godisawesome
Sidekick
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- Sep 6, 2011
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I think the weird thing is that people are far more irritated and vexed by the prologue than by anything, and the prologue seems like it's just barely worse than anything you'd see in a PG-13 movie. The assault still happens in the TKJ part of the movie, and it's faithfully executed. But people are far more concerned with the additions to the story.
This whole interview kind of sounds like uncomfortable introspection by Timm in a lot of areas, and it leads me to believe there was a bit less of a cohesive vision for the film this time around, and a lot less examination of what was happening to the story. It sounds like the bulk of the new sex stuff that got in was just kind of unnoticed, and it almost seems like it was perfunctorily added just because it was an R-rated movie. Timm sounds especially taken aback by the question about how new dialogue with a prostitute can be read as implying Joker raped Babs, and he doesn't have a reason for any of the Joker related stuff involving prostitutes. Sounds like that entire sequence was Azzarello just trying to add some flavor and padding. Nothing wrong with that per se, but nothing too inspiring about it either.
Okay, someone here, please give me an argument for how Batman and Batgirl having angry sex-on a rooftop-in public-and acting the way they do afterward- is in character. Because I can understand the idea that Bruce and Babs could have a physical relationship, as much as I think that's a bad characterization to take them down, but I just can't think of Batman in particular being the type for kinky rooftop exhibitionism, though Azzarello now seems to stand with Judd Winick in thinking it's perfectly natural for the character.
I understand Timm's wish to portray the characters as flawed, but Batman's generally portrayed as being more inclined to paranoia, emotional coldness, and wrathful vengeance rather than impulsively sleeping with a good friend's daughter after she clearly demonstrates complex emotional issues, or to do so in a way that risks their identities, or even just ignore her afterwards. I mean, getting into sexually unwise shenanigans is more a Daredevil or Green Arrow thing, and this film's events would be kind of sketchy for even them. Batman's generally too gracious to totally take advantage of anyone emotionally, too cautious about his love life to have questionable intimate companions (seriously, even Grant Morrison lampshades that with Jezebel Jet), and way too paranoid to allow any of his allies to demask in broad moonlight, much less strip out of armor in the middle of Gotham.
I mean, I can understand the arguments I've heard for Bruce bedding a bevy of beauties to "maintain cover as a playboy," even though I disagree and think it's got some flaws, but I genuinely have trouble seeing Batman being this...foolish. And let's face it, the film paints a rather pathetic picture of Babs as Batgirl that does nothing to diminish my feeling that Oracle is still intrinsically a stronger portrayal for the character.
