[PA Comic] Monday, September 29, 2014 - Scrutable

Dog

[PA Comic] Monday, September 29, 2014 - Scrutable

Scrutable

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2014/09/29

Read the full story here

Quid

Mr. Nigma just looks so happy to be there solving a crime.

Absalon

We can just pray they want to get more subtle in the future. They had to get the Infomercial People up to speed first.

RookActual

Haha, I love the cheesiness!
What likes riddles but not bats, wears green but isn't Poison Ivy, uses double-entendre but is not the Joker, and has an enquiring motif? YOU WILL NEVER GUESS WHO

Unknown

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Gaslight

First episode would definitely have benefitted from a double dose of subtlety. They seemed to think there was some kind of minimum threshold they had to meet for references to or cameos by future Batman allies and enemies to make people keep watching.

But me, I will watch anything with Donal Logue in it for at least a couple episodes, purely out of fuzzy feelings toward Terriers.

streever

I could tell this was going to be the entire show from the first trailer.

Linktm

It's not nearly that bad, but... yeah, they're trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator which is pretty much people who haven't seen a movie since Tim Burton's films. Some of the winks are totally painful, but so far I like the way all the "cameos" fit into some really interesting narrative.

Boler

Oh look I found a new avatar.

Nigma is a completely subtle name that is not derived from any word that might mean "mysterious"

Gaslight

One thing I will say in praise of the Gotham pilot: Alfred was great in the brief screen time he had. The lower-class accent, the rough edges, the air of (at least in my imagination) maybe being some kind of reformed criminal the Waynes gave a chance at a better life himself... terrific new interpretation compared to the usual refined British butler stereotype that's underpinned most versions of the character.

Goose!

The thing with Gotham is it's a network TV show and by design they want to appeal to a broad range of folks to get ratings. I'm someone who's seen every Batman movie but never read a story so I knew of the Penguin, for example, but didn't know his real name was Oswald. As a kid I fell asleep through Batman Returns (saw it at a drive-in) and hated it as an adult.

Sometimes you have to open things up to a wider audience.

KalTorak

Seems like a common pitfall for prequels.

Rodjir

The people who watch Gotham spend very little time on the internet. They probably love it.

Goose!

I enjoyed Gotham. I hope it gets better but enjoyed what was there.

Gaslight

Rodjir wrote: »

The people who watch Gotham spend very little time on the internet. They probably love it.

One episode has aired. Do we have a handle on who exactly the group "People who watch Gotham" consists of yet? To make such high and mighty pronouncements about them, and vaguely define them as apart from us, the people who presumably spend quite a bit of time on the internet as evidenced by the fact we're having this exchange? I watched the first episode on Hulu, and thought it was decent. I will probably watch a few more and assess its progress before I make a decision on whether it's something I think is worth devoting time to for the long haul. It made a better first impression on me than Agents of SHIELD, for what that's worth.

Cambiata

Boler wrote: »

Oh look I found a new avatar.

Nigma is a completely subtle name that is not derived from any word that might mean "mysterious"

Oh his name is much worse than that. As far as I know, he's always been Edward Nigma.

E. Nigma.

(ba-dum kish)

Hargaad of Omnar

Rodjir wrote: »

The people who watch Gotham spend very little time on the internet. They probably love it.

I'm just glad this show can't be fucked up like network TV did to The Big Bang Theory: completely offensive dialogue shrouded by a laugh-track to make it seem okay to say.

dbrowdy

I didn't know Dennis Miller was in this show!

LostNinja

Gaslight wrote: »

One thing I will say in praise of the Gotham pilot: Alfred was great in the brief screen time he had. The lower-class accent, the rough edges, the air of (at least in my imagination) maybe being some kind of reformed criminal the Waynes gave a chance at a better life himself... terrific new interpretation compared to the usual refined British butler stereotype that's underpinned most versions of the character.

Gotham's Alfred sort if reminds me of the one from the recent Beware the Batman animated series where he was a former member of MI5 or something like that.

Dark Raven X

Actually saw an ad for this on a bus today.

It seems like a played straight version of

Travan

I'm of a mind with Tycho on Gotham Central, seems like an obvious angle . That, or a crime procedural in the vein of The Wire- whats the drug game like in a town beset by costumed psychos armed with freeze rays and chemical weapons?

Gaslight

I got a kick out of Tycho acknowledging that they screwed up the Earth-616 thing in the Marvel Disney Infinity comic in the newspost today.

Demobot

I was worried the show would end up like this. Either that or Jim Gordon visiting a still-grieving Bruce Wayne once an episode to not-so-subtly encourage him to dress like a bat and punch people.

Gaslight

They should definitely include young Bruce sparingly (which pains me to say because I want all the Gruff Alfred I can get). Like once or twice over the course of the season, find some reason for Gordon and Bruce to have a philosophical talk about good and evil and how far good men can/should go to stop evil men, that sort of thing. But emotionlessly grieving sweater-wearing 10-year-old Bruce isn't that interesting in his own right.

Quid

Goose! wrote: »

The thing with Gotham is it's a network TV show and by design they want to appeal to a broad range of folks to get ratings. I'm someone who's seen every Batman movie but never read a story so I knew of the Penguin, for example, but didn't know his real name was Oswald. As a kid I fell asleep through Batman Returns (saw it at a drive-in) and hated it as an adult.

Sometimes you have to open things up to a wider audience.

Arrow appeals to a huge audience most of whom have no idea who any of the villains/allies are when they appear.

akajaybay

This kind of wink wink nudge nudge drove me crazy when they did it on Enterprise before I gave up on watching that.

Episode where they get tangled up in a low tech planets politics.
Captain Archer: "If only there were some kind of rule that would help us figure out how to handle problems like this. Like a very important directive. Like the most import one. Primary even."
Ugh shut up, I get it.

AlienCowThatMoos

akajaybay wrote: »

This kind of wink wink nudge nudge drove me crazy when they did it on Enterprise before I gave up on watching that.

Episode where they get tangled up in a low tech planets politics.
Captain Archer: "If only there were some kind of rule that would help us figure out how to handle problems like this. Like a very important directive. Like the most import one. Primary even."
Ugh shut up, I get it.

Oh man is that the one that did you in? For me it was Brent Spiner playing an ancestor of the dude who built Data. He was making Khan-esque supermen, then at the end he decides to try out robotics. "It could take a while. Perhaps until....... The Next Generation!"

Thanatosia

I'm a little suprised how much this has appearantly ruined the show for some of you. Yeah, it's kind of groan inducing when you can virtually feel the show giving you an elbow nudge and a wink in introducing the characters who will eventually become Cat Woman, the Riddler, Poison Ivy, and the Penguin.... but that's like 3min of eye-rolling content in an otherwise (imo) well done show. I found the acting much better then expected, the atomosphere great, the pilot plot interesting, and loved the way it just came crashing down on Gordan's idealism like a ton of bricks. I for one enjoyed it, and am looking forward to seeing more of it, even if it means spending 30sec next episode groaning when the the show barely restrains itself from putting a MMO-style name tag floating over the head of the next to-be-rogue gallery member to show up. Small price to pay IMO.

Otie

That was a great post from Jerry (Tycho), its really got me thinking, and I loved end.

ffaristocrat

Quid wrote: »

Arrow appeals to a huge audience most of whom have no idea who any of the villains/allies are when they appear.

With all the misdirection the show engages in, neither do the comic book fans.

Redthirst

ffaristocrat wrote: »

Quid wrote: »

Arrow appeals to a huge audience most of whom have no idea who any of the villains/allies are when they appear.

With all the misdirection the show engages in, neither do the comic book fans.

I wonder what the hardcore comic book fans think about Arrow. I personally enjoy the show(though I watched about 7 episodes, still can't bring myself to watch the rest), but I never read any comic book, so I have no idea how faithful it is to the original.

Gaslight

So Donal Logue (actor playing Bullock in the show) tweeted out this comic today.

MooFoo

Anyone notice, in the second episode when we see Edward again, the scene is very quiet, empty, and awkward feeling? I'll bet dollars to donuts that there was a scene removed last minute and restitched together where they cut out another instance of Edward telling a riddle, and the rest telling him to stop with the riddles all ready. The awkward silence came out of no where, almost like a train fell off the rails. Like there was a piece removed.

Iamdigidude

Cant believe they made fun of this show! So funny!