Web Arted Aug 23rd

Not sure where to put this comment so I’ll just place it here…

Just saw Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox

http://www.animeflavor.com/cartoon/justice-league-the-flashpoint-paradox

I think with this film, DC officially turns their back on kids. This is the most violent DC cartoon I’ve ever seen. Wonder Woman kills a kid with her broken sword, Batman blows a hold in Zooms head and Aquaman peels open Cyborg to expose his beating heart. As well, the word “a-hole” is used and the whole war is started because Aquaman commits adultery with Wonder Woman while Aqua-chick looks on… A far cry from the days of Hanna-Barberas SuperFriends…

Is it really so tough to tell a good story that can also appeal to kids? Considering kids represent our hopes, is this the kind of material that we are expected to feed their young minds. Of course not… and yet it has a PG-13 rating.

Violent cartoons are nothing new. In fact, JLFP basically rips off manga. However, violent manga is marketed at adults and the characters are not branded as kid friendly. As well, the culture has long been established and differentiated in Japan. I’m not defending manga, two wrongs don’t make a right but you don’t see the crew of Starblazers tearing each others heads off.

Even as an adult, I can’t say this was very entertaining since none of it made any sense. They failed to make the connection between Barry’s mom and the war and left everything vague. It’s just sad and disappointing. This is pretty much symptomatic of the industry, going for the cheap bucks by catering to base desires. At least pornography has a big X on it to give us fair warning.

This is just another reason for responsible parents not to expose kids to comics. Not that everything has to be educational… but when violence is disguised as entertainment, it’s simply better to stay clear.