.

Focusing on Barbara in the expanded content isn't a horrible idea. Her role in the Killing Joke has always been contentious. But the content was just bad. They could have integrated the first half into the second much better. Maybe tell the story of how Joker got out of his cell? Split in the scenes of him setting up his scheme throughout the first half instead of not even having the plot of the Killing Joke start until halfway through the film. They didn't do that though. The first half comes off as irrelevant. The stories aren't related. There's no interweaving of the plot. They don't even line up thematically which seemed to be what was attempted but I don't think it worked at all.

   
Made in us
Keeper of the Flame





Monticello, IN

Count me down for Under the Red Hood and Justice League: New Frontier.

"I have a quarter of a million dollar rock for the one in Metropolis; for you I just have to pay a penny for a book of matches."

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For 4-6th WFB, 2-5th 40k, and similar timeframe gaming

Looking for dice from the new AOS boxed set and Dark Imperium on the cheap. Let me know if you can help.
 CthuluIsSpy wrote:
Its AoS, it doesn't have to make sense.
 
   
Made in us
Boom! Leman Russ Commander





Princeton, WV

 Paradigm wrote:
Absolute top tier, must watch ect:
- The Dark Knight Returns parts 1 and 2 (very faithful adaptation, absolute top quality voicework and animation)


Just watched this one yesterday. Very good movie! Be warned though, Jared Leto's joker is portrayed in this (minus tattoos). This is also why Mark Hamill didn't do the voice. Mark Hamill supplys the voice of a different joker. If you are a little confused there are three different jokers in the DC universe.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/05/25/dc-rebirth-introduces-mind-blowing-joker-twist

Spoiler:
   
Made in gb
Is 'Eavy Metal Calling?





UK

 Lord Scythican wrote:
 Paradigm wrote:
Absolute top tier, must watch ect:
- The Dark Knight Returns parts 1 and 2 (very faithful adaptation, absolute top quality voicework and animation)


Just watched this one yesterday. Very good movie! Be warned though, Jared Leto's joker is portrayed in this (minus tattoos). This is also why Mark Hamill didn't do the voice. Mark Hamill supplys the voice of a different joker. If you are a little confused there are three different jokers in the DC universe.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/05/25/dc-rebirth-introduces-mind-blowing-joker-twist

Spoiler:


To clarify, with DKR it's more a case of it not being part of the main film continuity and having a totally different voice cast rather than the Three Jokers thing; while you can quite easily associate various portrayals of The Joker with the 3 implied versions in the comics (I reckon Hamill for the Silver Age, John DiMaggio/Heath Ledger as the 'current' one, maybe Troy Baker as the one in the middle?) but that's not the reason for the different version on screen. It's all just down to the various actors' takes on a role that can be written and played in any number of ways.

 
   
Made in au
Owns Whole Set of Skullz Techpriests






Versteckt in den Schatten deines Geistes.

DKR's Joker isn't Jared Leto's Joker. Jared Leto's Joker takes its queues from DKR's Joker.

DKR's Joker was played by the excellent and impossibly talented Michael Emerson.

Industrial Insanity - My Terrain Blog
"GW really needs to understand 'Less is more' when it comes to AoS." - Wha-Mu-077

 
   
Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






Best thing about Mark Hamill's Joker?

His vocal talents aren't a one-trick pony. He can do campy-silly Joker when needed, and then twist into something far darker and more sinister as required. Not always in the same story like, but nice that he has that range.

Those phonecalls in Arkham City are absolutely beautiful.

Video spoiler!

Spoiler:



Just superb stuff.

[MOD EDIT - Fixed YouTube Link - Alpharius]

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2018/01/17 23:43:30


   
Made in au
Owns Whole Set of Skullz Techpriests






Versteckt in den Schatten deines Geistes.

His work in the three Arkham games he's in is just stellar.

Industrial Insanity - My Terrain Blog
"GW really needs to understand 'Less is more' when it comes to AoS." - Wha-Mu-077

 
   
Made in gb
Stone Bonkers Fabricator General




We'll find out soon enough eh.

Had a crack at Bad Blood based on this thread and quite enjoyed it, speaking as someone who doesn't pay much attention to the actual comics at all. Are there plans for more films in that continuity?

Batwing is a bit of an oddity though, he seems to have a better suite of abilities thanks to the Totally Not Iron Man suit than Batman himself, does his addition not make the rest of the "family" a bit superfluous in most scenarios?

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-----
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