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Hey kids what’s happening? There was a lot going down this week on our shows so let’s jump right in. As always, a friendly reminder that there are SPOILERS AHEAD. Ok, still here, then here we go!
Episode 11: A Whole World Out There
- Out of body experiences are the huge theme on this episode which is a two-fold Easter Egg:- Deadman is a DC character who, though dead, is in a constant state of out of body and can jump into others’ and control them, usually to communicate with them. Batman is consistently one of the people that Deadman relies on, as he and Bats have worked together countless times.- Batman has had his own out of body experiences. One such instance involved himself, Jack Knight, the Shade and others as they attempted to save the soul of the then-incarnation of Solomon Grundy that had befriended the Starman team.
Episode 14: The Fearsome Dr. Crane
- Dr. “Todd” Crane – clearly not Jonathan nor Scarecrow, this doctor has the same obsession with fear that his son will come to have. This is a different origin for Scarecrow than I’m aware of, but I’m not as familiar with the New 52 Scarecrow. One notable difference is that Scarecrow himself typically just left his victims in a state of madness from his fear experiments. He rarely, if ever, killed them to my recollection.
- It occurs to me that Edward Nygma is much like how he is after his “rehabilitation” in the post Infinite Crisis books. He sets up his own private investigator firm, and constantly offers to help the police with investigations. He is usually rebuffed, however he’s been somewhat helpful to Batman a few times, begrudgingly so, on Batman’s part.
- As both Bullock and Gordon have attempted to seek love in new avenues this episode, it occurs to me that Bruce has done the same over the years, just not in the New 52 continuity. Some of the women Bruce has had relationships with include Vesper Fairchild, Vicki Vale, and of course Selina Kyle.
- Much like Oswald in the comics, he is a survivor who waits things out to see who comes out on top and how he can benefit from that. After his encounter with Maroni, I’d say that Oswald will continue to survive however he can in the mean streets of Gotham.
- With Oswald having staked claim on Fish’s club, this is clearly a foreshadowing of his club from the comics, the Iceberg Lounge.
Episode 12: Crazy For You
- Blackhawk squad was on the side of the truck that the two criminals robbed. Blackhawks are from the WWII era of comics and were allies of the Justice League, which in a different Earth Batman was a member and founder of.
- Barry got Linda Park’s phone number. Linda Park is Wally West’s future wife. Wally is the second Flash, after Barry (though technically third after Jay Garrick). Wally has worked with Bats specifically on many occasions and Bruce even helped return Wally’s memories after he chose to forget he was the Flash to protect Linda.
- Grodd was seen! Whoa he’s big! Though a Flash villain, Batman has encountered the telepathic Grodd at least once, in “Batman/Superman: Public Enemies.”
Episode 12: Uprising
- This entire episode, and several preceding it, is reminiscent of the “Knightfall” storyline. In “Knightfall,” Bruce Wayne is worn down by an arrogant Bane, has his back broken, and spends a year in recovery. What specifically is reminiscent is the rest of Team Arrow stepping up in Oliver’s absence. In “Knightfall,” Jean-Paul Valley aka Azrael takes on the mantle, eventually losing control of himself, and Bruce is forced to speed his recovery and defeat a power-suit wielding Azrael. Tim Drake also steps up and attempts to keep the streets of Gotham clean and safe in his mentor’s absence and rehabilitation.
- The huge brawl in the streets is incredibly reminiscent of the showdown at the end of “The Dark Knight Rises,” when Bane’s minions of the League of Shadows and the combined might of the Gotham Police Department meet in battle. Like Bruce, Oliver returns in the nick of time. Though, Bruce was in far better physical shape than Oliver was upon his return.
- Like Oliver, Bruce eventually sets his sights on defeating the Demon, and permanently ending him, at different points in his career. At times he just destroys Lazarus Pits, even creating one in the Batcave to potentially lure R’as in a moment of dire need for the pit. Bruce, however, never needed to team up with his nemesis to learn to defeat the Demon’s Head. So, it appears Bruce has superior martial skills over Oliver. At least, in the comics.
That is all I’ve found this week. Please comment or correct or even add to any Easter eggs in the comments section, as it’s always good to see what we may have missed. See you next Bat time, same Bat channel.
