Sunday 25 August 2013

Batfleck Is The Least Of D.C's Problems.

The hunt for the new Batman to star in Zack Snyder's Man Of Steel 2 has been the subject of much interest amongst the fans. Wes Bentley, Josh Brolin and Ryan Gosling had been mentioned, we were told they were thinking of an older man, someone to fill the serious possible plot that would be based on The Dark Knight Returns. So perhaps many felt shock and confusion when Ben Affleck was announced as the new Batman. It got ugly quick and the #BetterBatmanThanAffleck hashtag on twitter trended for longer it ever should, but hey, let's say just a paragraph here shall we? Okay.

Ben Affleck is an actor, he acts, he plays different roles and perhaps (though unlikely) he may 'Crush' the role (meant positively) as Joss Weddon thinks. I personally I can't see it but I have been wrong before, so now I'll do what no-one else is doing and I'll just wish him luck.

Good luck Ben.

Now if you thought this was the worst thing that could be happening to the comic book universe then I'm afraid you are seriously mistaken. Not only has there been a horrifying amount of comic writers stepping out to say they don't write for women but D.C are also happy to admit that the market for their product is a mid forties, white male.

Oh God.

Now there are articles out there about these scary mental trends as well as things I've read concerning 'real fans' and how the Cosplay girls aren't considered to be 'real fans' when compared to the lazy comic book guys that don't dress up. I thought about this and I have come to a question that can't be answered with any sensible answer...

Where is the Wonder Woman movie?

I keep seeing people being quoted as saying it's a 'hard project' and 'tough to sell'. Please explain how? How exactly is a kickass Iconic superheroine hard to sell exactly? It isn't! You take some of the plots, places and people that have created the legends, you adapt, you back it and you have a movie.

For me what shows the real level of incompetence in the D.C/Warner Brothers creative house is the constant inability to adapt the costume so that it can function. I'll post a picture of fabulously attractive young women that they have picked to do the job and then we can ask what's wrong with the pictures?

Let's play!

See the problem? She's very attractive, obviously fit and designed to appeal to the male viewer. That is obviously going to be one part of the deal, you do need to bring in an audience of course, but let's face it there is a fundamental problem with the costumes....How are these women meant to do their action pieces, their physical stunts, their chase scenes without it being all about the boob tape and the possibility of a wardrobe malfunction? Seems unlikely right?!

Does Wolverine fight in the smallest posing pouch possible? Did Superman walk out with his pants over his trousers? Does it strike you that the only reason this costume hasn't been adapted is because they think the audience wants to see Wonder Woman just because she's in something skimpy as hell?!

Right, so it's difficult to make the costume work for real life? You know? The studios have designers and make up people and all the materials to make it but basically it defies any sort of change without it not being practical or marketable?

Lets have a look at what some cosplay 'fake fans' came up with shall we?

Serious, warrior looking headgear? Check! Cool hair? Check! Sword? Easy to replace with fists if you want you superheroine to be a fist thrower only. This also has straps over the shoulders... because that's the only sensible way to travel.

Heavy straps,classic costume, great look!
The two costumes here both have exposed legs but supported tops for movement, look cool and are still easily recognisable as the iconic Wonder Woman.
This one is based on the reboot costume seen fairly recently. The armour looks great, the jacket looks great, the whole thing is cool. It's easily recognisable not just as a Wonder Woman costume but as a take on a specific costume that has appeared in the comics.

Looking at this makes it clear just how bizarrely out of touch the studios and creative teams are.













So, you may be about to tell me that it's typical that the talk about Wonder Woman lands on what she's wearing and not the character or plot, that this is the same bullshit that you see in all those articles that are about a woman in the papers that HAVE TO MENTION WHAT SHE'S WEARING!!!

Sorry, you are kind of right. But what I'm really trying to point out is that these ladies wearing the Cosplay know what they're doing, that they have a design idea, a grip of the character and a wish to see her brought to a convention so people can see that A/ They are cool. B/ Wonder Woman is cool. c/ They are probably more of a fan base worth chasing than some drooling dude in a Batman T-shirt and D/ That it is possible to make the look work!

Yes, I firmly believe the story is even easier to bring to screen. Great writers and directors are needed, please, let's finally get this done yeah?

(Ta to all the Cosplay women, of all shapes, colours and sizes, that are still showing the idiots in charge just how to get the job done)

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