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.

I’ve already discussed some aspects of Detective Comics 2, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention another important event in that issue – an Arkham Asylum breakout! Although we don’t get to actually see it happen, we learn from Batman’s inner monologue that sometime between issues 1 and 2 Joker has escaped from Arkham. Here’s the title page to Detective Comics 2:

As you can see, it’s a two-page spread. I love the Bat-cycle and how the cape on the left balances the bike’s headlight on the right, that works really well in the wider image format that two pages allows. What we see of the subsequent investigation focuses on the police work, which makes sense since Detective Comics intends to focus on the detective work and on Batman’s relationship with Jim Gordon.

Shortly before the relaunch there was a storyline where Dr Arkham was an evil villain, so of course I don’t trust him now although he seems to be running the Asylum again (I guess we could say he’s committed to it, but in a different way). Harvey Bullock shows up to continue the investigation (anyone know what his title is? Is he a detective?), I’ve always had a soft spot for him.

Batman and Gordon discuss the case, and that’s about it for this Arkham Asylum breakout. The other thing that I wondered was if the same breakout was being used for storylines in various comics, making it a bit more plausible (one breakout in a month makes more sense than three), although of course it’s still unclear how the timing fits together. In any case, the breakout in Batman 1 was actually a rogue guard who opened the doors, and in Batman: Dark Knight 1 it centred on Two-Face and went down pretty differently, so I think it must have been a separate situation. For a maximum-security insane asylum, they really don’t do a very good job of keeping inmates secured!

Arkham Asylum Breakout Score:

Batman – 1

Batman: The Dark Knight – 1

Detective Comics – 1

Writer & Penciller: Tony Daniel

Inks: Ryan Winn, Sandu Florea

While reading Detective Comics 2 yesterday, I couldn’t help but compare it to Catwoman 1, specifically in terms of sex and representation. Instead of doing a full review of the issue I’m going to just look at the first two scenes, but don’t let that suggest I didn’t like the rest – it was a great issue and Detective Comics remains one of my favourite series.

One problem I had with Catwoman 1 was how Catwoman was drawn in the opening pages. The focus was on her breasts, exposed for no plot-based reason, and we didn’t see her full body until the third page. The effect is to de-personalize Catwoman, making our access to her body more important than her character. Bruce in Detective Comics 2, in contrast, is almost immediately shown in a full-body action shot, and unlike Catwoman he looks back out at us from the very first page of the book.

We start with Bruce in a tank top and shorts, rock climbing in his office (ah, the benefits of being a billionaire). When he’s joined by an unexpected visitor we see even more exposed skin, as the guy removes his shirt to join in. In some ways this is just as objectifying as the Catwoman scene (why not put the guy in an undershirt?) Does the fact that they’re exercising/training change the meaning of the scene, or how we respond to it, in contrast to Catwoman diving backwards off a building?

Immediately following this scene Bruce Wayne has yet another unexpected meeting, this time with a Charlotte Rivers. She seems to be a TV reporter, and the first part of her we see is her ass. Since we don’t yet know her as a character, it’s hard to tell if she’s using her beauty to try to gain access to Bruce, or if she dresses to fit in with her industry but genuinely dislikes how she’s treated because of it (“My eyes are up here”).

Either way, when Bruce tells Charlotte her eyes are shooting daggers, she responds with “Then kiss me before you bleed to death.” What do you think? Is she using sex to get a story, or is Bruce going along with it to distract her from her investigation? If it’s the latter, then Bruce is sort of whoring himself out to protect the Bat-Secret! He’s a willing and hopefully enthusiastic participant, but it just seems like his heart’s not in it.

So we’ve seen Bruce/Batman with two different women now, and both times he seems reluctant. With Catwoman he initially said no but changed his mind soon after; with Charlotte follows her lead with apparent pleasure but is clearly distant and distracted afterwards. How interesting, to compare that against Catwoman (she gets what she wants) and Starfire (who doesn’t get to love or even remember who she’s been with) – it kind of seems like Catwoman’s the one coming out on top.

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!

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: Tony Daniel

Artists: Tony Daniel, Ryan Winn

Date: April 2011

My Rating: Holy Classic Capers, Batman!

This month’s Batman was action-packed and felt very classic to me. Even though Batman and Robin themselves are different, Dick and Damian instead of Bruce and Dick, I was strongly reminded of old-school 60′s Batman — and yet it was also more realistic!

I love the cover of this issue, and although my plan had been to show covers in the Pull File posts, there’s no reason not to include one here! The colours are great, Batman is Badass, and I really like the text at the bottom. I’m also fascinated by the tears in his costume – you can see the mesh of the armor he wears under the grey cloth of the suit, and I think I remember other issues recently where tears in the shirt show flesh. Did he upgrade the batsuit?

So this bad guy The Sensei is searching for an evil mask (“The Beholder”) that gives amazing powers. Batman and Robin are on the job, as are The Peackock and her kid brother Luki Lo, who have spent their entire lives dedicated to finding and destroying The Beholder. Meanwhile, The Riddler and his daughter Enigma (someone write a story for me with Robin and Enigma, k?) are also messing with Batman and seem to be involved in a larger plot of their own.

There’s a great two-page spread, where Sensei has just donned the mask and got all powerful, and Batman attacks. I wanted to share it, but my scanner only fits one page at a time. So, this image isn’t awesome, but it’s better than nothing

Triumphant in the end, Batman sees Peacock (Miss Lo) and Luki off as they return home. Pretty sure the kiss here is a memory, rather than actually happening at the airport, but still – Dick gets around, eh? Awesome. I am going to make a point of watching for further Dick Grayson Kiss Moments (TM) and will be sure to keep everyone updated!

OK, that wraps it up for me. Leave a comment with your thoughts on Batman 707 or any other Batman comic, and have a great weekend!