From: wmorgan@stsci.edu (Windsor A. Morgan)
Subject: Re: Batman Animated: Feat of Clay
Organization: Space Telescope Science Institute
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 15:41:07 GMT

In article <1992Sep10.131411.26608@midway.uchicago.edu> prec@midway.uchicago.edu writes:

>Let me begin by saying my opinion of the show as a whole is
>that it is great. The best translation of comic-to-screen I've
>seen in a LONG time, perhaps EVER. 

>Now the down side: I thought Tuesday/Wednesday's episode,
>"Feat of Clay" was the weakest shown so far. I knew it was
>going to be trouble as soon as I saw Marv Wolfman credited
>with the story. (Does anyone think he is a good writer?)

I rather liked it, myself.  I thought the Man-Bat episode was not so
great.

>Some of my MAJOR problems with the script:

>- Batman using blatant methods of illegal coercion (i.e.,
>lifting the crook with his plane and threateninmg to drop
>him) to obtain information. Ditto for the guy in the hospital
>lab with the jar of "germs". (I know it was a trick, but the
>point about coercion remains). Portraying Batman as judge,
>jury and executioner is not an admirable role-model.

Batman isn't the government.  While he can't do anything he wants, he
*does* step outside the law.  Remember, Batman is supposed to scare
the living hell out of criminals.  He does so (a lot more effectively
here than in the movies, in my opinion).

>-Speaking of picking the guy up with the Batwing, I'd like to
>know how that could be done without A) smashing into a tangle
>of metal and flesh and B) why it didn't blow like a cherry bomb.

I'm just glad that shots from a gun didn't totally disable the Batwing
and force it down :-)

>-OK, the one that bugged me the most: Clayface's full power. Has
>Wolfman ever heard of the Conservation of Matter and Energy?
>How does a normal, 180-pound man transform into a blob of
>clay that must weigh 500 pounds? How can this creature spit
>off giant chunks of itself or extend its arms fifty feet and 
>remain the same size?

Maybe Clayface was air on the inside :-)?

>Now I'll probably be told "it's only a cartoon, don't worry about
>stuff like that" but that's not good enough. Sloppy writing 
>undermines my suspension of disbelief in an instant.

True, we can't just dismiss a cartoon (or a comic) *because* it is a
cartoon or a comic.  It didn't hurt my suspension of disbelief at all.
I figure that there was stuff that we weren't shown.

>Anybody else think this episode was inferior to others
>we've seen? I think the Mr.Freeze episode was the best so far.

That was a pretty good episode.

I like that Batman is shown to be a detective, using his brain, his
computer, and good old sneaking around to solve his mysteries.  I hope
that the writers don't fixate on monsters (Man-Bat, Clayface, Mr.
Freeze) and devote some time to regular jewel heists, bank robberies,
the stuff that *really* happens in the world.

One of my problems with the two recent Batman movies is that Batman is
shown to be a superhero, fighting his way out a lot of things.  In my
opinion, the Batman is a detective foremost.  He can fight as well,
but he uses his mind and his scary persona to solve his mysteries.

Will there be an origin story for Batman?  I hope that Bruce Wayne is
shown a good deal as well.
-- 
'Verily, there be no leader as wise as the Vision!'
                         Windsor Morgan (wmorgan@stsci.edu OR NHT@PSUVM.BITNET)
                         Space Telescope Science Institute
                         Baltimore, MD   21218