Review: Batman TBATB "Invasion of the Secret Santas!"

Mayhem, attempted murder, and the death of Batman's parents. And Santa getting kicked in the face. 

Merry Christmas!

Recap: Batman TBATB "Invasion of the Secret Santas!"

Well, Merry Christmas everybody! And Hannukah, Kwanzaa, and all those other winter holidays that get pushed aside to make room for the birthday of a carpenter. Sorry about that. Anyway, this'll make up for that, maybe possibly. A Christmas Recap! A Batman one! I mean, if there's one thing that Batman loves, it's Christmas!

Okay, maybe not. Christmas doesn't usually end well for him...

But it ends worse for the bad guys.

Oh yeah, let's recap.

Ho ho HORROR.

Character Assassination: Batman Returns

Well, Christmastime is upon us yet again. And nothing says "Christmas cheer" like death!
...well, not really. Unless you're Tim Burton, maker of two of my favorite Christmas movies: The Nightmare Before Christmas and Batman Returns.

I could go on and on about Batman Returns (and I probably will at some point), but let's focus on one of the most debated aspects of that movie: the death of Selina Kyle.
...merry Christmas?

What can I say about this picture that the internet hasn't already?

Sketchbook: Grim Reaper Redesign

"How about a Grim Reaper redesign? That ridiculous mask..."
-Anonymous

Ridiculous indeed, yet so iconic in its own way.

Just look at that goofy outfit. It screams "diabolical mastermind," but the character's more of a schemer, at best. It always ends up redesigned in adaptations, whether it be cartoons, videogames, or beyond.

And by "beyond," I mean "back from the dead as a Horseman of Apocalypse."

Like with the Top, I gave myself a few handicaps to prevent an all-out radical redesign.

1. Keep the blue and purple color scheme.
2. Work the Galactus-esque head fins in somhow.
3. For any superfluous additions, function over form.

Let's see what I came up with!

Top Ten Team-Ups of Batman: the Brave and the Bold

Before I start, I’d like to remind you all that this is only my personal list, and you are allowed to disagree. In fact, I’d love to hear any of your favorite TBATB team-ups in the comments section! I'd also like to say that this doesn't mean I necessarily dislike the other team-ups. These are just my favorites.

Also, before I begin the list proper, I’d like to bring attention to the fact that there was also a comic book tie-in to the show that was much freer in which characters it could, and did, use. Specifically, I’d like to honorably mention the top two team-ups from that series.

Batman, Brother Power, and Super Hip

Hello, Sixties. Glad you're back.

This is just about as sixties as it gets. Batman teams up with a living mannequin from a hippie commune and the super-powered alter ego of Tadwallader Jutefruce (Bob Hope’s nephew) to battle against Mad Mod, an evil clothes maker. No more explanation necessary; that’s just awesome.

All the Robins

Spoiler Alert: He doesn't die at dawn.

The Phantom Stranger reaches across time and brings together every Robin to save Batman. Carrie Kelley, Damian Wayne, Stephanie Brown, and more. Again, no more explanation necessary; that’s just awesome.

And now, on with the list! Let's go!

Sketchbook: Future Foundation Thing

Like the last sketch I uploaded, this is also a left over from my planned videos. I drew about a dozen drawings to be used in an intro sequence, alongside some footage of myself drawing.

Sketchbook: CS Captain Atom Title Card

Some of you who've been here since the beginning may remember that this site was originally going to host videos before Blip rejected my application, hence the switch to text-based reviews.

My first Character Study, the one on Captain Atom, remained relatively unchanged, but with a few changes. Most notably, I took out a lot of the visuals that would have been present in the video version. Among those visuals was a title card.

Review: Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. "Of Moles and Men"

This episode was, like a few before it, just a load of “meh.” I really can’t go into much depth about most of this episode’s facets, so instead I’m going to resort to a list of the good and bad parts of this episode, with a little explanation for each, before I get to the main chunk of my criticism.

Recap: Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. "Of Moles and Men"

Well, here we are again. The last episode I need to catch up on before getting to "Wendigo Apocalypse," the first really good episode. How does this one stack up? Well, it's either "meh" or the worst episode in the series.

Let us begin.

Why do I get the feeling that this episode ends with Hulk putting Skaar down after he kills a lady?

Sketchbook: Deadman

It's Deadman, the dead man!

Sketchbook: 11 Doctors Study

I had this notion in my head to create a Doctor Who fancomic, and I still have the unfinished script and the rough plot saved on my computer. Who knows? If I ever get around to making it, I'll post it on the site. But this is the art I made to see if I could distinctly draw each Doctor. Yes, each one would show up in the story.

Sketchbook: Earth-2 Superman, Assorted

Re-read Earth-2 Vol. 1 the other day.
I still love it.

FYI: The NewtCave, December 2013

I'm sure that those of you who take notice of such things have noticed that the posts that weren't set to auto-update have been going up either a bit late or very late.

Long story short, I've been getting very little sleep all this week, and I've run out of pre-prepared posts that I can auto-schedule. Not only that, but (being a college student) I'm only, like, 8 days away from finals week. Already this week I've retaken an exam, given two presentations, and I have one more presentation and a project to turn in next week alongside 4 exams and a paper due the week after that.

Naturally, this leaves little time for updating the NewtCave.

As such, the NewtCave will be undergoing a bit of a temporary slimdown. Here are the details.

1.  Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. Recaps/Reviews will still be posted.
2.  Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. View Logs at the Critical Cablebox blog will still be posted.
3. Character Studies, Character Assassinations will be put on hiatus until at least the 20th of December.
4.  To compensate for the slimdown of content, there will be sketches uploaded every day starting tomorrow. (Because I can churn those posts out easily.)
5.  There WILL be special Christmas updates.
6.  I will be making an effort to go back and reformat/spellcheck some of these last few posts. No cops with walkie-talkies, or CGI AT-AT's, just doing the basic editing work I should have done before hitting "Publish."

I apologize for the temporary slimdown, and I promise that I will be building up a buffer of posts during this time to get the NewtCave fully back on track by the end of the month.

Review: Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. "Hulks on Ice"

Ugh. This episode.

Recap: Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. "Hulks on Ice"

Look, it's called "Hulks on Ice." How good could it be?

Ice makes everything worse. Except for cream.

Sketchbook: Fantastick 3, 1602

Sorry about the lateness of the post; I'm still in a bit of a food coma. As such, I don't have much of anything to say before I get down to brass tacks and just show the darn pic.

Ranting and Rambling: Riddler, Raiments, and Redesigns

Comic book costumes are funny things, aren’t they?
Some characters, like Jean Grey, Beast, Wasp, Starfire, and Martian Manhunter periodically get new costumes ranging from slight variants to all-out redesigns. There is no objective “iconic” costume for these characters, and everyone has their favorites.

Some characters, however, have costumes that are so iconic, redesigning them is (mostly) out of the question, like Superman, Green Lantern, Magneto, the Flash, etc. Redesigns do happen, but only to the degree of removing red briefs, or other minor alterations.

The Riddler, however, has two iconic costumes to choose from. And yet, people keep trying to redesign his look. It ain’t broke, so why are people always trying to fix it? I’m going to go on a magical journey to figure out what the dealio is. Join me, won’t you?

(Journey may or may not actually be magical.)

Review: The Batman, "Riddled"

Why is this episode like an adventure with Bill and Ted?
Because they're both excellent.

Recap: The Batman, "Riddled"

What am I thankful for? Many things, including the many awesome Batman cartoons.

So, let’s look at what many Bat-fans don’t want to talk about. The WB’s The Batman. 

It was the first Batman cartoon in decades to be created independently of the wildly popular "DC Animated Universe," which included Batman: the Animated Series, Superman: the Animated Series, Justice League, Batman Beyond, and more.

Batman had been “kiddified” for the first time. Joker was turned into a yelling, shouting, buffoon (as opposed to the sly, suave Joker from the DCAU), Bruce Wayne didn’t really brood as much (even taking some time away from crime fighting to watch TV), Batgirl became his first sidekick instead of Robin (kind of foreshadowing Beware the Batman, in a way), they introduced characters/vehicles/gadgets that they could easily make toys of (Gearhead, a new Batmobile, one-time-use special Batsuits, etc.), and more.

We had the Penguin being overused as comic relief, “RPM” trying to get all the little boys who loved vehicles to watch, villains teaming up all the time, and the later seasons had Batman teaming up with another superhero to the point that the final episodes were pretty much a prequel to a Justice League series that never happened.

This was the show that made Bat-fans wary of any new Batman series in general, and lighter-and-softer ones in particular. I’m here to say that this show that disappointed numerous fans, sold out to the need to sell toys, and was created by people who wanted to change seemingly random elements to the mythos…

...was pretty good.

Weren’t expecting that, were you?

Seriously, back when I was in high school, I’d turn on Boomerang late at night and watch Justice League Unlimited and The Batman while doing my homework. I quickly grew to love this show.

Today, I hope to show you why as I take a look at the second episode of the second season, “Riddled.”

Three guesses as to the villain.

Review: Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. "Wendigo Apocalypse"

I can't believe it. A good episode. A good episode! The mind boggles! But why? What makes this episode good, when the others have ranged from "Meh" to "Stab-My-Eyes"? Let's think about it.

Recap: Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. "Wendigo Apocalypse"

Not a dream!
Not a hoax!
Not an imaginary story!
Here it is, the moment that none thought possible! Today, we’re looking at an episode of Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. that’s…
…GOOD.
Surely, the endtimes are upon us.

Or maybe I'm just celebrating the 15,000th page view?

Review: Batman TBATB "Return of the Fearsome Fangs"

I've said this a few times already, but I don’t like “ninja episodes” of Batman shows, because they all follow the same basic formula, and this one is no different.

Recap: Batman TBATB, "Return of the Fearsome Fangs!"

I’m sure that by now, regular readers of the NewtCave have noticed that I have a bit of a soft spot for Batman cartoons, particularly Batman: the Brave and the Bold. This is true. Is this why my Marvel reviews have seemed overly negative while my DC reviews have seemed overly positive?
No.
Well... maybe a bit.

What I’ve been doing, I recently realized, is been reviewing the better episodes of DC’s productions while not doing the same with Marvel. As such, I will now be turning the tables a little bit. Today, I’ll be recapping and reviewing an episode of my favorite Batman cartoon that I actually dislike.
I know! Shocking!

So, ladies, gentlemen, Daxamites, let us take a look at episode 11, “Return of the Fearsome Fangs!”

So... where did they go, exactly?

Review: Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. "Incredible Shrinking Hulks"

Now, I’m going to say right off the bat that I was not originally a fan of this episode.
But before I go any further, I will mention the fact that there was an episode of the 1982 Hulk cartoon called "The Incredible Shrinking Hulk."

So that's where the "the" went!

In that episode, Bruce Banner was shrunk by a blast of Gamma Rays. As I mentioned in my Captain Atom Character Study, radiation just kind of did random things back in the day. Creepy crawlies were the only menace (probably because Skaar wasn't there to slash them) and General Ross even shows up in his non-Hulk state (because this show aired decades before that storyline).

Anyway, let's not put off reviewing this episode any more.

Recap: Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. "Incredible Shrinking Hulks"

I have finally figured out Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.
It’s a paint-by-numbers kit. After I go over this episode, I’ll let you know exactly what I mean.

Why don't any of these titles have a "the"? What's wrong with a "the"?

Sketchbook: The Doctor's Backup

Now, I think most Whovians might be a bit busy today, but to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, enjoy this bit of Doctor Who fan art!
I was thinking, which companions would be the best backup for the Doctor if he needed to bring some along?
I stand by my choices.

Ranting and Rambling: Doctor Who, Regenerated

For all intents and purposes, the 10th Doctor is this generation's 4th Doctor. They both had long, incredibly popular runs and the thought of anyone else playing the Doctor, though an established part of canon, was utterly unthinkable. And yet, sometimes the unthinkable happens.

Legacy Character Study: The 11th Doctor

Spoilers.

Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers. 

No, really. Like, if I were to measure it, 1.21 Giga-Bruce-Willis-was-dead-the-whole-times and half a Rosebud-was-the-sled. As the series begins to approach the 50th anniversary, Moffat began doing some crazy-mind-blowing stuff that you should really go watch for yourself.

You have been warned.

Sketchbook: Double Double Down

So, funny story, I just happened to find this page. So, uh... I kinda had to take up that challenge. Twenty-five minutes later...

Sketchbook: Roranicus Pondicus

If you've never seen the 11th Doctor's run, than this picture makes absolutely none of the senses to you.

Ranting & Rambling: Story vs. Setting

(Note: This post was written without having read the full Divergent trilogy. In fact, my only knowledge of the books came from detailed plot synopses. Several of my questions end up answered. Really, this rant was basically a way for me to come to terms with my frustrations over what I saw as shortcomings in the setting... and I succeeded in that, at least.)

You know what bugs me? Spiders. But besides that, I have a problem with contrived and overly-specific series of events that lead to dystopian futures.

Let me explain. I was looking at the synopsis for Divergent. Basically, in this story of a post-apocalyptic world, there’s these factions that are basically the equivalent of Hogwarts’ houses, with each one exemplifying a positive trait for humanity. But some chick born into a "selfless" family finds out that she’s actually suited for three factions, not one! She proves that she's capable of multiple virtues. Which is somehow bad…? But that's another issue entirely.

Here’s my problem: How does the future get to that point?

Review: Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. "Savage Land"

First of all, this episode fails at all kinds of science, but I’ve already said that.

Recap: Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. "Savage Land"

You know, I don’t look forward to Hulk and the Agents of S.MA.S.H. But I can say that it’s darn satisfying to rip it to shreds. Cathartic, you might say. I’d much rather continually spotlight excellent episodes of other shows, but I feel that there is a need to show the flip side of the coin. If you can identify something bad, you can learn to appreciate something good. And with that, let’s see where this next episode falls in the Good/Bad spectrum.

The answer may surprise you. But it won't be a nice surprise.

Sketchbook: Top Redesign

 "You should do one for the Top. I think he's one of the only Flash villains not to be redone in the reboot."
- Anonymous

Okay! Let's redesign an oft-overlooked entry in Flash's Rogue's Gallery.

...this is going to be a tricky one....

At the very least, that certainly is a unique outfit. It would be incredibly easy to just throw him in a generic green outfit with a couple yellow stripes highlighting it, so I'm going to throw in a few self-imposed rules.

1. The costume must be at least 80% yellow and green.
2. Any additions must have a purpose besides just looking cool.
3. It must have stripes as a main feature.
4. It must feature yellow as the "main" color, to differentiate it from the similarly colored Weather Wizard.

Actually, that wouldn't be a bad costume for Top.

With those rules in place, let's see how I did!

Legacy Character Study: The 10th Doctor

The first regeneration of the revived series.

Let's take a look at this near-instant fan favorite.

Review: Batman: TBATB "Trials of the Demon!"

Can I just say, to start this off, that I thought the title was pretty clever? Not only does it refer to Jason Blood on trial for the crimes in the episode, but Jim Craddock has to go through “trials” to gain immortality from a different demon. Clever wordplay, episode. Shame that I’m going to rip it apart a bit, but I’ll get there.

Recap: Batman: TBATB "Trials of the Demon!"

Now that we've seen Green Arrow dig into Batman's grave, let's dig into the next Halloween-themed Batman: the Brave and the Bold episode!

Sorry for that lame excuse for a pun above. You probably didn't dig it. ...I'm so sorry...

Review: Batman: TBATB "Dawn of the Dead Man!"

So, we've seen Batman as a ghost while he's still alive. Can you believe that's the only thing I'm pretty much leaving alone in this review?

Recap: Batman TBATB, "Dawn of the Dead Man!"

Well, October’s upon us! ...and it's gone now. Despite that, let’s look at a spoooooooky episode of Batman: the Brave and the Bold! ...and another one to make up for this one being so late.

Oh, don't worry, I won't run out of Halloween-themed episodes. I've got enough for next year. Without further ado...

There were budget cuts on the latest Romero flick, so we only get one zombie.

Review: Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. "Hulk Busted"

For this review, I’m going to look at the episode itself, as well as how the characters are turning out.

Recap: Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. "Hulk Busted"

Come on, let's get this inevitable train wreck over with.

The finale, hopefully?

FYI: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Just in case people don't know, I've been doing View Logs on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. over at the Critical Cablebox's site.
If you haven't already, you might want should go and check those out.
In fact, go check out the rest of his stuff, too.

Legacy Character Study: The 9th Doctor

And so, the show was once again renewed, against all odds. Let's take a look at the first Doctor of the modern Doctor Who series.

The first fantastic Doctor of the Revived Series.

Review: Batman TBATB, "Journey to the Center of the Bat!"

"Journey to the Center of the Bat!" is a good episode, but that doesn't mean it can't benefit from a little analysis.

Recap: Batman TBATB, "Journey to the Center of the Bat!"

Well, it's been a while since we've taken a look at Batman's adventures with his numerous allies, all of whom are brave and/or bold.

The most it has in common with the similarly titled book is rocks and French people.

Legacy Character Study: The 8th Doctor

And so, the show would be brought back again.

Not the first time, not the last.

Legacy Character Study: The 7th Doctor

History shows us that shaking things up with the 6th Doctor didn't exactly go as planned.

Let's see what we got when the BBC called a do-over.

Review: Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. "Doorway to Destruction"

And so we've seen the premiere of the show also known as Hulk and the Agents of S.U.C.K. These first two episodes are not as bad as later episodes, but they still contain the flaws that are present in the entire series. Let's take a look at not only the flaws, but the few good things about these episodes. Yes, there are a few good things within these episodes, shockingly enough.

Recap: Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. "Doorway to Destruction, Part 2"

Warning: this recap refers to the male reproductive system in an anatomical analysis.

If you find such topics offensive, feel free to skip this recap. I wish I could have skipped this episode....

And so, Part 2 resumes where Part 1 left off.

Recap: Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. "Doorway to Destruction, Part 1"

Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. Ugh. As I have said before, I've never seen a show fail so hard in so many different ways. I don't ever go into something wanting to hate it. Why would I sit down and watch a show that I'm determined to hate? I gave this show a chance to impress me, and it hasn't.

Of the nine episodes that have aired (as of the time of this writing), I have seen seven of them.
That's 77.7%. I disliked all of them. Even if the other episodes were amazing, that's still only 22.3% of the show worth watching, which any teacher can tell you is not good enough.
F-

I have already posted an introduction to the characters and situation at the beginning of my review of "The Collector," but I'll also be going over characters as they're introduced. And now, we might as well begin to talk about the show. How else will you know just how bad this series is? Let's begin our ongoing look at Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.

After watching this, I need to go get smashed.

This is your last chance to turn back. You have been warned.

Review: The Spectacular Spider-Man, "Survival of the Fittest"

So, now that we've gone over the episode, let's take a closer look at it. How does the title "Survival of the Fittest" stack up with the plot?

Recap: The Spectacular Spider-Man, "Survival of the Fittest"

The Spectacular Spider-Man was, at the time, the first Spider-Man cartoon in five years. It's immediate predecessor, Spider-Man: The New Animated Series, never really caught on (despite becoming a bit of a cult classic), and the one before that, Spider-Man Unlimited, took place on an alternate Earth where animal-people ruled and humans were second-class citizens. So really, this was supposed to be as popular of a success as the 90's Animated Series which, despite subpar animation and often-corny writing, is remembered fondly by those who grew up with it, including myself and my sister.

The show's... unique art direction did little to endear it to fans, and many feared that it would begin a "kiddification" of Spider-Man, similar to concerns about Batman: the Brave and the Bold.

Such concerns were unwarranted.

The Spectacular Spider-Man has become one of my favorite Super Hero cartoons due to its humor, drama, writing, voice acting, animation, etc. It's a darn shame that more people didn't give it a chance. After Disney acquired Marvel's comics and it's properties, the show was ended, and production began on Ultimate Spider-Man, an update of Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends.

Still, I hope to show that, despite a more "cartoony" visual appearance, this show deserves to go down as one of the best adaptations of Spider-Man.

Now, as always, you are free to have your own opinions; I am merely here to state my opinion, my reasoning, and hopefully make you laugh. If you disagree, that's your choice. With that said...

FYI: Beware the Batman Recaps

For those of you who don't follow me on Twitter, I'm sorry to say that the will be no more Beware the Batman recaps.
At least, not for a while.
It seems that Cartoon Network is doing the same thing that they did with Young Justice and Green Lantern: TAS and postponing new episodes until next year without warning.

I expect Beware the Batman to end up canceled soon after next year's episodes air.

For now, my plan is to continue the Doctor Who Legacy Character Study, and possibly go back and fix some of those egregious formatting issues and the odd misspelling. I've been in a bit of a hurry with those.

I'm also looking for an ongoing series to do recaps of, and I'm leaning towards....
*shudder*
Hulk and the Agents of SMASH.

I hope I have the inner strength to take on that piece of show again.

Review: The Mighty Titan #2

The Mighty Titan Issue 2 is ten times better than the first issue. And the first issue was a darn good read.

Legacy Character Study: The 6th Doctor

This is going to be a shorter one, because the Sixth Doctor's run was a shorter one. He has his fans now, if not at the time. Let's see how this attempt to "shake up" the status quo turned out.

Of course, that assumes you can still see after getting a glimpse of that coat.

Legacy Character Study: The 5th Doctor

So. How do you follow up the most popular lead evar on a popular TV show?

Apparently, like this.

Legacy Character Study: The 4th Doctor

For most Whovians, this is the Doctor. Accept no substitutes. What makes this Doctor so beloved by young and old?

Let's find out.

Sketchbook: Reverse-Flash Redesign

Well, I'm a slave to my few readers. Because all of 1 person asked for it, I've decided to redesign one of my favorite characters...

Professor Eobard "Zoom" Thawne

The Reverse-Flash.

Sketchbook: 4th Doctor & Captain Kirk

Well, as y'all know, the next LCS is on the Fourth Doctor, so I thought this would be a nice little bonus for you guys!

Recap: Beware the Batman, "Instinct"

Well, we've reached the part in Beware the Batman where villains will start returning instead of debuting, since we've seen all the villains on the preview poster.

In this episode, Pyg and Toad return! What sort of ecoterrorism will they commit this time? Let's find out!

Travel, change, interest, excitement!

Legacy Character Study: The 3rd Doctor

Welcome back, one and all! Today, we're looking a a more grounded Doctor.

Literally, as we'll see.

Recap: Beware the Batman, "Sacrifice"

Dang it, Beware the Batman, I praise you for the theme, and you don't show it this week. Is it a time saving thing? Well, let's see what they needed those extra 20 seconds for.

As in "Sacrificing the Theme Song," apparently!

Legacy Character Study: The 2nd Doctor

Hello, all. Welcome back. Today, we're taking a look at the next Doctor. One whose influence still shows up in the show.

In both subtle ways... and not so subtle ways.

Sketchbook: "Electro" Redesign

It's quite easy to critique.  It's amazingly easy to say, "You're doing that wrong" without knowing how it's done. So in my own way, I'm going to be stepping up to the plate. Because redesigning and revamping characters and costumes is "in" in the comic book industry, I'm throwing my hat into the ring. For the internet's consideration, I present the first of my character redesigns: Electro.

Time to get some spiffy new duds, Max.

Recap: Beware the Batman, "Control"

This episode was an interesting experience, in a good way. So, I started watching, and I knew that something was up. But I couldn't tell what it was at fir-OH MY GOD THEY PLAYED THE WHOLE THEME THIS TIME. I can’t tell you how much that does for my enjoyment. No, seriously. A good theme, even if it’s only 18 seconds like this one, does wonders in terms of getting me pumped. Even the theme for the Super Hero Squad Show picks me up a bit before the crap-fest that follows.

Anyway, now I can critique the intro for realsies! The intro is nice and moody, using only red and black. It features Alfred, Katana, and Batman in little action shots, and ends with Batman swooping off of a building. Awesome. The song is awesome sauce, too. I don’t know why some Batman shows like to have themes that are almost James Bond-esque, but I approve, especially here.

Aka "The One where They Started Playing the Theme!"

Legacy Character Study: The 1st Doctor

You never forget your first Doctor, but you might not know that much about the first Doctor. Shall we begin?

"Hm?"

Recap/Review: Batman TBATB, "Day of the Dark Knight!"

 In my ongoing efforts to not always show the best of DC and the worst of Marvel, here's another "meh" episode of Batman: the Brave and the Bold. Not exactly Hulk and the Agents of SMASH bad, but "meh" is the worst that this series has to offer.

A Wednesday, to be precise.

News: Batwoman's Marriage and Harley Quinn's Suicide, "The DC Twofer"

DC. Oh, DC. I like DC. I want DC to be so awesome, and when they're good, they're great! But on the other side of the coin...

Please stop doing things that make people angry at you, DC.

Sketchbook: Aborted Artwork "40's Superman"

So, I'm going to start showing you all some artwork that, for whatever reason, I never finished. "Aborted Artwork," I believe I'll call them! Are you sitting comfortably?  Then let's begin.

Recap/Review: Avengers EMH "To Steal an Ant-Man"

You know, I’ve been thinking about my audience. As you can (as of 9/16/13) see down at the “Popular Posts” area to the right, the most popular two posts of mine are the Avengers Assemble one (which, although I liked it, I gave a thorough physics lesson to), and an episode of HatAoS, a show which I utterly trashed.

What does that mean? Is my audience primarily composed of people who want me to bash the brains out of Marvel cartoons? Do they just want me to rant and rave about things I hate?

I guess not, because the majority of you voted for "To Steal an Ant-Man" as the Recap to celebrate 5000 views! Today, we’re going to look at a good episode of a good show.

Because everybody likes Ant-Man! Right?

Recap: Beware the Batman, "Allies"

And now, we finally get what we were promised since the beginning! Does it meet my expectations? Let’s find out!

Finally.  Just... finally....

News/Sketchbook: New 52 Lobo Redesign

Well, DC fans have been all abuzz lately regarding the reboot of the character of Lobo. For full details, you can find the story here.

Now, let's take this from the beginning.

Recap/Review: Batman TBATB, "Emperor Joker!"

Well, NewtCave visitors, today’s my birthday! Yay! So I’m going to be giving myself a little birthday present, and I’ll be recapping and reviewing one of my favorite episodes of my favorite show! Remember “Legends of the Dark Mite!”?  Well, today, the Dark Mite returns as we look at the sequel episode, “Emperor Joker!”

Strap yourself in, this is gonna be a longer one.  This episode is packed.