DC Fandome Meets The Boys - RPC Capes #1

Greetings, citizens of Space Sector 2814, also known as Earth! This is a very premiere episode of RPC Capes, our superhero and comics podcast! Keona and Mike sat down to speak about the events of DC Fandome part 2, while also chatting about the CW superhero series like Legends of Tomorrow, Stargirl, and the upcoming Superman & Lois! Plus, some hot takes on Junkie XL’s score for Zack Snyder’s Justice League cut and John Ridley’s The Other History of the DC Universe, as well as tidbits on Harley Quinn, Doom Patrol, and Superman: Man of Tomorrow! Oh, and we talk about Amazon Prime’s original series, The Boys! Click on that play button and give us a listen!

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A word of warning: The shows we discuss on this podcast are mostly ongoing, so there may some SPOILERS AHEAD! If you want to watch shows like The Boys, Lucifer, Legends of Tomorrow, or Superman: Man of Tomorrow without any prior knowledge, you may want to revisit this episode later. With that out of the way, let’s fly onward!

For this edition of the RPC Podcast Show Notes, I thought I’d give you a little background on my personal history with comic books, the superhero genre, and some of the shows DC highlighted during Fandome’s second day. First up, let’s talk Superman. The Man of Steel has been a fixture of my comic-reading life since I was a wee lad, probably about six or so. Though he wasn’t the first superhero I’d ever heard of or read about (that would be Spider-Man), Clark Kent was always a brightly shining symbol of hope and courage, especially to a socially awkward kid like me. When I first Richard Donner’s seminal 1978 cinematic version of Superman, starring the perfectly cast Christopher Reeve, I knew that he held a special place in my heart. Superman has always been an icon; he’s the most popular character in the world, and while portrayals of the Last Son of Krypton have varied over the decades since his introduction, at his core, Superman has always remained steadfast in his pursuit of truth and justice. And yes, while we may be foggy as to the concept of the American way in today’s world, I believe he represented the finest ideals in all of us. Hope, optimism, strength, and bravery are the central values of his character, and he still serves as an inspiration to us, even in these strange times.

One of the panels I really enjoyed watching was the Superman panel, moderated by current Action Comics and Superman writer, Brian Michael Bendis (who also worked on Daredevil and All New X-Men at Marvel). During the short discussion with his fellow writers Gene Luen Yang (Superman Smashes the Klan) and legendary Super-scribe Dan Jurgens (who was one of the writers behind the Death of Superman story arc in the ‘90s), Bendis reminisced with them about his earliest memories of the character, and Yang and Jurgens waxed nostalgic about what the “death” of such an icon meant to them more than 25 years ago. The fact that the fictitious death of a comic book character had made national headlines speaks to how much we all value the Man of Steel, even though he’s just a bunch of drawings and colored ink on a page.

Even more modern interpretations like WB Animation’s latest animated film Superman: Man of Tomorrow keep concepts like optimism in the future and boundless courage central to the character’s formation and persona. While the writer and director of the film, Tim Sheridan and Chris Palmer respectively, updated and modernized aspects of the look and portrayal of Superman, they remained true to the core aspects of Clark Kent, which is the best thing about the film. Superman is neither disconnected nor is he a Boy Scout. He is, as he always has been, representative of the best aspects of ourselves, just taken up a notch. And that is why I will always love Superman.

Next, let’s talk about the other DCU shows, whether they be part of the HBO Max lineup, or featured on CW. Personally, I’ve always enjoyed the CW Arrowverse, as it’s come to be known, mostly because the creative teams behind them have never been afraid of their quirkiness, or their origins as comic book characters and story arcs. While Marvel’s properties in the MCU and on TV (like their Netflix series and Agents of SHIELD, among others) have always tried to skirt the line between realism and comics-inspired imagery (with Guardians of the Galaxy being an exception), Greg Berlanti and his team at the CW have actively embraced their funnybook-inspired weirdness while inserting a good amount of references and fanservice into their series. Just look at how Stargirl features the Justice Society of America, a Golden Age team full of nostalgic heroes and corny-looking costumes. Or the way that Legends of Tomorrow frequently includes farcical elements into their episodes, to the point where calling the show “cheesy” loses all meaning. I’m well aware that a contingent of DC fans vehemently dislike this about the show or find it unappealing, but I view it as a celebration of the Silver Age era of comics, in which nothing was too outlandish or weird to be featured in a comic book story. Sure, to modern eyes, it seems horrendously old-fashioned or wacky or simply too silly, but I think there’s room for many interpretations of comic book storylines and characters. Why shouldn’t there be? Are we so desperate to not be seen as fans of “kids’ stuff” that we disavow all that’s come before? I don’t believe that we should.

So, where does that leave more mature offerings like the animated adult series Harley Quinn, or the admittedly odd Doom Patrol? While I have yet to view the latter, from everything I’ve heard about the show, it seems right up my alley. Even though a series deals with mature themes, that doesn’t mean it can’t have fun while doing so. Harley Quinn is another example of this. While the sheer adult-oriented nature of the show caught me off guard at first, I’ve grown to really enjoy Harley’s sass and the silliness of it all. Besides, I can’t hate a show where Harley and Ivy are a romantic couple! They belong together, and I wish DC would stop trying to erase their relationship out of the comics, which is a damn shame.

Last, but certainly not least, let’s discuss Amazon Prime’s hit series, The Boys, based on a Dynamite comic book series by Garth Ennis (Preacher) and Darick Robertson (Wolverine) and executive produced by Supernatural’s former showrunner, Eric Kripke. While it is extremely violent, sexually explicit, and contains more bad language per scene than any other superhero-centric show that’s ever existed, The Boys is one of the smartest and most scathing indictments of modern society that I’ve ever seen. No cow is too sacred for this show; everything from hero worship to corporate influence to social media movements to organized religion is fair game and targeted by this series’ creative team. It’s a perfect storm of rock-solid filmmaking, oddly gorgeous cinematography, excellent acting, and red-hot, scalding social commentary. I cannot recommend it enough, especially if you’re not offended by the language, violence, or sexual content.

We hope you’ve enjoyed the inaugural episode of RPC Capes! Mike and I had a ton of fun chatting about the topics we saw featured at Fandome, and a few additional ones, as well. Keep an eye out for more content and leave a comment below if you enjoyed the show or if you have suggestions on how we can improve the podcast or topics you want us to cover! Remember to check back for more comic book and pop culture shows, as well! And don’t worry, we’ll cover Marvel soon! Be safe and kind to yourselves and each other, Renegades! Until next time…

Oh, geez, how’d that get there? Stop f*&%ing around, Butcher!