The Hood vs The Cowl...

Comics today, but specifically the moving pictures variety. I had the opportunity to watch Batman: Under the Red Hood recently and I was very pleasantly surprised. Not that I actually had a much of an opinion one way or another (I have read the comic version already...), but I had been putting it off because I hadn't really heard much of anything about it at all. I am very glad I gave it a chance and here's hoping you will too...

A little back story: Semi-way back in comic book history, Dick Grayson retired as Robin to become Nightwing and a contender in his own right (a very acceptable and logical character move...), but Batman ended up needing a Robin to back him up. Enter Jason Todd: a spunky kid from the streets Batman took in to prevent him from entering a life of crime. However, it is shown very early on that, since Jason grew up hard on the streets, even at his young age, he did not have the remorseful drive that Grayson or Wayne has. He is far more reckless and got into more trouble than he solved. Flashforward many issues: The Joker kidnaps Jason in a building a beats him nearly to death with a crowbar (very brutal even by most Joker standards...), then leaves him to die in a warehouse that is about to explode. Here's the tricky part: the public voted on whether Jason Todd was to live or die (he was never as popular as the original Robin...). The public voted death, so the second Robin died in an exploding warehouse; just another ghost to follow Batman around...

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Flashforward again: This time, we are very near the present and within the confines of the 'Red Hood' story. A new vigilante enters the scene, calling himself the Red Hood (side note: that was also the first 'moniker' of the Joker...). He runs amok within Gotham's criminal underbelly, but kills the bad guys rather than helping the police lock them up. Batman (with Nightwing in tow...) scour the city in search of this deadly hoodlum. Meanwhile, he kidnaps the Joker and severely beats him with a crowbar (Symbolism, thy name is...) but doesn't kill him. Chases upon chases abound when finally Batman has the Red Hood cornered. We then see who the Red Hood really is: a resurrected Jason Todd (a cosmic calamity brought him back; i.e. Superboy punched the multiverse [ugh...]...). The final showdown happens with Jason giving Batman the choice of either shooting the Joker or shooting his former (dead...) partner to save the Joker. Batman gets out of it, everybody lives, and the bad guys escape. Hey, it's a comic book...

As far as the movie is concerned, it actually a very, very faithful adaptation of the story. The violence level is about on par (some toning down is expected...), even if a lot of it is off screen. It isn't implied that Joker beats Jason with a crowbar; we here sound effects and see shadows of the act as well as more blood than usual. Similarly, one of the cyber-bad guys head explodes and another thug gets immolated on screen. A serious cartoon for a serious audience. The action is well paced and I would imagine it is more of an exciting surprise if you don't know Red Hood's secret (though the toon is self contained, rather than a decade’s long waiting period like in the books...). The voices are also a very solid addition, though I still wanted Kevin Conroy as the Batman. John DiMaggio did a really good job, even if I could tell he was kind of channeling Mark Hamill (check the laugh...) as the Joker. Even the comically frustrated Black Mask worked for me...

Even if you have no feelings toward the Jason Todd character or have little knowledge of who he is, the story itself should be compelling to most who want a little twist into the Batman mythos. Even Batman, who is often the most human of supers, can't seem to die. But to have an actual, on-screen death affects him directly and impacts him in a lasting, meaningful way (like his parents, but much more 'in your face'...), makes the character seem more fallible. And this is important to the continued intrigue of the character. He's not Superman who can shrug off everything and save the day. At the end of the night, Batman is still a man, and it's one of the reasons we dig him so much...

Grade: A+ and the wish that more animated comic book experiences were like this one...

Part DUECE!!!...

Finalizing the review of Hulk vs Thor, so here it comes...



The story involves Loki, god of mischief and Thor's brother, trying to find a way to kill of his brother once and for all. And, despite all attempts in the past, the only thing that came close to beating Thor was the rage machine himself, The Hulk. So Loki, along with the Enchantress, capture Banner, turn him into the Hulk, then proceed to physically REMOVE BANNER FROM THE HULK!!! Ok, I can't actually be that upset over this. I had to accept it when Jean Grey did it during the Onslaught saga. So, with Banner gone, Loki gains control of Hulk and sends him rampaging through the streets of Asgard. As can be expected, Big 'n Green mows through gods (yes, plural), dukes it out with Thor a bunch, Loki loses control, Hulk rampages more, and then Hel (Norse goddess of the underworld, kids) gets involved, restores Banner to Hulk, and that's where it ends. I gotta say, after I wrote 'Hulk rampages more', that was where I was comfortable stopping...

Gotta make this good, so the good points first. Like Hulk vs Wolverine, the costumes and art are spot on, if a bit stylized. If you want my opinions on that, check out the other post. But I actually have to praise the art further, because, unlike in HvW, there was more material to be faithful to. They really did nail it and it was all believable in the context of this story. The other item that made it a bit more enjoyable than the movie that came before it was the ending, and more like it actually had one. While HvW ends ambiguously (groan), HvT ends with Asgard being saved, Hulk returns to Midgard (Norse for the Earth, kids), and the heroes win the day, or as much as you can call getting your crap kicked all over the mythological planes by the avatar of all destruction (apparently)...

That segues nicely into my biggest problem with this pile: Hulk takes on the majority of the Norse pantheon and rips it to shreds with barely a mark on him. Yeah, I know, the madder Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets, but this is plain retarded. Big movers and shakers like the Norse gods barely slow Hulk down, but Wolverine holds his own? What kind of precedent is being set here? Are we allowing Wolverine to be this powerful or is it just that the Norse gods can't get their shit together and, oh I don't know, BANISH HULK FOR ALL ETERNITY TO SOME ABYSS IN THE ABYSSAL PLANES?!?!? (ok, I lost my way in that rant). Still, I know Hulk is the 'ultimate wrecking ball on legs', but these are FREAKING GODS!!! I kind of want to see what kinds of berzerkers and barbarians would have worshipped Hulk as a god now. Friggin' sweet...

The other issue I have is that, even though Loki lost control of Hulk, Hulk continued rampage and destroy his way to the sleeping Odin, I guess with the intention of destroying him(?). The Hulk I remember reading wouldn't mindlessly go towards a shiny light to destroy it. He'd make his way out of Asgard in a couple of leaps, just to be left alone. That's all Hulk really wants in the end is to be rid of Banner (check, at least for a while) and to live alone. After Loki was gone, there would have been no motivation or remote reason to go after Odin. A liberty that must have been taken, I suppose...

Style: See HvW, mostly. As I said before, way to go artists for making the art incredibly faithful, despite your own spins on it. Get these guys and gals more jobs and better scripts to work with...

Story: While HvW was in the realm of the absurd, HvT went with acceptable and Buh-Horing. It was predictable, flat, and not all that interesting to watch. Yes, this ending was better, but that was the best part about it. It was over...

Voices: Meh. Nothing really worth writing about. Not great, not awful...

Grade: D+ to C- and a plea for a redo. Art alone cannot make this piece all that worth my while. They could have stepped it up a little, but I get the feeling someone was trying make an easy buck with this two set. Gave my copy to my roommate. He couldn't get through them both, that's how disappointed he was. If you want to opinion on this, post here. Or better yet, find me, ask for my copy, then give it back with your own review. Tell me I'm wrong with this review...

The Witteman's Review of....

Hulk vs Wolverine/Hulk vs Thor...

Lionsgate released this two feature set of action packed animated films recently, and I was intrigued by the previews and clips youtube had to offer. It's no secret that one of the biggest on going battle feuds within Marvel comics is between Wolverine and the Hulk. But, it does make for good cinema to have the god of thunder to go up against the ultimate Marvel powerhouse. Let's begin...

Hulk vs Wolverine is up first and, unfortunately, I have but one word for it: Disappointing. Now, it wasn't completely disappointing, but overall, I wanted something else, or at the very least, something more. Our films starts with our favorite Canadian berserker being called in by the Canadian government to take care of the Hulk, who's been rampaging across the Canadian countryside (I never thought I'd write 'Canadian' so much in one sentence). This is reflective of, not just the plot, but the actual dialogue lifted from Ultimate Hulk vs Ultimate Wolverine (to which I am not a HUGE fan of the Ultimates line, but this picture won me over):



Adding a high note, Wolverine is garbed in his 90's suit rather than his modern suit, which I definitely prefer (though not against the yellow and brown suit). Anyways, after a slightly long tracking sequence, Wolverine meets up with Bruce Banner, Banner turns into Hulk, and combat ensues. To the creators' credit, there was an adequate use of blood and profanity that you would expect if these characters were to actually exist without going of the top for shock value. I suppose that's the highest marks I can give this piece is treating the characters with an adult mindset than just for kids, which happens to many comic-to-cartoon adaptations (Thank God for Batman: The Animated Series)...

So, after what seems like a much too short combat sequence, Wolverine's villains show up, take down both Wolverine and the Hulk, and drag them off to the Weapon X facility. Wait, WHAT?!? Yes, they felt the need to throw *ahem* plot into a feature that would almost be better as just a combat vehicle. So, we see a surprisingly good adaptation of the Weapon X storyline via flashback, and subsequently find out that it was in fact Weapon X who wanted both the Hulk AND Wolverine as their weapons. I mean, I guess since the combined efforts of Sabertooth, Deadpool, Lady Deathstrike, and Omega Red couldn't...stop...

WAITAFRIGGINMINUTE!!! Neither Deathstrike or Red were Weapon X victims!! Sure, they fall into the 'We Hate Wolverine With Every Fiber Of Our Being' Club, but Omega Red was a damn TARGET, not a member of Weapon X! Oh god, continuity is a harsh mistress. And I know Deadpool is the 'Merc with a Mouth' and is sort of a more popular character nowadays, but this interpretation is just annoying and you are just waiting for Hulk to rip his head off (he doesn't). After the inclusion of *sigh* Weapon X, the film takes a decidedly more anime style (especially in Deathstrike and Red's case), but not enough to make me shut it off. Since the villains can't decide between killing off Wolverine or self-preservation against RAGE INCARNATE(!!), they get their crap kicked all over the place...

As the movie draws to a close, Hulk (for some reason) decides to tear the ENTIRE COMPLEX DOWN. Seems more prudent that he would just escape, but hey, I'm just a fan. After these moments of special effects-ery, and swatting Wolverine with a skyscraper-esqe pylon, the Hulk leaves his wake of destruction behind him and returns to the Canadian wilds where he is free to roam in piece. OR IS HE?!?! Wolverine still happens to be conscious and (oddly enough) rechallenges the Hulk to begin where they left off 45 minutes ago. The movie fades to black as these two unstoppable forces leap back into the fray, as if this battle will continue for eons upon eons...

Style: It was a nice mix between accepted American imagery and anime styled combat. Believable and not abhorrent, though their choices on some of the little details perplex me. But, as I said, these are little details...

Story: Did we really have to throw Weapon X in there? It would be like throwing a trip to the Negative Zone in the 'Death of Superman' storyline. Unnecessary. A slugfest with these two heroes would have carried itself. Also, how do end it with a non-ending? Why not use 'parting with grudging respect' or 'not meeting after the collapse of the facilities' or 'one letting the other go their separate ways'? Very unsatisfying in the end...

Voices: Quite good on the whole. I even like they got the guy who played The Kurgan in 'Highlander' to be the voice of Sabertooth. The Wolverine voice even evoked a bit of Cathal Dodd, the voice of Wolverine in the 90's...

Grade: C+ and a free pass for a redo. The story and some of the in-movie styles and portrayals bring the grade down a smidge, but on a good day, it might be graded a B- as well. I recommend this toon to others, mainly to get their reaction. Perhaps I have been too harsh, or not harsh enough. You tell me, fellow viewers...

Next up, Hulk vs Thor. Stay tuned...