Supergirl (CBS)

[thecolorsblend]

This photograph from the set shows that the costume is brighter than the suits Cavill wore.

That wasn't really my point.

[The Laughing Fish]

This photograph from the set shows that the costume is brighter than the suits Cavill wore.

That wasn't really my point.

My mistake, I was actually intending to quote BatmAngelus' comments about the suit needing to be brighter, but I accidentally quoted your post instead without realising it. 

I watched the pilot today. It was much better than the Flash crossover episode, Kara's backstory was fine, and I liked the plane rescue scene. The show does have this appealing light tone, as you can see when Kara comically walks towards armed bank robbers and she happily shrugs off the bullets before knocking them out. So far, the relationship between Supergirl and the covert underground DOE works fine, and reminds me a little bit of MOS in terms of how wary the agency is towards her for being an alien.

I'll watch more of the first season, hopefully before the start of the second one.

[The Laughing Fish]

Did anyone catch the first episode of the new season, and Tyler Hoechlin as Superman?

Although I thought Hoechlin did quite well as Clark Kent/Superman here, I got to say I wasn't too impressed with the nods to S78 in this episode, the most blatant being Cat Grant shouting for Miss Teschmacher from her office. People seriously need to let that go. Apart from one nod to Reeve's clumsy Clark Kent, Hoechlin's Clark was thankfully rather confident throughout the episode.

As for the episode and the rest of the show? I'm still not feeling it. I appreciate that it's lighter in tone compared to the DC films, but in this case, the cheese factor is brought up because of its small budget and typical CW soap opera. I'm not buying this romance between Jimmy Olsen and Kara, and the whole episode feels overstretched between that, Kara pondering what career path she wants to take next, Superman's involvement, Lex trying to assassinate his sister via Metallo. It should be fun, but instead, I find it dragging. Maybe this show isn't for me?

By the way, I see some news outlets describe how this show has reintroduced the "classic" Superman. I hope it's not because of the 1978 movie references. As much as I love that movie, there were other adaptations that I'd describe as classic; the Fleischer cartoons being one of them.

[phantom stranger]

I just finished the second episode of Season 2. Overall, I liked it for what it was: A lighthearted, more upbeat take on the characters.

Anytime I can see Superman in action doing things I recognize from the comics it's always a good thing. And while Tyler is no Henry Cavill, I think his acting style works for this particular version of the character.

Having said all that, in general, the CW shows don't really work for me. I know it's fashionable to slam the Snyderverse and praise the Arrowverse (Berlantiverse?) but for me it's the other way around. Out of all them, "The Flash" is clearly the best and I think that's because it adheres pretty closely with the comics mythology (time travel, alternate dimensions, etc.).

[thecolorsblend]

Superman fans are creaming their pants over Tyler Hoechlin. "It's so awesome, he's Traditional Superman; no complications, no darkness, he's just SUPER! More of this in his own show!!!!"

*sigh*

I have to wonder how freaking many times we'll have to go through this before fans finally catch the f**k on.

Guest Star Syndrome- The uncomfortable truth that it's easiest to write Superman as a guest star.

Superman is all-good and all-powerful. A character who's all good is catnip to writers. He wants to save the world... but he lacks the mojo to do it. Captain America believes in The Dream but even he has limitations.

A character who's all-powerful is also catnip to writers. He has the power to do whatever he wants... but his own flaws, his own feet of clay, possibly his own hubris, constantly work against him. The Sentry from Marvel or the Plutonian from Irredeemable are good models here. They have the power to save the world... but do they have the WILL to do it?

A character who is both all-powerful AND all-good makes most writers curl up in a ball and cry for mommy because there's no "logical" reason why Superman shouldn't right every wrong, save every life and do other things that eliminate all conflict and tension from the story.

Superman as a lead character scares the s**t out of a lot of writers because they have no clue how to derive drama, tension, peril or high stakes from a guy powerful enough to catch a fart and paint it green.

But that type of Superman works really well (or CAN work really well) as a guest star or supporting character because the writer has no obligation to put the character through an emotional journey or challenge him in any way. He can be "traditional Superman" (wtf that even means) without the complications typically associated with Superman by a lot of writers.

When Superman pops up as a guest star, usually the fans lose their minds because, dangit, why can't we get THIS in his own TV show? Or his own movie? Or whatever? It happened with The Batman, it happened with the Brave & the Bold and now it's happening with Supergirl.

And as always, I'm left behind wondering how many anvils need to drop on fandom's collective head before they finally figure this out.

Separately, Hoechlin is okay. He's no Henry Cavill. Hell, he's no Tom Welling. But he's also not as bland, forgettable and annoying as Blandon Routh either so he's doing okay.

[The Dark Knight]

I can't really get on board with this new Super dude simply for the fact he's appearing on a show called Supergirl. He's not the main man. He's a bit piece. Second fiddle to someone else. Cavillman at least began the entire DCEU with MoS and set the story for BvS. He goes on an arc and isn't as one dimensional. And I just knew sections of the fan base would clamour over a 'more traditional' take like this Supergirl incarnation. Oh wow...he smiles more! Etc, etc. I personally find it backward in some respects. Constant callbacks to Reeve were old and overused years ago. The Earth One/Cavill template is the way forward, coupled with natural character growth. Just my two cents.

[phantom stranger]

Superman as a lead character scares the s**t out of a lot of writers because they have no clue how to derive drama, tension, peril or high stakes from a guy powerful enough to catch a fart and paint it green.

Good write up, TCB!

I've actually concluded that the reason Cavill didn't get a true Man of Steel sequel is because WB was too afraid of screwing it up. They knew they had to deliver another well-regarded sequel (like Spider-Man 2 or The Dark Knight) and figured they would just go the "easy" route by doing a pseudo-sequel with Batman.

The irony (at least for me) is that Superman really isn't that challenging a of a character to write. It just takes a higher degree of talent.

[The Laughing Fish]

I don't have a lot of time to watch that many TV shows these days, but it seems it's confirmed in a recent episode of Supergirl that Tyler Hoechlin's Superman has also killed Zod, albeit off-screen.

Source: http://www.followingthenerd.com/tv/so-the-arrowverses-superman-also-killed-zod-yup-looks-like-he-did/

That would put him in good company with Reeve and Cavill then.

[The Dark Knight]

Supergirl sucks and it continues the downplaying of Superman's importance.

Supergirl hands a full strength Superman his ass in battle... because 'girl power'.
Two shows set in the Superman universe...that don't feature Superman.
Superman's JL scenes re-filmed with iffy mouth CGI and a simplistic role.

At a time when interest in the character is peaking (largely due to Snyder's Man of Steel) the powers that be find a way to dampen enthusiasm. The comics are the only thing really keeping my interest. If I was a hardcore Superman fan I'd be pissed. By pushing the character out of the limelight (Krypton, Metropolis) they're basically forcing us to keep rewatching the now 21 year old Lois and Clark series with Dean Cain. We're clinging onto the past (like the 18 year old S:TAS) because new content just isn't being generated. And when it is, he's a guest on Supergirl....where he gets his ass kicked at full power. Sure, there's other new material out there, but largely they're keeping the character frozen in time. Give him a Rocksteady standard video game. Give him something new and something good. Not as a cameo guest appearance, but the star.

[riddler]

Supergirl sucks and it continues the downplaying of Superman's importance.

Supergirl hands a full strength Superman his ass in battle... because 'girl power'.
Two shows set in the Superman universe...that don't feature Superman.
Superman's JL scenes re-filmed with iffy mouth CGI and a simplistic role.

At a time when interest in the character is peaking (largely due to Snyder's Man of Steel) the powers that be find a way to dampen enthusiasm. The comics are the only thing really keeping my interest. If I was a hardcore Superman fan I'd be pissed. By pushing the character out of the limelight (Krypton, Metropolis) they're basically forcing us to keep rewatching the now 21 year old Lois and Clark series with Dean Cain. We're clinging onto the past (like the 18 year old S:TAS) because new content just isn't being generated. And when it is, he's a guest on Supergirl....where he gets his ass kicked at full power. Sure, there's other new material out there, but largely they're keeping the character frozen in time. Give him a Rocksteady standard video game. Give him something new and something good. Not as a cameo guest appearance, but the star.

I see your point and I would agree with you if the CW/WB had a live Batman show but it seems they are purposely holding back their two biggest characters from getting their own shows. I still remember Fan expo 2012 when I got to see the premier episode of Arrow and the ensuing panel. The question was asked 'why the Green Arrow' and the answer was that they wanted to explore a character who's mythology hasn't been overly touched in live action.

I don't think it's a great show, for me it's watchable but I do think the way it is set up, the dynamics work better for Supergirl instead of Super man. Kara is portrayed as a heavily flawed character stuck in her cousin's shadow who's work and personal life are always a mess. Clark on the other hand is a well established reporter and has a strong relationship with Lois. This is why Supergirl may be the more interesting character.