Batman Comics

Hello Bat-fans! We’re in that calm before the storm now, with costume prep finished but Comic Con not until next week, so I have time for some Quickies! This afternoon I read three new comics, I’m not going to recap the whole stories for you (go buy some comics!) but here are a few fun moments that I hope you enjoy. Be warned – spoilers below!

Detective Comics 11, written by Tony Daniel, art by Julio Ferreira, Eduardo Pansica, Eber Ferreira, and Tomeu Morey

This comic makes a lot more sense if you read Batman in Adam West’s voice, rather than Kevin Conroy or Christian Bale.  Still, lines like “Moving .. in … slow … motion” followed immediately with “… cant move … fast enough” leaves something to be desired, I’m sure Batman would be thinking more than that. The art is okay; some of the panels where the perspective is at an odd angle end up looking a bit weird, but we get a page of Bruce in the shower so I won’t complain.

Batwing 11, written by Judd Winick, art by Marcus To, Ryan Winn, Le Beau Underwood, and Brian Reber

In the last issue, the family of Matu Ba (Batwing’s ‘Alfred’) was all killed, and today he has to go to a small dictatorship country called Tundi for their funerals. Meanwhile, Batwing is fighting Long the Antlered Dragon, and with Nightwing’s help they’re tracking a missing nuclear weapon. This issue is great, not losing momentum when switching between storylines, and fitting a lot of story into the 20 pages. Batman and Penguin share a great moment here, so although it doesn’t feature Batwing, I wanted to share it just for Marcus To’s art.

Justice League 10, written by Geoff Johns, art by Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Mark Irwin, and Jonathan Glapion

This guy Graves is going after the enemies of the Justice League, which sounds good but really just gives him more information about how to fight the League themselves. This leads to the inevitable argument up on the Watchtower where Cyborg reveals things he knows about each member of the League. We also get a nice Batman/Superman moment:

Graves suck the life-force out of each member of the Justice League one by one, magically feeding on their pain and sorrow. We see each member of the League fall except Batman. On the final page he’s shown defeated with the rest of his team, but why is he the only one who we don’t see taken down? Maybe that will come back in the next issue…  I also notice that Gary Frank is mentioned on the cover of this issue, but not on the title page, that’s a bit odd.

Writer: Judd Winick

Artists: Dustin Nguyen, Derek Fridolfs

Date: June 2012

Batwing 8 was really good. I had been unsure as to whether I wanted to continue reading this comic, though in the end I would’ve kept with it a bit longer for sure because I’m looking forward Marcus To’s upcoming art and the Court of Owls tie-in. After this issue, I’m reading it for itself, and to find out what happens with Batwing as a person. Warning, there will be spoilers ahead, including about the identity of Massacre.

The story since issue 1 has been about Batwing developing as a Bat-brand vigilante and finding his Mission, while also searching for Massacre, who’s been out killing former African vigilantes. Here in issue 8 we finally discover who Massacre is, and although I had my suspicions from the beginning (and I was totally right) it played out really well. I definitely felt engaged in the story and captivated by the relationships and effect on Batwing himself. Here’s the amazing moment where he realizes that General Keita was not the man behind the mask:

David (Batwing) realizes here that Massacre is his brother Isaac, who was a child soldier with him in Keita’s army. As I was reading this I couldn’t help but compare David with Bruce Wayne. They were born into wildly different circumstances, and they grew up almost in different worlds, but they each lost family to tragedy, and turned to crimefighting to help heal their grief. The two men talk when things finally quiet down. This was the part that really got me interested in Batwing, and in where David will go as a character after this.

Is there anything better than a Batman who believes in you? I don’t think so. The other thing that I enjoyed about Batwing 8 was Dustin Nguyen’s art. He has a very particular style, and although this is less detailed than some of his other work, especially in the backgrounds (maybe they didn’t give him much time?) I really enjoy how he drew Batman, Robin and Nightwing as well as the art we’ve already seen of Batwing himself. Here’s a great moment with our Gotham crew, ready to jump off the page:

So there we are, Batwing 8. It was sad, but in a good way, and definitely worth reading. If you’re reading it I’d love to hear what you think about this issue and where they’re going from here, comments are always welcome.

Good morning Gotham! I hope everyone survived yesterday’s Internet Strike unscathed; I know personally the lack of Reddit access was very disconcerting, but I also wanted to show my support for a free and open internet! As you can see, I haven’t been as successful at writing here through the week as I’d hoped to be, but I’m still trying and hope that my lovely readers enjoy the weekly pull file posts. As always, I’d love to hear about what you’re reading, what you think about the comics I’m reading, or anything else related to Batman comics – leave a comment!

Batman 5 – The Court of Owls continues making trouble for the Bat-Family and Gotham City! How could they possibly think that Batman will give up Gotham and stop fighting for his Mission? Silly Owls, how little they know. I read this issue on the way to work today, and oh, oh my goodness. This is how the comic medium should be used! If anyone out there is not sure that Batman is worth reading, please go pick up issues 4 and 5 and you’ll see how amazing the Goddamn Batman can be.

Birds of Prey 5 - The Birds have been fighting a mysterious group called the Cleaners. Issue 4 ended with them facing down dozens of murderous robots, but when Issue 5 opens the team finds themselves standing in the street, with Batgirl nowhere to be found. Even worse, they all have different memories as to how they got there! How could someone control all their minds and memories like that? With such power, what else will this mysterious “Choke” person do? The possibility of discord with Poison Ivy, not necessarily a hero, is exacerbated by all the conflicting memories. If the Birds can’t trust each other, who can they trust?

Catwoman 5 – I have to say, I do kind of care about Selina, and want her to be okay. At the end of Issue 4 she faced a new villain called Reach, who presented a real challenge – Reach can control gravity, and Catwoman found herself in the sky without a parachute! When I was reading Catwoman 5 this morning my main complaint was the writing, especially the narration. Winick seems unsure if he wants Catwoman’s inner thoughts to be in past tense or present, and it kept jarring me out of the story while I tried to figure out what she was talking about.

Red Hood and the Outlaws 5 – Starfire’s been attacked by a giant lizard type guy called Crux, he’s seeking vengeance for his parents who were killed by an alien ship from her planet when it crash landed on Earth. I did like Issue 5 more than, say, Issue 1, but I’m still not convinced. There’s an interesting parallel to be drawn between Crux and Batman. They both started as ordinary (non-meta) people, their lives were forever changed by the tragedy of their parents’ murder, and they’ve dedicated the rest of their lives to responding to it. Of course, Batman took a very different approach than Crux, but it goes to show, when we look closely we can find a point of connection with just about anyone.

Nightwing 5 – Dick Grayson has been traveling with Haly’s Circus, trying to figure out who killed Mr Haly and what secret the circus has been hiding. This issue has a bit of a digression, with a woman who summons a demon to kidnap her ex-lover Jimmy (the circus’s clown), and I liked that little storyline, it brought Jimmy from a bit character to a real fleshed-out person. I’ve noticed a theme among several of the Bat-comics, where someone on the team is not fully honest and may be working for the other side, and this is one of the books where that happens (along with Birds of Prey and a few others). Is it possible that all the double agents from all the different comics will be tied together in the big Court of Owls crossover storyline that’s coming up? Here’s the cover, by Eddy Barrows, I just love it… maybe because Nightwing’s costume is a little bit torn?

Good evening Gotham! It’s another quiet week, with only two new Bat comics in my pull file today. That’s okay – these are two that I’m interested in reading and which have been pretty good in their first two issues. Let me know in the comments if you’re reading these or others, and what you think about them!

Batwing 3 – I’m still warming up to this series. The story is good, it caught my interest and hasn’t disappointed yet, but the artwork isn’t my favourite and I’m still learning to enjoy it. I generally expect more detail in the backgrounds of scenes, but it seems to be a conscious stylistic choice as opposed to lack of time or effort on the artist’s part. In the end, I figure if I’m willing to give Red Hood a 3 issue chance, I have to give at least as much to Batwing – plus, Judd Winnick hasn’t offended me yet with how women are represented in this book, and that’s a good thing.

Detective Comics 3 – Last issue ended on quite a cliffhanger, and I’ve enjoyed Tony Daniel’s work so far, both the art and the writing. With Joker on the loose after breaking out of Arkham, and Jim Gordon in danger of being re-made by The Dollmaker, Batman will definitely have his hands full today. And as we all know, a busy Batman is a happy Batman! Though “happy” isn’t exactly how I’d describe his appearance on the cover, by Tony Daniel and Tomeu Morey:

Catwoman 1 – Writer: Judd Winick, Artist: Guillem March

Red Hood and the Outlaws 1 – Writer: Scott Lobdell, Artist: Kenneth Rocafort

There’s a lot of discussion lately about two comics that came out last week, Catwoman 1 and Red Hood and the Outlaws 1. These books were the first in the relaunched DC world to really show sex and sexual relationships between characters, and both the content of the books themselves and the reader response has been fascinating. Although I won’t be able to respond to the other commentary at this point, I do want to share a few of my own thoughts about these comics. As usual, standard disclaimers apply – there will be spoilers, and my opinions are just that, my opinions, not set in stone, but still worthy of basic respect (as are your own).

It definitely makes sense to me for there to be sex in Batman comics. When people spend their time running around in life and death situations, and when they work and/or fight with each other consistently over time, sex is gonna happen. (If I’m wrong on that one please don’t correct me, let me believe in this fantasy world for a little while longer.)

So if we’re assuming that sex will occur, the question becomes ‘What elements need to be in place for this to be okay?’ I’d say the first is consent, of course, and after that we have things like, does this fit with the character’s personality, does it make sense at this time in the story, what does this mean for the characters and their relationships, and also more meta considerations like, what does this mean for how people (specifically, women) are represented in comics? I’m not going to be able to answer all those questions for both these books today, but I wanted to give you a sense of what kinds of things I’m thinking about.

Catwoman 1 introduces us to Selina Kyle as she gathers her most cherished possessions (cats and costume) and escapes her apartment just before some pissed off bad guys blow it up. With a friend’s help Selina finds a job and a place to stay for the next few days, but the new plan doesn’t last long in the face of a blast from the past – an abuser from Selina’s history appears and she takes the opportunity to beat him to a pulp, presumably as revenge for what he did to a friend of hers (or maybe her mother?).

We can learn a few interesting things from the story so far. First, they show Selina as being unafraid and able to handle herself very well in hand-to-hand combat with a larger opponent – this would normally mean she’s being represented as a strong and self-sustaining character, but it’s made problematic by the fact that she’s jeopardizing her safety and the job at hand for the emotional satisfaction of revenge.

Second, I was very interested by the way Selina is represented in the opening pages. We see parts of her face and body, both dressed and undressed, but it’s not until the third page that we see a full body image, and even then she’s not fully clothed – this makes it so much easier to dis-associate what we’re seeing and taking pleasure in from the character’s essential humanity. Visually segmenting the body in this way, especially by not showing Selina’s eyes, serves to help fetishize it, giving the viewer power to look without that gaze being returned, and breaking the body up into bite-sized parts, more easy to consume. Through the rest of the book Selina is drawn in mostly full-body or three-quarter shots, but as an introduction to the character it’s fascinating that we start with the segmented body, and with the emphasis on her breasts (which basically represent the site of union with the mythical mother figure, and thus the source of all joy to the voyeuristic viewer) (thank you, my education is now worthwhile).

An interesting contrast is that in Red Hood we see many full-body shots of Starfire. That said, her costume is extremely revealing, consisting mostly of straps that appear to be metallic and which seem to have no relationship to gravity or each other. I actually have far more problems with how Starfire was written than with Catwoman, and in terms of representation it seemed that Starfire is consistently presented for display in a way that Catwoman simply wasn’t.

Starfire is shown swimming in the ocean, and the book makes the voyeuristic aspect of the scene explicit when they show a child taking her photo (without permission) and posting it online – later on this leads to her being identified as an unauthorized alien. She’s being punished for being seen, as though by simply  existing she’s inviting attention and comment regarding her body. Why? Why is the main purpose of Starfire to be looked at? She’s a superhero, a powerful alien creature, and yet all she does here is receive the male gaze (of the child who photographs her, the superheros she works and has sex with, and of the target market). I’m disappointed that instead of learning about her personality or fighting style (both of which we get with Red Hood and Arsenal) all we see of Starfire is the desire for unfriendly, un-emotional sex. Even when Arsenal asks if she’s working with Red Hood, the answer’s all about sex, not her abilities or personality. What a huge change from her character in past incarnations, when sex was the physical representation of a strong love and connection between people (not that there always has to be a commitment, but why can’t she even remember who she’s been with? Why deny her the ability to make a deep connection with another person that grows over time?)

Goodness, this is getting long. Let’s get to the actual sex, then, shall we? First and foremost, Bats and Cats. In the closing section of Catwoman 1, Batman arrives at the penthouse where Selina’s staying; as he asks what she’s gotten herself into she kisses him.

At first Batman turns her down, saying “No, we’re not doing this again,” but Selina’s internal monologue tells us “Usually it’s because I want him. Tonight I think it’s because I need him. Every time… he protests. Then… gives in.” I hate to say it, but this bothered me because if it were the other way around and Batman was saying this about Catwoman, I would be obligated to object. Granted, some non/con and powerplay is always fun in fanfiction, but if comics are supposed to represent actual real-life decisions (comics are to fanfic what reality is to fantasy?), I have to say it’s best to err on the side of getting consent before the sex starts. On the other hand, we could also argue that as Batman he has power and privilege that few others ever could, and as such it’s almost essential for true consent to be possible that Batman is not the initiator, and that he holds back until it’s beyond clear that the sex is desired.

Finally, in the last page of Catwoman 1 there are some elements of role reversal that really intrigue me – Catwoman’s on top (OK, that’s no surprise) but it’s her face we see, and she’s the one who remains fully clothed and covered. Batman’s suit is hiked up exposing his body, and Batman’s face is obscured, thus rendering him more available to take on the fantasy appearance of the reader. This could be a coincidence, or just the artist’s idea of what these two characters would find the most pleasurable and expedient in the circumstances, but it can also function as a point of entry (pun intended) for the viewer – with Batman’s face hidden it could be anyone under the cowl, the reader included.

Starfire’s lack of memory also really troubles me. Arsenal asks her if she remembers the people she worked with on the Teen Titans (I think?!), and I couldn’t believe that she didn’t even remember Dick – they were engaged, made it as far as the altar; if she doesn’t remember humans enough for us to make an impression on her, why would she have almost married one? Clearly this is a very different take on the character. Although there is of course the capacity to enjoy oneself in the moment, without memory or anticipation clouding the present, I still find it implausible that someone who “doesn’t see humans as more than sights and smells” (what does that even mean? what is life other than sensory input, processed and translated into patterns by our brains?) would want to work, fight, and have sex with us. It feels like as a character she’s being held back from developing emotional relationships in favour of being available to a variety of partners without having to worry about emotional attachments. I am absolutely not saying that all sex has to be within a committed relationship, or that Starfire (when will we get to know her by more than a code name?) shouldn’t have sex with whoever she wants, whenever she wants. I’m just asking why she couldn’t be a character who loves everyone she screws, instead of no-one.

I feel like I’ve come across as very negative, probably because I’ve only focused on the things that I find problematic in these comics. But as much as I want to see sex in Batman comics, in the end what I’m left with most is a sense of disappointment. Catwoman and Starfire are amazing characters, who have so much potential to be powerful, controversial, inspirational, and yes, sexy. There is definitely a place for sex in comicbooks, but I don’t think these writers (and thus DC in general) have gotten it right yet. On the plus side, the voyeur inside me is definitely looking forward to their further attempts.

Good evening Gotham! It’s the first full week of the New 52 (did last week count? It was sort of in-between) and I am as excited as always for the new comics. I was thinking about the relaunch last night and realized I’m unclear on something, so I wanted to get your opinion. Is the fact that Wayne Enterprises funds Batman Inc still public knowledge in the DCnU? It was such a big important reveal a few months back, I’d hate to see all that build up disappear now, but it doesn’t really seem to fit with an earlier version of Batman. I tried asking a few people on Twitter but didn’t get any answers. What do you think will happen?

Batgirl 1 – The beginning of a new era! For anyone who doesn’t follow Bat-news, Barbara Gordon was paralyzed and left unable to walk years ago when the Joker shot her in The Killing Joke. She took on a new role as Oracle, the virtual presence behind the Bat-family and other superheros, but now in the relaunch The Powers That Be have decided that Barbara should be Batgirl again. I’m looking forward to finding out how they give her back the ability to walk without entirely erasing TKJ, and I can’t wait to see where Gail Simone goes with the series.

Batwing 1 – I have such mixed feelings about this book! I’m definitely trying to reserve judgment and go into it with an open mind, but it seems like such an odd choice on the part of DC to give a new character his own book instead of dedicating one to an already-loved character like Cassandra Cain. Judd Winick wrote the recent Jason Todd storyline in Batman & Robin, we all know how much I enjoyed that, so with him writing Batwing I definitely have high hopes.

Detective Comics 1 – Tony Daniel is moving off Batman to both write and draw Detective Comics, and it’s going to be awesome! All I know is what he said at Fan Expo – it’s going to be very focused on Batman (awesome) and his detective work, (which I love), and the end of the first issue will “blow our faces away” (intriguing). Based on the cover alone, I know Detective Comics will be an amazing journey.

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.

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!