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.

Good evening, Gotham City!! Happy Canada day to those in Gotham North, and Happy Independence Day to my friends south of the border! This hot weather puts me in the mood for a cool drink and a comicbook, and lucky for me there are a few good ones coming out today. Before I get to that, though, a costume update — as I’m sure everyone will be glad to hear, my Bat-dress is ready to go! It’s about time, since the San Diego Comic Con is next week! I don’t have any full costume photos to share quite yet, but here’s a blurry iPhone shot that gives you an idea of what the utility belt looks like:

Yes, those are Bat-sunglasses, we creatures of the shadows don’t do too well with California’s bright sunshine. Enough costume talk, here’s what I’m reading this week:

Batman: Earth One – Batman’s origin story, the official DCnU version! Some people may think it’s redundant, but I love a good origin and don’t mind reading Batman’s again! With a storyline that’s as well known as this one, it’s always interesting to see what the writer adds, changes, or removes altogether. I think Geoff Johns has enough history with the character to do it justice, and although I’m not very familiar with Gary Frank’s art, I’ve liked his recent Justice League work. Although I don’t normally buy hardcover graphic novels when they first come out, this was a birthday present that I’m definitely looking forward to reading (and thanks again!!)

Earth 2 3 – Still mad at DC for calling it Earth 2 instead of Earth Two. And don’t tell, but I may have neglected to actually read issue 2 (despite enjoying issue 1)… This isn’t technically a Bat-book anyways, but I have to read it for gay Alan Scott if nothing else!

Detective Comics 11 – I’ve seen a lot of hate for Tony Daniel’s run in this series, and I didn’t really agree because I’ve generally enjoyed D.C. lately (especially issue 10, I thought it was great, though it’s possible that most of what I enjoyed was the art…) Then it occurred to me that the main problem I have with D.C. was how they started big with the Joker (insert Nic Cage quote here) and then didn’t follow through, we haven’t seen Mister J all year. I’m thrilled to bits that the Batman team will be writing a Joker storyline, but whose fault is it that we had to wait this long? Of course, I don’t know what goes on behind the doors of DC Comics (and I get the sense even that people working there don’t plan ahead sometimes) but maybe if Daniel had done something with the Joker, he’d be writing Detective Comics for more than a couple more issues.

World’s Finest 3 – The continued adventures of Huntress and Power Girl! I really enjoy the inversion here: the “World’s Finest” title starred Superman and Batman for so long, it’s great to see two women taking up that title and all the symbolism that goes with it. We’re early in the series, still getting to know the characters and learning how they relate to each other and the world they find themselves in. I’m most interested to see how Helena Wayne goes from being Robin to being Huntress, and how she grieves the loss of her father, the Batman of Earth 2.

Batwing 11 - The villain here is a gangster named Long, who just happens to be a dragon. Not a man in a dragon costume, no. An actual dragon. This is why I read comics! What is the point of having a guy in Bat armor running around fighting crime if not to have him fight a dragon? Exactly. Add in Marcus To’s art and I’m definitely sold; take a look at this cover – I love Long’s antlers, and Nightwing is just perfect!

Happy Wednesday, Bat-fans! Once again it’s been longer than I’d like between updates, but we do what we can. Despite not sharing my pull file last week or the week before I did read my comics, and love the Court of Owls storyline. I’m trying not to speculate too much about who’s behind it, but it’s been fun seeing theories online. What do you think will happen this week, and who do you think is really in charge of the Court of Owls? Leave a comment and let me know!

For the record, on April 18th I picked up Batman 8, Birds Of Prey 8, Catwoman 8, Justice League 8, Nightwing 8 and Red Hood and the Outlaws 8 (yes, I’m still buying it…) It was a busy week! Then on April 25th I read Dark Knight 8 and Teen Titans 8. Today is also a great day for Batman comic readers, here’s what I’ll be buying after work today:

Batwing 9 – Issue 8 came with some startling realizations about Batwing’s current nemesis Massacre, and I wonder how that will tie in to the Court of Owls storyline today. Perhaps there’s no connection at all, the Court may just swoop in and disrupt everything in this issue! Either way, with art by Marcus To we’re in good hands and I’m sure we’ll finally see some background detail in the art, what a relief.

Detective Comics 9 – The Court of Owls comes to Detective Comics as well! Batman has to protect one of the Talons’ targets, Jeremiah Arkham, which I guess means he’s back in charge of Arkham Asylum? That’s a far stretch from where we last saw him before the relaunch, when he was Black Mask (and just as villainous as the name suggests). I’m excited to find out what happened and what Jeremiah’s up to now!

Earth Two 1 – This new series opens up an alternate universe, where we meet Golden Age heroes Jay Garrick (Flash) and Alan Scott (Green Lantern). I got pretty confused just trying to figure that much out, so I hope James Robinson writes it to be a good first-issue introduction for those of us who started reading comics within the last few years and aren’t well-versed in DC history. Artwork by Nicola Scott, I’m not familiar with her work but it’s always nice to have another female artist in the mix!

Teen Titans Annual #1 – I don’t understand why there’s a random “annual” issue (well, maybe not so random) or why it costs $4.99 (most comics are $2.99) but surprise, I got this anyways. Teen Titans is good stuff, so I’ll go along for the ride.

World’s Finest 1 – Huntress and Power Girl from Earth Two are stranded in Earth One. How did they get here? Why can’t they go back? What will they do, what are they like, what do they want? I have so many questions! I’m also definitely excited that this comic is focused on two heroines, and I like the subversive aspect – instead of the classic World’s Finest team-up (Batman, Superman, and Robin) we have Power Girl (Superman’s cousin) and Huntress (Helena Wayne). There’s potential here! I really enjoy the cover, by George Perez and Hi-Fi (yes, really).

Good evening Gotham! Once again real life got in the way of my Batman time, it’s just not fair how that happens. Not only did I not get to write about last week’s comics, I didn’t even get to read them! Hopefully that doesn’t become the new normal, or I’ll have to realign priorities … who needs a day job, anyways? Just because Batman is also CEO of Wayne Enterprises doesn’t mean I can’t quit my job to focus on reading comics, right? So here’s what’s waiting for me:

Batman: The Dark Knight 7 – It’s a fun comic, what else do we need? We’re still fighting Bane and his new version of Venom, which Batman just got over thanks to some Super help. Now he’s off to find Flash and save him from a grisly end, while also tracking down more information about that mysterious white rabbit lady (has she done anything other than run around being mysterious?).

Teen Titans 7 – The Titans head to N.O.W.H.E.R.E. Headquarters (how do they find it?) to rescue Evil Superboy, and presumably drop the ‘evil’ on the way home. Overall this comic still feels like it’s in the ‘getting started’ stages, rather than being fully involved in an adventure, but I’m not complaining. I actually really enjoy extended team-coming-together stories, and it’s great to see these young heroes get to know each other.

Batwing 8 – Massacre’s hunt for former African superheroes has brought him to Gotham City, with Batwing hot on his heels. I’m looking forward to seeing how Batwing interacts with our favourite Gothamites (Batgirl, Robin, and Nightwing), and also to the big reveal about who Massacre is behind the mask.

Detective Comics 8 – Last issue we had a big showdown in Penguin’s Iceberg Lounge, and Batman rescued his girlfriend (I think?) Charlotte from icy doom. I’m feeling surprisingly lacklustre about this issue, and I want to see more detective work, but I know I’ll enjoy it once I start reading. There’s also a second feature with art by Szymon Kudranski, who drew the Penguin book that I liked so much. Here’s the cover, by Tony Daniel, I love the smoke (fear gas?!) and how Batman looks like he’s ready to just jump off the page.

Hello and happy Wednesday! Did everyone have a good New Years celebration? I got to spend the evening with some other Bat-fans, and we had a lovely time. There may even have been champagne and fancy dresses! This week a few exciting comics came out, here’s what I found in my pull file tonight:

Batwing 5 - I enjoyed issue 4 and definitely want to see where this storyline goes. Will Batwing get the jump on Massacre before another former superhero is killed? Will he need Batman’s help to do so? We’ll find out! I also noticed that there was a different artist for issue 4; Ben Oliver drew issues 1 – 3 and also 5, but Chris Cross drew issue 4. I appreciated that Cross gave more detail in the backgrounds, which was my main criticism of Oliver, but now that I’ve had a change, I’m actually sort of leaning towards preferring Oliver’s treatment for this particular bat-title.

The Huntress 4 (of 6) – I love this book! Huntress is a really interesting character, and although I don’t know much about her backstory at this point, I like how she handles herself and the fact that she’s working against crimes like human trafficking. Also, she’s so fashionable! In this issue, Huntress has to decide if she’s willing to kill for her cause, it should be very interesting to see how she comes to her decision.

Penguin: Pain and Prejudice 4 (of 5) – I wrote about how great the art in this book is, so it’s exciting to have a new issue to read. Now that Batman’s in the picture, I wonder when he’ll take a more active role in the situation? I’m also looking forward to seeing what happens when Cassandra finds out that Penguin is not exactly the man he’s presented himself as being.

Detective Comics 5 – The Joker is still at large, and this issue opens with protesters out in force to support Joker and call for Batman’s arrest or worse. I’ve really liked Detective Comics so far, it’s been great. One odd thing – I notice that Szymon Kudranski (who is the artist on the Penguin miniseries) is credited on the cover of this issue, but not on the title page inside. Does anyone know what’s up with that? Here’s the cover, by Tony Daniel and Tomeu Morey:

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:

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!

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.