Episode 193 - SUPERMAN BATMAN: PUBLIC ENEMIES

[Arthur Ratnik]

[Fanboyimus Prime]

Well guys I have to say this...Teen Titans is not anime influenced! It's more what some middle aged white guy thinks anime is.

And I personally thought the art style for it looked horrible.

[ljacone]

Have to disagree with you on that one Fanboyimus. Teen Titans is very heavily influenced by trends and cliches from various anime. The heavy use of anime shorthand alone demonstrates this point.

[Hair-Metal Hero]

I'm pretty sure Glen Murakami who developed Teen Titans for animation is Asian. That show was way better than I ever thought it would be, I enjoyed the hell out of it. I mean, they animated the Doom Patrol for crying out loud. The second season with Terra was epic, and I've never even read the original comics with her selling out the Titans.

[ljacone]

Also, Freaks, I think your guests are confused about Black Lightning. If you read either of his solo series, or any of his time on The Outsiders, you would know that Black Lightning is not the Blaxploitation character which they seem to think he is. His costume did have an afro on it, but it was part of the costume to hide his secret identity since Jefferson Pierce had short hair. Of all of the "Black" characters introduced in the 1970s, Black Lightning is actually the least Blaxploitative one of the bunch. Especially when one considers that the character was college educated, an Olympian, a teacher, well spoken, intelligent, and on and on and on.

Go read his solo books by Tony Isabella or his stints on the Outsiders under Mike W Barr.

As far as being useless -- again, read Outsiders. Especially if Mike W Barr is writing it.

[APLUK]

Black Lightning was also handled well in Brad Meltzer's JLA run.

Andy

[ljacone]

Also, how the heck is Robotech more "American" than Pokemon? Robotech was adapted from 3 seperate anime shows. The American producers had nothing to do with the animation. The use of "anime shorthand" (which actually dates back to manga more than anything else) does not make something more or less "anime style."

Anime is a medium, not a genre!

[NewFun#6]

[NewFun#6]

Nope, nothing blaxploitative here. Because EVERY black man says "jive tukeys"

[ljacone]

I don't like anime either, if you remember the call-in episode. But I know enough about it to make credible observations.

Anime is like comics -- a medium. There is no "genre" inherent in comics just like there is no genre inherent in anime.

And like I said. Read his solo series. Read Outsiders. I can't see the image you have posted but I assume it is the JLA cover, and those issues of JLA were considered two of the worst of the entire original volume.

[ljacone]

Also, as far as "Jive Turkeys," while in costume, Black Lightning would play up the jive talk as a further way to distance himself from mild mannered high school teacher Jefferson Pierce. And this isn't a "We thought of this in the 80s to explain the 70s" bullshit retcon, this is there from the start.

Jim Owsley/Chris Priest would use a similar explanation for Luke Cage in the 80s, but this was a retcon. Albeit one which everyone has forgotten about.

[Dan North]

Anime and manga pisses me off more than other genre media or other shit.

In the later seasons of Teen Titans after they got away from there chibby phase it got very good.

[RockLegend2]

...but I liked Teen Titans...

Once you get past the anime and manga (if you have a problem with it, which I "don't"), it's a great show in story. All the best story lines (such as the Apprentice 2-part story and the Tri-Gon series) had little to no anime-style stuff in it. Mostly, it was just good storytelling.

[RockLegend2]

I also liked the episode, by the way.

[ljacone]

Agreed, Scotty. Teen Titans was a solid enough show that even my non-comics fan wife enjoyed it and was disappointed when it ended.

[Hair-Metal Hero]

I was left heartbroken when Beast Boy finds "Terra" at the end, for all the humor and zaniness, the show had great character development.

[rd666]

Sweet Christmas!

I am going to bust out the cbr to that JLA right this fucking minute!

Anime has had its moments - I have very fond memories of Star Blazers, Speed Racer and Battle of the Planets.

Giant Robots and big eyed schoolgirl ninjas however, I can live without -

[Fanboyimus Prime]

[Arthur Ratnik]

[Hair-Metal Hero]

Tangent ahoy, the only anime I've watched all the way through and enjoyed(until the final episode collapse) was Outlaw Star, and I only watched it because it apparently inspired parts of Firefly.