Batman Comics

Let’s talk about DC’s recent announcement that a well-known character will come out as gay this June. This is a very exciting step! I want to see the world I live in reflected in the comics I read, although of course I also want the fantastic, impossible, magical elements that I can only dream about in real life; an important part of my world is the diversity of the people I interact with. Race, age, size, gender, sexuality – these are all sites of difference that can shape who we are and how we interact with others, and when these differences are reflected in the art that we create and consume it enriches both the reader and the art. It’s great to see DC comics embracing that diversity in the characters it portrays, and hopefully this marks the beginning of further diversification in DC’s creators and who they market to as well.

The announcement specifically uses the word “reintroduced”, which suggests that this character has not been active since the relaunch, but they’re also “major” and “iconic”, which rules out lesser known characters. After some in-depth lunchtime discussions with my Bat-fan coworkers, these are my top three picks for who might be the new gay hero, keeping in mind that my first choice (Tim Drake) is disqualified because he’s already been very busy in the DCnU and thus can’t be reintroduced.

1. Alan Scott (Green Lantern, Earth 2). We saw Scott at the end of Earth 2 issue 1, so his reintroduction is happening right now. He’s iconic, having been the very first Green Lantern, but unlike Hal Jordan (Ryan Renolds in the Green Lantern movie) or John Stewart (on the Justice League cartoon show) he hasn’t had much exposure outside of comic books and so there’s less attachment to a certain version of the character. Coming out would probably give this older character a much-needed boost into the modern world.

Earth 2 #1 by James Robinson and Nicola Scott

2. Vic Sage (The Question).  He’s an iconic DC character, in that he’s been around forever and lots of readers know him, but he’s also less popular and has less cultural baggage than someone like Batman or Superman. He appeared very briefly in the Free Comic Book Day issue that DC put out this May, so we know the Question is a part of the relaunched universe, but very little other information was given. Plus, maybe there’s something about the Question mask that carries a certain gayness with it… Renee Montoya, who was The Question prior to the relaunch, was a lesbian.

The New 52 FCBD Edition, by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee

3. The Riddler. It could be a villain, and of any villain, the Riddler is probably the gayest! I know, don’t worry, I’m not saying that the Joker’s straight, but Mister J’s more queer than gay. The Riddler is well known, not specifically written as straight (unlike the Penguin, who’s already had a tragic romance storyline), and hasn’t really done anything since the relaunch. We did get a few glimpses of him with the other inmates of Arkham Asylum in Batman 1.

Batman #1 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo

One problem with my list is that it’s three men, but I didn’t want to include a woman just for the sake of having a lady on the list, and these are the characters that made the most sense to me as possibly the one. Also, it’s often easier or less controversial for a woman to come out as lesbian or bisexual than it is for a man to do the same thing. That’s problematic (to say the least), but this isn’t the right time or place to get into that whole conversation.The point is, the DCnU can use more diversity all over and having a gay man in the scene will help. I’m looking forward to watching this story unfold, and would love to read your comments about these three possibilities and whoever else you think might be getting ready to come out.

The Batman comics that came out this past Wednesday were, as a whole, not as exciting as I had hoped. Not too much happened this week! Did anyone else feel the same way? I do want to share a couple love it and livid moments, so here we go.

The first comic I read this week was I Vampire 5, by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Andrea Sorrentino. I always love seeing Batman interact with characters from other comics, it gives us an interesting view into his goals and concerns. So, what happens when Vampires come to Gotham? Hint: Batman spends a lot of time trying to beat information out of a vampire.

I enjoyed the visual style of this book, with these wide scenic panels. The advantage is that we get a broader context for what we’re seeing, but the trade-off is that instead of a really dynamic action-packed story it feels more like we’re seeing the events unfold through a series of still images. This isn’t a bad thing, it actually emphasizes the long-term view that an immortal vampire might take.

I’m trying to give Batman: The Dark Knight, by David Finch, Paul Jenkins and Richard Friend, a serious chance. Dark Knight 5 opens with a fight between Batman and Scarecrow, where Crane has just sprayed fear toxin and proceeded to taunt Batman (you know, as one does). This means we get the pleasure of seeing some of Bats’ more technicolour nightmares:

I love this page, I feel like they’re bringing the fun back to the horrific images of Batman’s worst terrors. And what does it mean that pictured among all the villains is Bruce’s own son Damian? Being who he is, of course, Batman doesn’t succumb to the fear toxin, and so Scarecrow injects him with anti-fear toxin. Wouldn’t the fear and anti-fear toxins cancel each other out? Also, I’ve read a lot of fanfic that starts along these lines, and I can tell you it leads nowhere good. In the end, Dark Knight 5 was OK but nothing much happened; I’ll give it one more issue and then decide if it’s worth continuing.

Last and almost least we have Justice League 5, by Geoff Johns, Jim Lee, and Scott Williams. I was so ready to love this issue, and it just didn’t happen! I’m going to spoil the ending anyways, so be warned! Basically in issue 5 the League fights Darkseid, Batman gives Green Lantern a pep talk, and Superman gets kidnapped by Darkseid’s weird robot guys. The thing that really made me livid was right near the end. Here’s the page, can you see what’s wrong with this picture?

Batman would never take his cowl off! If he wants to have a Heartwarming Moment with Green Lantern, he’d find some way to do so without compromising security and the Mission. Besides – are we supposed to think that because he removed the cowl and the Bat symbol from his chest now Darkseid won’t realize he’s Batman? Oh sure, Bruce Wayne is Just A Regular Guy, and he just happens to be running around in a form-fitting armored suit that coincidentally looks just like Batman’s suit minus a few crucial details. I couldn’t believe it, and can only hope that in Justice League 6 the writers come up with some sort of explanation. Batman always has a plan, but does DC?

Good evening Gotham! It’s an in-between week for comics, so there are no new Batman books to talk about today. That gives me a chance to share some favourite (love it) and not-so-favourite (livid)  moments from recent issues. Here we go!

Justice League 3, by Geoff Johns, Jim Lee and Scott Williams, gave us this page scoring points for love it. I enjoy stories about people from other places coming to our world, and seeing Wonder Woman getting to know the better parts of America is so much fun. Somehow I always knew she’d go for ice cream.

I love Wonder Woman’s kick-ass attitude! There’s a great Batman moment a bit later on in the issue, as the Justice League fights demons that are attacking the planet.

Vampire Batman, telling Green Lantern how to use his ring? How could I not love it?

Next up is Teen Titans 3, by Scott Lobdell, Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund. @VenPixel pointed out a livid moment in the issue, when Kid Flash cracks a four-digit code to unlock a door. I’m not an expert, but I don’t think the switches on the control panel could keep up with his Flash-enhanced typing skills (see ‘switch debouncing‘)!

Silly speedster, keypads are for humans. Another thing in Teen Titans that makes me livid is this scene, in which Red Robin is disguised as an old man ‘riding the rails’ to accompany Skitter across the country. When he reveals his superhero identity to Bunker, there’s a moment when Tim’s face is entirely bare – anyone as paranoid as Tim wouldn’t allow that.

Why isn’t he wearing the domino mask under the old man face? Wow, that was a weird sentence. I liked the comic overall, but I feel like they’ve been too lax with Tim going around unmasked. If we accept the idea that a tiny little mask protects his identity, we have to also assume he’ll be extremely diligent about wearing it.

Last for tonight we have Batman 3, by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion. I haven’t really been talking in detail about storylines, but I definitely love the current story in Batman. ‘The Court of Owls’, a group of men who have been “ruling Gotham from the shadows since colonial times” attempted to kill Bruce Wayne. Bruce turns to Alfred for help, and Alfred shares this story about Bruce’s great, great grandfather Alan Wayne, and his terrible fear of owls.

I love the idea that Alfred’s father was butler to the Wayne family before him! And how he tries to drug Bruce with “medicinal” tea, now that’s a butler! The art is also beautiful, on this page I especially like the top panel (we’re inside the Batman cowl, watching Bruce and Alfred) and the use of colour.

That’s it for me! It’s been fun taking a love it or livid look at comics – I might do it again! Let me know what you think of these or any other Batman comics in the comments, and have a great night.

Hello and Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the dull grey November weather. I took a break from comics over the past week, I had been feeling much less excited and inspired to read and write about the Bat-verse. Is anyone else feeling this way? I’m not sure if it’s because Flashpoint and the relaunch used up all my excitement and now things are calming down, or because I’ve got real life taking up my metaphorical spoons, but it’s probably a combination of both. So here’s what I got last week and this week, I’d love to hear what you think about these or any other comicbooks in the comments!

November 16

Batman 3 – Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion continue to deliver excitement and amazing comic art in the central Batman title! DC has been promising a far-reaching storyline that gets into the history of Gotham City and Batman’s place within it, and this issue is the starting point. I can’t wait!

Birds of Prey 3 – Poison Ivy joins the team! That really emphasizes the blurring line between heroes and villains in this book – I enjoy the fact that all four women on the team have checkered histories and aren’t easy to fit into any one category. Seems almost like real life, you know?

Nightwing 3 – Dick Grayson goes to Chicago with Haly’s Circus, while he works to solve Mr Haly’s murder and decide what to do with his own future. Tom Waits says things will be better in Chicago, maybe he’s right! (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go buy Bad As Me, it’s an amazing album and I’m pretty sure Batman would like it too).

Red Hood and the Outlaws 3 – I’m still giving this series a chance, but I’m not very optimistic. This issue delves into the team’s pasts, and it’s possible that Red Hood and Arsenal can learn how not to be sexist jerks, but that doesn’t save us from the writer and artists’ choices in how they represent Starfire. Maybe she can develop a bit more agency? I know this will all end in disappointment.

Justice League 3 – Introducing Wonder Woman! There was some controversy over Green Lantern’s reaction to her appearance, but I’ll read the issue before coming to any conclusions. Personally I like the slow build-up of the team, unlike some people who wanted to see all the Justice League members in the first issue.

Catwoman 3 – Will the Bat-sex continue? We’ll find out! It sounds like Catwoman ends up in a hostage situation, and given how focused she is on being independent and controlling her own destiny, I doubt that she’ll be very happy about it! Guillem March’s art continues to look fantastic, his style really captures how devastating Catwoman’s claws can be. Take a look at the awesome cover art for this issue:

November 23

Batman: The Dark Knight 3 – I still haven’t got a good handle on this title – how is this different from the main Batman book? The other Bat-titles all have their own special aspects (Batman & Robin is all about that father/son dynamic and how they work together; Detective Comics is about his detective work, etc). I’m going to re-read the first two issues before starting #3 and hopefully that will give me some sense of what makes Batman: The Dark Knight special.

Teen Titans 3 – Now, this one I really have been looking forward to. Not only do we have the fabulous Tim as Red Robin (but I really want to start calling him Tinkerbell, with feathers like those), we also meet a new Titan – Bunker. Apparently he’s out as gay from the first issue, and I’m always glad to see more queer representation in comics – as long as he’s also a fully-formed character beyond his sexual orientation. This could be just the encouragement that Red Robin and Superboy need to bring their love out in the open! Or maybe that’s just my own personal Bat-verse. Here’s the cover, by Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund:

One final thought – I’d really love to see DC even out the release dates of their Bat-family titles. Some weeks I get 5 or more comics while other weeks there are only one or two. What’s the deal DC? Does anyone else find this odd, or should I just get over it?

The first 2 of the 4 monthly Green Lantern titles, Green Lantern #1 and Red Lanterns #1 came out this week, and give us a great opportunity to learn about some important characters in the Green Lantern universe.

Green Lantern continuity has remained generally consistent since the Silver Age, when Hal Jordan was first introduced as a member of the Green Lantern Corps, and DC decided not to reboot the franchise during the transition to The New 52. As I understand it, everything that has happened to Hal and the other Lanterns in the “old” DC universe (including Blackest Night and Brightest Day) still happened, but it all took place during the “past 5 years,” between when Justice League is set and “now.”

That’s not to say that nothing has changed for the characters. At the end of War of The Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan was stripped of his power ring and discharged from the Green Lantern Coprs, and Sinestro, his nemesis and sworn enemy of the Corps, regained the ring that he lost years earlier (more on this below).

I’m going to introduce a few of the important characters from Green Lantern #1 and Red Lanterns #1, and hopefully get you familiar enough with the story to follow along as the series goes on.

But before you can understand any character, it’s important to understand what ties most of them together:

The Green Lantern Corps

Billions of years ago, the Guardians Of The Universe, among the oldest and wisest races, created the Green Lantern Corps to serve as an inter-galactic police force, which they hoped would bring order to the chaos of the universe. They divided the universe into 3600 “sectors,” and assigned to each sector a Green Lantern, who wears a Power Ring, to serve as a police man. The Power Rings draw their power from the Central Power Battery, housed on the planet Oa, in Sector 0000, where the Guardians live and direct the Corps. The Power Battery harnesses the Green Power of Will from all the sentient beings in the universe. This Green Willpower gives each Lantern his or her power, and allows them to serve their sector.

Sinestro

Thaal Sinestro was first introduced as the Green Lantern from Sector 2815, which is right next to our own Sector 2814, and initially served as a mentor to the first Human Green Lantern, Hal Jordan. However, after Hal discovered that Sinestro had abused his power and made himself a dictator on his own planet, Sinestro was stripped of his ring and imprisoned. After escaping, Sinestro fashioned himself a Yellow Power Ring, and founded the Sinestro Corps, which harnessed the Yellow energy of Fear.

After recruiting thousands of people who could “instill great fear,” Sinestro waged a war against the Green Lantern Corps. He has always maintained that he is working for the good of the universe, and believed that the guardians have lost their way. He and Hal have worked together recently, along with members of the other 5 Corps, helping to defeat Necron during Blackest Night and during the finale of War of The Green Lanterns. To the surprise of everyone, including the Guardians, a Green Power Ring chose him once again, and he found himself in an emerald uniform (and on the cover of Green Lantern #1).

Sinestro’s hatred of the Guardians is obvious in this issue. He makes it clear that he doesn’t want to be a Green Lantern, and at his first opportunity, he insults the Guardians. Sinestro has always been a fascinating character, because he cares very little for anyone’s authority except his own. On top of that, he’s often right. The Guardians have made many many mistakes over the years, yet they demand that they never be questioned. I am really interested to see where this plot takes Sinestro. Maybe he’ll find redemption, or at the very least explain the plan he has underway. (And yes, he always has a plan.)

Geoff Johns, Doug Mahnke, Christian Alamy

Hal Jordan

Hal Jordan has a very stereotypical origin story. When he was 7, he watched as his father’s fighter jet exploded. He joined the Air Force so he could fly like his father, until he was dishonorably discharged. He held the only job he could, working as a test pilot for his childhood friend Carol Ferris, whose father had owned the plane Hal’s had been flying.

One day, he was chosen to wear the Power Ring of Sector 2814, after its previous bearer, Abin Sur, crashed his spaceship and died. He joined the Green Lantern Corps, and, due to his quick reflexes and equally quick wit, became one of the greatest Lanterns to ever live. Unfortunately, when an old enemy destroyed his home town of Coast City, he was driven mad, and became posessed by Parallax, the Yellow entity of Fear. He went on the warpath, and destroyed most of the Corps, and eventually Oa, before he could be subdued. He was eventually brought back to life (in Green Lantern: Rebirth), and helped re-form the Corps he had once destroyed.

Hal led the Corps through the Sinestro Corps War, and was instrumental during Blackest Night and Brightest Day, and eventually ended the War Of The Green Lanterns by killing Krona, the rogue Guardian who had taken over the Corps. For the crime of killing a Guardian (even an evil one), Hal was stripped of his ring, and sent home to Earth, which is where we pick up his story in this issue.

Hal has been a “hero” for so long that he can’t help but try to save the day if he can, which leads him to jump off a balcony, across an alley, and into an apartment to stop an apparent domestic attack.

Geoff Johns, Doug Mahnke, Christian Alamy

Unfortunately, Hal jumped into the middle of a movie set, and was a arrested. His old friend Carol Ferris, herself now the leader of the Star Sapphires, the Violet Corps of Love, has to bail him out. At dinner that night, Hal, for the umpteenth time, ruins their relationship by asking for Carol to co-sign a car loan, rather than proposing, as she expected.

Hal and Carol have never been able to make it work as a couple, despite working well when they’re battling intergalactic foes. But at this point, they have been through so much together that it would be nearly impossible for either of them to have a functioning relationship with anyone else. The writer of Green Lantern (Geoff Johns, who has written it since Rebirth, I believe) doesn’t go to this well so often that it seems like well-treaded ground, but I almost wish he would either put them together or break them up once and for all. All the back-and-forth will get old quickly.

The Corps

I’ve alluded to many of the other Corps so far, so I’d like to lay them out once and for all. Each Corps has a colour and associated emotion, which may be familliar to anyone who read Blackest Night. They are:

• The Red Lantern Corps of Rage, led by Atrocitus
• The Orange Lantern Corps of Avarice, whose only living member is Larfleeze
• The Sinestro Corps (Yellow) of Fear, founded by Sinestro
• The Green Lantern Corps of Willpower, previously led by Hal Jordan
• The Blue Lantern Corps of Hope, led by Saint Walker
• The Indigo Tribe of Compassion, led by Indigo-1
• The Star Sapphires (Violet) of Love, led by Carol Ferris

Michael Mulipola

The Red Lanterns

The first Red Lantern was Atrocitus, whose entire planet was slaughtered, and swore vengeance upon the Guardians. He was imprisoned by them for eons, but eventually escaped, murdered his fellow prisoners, and from their blood forged the Red Power Battery. He built up his Corps with Lanterns who have almost always suffered a great tragedy in their life, and waged war against the Guardians. But with Krona dead, Atrocitus has lost the driving force in his life. Red Lanterns #1 sets up an interesting new normal for this character and his minions. Atrocitus has never been portrayed as “evil,” but only “vengeful,” (and for good reasons), and this issue has him embrace that, vowing to “punish those who deserve retribution.”

Peter Milligan, Ed Benes, Rob Hunter

Earlier in this issue Atrocitus reveals that he used to be a psychologist, and this frame shows what he’s become. He failed at the one goal he had in his life (killing Krona), and is re-focusing, trying to do some good the only way he can. I think this book, written by Peter Milligan with art by Ed Benes and Rob Hunter, may quickly become one of my favourites, with a great opportunity for deep characters and amazing art.

Editor’s Note: We are thrilled to welcome a new contributor to Batman-Comics.com. Mike will be bringing a different perspective and broadening our horizons a bit beyond the gritty streets of Gotham City. I know we’ll all enjoy following Green Lantern’s adventures with him!  — Spice.

Hi there! Spice has asked me to start writing for her blog, but to bring something different. Instead of hanging out in dreary and dark Gotham and all around her silly planet, I’m going to be kicking back in beautiful Coast City and travelling around the whole universe. That’s right! I’m going to be your regular Green Lantern correspondent! I’ll be doing posts every few weeks about all the latest goings on in Sector 2814 (that’s Earth, for the uninitiated), Oa, and wherever else the Green Lantern Corps finds themselves.

But first, a bit about me. I haven’t been reading comics for very long, but I dove in and dove in hard. I’ve always liked Green Lantern, even though he hasn’t been well represented outside the printed page. But early this year, I picked up a copy of Green Lantern: Rebirth (where Hal Jordan reclaims his rightful place as a Green Lantern), and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Green Lantern: Rebirth cover by Ethan Van Sciver

I quickly read through 6 years’ worth of Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps, where I grew to love Hal Jordan, the cocky test pilot; John Stewart, the ex-marine with a dark past; Guy Gardner, the wisecracking ex-football player; Kyle Rayner, the soulful artist; and the rest of the Green Lantern Corps. I read as they fought the Sinestro Corps, and witnessed the emergence of the other 5 corps. I devoured the Blackest Night and Brightest Day series, including most of their tie-in stories, slowly being exposed to all the corners of the DC Universe. By the time I caught up with the comics, the recent War Of The Green Lanterns was in full force, spanning three different books each month. I watched as Lanterns fought Lanterns (with heavy casualties),  Hal Jordan was stripped of his ring, and Sinestro once again donned the emerald uniform.

Yes, it’s been a long trip for me in such a short amount of time. And now, with the New 52 and the launch of the new DC Universe, I’m going to be reviewing the 4 Green Lantern books for you. I’ll give my thoughts on the story lines, artwork, writing and whatever else I think is important or interesting in the DC Universe.

Going forward, I’m going to be reading 6 books every month. They are

• Green Lantern, which will star Sinestro in issue #1 (with Hal Jordan returning to the mantle soon, I hope);
• Green Lantern Corps, which will follow the story of John Stewart, Guy Guardner, Kilowog and the rest of the Corps;
• Green Lantern New Guardians, which will follow Kyle Rayner as he leads a team comprised of members from each of the 7 corps of the Emotional Spectrum (which I’ll expand on when I first review the book);
• Red Lanterns, a series which will focus on only one part of the emotional spectrum;
• Justice League, which tells the story of how the “greatest team of heroes the world has ever known” met and joined together;
• and Justice League International, where Guy Gardner and his team will… well, I’m not really sure. But anything with Guy gets me as a reader.

Sinestro, from the cover of Green Lantern #1, by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado

I’m going to try to write a couple of posts every month with my thoughts on the books I’m reading, though I’ll mostly stick to the 4 GL books. I’ll introduce you to the wide universe of Green Lantern, teach you about the different Corps, and probably make fun of Batman a bit along the way. (Here’s a comic to get things started).

So I hope you’ll stick around and read my reviews here every few weeks. As long as you keep reading, I’ll keep writing. And please follow me on twitter, @mikebach. I’d love to hear what you think.

In brightest day,
In blackest night,
No evil shall escape my sight.
Let those who worship evil’s might
Beware my power,
Green Lantern’s Light!