So why isn't Shanghai Batman being made into a full cartoon?

[Magus]

-Gbs67ApxL4

'Cause it's like the best thing ever.

This was one of the shorts on the DC Animation block on Cartoon Network. They should make it into a full show, people. I'd watch that like hotcakes.

[Tev]

Yeah, I remember that short. I'd be down for lots more of that.

[Bells]

If cartoon network has the same tradition still, usuall their long series come out from their block of shorts. So if this is still true, it could totally happen.

Also i totally got a "HIKYM + The Dreadfull" Vibe out of this... not sure why.

[Magus]

It basically reminded me of Legend of Korra + Batman. SO THE GREATEST THING EVER MADE BY A HUMAN

[Locke cole]

Legend of Korra + Batman.

That's redundant.

[akaSM]

So why isn't Shanghai Batman being made into a full cartoon?

Cartoons?

In CN?

You're one funny little man.

[Loyal]

I didn't see a single thing in that short that made it actually like Batman. So there's that.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Or you know, it makes it even more obvious that Batman is a villain. Its 1930 in China- middle of the civil war and the invasion of Japan is approaching and Batman is still spending his time just punching some guys. Like fucking read a newspaper batman.

[CABAL49]

Or you know, it makes it even more obvious that Batman is a villain. Its 1930 in China- middle of the civil war and the invasion of Japan is approaching and Batman is still spending his time just punching some guys. Like fucking read a newspaper batman.

I dunno, it seem pretty accurate. A lot of nationalists and warlords spent their time fighting communists and each other than the Japanese. The only logical conclusion is that Batman is a Chinese Warlord who wants to unite China under his banner.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

I'm pretty comfortable putting the chinese warlords in the villain category.

[Krylo]

Batman had magic 'turn into a bunch of bats' powers.

Batman had magic powers.

Batman.

Magic Powers.

This is bullshit.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

Yeah I don't really get why it has to be Batman if it's not really Batman, since Batman doesn't turn into goddamn bats.

[Loyal]

Also Super Strength and Super Speed, judging by how he basically kicked the shit out of Bane without breaking a sweat.

[Magus]

I didn't see a single thing in that short that made it actually like Batman. So there's that.

I guess, other than like, Catwoman stealing a thing from some crooks and Bane showing up and Batman fighting them both for the thing.

Batman had magic 'turn into a bunch of bats' powers.

Batman had magic powers.

Batman.

Magic Powers.

This is bullshit.

Yeah I don't really get why it has to be Batman if it's not really Batman, since Batman doesn't turn into goddamn bats.


Also Super Strength and Super Speed, judging by how he basically kicked the shit out of Bane without breaking a sweat.

I'm pretty sure Batman actually turning into shadow bats was like the best fucking thing in it.

Also how do you know that wasn't just an illusion that he uses to make people think he is actually made of bats?

Maybe 1930s Shanghai Batman isn't Bruce Wayne. Maybe he is Shanghai Batman...Bo...Wu. Bo Wu, the Batman who is actually made of Bats.

You guys are letting your minds cloud your judgment. You are supposed to let the coolness of it drive your decision.

[Lumenskir]

Batman had magic 'turn into a bunch of bats' powers.

Batman had magic powers.

Batman.

Magic Powers.

This is bullshit.

Wait, did he actually turn into bats? I mean, are we supposed to actually think that that's a power he has? I thought it was like the little flame balls around that one guy's head, or the tendency for hot people to walk into closed areas and still have their hair blowing around with wind machines, aka a visual motif to represent something abstractly.

Also, that thing is much better on mute.

[PyrosNine]

I loved the part where they were fighting, and the puppet show in the foreground showed a tiger, a panda, and a flock of bats fighting, a nice touch.

Catwoman was awesome, though batman should have struck from the shadows, and also not looked like he was a member of the Killer 7 when he transformed.

[Krylo]

You guys are letting your minds cloud your judgment. You are supposed to let the coolness of it drive your decision.It would be super cool as something that's not Batman.

Unfortunately, they called it Batman and then made it not actually be Batman outside of some visuals.

Wait, did he actually turn into bats? I mean, are we supposed to actually think that that's a power he has? I thought it was like the little flame balls around that one guy's head, or the tendency for hot people to walk into closed areas and still have their hair blowing around with wind machines, aka a visual motif to represent something abstractly.

I dunno man, looked like he turned into bats and flew away with the scroll at the end there.

[Nique]

Best Batman interpretations I have seen are ones where he is the leader of an underground revolution against either the government directly, or just corruption in general. Especially if Superman is involved and working with/for the government. Because without that particular ideological chasm between them juxtaposing those characters against each other tends to come across as meaningless.

There was like a 2 minute blip of this in the Bruce Timm cartoons.

[Premmy]

juxtaposing those characters against each other tends to come across as meaningless.
Pretty much, yeah. But nerds love the shit out of it. It's funny because Batman isn't Superman's opposite in every possible way, The Punisher is. But people like to put them up against each other.

Also,
Best Batman interpretations I have seen are ones where he is the leader of an underground revolution against either the government directly, or just corruption in general. Especially if Superman is involved and working with/for the government.
you just described the Dark Knight returns and how dare you.

But yeah, that video was super smooth and fun. Batman having magic powers was silly, but fun. I wouldn't really want a whole show of that, though.
Edit:

I don't think we can take the bat transformation as metaphorical because he also used it for his Henshin Sequence, so, like it's part of his "Thing"

I also didn't like that they do that thing that a lot of shows/whatevers do of making Bane all small and shrimpy when he isn't Venom'd up. Like that shit's clever or like it does anything but turn him into The Hulk(granted, a more fun character, but still) Whereas originally he was Batman, but stronger, and then instead of gadgets he just had the drugs. The Venom was his "edge" to compensate for the fact that Batman can take out a normal guy who's stronger than him, with gadgetry, by pushing him to superhuman limits.

Like, Isn't Bane normally already a pretty big guy and then he turns into a Roid Gorilla on the Venom?

[Nique]

Pretty much, yeah. But nerds love the shit out of it. It's funny because Batman isn't Superman's opposite in every possible way, The Punisher is. But people like to put them up against each other.

Yeah like, I love the achingly sometimes-not-so-subtle bromance between Supes and Batman in all it's nuance up to and including the idea, pretend as it is, that their methods are so different but they JUST RESPECT EACH OTHER SO MUCH.

It's just that their main difference is presentation, and maybe like, overall outlook on life, which should translate to some meaningful differences. But their enemy is almost always the same, and their ideology in terms of ethics and methods of dealing with conflict are about as similar as you can get.

you just described the Dark Knight returns and how dare you.

I thought Dark Knight Returns was Miller's only good piece in addition to being actually good?

Like, Isn't Bane normally already a pretty big guy and then he turns into a Roid Gorilla on the Venom?

Yeah. He's also got a pretty good back story except DC apparently just wants him to be the Hulk and Chris Nolan wanted him to not be Bane in any recognizable way at all.

[Magus]

Batman was also the head of an underground resistance in Superman: Red Son (which not only puts Superman as growing up in Russia but also puts Batman in Russia), running a rebellion against the Soviet government.

Okay, how about this: what if Shanghai Batman is not Bruce Wayne but a member of Batman Incorporated and they make it into modern-day Shanghai? Would you accept this version of a Batman with magic bat powers if made into a 22 minute animated cartoon show?

I thought Dark Knight Returns was Miller's only good piece in addition to being actually good?

It has some pretty bad Frank Miller political stuff in it, too. Also it's not really well drawn by today's standards or like, the standards of the time, either, if you ask me. BUT yeah it's commonly one of his "accepted" pieces.

The other is Batman Year One which doesn't have anything too bad going for it (well, Catwoman is a prostitute, but that's kind of a given with Miller's stuff.) I'd say it's better overall than The Dark Knight Returns because it is a pretty good interpretation of Batman's origin and does most of it right.

[Krylo]

Batman with magic bat powers

No, that's dumb.

Just call it something else.

And stop using Batman's likeness and villains.

It's not that hard! If you want to do a thing that isn't really Batman, don't call it Batman and spend some time on new character designs.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

if movie executives took your line of thinking K-Lo we wouldn't have gotten the filmic tour de four that is Wild Wild West

[Magus]

Krylo you just don't like cool stuff. You don't like the various Batman Incorporated Batmans? Man of Bats, the Indian Batman? Nightrunner, the French Algerian Batman? KGBat, the Russian Batman?

I bet you don't like Medieval Batman (http://io9.com/5887246/medieval-batman-armor-turns-you-into-a-dark-knight-literally). the Dark Knight who is actually a dark knight.

And that whole Elseworlds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elseworlds) thing just turns you right off, right?

[Nique]

I think it's more that Krylo feels like we are pretty saturated with Batman media so if someone has an original idea he'd rather see that then have them shoehorn it into the Batman franchise.

EDIT: And also, like, even the Elseworld's stuff is still meant to be Batman or emblematic of Batman enough that stuff like Red Son, Kingdom Come, still makes sense in using the character in an interesting way.

[Dracorion]

I dunno, I wouldn't mind having a new interpretation of Batman that's different from the others.

Like, basically my problem with Batman Incorporated is every Batman is still just one dude who goes around punching bad guys and maybe they'll have some gadgets. The closest you get to someone who breaks the mold is Batwing, who at least wears his powered armor all the time instead of when he fights a particularly nasty baddie.

By contrast, Shanghai Batman and seems pretty cool and more interesting and it could give us a different kind of Batman story, as in, more mystical magicky stuff.

But if Krylo's point is really what Nique is saying, then that idea has some merits too.

[POS Industries]

No, that's dumb.

Just call it something else.

And stop using Batman's likeness and villains.

It's not that hard! If you want to do a thing that isn't really Batman, don't call it Batman and spend some time on new character designs.
The same could be said about The Dark Knight Rises.

And has been.

And should keep being said.

[A Zarkin' Frood]

stop using Batman's likeness and villains.stop using Batman's likeness and villains.stop using Batman's likeness and villains.I will never get why people prefer unique, new, things with the names of old things instead of a completely original new thing that's not forced to nod to the old thing all the time or just plain use elements of the old thing. It'd dumb and people should stop doing it. Except if they want money from the "itz teh gawdayum batman lawl" crowd. Oh wait, that's probably how it is. Silly me. Well never mind, then. Don't even try to do your own thing and go ride that wave forever.

So yeah, maybe this thing is pretty cool (even though I'm not really impressed), maybe it would be better if they didn't use fucking batman.