This is one of those times I’m hoping future episodes don’t go bad, so consider this a promotion of the concept and showcasing a rather good pilot that Disney Channel put on their official YouTube channel.
Lucha Libre as superheroes is nothing new. Mexican TV and cinema has used crimefighting wrestlers. Usually in US and Canadian productions the wrestler is playing a character who isn’t a wrestler and battling evil, No Holds Barred aside. Even Bodyslam was about standing up to wrestling heels. Lucha Libre, a style of wrestling almost exclusive to Mexico (some wrestlers have appeared in US organizations and it has a minor following here) in US shows is not new either. The cartoon Mucha Lucha is about a world based on Lucha. While the superheroes of El Tigre aren’t really based in Lucha Libre some of the costumes seems inspired as it’s set around Mexican culture, and boxing as well as circus performers inspired the early US superheroes. Until now the only Lucha-themed superhero show was Los Luchadores.
Now Disney Channel has brought out Ultra Violet And Black Scorpion. The latter was going to be named Black Demon but I guess (A) someone realized that for a kids show it sounded more villainous and (B) someone didn’t tell them about Roger Corman’s superheroine Black Scorpion. She’s not in this. Instead we meet Violet, a rookie luchador superhero who obviously isn’t good at coming up with a superhero name, but that’s the point of the show. Violet, chosen by pink mask to be granted super speed powers, learns that the city’s famous Mexican hero Black Scorpion is her beloved uncle Cruz, and tries to get him to join forces. Based on the pilot episode I just reached in my continued quest to get caught up on my YouTube subscription backlog Cruz needs to learn to not be too serious while Violet needs to stop being not serious enough. I also suspect a theme of family as at least a sub-theme to the show. Check out the pilot if you haven’t seen the show yet and see what you think?
BW Vs The Closer Look: Batman Can Be TOO Dark
Everybody has their own reason to like or dislike certain characters. Some of the most popular characters in fiction are characters I really don’t like and some of my favorite characters are looked down upon by the majority, or at least the vocal majority. Even if you agree on A, B, C, and D here comes H and you can be at polar opposites. Even if you both like J it could be for vastly different reasons.
That’s where I’m coming from when examining the video below by Henry over at The Closer Look. His thesis is on why “we” love a darker Batman. I’m certainly not against a darker Batman. I come from the Bronze Age of comics, the DCAU had a great take on Batman, and in both cases this feels like a proper Batman. However, to say that it’s the darkness that makes him interesting I’m not sure I agree with…because as I watch this video if his take on Batman was right take, then I’m not sure I would be a Batman fan. So what am I seeing that he doesn’t and vice versa?
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Posted by ShadowWing Tronix on August 4, 2022 in DC Spotlight, Movie Spotlight and tagged Batman, commentary, The Closer Look.
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