mary brinkofski
12:12 PM - 28 Dec 2014
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First of all, thank you Mary for your excellent question. And here you go, GOTHAM is actually it's own beast. We have seen many different versions of Batman over the years from the campiness of Adam West in 1966 to the revamped and darker Michael Keaton in 1989, to the recent real life gritty feel of Christian Bale and in 2016 Ben Affleck takes a shot at the cape and cowl. Fans new and old are already familiar with the origins of the Batman and that's where GOTHAM differs.
Instead of telling the story of Batman, GOTHAM tells the story of a young Jim Gordon and the birth of the most dangerous city in the DC Universe.
To answer your question: No, GOTHAM does NOT keep true to the legend of Batman. Instead, GOTHAM gives us the origin stories of Batman's famous rogues gallery. So far we've seen The Penquin, Catwoman, the Riddler, the Dollmaker, Poison Ivy, Black Mask, Hush, Two-Face, as well as the mob families that controlled Gotham before the Super Villains came to dominance. In the comic books, before Thomas and Martha Wayne are murdered, Gotham City was prosperous and clean but beginning to fall apart. The mob moves in, and after the Waynes are murdered, the city spirals into a cesspool. Batman arrives years later and begins to clean up the mob, but with the escalation on the good guys side, comes an escalation on the bad guys side and the Super Villains are introduced.
Now, the first appearance of a Super Villain in a Batman comic isn't really easy to pin down. Batman first appeared in Detective Comics issue #27 in May 1939. He didn't face off against a supervillain until he met the Joker in Batman #1 a year later.
I tend to follow Batman's career the in the order the graphic novels are written. So the first appearance of a Super Villain is in Batman and the Monster Men where he faces Hugo Strange.
GOTHAM has yet to reveal the Joker and Hugo Strange. Everyone is familiar with the Joker, but Hugo Strange is a great character and I believe the writers of GOTHAM can come up with a great story line for him.
As for the 2nd part of your question...Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penquin is absolutely fantastic! He's the best part of the show, and for now, the only reason I'm watching it. Ben Makenzie is a decent Gordon, but he needs to loosen up a bit. Jada Pinkett Smith is a waste of time. Her portrayal of a completely original character is awful in my opinion. She sounds as though she can't make up her mind on whether or not her character has an accent. And if she does, where is that accent from?
All in all, I'm not sure about this show. Potentially they have a show that could run for the next 15 years with the final episode finally showing the debut of Batman. Instead, we're getting a ton of characters and story teases crammed down our throats. It has gotten better, but it's got awhile until it hits it's stride and even then I'm unsure of the quality.
Just some thoughts of mine. I hope you all like it, and if so, continue to. If you're interested in other super hero tv shows be sure to check out The Flash on CW. Best superhero tv show on today! Tuesdays at 8. Also, check out Constantine on NBC. The first couple of episodes are so so, but it picks up.
In future TV news, Arrow has introduced a new character that may get his own show. Check out Brandon Routh as The Atom, and rumor has it that CBS has greenlit production of Supergirl and that she will share the same universe as Arrow and The Flash! Fantastic possibilities there!
On the Marvel side of TV, Agents of Shield has gone on hiatus until February. Their first season started slow but built up real well, ended strong and then started season 2 even stronger. The midseason finale was terrific! During the hiatus, the Agent Carter miniseries will take it's place. I believe we'll see some tie-ins to soon-to-be released MCU movies in Agent Carter AND Agents of Shield!!!
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