Constantly creating more characters encourages more obligatory synergy. Next thing you know, you have arcs or entire serials expressly devoted to team ups. And that inevitably leads to colossally homosexual crossover events. My fear is that this phenomenon makes its way to the gaming medium and Warner/DC tells Rocksteady, "We could really do with the inclusion of this/these character(s) in the next game." I don't expect a Crisis sub-plot to rear its head, but I do expect them to use the game as a springboard for other characters in the same way they used Batman comics in regards to Bordeaux (admittedly, that had more to do with Rucka), Kathy Kane, Manhunter, Montoya, Grayson, and Damien.
none of this parallaxian fear relates to arkham city. your argument is referring to a world of video games that do not exist. you're already upset with the third title in the arkham trilogy, as well as the new franchise of superman and wonder woman games, months before the second batman game has hit shelves. ...and, notedly, only a few years after the first title impressed you so. even prometheus waits until he sees a rendering.
looking at
just what we actually have to look at here, there's a single video game title. which you enjoyed. that same team is back, building a follow up. those are all the cards we have to play with. making any type of comparison to 70+ years of messy comic book continuity or marketing ploys is silly.
if you're whole argument is you "just saying it could," well then, ok, sure. but i'd counter we've seen no indication that this is the direction rockstar will head. they've already bucked years of bad comics, and a decent supply of shitty batman video games, to bring us a kick ass title. i'll give them the benefit of the doubt on a not-yet-released sequel.
Which begs the question: what makes up the itinerary of contemporary comic books? Just writing? Certainly not. It's a continuum of character debuts/showcases, extended families, team ups, replacements, clones (see also: Batman Inc.), and universal crossovers that are all being micro-managed by one person (Didio). I give the main brunt of writers out there a lot of shit. But I cannot expect any writer to work well under those kind of conditions.
a disadvantage i will grant the world of comics is the serial nature of having to come up with "something else" every 30 days. but shitty conditions are a shitty excuse for a bad story. a writer can bob-and-weave through the nonsense to pull something magical out of his ass. miller didn't invent batman. neither did christopher nolan or rocksteady. however, each was able to craft a tale how they wanted to, all based on the same premise, each different, and all awesome.
you also have to remember that if catwoman or joker, or even the paranoia-fulfilling huntress appears in arkham asylum 8, they will be
rockstar's versions of the characters, designed to fit in their universe. similar to how miller's superman was a government punk, batman & robin's bane was a mindless goon, BTAS's mr. freeze was an awesomely complex villain, etc. the varied interpretation means, by default, they're not going to be who you "know" them to be.
and all that aside: you, personally, can instantly toss aside teamups and replacements and expanding families as bad stuffs. fine. but let's look at the flip side: have you liked every solo batman adventure? my guess would be a "no," and very likely a "of course not." that would again point to the quality of the story, itself; and have no bearing on the quantity of characters.
the latest morrison batman and robin story is a brand new batman paired with a brand new character, both of which i dislike in principle, and i loved it.
By that token, it doesn't have to be a Batman comic then for you to enjoy it. Or rather, it doesn't have to be Bat characters even if it's a Batman book....Kinda defeats the purpose.
i've been known to enjoy stories that weren't batman stories, yes. however, the dick grayson / damian wayne "batman & robin" title was deeply affixed within the batworld. it was their dynamic together, as well as their misplacement in their own universe (namely: the batuniverse) that i found enjoyable. not necessarily dick continually questioning "am i as good as bruce", which is what most hacky writers have been breathing through grayson for years. instead, he flat out knows he's not -- and/or at least acknowledges he's different. further, it's having damian continually point out "he's not as good as bruce" that adds the unexpected and dynamic element of fun to the story.
and, please note: this is a story i am enjoying, not a premise. the two or three issues i've read thus far that carry a new writer (i believe starting with B&R 15?) have been poo. same characters, same world, different outcome.
