Mythic Messenger #13 - "You must reunite it with its own kind"
Mandalorian hype returns in earnest with Season 2
Fans of Star Wars, streaming TV and good adult sci-fi are counting down the days to The Mandalorian's Season 2 premier - which Disney+ has confirmed is October 30. The breakout hit series paved a new direction for the Star Wars franchise, following the gritty adventures of a spacefaring mercenary - and of course, one adorable Baby Yoda.
And yes, “The Child” is set to be the centerpiece of this upcoming season as well. We know this because the launch date was accompanied by a tension-building new trailer, which mostly shows the titular Mando dragging Baby Yoda around a dizzying array of planetary environments as the disembodied voice of his leader tells him to “reunite it with its own kind”. Easier said than done, even for a badass space cowboy with a jetpack!
The specific identity and history of Master Yoda’s species remains one of the largely untouched mysteries of the Star Wars canon, especially under Disney’s revised conception of the universe. The idea that The Mandalorian might be about to shed new light on this beloved character gives fans yet another reason to tune in, if the “star noir” stylings and online memes didn’t get you in for Season 1. There's still time to catch up before the new season!
The trailer is a smorgasbord of hints and foreshadowing, giving glimpses of new characters and tests yet to come. But maybe the most intriguing part is when our hero warily describes Jedi Knights as “enemy sorcerers” - while on screen we see a dark-hooded, totally-a-Jedi figure watching him menacingly.
Will this be the first piece of Star Wars media to show the Jedi as antagonists? They don’t need to be evil to get in Mando’s way - and we’d get some awesome fight scenes out of it!
DC responds to Batman criticisms by... making him poor?
One of the challenges faced by fans and writers when it comes to beloved pop culture franchises is how our perspective of them changes with the times. The more recent Bond films with Daniel Craig are a great example. Sean Connery’s brooding and womanizing Bond seems much more troubled to modern audiences than it did in the ‘60s - so Craig’s Bond is an explicitly haunted, maladjusted bad-boy to match that new perception. Now, it seems this sort of retcon might be coming for one of the biggest icons in comics.
There’s no doubt that being the son of wealthy philanthropists has been essential to Batman's success. As writers have introduced a larger and larger arsenal of bat-gadgets over the decades, it has become increasingly common to joke that Batman’s real superpower… is being rich. Heck, they even acknowledged it in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. But now it seems that the main DC canon is setting up a plot device where Batman will be stripped of his billions, becoming a true man of the people he fights to protect.
To run it down: the current major storyline in Batman-related comics is the “Joker War”, where the Joker has managed to successfully seize control of Bruce Wayne’s fortune and assets - flipping the script to see whether Batman can fight back when it’s his nemesis who is armed to the teeth with vehicles, weaponry and surveillance. Everybody loves a righteous underdog, and it’s been cool to see Batman adapt fearlessly to that role for once. But we all assumed it was temporary; Joker will be defeated and the Wayne billions returned. But what if they aren’t?
Just-released Catwoman panels show that while Selina Kyle managed to successfully re-heist Batman’s capital in her Joker War subplot, she might not be able to return it to him. We see the master thief handing over control of the stranded bank accounts to Luke Fox - son of Batman’s tech advisor Lucius and a hero in the extended Bat-family.
The assumption is that the Foxes are trustworthy confidantes who will of course, return Batman’s money to him. But DC has carefully foreshadowed how mistreated and used Lucius Fox has been through this storyline, and there seems to be enough justification for the long-suffering Bat-ally to make a shocking decision about who deserves to control the Wayne Foundation.
How will Batman’s world change if he has to ask Lucius Fox for an allowance whenever he needs to fight crime? Will this possible new relationship be a civil one, or will the Bat-family descend into civil war instead of Joker War? Will audiences prefer a more humble Batman, forced to rely on just his own strength and detective skills? This seems like DC’s direction for 2021 - but if it takes off, then blue-collar (blue-cowl?) Batman could be the norm for some time.
Fast fandom
As always, there is a ton going on in the interconnected world of pop culture and fan media. Here are a few of the stories that caught our eye:
World's first "esports campus" makes waves in Philly
Philadelphia-based startup Nerd Street Gamers has been one of a number of startups finding success in the spaces supporting esports. NSG produces Localhost Arena locations around the country - venues where LAN competitions can be held and watched in style.
Now, the company’s CEO and founder John Fazio has announced a huge step up with their new project: “The Block”. This 40,000 square foot facility will give Philly the world’s “first esports campus”, complete with working space and infrastructure for all sorts of esports businesses to operate in close proximity. The Block will feature broadcasting facilities, an arena for live gaming events, and training spaces to develop the business and media skills demanded by this growing global industry.
Streaming Mulan impresses Disney, but not China
The strange, staggered saga of Disney’s live-action Mulan is never finished, it seems. After being forced to delay and eventually compromise original plans for a blockbuster cinema release, the House of Mouse is now downplaying shareholder concerns around the film’s experimental launch on Disney+.
Setting a $30 pay-per-view fee for viewers on what is already a subscription streaming service is certainly a big test for what studios can get away with in 2020. And after Mulan flopped even in its “home audience” of China, grossing just $23 million on a $200 million budget, there are concerns that this may not have been the best film to try and tempt audiences with. CFO Christine McCarthy was defiant but evasive, saying only that Disney was “very pleased” with the streaming figures over opening weekend without being specific. And so, the saga continues.
Japan honors Undertale with stunning orchestral performance
Undertale is the kind of video game which may not yet have reached the mainstream consciousness, but it’s already one of the biggest cult hits of the 21st century. The retro-styled RPG was created by a single artist, Toby Fox, and won both mass and critical acclaim in 2015 with its exploration of innocence, morality and love. This week the indie game celebrated its fifth anniversary, and Japanese orchestral group MUSIC Engine put on a moving performance of its award-winning soundtrack - including viral hit boss theme, Megalovania. Definitely one to put on in the background while you work!
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