Philippine Presidential Candidate [mis]quotes a famous Batman line from the movie

It is no wonder that people use Batman quotes in every day life. Whether it be in the comicbooks, animated movies, or live-action movies, Batman has probably the best quotes people can relate to.

Some of us use these lines in our everyday life. We think its cool. But the moment it was used by a Presidential candidate during a debate... well, it looks like the fan base didn't appreciate it.

Mar Roxas, presidential candidate of LP and the standard bearer of "Tuwid na Daan" has been ridiculed for his elitist mentality and his inaction to many issues in the country. As the head of the Department of Interior and Local Government, he received heavy criticisms for the questions he couldn't answer as regards the monetary donations made for the Typhoon Yolanda survivors.

In the last presidential debate hosted by ABS-CBN, Mar Roxas was asked by another presidential candidate, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, "In all these years you've been shaped by the elitist background. Do you not think that the path has been too narrow to be able to be the President of the Philippines?"

And Mar replies...

And no, the fan base wasn't happy about it. From the poll asked in The Dark Knight Ph, it can be seen that most of the Batman fans felt outraged and disgusted with Mar's [mis]reference to Batman.

57.82% or 85 Batman fans voiced out that they were offended by the comment; 24.49% or 36 voted that his comment is insignificant; 15 fans or 10.2% of the voters wanted to bash Mar's face; 8 or 5.44% feels 'Meh'; 2 or 1.36% of the fans are still going to vote for Rodrigo Duterte; and 1 or 0.68% thought that it was amazing that Mar quoted Batman.

0.68%! WOW! I guess we can conclude that the fan base in the Philippines is appalled by Mar's [mis]reference to Batman. Well, even the twitter-verse were nauseated by his reference.

Well, come to think of it, is it really Batman who said those lines? The Batman reference is the paraphrased version of, "It is not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me."

But... hell, this line was rephrased by Batman. The original line came from...

Yes, Rachel Dawes. So yeah, sorry Mar Roxas, you quoted the wrong person. Ow and before we forget, some people think that it was Mewtwo from Pokemon who was being referred to by Roxas. 

But that's stretching it too much. Remember this quote from him posted in Facebook?

Well, yeah, Thomas Wayne never said that in any of the movies nor in the animated movies.

Even if the Batman fans did not appreciate Mar [mis]quoting Batman, Mar Roxas should keep on [mis]quoting the Dark Knight. After all, Mar is at the bottom of the presidential polls. At this rate, maybe he can say, "Bahala na si Batman" to SAVE his presidential aspirations.

But then again...

Batman Through the Years -- "Martha"

We know, we know. Batman v. Superman was so 4 weeks ago, but hear us out. Many people still think that the "Martha" scene didn't make any sense.  The internet has already passed its verdict, the scene is stupid. People can make Martha memes already. Here are some of the memes which we think are a bit funny.

So did we just become friends?

You're mom's name is Martha too!? 

Even Darkseid knows the World's Finest became soft.

Kidding aside, we believe that the Martha scene is probably the most beautiful and deepest scene in the movie. It goes as deep as the foundation of Batman's character. And here's the point where you have to bear with us.

What makes Batman, Batman?

We all know his story--his parents got killed, he lived a life seeking vengeance, and he fights the unending battle between justice and inequality. Pretty much thats Batman. But in the microscopic level, Batman is the antithesis to his own being.

Lets start with how Bruce was transformed into Batman. Batman: Hush gives us a very descriptive narrative on how one night can change everything. The death of the Wayne spouses triggered everything for Bruce. He never found peace after that.

From that page alone, we can already tell that Bruce took the death of his parents personal. It is as if he takes responsibility for their death. He even makes the promise--a VOW to be specific. 

"A vow to rid the city of the evil that had taken their lives."

That panel alone will tell you that Batman is the antithesis to his existence. He becomes Batman in order that no one else will become Batman in the future. He takes a vow that no kid will ever experience what he went through. He becomes Batman in order that no one else will carry the same burder that he is carrying.

His sense of purpose was complimented by the dialogues in Batman: Year One.

Here, Bruce seeks help from his father as to how he can strike fear in the hearts of the wrongdoers. This is the method he thinks is effective in order to keep his vow. When Joe Chill appeared in that dark alley, Bruce feared him. He wasn't able to move nor react to what just happened. He thinks that this fear--the fear he felt when his parents dies--is a great tool to immobilize the wrongdoers.

The trauma he experienced is the same tool he's using to prevent another Batman to come into existence. In the words of Bob Kane, he created Batman as a "psychologically disturbed eccentric" character. That is very evident in his mission. Batman is Batman in order that no one else will become Batman.

Going back to Batman v. Superman...

Zack Snyder is a brilliant man for including the death of the Waynes in the movie. The initial reaction was that we don't need another origin story. But if you analyze everything, the purpose of the death of the Waynes scene was not to reiterate the origins of Batman. No! It was used to set up the "Martha" scene.

The "Martha" scene, while it may look dumb for the casual fans, it actually runs deep to Batman's origin. Going back to the point made in the earlier paragraphs, Batman is the antithesis to his existence or his purpose.

If you didn't notice it, when Thomas was shot, he echoed "Martha" to Bruce's memory. That word alone would definitely trigger the trauma and the baggage that Bruce is carrying. It is for the same reason why Batman almost lost his sanity when Superman uttered, "Martha".

Batman really lost it! When he was about to kill the Man of Steel, he was taken aback and showed his humanity. It was when Lois said that Martha is the name of Superman's mother was the moment Bruce regained his sanity. He remembered his purpose--be the Bat in order that no person will suffer from the same trauma.  Batman even reassured Superman that Ma Kent will not die.

Again, while the "Martha" scene may look stupid, think again. Batman and Superman did not became friends immediately. It was more of Bruce's mission to rid the world of another 'Batman'. It is his vow that made him promise to Superman that Martha Kent will not be killed by criminals.

Saying that the scene is stupid and dumb is like saying that Batman's origin and foundation is dense and awful. So there you have it. That is why we think the Martha scene is the most beautiful think in the movie.

TDKPH villain of the month -- KGBeast

In light of his movie debut, the boys of The Dark Knight Ph decided to give KGBeast the spot light that he deserves. Our Villain of the Month is none other than The Beast himself, Anatoli Knyazev!

Anatoli Knyazev played by Callan Mulvey

Many people were wondering who was that Russian henchman assisting Lex Luthor Jr. in Batman v. Superman. No need to do some research! Bruce Wayne already tagged him as Anatoli Knyazev. Those who've read Ten Nights of the Beast will be familiar with the name. But for those who missed that 4-issue mini-series, Anatoli is KGBeast.

Anatoli is a highly skilled assassin trained by The Hammer, a top secret cell of the KGB. Just like Batman, Anatoli, or better known in the KGB as "The Beast," is a master of numerous martial arts. With his strength and mastery of many weapons, The Beast is considered to be one of the deadliest assassins in the world. Not to mention, his strength was further enhanced through cybernetics. It is said that The Beast is as strong as four healthy men and is able to literally tear a person in two with his bare hands.

There came a point that the Russian government shut down the KGB division for safety reasons. But before the division was dissolved, The Beast was given a last mission--to kill nine people who are crucial to America's Strategic Defense Initiative called The Star Wars Program. Upon entering Gotham, the CIA tagged him as KGBeast.

To Batman's misfortune, these nine targets came to Gotham City. KGBeast has no regard for human life. He showed that he is a ruthless assassin. Despite Batman's involvement in stopping KGBeast, he was successful in killing seven of the nine targets. In their first confrontation, KGBeast was able to out class the Dark Knight.

In another confrontation, Batman was able to catch KGBeast's left hand with a noose. To insure his escape, he chopped off his hand and replaced it with a prosthetic gun with a bayonet.

Ten Nights of the Beast ended with Batman not wanting to fight KGBeast. The only take away that the Dark Knight got was that he was able to outsmart KGBeast and trapped him in the sewers. Instead of surrendering him to the officials, he decided to let him rot in the sewers since KGBeast has diplomatic immunity being a secret agent for Russia. 

From that time on, KGBeast was considered to be a supervillain that Batman does not want to battle with. But after some time, he was demoted to an assassin for hire. He, once, became a paid assassin for The Penguin but was later on killed by The Great White Shark. In The Blackest Night, he was chosen by the black lantern ring as part of the black lanterns.

So there you go! Anatoli in Batman v. Superman might be a different incarnation of the comicbook character, but at least you know his origin. And here's a little prize for reading until the end of this article. NKVDemon is his protégé.

TDKPH Book of the Week -- Harley Quinn and the Suicide Squad April Fool's Special #1

Harley Quinn and the Suicide Squad April Fool's Special #1

Story by: Rob Williams

Art by: Jim Lee and Sean "Cheeks" Galloway

Spoiler-free review

TDKPH rating: 10/10

I am quite surprised that this book wasn't hyped enough. This is a Harley Quinn book with Jim Lee as a cover and interior artist. Those two names alone should make this book a good pick. Bring in Sean Galloway, Alex Sinclair, and Scott Williams, then you have something that people should line up for.

This book serves as a prequel to the relaunch of Suicide Squad. For quite some time now, Suicide Squad (as a comicbook) falls short in inticing the readers in get the book. This is a much needed revamp to the title.

This book revolves around Harley Quinn and her adventure towards a new calling. Despite the lack of visibility o the Suicide Squad, they play a big role in developing the story.

From the looks of it, this book seems to align DC's comics and WB's movies. The members of the Suicide Squad that appeared in this book are the same members that appeared in the trailers. Deadshot's line at the end is intriguing enough that it made me want to get Suicide Squad #1

It being a Harley Quinn book, expect that it will be funny. What I loved most about this is the meta-messages spilled all over the letter she got from the "evil mastermind".

The art duties also shifted from Jim Lee to Sean Galloway. For the longest time, I hated it when this happens in a single issue. However, in this book, the shift had a purpose. It even gave me a better appreciation of the story. And before I forget, Sean Galloway did an amazong job!

This is definitely a great pull for this week's new comics. It is a light read filled with humor with a fast pace action sequence that is sure to capture the attention of every reader. Run to your nearest local comicbook store before it runs out!

The Brilliance of Zack Snyder!

My God! How can you hate the man!? Check out this sequence from Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman! You'd be amazed with how Zack Snyder calculated every freakin' scene! Well not really because the video above was editted a bit. But for most part of it, both clips had the same time frame.

Read between the lines, Haters/Critics

You're welcome.

disclaimer: The video is provided by Batman y La liga de la justicia Latinoamerica

Aaron Felizmenio -- TDKPH April 2016 Artist of the Month

Aaron Felizmenio, better known by his colleague as Gwapoman, is one of the rising talents in the local comicbook industry. His unique style and great attention to detail will land him a project with any of the international comicbook publishers some day. Believe us, Aaron is born to dazzle the audience with his striking artwork.

Besides his artwork, people in the local community enjoy his company. He's a down to Earth guy with a good sense of humor. He usually post one-liner jokes on his facebook wall everyday. Some of the memes he created was even recognized by the international community. In jest, he said last year that if he didn't work out as a comicbook creator, at least he will have the comedy industry as a fallback.

At an early age, Aaron was influenced by his cousin who is now a painter based in California. Everytime his cousin would work, he would watch him and try to draw on his own. It was at that moment that he fell in love with art. 

drawn and colored by Aaron in 1996

While honing his skills, he realized that the fine arts was not for him. It was until college when his classmates introduced him comics where he realized that he wanted to be in the comicbook industry. The comicbooks that represented the characters he loved growing up. It was an instant connection that made him enjoy drawing comicbook characters.

He wasn't a solid comicbook reader back then, but his first comics were those DC reprints released by PSICOM. One of the books he clearly remembers contain stories from JLA, Batman, and Superman: Birthright. This book introduced him to the great Gerry Allanguilan--who was at that time, the rockstar of the local comicbook industry. Aaron's passion for drawing comicbook characters grew when he realized that Gerry and Leinil Yu were Filipino artists that made their mark in international comics.

"I thought, hey if they can do it, maybe I can do it too! That's what kick-started my uh, comics 'career'."

Aaron, in the year 2008, was a sophomore art student in UP Diliman when he had his break out year. He made a mark in the local community by independently publishing Gwapoman 2000. That release set the tone for the new generation of comicbook creators that are ready to take on the challenges of making it into the international industry.

Gwapoman 2000 was unique to the Filipino readers. It provides a new take on dark and gritty superheroes trying to be the catalyst for change. Many readers consider his work as ambitious and unprecedented. The book can be compared to Batman v. Superman in a sense that it tells the tale of two different characters--Gwapoman and Alas. Moreover, the script is both deep and comedic just like BvS.

Besides Gwapoman 2000, Aaron has other works like Minkowski Space Opera and Manila Accounts 1081. As an independent publisher, the only problem he had was exposure. Coming up with stories and publishing them is easy. It is more of getting his creations available to the public. The only solution he can think of is to allow local publishers to distribute his works. But that would mean he'll get less royalties from his work.

Despite having problems with distribution, he doesn't let this stop himself from writing and drawing comicbooks. Thank God for Meganon Comics publishers who help local talents distribute their works in bookstores like National Bookstore and Fully Booked. 

"Andito na rin lang ako, might as well just push it some more. 'Di talaga sumasagi sa isip ko na tumigil."

His advice for those who would want to make their mark in the local comicbook industry is to quit as early as now. No, really, he said that jokingly. His advice for them is to enjoy the moment. There are some hardships in the industry, but aspiring talents should not treat failures as setbacks and losses. Aaron believes that aspirants should see it as an opportunity to grow.

One day, Aaron hope to handle art duties for DC's Constantine. His unique style matches the tone and feel for the book. But as regards story-telling, he wants to write Batman stories. With his passion for his craft and his unmeasurable talent, we believe that this dream is not far-fetched. Aaron Felizmenio will make it in the big leagues.

The Irony Behind Granny's Peach Tea

 
In light with The Dark Knight PH's zero-tolerance against spoilers in its facebook group, we've conducted a group chat amongst members who've seen Batman v. Superman. While most of us loved the film, we cannot turn a blind eye on some of the movie's flaws.

Batman v. Superman is so great that it requires something out of the audience--and that's paying attention to the small details. And if that wasn't enough, the movie was made especially for the comicbook buffs who devoted their lives reading DC Comics.


The movie worked for some fans because it is what they've expected it to be. For most of the critics, they lambasted it for being too ambitious. As a group of Batman-enthusiasts, we've never seen a movie that made the audience pick a side. Will you defend the integrity of the movie? Or will you pick it apart with harsh words?

No matter which side you pick, the group believes that the movie is some sort of a double-edged sword. Some elements of the movie are great but such greatness also made it appalling.




AESTHETICALLY THIS MOVIE IS A MASTERPIECE. To date, this is probably the best Snyder film if we're talking about cinematography alone. Snyder pulled all the stops in creating his best visual eye-candy movie. Well, we shouldn't expect anything less from the accolade of the cinematography gods. But despite such beauty, people criticized his sequencing and the lack of camera stabilizers in the movie.

To a certain extent, we believe that Snyder should improve more on this. The lack of camera stabilizers is a major concern because it made some viewers dizzy after a couple of scenes. 

However, as regards sequencing, we do believe that Snyder copied the paneling of comicbooks. But the crux lies in believing such criticisms and watching the movie with the expectation that the sequencing will be bad. Moreover, most of those who criticized the sequencing never held a comicbook in their lives. This is probably why we believe that the movie didn't work for some fans. It was already tainted with disdain even before seeing it.

People might not notice this, but BATMAN V. SUPERMAN IS A 'COMICBOOK' MOVIE, Despite what people say, BvS is the only comicbook movie in Hollywood. There are superhero movies, but BvS is the only movie of its kind. Most of the comicbook fans appreciated this element of the movie. The movie felt like watching comicbooks come to life.

Making comicbooks into movies is probably one of the reasons why Snyder's vision is very ambitious. As comicbook fans, we love it, but to a certain extent we also believe that it didn't work.  It didn't work because it seems to exclude the enjoyment of casual fans and the avid movie goers. More than that, the paneling in the comicbooks doesn't bode well in movie screens. There is a reason why comicbooks and movies do not share the same medium.


THE SCRIPT WAS BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN, From the first scene alone, Chris Terrio's magic is already felt. The delivery of Bruce's lines about falling was epic! Most of the dialogue are too deep and symbolic that the split second you lose your attention, you lose the entire thought of that scene.

Here's an example. Remember the very first scene of the movie where Bruce was explaining his dream to someone (knowing Batman, he's probably documenting his thoughts in case he dies)? Young Bruce falls down the hole and found comfort in the company of bats. Seconds later, these bats levitate Bruce by circling around him. Before knowing that it was nothing more than just a dream, that scene was a WTF (more like WTF Snder don't mess this up!) moment. You probably missed or gave less significance to Bruce's line, "It took me to the light."

Why did we choose this as an example? Well, we're still trying to form some theories but the 'light' might refer to some revelations. And it might have some connections to the prophetic Knightmare scene--which is, in the simplest form, a dream.

At first it would seem that the line is irrelevant of it has nothing to do with the overall story of the film. But after puzzling things together, it would appear that every line in the movie is relevant in trying to convey Snyder's vision. This is the hard part. Although the script was brilliant, it requires a lot from the audience.


In connection with the reasons mentioned above, THE SCENES LAID DOWN THE GROUNDWORK FOR THE DC EXTENDED UNIVERSE. Some critics believe that some scenes were inconsistent with the story of the movie. The movie is titled Batman versus Superman. So some scenes that didn't make sense were the seeds that Snyder planted. 

This topic alone can start a day-long debate, but let us point out some facts why this reason is considered to be great and unpleasant at the same time.

The Knightmare sequence is phenomenal because it does not only set the groundwork for DCEU, but it also gives you the gateway to the vast collection of DC comics. This only means that the producers can easily choose which storyline to pick. The greatest thing about it is that you wouldn't know what they'll do next. There are many theories or layers to the Knightmare sequence that it needs a separate article for that.

The only thing that didn't make sense is the clear disconnect with the title--Batman versus Superman. Many people were expecting that Snyder would exploit more on the dynamics between the clash of ideals between the two biggest icons in comics. As people expect what the title presupposes, they were disappointed with the lack of dynamics in the fight. They suggest that there are other aspects, and not just fighting, that can compliment the movie title.

More than the CHOICE OF ACTORS, most of the critics hated how the characters were portrayed. While some of the fans enjoyed the characterization of the icons, some do not share the same opinion. Lets start of with...

Batman

Ben Affleck is the the greatest Batman ever! The only problem was his characterization. Many people weren't comfortable with the idea that Batman killed a lot of people in this movie. It was his complete disregard for human life that some fans had a hard time accepting.

Contrary to popular belief, Batman was a cold-blooded killer during the early years. We do not want to ponder with this issue because its a bit off topic. We'd like to point out that most of the problem starts from understanding the circumstances surrounding The Dark Knight.

This is a different Batman that we're used to see. After 20 years of operating, he has gone through heaps of desperation. The Batman we saw was jaded and cynical. He lost his place in the world. He lost his purpose. He lost a Robin. The Wayne Manor was burnt. A lot of things happened before BvS that weren't shown in the film. In a way, we believe that these narratives are essential in understanding why Batman takes pleasure in branding criminals.

We think that this was executed poorly. In a recent interview, Snyder explains why Batman is like that in the movie. While his explanation makes sense, you really don't need to explain those stuff in the movie. A movie is a movie for a reason. It was not meant to be read by college students in preparation for recitations where the professor would ask for the interpretation of a specific line.

Superman

The primary concern of Superman fans was that it failed to portray the Superman that they know. They contend that Snyder's Superman is dull in a way that it failed to represent the inspirational Superman.

None from the group was able to explain this extensively because not all were well versed with the Superman lore. But it was also pointed out by the group that the movie showed glimpse of inspiration from Superman. This is more evident in the characterization of Batman.

From the beginning of the movie, Batman has a misguided notion of justice. It was until he met Superman and observed how he battled Doomsday that made him change his ways. Why do we say this? Check the last scene where he and Luthor conversed. He was about to brand him but at the last moment, he decided not to.

It is those little details that makes Superman an inspiration to us Bat-fans. However we also believed that it came in too late. For most part of the movie, we cannot disagree with the critics that Superman is helpless.

Lex Luthor Jr.

Lex is probably the biggest double-edged sword in the film. While most people hated his irritating performance, some people were bewildered by his character. The scene where Superman knelt before him was amazing. Not to mention, he was able to manipulate the greatest detective in the DC universe.

Lex Luthor is the real deal! But people forget that this is not the Lex Luthor we all know. It was emphasized in the movie that Jesse is portraying the son of the man whose responsible for establishing Lex Corp. He is, in fact, Lex Luthor Jr. (emphasis provided).

This didn't work for the movie because even the comicbook readers are not that aware with the character. And to a certain extent, he was really annoying. But to Snyder's credit (but more of Chris Terrio, really), the lines given to Lex are deep and confounding.

While we're overly excited about the movie and that we might sound like robots who know nothing but to defend Snyder and the movie, we also think that there are some aspects of the movie that needs improvement. The things that made the movie great are the same things that made it unpleasant. This is the irony behind Granny's Peach Tea. It might look like something undesirable because of its color, but at the same time, we cant deny how baffled we were when Senator Finch turned the bottle. It was at that moment that we knew that shit was about to go down. And at the same time, Granny's Peach whatthehell is that!?

Granny's Peach Tea, anyone? :)