Hello Dear Internet Reader!

It’s been a long time since we last spoke.

I write to you today to share with you a review of some awesome new comic shenanigans.

What you may or may not already know from watching the show (online, or on your fancy device) is that I am a big fan of American animation. Specifically of the superhero variety.
I have talked about my love for the new approach that DC has taken to their comic properties in regards to animation adaptations. But in case you don’t recall, or didn’t see it, let me remind you.
I absolutely love that they have embraced the creator-orientated story lines in their animation adaptations. I love that they are bringing in the original creators of the storylines that they are adapting. Hell, I love that they are choosing to specifically adapt storylines of a varied and diverse nature.

Okay, maybe I am giving them too much credit for their diversity. But, as soon as they have adapted some of the milestone stuff, I will give them more credit.

If you haven’t yet, you should check out every single adaptation they have done in the last three years.

But the last three pieces have been my favorite. Specifically, I am talking about the Spectre, Jonah Hex, and Under the Red Hood.

The Spectre and Jonah Hex are part of their Showcase series, where they adapt darker themed characters into 10-12 minute vignettes to accompany their full-length feature releases. And each of these has been as true to the nature of the original characters than we could have ever hoped for. They are amazing pieces that I ever imagined we would see. So if you have any interest in The Spectre, Jonah Hex, or just great animation, check them out.

But, what of the third one, you ask?
Well, I am saving the best for last.

Batman: Under the Red Hood is an adaptation of Judd Winnick’s mini-series which tells the tale of the return of the Red Hood and a certain classic Batman character. I am going to stay away from spoilers, in case you haven’t seen/read the series.

Suffice it to say, this is a serious and dark piece of superhero fiction. You might even say supervillian fiction. It is amazing to see a more mature approach to content and character development. This isn’t to say that it hasn’t existed before in DC adaptations, but it has certainly been ramped up a notch.

What I like is that they are getting comfortable in embracing the many faces of heroes that we have come to know over the many years of reading comics. The acknowledgment of the significance of a creative team and their own take on a character identifies that we don’t need one vision. It embraces the notion that we want different things collectively from our stories than maybe one specific adaptation can address.

And let me tell you, that DC delivers on the promise of variation. And they deliver on the promise of quality storytelling and animation.

So if you are in the mood, check out Batman: Under the Red Hood.

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