The Inner Crust: Batman & Robin (Yeah that Batman and Robin)

You know what's popular today? Looking back into the rear view of the 1990's and reminiscing about what was popular then. The funny part about it is that most of the self-appointed 90's kids were born in the mid 90's and barley remember.....I'm getting off the tracks, sorry. Anyways one thing that I know for sure wasn't popular back then was Joel Shoemaker's infamous Batman Forever follow up Batman & Robin. The movie is  famous for ice puns and the Bat- credit card (by VISA). The Inner Crust will be a short form (hopefully a couple of paragraphs) opinion piece where I can express some ideas that hopefully lead to a heated exchange of words. I love debate. This time, I'm making the argument that Batman & Robin is not the disaster dumpster fire it is remembered for but instead the perfect homage to what came before.

I get the hate I truly do. After the not so terrible, kinda enjoyable Batman Forever, the growing fan base was expecting the follow-up to go in the darker, more Burton-y rout than what actually ended up on screen. But with B&R Joel actually wanted his film to mimic an incarnation of Batman the predates Burton's version by 20 years. Yes, I am talking about the ever campy Adam West era Batman and Robin television show. To truly get what he was going for you had to be a kid when watching Batman & Robin for the first time. Growing up my brother (let's call him Jake for privacy sake) and I loved everything, Batman. We watched the animated series, read the comics, we were Batman and Robin for at least 5 Halloweens in a row. We also grew up watching Adam West and Burt Ward as our costumed detectives on Nick@Nite. Everything was over the top form the BIFFS and POWS to the shark repellent spray. It was like reading a really old issue from the 40's and 50's in today's comics climate. It seems really silly and outlandish that this is what the character used to be. But that's the point.

Characters, at least the ones that have been around for a while will inevitably change. No matter what as the days turn to years people change. I bet you're not the same as you were five, ten, twenty years ago. So why should we expect our favorite fictional characters to be any different? Shoemaker wanted to do something different with his Batman. He went into the two films wanting to honor what came before him. That's not just Tim Burton's Batman or Frank Miller's. He included Adam West and the comic strips from the 50's and 60's. He wanted to make a fun, not taking itself too seriously (remember Bat credit cards!) and from that perspective he did ok. If the viewer goes into this film today expecting more in line with The Room or an old school B-Movie from the 50's they'll have a great time, especially if you make a drinking game out of it.


But seriously, fuck Bat Nipples. 

A Strange New World

I recently was asked to make a post based off of the Marvel character Doctor Strange, who happens to have a movie coming out in November. This upcoming release has the potential to be the new backbone to the Marvel Cinematic Universe(MCU). I know most MCU fans will question that brass statement. They will bring up counter-arguments surrounding the likes of RDJ, Chris Evans, and Spider-man Tom Holland. What Doctor Strange can bring to the MCU goes beyond just the (incredibly bankable Benedict Cumberbatch) actor playing him, it can bring the universe in a whole new, magical direction. 

Robert Downey Jr. is 51 years old. honestly how many more times does he have left playing the man in the iron suit? I know that he was "suppose" to be done playing him already and that he keeps signing on for more MCU films. At some point, he will be leaving the comic book movie game behind him. Most people will suggest that Chris Evans Captain America will take the torch of the MCU headliner. But Chris Evans has always maintained that once his contract is up he will also be leaving the world of tights. Remember he almost didn't take the role and we could've had this guy playing mind games with Nick Fury for the past six years. Look it up, it's true, Jim Halpert was almost the man wielding the indestructible shield. At some point in the near future, I would expect The Winter Soldier or The Falcon to take up the mantle and no offense to either actor but they can't carry the MCU like the way Cumberbatch can. 

Benedict Cumberbatch is a rock star plain and simple. There are people out there that think he's overrated and that Doctor Strange will be the first big failure from Marvel Studios(if you don't count Iron Man 2). But if you look at his box office track record you can see that he has the potential to be not just a superstar here in the good ol US of A. He was Kahn in Stark Trek: Into Darkness and Smaug (the only part of those films that I enjoyed) in The Hobbit trilogy. He knows the lay of the nerd land. He was even this generation's defining Sherlock Homes (sorry once again Robert Downey Jr). But picking the right actor is only part of the battle, I believe the good doctor can lead the Marvel universe into a tonally and totally different space. 

Ever since Sam Jackson appeared during a post-credits scene at the end of Iron Man it has seemed that these films were building towards something. Much like a comic book all these solo series lead to a team-up story line known as an event comic. The film version of that has us leading to a confrontation with Thanos the Mad Titan (he's the purple guy at the end of the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy). The throw down with Thanos will happen in Avengers: Infinity War and it's sequel. While Doctor Strange is a good bet to be a big part of at least one of these films, his real big impact could be on what happens post Infinity War. 

With Actors aging and contracts coming to an end, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is headed for it's first real unknown since they hired a washed up actor with a checkered past (for the third time, sorry RDJ). But there is hope, Doctor Strange can lead the magical revolution to the MCU. Up to this point, most of the MCU has been explained by science or space. It's the easiest way to sum up the "grounded" reality these films strive to contain themselves in. Doctor Strange is about to blow that door wide open. 

One of the bigger questions facing the Marvel movie landscape post Infinity War is who will replace Thanos as the "team assembling villain"? We have the good Doctor to answer our questions for us. In the comics, Doctor Strange has two main nemeses. The first is Baron Mordo who by the looks of it will start out as an ally to Strange and eventually turn on him. The second and far more powerful Dormammu. If you grew up watching the 90's Spider-Man cartoon show like myself you'll recognize him as the Fire Demon who brings back Venom and creates Carnage. He is as formidable and fearful as Thanos and he can lead scum and villainy of the next phase of the MCU. 

I know a lot is riding on this film and in 3 months time I'll have to come in and make sure no one can read any of this! But I truly believe that this is something Kevin Feige and the brass at Disney have already been thinking about. Much like Iron Man and Captain America carried the first two phases of films, Doctor Strange and Spider-Man? can carry us into the next couple of phases. 

As always I'm taking suggestions for articles.

This has been your friendly neighborhood Pieman! 

   

Dawn of the Pieman

Hi,

I just wanted to start this "thing" off with a little note from me, Dave. For as long as I can remember I have always had a difficult time writing. I guess that's a bad way to put it, it wasn't writing that I had a problem with it was my writing that would bother me. From as early as grade school I've always thought lesser of my own works. From a simple book report to my final in intro to script writing, my prose has always been lesser than I know it could have been.

Really this probably stems from my own inner psych but every time I would read something of mine I would hate it or think it was "stupid" and "dumb" and procedde to delete everything and start all over. I never let anyone proofread it for m, I was too afraid of what they would think of me based off my writing. In my head I thought that my writing was dumb and that would lead into my friends thinking I was dumb, and that was pretty dumb.

Pieman on Comics is a way for me to see what kind of writer I could have been in college and high school. It's for my friends to be able to see what I think on certain things from comic book reviews, to editorials, to who knows?!? You can't be afraid of letting people see something personal from you, even if you think it's dumb or stupid.


From,

Your friendly neighborhood Pieman!