Superman: Red Son and Superman: Man of Tomorrow Animated Feature Films

[Frontier]

I just like what I think are good designs .

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I liked it a lot more than this new design which is just...pointlessly bold lined for some reason, and otherwise plain. But still, there should never have been a house style with any of these films to begin with. They should have kept making tailored designs for each film. It was appreciated.

It's a money thing. There's not a huge budget for any of these movies so keeping the same art style saves a lot of money that can be spent elsewhere in the films themselves..

Unfortunately, there's not a big enough audience for these animated movies to justify a larger budget to the corporate bean counters.

[Vakanai]

While I'll agree with you there, it reminds me of flat coloring from classic comics (many of which I love to revisit) and it pops in a way that screams "comic books" to me as opposed to "budget anime" like the N52 movies did.

That said, the lack of shading requires additional lines be used to add age or definition and when the style is so simplistic, it can really look bad. I think they should reexamine going forward-- or better yet, let the films have their own art styles!

I'm not a fan of the flat coloring of old comics either, and don't think they ever "popped" outside of old pop culture. So maybe that helps account for the difference - it gives you nostalgia, but not so much me. I'll take budget anime over anything flat - I hate flat looking styles! So cheap. Which is why the art here might turn out to be a minus for me.

But yes, the films having their own art styles would be greatly preferred over any "house style."

[Vakanai]

I just like what I think are good designs .

That's great. Sadly not all of us think these are good designs, so we've got less to be happy about.

It's a money thing. There's not a huge budget for any of these movies so keeping the same art style saves a lot of money that can be spent elsewhere in the films themselves..

Unfortunately, there's not a big enough audience for these animated movies to justify a larger budget to the corporate bean counters.

I disagree - they still do a different art style for one movie a year every year - the one that's not in continuity with the other films in the shared setting. Clearly the budget isn't the deciding factor or they wouldn't do that one. The Long Halloween, clearly intended to be a big deal, should have been the once a year exception. There's just no excuse for this other than "didn't try" and "didn't want to."

[Robanker]

I'm not a fan of the flat coloring of old comics either, and don't think they ever "popped" outside of old pop culture. So maybe that helps account for the difference - it gives you nostalgia, but not so much me. I'll take budget anime over anything flat - I hate flat looking styles! So cheap. Which is why the art here might turn out to be a minus for me.

But yes, the films having their own art styles would be greatly preferred over any "house style."

I wouldn't say it's nostalgia. Flat coloring can be very eye-catching even in modern art. It's a style to work with and can look great if implemented well. The first comics I read weren't flat colored, for what it's worth.

[Vakanai]

I wouldn't say it's nostalgia. Flat coloring can be very eye-catching even in modern art. It's a style to work with and can look great if implemented well. The first comics I read weren't flat colored, for what it's worth.

Maybe, I just know I've rarely ever seen it used in anything anywhere where I thought it was genuinely good. At best it has only ever reached the heights of "Didn't hurt my enjoyment of the cartoon." It's just never added anything for me - and judging by Man of Tomorrow, that trend of not being a plus for me will continue. It's fine for original stories, but for an adaptation of a beloved classic it just disappoints me. Like I said, it looks so cheap to my eye, like a cost cutting measure. Gotta be cheaper is shading isn't needed right. Blegh.

[Robanker]

Maybe, I just know I've rarely ever seen it used in anything anywhere where I thought it was genuinely good. At best it has only ever reached the heights of "Didn't hurt my enjoyment of the cartoon." It's just never added anything for me - and judging by Man of Tomorrow, that trend of not being a plus for me will continue. It's fine for original stories, but for an adaptation of a beloved classic it just disappoints me. Like I said, it looks so cheap to my eye, like a cost cutting measure. Gotta be cheaper is shading isn't needed right. Blegh.

That's fair, but I will posit this image as a good example of the different types of coloring and how each provides a unique experience, all of which can be solid.



To be fair, the flat style does cheat by coloring the lines and using heavy inks to create contrast colors but it's all still flat. I agree the films are low-budget and thus just play it straight, but you can only do so much with so little.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

That's great. Sadly not all of us think these are good designs, so we've got less to be happy about.



I disagree - they still do a different art style for one movie a year every year - the one that's not in continuity with the other films in the shared setting. Clearly the budget isn't the deciding factor or they wouldn't do that one. The Long Halloween, clearly intended to be a big deal, should have been the once a year exception. There's just no excuse for this other than "didn't try" and "didn't want to."

You can choose not to believe it, but saving on cost is the exact reason that James Tucker, who was in charge of the DCAU up until recently, gave for using the same art style.

[Vakanai]

You can choose not to believe it, but saving on cost is the exact reason that James Tucker, who was in charge of the DCAU up until recently, gave for using the same art style.

Again, for most of the films - they still do one a year that's not in the same style. The had their choice of which film would be outside that style. They wasted it on an original story over a beloved once in a lifetime classic.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Again, for most of the films - they still do one a year that's not in the same style. The had their choice of which film would be outside that style. They wasted it on an original story over a beloved once in a lifetime classic.

I don't think that's the case anymore. It's either going to be Timm-style or this current house style, which has replaced the old one done by Phil Bourassa

AT&T is tightening the purse strings all across the board, unfortunately.

[Vakanai]

I don't think that's the case anymore. It's either going to be Timm-style or this current house style, which has replaced the old one done by Phil Bourassa

AT&T is tightening the purse strings all across the board, unfortunately.

Batman: Soul of the Dragon suggests otherwise, unless that was the last one to use a different style? God I hope that's not true, that would suck greatly.

[Robanker]

Batman: Soul of the Dragon suggests otherwise, unless that was the last one to use a different style? God I hope that's not true, that would suck greatly.

I can see AT&T shelling out for their favorite son (who admittedly is proven to sell more than their other kids).

[Vakanai]

I can see AT&T shelling out for their favorite son (who admittedly is proven to sell more than their other kids).

Looking at TLH, I wish they'd shelled a little less for Soul of the Dragon and shelled that money here...

[Robanker]

Looking at TLH, I wish they'd shelled a little less for Soul of the Dragon and shelled that money here...

I'm with you, but given that trailer, I think they would have just animated more Joker scenes. I'm not excited for that movie and ten years ago I would have been over the moon thinking about it animated.

[Frontier]

Batman: Soul of the Dragon suggests otherwise, unless that was the last one to use a different style? God I hope that's not true, that would suck greatly.

Soul of the Dragon felt in the vein of the Timm-esque Elseworlds films we usually get.