Radio-Play Comics - Batman: KnightQuest (Sequel to KnightFall/Jean Paul Valley's Batman)

[@fusionspace175]

I had to cut out a vast amount of stuff, almost the same amount of material as I left in, to keep this in a reasonable runtime. Some of the major villains Jean Paul also faced but who got cut from this production are, including but not limited to, Scarecrow (Cut from Jean's part of KnightFall, actually), Clayface III and Lady Clayface, Mr. Freeze, and The Tally Man (This one comes back in Prodigal and thinks Dick is Jean, and he thought Jean was Bruce when they fought. Jean carved a Bat symbol into his chest.) Consider these good reasons to get the trade paperbacks and get the whole story, but I do think I did a good job of preserving Jean's journey through keeping the most important moments.

[@bujilou]

These are so good. Knightfall is the story that got me into comics. Asked myself who my favorite villian was and why, and knew it was bane but I never knew his true origin& always knew of him as "the man who broke the bat" but didn't know why because In every cartoon iteration it never happened, but after picking up the 3 knightfall trades my whole world was expanded,seeing how it all unfolded back in the 90s and listening to the knightfall BBC audio drama enlightened me. Hearing you narrate these was awesome. Good stuff

[@sgko88]

Awesome videos

[@jaderonakikissling]

Damn, it was such a blast watching this. I really enjoyed Jean-Paul Valley taking on the Batman mantle and exploring his character in this story and fighting villains like Joker, Catwoman, etc. Awesome narrating by the way

[@fusionspace175]

Thanks! Sounds like you might enjoy his Azrael series, then. I liked seeing the myth of the Batman be explored but it was more emphasizing how good Bruce was, to me. Jean was given an impossible task, and really was a pawn between the larger forces of Bruce and Dick in their relationship, but as Jean thought himself in the end of KnightFall, "for his own reasons, he is willing clay", and he did as well as almost anyone could be expected to. His journey really began with Sword of Azrael which I left out for the most part, I'd start there, and if you enjoy it, try Denny O' Neil's ongoing book. If you'd like just a preview, though, Azrael does appear in significant roles in Contagion and No Man's Land, here on this channel, and so a few of his issues are part of those events. He appears briefly in Prodigal, as well, but only as a false lead Dick's Batman is pursuing due to his own feelings, Jean is still in recovery from KnightsEnd at that point and not involved in the story.

[@jaderonakikissling]

@@fusionspace175 alright.

[@dmac5472]

Thanks for doing these. I haven't really followed comics since childhood(40y/o now). And even back then I wasn't hugely into them. But seeing someone tweet a clip of Bane breaking batman's back from the movie led me down the rabbit hole to find out the backstory. Good work

[@fusionspace175]

If you keep watching up through 1999 and No Man's Land, you'll see the character bane eventually develops into. He faces his own demon and kicks Venom finally, and comes back stronger than before to claim his greatest prize. For his help, Luthor delivers him the island of Santa Prisca, where he was born. Bane was somewhat of a dark reflection of Batman, not out for pure evil, more of a mercenary and both a physical and mental equal foe, who might turn up anywhere, for his own reasons. The movie didn't quite carry out how good the comics Bane became.

[@dmac5472]

@@fusionspace175 thanks will do

[@rockylee204]

Yes.. Thanks. Great video

[@Pwg1985]

I always loved how they drew catwoman’s ass in these comics.

[@fusionspace175]

It does serve the prurient interests of readers, but that's also part of her strategy. Most of the people she fights are men, and she uses her body and skintight costume to distract them. It certainly works on Jean Paul, anyway, as he's definitely holding back, not using his claws, because of his attraction to her.

[@samyfekrane220]

Thanks dude for doing the video and I'm sure I will love it✌

[@burresseffects]

This was really cool! The issue where JPV lets Abbatoir die was the first comic I ever bought as a kid. (yikes!) I’m watching the whole trilogy. Btw your joker voice is fantastic.

[@fusionspace175]

Thanks! I owe all my joker inspiration to Mark Hamill.

[@Brad59714]

This is Great. I appreciate your hard work. Making my work day tolerable.

[@fusionspace175]

I've had jobs I could binge KZbin at and many channels that served that purpose, so I know how you feel. Glad to repay the favor. Originally I started describing the action because a viewer mentioned they had vision problems and still enjoyed the show, but it's for screen off viewers as well, now, and other multitaskers.

[@parrishsalazar6655]

Love the Catwoman voice

[@fusionspace175]

Thanks! I did Promethea to force myself to develop my female characters, and I think it worked. Selina shows the biggest difference in how villains react to this Batman from Bruce, because she knows him the best. Compare to how long it takes Joker to catch on. I love how she plays him in the end, figured him out that quick.

[@QwenLee]

1:33:05 the Defining choice when he crossed the line.

[@QwenLee]

1:34:59 Jean-Paul Valley failed as Batman. Never worthy to the mantle of the bat.

[@fusionspace175]

True, but to be fair, he was given an impossible task. He did learn from this, and become a worthy hero as Azrael by 1999 and No Man's Land. They say that failure is the greatest teacher.

[@NodDisciple1]

0:06:52 And here comes Truck-Kun.

[@NodDisciple1]

The Joker Making a Movie arc had lost potential. I know DC has more traditional monsters just like the movies they could have used in this instead of just guys in rubber suits.

[@fusionspace175]

Well yeah, but I don't think Joker just happens to have Frankenstein's number lying around. Anyway the fakery was part of the point, it was all basically a bluff to lure him into the real trap. It's one of Joker's least destructive plans, if you examine it, as most of the danger was intentionally fake. He just does what amuses him at this point in time. And once he realized it wasn't Bruce (which took way too long if you ask me) he just dropped the plan entirely and ended the show quickly. And yet as few people as he actually hurt this time around, Jean was still willing to kill him when given the chance, which shows how far he's slipping already.

[@blackknight-oz8bi]

I actually like jean-paul valley as batman i believed him to be truly worthy in shadow of the bat immigrant Rosemary's baby

[@paulturner4684]

thanks for putting these out. Only bit of criticism I'd say is that your Tim is a little too whiny. Like always on the verge of tears.

[@fusionspace175]

He is very young, but it was my first time trying a younger character, and I was more focused on hitting the correct register than anything else, so you'd know who was talking in scenes with Nightwing. He is on the verge of tears when he's leaving the batcave, though, that was intentional. It's a real "all is lost" moment for him. He's dealing with a lot, not only his father being kidnapped but Bruce being gone, and now the last vestige of the old ways is taken from him, and he's truly on his own.

[@fusionspace175]

Listening to the ending of this again, I see what you mean. Tim does sound too whiny and little kiddish here, I think I was going for emotionally exhausted by the whole ordeal, or maybe I just was in the recording process. I'm checking my voices for No Man's Land, writing the script now and just over half done. Hope you've stuck around, I know I can do better. I think I nailed my Tim voice by the time I did Prodigal.

[@riccurry8887]

It's not jean. It's like shawnpaul but with a J

[@fusionspace175]

I am of the opinion that Jean Americanized his name, and that he's not the kind of guy who would correct anyone who pronounced it in the American fashion. His mild mannered civilian identity is a contrast to his identity as the Batman. Everyone I've ever talked to irl about him says it that way, and it felt weird when I tried the French way. He often goes by either Jean or Paul singularly, which are both also American names. It's an artistic choice, there is no definitive "correct" here, as comic books can't talk.

[@stevendixon6583]

🤔Ok jean Paul was mentally unstable 🤪🤣🤣 the 🦇 Bat family was a no show 😒😒 and how did Batman just give up ⬆️ everything with out even knowing what was happening 🤔🤔🤔💯

[@fusionspace175]

For the answer to that, you'd want to watch Knightfall. But in a word, the answer is Bane.

[@wastelandvagrant251]

Why does Tim sound so... effette?

[@fusionspace175]

A few reasons. One, to place his register noticeably higher than Nightwing, and two, he's been through a lot and he's emotionally exhausted. Also that's just Tim's character, as far as I know this time period. Tim's route to becoming Robin was different from any others, he sought out Batman in his time of need while he was nearly lost from grief over Jason. Tim figured out Bruce's secret and saved him from his despair, and so he was invited to be Robin. Tim didn't become Robin out of a need for vengeance or a deep sense of injustice, he's Robin because he has the skills, he sees the need, and he's suited to the task. So yes, I characterize him as the least aggressive and I suppose the least masculine of all the Bat allies. Tim is a nerd, a computer geek who learned to be physical to fight crime, and even by 1999 and No Man's Land he's genuinely spooked by Cassandra Cain Batgirl, and he's the only one. He also has the most like a normal life as a high schooler, and so the least of him has been drawn into this dark and violent world. On top of all that, Azrael's Batman is wildly out of control and given to rages of emotion, Robin is a counter, an antidote to that in the story, and so he ought to sound calm, cool, and collected. I didn't mean him to sound any less manly than my Spider Man, though, he's just a relatively light and fun character in the Bat world.

[@hush5640]

Dude it’s not Jean it’s spelt Jean but it’s pronounced differently this annoyed me so much turned it off

[@fusionspace175]

That's fair. I know it's probably supposed to be like Jean Claude Van Damme, but literally every American I have ever talked to about the character pronounces it like jeans. Sorry you couldn't deal with it. I think Jean chooses to go by it for an easier time in 90's America as well, I can't see him correcting anyone, he's a meek guy in his normal identity. And many times people simply call him Jean or Paul, common American names.

[@apex_prowler95]

@HUSH - Guy, get a life. It's not that serious. It can be John or Jean depending on the person who's answering.

[@anthonycarlisle6184]

It's not pronounced "jean" like a pair of jeans. It's pronounced similar to Shaun. Zhaun-Paul Vah'lay, it's a french Canadian name

[@fusionspace175]

Yes, but Jean is an American citizen, and so he uses the Americanized versions of the names. If he always went by Jean Paul, or it was hyphenated, I might agree with you, but he often goes by simply Jean or Paul separately, and both are valid American names. Plus, I don't feel like Jean is the type of person who would want to go around correcting people on how to pronounce his name, which is why I think he would use the American ones, for simplicity and the ease of everyone else. he is very mild mannered, after all, in his civilian identity. Personally it sounds strange using the French pronunciation to me, as I've never heard another American ever use it, in any context, when referring to the character.

[@anthonycarlisle6184]

Singularly it would be pronounced like "John", Jean-Paul is literally John Paul. Ignoring the person, look at the current house speaker, her last name is Jean-Pierre and there's audio of people pronouncing it. With Robin & Nightwing calling him John or Paul, it's b/c they know him, it's in the same vein as a nickname. Maybe it just boils down to life experience, it's cool. 👍

[@Ronin_Vector]

00:33 Ass speech ballon

[@seanodeli7031]

If you can’t pronounce the name correct you really shouldn’t be doing an audio presentation It’s not Gene Paul Jean Paul like Jean Luc Picard Awful really awful you couldn’t get his name right The name the spelling and the backstory of the character is clearly European This isn’t even listenable

[@fusionspace175]

It was an artistic choice, my reasoning was that Jean would Americanize his names. As he often goes by either Jean or Paul, both of which are also American names, that's how I pronounced it. Every single person I've ever spoken to irl says it that way, and it felt wrong using the French. I also figure Jean isn't the kind of person to correct anyone about it.

[@adnanabbasi8918]

Bro its a pronunciation error. He still did a good job in explaining the full story. Get over it

[@fusionspace175]

@@adnanabbasi8918 It wasn't an error, it was an artistic choice. I felt that since Jean and Paul are both singular American names, and he often goes by either one, that he would Americanize the pronunciations, or at the least others would do it for him, and Jean isn't the kind of person who would correct them, he'd just adopt the custom of the country. I did try the French, of course I'm familiar with Jean Luc Picard and Jean Claude Van Damme and how I say their names, but it just didn't feel right. Perhaps that's because all the American comics fans I grew up discussing it with also used the American style. In any case, I don't mind complaints about my work. I would always rather people be honest than reserve their true feelings to be polite. I don't think that helps anyone.

[@TheAcidDrip]

Suggestion, maybe lay off the voices it's a bit goofy at best and cringe at worst. Listen to a LibriVox recording, like for the. Brothers Karamazov. The way the narrator reads makes the experience more enjoyable. Keep producing comic book readings it's good fun for the blind community.

[@fusionspace175]

Personally I always liked narrators who did character voices, listen to Frank Mullen's reading of the first four Dark Tower books, he brings the characters to life by giving them distinct and individual voices, and I find that essential to my process. I like to think I'm not the best for every part, but good enough at all of them to make the story feel real. Sorry if it doesn't work for everyone, but that is my style. I did use a more narrator focused style and almost no voice acting in the early episodes, perhaps you'd prefer those. Also, comic books are often broad and melodramatic, which is to say I love these books, but it's not The Brothers Karamazov. Some goofiness is usually baked into the cake, as it were.

[@TheAcidDrip]

@@fusionspace175 I'm into comics and so forth, the whole goofiness of it is quite nice as a pallet-cleanser after some heavy literature (like Brothers). That said maybe work on your voices a bit more because it's sometime distracting. The narrator from the Brothers audio book literally has to present HUNDREDS of characters which is why I referenced his performance. Comics are notorious for having extras in the panels giving away a lot of random one liners of exposition to move the story along. I think it's similar to comics in that sense, when the narrator of Brothers needs to create an inflection, he changes the emphasis of his delivery but not the tone of his voice. This is exceptionally evident during the trial in the last few chapters of the book where, in the span of of maybe 50 to 100 pages, about 80+ different people are speaking or are mentioned in some indirect capacity (when reviewing the evidence of the trial). I like the fact that you put out your series on comics, I'm going through your entire series on Knightfall and I'm enjoying it so far. Keep making videos and try to vary your delivery, you have a good work ethic and with some refinement of your presentation you will continue to develop your subscriber base and listener base. As it is KZbin values minutes watched as the highest metric of analysis, and I've listened to a good 5 hours of your work. Keep it up and keep playing with your formula until you find your better stride!

[@itsjinbeeitchpmp]

I enjoyed the voices keep up the good works​@@fusionspace175

[@fusionspace175]

@@itsjinbeeitchpmp Thanks! I've been keeping up, usually only one episode a month now, but I might get this next Punisher one done a bit sooner. I did keep up the Batman ones until No Man's Land, if that's your thing. Most of my Batman voices are inspired by the 1992 Animated Series, especially Hamill's Joker, but I try not to do a direct copy, just get in the area of recognizable. It's really about the story being comprehended as best it can be, not me showing off my range or anything like that. I see myself as just another tool in the hands of the original artists, I just happen to have a mind of my own.

[@itsjinbeeitchpmp]

@@fusionspace175 I like doing voices too so I completely understand lol