Arkham Adolescence Kickstarter - The Villains We Deserve

 Unpopular opinion- Batman is not as interesting as his villains. Let's be honest here, once you get passed the "I now dress as a bat to fight the superstitious and cowardly lot" he becomes a cracker. Quite good, yes, but he exists to deliver something far better to your face. 

Enter the villains. 

Arkham Kickstarter

Before we go any further, watch this video.  Take your time I'll wait. 

Watched it? Great. 

Arkham Adolescence is a fan interpretation of Batman, Joker and Harley Quinn, focusing on their childhoods and how trauma made them all the emotionally stunted people we love today. This dark interpretation is currently looking for funding on Kickstarter, with the hope to earn enough to fund the series. 

Mask Up

Being a fan of the Arkham Gang, I've seen dozens of reinterpretations of the characters, including my own gender bent cosplay Harvey Quinn. Despite this concept not being new, I love the aesthetic the trailer is going for, a feeling somewhere between Joker and The Purge. The use of masks is a perfect touch, considering the last year, lending more authenticity to the piece than most interpretations can offer. I truly hope the creators make the masks available for purchase sometime down the line. 

A Dark Knight

I've heard people complain that in recent years Batman et al have become too dark, making them harder to watch. My argument is "Yeah you're right.".

Okay it's not much of an argument. 

But if we were going to filter these characters into a reality close to ours the only interpretation for them while keeping true to the characters is to bring in the shadows. The few times Batman ever gets interesting is when he has to confront the darker sides of himself, like his code not to kill or his extreme paranoia ruining the relationships around him, thus keeping him forever alone. Whenever a dark interpretation comes around I'm always excited to see how the characters are interpreted, and what new insight we can get from the new interpretations. 

So if you've got a buck and an interest for the dark side of Gotham, start kicking some over to Arkham Adolescence, and show the world that the characters we deserve are the ones that are well written. 

-JOE