Superman Adventures #64 (with Batman Beyond) Talkback (Spoilers)

[James Harvey]

SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #64

http://comics.toonzone.net/sa/covers/t-64.jpg (http://comics.toonzone.net/sa/covers/64.jpg)

Written by Jordan B. Gorfinkel; art by Aluir Amancio and Terry Austin; cover by Mike Manley

In stores December 5. Guest-starring Batman Beyond! How is it possible that the Man of Steel is teaming up with Terry McGinnis, the Batman of the future? For some reason, we suspect Brainiac may be involved…

Comments?

[Blight]

I absolutely loved this issue! It had an excellent story with excellent art! I just love how Amancio draws Batman/Terry (with muscels!), and that page showing Terry and all of his enemies (and some friends) was just priceless! I thought the writer (blanking on the name) found a way to fit in Terry quite nicely, plus, we find out Braniac's fate! I always wondered where he was in BB time. Overall, this was an amazing work, and I look forward to the two part finale!

See ya!
Blight

[Clayface]

Well, I picked it up. Wish I hadn't. Wasn't very good at all, IMO. The whole time travel bit seemed way too forced, and way too conveinent. And the whole thing really just felt rushed and unevenly paced to me.

[Figaro]

I wanted to pick up a copy today. But I got to the shop late adn discovered they had sold the last copy (not that there were many to begin with)!! And of course, I FORGOT to ask them to hold it for me last week.... :( The ONE TIME I *wanted* a copy of that book...oh well, I asked them to reorder it for me. Maybe next week. I DID, however get Scott Morse's ANCIENT JOE #2 and Marvel's ULTIMATE SPIDEY #16 and ULTIMATE MARVEL TEAM-UP #10--but I guess I shouldn't talk about those since this is a DC/WB-based site. ;)

By thy side,

Figaro

[DisneyBoy]

I haven't read this issue yet, but it is on my list at the shop. Hopefully, it will end off the run of the worthiest TBA conpanion title in the style it deserves! I love Brainiac, Superman, Lois, Livewire and though I don't know much about Darkseid, I think he's pretty intimidating! I only wish for two things, well three, but the last one isn't absolutely necessary:

-Lois and Clark or Superman have a real romantic moment - be it a kiss or a confession...

-I have got to see Supergirl again!

-It would be nice if the last two parter did address "Legacy", since from what I hear it was an epic series finale.

Mainly though, I just pray we get to see a kiss and Kara. That would make me very happy! I am totally going to cry at the end of the final issue!

[Supermon]

I thought the book was pretty worthless overall. The art was ok and the basic story was acceptable, but the dialogue was so cheesy at times that I could hardly stand to read the thing.
I often wonder.
Have the guys that write these animated comics ever actually watched the show? You would have never heard crap like this on an epidsode. I know it's not easy to match the quality standards set by the episodes, but come on,
I honestly believe that at least 1/2 of the posters on these very boards could write better stories than these writer wanna-be people that they bring in do.

These books wouldn't have had to be cancelled if DC had gotten their stuff together and kept good writers on them.

The fact is that the books succumed to the level of kid-stuff that the show and the early books were able to overcome.

[Trent Lane]

Haven't read it yet, but am looking forward to it, despite some of the negativity it's getting. You know, I never really looked at the show and the book being that similar, but that's good. They've both got their high and low point, but more high. Give the book a break, it's two issues from extinction.... unless they decide to reboot it as the Superman & Supergirl Adventures, or maybe Superman Metropolis Adventures :p Wishful thinking, I know...

[Bird Boy]

I'll probably be ordering a bunch of comics from MileHighComics sometime...as my comic book stores doesn't carry ANY of the animated titles (Aside from Batman:Gotham Adventures). No Justice League..no nuthin'...

Sucks to be in the an area where only "die-hard" (adult) comics are...

-BB

[Trent Lane]

This was a good one, especially the art. That splash page was awesome. And it was way better than the magic themed issues of late. But to those who've said the time travel was "too convenient", how would you have made it work? I think it fit in right...

[Clayface]

Originally posted by flhero311
This was a good one, especially the art. That splash page was awesome. And it was way better than the magic themed issues of late. But to those who've said the time travel was "too convenient", how would you have made it work? I think it fit in right...

Come on - it was way too convenient. First of all, how the heck did Bruce suddeny get the technology to time-travel? Secondly, did they have to use time travel at all? I mean, its so incredibly cliche and overused. How would I have done it? I wouldn't have - I'm not a writer and don't claim to be. But I do expect writers to be more creative than this. Very disappointing.

[Trent Lane]

Personally, I'd take a million of these stories before I'd take more magic. Besides, they've used the time travel thing before in the show, with Brainiac and the Legion, so it's not that far off. But I guess it doesn't hit some readers as a good story. No knock to those who didn't like it, I'm just stating a fact...

[Clayface]

Originally posted by flhero311
Personally, I'd take a million of these stories before I'd take more magic. Besides, they've used the time travel thing before in the show, with Brainiac and the Legion, so it's not that far off. But I guess it doesn't hit some readers as a good story. No knock to those who didn't like it, I'm just stating a fact...

I can understand where you're coming from. But I don't regularly read the animated Superman title - I only picked it up because i was interested in seeing how they handled a BB/Supes crossover. So i can't really compare if its better than other issues - I'm just looking at it as a stand-alone and as a stand-alone, I was disappointed by it immensely. I was hoping from something original and interesting - instead I cliched ideas and poor dialogue. I'm also not a big fan of the Superman animated show, so I wouldn't really know if they used time-travel there before or not - but coming from the Batman universe, it seemed somewhat out of place and very, very conveinent - "Oh look, I just happened to have the solution to time travel in my back pocket! Whoopee!" Ugh.

[Blight]

Well, after reading some negative reviews, I do admit this issue had some pretty horrible dialogue. Very cheesy at times. I still thouroghly enjoyed this issue, though. The dialogue is my only gripe.

See ya!
Blight

[DisneyBoy]

Although I haven't read this issue yet, I do recall that The Clock King, in an episode I haven't seen, somehow managed to control time (chessy..but true, I think). I don't know if Bruce Wayne got the technology, but if he did, he could have been saving it and used it in the issue we're all discussing. Then again, I may just be trying to make excuses for a totally lame coincidence... Who knows, I don't even think I have the strenght to critique any part of the last three issues. Superman Adventures is just so great...I'm gonna cry :( :( :(

[superfreak]

I like it. I think its great to see BB in action again.

[Maxie Zeus]

Originally posted by DisneyBoy
Although I haven't read this issue yet, I do recall that The Clock King, in an episode I haven't seen, somehow managed to control time (chessy..but true, I think).

I believe you're referring to the BTAS episode "Time Out of Joint," where Fugate stole a device that generated a temporal bubble, such that things inside the bubble either moved faster or slower in time than things outside it. But it couldn't reverse time. Unless Bruce made some modifications to it. ;)

[Justice League 2000]

i look at it and read it was sweet. WB should of put in a superman episode. now that would be great. :D

[Samhaine]

I just read it, and wow, I must say, it was awful. Honestly, while I'm looking forward to the Dorkin/Dyer 2-parter, I'm glad they're putting this title out of it's misery.

"I'm Batman....from Beyond"

That line put me in the mindframe that I was throughout the issue. I can't believe he actually said that.

And Brainiac Beyond? Never once in BB was he referred to as BB, nor did they call that time period Beyond. It was just the title of the show, so people could know it's in the future.

It also said 30 years. I could have sworn it was 50. But that's just a little nit-picking.

[DisneyBoy]

Well, I finally went out and bought this issue, and I was very excited to finally read it and be able to post...

Amazing cover! The color tones and Superman's pose are just perfect! And the artwork inside the issue just blew me away! I've been becoming worried that Amancio's art would become to "sketchy" for me to enjoy it, but ti was all fantastic!

The inking , however, was not ! I realize Terry Austin has been on this title for a while, now, but the colors are totally aweful! Everything is pink and green and orange! Aluir's art truely deserves better than this seemingly-random choice of technicolor tones. Where is the guy that did the second issue featuring Multi-Face, or the Return to Kryptonopolis arc? There 's an inker! I realize that Mr. Austin may have been him (since I'm not checking my issues right now), but he's not doing as good a job as he used to, if that's the case! I hope he doesn't ruin the last two issue of this series!!

The dialogue was chessy at times, but you know what? I've been reading chessy lines and seeing medeocre art in the pages of Gotham Adventures for so long now, that it didn't bother me as much. The art carried this story completely. The Brainiac of the Future (or Beyond, as they would say!) in the Batsuit was a treat, as were the amazing splash pages featuring the whole Batman Beyond cast, and Superman and Terry at the very end! True, the lines and restricted cast (anyone else notice that only three people were in this issue, unless you count Bruce, who bearly said anything) made it feel as if we were reading one the old 80's He-Man minicomics, which basically advertised and summerized the toy line, but you know what - I greatly enjoyed it!!!

In this day and age, do we really need too much gritty reality? I know how hypocritical I must sound, as I diss the B: GA team every other post, but this issue was a great team up if you don't bother stressing about it. I flipped through "A Death in the Family Today", the collected version, in the comic shop today. I could barely keep the book in my hands as I saw Jason Todd die. It was a little too much for me, even though it wasn't gratuitous. This issue was a great relief for me. I liked it very much.

I have faith that the artwork and story will be unprecedented in the final two issues, I won't be able to totally enjoy it unless the inker goes all out and improves greatly.

[Samhaine]

Originally posted by DisneyBoy
The inking , however, was not ! I realize Terry Austin has been on this title for a while, now, but the colors are totally aweful! Everything is pink and green and orange! Aluir's art truely deserves better than this seemingly-random choice of technicolor tones. Where is the guy that did the second issue featuring Multi-Face, or the Return to Kryptonopolis arc? There 's an inker! I realize that Mr. Austin may have been him (since I'm not checking my issues right now), but he's not doing as good a job as he used to, if that's the case! I hope he doesn't ruin the last two issue of this series!!

Umm, the inker and the colorist are two different people. The inker just cleans up the pencils, and adds depth and shading. The colorist adds the garish colors we saw in the latest issue.

Sings the tune to those NBC "The more you know..."

[James Harvey]

The part that really got me was that one line that Batman (Terry) said. I knew from there that the writer had no idea who the heck he was writing about. I mean, would Bruce Wayne call himself "Batman...from Present?". I hardly think so! The art kicked, as usual, but everything else basically sucked. The writing was bad, the coloring was at it's usual poor standards, and the inking...don't get me started there. And Terry Austin has inked every issue from the get-go, with likely the rare one or two issues. As far as I know, he hasn't missed an issue. He was spectacular during the Buchett/early Almancio run. Now...well...he's lost his magic touch.

[DisneyBoy]

Now that someone has clarified, I think it is the colorist who I was trying to refer to in my last post. Things looked very nice around the time of the "Family Reunion" storyline. Now it feels like I am looking at the work of a two year old in a realy nice coloring book. Don't you just hate it when you're in a waiting room, and you pick up a coloring book, and some dumb brat has scribbled through all the pages, just to be spiteful??? I hate that!! :mad: :mad: :mad:

But back to my point, is it the inker's doing that Amancio's lines look so thin and scratchy and the colorist's fault that the art looks as colorful as the back of a box of Lucky Charms? I love that cereal...!

[James Harvey]

The colorist is indeed doing a not-so-good job. Oddly, she's been on board since the beginning. The first 2 years had some excellent coloring, but around issue #30 or so, the coloring got really stagnant and poor. I was really hoping Lee Loughridge would jump on the title before it's demise.

[JLU Dude]

I just got the issue today. I thought it was cool.

[James Harvey]

While this issue did sorta suck, it is depressing to know that we are only two issues away from the final issue of the series. I know the two parter will be good becuase the writing crew is very talented and just got married!

[Figaro]

(ordered from two weeks ago) The Mike Manley cover was all right, but the only thing this issue did was make me long for Craig Rousseau's version of Batman Beyond even more.

By thy side,

Figaro

[James Harvey]

The Almancio Batman just didn't seem to fit. He seemed to totally abandon the design of BB, except for a few panels here and there. I would've loved to have seen Rousseau pencil this issue. It woulda been perfect...

[DisneyBoy]

I have to say that the only thing that really made this issue for me was the fact that Aluir did such a fantastic job on the art! As much as Rousseau's work may be enjoyed by many of you, I just don't see why. He often uses overly-angular and disproportional figures, and although it could be called his "personal touch", all it does for me is give me the impression (though it is no doubt wrong) that he rushes through his art. I am very relieved that he isn't working on Gotham Adventures now, no matter how much I complain about Levins, because at least he keeps his figures looking consistant. In my opinion, Rousseau's art just looks childish.

Please let Aluir Amancio draw an issue of Gotham Adventures!!!!!!

[James Harvey]

I know it's been almost a year since this topic was discussed (just over eleven months), but I was skimming through this horrid issue again and just had to say a couple things. For those who don't know about this issue, here's a breif recap of it:

-----
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #64
<a href="http://comics.toonzone.net/sa/covers/64.jpg"><img src="http://comics.toonzone.net/sa/covers/t-64.jpg" border=0></a>

Written by Jordan B. Gorfinkel; art by Aluir Amancio and Terry Austin; cover by Mike Manley

In stores December 5. A DC FULL COVERAGE! entry-point issue, guest-starring Batman Beyond! How is it possible that the Man of Steel is teaming up with Terry McGinnis, the Batman of the future? For some reason, we suspect Brainiac may be involved…
32 pages, $1.99
-----

What burned me the most about this issue, aside from horrible dialogue, bad plot, and nonsensical conclusion, was the lack of research done on this issue, specifically into Batman Beyond.

In the issue we see Terry refer to himself as "Batman...from Beyond!", a sentence that nearly floored me. I was just both disgusted and repulsed when I read that sentence. That sentence happens about two or three pages into the issue and you know from there...it's just gonna get worse. And it does. We're soon introduced to "Brainiac Beyond". Please. Even a little research into the Batman Beyond character would show that "Beyond" isn't tacked onto to everything in the future.

This issue had some great potential, I think. It would've been much better if the issue was actually set in the future, and had Batman and Superman teaming up then. It'd be a treat for Batman fans and a nice, and interesting story, for Superman fans. Rarely does a comic provide us with a look into the future for the title character, and it would've been a nice change of pace.

My other big problem...Bruce has a time machine. Bruce is smart...but not that smart.

[Salvor]

What the heck?? This is the Superman Adventures #64 Talkback... from Beyond! ;)

[DisneyBoy]

Interesting to see this issue pop up a year later!


My feelings pretty much remain the same (horrid coloring, poor inks and cheesy storyline), but I've gained a bit of a new perspective now that I know Gotham Adventures is coming to a close and better things are on the way.

For once, now that I'm strapped for cash, I can understand why fans opt to ditch a title that isn't living up to a certain standard. While we may all enjoy Batman and Superman, this issue gave us very little reason to care for either, story-wise. Jim really hit the nail on the head with his posts about this issue, but a year ago, I wasn't really willing to admit it. Back then, I was stuck in a "like it or lump it" Gotham Adventures phase, and was trying to put a bit of a positive spin on things, because I wouldn't be buying any comics at all otherwise.

So I guess I've learned that to be a fan, you don't have to pick up everything Batman and Superman related. Maybe being choosy is the best way to show the creative teams just what you enjoy from the series. Sure, it'd be nice to have enough money every month to go out and support all the Adventures titles, but if you aren't enjoying every issue, then maybe it's best to only buy the ones you'll enjoy. It is, after all, your money.

Well, there's my two cents. Does it make sense?

[Antiyonder]

I've been meaning to type this sooner, just never got around to it, hence why I bumped this thread.


While Static Shock "Future Shock" and JLU "Once And Future Thing" brought characters into the DCAU Future, this is the first time unite the Present and Future.

I thought the issue was fun to read despite the flaw of the writing. My favorite line from Terry, responding to Superman having a "Batcave" to sell (sarcasm on Supe's part): "Not the one under Wayne Manor I hope, that's already taken".

[adoptedBatpuppy]

I still remember that issue, it was about Brainiac doing some time traveling in to the future and Superman along with Batman Beyond trying to stop him. :) The Good guys always win! Although I didn't get how Terry survived that blast!?

[DisneyBoy]

I haven't reread this issue in a long, long time so I couldn't tell you.