from Drew Deitch
| Published
Commando creatures debuted on Max as the official start of the new DC Universe (DCU). Critics and audiences alike seem to be thoroughly enjoying the violent, goofy series from the get-go. You can count me among them! The first two episodes were a fun spin on what James Gunn brought to the DC Universe with his first outing, The Suicide Squad (my rave review). I look forward to seeing the rest of the series unfold.
unfortunately, Commando creature also made abundantly clear something I’ve felt about superhero cinema for a while: I don’t think superheroes are best suited for live action.
From ink and paint to flesh and blood
While there are certainly pulp and adventure antecedents to consider, Superman is widely regarded as the original superhero, making his debut in 1938. After the overwhelming success of Superman, comic book companies everywhere tried to replicate the phenomenon. Because of this, many strange and interesting characters appeared that benefited from their creation as illustrated ideas.
And it makes a lot of sense that superpowered beings would be most adept at existing in animation as a result. These are such larger-than-life concepts that presenting them as “real” almost feels like a disservice to their inherent creative potential.
Commando creature brought this thought up again because I started imagining the far less dynamic and vibrant live-action versions of the various characters on the show. For example, Weasel looks much more unique and stylish in this series than his fun but plain CGI mocap version in The Suicide Squad.
The benefits of superhero animation
That’s not to say that live action is an inherent flaw in superhero cinema. Look no further than comparison Spiderman 2 and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Both are great movies that I would say are two of the best superhero movies ever made. However, when it comes to realizing the fuller potential of the character and the world of Spider-Man, In the spider verse there are more artistic advantages due to the animation medium.
It’s worth acknowledging that animation in America is widely seen as an outlet for younger viewers, especially if it comes from a major studio. Commando creature does a great job of showcasing the appeal of adult-oriented animation. And because of that, it demonstrates how much better animation can be in certain aspects of superhero stories.
The action, violence and kinetics in Commando creature everything is expertly rendered. And thanks to being an “animated,” the series doesn’t have to detract from the colorful nature of these types of characters and their abilities. Likewise, see how much people liked the colors and action of X-Men ’97 and compare that to the flat color tones of the last few major X-Men movies.
The future of the DCU
I love a lot of live-action superhero movies and shows, but when I think of the best translation of comic book superheroes from the page to the screen, I think much more about Batman: The Animated Series than me The Black Knight. Now that the DCU is starting with an animated show, I’m wondering if I should give it more thought Commando creature than anything by James Gunn Superman ends as And I wonder if more of the DCU isn’t better as cartoon than real.
