« Home | NY Magazine's puff piece about G. Willow Wilson » | Paul Levitz thinks modern comics journalism is won... » | Motley Fool believes Gotham TV series' chances are... » | Jon Goldwater remains blind to the reality of sales » | Jonathan Ross thinks grotesque comics more interes... » | Comic apps for tablets » | Jeph Loeb's Hush story in Batman was an early 2000... » | 15 controversial stories, some involving sexual as... » | John Ostrander doesn't like the changes made to Am... » | CBR interview with Mike Baron » 

Tuesday, March 25, 2014 

Motley Fool thinks Hush from Batman makes for great TV material

In another case of a mainstream website making easy choices for what they think would be perfect TV adaptations, The Motley Fool says they think the Hush story in Batman makes a great idea:
Leo Sun: Hush will wreak havoc on Batman, and delight viewers in the process
My top choice would be Hush, also known as Dr. Thomas "Tommy" Elliot -- Bruce Wayne's childhood friend who grows up to become one of Batman's most dangerous adversaries.

Tommy's big beef with Bruce is that his father, Dr. Thomas Wayne, saved his mother after he tried to murder them both by slashing their brakes. As a result, Tommy ends up in a Norman Bates-like relationship with his mother until he eventually murders her. When Tommy grows up, he plays the part of Bruce's best friend and becomes privy to his big Bat secret. Then, as a master surgeon, he ends up carving up his own face to take on the guise of several people, including Bruce, to take his revenge.

A Hush TV show, with Tommy Elliot as a main character, would be brilliant for several reasons. Audiences already love serial killer shows such as Dexter, Bates Motel, and Hannibal. Now combine those elements with the bleak plastic surgery elements of Nip/Tuck, and you would have one deliciously twisted show. [...]
Boy, I am so not liking the writer's fondness for horror elements. There's too much villain-worship going on as it is, and forming a TV series based on one of the poorest Batman stories of the century would only add to an already superfluous number of thrillers no sane person needs. It's terrible enough if there's people out there willing to give dramas about serial killers a chance, we don't need more.

And what about Hush hasn't already been done with the Joker? In fact, the part about Hush cutting up his face has already been applied to the Clown Prince of Crime in the past 3 years.

They also listed two Marvel heroes they think would make good TV adaptations. One is the Punisher, and the other is Moon Knight. Unfortunately, when they speak of the latter, the following is brought up:
Moon Knight also appeals to the current pop culture fascination with the macabre. Grimm fans surely wouldn't mind seeing him battle the Werewolf by Night, or the death-mask-wearing merc known as Bushman. Or, as in Warren Ellis' brand-spanking-new adaptation, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent gone loony.
Nope, I have no desire to read a series written by an ultra-leftist like Ellis. He may have once been tolerable enough when he began writing a few Marvel books like Excalibur in the 1990s, but since the turn of the century, he's become yet another leftist who lets his nonsense all hang out. At least the part about the Punisher doesn't mention any recent stories that in contrast to the older material, don't make good adaptations for live action. But what if a TV show were developed, based on Frank Castle? Today, it's very likely the worst stories by the worst writers of the 21st century could end up being adapted to screen, and that's bad, not just because of how pretentious tales like Hush are, but also because it shows a lack of interest by the screenwriters to research the older, better material.

Update: as if Motley Fool's article weren't ludicrous enough, the news now comes that Hush may star in a Batman computer game. At one time, I might've thought that was okay, but these video games drawing their ideas from bad storylines are starting to become a joke.

Labels: , , , , ,

The "Hush" arc was one of the most over-rated stories ever. The character is an amalgam of the Joker, Norman Bates, and the Punisher's nemesis Jigsaw. And his identity was obvious from the start, since Dr. Elliot was the only possible suspect.

Would it work as a TV series? I don't see how. Making Elliot/Hush (instead of Batman) the star would negate any appeal the show might have had for Batman fans. And fans of "serial killer shows" already have three (Dexter, Bates Motel, and Hannibal), so they don't need another.

And the Punisher and Moon Knight would have little appeal for a general (i.e., not into comics) TV or movie audience. Both are derivative. A lot of people would assume (and with good reason) that MK is a Batman swipe. And the Punisher is really just an imitation of the paperback series Mack Bolan/the Executioner.

Post a Comment

About me

  • I'm Avi Green
  • From Jerusalem, Israel
  • I was born in Pennsylvania in 1974, and moved to Israel in 1983. I also enjoyed reading a lot of comics when I was young, the first being Fantastic Four. I maintain a strong belief in the public's right to knowledge and accuracy in facts. I like to think of myself as a conservative-style version of Clark Kent. I don't expect to be perfect at the job, but I do my best.
My profile

Archives

Links

  • avigreen2002@yahoo.com
  • Fansites I Created

  • Hawkfan
  • The Greatest Thing on Earth!
  • The Outer Observatory
  • Earth's Mightiest Heroines
  • The Co-Stars Primer
  • Realtime Website Traffic

    Comic book websites (open menu)

    Comic book weblogs (open menu)

    Writers and Artists (open menu)

    Video commentators (open menu)

    Miscellanous links (open menu)

  • W3 Counter stats
  • Bio Link page
  • blog directory Bloggeries Blog Directory View My Stats Blog Directory & Search engine eXTReMe Tracker Locations of visitors to this page  
    Flag Counter Free Hit Counters
    Free Web Counter

    This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

    make money online blogger templates

Older Posts Newer Posts

The Four Color Media Monitor is powered by Blogspot and Gecko & Fly.
No part of the content or the blog may be reproduced without prior written permission.
Join the Google Adsense program and learn how to make money online.