Thursday, March 20, 2008

To The People Behind The DC Animated Movies

Dear Mr. Timm, et al:

Seriously, what did I ever do to you?
Things started out great; you announced that you would be adapting several classic DC Comics storylines into direct to DVD animated movies, movies whose style was to be based closely on the styles of the source material, and movies that would involve the active participation of the original creators. That alone was good news, but it was made even better news when I saw that one of the stories being adapted was the classic New Teen Titans story The Judas Contract.
It's impossible to overestimate how much I loved that story back when it came out. The Judas Contract was my Watchmen before the actual Watchmen came out. It was the culmination of a story that was years in the making and featured sweeping themes of betrayal, love, loss, villainy, heroism, and hope.
After the abomination that was the Pokemon-esque Teen Titans cartoon, I was thrilled to see that the Titans of my memory were finally going to get some respect, and I couldn't wait for the animated movies to finally arrive.
When they did, I was thrilled. Superman: Doomsday? Loved it. The New Frontier? Absolutely gorgeous.
Up next, according to what had originally been announced, and according to the fondest hopes of my fanboy heart, was The Judas Contract.
And then, with the preview on The New Frontier, you broke that fanboy heart, at least a little, by showing me that next on deck was a Batman movie. A Batman anime movie at that.
Still, I could understand the reasoning behind it; with a new live-action Batman movie coming out, why not try to cash in on Batmania? So, while dejected, I was willing to wait a little longer for my Judas Contract movie.
And then I read this article about the aforementioned Batman project. I was pleased to see that Kevin Conroy will be - as he should - reprising his role as the voice of Batman. Conroy as Batman is a no-brainer, and while still annoyed by the anime aspect, I thought, "Well, at least they got that much right."
And then I got to the part of the article listing some of the special features that will be on the DVD. Most notably this:

“Sneak Peek: Wonder Woman” - DC Universe animated original movie

W
T
F
?
Why are you doing this to me? When will I ever know the joy (or even bitter disappointment - it almost doesn't matter which at this point) of seeing The Judas Contract brought to (animated) life?
Why must you insist on torturing me so? I've been a huge fan and avid supporter of your DC animated efforts over the years, and this is how you repay me?
How can you be so cruel? Was the promise of a Judas Contract movie all a ruse? Was the hope of such planted, Terra-like, into my mind as part of some intricate plot to destroy me?
Who's really behind the DC animated movies? The Terminator? The H.I.V.E.?
*Sigh* Now I know how Changeling felt at the end of The Judas Contract.

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