There’s a saying in Metropolis — I know it’s in Gotham, probably in Metropolis — Fool me once, shame on… on you, fool me twice… you can’t get fooled again…!?

by Thom Yee

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition images courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Once again we stand here, soon after the release of a version of Batman v Superman, and once again I feel compelled to begin this review by defending its predecessor, Man of Steel, if only for just a little bit. You can skip to the next section if you just don’t want to hear it.

This time, I’d like to start with some of the most common, most consistently held criticisms I’ve heard of Superman, what it is that makes him such an easily outgrown and discarded as a character from the perspective of maturity: Continue reading →

I don’t even know anymore

by Thom Yee

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice images courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

I get a little defensive when it comes to Man of Steel. The 2013 Extended Universe movie designed to kickstart DC’s burgeoning cinematic line has its share of problems, but when people tell me that Pa Kent would never tell his son that he shouldn’t have saved his classmates or that Superman would never kill or when they say the movie’s too dark, I can’t help but feel that they missed a lot of what was going on. In Man of Steel, we had a Superman who didn’t simply spring forth as the fully formed superhero we’re all familiar (and, most of us, board) with, but instead was a man torn between two worlds, having only recently discovered the secrets of an origin that left him isolated for his entire life just before being attacked by the last remnants of his own people. Man of Steel wasn’t dark, it was real, exactly as hateful, cruel, dismissive, uncaring, and dangerous as people can be in a real life where answers aren’t easy. Continue reading →