Scooby Doo: Real Monsters Vs Fake Monsters

Among fans of Scooby Doo, one of the biggest controversies is the presence of real monsters in the show and movies. Here's a nice list of the 180+ appearances of real monsters in the Scooby Doo continuity.

Hands down, the best case against Real Monsters in Scooby Doo is presented by Chris Sims who advances the idea that the Scooby Gang should be viewed as avatars of skeptical/progressive thinking in a world of superstitious authority figures.
 
In addition to that, Chris (and many others) argue that having real monsters in the show subverts original premise of the show in a way that makes it unwatchable. I disagree with that for several reasons.

• For kids originally exposed to the show, the monsters were real. Constantly relying on the gimmick of a person under a mask just caused kids to stopped taking the show seriously.
• There is the perception that the introduction of real monsters into the show is a modern conceit, but that's false as the first real monster was introduced in 1970 in the That's Snow Ghost episode. 
• There are also merits to portraying the gang as  heroes who aren't afraid to confront unknown challenges of possibly supernatural proportions. 
• Also, it could be argued that the world we are seeing plays by different rules than ours. 

 On that last point, Alee Martinez presents the best argument for a Scooby Continuity with a supernatural tinge to it.

• He mentions technology being different in the show (working robots, electric monsters from just car batteries, transparent glider skies, ect...)
• Scooby can talk and understand complex human sentences
• When in monster guise, the villains behave irrationally, as if they are not in possession of their own wits. (Like the Werewolf villain who is befuddled by Scooby and Shaggy pretending to be barbers:

Also, in the The New Scooby Doo Movies, the gang teams up with both Batman and Robin, Josie and the Pussycats, The Addams Family and Jeannie (and her apprentice genie Baboo.) While it could be argued that the Batman and Robin of this world are from the 60's television world (where there was no magic), the presence of Josie and the Pussycats, The Addams Family (somewhat) and Jeannie (definitely) suggest magic exists in this world.

 The biggest surge in real monsters came with the advent of the direct to video animated movies with Scooby Doo and The Goblin King being probably the most fantasy tinged entry in the series. However, more recently there has been an effort by the newer movies to present all monstrous threats as guys in a costume. It appears that the last appearance of a real monster in the universe was Annuki in the excellent Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated.

Yet, in order to remove all real monsters, the movies have had to stretch physics to herculean contortions to explain how the villains are able to do the things they do. (Scooby Doo and  Kiss for example uses dream sequences and super advanced technology to explain its plot.) This avoidance of supernatural elements in the show has gotten so bad that even Blue Falcon has been demoted to just a fictional comic book character.

In a way, it reminds me of the eye rolling lengths that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has gone to keep explain away Asgardian magical items as quantum powered alien technology.

The opponents of real monsters believe that the creatures ruin the show/movies for them because it perverts the original premise. I would argue it no more ruins the show than having magic work in the Batman universe. The Golden Age Batman universe wasn't filled with magic, but the modern one certainly is. Where is the hate for magic using heroes and villains in the DC Universe or  Batman Adventures? There is none.

At the end of the day, a lot of the hate is just people who feel like their version of a show has been corrupted to something that no longer represents their childhood memories. That's too bad, because they are missing out on a fun element of the show.

- Jim

Who Put the THE back in The Batman?

Reading the classic Night of the Hunter from Detective Comics 439, a panel where a criminal referred to Batman as THE Batman caught my attention.

I had always assumed that was sort of a modern addition to the character's name, but in looking it up on the web I discovered that using the article THE was originally how the character was called in the Golden Age.

This got me to wondering, when did THE disappear from Batman's name and when did it reappear?

Discussing this with FBU contributor Trey Causey, he directed me to OverthinkingIt.com which has a good article on the use of the Definitive Article THE in superhero names. As interesting as this article is, it didn't really answer my question. So, I decided to do some random sampling to see when the THE showed back up.

Here's what I determined. The article disappeared sometime during the period when Robin became a regular. While it would show up sometimes early on, as the 40's gave way to the 50's The Batman and Robin just got shortened down to Batman and Robin.

This stuck with Batman all during the Atomic Age stories as Batman was less a creature of the night and more an adventurer dealing with strange aliens.

My first assumption was that the article got added back sometime around the 70's, possibly when DC got rights to publish The Shadow. So, I checked out Batman 259 where the Shadow makes a guest appearance:

Sure enough, Batman is called THE Batman in this issue.

Still, I wondered if the use of the article hadn't been one of the changes that occurred as a result of the New Look Batman era. What I found is that during this era, a lot of stories featured Batman dealing with socially relevant issues:

So, without a real criminal element to the stories, for the most part of this era Batman is just called Batman.

However, around issue 213, E. Nelson Bridwell retells the origin of Robin with a panel where Batman introduces himself as THE Batman.

Shortly thereafter, in Batman 224, current Batman writer Frank Robbins (also well known for his awesome art on Marvel's The Invaders) has a criminal use the phrase The Batman.

Two things may have precipitated this:
1) This is near the time that Frank Robbins was also drawing The Shadow
2) This also happens to coincide with the time that Robin has left the comic as Batman's sidekick.

The combination of no sidekick and the original pulp avenger floating around DC may have caused Robbins to reintroduce the THE into Batman's name. This is also a period when DC Editorial (Julius Schwartz) gives Robbins the freedom to move away from the socially relevant stories and return Batman to darker story lines.

While we may never know the exact catalyst, the result is that from this point on, the THE continues on into modern usage.

And despite some creators attempts to put a new spin on his name:

The Batman is still with us.

- Jim

More Unseen Art

In the comments on Monday's Post, artist Reno Maniquis noted that he's worked on some projects that never came to fruition. I did some digging and found the art he was talking about.

The first up was going to be a Zuda pitch called hell-bent but Zuda folded before this project got going good.

The other was a possible Artifact story with a new character called Jet Pack Jenny

While neither of those projects panned out, I've enjoyed working with Reno on the Lost 100 Pagers he's created. He never fails to impress me with his work on those Bronze Age homages.


Another artist who I've worked with in the past (and most recently completed the So Falls The World Flashback Universe story is Jerry Hinds. Here are some awesome character sketches he developed for a sort of Jim Starlin Adam Warlock type of project. Again, this would have been a good project for Zuda.

The star to the story was a character called Judas Moonstone

His Allies were the enchantress Baba Yaga

And an imp named Toadflax

The villain of the series was a character called Nightshade

I still have more unseen art, but I'll save it for another day.

- Jim

Unseen Art from Other Projects

I've been looking for some files this weekend, and while doing so, I found a bunch of art from projects that I thought I would share.

First up are a few pages from a Kondorr the Killer backstory that never saw light of day. Because I changed email services from when I was working on this project, I no longer have the name or contact information for the artist. The only thing I know is his first name was Roy.

Next up is a page from Flashback Co-Creator Pierre Villeneuve. This was part of a Zuda pitch we submitted for the League of Monsters. In this scene, the team is enjoying a game of Risk.

Here is a Lost 100 Pager that didn't work out because the artist drew the cover with a modern version of Black Orchid, not the Bronze Age one, even though I sent him reference samples. 

This is why you should always ask an artist to send roughs before sending finished work. (Most professionals will volunteer to send you a rough because they know it saves them time in the long run.) :( 

Here's another sketch by the same artist wherein he tries to pass off another artists (Gahan Wilson?) work as his own for the background/houses.

I've learned over the years that rather than just dive in on a project with a new artists, it's better to start with small assignments like character sketches and pinups. This gives you some idea of what you can expect before committing to a big project. 

Later this week, I'll share some art from more projects that didn't work out as well as a few that did.

- Jim

What Could Scare The Legion Of Monsters?

Here is an appropriate cover for the Halloween season: Marvel Premiere 28 featuring the Legion of Monsters!

Looking at this cover you have to wonder, what in the world could possibly be so terrifying to all these ferocious characters?

Could it be an attack from an Atomic Age threat like Rro, Grottu or Fin Fang Foom?

Or the awakening of a long slumbering Elder God?

Or maybe it's some new version of the Creature Commandos!

Ah...apparently, none of those guesses are correct.

Here's what's scaring them.

Indeed, a scary sight!

Happy Halloween!

What did you think of the Supergirl Pilot?

Monday, the new Supergirl show premiered on CBS to what seems to be the highest ratings every achieved by a DC Superhero show.

On one hand, that's not too surprising as the build up to this show has been very strong on the internet (good job CBS/Time Warner - whoever was responsible for the excellent promo videos up to this point.) Also contributing to the high ratings is the fact that this is the first DC property to air on one of the big three networks in a long time. (Was the original Flash series from the 90's the last such show?) Also, the show got a weird bit of advanced promotion from GOP Presidential hopeful Jeb Bush.

With that said, the real challenge will be can the series maintain ratings to survive the season? I really don't know how to answer that. In my household, both my wife and daughter enjoyed the show. I enjoyed the pilot, but as I'm sort of losing my passion for superhero shows in general, I think I was less enthusiastic about it than they were. I did find the Ally McBeal vibe interesting in a "This is different" sort of way.  Melissa Benoist did an admirable job as Kara, and the supporting cast all seem like they can grow into their roles pretty well. I think, outside of my general superhero malaise, my biggest complaint was it felt a little like they were relying overly much on 1990's television story telling techniques. For instance, shouldn't her sister's role in the DEO have been kept more of mystery for a few shows? Seems like that plot point got revealed and resolved a bit quickly.

Overall, I enjoyed it enough to watch more episodes.

How about you?

- Jim

Was Darkseid the Real Mastermind Behind Identity Crisis?

SPOILER WARNING - this post discusses key plot points of DC's Identity Crisis 2004 mini-series. If you haven't read the mini-series, feel free to skip today's post. - Jim

 One of the most controversial stories of the 21st century is DC's Identity Crisis. Among the many gripes people have with the series is how is that Jean Loring (the Atom's ex-wife) is able to commit the murder of Sue Dibney (the Elongated Man's wife) without being caught right off the bat. Here's the facts:

In a desperate attempt to rekindle her romantic relationship with Ray Palmer, aka The Atom, Jean Loring attacks Sue Dibney by jumping on her brain. Whether intended or not, this kills Sue and presents Jean with the problem of how to cover up her involvement in the crime.

But fortunately, demented Jean has brought along what appears to be a Flame Thrower "just in case" as she says. 

Using this supposed Flame Thrower, Jean is able to remove all traces of evidence that she was the culprit. So effective is she, that the combined powers of Mister Miracle, The Atom, The Ray, The Metal Men, Animal Man, Superman and Batman (off panel) are unable to find any clue as to who killed Sue.

Here are some questions that defy explanation:

• Where did Jean Loring get a Flame Thrower? It's not like you can buy them at Wal-mart.
• How did this "Flame Thrower" not burn up the entire house? It's not a weapon know for precision.
• How did it manage to remove every last piece of physical evidence? The house should have been covered with Jean's DNA.

It's obvious that this was no simple Flame Thrower, but was in fact a device designed specifically to remove any trace of Jean's involvement in the crime. Who would have the technology to create a device that could remove all evidence of a crime and avoid detection by a New Gods Motherbox?

Only Darkseid, that's who.

But why would Darkseid want to kill Sue Dibney? I believe the real target was someone else and that Sue was merely the catalyst for a chain of events that would lead to another death in the series. 

Later in the series, as the heroes try to track down clues by interrogating super-villains, the Shadow Thief stabs Firestorm with the Shining Knight's magic sword.

Because of the sword's magical properties, this essentially kills Firestorm.

I submit to you that it was Firestorm's death that was the real goal of the Identity Crisis schemes.

Why? It's simple. Of all the heroes, Firestorm is the only one who could easily counter Darkseid's Omega Force beams (as well documented in Justice League of America 185)

After events in JLA 185, Darkseid would work in the shadows and with intermediaries to try and kill Firestorm. Check out this scene from Fury of Firestorm 76.

In fact, all during the late 80's Darkseid was sort of obsessed with Firestorm appearing in in Fury of Firestorm 5 times according to the DCGuide.com:

Fury of Firestorm #55 (January 1987): "The Stench of Brimstone" [Behind the scenes]
Fury of Firestorm #56 (February 1987): "Firestorm No More"
Legends #3 (January 1987): "Send For... the Suicide Squad!"
Blue Beetle Vol. 2 #9 (February 1987): "Timepiece!" [Behind the scenes]
Legends #4 (February 1987): "Cry' Havoc...!"
Superman Vol. 2 #3 (March 1987): "Legends From the Darkside"
Adventures of Superman #426 (March 1987): "From the Dregs"
Action Comics #586 (March 1987): "The Champion"
Legends #5 (March 1987): "Let Slip the Dogs of War"
Legends #6 (April 1987): "Finale!"
Fury of Firestorm #58 (April 1987): "Gambit"
Fury of Firestorm #59 (May 1987): "Glasshouses"
Mister Miracle Special #1 (1987): "No Escape From Destiny!!!"
Suicide Squad Vol. 1 #3 (July 1987): "Jailbreak"
Swamp Thing Vol. 2 #62 (July 1987): "Wavelength"
Warlord Vol. 1 #121 (September 1987): "Clouds of War"
Warlord Annual Vol. 1 #6 (1987): "When the Gods Make War"
Action Comics #592 (September 1987): "A Walk on the Darkside" [Flashback]
Action Comics #593 (October 1987): "The Suicide Snare"
Millennium #8 (February 1988): "The Rising and Advancing of Ten Spirits"
Action Comics #600 (May 1988): "Different Worlds"
Firestorm, The Nuclear Man Vol. 1 #76 (October 1988): "Heart of Fire" 

The only other hero that Darkseid concerns himself with as much during this time period is Superman. The difference is that with Superman, he directly confronts the Man of Steel while he seems more afraid to have a one on one with Firestorm.

It's notable that after the events of Identity Crisis, when Firestorm has been reformed with Jason Rusch, that Darkseid no longer is afraid to deal with him face to face.

It appears that the new symbiosis between Jason and Martin Stein isn't as formidable against Darkseid. Shortly after that, Darkseid would initiate his boldest attack against the earth, as chronicled in Grant Morrison's Final Crisis.

So here's what I think really happened.

Darkseid manipulated Jean Loring's mind and gave her a device that would provide her a way to kill Sue Dibney undetected thus sending the heroes off looking for a villain who might have some information. He then somehow manipulated the Shadow Thief into attacking Firestorm with the Shining Knight's sword.


The real question is, how did Darkseid manage to get Firestorm on the same team as Shining Knight? It seems like there is a piece of the puzzle that's missing. Was there yet another party involved who had the power to perform such manipulation?

To answer that question, we must look ahead to what happened to the Shadow Thief. At the end of Brightest Day he was driven insane by the powers of the Starheart. The Starheart is the magical force that powers Alan Scott's power battery.

As the Green Lantern Wiki says: 

Around the time of Blackest Night (very close to the time of Identity Crisis)  the Starheart began to subtley influence events in order to empower itself by taking control of several beings across the face of the Earth as well as driving certain Metahumans insane.

Is it possible that Darkseid found a way to manipulate the Starheart's powers to set Firestorm up for death?

The world may never know.

- Jim