Image: Warner Bros. Games.

The best video games are imaginary. Often they exist completely in our heads, or in the dream space between their initial announcement and what we end up playing. This is where “Arkham World” exists. Born out of a gag from the 2011 Video Game Awards, the completely fictionalized entry into the wildly popular Batman Arkham Series is now all some fans can talk about.

Earlier this month, posts about a supposed Arkham World started to take over the Batman Arkham subreddit. Despite being dedicated to an aging single-player series, this particular internet watering hole remains surprisingly active. It has over 150,000 members, with hundreds or more active at any given time. “This subreddit is dedicated to discussing all of Batman Arkham Lore,” reads the subscription. “Including the Rocksteady Trilogy, Arkham Origins, and all related games and comics, including the new Arkham World Edition.”

Arkham World isn’t real, but that hasn’t stopped the subreddit from celebrating one year anniversary of its launch on August 2. “I liked the open world of this game the most because it was a literal world,” wrote Reddit user FrozeninIce248. “A world full of criminals and madmen and the updated gameplay of Arkham Knight make this game the best superhero game ever.”

Dozens of other commenters responded with their own reviews, sharing their favorite moments and biggest surprises. “Dude I’m currently stoned at a zombie gig Rob and I’m 90% sure this game isn’t real and I’m scared to know if it is,” read one comment buried deep among critical praise.

The one-year anniversary was just the start of Arkham World’s multi-week tribute. The tradition surrounding it has since expanded to include a special mission where you play as Alfred, a crossover with Spider-Manand even a Darth Vader boss fight. Spider-Man Community Players even joined, treating the crossover as canon. Reddit is full of shitposting, but it’s still rare to see fans rallying a bit so aggressively and maintaining it for weeks on end. So why bother manifesting a game that never existed?

FrozeninIce248 told Kotaku in a Reddit chat that they stole the idea from the Titanfall community, where pretending Titanfall 3 already exists is a continuous part of subculture. The name Arkham World, meanwhile, was an obvious choice since it was a codename teased by the Joker in a cutscene created by Rocksteady to win best character award at VGA 2011. The final game that was released was Arkham Knight, leaving “Arkham World” free to fill the void in players’ imaginations when they had no real Batman game to look forward to in the near future.

In the upcoming Gotham Knights game, made by Warner Bros. Montreal, the studio behind Arkham Origins, Batman is already dead. Nor is it technically part of arkham verse. Rocksteady’s next project, Suicide Squad, is set in the same world as the Arkham games, but Batman hasn’t been revealed to be part of it, and he’s a shooter rather than a stealth brawler.

“Suicide Squad is set in the same universe but isn’t Batman-centric at all, we don’t even know if he’ll appear at all,” Reddit user BigSexy17 told Kotaku. “r/ArkhamGames and Arkham fans in general have turned to the series because of Batman, Batman fans around the world praise and revere these games as the true Batman experience.”

Now unleashed, Arkham World has taken on a life of its own. “You’ve got this whole group of people pretending we’re all talking about a game that ‘doesn’t exist,'” Unhappyworker77 said.

Reddit user LukeDBZ2 compared it to the fascination with the Morbius meme”it’s Morbin’s time” from the beginning of summer. It was silly, wonderful, and became so popular it may have convinced Sony to set millions on fire. bring Morbius back to the movies so he can bomb a second time. “Morbius never said ‘it’s Morbin time’ and there’s no sequel to Arkham Knight…or is there?” they said. “One thing is confirmed, after years of no new content, the submarine has become Arkham Asylum itself.”

There is also precedent for Arkham World in other fandoms. When Elden Ring went years during development with no new details, some fans feared the worst. As with Titanfall, The Elden Ring subreddit at some point started to pretend the game was already released, invent famous boss battles and more. “It exists because the fans are starving [for] content and enjoyed the moment they were anticipating the release of the next Arkham title,” TheXpender told Kotaku.

The shitposting is still going on and has even led to some Reddit users trying to turn Arkham World into its own subreddit. Some fans want to dump memes there. “If we’re going to flood the sub with more Arkham World and less real messages about real games, then everything should be moved to its own sub. r/ArkhamworldFanboyxxx wrote. “We need to take a step back and reflect on what we’re doing, and honestly if it’s smart and fun, that’s fine with me, leave it alone now.”

But that doesn’t seem likely. Arkham World was born on r/BatmanArkham and that’s where it will likely stay. At least until Gotham Knights, Suicide Squad, or a proper Batman Arkham sequel launches. “Arkham World means the world to me,” Redditor Nadongus told Kotaku. “Nothing brings a community together like a collective fever dream fueled by disjointed shitposts. I’m having the best time of my life here.

Image: WB Games Montreal

Over the past few weeks, WB Games Montreal has shed some new light on its upcoming Batman-less Batman game, Gotham Knights, and some details have left fans skeptical about where the game is headed with Bruce Wayne’s survival. bat family. First, a 13 minute gameplay video revealed that GK’s incarnation of Nightwing uses a jet glider, while Red Hood was given wild “soul energy” abilities. By far the most disturbing revelation came from a biography of Batgirl, posted on the game’s website, which suggested that she recovered from her disability through “raw willpower and determination”.

During a question and answer session in the official Gotham Knights Discord Channelcreative director Patrick Redding addressed the backlash to Batgirl’s callous character biography and gave some insight into Nightwing’s glider and Red Hood’s new powers.

The Batgirl character biography on the Gotham Knights website discusses Barbara Gordon’s history as Batgirl and Oracle. The Oracle was Gordon’s technological genius alter ego who offered invaluable support to Batman after a confrontation with the Joker, depicted in The killer joke, left her paralyzed. The reason WB Games Montreal was criticized for the biography is that it said Gordon was prompted by her father’s death to “recover from her injuries so she could return to active duty as Batgirl. “. This led to fans calling out the game for using the tired comic book heroes trope. overcoming their handicap out of sheer will.

Redding revealed in the Q&A that, following the criticism they received, the team worked in conjunction with AbleGamersa non-profit organization dedicated to improving accessibility in the video game space, “to learn more about the different types of spinal injuries and whether someone can regain their mobility “.

“As with many of our characters and plot elements, the circumstances surrounding Barbara’s injuries differ significantly from how they have been portrayed in the comics,” Redding said. “Barbara underwent multiple surgeries followed by a lot of physiotherapy and pain management [in Gotham Knights].”

Redding went on to say that the team acknowledged the criticism and replaced the contentious description with, “With extensive training and rehabilitation, she recovered from her injuries and returned to active duty as Batgirl.”

Redding then discussed the creative decisions behind Nightwing and Red Hood’s traversal abilities, primarily Nightwing’s Green Goblin-esque glider and Red Hood’s new jump ability.

During the 13-minute gameplay demo, Nightwing is shown traversing rooftops using a techno-glider called the Flying Trapeze. According EurogamerNightwing’s techno-glider is a reference to Batman’s retro Bat-glider. Redding said the creative team liked the idea of ​​Grayson using one of Batman’s stealth drones in order to gain more altitude to perform his death-defying stunts.

“[The Flying Trapeze is] designed to feel a bit improvised and reliant on its extreme athleticism, which is Nightwing’s approach to everything,” he said. “Making it fly has such a different feel to Batgirl’s cape-gliding, and it pairs really well with her bigger parkour and jumping moves, as well as grappling.”

The most bizarre reveal in the Gotham Knights gameplay trailer, at least for me, was Red Hood, aka Jason Todd, leaping through the skies of Gotham in a clearly supernatural way using his new ability, Mystic Leap. . Redding said the development team relied on Red Hood’s origin story – which involves death at the hands of the Joker and subsequent resurrection in the Lazarus Pit– approaching his new powers, intending them to serve as a manifestation of Todd becoming his.

“We really liked the idea that when Jason starts dealing with the trauma of dying and being brought back, he starts being able to tap into some lost abilities,” Redding said. “In the same way that he tried to reinvent himself from anti-hero to hero while maintaining his strengths, he discovers that he can channel these mystical talents in a way that is familiar to him: through his physique. [and] in the way he moves, but also in the way he fights and even in the way he uses his weapons.

Redding explained Todd’s new ability as “just a manifestation of those powers” he received after being resurrected in the Lazarus Pit. I just hope those powers include fixing my son’s skull so he doesn’t have the bone structure of a Lego.

Gotham Knights is set to release on October 25, now only on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

Picture: Warner Bros.

The Batman movies are a bit like Doctor Who seasons. Every once in a while, a new season with a new Doctor comes along that gives a perspective on a classic character that will appeal to a new group of fans. Similarly, The Batman employs a new pool of creative talent to give us a version of the DC Comics hero we’ve never seen on screen before.

While he won’t end up becoming everyone’s favorite, for some he’s sure to be the Batman they’ve been waiting for.

The Batman, directed by Matt Reeves (War for the Planet of the Apes) is set in the early years of the Dark Knight’s Crusade. Those worried about witnessing Bruce Wayne’s origin story for the umpteenth time need not be. The Batman jumps straight into his grim portrayal of Gotham City where the world’s greatest detective isn’t yet so great and seeks to unravel a series of clues left behind by a masked serial killer known as The Riddler.

One of the main things that sets The Batman apart is that it moves away from just a superhero movie. The story is familiar but instead of shining as a hit, it chooses to anchor itself in the neo-noir and detective genres.

From the use of the reflective voiceover to the choice of camera framing, this movie almost feels like Seven-meets-Batman.

It’s a huge change of tone from previous Batman movies but not an intruder. The Batman simultaneously manages to be a lot more grounded than Burton’s movies, but it’s got more style than Nolan’s blockbusters. It may not topple The Dark Knight, but The Batman is a clear example of how good different takes on the same character can be.

As you’ve probably noticed from the marketing of The Batman, this movie is synonymous with the term “dark” and it really takes that to another level. Well, as much as possible with an M rating.

Splashes of rain pound the camera lenses, dull neon lights glow in the haze, and dance music thunders as Batman beats up goons in the dark Ice Club Lounge. Every aspect of this film is designed to draw you into the underworld of Gotham City. One that is often physically and metaphorically devoid of light.

The Batman, however, gives plenty of justification for why his Batman is so dark and brooding.

We quickly learn that it wasn’t just the character’s tragic backstory that got to him, but it was also the result of months of psychological damage from his obsession with getting revenge on a corrupt city. This is an approach that does not work.

With two years of crime fighting under his belt, this isn’t a story of Bruce Wayne’s quest to put the cowl down. It’s the story of Batman’s quest to cross the line from vigilante to hero – and it’s a surprisingly poignant arc.

To hold such a bow, Reeves cast Robert Pattinson — who we can now call an emo superhero rather than a teen idol. He may seem like an unlikely choice, but there’s no denying he’s Batman.

Pattinson spends most of The Batman’s runtime unrecognizable behind the cowl. His Bruce Wayne is far from the charismatic billionaire playboy, he’s more of a silent gazer with a resentment and restlessness simmering just below the surface. Emo kid manual.

Bruce Wayne is Pattinson’s mask in this film. When he puts on the cowl, he is able to communicate much with little and brings a vision of the dark knight who feels precise comic. (Plus, his Batman voice is thankfully easy to understand.)

Reeves isn’t afraid to put his own spin on these classic characters. The Riddler, in particular, is a villain who feels right at home in this downtrodden version of Gotham City. He’s a mastermind and a terrorist with a penchant for duct tape and gory metaphors.

Paul Dano’s performance stands out as he brings to the screen a surprisingly unhinged Riddler who manages to capture the character’s inherent narcissism as well as his more psychotic aspects.

Zoe Kravitz’s Selina Kyle is another welcome constant throughout the film. Her role in the story isn’t far off from that of a femme fatale in classic detective tales, but Kravitz’s anchoring of the role makes it clear that she’s not just there to serve as a love interest. to Batman. Kravitz’s performance brings both a cunning and a vulnerability to Catwoman that helps her steal every scene she’s in.

Colin Farrell’s penguin is pulled straight from the pages of a Batman comic book in one of the most stereotypical portrayals in film. Farrell is completely unrecognizable in the role but is clearly having the best time of his life as Gotham’s most enigmatic mobster.

On the other side of the law, Jeffrey Wright’s Jim Gordon is a constant good cop for Batman’s Dark Knight. The partnership between the two gives us more camaraderie than we’ve seen in previous Batman films. Wright’s Gordon isn’t afraid to comment on the weirdness of his new partner – who dresses like a bat – but will just as readily turn to him as a sounding board.

It’s just one of many partnerships throughout the film that showcase Batman’s excellent casting. The scenes between Pattinson and Kravitz are buzzing with chemistry and when Batman and the Riddler finally meet, it’s nothing short of electric.

There’s no shortage of aesthetic scenes in The Batman, expertly framed by Greig Fraser. The sequences unfold like the pages of a graphic novel and are further enhanced by Michael Giacchino’s score, which alternates between grand, epic themes and haunting melodies.

All that said, The Batman is not without its problems. At 2 hours and 56 minutes, the film is breathtakingly long and while it’s rarely boring, it’s hard to leave its dark mood behind when you step out of the cinema.

Some people will also no doubt be disappointed that The Batman isn’t as heavy with its action sequences. The film focuses more on mystery than violence, but when the moment of action arrives, it definitely delivers. From high-octane car chases to brutal hand-to-hand combat, The Batman delivers plenty of adrenaline-pumping moments worth seeing on the big screen.

Speaking of mystery, the plot of Batman is an engaging but sometimes overly complex story as it tries to tie together all of its different storylines.

Unfolding in a series of zodiac-style puzzles, The Riddler’s wit and wits and Batman’s detective skills from the comic books are finally done justice on screen. Reeves isn’t afraid to toy with Batman comic book lore, and the story is filled with intriguing twists and character developments that break with tradition.

Unfortunately, like many superhero movies before it, The Batman also suffers from third-act issues where the finale can’t quite live up to everything the movie built.

The long and the short of it is that if you liked what The Batman promised with its moody mystery trailersyou are going to love this movie.

The Batman keeps all its promises. A gritty, realistic Gotham City? To verify. A comic book-style detective story that keeps you guessing? To verify. “Something on the way” to Nirvana? Recheck.

The Batman aims to accomplish a lot, and for the most part, he’s able to deftly manage a mix of horror, thriller, and noir to craft an original story. Reeves’ take on Batman is an injection of life into the character’s backstory and holds some very promising stuff for a new franchise. (Things that are of course teased at the end of the film).

Whether Keaton, Batfleck, or Bale is your dark knight, The Batman makes a compelling case for it to be your new favorite Batman movie.

Batman: The Verdict

Pros: Wastes no time on Batman’s origin story, great performance, unique style, intriguing mystery, much needed change of tone.

Cons: Long duration, a disappointing third act.

Watch it if you like: Se7en movies, Zodiac and Batman (obviously)

The Batman hits theaters March 4.

This article is republished from Kotaku Australia. Read the article here.

Did I save this image or did this image save me? Image: DC Comics

Harley Quinn: The Animated Series is by far my favorite DC Comics medium. The show’s sharp and scorching writing, along with its thoughtful characterizations of Harley and the rest of Batman’s rogue gallery, breathed new life into these once-familiar characters to me. It also doesn’t hurt that the characters swear, the action dips into ultra-violence, and the show isn’t afraid to call it sexy.

Season 2 is in the books and season 3 is on its way, but fans won’t have to wait for her to arrive to fill the mallet-shaped hole left by the Clown Princess of Crime TV show. In fact, Harley’s misadventures have already continued in a new comedic spin-off, Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Snap! To kill. To visit.

The comic not only serves as an offshoot for the TV show, but also a DC Comics debut from its writer, Tee Franklin. I spoke to Franklin about her journey in the comic book industry as a black, queer, disabled, and autistic woman, and how she used her portrayal of Harley Quinn to challenge the way comics have often perpetuated harmful stereotypes of ableists.

The food. Snap! To kill. The tour takes place right after the show’s Season 2 finale, in which Harley and his new girlfriend Poisonous sumac run away from Jim gordon after Ivy was left at the altar by kite man. In an effort to cheer up her herbal sweetheart, Harley decides to take her on an old-fashioned road trip. Of course, chaos ensues.

Image: Tee Franklin

Franklin got his start in comics by interviewing comic book authors and artists and promoting their work through Black cartoon month, a recurring panel that she would host during comic book conventions. She cut her teeth as a writer with “The Outfit”, a short story in Image Comics ‘issue 27’ nail rodent, after interviewing one of the show’s writers, Joshua Williamson, at New York Comic Con. She also wrote the critically acclaimed comic Love Bingo, about two black women in their sixties rekindling their teenage romance.

Franklin said she was brought in to pitch her concept for a Harley Quinn comic after seeing how the animated series dealt with the Joker’s abuse of Harley and his response. As a domestic violence survivor, Franklin said she lived vicariously with Harley’s handling of her breakup, especially the momentous moment when she smashed Joker’s nuts with a bat. Franklin wanted to focus on the emotional trauma Harley and Ivy went through throughout the series, something the characters treated prejudicially.

“We all have our trauma,” she said, “and we have to deal with it in one way or another. Some of us suffocate it, which Ivy currently does. When you stuff it down. continually things, it’s the little things that get on your nerves.

The dynamics provided Franklin with the opportunity to explore ways in which unexamined trauma can interfere with our efforts to form new, healthy relationships. She said Harley wanted to help Ivy so badly, but initially if Harley snores too loudly, that is enough to make Ivy angry because she hasn’t faced the trauma of her last relationship in a real way.

Harley and Ivy are longtime friends on the show, but when it comes to their budding romance, Franklin said they still have a lot to find out. Especially considering they had drunk sex for the first time during Ivy’s bachelorette party.

“I really wanted to show that this will ultimately be a happy time for Harley and Ivy, but it’s going to take a minute to get there,” she said. The comic book format allowed her to take a different and more introspective approach than the series, an approach that takes its time with the couple’s new emotional intimacy. Franklin was delighted to write down what she wanted to see from the couple, how their relationship develops, and with her, how they express their love for each other in healthier ways.

Catwoman is also drawn into the road trip of lovers Thelma & Louise, much to her surprise.

The double meaning you might find in the title of the comic is not a mistake. There is a lot of “eating” and “bumping” to get around here. “I am more than shocked at the things I was able to do in this comic. I mean the first problem [Harley] cartwheels on the coochie, ”Franklin said.

While the scorching heat of the comic rivals that of the series, Franklin didn’t push the envelope until DC called him and said “Tee, you’re tripping.” Any disappointed reader may need to campaign for a director. Nonetheless, it’s wonderful to see queer female sexuality portrayed openly and shamelessly, especially for Harlivy. Such depictions always seem rare and almost revolutionary to come across in mainstream comics.

Franklin was also very determined to make the supporting comic book cast a diverse bunch, and not just in terms of race. The cast includes people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, sex workers, and the elderly (including a possible cameo of Hazel and Mari from Bingo Love in the second issue).

When given the opportunity to write Harley Quinn, Franklin said she was going to portray “everyone and their mom” in the comics. As a disabled and autistic woman, she said it was important to portray a world that looks like her. Having a diverse cast of characters also meant avoiding the racial and ableist stereotypes that are often thoughtlessly included in the comics.

“When you think of Harley, there’s always that adjective that says she’s ‘crazy’. It is a very harmful word. I have depression. I have PTSD. I have the alphabet, but am I crazy? No, ”Franklin said. “I wanted to use this book to show, not only to people reading, but to editors and writers at all levels that you don’t need to use this empowering language to get your point across.”

Although Franklin admits to not being a “$ 10 girl” or even a “$ 5 girl,” she said the comic book industry needs to develop the adjectives it uses regularly and avoid using adjectives. terms like “lame” and “silly”. as insults because of the ableist nature of doing so.

“As long as you make things accessible to us, we will give you the best of us”

“I am lame. I use a walker [and] I use a wheelchair. Lame doesn’t mean nerdy because I’m far from nerdy, baby. That this book does not contain any of these capacity terms is revolutionary because you can do so much more without demeaning people with disabilities, ”she said.

While Franklin wishes she could fully celebrate her accomplishment of writing for an iconic comic book character, her joy has been tarnished by the torrent of online harassment that hostile comic book “fans” sent her. This harassment is something black designers often experience when they step into a mainstream space that doesn’t have a lot of people looking like them.

If given another chance to write for DC, she said the only thing she would do differently would be not to interact with fans. “Black people always piss off,” she said. “Someone telling me I can’t write white characters because I’m black really hurt me because on the other hand, white people can write every character under the sun, every race. But I can not. Why can’t I?

The harassment and death threats caused Franklin so much hell that she sometimes wished she had ever agreed to write the comic.

“I see why a lot of comic book creators, they dive in and quit social media because it’s too much. The stuff I was getting I wouldn’t wish on anyone, ”she said. She was able to weather the storm of hate thanks to her editors and fans who have been kind to her throughout her journey. While in the hospital for heart surgery, she said her editors and staff were especially supportive when she wrote the comic’s third issue.

“They could easily have said, ‘Peace Tee, we’re not committing to this,’ but they didn’t. My editor, Katie Kubert [asked], ‘What can we do?’ ‘How can I help you?’ ‘What do you need?’ And this is something that as a person with a disability you are not used to. We are used to making ourselves smaller [and] Apologize profusely when things are out of our control, ”she said.

As a black girl in Paterson, New Jersey, writing a story about two gay women running away from cops for such a prominent comic book publisher was a surreal experience for Franklin. She hopes this signals bigger changes to come in the comic book industry.

“I’ve been getting messages from gay kids and I’m like ‘you shouldn’t all be reading this book, but okay.’ But that impact is good, “she said.” I really hope DC, Marvel, Image, everyone starts to realize and hire talent with disabilities. As long as you make things accessible to us, we will give you the best of us.