Interlinked tales of Bat, Cat, and Gotham.

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Chris Dee |
Cat-Tale 53: Short Tales |
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Interlinked tales of Bat, Cat, and Gotham.
--Chris Dee
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Superpowers corrupts - superbly. --Identity Element |
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BenRG |
#1 | |||
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Okay, this is a new concept in the Cat Tales universe, so I'll handle it differently. I am going to have seperate reviews for each story. If some sort of
large-scale meta-plot becomes apparent, I'll mention it at the end.
Short Stories - Prologue Well, it looks like Tim and Cassie did at least one bottom feeder a favour. With luck, it is likely that Ozzie won't even have a record of Sportin' Joe's debt. A nice reminder of how every even in the 'verse has a knock-on effect that you might not ever even see. Chapter 1 - The Z Another nice new concept. Professional Criminal Service providers. Obviously they are leaving Batman a bit flat-footed in their wake. You know, I have to say the whole idea of Batman being suckered into an ambush by anyone is a bit unusual. I guess Bruce has been allowing his desire to deal with a matter
fast get in the way of the need to deal with it properly.
It was great to see a little Bruce/Selina interaction. Selina's little memory of the past was a nice reminder that she was a bad guy once and a reminder that not all of Bruce's enemies were as generally nice as she was (and is). It is an odd idea but I think that, even then, Selina sometimes forgot that Batman may have had a previous encounter that night that left him most assuredly not in the mood. Now... Why didn't she go to bed? Does she want to be involved in the take-down? Chapter 2 - HNWI It is an old question: What do you do when you can literally buy (or have one of your companies build) literally anything? Why, you compete with the other Small Gods of the modern era to see who can build/buy/collect the most outrageously sophisticated, stylish or expensive things, of course. Who would have thought that Bruce could be so competitive over such things? Of course, it is obvious that Kitty is going to benefit - Car, gadgets, jewellry, the most incredibly high-end clothes, etc...
A nice little bit of psychology there from Bruce. Not only is he off having fun whilst Briggs is being bored, he is doing it with a beautiful woman. I just hope that Briggs doesn't run into Pammy when he tries to top Bruce's feat...
I wonder Chris: That comment about Briggs starting his own space program - Was that inspired by Richard Branson wanting to start space tourist flights using that variant of Burt Rutan's spaceship? Chapter 3 - Fantasy & Epilogue Heh. Bruce is right: Tim does need to be taken down a peg or two every now and then. So! Someone is impersonating the Riddler to give Batman pre-warnings of some events. Well, that is interesting. Poor Eddie seems to be more worried about the implied slur on his abilities than to the trademark violation that would have Jack or Pammy out for blood.
So... in the beginning and end it was all linked after all! I won't mention in what way (spoiler rules apply this soon after the story was posted, after all). Certainly, the little man learnt what so many of his 'betters' knew already: In the end... even if it is only by luck, The Batman Knows. To Blackgate with you! And the little ending quip? Just as Selina said: Quoth the CatBenRG's Overall Rating: 8.5/10 - A superior work and a wonderful conclusion. I didn't even see the meta-plot coming until the very end. Bravo to Chris! I'm looking forward to seeing the consequences of Selina's new role in the next story. Could the Queen of the Underworld actually be operating with The Bat's approval? ~*~*~*~
They call me BenRG But... I don't know why... ~*~*~*~ |
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Fett One.gothampm |
#2 | |||
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This was an interesting change of pace.
I liked Tim being taken down a peg because it showed that despite everything he has accomplished he still has a lot to learn.The last thing anyone needs is a Robin with an overinflated ego, lol. |
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JabberwockyPie |
#3 | |||
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It's nice to know that after all these years of reading, Cat Tales can still make me laugh out loud and do the embarrassing snort laugh even in the privacy
of my own apartment.
Really great short story. Or stories, rather. |
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Random Equinox |
#4 | |||
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Before I get to the short stories, I thought I'd mention that the part about the other guy, Pavo, spending time with his mom at the hospital was a nice
touch. Reminds us that even "bad guys" have families and lives, too.
Hubris, and the need to smack it down, seemed to be a recurring theme in the various chapters: Chapter 1 The monosyllabic vocabulary of the crooks and their unusual modus operandi caused the Bat to underestimate them the first time and put him off-balance over and over again. It sounds as if he'd been classifying crooks into themed (a.k.a. "hard") and non-themed (a.k.a. "easy"). Facing someone who didn't fall neatly into either category (at first) threw him for a loop. Even though they wound up having "theme" connections in the end, it just goes to show: just because you don't have a major theme and/or are gunning for the Dark Knight, doesn't mean you shouldn't be taken seriously. Thankfully, it didn't take too long for Batman to take a dose of humility. Chapter 2 Yep, the whole "whose toy is bigger" theme seems fairly prevalent amongst the ridiculously rich. Even if Bruce is above some of that, he still has to "play the game" to maintain his Fop cover. Not to mention that his competitive streak, which fuels his oft-used "my way or the highway" mentality, wouldn't settle for anything less. After a few paragraphs, I had a feeling that it would refer to the "'real' goddamned Batmobile." Sure enough, there it was. While it may be a little too close to the Batman identity, the Fop's loss is Selina's gain. It also helped win this round against Redford Briggs. The idea of building and expanding one's business empire for nothing more than a pawn in a chess game of bragging rights seems incredibly pompous, arrogant and short-sighted. Bruce sure found a way to derail that, with Selina's help, of course: "Sorry, Redford. Love to waste time in a pointless pissing contest with you, but I have better things to do. Like buy that awesome Reventón and get a custom paint-job (and who knows what sort of custom gadgets). And give it to my hot, intelligent soulmate (and you know Briggs can't buy that). And engage in all sorts of mind-blowing hijinks (which Briggs can only dream of)." Chapter 3 It's hard to be objective about your own idea. Still, the way Robin latched onto his solution, after all the training and experience he's had, suggests a teeny bit of hubris. At least he learned his lesson without any harsh consequences. Another instance of hubris was Sportin' Joe's fantasy league. You could probably find plenty of examples, but the line "Always thought I had it in me to be a big thinker" pretty much clinches it. While Joey's hubris was answered in the form of the Batman, I thought it was interesting to see things from the henchmens' POV: the group that might be halfway intelligent or capable is always being tarred by the same brush used on the dimwit cannon fodder group. While it's a shame they couldn't use their talents for other purposes, it's understandable that they want some recognition for their own talents. The thing is, they had a reasonably successful thing going here. If Ozzy or someone is smart enough to snap up their services and loan them out on retainer, he or she could make a tidy profit. Batman might want to watch it: this new variable might be here to stay... Of course, Riddler displayed a fair bit of hubris himself. Like Joey, though, there was a bit of justification. It's hard to learn that, for a moment, the work of a master (yourself) was confused for that of a (cheap and lousy) amateur without feeling a little insulted. So, a couple new faces introduced in this Cat-Tales. Whether they'll be back for a recurring role or not remains to be seen. Still, their antics made for an entertaining amuse bouche to whet our collective appetites for the upcoming War of the Poses. |
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ichigenka.gothampm |
#5 | |||
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I'll play parakeet and echo what everyone said. Intelligent henchmen are a nice touch, it makes them feel more real. Just because one has big muscles
doesn't mean they don't have brains. Just something that will probably be answered in the next tale but what's Eddie's take on the Vault? With
his lair set up and some seed money in pocket, he now has a perfect reason to go on a riddle spree.
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Letomo |
#6 | |||
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I just hope we get some more on Robin/Tim - Batgirl/Cassie in the next story. Last we saw them, they were in a serioous liplock. Could that be part of what
caused the 'hubris' of Tim's?
Otherwise, a nice story, good change of pace, showing that life does go on, outside of the 'big' storylines. |
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Chris Dee |
#7 | |||
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Hi all, I'm glad you enjoyed the little trio of amuse, as RE put it.
Ben, a brilliant rundown as always. I'm always tickled by the detail of your analysis, and your ability to dig beneath the obvious. Quoth the CatI take it nobody wants to hear the inspiration for the zombie porn, eh? Damn. *waves to Fett and JabberwockyPie* You know it's funny, this is the second review to mention embarrassing snorting in the cubicle. I would suggest you all adopt the practice I use with Thundering Monkey, play some Batman '89 in the background with Nicholson's Joker and let the mad gaffawing be attributed to that. Random Equinox: Once again, you said the secret word. Hubris does swim through these stories like spawning salmon, doesn't it? Makes you wonder where they're headed. *naughty grin* *waves to ichigenkta* You nailed it. Big muscles don't equate to small brains any more than big boobs do. I think sometimes our Gotham rogues, even the ones we like, are apt to forget that. Welcome Letomo. As I mentioned in one of the recent chats, THE place to go for Tim/Cassie developments is the sister series Tales of the Tower: Learning Curve. There they are the leads, in Cat-Tales they are minor characters. They certainly appear regularly and will continue to do so, but to binge on them as your couple of choice, you'll want to bookmark J.H. Howard.
--Chris Dee
"Do you, Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle promise to forsake all others and reserve your warped, angst-ridden, dysfunctional nincompoopery for each other, thereby saving at least two innocent people and providing untold hours of fascinated diversion to the rest of us who might otherwise think WE have screwed up relationships!" --Catfight |
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catwoman43502 |
#8 | |||
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Nice change of pace. The use of the Lambourgini kicks. Loved that part.
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Letomo |
#9 | |||
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I was curious [having read through all your stories twice now], do you still follow the comics, and try to touch on them in what is happening? Especially with
Eddie losing his memory, and Talia having had a baby by Bruce [and what wrenches would that throw into the Catverse?]? Also, you might want to clear something
up. On my second read through, our first intro to Eddie and Harvey is that Selina likes Harvey [but not Darth], and only likes Eddie when he is not 'acting
crazy'. Will you retroactively explain the changeover to having Eddie become her best friend, or is it just part of the evolution of the Tales?
Last Edited By: Letomo 10/15/07 00:10.
Edited 1 time.
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Chris Dee |
#10 | |||
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No, I no longer read comics. When I did, I was very selective in what I brought into or referenced in the Tales even to take a poke at. You simply can't go
after every little thing, no matter how much hype DC might put behind it, or you wind up with chaos at best, the same sort of mess they have created at worst.
As for Eddie, it is both an evolution in the storytelling and the simple cat behavior of not revealing more than you need to know. We readers were not yet Selina's confidants in the first chapters of Reputation, so she told us as much of her personal feelings as were needed to tell her story, but no more.
--Chris Dee
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Superpowers corrupts - superbly. --Identity Element |
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ichigenka.gothampm |
#11 | |||
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I think occasionally we hear about the Post latest tabloid exploits but that's it (and as it should be). Don't remember what chapter it was in but
Bruce mentions something about if the Post were true he'd be crazy and would have fathered a dozen children or something to that effect.
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Chris Dee |
#12 | |||
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Thundering Monkey and I collaborated:
--Chris Dee
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Superpowers corrupts - superbly. --Identity Element |
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fangirl1001 |
#13 | |||
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In the words of Kevin from The Office (US): Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.
Evil Overlord's List Rule 42: "When I capture the hero, I will make sure I also get his dog, monkey, ferret, or whatever sickeningly cute little animal capable of untying ropes and filching keys happens to follow him around." |
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BenRG |
Selina + Gallardio = Ohboyohboyohboyohboy...! | #14 | ||
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That's a lovely little bit of fanart, Chris and TM. I've got this mental image of Briggs' copy having a post-it note on the front upon which is
written, in Bruce's inimitable scrawl: "Sorry to bail - I've got a date with a lovely lady and her Lambo. Look and weep - Love, Brucie"
As Dogbert once said: "You've also got to gloat". ~*~*~*~
They call me BenRG But... I don't know why... ~*~*~*~ |
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