The Synder Cut is Out. Here's What To Watch/Read Instead.
The Justice League Synder Cut is here and it was never for me. This dark operatic universe of brooding heroes and Christ iconography isn’t what I want from my Dc comics. I adore Superhero stories. Tales of capes and cowls to me have always been at their best when they are staged as morality plays. Where darkness is acknowledged but optimism and the potential of humanity triumphs with either superpowered philosophy or fists. Zack Synder just isn’t my kind of director and that’s alright. So with this all-encompassing inescapable wave of hype approaching, I thought I’d put together a list of alternatives you can watch/read as an antidote to the thing no one will shut up about for the rest of the month.
Trinity:
This little forgotten graphic novel from 2003 is what (in my opinion) Batman Versus Superman should have been. Its a perfect small scale introduction of Dc’s three pillars, Matt wager who writes and illustrates the book nails the characterization of Bruce, Dianna and Clark and what makes these characters compelling both as Icons and as people. Trinity shows us a look at their early days, their eventual meeting, their struggles and their unity. Wagner’s art of expressive features and iconic poses make for a timeless style and a look that feels as if its the perfect marriage of the Bruce Timm animated series and the Fleischer Brothers shorts from the 1940s. This is how I’d think of these characters if I was asked to describe them. Trinity makes for the definitive origin story for this trio, one that isn’t dated by cultural references or era-specific features, it could be set at any time and would still work as a story of 3 gifted individuals doing what they think is good, coming together to form a league of greatness.
The reason I mentioned Batman V Superman before and why I think this would have been a good basis to kick-off an extended Dc film universe is that it presents similar conflicts that film flirts with but in more authentic and interesting ways. One of my favourite dynamics that Trinity plays with is who is willing to be more trusting of who between Superman, Batman and Wonderwoman. It’s traditional (and uninteresting) for the origins of these characters to frame the main emotional and ideological conflict between Batman and Superman; one a creature of darkness and cynicism, who uses fear as his weapon and the other as a literal beacon of light who inspires optimism and hope. But Wager instead chooses to present the main tension to be between Bruce and Diana, with Clark acting amicably towards both and bringing the team together as the middle ground. I love this angle. It explores a lot of ground that is often forgotten about these characters, especially with their Silverscreen counterparts. From acknowledging Batman’s arrogance to Wonder Woman’s empathy and responsibilities as an ambassador from Themascarra, Trinity’s presentation of these characters is a perfect introduction to them for someone who has never picked up a comic book about the justice league before. Despite using established characters like the mutant Superman Bizzareo and immortal environmental terrorist Ra's al Ghul Trinity never gets so complex. It’s a simple story that is big enough for superpowered battles, splash pages and battle cries but small enough to have intimate moments of humanity that remind you that being faster than a speeding bullet, the worlds greatest detective or an amazon princess, these caped crusaders are very very human.
Trinity continues to be (in my mind) an incredibly underrated story in the vast unending Dc canon. Its heart is undeniable, its look immortal and it’s understanding of Gods with feet of clay impeccable. This is the greatest Justice League introduction you will never see on screen.
Kingdom Come:
From the beginning of the Justice League to the end of them: Kingdom Come is a story of armageddon and hope. Gods and men. Depicting a darker future of the Dc universe, our heroes are old, grey and at times broken. A modern world rejects their outdated morals in favour of a new breed of violent self-indulging heroes. In response to this chaos, the Justice League of old comes out of their self imposed retirement to right the wrongs they see before them, vehemently opposing all who defy their rigid moral code. At the heart of the tale is Pastor Norman Mckay, who is losing his faith in both his religion and his ability to help those he serves. Norman is visited by the Spectre, a ghostly shadow that tells him the world will end and that a world-ending superhuman war will be the cause.
One of Kingdom Come’s focal points is actually something a lot of modern superhero stories have shied away from and consequently have lost a part of their soul by doing so: Focusing on civilians. For all its victories the Marvel Cinematic Universe has mostly abandoned this vital element of Superhero stories. It’s not just about punching people in the air, the Hero part involves saving people in the day to day: helping evacuate burning buildings, protecting civilians from collateral damage and even lifting cats from trees. Despite failing as a decent human being, Joss Wheadon succeeded tremendously at this element when he directed the Avengers films; there are vital scenes where the Avengers are defending and escorting civilians out of harm’s way, the actions of which are reflected in later scenes where regular people have a reverence for the team. The modern MCU doesn’t seem to care about this element and for my money its a major weakness. Connor’s role in Kingdom Come as he oversees meetings of gods and monsters proves that ordinary men have a place to do good next to that of superheroes.
I personally believe that Kingdom Come is a stealth response to Watchmen, a book made famous for its ‘realistic’ approach to capes. One of Watchmen’s many theses’ is that in a real-world scenario the idea of costumed vigilantes is a childish notion and that anyone willing to do it is not noble but internally broken. Kingdom Come, instead of bringing Superhero’s into our world, brings us into the world of the Superhero. A world that despite facing Armageddon and nihilism still has brightly shinning men and women who can leap buildings in single bounds. They just look a little older. That despite themes of government, fascism and faith this could be nothing else but a superhero story.
A generation of artists took the wrong lessons from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons and made heroes of cynicism, moral compromise and ultra-violence the rule and not the exception for Superhero comics. The 90’s comic book boom threw away much of the earnest nature and optimism that had been associated with these books for decades in favour of antiheroes and a ‘life’s tough’ attitude to storytelling. We’re arguably seeing a resurgence of this with Amazon show ‘The Boys’ and the Synder Cut itself being either hyper-violent deconstructions that paint those who wear capes with a paintbrush of gross capitalism and moral bankruptcy or as the Heroes of old in the drag of moody lighting, false maturity and Batman wielding his assault rifle at 10 frames a second whilst hallelujah plays in the background. (My one and only jab at Snyder, you have my word).
Kingdom Come’s story is as much about optimism as it is a commentary on superhero comics. With this new generation of hero’s taking the public’s attention by storm leaving the Justice League in the dust signifies the change in audience attitudes in the 90’s. But whilst Mark Waid and Alex Ross may have been airing their grievances with their industry at the time it does not mean this book advocates for a return to the Golden or Silver ages. It champions depth and nuisance in Superhero stories but with a light at its back the entire time. Kingdom Come’s soul is about a jaded Superman, Wonder Woman and others coming to terms with the world around them and finding new ways, better ways, to fight for it.
Kingdom Come is the definition of Iconic. From Alex Ross’s painted artwork to Mark Waid’s mastery of these hero’s humanity. Kingdom come despite only being 4 issues feels like a saga that belongs at the pedestal of our modern superhero mythology.
Kid Cosmic
Superheroes are for kids, and that’s ok. I think a lot of us get very defensive when someone says that superheroes are aimed towards children. We fiercely wave our copies of the Dark Knight Returns at them and insist that a genre about men and women in spandex is for adults. Don’t get me wrong, you’ve just read me evangelising about a mature superhero story but a big thing we forget as fans who have grown up is these characters is that we were once kids, we once saw the superhero through the wide eyes of Saturday morning innocence and wonder. It’s important to have media that’s aimed towards kids in the genre, be it comics or cartoons. And that’s where Kid Cosmic comes perfectly as my third recommendation.
Craig McCracken has this formula down to a cartoon science. Having defined a generation of superhero shenanigans with The Power Puff Girls McCracken so it comes with no surprise that his new show for Netflix is equally endearing. Kid Cosmic captures the joy seen through the eyes of a child of what it’s like playing superhero. The titular Kid dreams of being a superhero, in reality, he like many of us he just wants to be noticed and more importantly special. When a spaceship crashes in the area, he discovers it had onboard 5 "Cosmic Stones of Power" that give him the chance of fulfilling his dream. Upon learning the stones will attract alien invasions, he forms a motley team of superheroes to defend the Earth from them. Kid Cosmic is perfect for those young and young at heart: a vibrant, well animated, recognisable style, creative use of superpowers, classic cartoon comedy and a big heart. But one of the biggest strengths is how it deals with being a hero and an individual.
Despite being the most eager and energetic of his hometown team of homegrown heroes, Kid is the least proficient with his new power ring, often trailing behind his friends and grandpa as his idea of being their leader slips slowly away from him. The Kid is desperate to matter, to be special, to be a unique individual in his quiet ordinary town. He’s frustrated a lot of the time, which neatly leads to him and other characters resiting the show’s mantra:
Freaking out, Breathe it out
Kid and the rest of the cast whenever they’re having attacks of anger or panic do brief breathing exercises that calm them down. In fact, it’s through this initial exercise that Kid manages to unlock his ring’s power. This focus on not just smashing your way through your problems is a good message to pair with a superhero show. The line ‘Heroes don’t hurt, they help’ often spoken by Kid’s Grandpa and eternal master of chill, Papa G is really what Kid Cosmic strives for. There are great lessons for kids (and even some adults) to be learned here and with earnest honesty Kid Cosmic delivers them.
Tiger and Bunny
Finally to round us out let’s talk about some superheroes of the rising sun. Japan has an equally rich history of costumed vigilantes to that of America and these days we are spoiled for choice when it comes to Superhero anime. From the juggernaut punch of My Hero Academia to the heartfelt satire of One Punch Man, Superhero anime has been in a healthy place in the last half-decade. But the Japanimation (tm) I want to touch on today is one that predates both of them and recently came back to Netflix just in time for the announcement of its long-awaited second season: Tiger and Bunny.
Tiger and Bunny tell the tale of a superhero has-been; Kotetsu T. Kaburagi, a.k.a. Wild Tiger as he struggles to remain relevant in his crime-fighting career. After poor popularity polls with the eager audience of Hero TV! ( A tv station that documents the exciting escapades of caped crusaders) Kotetsu is teamed up with Youngblood hotshot hero Barnaby B. Brooks, who is currently crushing the popularity polls and happens to have the exact same powers and Kotetsu. This vain attempt to boost his career sends Kotetsu down a careening path of callous colleagues, conflicting morals and conspiracy that makes for a bucket of the best narrative tropes anime as a medium uses to get us hooked into this kind of story. The evolving relationship between Kotetsu and Barnaby is the pulse of the show, it’s incredibly gratifying to see these two polar opposites go from butting heads to having each other's backs. A lot of contemporary tales that have heroes at odds often don’t feel like they’ve earned the payoff of a satisfying team up at the end. Tiger and Bunny smartly avoids this by giving both Barnaby and Kotetsu equal reasons for how they act and what they believe. Trusting a teammate is a major theme and it’s the issue of trust and responsibility that is put to the test multiple times through the course of the story.
There’s something I think about a lot when it comes to these stories - Responsibility. We all know the famous phrase:
With Great power comes great responsibility
This mantra doesn’t just apply to a certain friendly neighbourhood wall-crawler. Personal sacrifice for the sake of the greater good is at the heart of this genre. But there’s something that’s bugged me about the way its phrased. ‘With great power comes great responsibility’ implies that one instinctively comes with the other. That when great power is gained you automatically know the responsibilities and the challenges that come with that power and you know how to deal with it. But that’s not the case and I think how it was written in the pages of Amazing Fantasy #15 says it better -
With great power, there must also come great responsibility
A subtle difference I know but there is meaning here. The ‘there must also come’ emphasises that you have to make an active method to be responsible when having great power, its never by sleight of hand. Kotetsu is the embodiment of this idea, whilst Peter Parker may let down his friends and Aunt from time to time, Kotetsu has an ever-greater responsibility: He’s a single Dad. This dynamic drew me right into Tiger and Bunny. His heroic lifestyle doesn’t just disappoint a few friends or his doting aunt, Kotetsu is missing his daughter growing up for the supposed greater good. It hits home, seeing this goofy clutz down on his luck constantly, at times seeming like the last old school hero who doesn’t care about scoring or sponsorships. Tiger and Bunny has a bleeding heart that makes an addicting watch. Through my recent binge-watch its unravelling plot and its Studio Sunrise prestige productions values had my eyes hooked and my heart won over. I highly recommend it for a lazy evening watch, from its colourful costumes, physical comedy and an English Dub to utterly die for, Tiger and Bunny is one of the best superhero anime on the market and I cannot wait for its long-overdue continuation.
With some luck, I’ve given you some neat alternatives to the onslaught of Syder Cut discussions. Superhero stories are a wide pallet that contains near-limitless possibilities when placed in the right hands. And I hope these suggestions have made my case.