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By Drew Dietsch | Published
Creature commands has debuted in Max as the official start of the new DC Universe (DCU). Critics and audiences seem to thoroughly enjoy the violent and eccentric series from the beginning. You can count me among them! The first two episodes were a fun spin on what James Gunn brought to the DC Universe with his first appearance. The suicide squad (my favorable review). I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.
Unfortunately, Creature commands It also clearly clarified something I’ve been feeling about superhero cinema for a while: I don’t think superheroes are best suited for live action.
From ink and paint to flesh and blood
Although there are certainly pulp and adventure predecessors to consider, Superman is widely considered the original superhero, having made his debut in 1938. After the overwhelming success of Superman, comic book companies around the world attempted to replicate the phenomenon. Because of this, many strange and interesting characters emerged that benefited from being created as illustrated ideas.
And it makes perfect sense that super-powered beings would be more adept at existing in animation as a result. These are such momentous concepts that presenting them as “real” almost seems like a disservice to their inherent creative potential.
Creature commands I revisited this thought because I started imagining the much less dynamic and vibrant live-action versions of the show’s various characters. For example, Weasel looks much more unique and stylish in this series than his entertaining but typical CGI mocap version in The suicide squad.
The advantages of superhero animation
This is not to say that live action is inherently a disadvantage for superhero cinema. Look no further than to compare spider man 2 and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. They are both great films and, in my opinion, two of the best superhero films ever made. However, when it comes to realizing the full potential of the character and world of Spider-Man, In the Spider-Verse It has more artistic advantages thanks to the medium of animation.
It’s worth acknowledging that animation in America is widely seen as an outlet for younger viewers, especially if it comes from a major studio. Creature commands is doing a great job showing the appeal of animation aimed at adults. And because of that, it shows how much better animation can be in certain aspects of superhero stories.
Action, violence and kineticism in Creature commands It’s all expertly rendered. And because it is a “cartoon”, the series does not have to desaturate the color of this type of characters and their abilities. Likewise, notice how much people loved the colors and the action of X-Men ’97 and compare it to the flat color tones of the last few mainline X-Men movies.
The future of the DCU
I love a lot of live-action superhero movies and shows, but when I think about the best translation of comic book superheroes from page to screen, I think a lot more about Batman: the animated series that I The dark knight. Now that the DCU begins with an animated show, I wonder if I’ll think more about Creature commands than anything by James Gunn Superman ends up being. And I wonder if more of the DCU won’t be better off being cartoons than real.
