Batman Comics

Batman 1 – 3

Writer: Scott Snyder

Artists: Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion

Since issue 1 of the DCnU, Batman has been focused on the Court of Owls, a mysterious group of Gotham’s elite whose motives, while unclear, are sinister. So far they’ve limited themselves to Batman himself, but in coming weeks the Court will attack Gotham City and spread to other comic titles including Batman & Robin, Detective Comics, and Batgirl.

I’m sure Batman is preparing for the Court of Owls’ attack by learning everything he can about his enemy, and we should do the same thing. Here’s what we’ve learned about the Court of Owls in Batman 1 – 3; issues 4 – 6 will be coming soon, but you can also read my overall thoughts on the excellent Batman 5 here.

Batman 1 gives us the first clue that the Court of Owls exists, when an unidentifiable man is found stabbed to death. The knives found inside the man are decorated with small owls.

As you can see, Batman’s not interested in the Court of Owls, he doesn’t want to even consider them. This issue also sets up the general theme of this book being about Gotham City itself, and Batman’s place in it.

With Batman 2, we learn much more about the Court of Owls. Three hired goons steal ten statues of some sort from the Hellenistic wing (of Gotham City Museum, I assume), tying the Court to Ancient Greece (and not for the last time). Later, Batman and Jim Gordon CSI the stabbing victim, finding an implant in his tooth that also has the Owl emblem on it.

That nursery rhyme will be repeated many times over the coming issues of Batman, it’s so ominous! We don’t learn much more about the Court in this issue, but the next day when Bruce is meeting with Lincoln March (who’s campaigning to be Mayor) they’re attacked by Talon, the Court’s assassin. Our first view of this new foe is intimidating, he’s as big as Batman and has a wide array of knives and other weapons.

At the end of issue 2, Bruce still denies that the Court of Owls exists, but he won’t be able to maintain that for much longer. Batman 3 is where we really start delving into the historical aspect of things. The book starts with Alan Wayne, Bruce’s great- great-grandfather, the man who built Wayne Tower. In the later years of his life, he grew obsessed with owls and convinced that they were living inside the walls of his own home.

We learn more about the Court of Owls in the second half of this book, when Batman realizes that they’ve been developing ‘nests’ in the 13th floors of buildings funded by an Alan Wayne memorial trust. Here inside Wayne Tower itself he finds what may be their very first nest, with a photograph dating back to 1891.

From there Batman goes from nest to nest, I’m not sure if he’s just collecting information or if he’s destroying them as he goes. We can see their weaponry, different setups but all involving a fascinating array of swords, knives, axes, and other bladed weapons. Each nest has a different Talon uniform in it, and there are nearly twenty likely buildings.

So what have we learned? The Court has remained hidden, even from Batman, for at least the last hundred years, and possibly several times that. They’re well prepared for all sorts of aggressive and illegal activities, and are invested in maintaining control of Gotham City behind the scenes.

I’m especially curious about the Ancient Greek connection, though maybe they just liked the symbol because it represents wealth and power. In issues 4, 5, and 6, we’ll see what happens when things get a little more real for Batman — issue 3 ends with Batman triggering a tripwire that explodes the building, and as the story continues the Court of Owls really brings the fight to Batman in new and exciting ways.

Batman 5  (March 2012)

Writer: Scott Snyder

Artists: Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion

Good afternoon! It’s a freezing cold but beautiful day here in Gotham City, and I’m taking a break from my whirlwind of household chores (joy) to share some love for Batman 5. There will be spoilers, so please go read the comic before reading the rest of this – it’s definitely worth it. I’m not even sure that I can explain how much I love this comic, but I’ll try. The story structure and art design work together to really make the most of the comicbook form, it’s art that couldn’t be done with any other medium.

A mysterious group called the Court of Owls is messing with Batman; now that I think about it, I’m not actually clear on what their ultimate objective is but they’re definitely up to no good. Maybe they want to control Gotham, and stop Batman from cleaning up the city and protecting the citizens? What do you think?

The issue opens with Gordon shining the Bat signal, not because he thinks Batman will show up (he hasn’t made an appearance in days) but because the signal has meaning for Gotham’s criminals and other vigilantes as well. Here’s how Gordon explains that to Bullock:

We then move to Batman himself, trapped in the Court of Owls’ labyrinth. As he gets more and more lost he also begins to lose his mind! As Yanick Paquette commented on Twitter, the art traps Batman just as effectively as the storyline, he’s caught in all these tiny boxes and can’t get out. I also love the choice to have Batman’s right mask lens broken, exposing his eye, this definitely adds to the crazy look. I mean, more than being dressed up as a giant bat already did.

The other thing that I really loved about this issue is a bit hard to show here. As Batman gets more and more turned around and mixed up in the maze, the comic itself turns around on itself. We start reading with the standard orientation, left to right, top to bottom, but then we turn the page and the entire book is sideways, requiring the reader to actually turn the comic to read what’s going on. A few pages later and we’re flipped again, upside-down just as Batman’s entire world is turned topsy-turvy by the people he meets in the labyrinth.

Any time Batman laughs like that we know something’s gone wrong. The art isn’t the only thing that mirrors and emphasizes the labyrinth theme, Snyder’s writing does as well. Phrases like “Get back in the dark, where it’s safe”, “I know all the tricks” and “I’m not listening” come back over and over as Batman moves through the labyrinth but finds himself always returning to the same room (unless there are many rooms all made to look the same? Either is possible!)

Look at his hands! I won’t give away how this issue ends, but Snyder has me on the edge of my seat waiting for Batman 6! With Batman delving deep into who Batman is and what is role is with Gotham city, and such beautiful and innovative artwork, this is one comicbook that does not disappoint.

Feels like Tuesday, but comics come out today so it must be Wednesday! I notice there’s a new edition of No Man’s Land coming out, I’d love to get a copy but I put it on my Holiday Wish List so I can’t pick it up this week. If anyone else gets it, let me know how it looks and if it’s a good edition to get! Here’s what I’m reading today.

Batwing 4 – The cover says “Secret Origin Unveiled” and I’m looking forward to learning more about Batwing’s history and motivations. I glanced at the first page to see how it looked and got sucked in to reading the whole opening scene, it’s definitely an engrossing book!

Detective Comics 4 – Finally! It feels like ages since the last issue and I really want to know if Gordon is OK — I’m pretty sure he was in The Dollmaker’s clutches when the last issue ended! Batman will probably save him, but how? I’d also like to know a bit more about The Dollmaker. He seems to make dolls out of pieces of people, but why? Where does he come from? Maybe I’ll find out today!

Huntress 3 of 6 – If this one is as good as the last two issues, I’m happy. Huntress is a really interesting character, I like how she interacts with other people both as a hero and as a person. And it’s always nice to see a kick-ass woman get a comic focused on her and her work.

Penguin: Pain and Prejudice 3 of 5 – I have to admit, I didn’t get a chance to read issue 2 yet, but I want to! Penguin’s always been an interesting character, and I enjoy his parallels with Batman. The art also been good, so it will be fun for that reason too. Unfortunately due to technical woes I’m unable to share a cover image right now, but it was going to be this one, I love the use of light to emphasize the image.

That’s about it for me! Hopefully I’ll have the scanner back up and running so I can post in detail about some of these books on the weekend, wish me luck. And let me know what you’re reading!

One of the great things about a relaunch is that we can start tracking all sorts of fun things, because we have a distinct starting point. So in the spirit of good fun and classic Batman action, I’m going to try to keep track of all the Arkham Asylum breakouts. It seems to happen every other week, but that can’t be right, can it? They must learn how to keep the bad guys secure eventually… So far in the first month of the DCnU we’ve seen two breakout situations at Arkham Asylum.

Batman 1, written by Scott Snyder and with art by Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion, opens with Batman facing off against some familiar faces in the hallway of Arkham:

After the fight he meets up with Gordon on the roof of the GCPD, it turns out this wasn’t actually a breakout. I’m still going to count it for these purposes, all the inmates were set free and chaos ensued, so it’s close enough.

Then we have this week’s Dark Knight 1, by Paul Jenkins, David Finch, and Richard Friend. This breakout is of the more explosive and bloody type, here’s how it starts:

Batman shows up in his classic dramatic way, and takes charge to save as many guards as possible.

I wonder if we’ll find out how he knew to go for Two-Face? This makes two breakouts so far, and hopefully it’ll keep happening and keep us all well entertained in the future!

Arkham Asylum Breakout Score: Batman 1; Dark Knight 1.

Writer: Tony Daniel

Artist: Tony Daniel and Ryan Winn

Date: Nov 2011

My Rating: An exciting story with gorgeous art, showing us what Detective Comics will be in the DCnU.

Detective Comics 1 is a great re-introduction to the series. If we consider that this issue represents everything the series will come to be, what elements are involved? Batman, of course, and his detective work; his relationship with Jim Gordon and the Joker; Alfred. That’s pretty much it, and Tony Daniel did warn us – we barely even see Bruce Wayne in this issue.

So, what kind of Batman do we have here? He’s driven and intense, and certainly not afraid of anything Joker can throw at him. In fact, speaking of throwing things, we get a glimpse of the kinds of Bat-toys we can expect to see – Batman refers to this one as his “Ro-Bat”:

But Batman also remembers what his Mission is and why he’s doing it – here, just as he’s on the verge of catching Joker after a month-long hunt, he still turns aside to save a child:

As for his relationship with Gordon, it seemed to me that Daniel’s setting up a parallel between the two of them. I feel like Gordon and Joker both represent certain aspects of Batman himself, although very different parts of him. When Batman comes to discuss the case with Gordon, the two of them have a conversation that flows, they’re on the same wavelength, though we don’t know how long they’ve been collaborating. The art also conveys that connection, showing their faces in the same position, or as left and right halves of the same face.

And of course I love that we have a classic “Jim Gordon Is Alone” moment. Daniel seems to really like that over-the-shoulder shot, he uses it several times throughout the book.

The Joker is also his ultimate self, what with the crazy laughter, the iconic costume, the trickery, and the mayhem. He’s not as strong as Batman but definitely represents a challenge, both physically and mentally, as Joker always should, and he already has his own toys. Joker uses his toxin on Batman in a crowded subway car, and it seems that Batman hasn’t yet learned to carry a gasmask:

Batman’s internal dialogue is fascinating, with moments like “I own the night”, and “I can take it – I’m Batman.” Is he psyching himself up by reminding himself that he’s Batman? Sounds like it, and I guess that makes sense, he has to keep that secure in his mind in order to be as menacing as possible.

For those of you who’ve read the book, I’d love to hear what you think about how it ends. As my friend @zuzuhaha said on Twitter, “The Joker is MUCH too vain to ever do what he did in Detective Comics #1 today.” I agree, I’m definitely not convinced that Joker would have done that, but I’m also open to seeing what Tony Daniel has in mind and looking forward to following this series in the DC New Universe!

Writer: Scott Snyder

Artist: Jock

Date: L. Sept 2011

My Rating: Excellent story, beautiful art, everything Detective Comics should be.

Detective Comics is definitely one of my favourite comicbooks. I’ve been asked a few times lately how it’s different from the main Batman title, and really it’s all in the name – DC is more about the investigative aspects of being Batman than it is about the wacky villains and out-of-this-world costumed capers. We also see a lot of Jim Gordon in DC, and get to know how Jim views Gotham and his role as the Commissioner.

This issue of DC definitely showcases the best aspects of the series. Be warned, I’m including spoilers so if you haven’t read it yet, go get a copy, read it, and then come back. Don’t worry, I’ll wait.

If you haven’t been paying attention, the last few issues have been focusing on James Gordon Jr’s return. He’s a diagnosed psychopath but taking medication and seems to be doing well, working at Leslie Thompkins’s clinic and rebuilding relationships with Jim and Barbara. Then in DC 879 things started to unravel – Babs discovered that his meds had been altered to enhance psychopathy, and Jim found a box of other people’s housekeys in James’s apartment. Meanwhile, Joker has escaped from Arkham and found a way to make himself toxic to the touch.

In DC 880, the Joker and James Jr storylines intersect and Jim is caught in the middle. It opens with Jim driving to Barbara (Senior), hoping to get there before Joker can poison her. (I do feel like we haven’t heard about Barbara Sr in an awfully long time, where did she come from? Are they still married?) He’s too late and she’s really messed up, I love how grotesquely all the victims of Joker toxin are drawn:

They manage to save her with the powers of Science, but Jim feels like he should have done more. He’s worried about Babs, but she doesn’t need protection. I love this side of Barbara, defiant and strong, and can’t help but wonder how that will change in the DCnU. Of course, they’ve said that she will still have had the experience of being paralyzed, they’re not ret-conning it out, so I’m optimistic.

Batman shows up halfway into the book, nobody else can track down the Joker. Mr. J messes with him, of course, turning on the lights and blinding Bats. This page is gorgeous, I love the contrast in colour, tone, and style, and of course Joker is written perfectly. I’m a sucker for things like “You’re not my Bat”.

Joker’s like a mirror that reflects back all the worst parts of yourself, and Dick meets that with one-liners as only a former Robin can. We get even more slashy goodness, and I love how jagged and insane Joker looks.

This is the second-last issue before the relaunch, so next month’s 40-page spectacular will be amazing. Overall Snyder’s a great writer and I responded much more positively to Jock’s art in this issue than in issue 876, it felt like there was more to look at and he draws Joker so perfectly.  I won’t give away the ending, this has been spoilerific enough, but it’s awesome and I’d love to hear what you think about it. Have a great weekend!

Beware – there will be Flashpoint and Flashpoint: Batman spoilers below.

Batman & Robin 25 (Sep ’11)

Writer & Artists: Judd Winick, Greg Tocchini, Andy Smith

Batman & Robin continues to be one of my favourite comicbooks, it’s just so damn enjoyable! This issue finishes the story arc where Jason gets himself transferred from Arkham to Blackgate, and then proceeds to kill as many other prisoners as possible. A mystery woman and her Zoo Crew break Jason out on his way back to Arkham, holding his girlfriend Scarlet hostage in return for his cooperation. This leads us to my new favourite thing, and our newest fun tag here — Jason Gets Naked! The goodness started in Batman & Robin 23, here’s another excellent page from that issue:

“…Death didn’t do anything except slow me down a little.” And here’s Jason in B&R 25, doing what it takes to rescue Scarlet. Awesome.

Flashpoint 3 of 5 (Sep ’11)

Writer & Artists: Geoff Johns, Andy Kubert, Sandra Hope

In the last issue Flash convinced Batman to help him be struck by lighting, in hopes of regaining his powers. The attempt left him with burns over most of his body but he’s determined to try again. This time it works, he gets his superspeed and healing abilities back! Flash suggests that they should find Superman, and Batman enlists the help of Cyborg by offering his own aid as a strategist in the coming war against both Wonder Woman’s and Aquaman’s forces. Holy complex storyline, Batman! Anyways, it leads to such a cool plot twist – in this world, Superman landed in Metropolis instead of Smallville and was immediately taken in by the Government. The worst part is, they kept him underground his whole life! He’s scrawny and timid!

He’s drawn perfectly, and those eyes – it’s so clearly Superman in there, just aching to get out and rock. Overall Flashpoint has been a cool alternate world story, I’m really into it.

Flashpoint: Batman – Knight of Vengeance (Sep ’11)

Writer & Artist: Brian Azzarello, Eduardo Risso

I still haven’t gotten over Wayne Casino, what a great concept. One thing that does confuse me a bit is the timing – when does this happen in relation to the overall Flashpoint story? Joker has taken Harvey and Gilda Dent’s twins hostage (some things never change) and Gordon’s traced them to the abandoned Wayne Manor. When he arrives he sees Joker holding a gun to Dent’s son, and Gordon shoots first – but all is not as it seems.

Such beautiful art, I like the colouring choices and how we move from a close-up of the girl’s face to wider and wider shots as Gordon comes to understand the situation he’s in. The last few pages of the book are brilliant and twisted, and although I won’t give away here who the Joker really is, I will say you really should be reading this book.

Oh Jim Gordon, I love you so much. You’re like the whole Bat-verse’s father, and despite having been through so much in your time keeping Gotham safe, you still believe in the goodness of people, and in Batman.

Somehow, that makes it so much funnier when poor Jim is in the middle of a conversation and suddenly he’s all alone. It’s become a running gag in Batman (remember in Dark Knight? “… He does that.”) and the comics don’t disappoint.

This page is from Superman/Batman 85, which came out this week. Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov, drawn by Adriana Melo and JP Mayer, it’s Superman’s turn to mess with Jim:

Oh Jim. So alone. The other time this happened recently was in Batman & Robin 20, from April 2011. It’s written by Peter Tomasi, drawn by Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray:

Dick and Damian are doing it now too! I love Gordon’s response, he’s not upset – instead, it seems to be just how things should be.

I know there was another one recently, where Gordon said “Now he’s teaching them to do it.” I feel like it was in Detective Comics, but I can’t find it! Anyone know what book it was in?

Today I want to try something new, and talk about a few different comics. There’s so many to choose from!

Batman 710 (Jul ’11)

Writer & Artists: Tony Daniel, Steve Scott, Ryan Winn

This could be a standard, boring “Two-Face loses his coin” story, but it’s saved by an interesting twist in terms of who stole the coin (don’t worry, I won’t give it away). Instead it’s tense and Two-Face is compelling, clearly over the edge and furious.  This issue is all about when past and present meet, and my favourite part is when Dick takes a moment – in the midst of a fight – to think back on his years of caped crusading:

Batman & Robin 23 (Jul ’11)

Writer & Artists: Judd Winick, Guillem March, Andrei Bresson

Bruce and Jason, reunited at last! I don’t understand why Jason suddenly has red hair, but I’m also not complaining. We start with Batman (Bruce) visiting Jason where he’s being held at Arkham Asylum, having been caught as Red Hood. Is my favourite part when Jason asks after Damian’s mom? (We all know both Bruce and Jason were romantically involved with Talia.) Or is it the tiny little  towels they seem to provide in prison showers? No, my favourite part is the three new guys who show up at the end. I don’t want to spoil it, so let’s enjoy Jason’s shower:

On a more serious note, I am interested to see how they reconcile Bruce and Jason’s close familial relationship with Jason’s apparent embrace of his homicidal tendencies.

Gates of Gotham 1 of 5 (Jul ’11)

Writer & Artists: Scott Snyder, Kyle Higgins, Trevor McCarthy

In Gotham’s history, three bridges are built dedicated to three men – Alan Wayne, and men identified only as Edward and Theodore. In Gotham’s present, those three bridges are destroyed. The second one leads back to Penguin, and you’ll never guess who the third one was! There’s a wonderful Batman & Gordon moment in the middle of the story. Sometimes I forget that the Commissioner isn’t in on the whole Secret, because he’s just so awesome.

Remember, you can click on images to see the bigger versions. Let me know what you think about these or any other Batman comics from this week!

Writer: Scott Snyder

Artists: Jock

Date: June 2011

My Rating: Has its moments, but ultimately uninspiring.

This issue of Detective Comics opens up a new storyline and Batman is much more involved than in the previous issue. It also continues the James Gordon Jr. story, but tangentially rather than as the focus of the book.

We start with Commissioner Gordon telling us about the new Gotham Global Modern Bank, site of a very strange crime: someone left a killer whale in the lobby! He’s talking to Dick Grayson and after an initial moment of confusion (the Commissioner doesn’t know that Grayson is Batman!) we realize Gordon’s actually getting help from Wayne Enterprises. Turns out the head of the bank is the daughter of Tony Zucco:

This is very much a dialogue-based issue, and it’s well-written, feeling immediate and unforced, but the focus on dialogue led to a few pages that I find to be a bit visually boring. That said, I do quite like Jock’s use of white space for emphasis in moments of real emotional rawness. There’s Dick in the image above, and a couple pages later we have Gordon asking Dick for help with his newly returned son:

Out of 20 pages, 11 are in this green theme. Why does this feel less interesting to me than the previous issue? There we had 22 pages, most of which were either overall blue or overall red, but sometimes both together. I’d like to hear other people’s thoughts on this one, I think I need a few more years in the genre before I fully understand my own artisitc preferences. Maybe it has to do with the general style and amount of detail more than the colour palette.

So Batman goes to Zucco but she won’t talk, and the issue ends with Batman in a perilous situation. Cliffhangers are the name of the game, but I’m pretty sure Batman will find his way out of this one — Robin’s still unaccounted for and Damian’s a badass.

There are things I really do like about this issue, such as how the Commissioner is drawn and the fact that he went to Grayson for help with his son. Overall I like where the story is going but the book felt short, not quite enough happened to be satisfying. Is it the fact that this issue is two pages shorter than the previous one that makes such a difference? Or am I responding mostly to the change in artist? Time will tell.