Welcome, Wanderers…
For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been stuck on what exactly I wanted this newsletter to be. I only knew I wanted to do it, but I didn’t know how or what that was going to entail exactly. What I was really stuck on was the logistics — how can I build this out into an Andy’s Digest-style periodical, aping a newspaper while including perspectives and art from friends and family along the way? The answer is I don’t know how to do it yet in a way that’s purdy, but I’m not going to let that stop me from releasing this first issue, from starting our story together. I am nervous and excited about what this can become and I’m open to all suggestions and feedback. Thanks for reading (or not reading; I get it).
Regardless of when and how this finds you, just know I appreciate you.
And now, it seems only fitting to start with the newest comic book adaptation, as I’ve been reflecting on them since the days of Smallville on Comic Castle 4. Somebody save me…
Is “The Batman” the Start of Something New?
I had been ambivalent about more Batmen movies until I heard an off-color anecdote before a Worst Person in the World screening with friends. Someone I just met mentioned that director Matt Reeves had had problems working with Robert Pattinson. Apparently, Reeves was angry that Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz had sex on the batmobile after hours.
This made me laugh. This made me happy. Who wouldn’t fuck on the batmobile if given a fair opportunity? (My partner, for one: “Is it comfy? Is it cold? What does it look like inside?” Matt Reeves would get along great with my wife.)
Whatever truth was smuggled into this Norwegian Paralysis-laced gossip, it was undeniably good marketing. I went from not remembering that The Batman existed and happier for it to buying advance tickets to Opening Night for my bemused partner and I.
After an underpaid and overworked young man tore our tickets while handling multiple crises – someone’s red ICEE had exploded onto the not-quite-blue-anymore carpet! Someone had dropped their credit card! My immediate fear was that the card was somehow mine! – we sat in the third row and were uncomfortable for the next three hours. I was also riveted.
I don’t remember any moments of daylight in the film, and you know what? Sometimes daylight feels dishonest. How can it look so fucking nice out there when it’s so dark in here? Get out of here, daylight! And while we’re at it, let’s try to be honest about the shadows in our life.
And I feel like The Batman mostly did that.
I was here for the Zodiac / Goodfellas take on the two main villains. Paul Dano’s Riddler was disturbing, weird, over the top, scary, not easily definable but also not as complex as he thinks he is. Colin Farrell’s Penguin is no Joe Pesci, but I like that he reminds me of him, because I like to be reminded of Joe Pesci whenever possible.
The Gotham City we inhabit reflects the Safdie brothers’ Good Time with our newest Batman, Bob-Pat. It's a less colorful Sin City but in a way that won’t age as poorly but also won’t inspire me to buy that Jessica Alba poster. It’s Joker, but with more honest pain.
There is feeling on display and it’s not only anger. It’s not grimdark purely for the visual aesthetic.
I felt empathy toward its villains; and I include Batman in that group, by the way. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say that the Wayne family is one of our villains. And they are a most effective one, rarely explored enough, and that remains the case after this movie.
Here, Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne was an afterthought, a ghost haunting the mansion, flickers of the WB corporation itself. The sickly pale evidence of white privilege. Reeves and company know that nobody – including and especially Bruce Wayne – really gives a shit about Bruce Wayne. Well, Alfred does, because that’s his job.
(Sidenote: Andy Serkis felt like weird/forced casting because of his kinship with Reeves, but I came away charmed by this Father Figure Watson-like version of Alfred Pennyworth. He’s younger, sure, but there’s a bit more depth than Wry-Wise Old Man Servant. I believe his military experience… except for when he opens mail.)
Given that Bruce Wayne is such an afterthought that I immediately swerved to talking about fucking Alfred, it makes sense that there is much less difference in Bobby-Patty’s voice as Batman versus Bruce Wayne. He’s more honest. Rather, he’s not as interested in pretending, and this film as a whole feels like it’s not as interested in pretending its rarefied position in our culture isn’t important, isn’t a responsibility.
In this Gotham City, much like our world, tragedy is a story to be mined for the rich and privileged. For the poor and unseen, tragedy is a numbing, torturous death without room for sympathy, let alone empathy. That I am able to even take the time to write this when I am not being paid to do so is all you need to know to realize which category I fall under.
But this movie is not that serious. Not yet.
In many ways, this is a 176-minute long Halloween movie. And by that I don’t just mean that the film opens on October 31st, but Batman is often utilized like he’s Michael Myers on the prowl. (I very much prefer this than to Halloween Kills, by the way.)
Batman is scored accordingly by Michael Giacchino, doing his best work I’ve yet encountered. I felt whispers of Danny Elfman’s theme for Batman: The Animated Series, intercut with a crescendoing John Williams’ Darth Vader-like imperial march when Batman was coming. These pillars from the past paired with ethereal haunting interludes are telling a ghost story. The ghosts of Batmen past, the ghosts of Thomas and Martha Wayne, and the ghost of Bruce Wayne himself, of childhood lost.
Bruce Wayne and Batman’s central conflict is the imbalance of his two identities, his two worlds, and reckoning with their starkly contradicting philosophies.
Despite its long runtime, The Batman only went surface level in this exploration and pulled some of its (many) punches. This film opens the door not just to a sequel, but hopefully to accountability.
This was Part 1 of a two-part (?) story, one where the next part can no longer ignore Bruce Wayne. Or more accurately, a film where Bruce Wayne can no longer ignore his reality. We can’t. It’s time to put the Wayne family on trial, put Gotham City’s finest and wealthiest on trial. It’s time to reckon with how much easier it is to be a superhero when you’re a billionaire and yet only fictional billionaire characters have ever even tried to help, albeit with questionable methods.
This Batman plays in the shadows, lives in the blurry (though that might’ve been my third row vantage point). He is but one of the many alley rats with wings who had a part in creating the ubiquitous shadows that is inequality.
This Batman’s objective was so clearly Vengeance that Selina even calls him Vengeance. But vengeance wasn’t and isn’t enough. Reeves (and now Bruce) understands that superhero movies (and their all too often white protagonists) need to reflect more than vengeance, more than CGI violence, more than punching, more than kewl.
This may sound like an obvious journey, but given the Batman franchise’s recent one-dimensional grimdark direction, it’s something.
But what something that is hasn’t been answered yet.
Aside from a few moments of clunky dialogue that took me out of the moment (with laughter, so still a win), my anxiety about what that something will be stems from one scene in particular that requires a hefty SPOILER ALERT.
BIG
SCARY
DELICIOUS
SPOILERS
FOR
THE
REST
OF
THE
REVIEW
(SORRY)
The Joker shows up near the end of the movie, luckily finding himself to be Riddler’s cell neighbor in Arkham. I had nothing particularly against what happened in the scene itself, even admiring what appeared to be a bold take on the Joker’s look.
Still… this felt like a different movie than the rest. This was corporate. While this film is violent, dark and dreary, there’s restraint and intention on display. That restraint was gone in Arkham. I simply don’t think this movie needed another Joker, another villain – I certainly don’t need another Joker quite yet, and I don’t want a plug for the next movie WITHIN the movie. Don’t point out the seams that are SO hard to forget, particularly in a movie as big as this one.
Of course – I might be in the minority judging from the audience reaction to the discovery that there was nothing but a riddle after the credits. No end credit sequence promising infinite sequels. My reaction was simply, “That’s what the Joker scene was.”
But the only ones vocal in the audience scoffed, swore, were angry, letting this sour taste sully what felt like a fairly captivating cinematic experience.
“I sat through the credits… for that?” a teenager yelled. Her dad laughed at her frustration. I wanted to yell at her: The movie isn’t even over yet and we need a sequel? We need more? One movie wasn’t enough?
With The Batman, perhaps it wasn’t. It does feel incomplete, because I think there’s more to say. I’m excited and nervous that Reeves and company at least appear to be heading somewhere. After the Joker scene, I’m unsure where because I have trust issues and because it felt indulgent in the ways superhero movies feel like they have to be to make money. Given the audience’s response to when they’re not given a trailer for another product within the product, WB might be right. But I hope not.
This is a film where Bruce Wayne (and the abundance of CIS white males in attendance) hopefully realize their privilege; that we’re not doing enough or at least not what’s most helpful. We can’t ignore this or punch our way out of generational trauma. It’s time to stop attacking the symptoms and start building prevention from the infection, from the shadows we’ve helped create.
5 Ways to Help Ukraine
Donate to the International Rescue Committee’s campaign in Ukraine. My dear friend A.J. (and card-carrying Wanderers’ Union member) works for IRC. They’re for real.
Provide shelter to Ukrainian refugees through Airbnb.
Give to Ukrainian sellers through Etsy.
Stay informed. The IG stories by my friend and coffee genius, Ransom Kirk, have been really helpful for me.
This Week on The Naked Man Podcast
The episode description:
I had been planning on taking a hiatus before starting season 2 of The Naked Man Podcast, but the world intervened and I realized this conversation needed to be released NOW.
This week, I'm joined by my friend and THE trans horror historian Logan-Ashley Kisner, three months removed from his top surgery. We talk about Logan's journey -- from when he first started questioning his gender identity and when he first started planning the surgery itself, and what that process was like and how COVID affected it all.
We lambast Texas Governor Abbott and his offensive and dangerous comments on trans youth. We discuss the proper terminology for Logan's transition and clarify other misconceptions. We talk about how insurance and money clouds the ability for trans people to be who they are. We explore the fear of dedicating to things and the dedication inherent in such a surgery. We glow about Logan's support system, his friends, his family and we compare the trans coming out conversation to helping your parents with new technology.
Because we're us, we indulge ourselves on how horror and art influences all of this, including the feedback loop of media and the political landscape. To help reshape the narrative, Logan recommends three horror films to accompany our conversation (Sleepaway Camp, Evil Dead, Ginger Snaps).
Lastly, we both discover that we're mirrored threshold guardians in one another's story, and get excited for our future together.
As always, here’s the companion mixtape created by my guest and friend, Logan-Ashley Kisner.
Art by Friendz!
“Delusions in the Desert,” a new single from Movies with Friends and The Naked Man Podcast composer Robert Panico is my kind of delusion.
Danice Cabanela is the star of Netflix’s Adventure Beast, a quirky animated show I wrote about here. Help get this sex-positive program another season by giving it a shot so I can get hired to write dung jokes.
Sandy Green’s new single as Crimson Renai, “Glitter” has arrived! Yes, I have a friend named Sandy Green and she’s (unsurprisingly) way cooler than me.
Article I Didn’t Finish But Want You To Know I Tried
Why the Phrase 'Late Capitalism' Is Suddenly Everywhere by Annie Lowrey
David’s Book of the Month!
adapted from The Wanderers’ Union
by David Youngblood
Hi everyone! For those of you who don't know me, which is of course the vast majority, I'm an obsessive audiobook listener. I typically go through around 175 books a year, so I love and appreciate any recommendations! This year I've finally started doing what I've meant to do for years: writing down little ratings and one-paragraph reviews of each book once I finish it.
Here’s the blurb for my favorite book of the last month.
The Map of Salt and Stars
Written by Zeyn Joukhadar
Narrated by Lara Sawalha
Released 2018
Audiobook length: 12 hours, 17 minutes
Rating: 5 stars
February was a super strong month of books for me, with several listens I would have been happy to see get this recommendation spot. Yet the actual choice was an easy one, thanks to this incredible entry that is not only an early strong favorite for my top book of the year, but is going to join a (long) list of my all-time favorites. This novel tells the story of a young Syrian refugee as she and her family make their way through violence in search of safety. Against her harrowing tale we're also told another story, a fairy tale set in the middle ages of a brave Syrian heroine and her mythical adventures. The two storylines play off each other, coming together in a rush of emotion that made my heart burst. This isn't an easy read/listen. The novel format still makes you all too aware that the fictionalized tragic events it depicts really have happened to countless real people. But my goodness is it worth the emotional journey. It's grounded and fantastical, devastating and uplifting, depressingly dark and unbelievably bright, all at once.
"They can never take our land, our names, from our hearts," one character says. "We are the stories we tell," offers another wise one. This is the story of human tragedy, and it must be told. We must tell and become that story, find it in ourselves so that the future we forge is something better -- something worthy of the names written on our hearts.
Previously On… The Wanderers’ Union
32 members and friends, including Logan-Ashley Kisner and David Youngblood, have officially joined The Wanderers’ Union. So, what the hell is that? Why, it’s the new Discord that we are building in hopes of creating a safe community to talk about what we care about (other people, the planet, movies, TV, parenting, podcasts, making things, etc.).
If you don’t know what the fuck a Discord is, you’re not alone. This is my first time using it. Discord is basically a malleable digital space that gamers use, but it has the potential for voice channels, AMAs, open mics, DJ sessions, movie clubs, book clubs, fight clubs and group screenings! Our server remains a new frontier to explore and play with together.
In all honesty, The Wanderers’ Union is also an attempt to bridge my disparate social circles — my friends, my family, everyone who cares — in a selfish attempt to make communication easier and more relaxed for me. I am always on the edge of stretching myself too thin (which would make me a great Reed Richards) and my hope is that this will alleviate that desire in some way.
But more importantly, we’re slinging gossip galore!
“I just had a dinner with a friend who’s friends with Aaron [Rodgers’] older brother, Luke. I know it’s common knowledge, but he confirmed how Rodgers cut ties with all his family when he got famous, and he was saying Luke is a pretty cool guy.”
If you’re somehow still not sold on The Wanderers’ Union, I know what will change your mind: custom emojis!
Have you always wanted to respond to someone with a Blurry Ross emoji? Now you can! And just think: there’s 49 other exclusive Andy-themed emojis to discover…
Scrapings From the Writer’s Toolbox
Thoughtfully provided by someone who wanted to be credited only as H.A.C.K.
Today, we consider possible names of characters living in a world dominated by herbal elements or medicinal biota.
Male (from a traditional gender perspective):
Burdock
Thyme
Sage
Clovis
Pepper
Caraway
Comfrey
Dandelion
Hops
Nettles
Parsley
Pine
Skullcap
Wormwood
Bay
Thistle
Female (from a traditional gender perspective):
Margarum(ery)
Nut(meg)
Rose(mary)
Penny(royal)
Balsam
Aloe(vera)
Clove
Sarsaparilla
Anise
Saffron
Cayenne
Cedar
Juniper
Willow
Yarrow
Self-Pollenating:
Ginger
Fennel (ie. King Fennel II, Lord of Salad and Antipasto. Known as “Fennel the Undressed.”)
Elder
Flax
Kelp
Gingko
Echinacea
End of consideration. Toolbox sufficiently scraped.
Dafuh?
Postcards
Here are a few notes from you all I liked.
it is a bummer that red pandas are selling out.
-Brendan
You are so sweet, so earnest and I love you so much. And I look forward and present to find many ways for us to be self-fulfilling and mutually supportive together (kind of like Rudolph and Hermey).
-Mom
Hello Andrew, this is Pacific Dental Care. Just a reminder of your appt today, March 2nd at 9:00 AM. See you soon!
Reply STOP to unsubscribe.
-Pacific Dental Care
Fellow wanderers, if you’d like to be spotlighted in this section going forward, e-mail us your answer(s) to any of the following prompts (or make up your own):
What was the #1 movie in America on the day you were born? If you’ve seen it, what do you think about it?
Do you love your job? Why or why not?
What’s your favorite dinosaur?
Great newsletter andy! Look out for my answers to 2 of your 3 questions. Because i cant wait to be quoted again along with your dentist. Not sure i am up for the darkness of the batman but i am moved by the last paragraph of your review, and enjoyed your conversation with Lash. Please thank David for his audio book review