shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Nov 10, 2014 0:46:53 GMT -5
Batman: 28 Years Ago This Month Batman #403 Published November 1986(cover dated January 1987)
Summary: The issue opens with Tommy Carma, a deranged former cop who thought that he was Batman, escaping Arkham asylum; killing two guards who he thought was Joker and Two-Face in the process. In his flight from justice Carma seeks out the one man he thinks is his friend, Bruce Wayne, but before he can reach the manor a rain storm forces him to seek cover and so he hides out in a cave only to uncover the actual Batcave! Entering the cave he outfits himself in a batsuit and hops in the batmobile to go out to bring justice to the gangster who killed his family. After a date with Vikki Vale Bruce returns back to the cave to find his ride has been highjacked and he sets out to find the perpetrator and ends up defeating Tommy with a few short punches.
Review: For me, even though this issue predates Year One, this is the start of the post-crisis Batman. In this issue, and the one proceeding it as well, we get a Batman who acts tough but is actually very compassionate and the idea that Bruce Wayne as a womanizer is just another disguise and not his actual personality. I've always liked the idea that neither the Bruce Wayne persona nor the Batman persona were "real" and that Bruce Wayne's true personality, though seldom actually expressed, was some where in between those two extreemes and perhaps only existed late at night in front of the glow of the batcomputer while Alfred stitched him up and this is the story where that idea kind of begins. On top of that we get a great new depiction of Vikki Vale as an intelligent news editor with skeptical views of Batman. As much as I love Moench his characterization of Vikki was a total turn off for me so after being turned into some kind of obsessed groupie this new vision presented by Collins is all that much better.
Don't get me wrong, there are still some almost camp elements present that make the story feel a little bronze age but over all there's more here that feels post crisis than pre-crisis and further I think it's a much stronger than many of the issues Collins would produce after Year One.
Grade: A The issue so good that it led to one of the worst received Batman runs of all time. This was supposed to be a one time fill-in story from Max Allen Collins, but it was such a great story that O'Neil placed him squarely in charge of the Batman reboot post-Year One, and we all know how that worked out. EDIT: My bad. #402 was the filler story Collins was hired to write. O'Neil had him come back for #403 in response, and ultimately, gave him #408 and on.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Nov 10, 2014 0:49:48 GMT -5
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Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 10, 2014 11:26:13 GMT -5
I thought about tracking down some of these posts from your Batman thread while I was writing this as the post crisis transition period is when I really started to follow your thread and I absolutely loved your analysis. And I agree, as promising as this issue, and to a lesser extent the previous issue, was the rest of Max's run was pretty forgettable. Which kills me,because he got so much right here that the fact that he couldn't give us a compelling take on Jason like he did with Vikki really sticks out.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Nov 10, 2014 11:58:56 GMT -5
I thought about tracking down some of these posts from your Batman thread while I was writing this as the post crisis transition period is when I really started to follow your thread and I absolutely loved your analysis. Thanks! I think Collins had a couple of strikes against him from the start. 1. He was hired last minute and essentially had four issues to get his sh*t together and plan an entire Batman reboot. Heck, they were already soliciting his Batman #408 in this very issue, immediately after he'd taken the job. 2. Additionally, there's some evidence to suggest Miller was a last minute writer, so it's possible Collins had to write #408 without even knowing how Year One was going to end. 3. There had been earlier hints, going as far back as the end of Moench's run (before O'Neil) of Jason becoming a teenager more reflective of the current times -- rebellious and with attitude. It's possible that retconning Jason into a street punk was a mandate or heavy-handed suggestion that was given to Collins. It may not have been his idea. 4. And this is the big one. Once Jason's arc with Two-Face ends, it is absolutely apparent that Collins intended to have Jason become a well adjusted side-kick who is no longer rebellious and quick to anger. He transcended his emotional problems in that story. The street punk backstory served only to rationalize for a modern reading audience why in the world Batman would ever take a kid on as a sidekick (because he was in more danger in Crime Alley than he'd ever be under Batman's supervision). But fans were so appalled by the street punk retcon that Collins was booted from the book before he could make this more evident. When Starlin came on, he was the one who kicked up Jason's inner turmoil again and made him into an all-out a$$hole because he WANTED the audience to hate him so that they'd want to kill him off (which, Starlin has said several times, was pretty much his goal from Day One of taking over)/
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Post by chadwilliam on Nov 11, 2014 0:03:29 GMT -5
Perhaps to compliment Vicki Vale's stance on Batman, Collins also begins to establish that Bruce Wayne is falling out of Gordon's favour by his helping Tommy Carma find treatment in Arkham where Joker and Two-Face are also incarcerated. It's a nice little touch - Batman works best when he's expressed as this dark figure of optimism - the one hero out of all who believes in the possibility of rehabilitating his foes. Batman doesn't work quite so well as a figure of naivety, but hey, give that quality to Bruce Wayne and it somehow works. Having Gordon enter the scene as the guy who has to call in Batman to fix Bruce Wayne's mess is something I wish had been done more with the character. I don't want Gordon being too effective since that would downplay Batman's abilities, but having him one step ahead of Bruce Wayne - since he is right to point out Wayne's slip up in this issue - also ensures that Gordon has something to add.
Not sure how I feel about Vicki Vale's anti-Batman crusade though. As a journalist who has seen both Gotham and Batman first hand, she should realise how vital Batman is to the city. Unless she truly believes that Batman is a psychopath not much better than those he faces - and if she does, this raises the troubling question of where she got that notion - being against him would be like taking a stand against Sherlock Holmes getting involved in those cases that she should know, only he could solve.
Anyhow, that opening scene with Batman killing the Joker and Two-Face is effectively demented. One of those sequences that I read as a kid and would figure as an adult wasn't as distorted as I recalled, only to find out that actually, yes it is. Once the grim and gritty era was well under way, a scene such as this would have been too over the top to really work; before that era and it wouldn't have ben dreamed up in the first place, but here it's underplayed what with Batman's casualness juxtaposed against the insanity of the moment. I really wish Denys Cowan had done more work on Batman during this time.
Actually, casual is always a good mood for Batman. His secret identity imperilled (for all he knows), the Batmobile missing; there's no frenetic search, no Batman calling up Plan 7B9, just an offhand "Please Jim , don't ask me how Tommy got the Batmobile" and Batman getting on a motorcycle and taking to the streets and trusting that he'll know what to do when the time comes. Interesting that his encounter with Tommy lasts all of one page and that's it. Doesn't top the previous issue's "Why did you have so much trouble hitting him, Batman?" "Because who am I Robin, except just another guy who thinks he's Batman?" but it works.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 11, 2014 19:02:35 GMT -5
Perhaps to compliment Vicki Vale's stance on Batman, Collins also begins to establish that Bruce Wayne is falling out of Gordon's favour by his helping Tommy Carma find treatment in Arkham where Joker and Two-Face are also incarcerated. It's a nice little touch - Batman works best when he's expressed as this dark figure of optimism - the one hero out of all who believes in the possibility of rehabilitating his foes. Batman doesn't work quite so well as a figure of naivety, but hey, give that quality to Bruce Wayne and it somehow works. Having Gordon enter the scene as the guy who has to call in Batman to fix Bruce Wayne's mess is something I wish had been done more with the character. I don't want Gordon being too effective since that would downplay Batman's abilities, but having him one step ahead of Bruce Wayne - since he is right to point out Wayne's slip up in this issue - also ensures that Gordon has something to add.
Not sure how I feel about Vicki Vale's anti-Batman crusade though. As a journalist who has seen both Gotham and Batman first hand, she should realise how vital Batman is to the city. Unless she truly believes that Batman is a psychopath not much better than those he faces - and if she does, this raises the troubling question of where she got that notion - being against him would be like taking a stand against Sherlock Holmes getting involved in those cases that she should know, only he could solve.
Anyhow, that opening scene with Batman killing the Joker and Two-Face is effectively demented. One of those sequences that I read as a kid and would figure as an adult wasn't as distorted as I recalled, only to find out that actually, yes it is. Once the grim and gritty era was well under way, a scene such as this would have been too over the top to really work; before that era and it wouldn't have ben dreamed up in the first place, but here it's underplayed what with Batman's casualness juxtaposed against the insanity of the moment. I really wish Denys Cowan had done more work on Batman during this time.
Actually, casual is always a good mood for Batman. His secret identity imperilled (for all he knows), the Batmobile missing; there's no frenetic search, no Batman calling up Plan 7B9, just an offhand "Please Jim , don't ask me how Tommy got the Batmobile" and Batman getting on a motorcycle and taking to the streets and trusting that he'll know what to do when the time comes. Interesting that his encounter with Tommy lasts all of one page and that's it. Doesn't top the previous issue's "Why did you have so much trouble hitting him, Batman?" "Because who am I Robin, except just another guy who thinks he's Batman?" but it works. I think you really hit the nail on the head, this story can really only work at the precise time it was published, and for that I love it. This is the story I often point to when people claim that Bruce is as crazy as the criminals he battles as it shows just how balanced he is.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 19, 2014 12:46:08 GMT -5
Originally I had wanted to do Frank Miller's "Wanted:Santa Clause-,Dead or Alive!" from DC Special Series #21 but I would have had to do that last month as it carried a January cover date. Barring that I give you...
Batman: Forty Five Years Ago This Month! Detective Comics #408 Published December 1970(Cover Dated February,1971)
Summery: This issue opens with the reader learning that Dick Grayson has been kidnapped by an unknown party from Hudson University and is being used as bait for the Dark Knight. Despite know it to be a trap, Batman tracks the missing boy wonder to the outskirts of Gotham City where he arrives at a dusty old mansion...only this particular mansion wasn’t there last week, which baffles Batman but still he enters the house. Inside,, Batman finds his ward standing alone in a darkened corridor. The Boy Wonder collapses, and when the Caped Crusader catches him, Robin immediately decomposes into sand, which runs through Batman’s fingers. Before he can deal with this, Batman is compelled to rush up the stairs to locate the source of a piercing scream. It turns out to be a phonograph recording, but as he lifts the needle someone fires on him. Pursuing the assailant, Batman finds Robin holding the gun. Batman escapes the Robin's hail of gunfire only to fall into a dark room where he sees his own funeral where the other DC heroes say Batman was a fraud and a failure causing him to close his eyes in anguish but when he opens they again the scene is gone and he finds himself in a glass tube where he sees Robin Next to him in a similar tube, and then on a screen near by he sees the face of Dr. Tzin-Tzin, the master illusionist. Batman, of course, breaks out and battles a series of goons before the good Doctor shows up himself to put an end to Batman, but before he can kill Batman Robin subdues him from behind. The caped crusaders assume that the various visions they saw were the product of the master illusionist now in their custody but as Batman and Robin take Dr. Tzin-Tzin and is goons outside the house bursts into flames and then vanishes leaving them to wonder if they were right.
Review: As originally conceived Batman was specifically designed to be the polar opposite of Superman. Where as Superman was bright and a hero of the the daylight, Batman was dark and a hero of the night and many of his early adventures illustrated this by pitting him against vampires, madmen, zombies, and the pages are full of shadowy locations and cobwebby castles filled with hidden passageways, spooky statuary, and chandeliers dripping with the paraffin of blood-red candles, clear elements of horror that there were never seen in the pages of his primary colored counterpart. Although this horror themed characterization would not last, it was not forgotten and some of my favorite stories are those that embrace that horror feel and this is one of the best.
While its one of my favorite issues it's not because of its originality, several of Batman’s Bronze-Age stories take place in creepy residences, but Detective Comics #408, “The House That Haunted Batman,” puts an interesting technical spin on the concept. Writers Len Wein and Marv Wolfman immediately draw the reader into the story by “talking” directly to him, via the captions, as if he were the main character. This technique had been used in comics before, notably in Stan Lee's “Zombie” in Menace #5, and there are probably instances of it in earlier superhero comics as well, but its use here elicits a visceral response from the reader because rather than just reading about Batman, he has become Batman which is a huge bit of wish fulfillment.
The real selling point for me though, as I mentioned briefly above, is the inclusion of that horror element which I love. The house is labyrinthine, and the pervasive darkness that lurks in the corners of every panel operates as a disorienting, almost tangible, presence. And the unsettling image of Batman’s corpse lying in a coffin and his subsequent “entombment” clearly echoing Poe’s “The Premature Burial” makes this issue about as much of a horror comic as Batman gets. I grew up loving such seminal horror films as Frankenstein (and its sequels), Dracula, and the various adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories The Black Cat and The Raven so horror above all else is my life blood and one of my favorite elements has always been the haunted house. Ever since Horace Walpole’s novella The Castle of Otranto set the scene in 1764 slews of authors have continued to use the elements that he firs introduced there, such as a pervasive sense of mystery, dark secrets and curses, but the one thing that almost all horror stories share, however, is the building. The evil needs somewhere to live after all, and in many stories, the building itself is a character (Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel The Haunting of Hill House being an excellent example), although the source of its sentience may be obscure. These things don’t always have to be explained, and it’s actually often more effective if they’re not. Which is why I love the ending here, I mean the parade of haunted house staples that Batman faces is great, but the scene where we have Batman explaining that it was all an illusion brought on by the tricks of the mad doctor now in their custody right before the house mysteriously bursts into flames and vanishes leaves the reader to doubt Batman's assertion; is this the Tzin's last trick or was there more to the visions than trickery?
We never find that answer and the story is all the better for it.
Grade: A+
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 19, 2015 20:18:16 GMT -5
Batman: Seven Years Ago This Month Detective Comics #840 Published January, 2008(Cover Dated March,2008) Written by Paul Dini Penciled by Dustin Nguyen Inked by Derek Fridolfs
Summery: We start the issue with Batman on the trail of a new theme villain in Gotham, one whose shtick focuses on maps. Batman easily tracks down his hideout and enters completely unopposed and quickly locates the jewel encrusted Globe that the villain had pilfered from the British museum only to be attacked from behind by...a large man dressed in a globe. Batman makes short work of him only to discover that he is being observed than none other than the newly resurrected Ra's al Ghul and a pack of assassins. However, rather than fight Ra's simply thanks Batman for retrieving his stolen property and produces a receipt signed by Peter Carl Faberge from 1901 and explains that it was stolen from him by the museum. Further, he brags that it secretly contains all the known Lazarus location on Earth to which Batman smiles, takes a picture of it and escapes after taunting Ra's about always showing his hand.
Later on Batman uncovers where Ra's is staying using a similar method that Ra's used to uncover Batman's identity, namely searching for billionaire purchases resulting in large land acquisitions in Gotham. Once there he takes out Abu and all of Ra's other body guards before defeating Ra's himself. Later that night, dressed as an Arkham guard Batman drops off Ra's under the name of "Terry Gene Kase." He tells them that he has multiple personality disorder and that his files say he's claimed to be Superman, Jesus, and even the "billionaire leader of a cabal of international assassins." to which a doctor suggests he be kept under heavy sedation.
Review: While I disliked the whole Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul storyline and I dislike the way Ra's is so easily defeated here which makes his threat level about equal with the goon we saw Batman tackle in the beginning I feel as if this is a pretty solid story none the less. From the start I love how condensed this is; it features three distinct encounters with an enemy in a single story and each one fully developed and satisfying in its own way. Secondly, I love that despite being an epilogue to the Resurection of Ra's al Ghul it stand completely on its own. In the story you're given every thing you need to know about the ten issue event which preceded it while at the same time telling a unique adventure on its own, which though flawed still had a fun energy about it as well as some great dialogue, I mean that exchange about the receipt for the globe was just perfect. But more than any of that my reason for choosing this issue because it marks,what I consider, the beginning of Dustin Nguyen's run on Batman.
Now, technically his first Batman work was in 2004's "As the Crow Flies" running through Batman #626-630 and written by Judd Winnick, but that was more of an isolated incident as after that he wouldn't work on a Bat-title again for another three years when he did a three issue story in Superman/Batman. But with Detective #840 Nguyen would go on to draw 12 issues with Paul Dini as writer in Detective before moving on to Streets of Gotham(again with Dini) for the entire 21 issue run. It's a tremendous run for an artist and for my money he's one of the best there is currently working with mainstream heroes. His art mixes stylized character work with very realistic back grounds which creates this unique unreal mood in his work that just instantly draws you in. And it all started here.
So, probably a B story wise but for a fan of Dustin's work its definitely a worth while issue.
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Post by chadwilliam on Jan 19, 2015 22:10:12 GMT -5
This was one of the rare Batman comics I picked up at around this time and while I no longer have the issue and therefore can't bring much of substance to this thread, I do recall being impressed with the writing. Criminals with a theme, possessing some mental deviation compelling them to engage in crimes that could never be considered run of the mill is something I miss from Batman comics today - I really need a villain to have a warped mind to believe that they're truly worth Batman's time. That Dini created such a villain for this story is appreciated though I'm frustrated that he seemed to be there simply to give Batman someone to face before running into Ra's Al Ghul. Like Morrison's run, it seemed to me that the best stuff was happening between the panels.
I recall an issue of Gotham Knights (I think it was Gotham Knights) in which Batman goes around burying Lazarus Pits thus making them inaccessible to Ra's. When Bane points out that it would be easier simply to contaminate them, Batman responds that his method serves as a better insult. I like that Dini's Batman continues with that train of thought - the idea that it isn't enough to defeat Ra's, but that he must be brought down a peg or two such as by stealing his methods or having him tossed into Arkham as a common thug not worthy of his respect. Of course if that's too subtle, Dini did provide Batman with a nice bit of dialogue capturing just how he sees his foe. Something along the lines of Ra's long life having turned him into a coward who would desperately claw at any opportunity to cling to life for another few years. I'm not doing it justice, but one of those reasons I may just have to track down this issue again and for that I thank you for another engaging review Guardian.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 19, 2015 22:19:36 GMT -5
This was one of the rare Batman comics I picked up at around this time and while I no longer have the issue and therefore can't bring much of substance to this thread, I do recall being impressed with the writing. Criminals with a theme, possessing some mental deviation compelling them to engage in crimes that could never be considered run of the mill is something I miss from Batman comics today - I really need a villain to have a warped mind to believe that they're truly worth Batman's time. That Dini created such a villain for this story is appreciated though I'm frustrated that he seemed to be there simply to give Batman someone to face before running into Ra's Al Ghul. Like Morrison's run, it seemed to me that the best stuff was happening between the panels.
I recall an issue of Gotham Knights (I think it was Gotham Knights) in which Batman goes around burying Lazarus Pits thus making them inaccessible to Ra's. When Bane points out that it would be easier simply to contaminate them, Batman responds that his method serves as a better insult. I like that Dini's Batman continues with that train of thought - the idea that it isn't enough to defeat Ra's, but that he must be brought down a peg or two such as by stealing his methods or having him tossed into Arkham as a common thug not worthy of his respect. Of course if that's too subtle, Dini did provide Batman with a nice bit of dialogue capturing just how he sees his foe. Something along the lines of Ra's long life having turned him into a coward who would desperately claw at any opportunity to cling to life for another few years. I'm not doing it justice, but one of those reasons I may just have to track down this issue again and for that I thank you for another engaging review Guardian. The new theme villain was a nice throw back to a simpler age, feeling like something that would have been right at home on the Adam West show, indeed now that you've made me think of it the whole thing kind of has that feels like that especially the conclusion. Might be worth asking Dini about his intentions with the tone here if I ever see him at a con again.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 15, 2015 20:30:04 GMT -5
Batman: 26 Years Ago This Month!Batman #432 Published February, 1989(cover dated April 1st, 1989) Written by Christopher Priest( as Jim Owsley) Penciled by Jim Aparo Inked by Mike Decarlo Summery: While out on patrol Batman responds to a silent alarm at a law firm only to find that the "burglar" is a tenacious female PI named Max Kelly who after putting up a good fight reveals to Batman that she's chasing down a ten year old cold case on a missing child. Batman knows Max to be a high profile investigator and he can't seem to figure out why she's chasing down this case when something she says finally hits home,"If you lost your son would you stop?" and with that Batman is on the case, ignoring Jim Gordon's advice and pleas for help on a jewel heist case, breaking into the FBI and interrogating a priest before finally finding out that the boy was kidnapped by another grieving mother.
Review: I picked this issue for three reasons: I love Christopher Priest, Jim Aparo is probably one of the best Batman artists of all time and this is by far the best follow up to A Death in the Family. Starting out at Marvel in 1978 Priest is, along with Billy Graham, one of the earliest African American writers ever to write for the Big Two which alone by itself would make this a timely choice but this is more than that as Priest is just a terrific writer. His work, no matter the genre, has this raw, realistic feeling that just makes for some good reading and with that in mind you'd think he'd be a guy with a long line of Batman issues to his resume given that Batman is DC's more "grounded" heroes but for whatever reason(as far as I know) he has only this issue and the one preceding it. It's a shame too because although I think Priest's voice makes Batman sound a little to "hip" and there are more than a few illogical leaps in the plot, he does craft a fun detective story here with a great noir feel. On top of creating that hardnosed, pulp tone he showed us a Batman that is definitely more man than anything else as he struggled with both Max Kelly and the FBI, too often these kinds of characters would be push overs for Batman so it was refreshing to see them present a real threat.
Jim Aparo's skill goes without saying, he just has a way of drawing Batman that emphasizes both his strength and agility, the later of which many artists seem to forgo. Probably his best panel here though doesn't feature Batman in the traditional sense, it takes place just after we see the FBI field office in Gotham in flames and we see a lone fire fighter roaming the halls but before he even speaks we know it's secretly Batman because he shadow on the wall resembles the shadow of Batman's cowl; it's subtle but beautiful. Speaking of subtle, and moving back to Priest, I love the casual way in which this story addresses the emotional impact of the loss of Jason Todd; we don't see Bruce flying off into a grief stricken rage and pounding random thugs to an inch of their life but rather we see him taking a step back and attempting once again to fight against the impossible. In all we get only two direct refrences to Jason, a brief one panel flash back when Max brings up a parent's tenacity for their children's protection and again at the end when we see Jason's image in a locket; it's such a small presence but its one that pushes Batman to take a case that he had previously thought to be not only a lost cause but one that is meaningless in the face of all the other threats to Gotham. That reversal of thinking was powerful, and expressed the depths of his grief much better than it was anywhere else.
Grade: B+
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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 15, 2015 22:24:04 GMT -5
I just went back and checked out what Shax thought of this issue and it looks like he would disagree with my estimate of #432, his review can be found here
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 22, 2015 18:28:46 GMT -5
As I scanned my collection for an appropriately released Batman comic for this month I thought I had picked the perfect one, and indeed I even began to write it up getting so far as:
Only to realize I had already reviewed said issue back in December for the Twelve Days of Classic Christmas, and while my work schedule has been so hectic lately so as to bring my review threads to a screeching halt making this for a quick and easy copy and paste I decided against the easy way and choose another issue(albeit from the same title) and so, with out further adieu: Batman: Twenty Years Ago This Month!
Legends of the Dark Knight # 71 Published March, 1995(cover dated May, 1995) Written by James Robinson Art by John Watkiss summary:This starts off with what appears to be a simple who-dun-it, we're presented with two men in two separate locations whose only connections appear to be that they were both workers at Wayne Tech, they were enjoying whisky, and from the ominous narration were both about to die. A simple enough start until we see that although one does appear to have a basic reasoning( a guy with a gun and a safe full of important information to steal) the other was anything but as it was committed by a werewolf! Though the means were shockingly different both murders lead to the same place, London, and Batman can't help but think they may be linked and so he hot foots it to the UK to solve both mysteries. What follows is a fun hardboiled detective plot, with Batman shaking down various London "hoods" and meeting with the Scotland Yard's version of Jim Gordon; there's corporate espionage, philandering spouses, business deals gone wrong and a werewolf cult.
Review: This is one of those times where I'm extremely glad my original plan didn't work out as it caused me to revisit a book I hadn't read in years of which I had only the faintest of memories and is now one of my favorites. Seriously, check this one out, it's that good. Best known by comic fans for his striking covers from Greg Ruka's run on Batman, John Watkiss steals the show here. His art is both suitably moody and atmospheric enough so as to create the tone of a hard boiled detective story but contrastingly bright enough so as to give you a feel of a classic Batman story; it's like Matt Wagner and the Fliesher brothers had a kid. It just blows you away how it can feel gritty and nostalgic at the same time. On top of that, the story by Robinson is just as perfect in the way it mixes plot points straight of the noir films of the 40's, the universal monster movies and Batman in a way that feels custom built for my reading pleasure as it includes just about everything I love.
Grade A+
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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 29, 2015 17:56:32 GMT -5
Batman:40 Years Ago This MonthDetective Comics #448 Published April, 1975(Cover dated June, 1975) Summery: Accused of the murder of Ra's and Talia Al Ghul, Batman is on the lam from Gordon and GCPD making his only ally...the Creeper! Attempting to clear Batman's good name the unlikely duo run down a lead that brings them to a local circus but rather than leading to clarity it only deepens the mystery of how Batman was framed as Talia and Ra's appear to be alive and well. Understandably, a battle ensues during which the tent catches fire adding further mayhem to the fight between Batman and Ra's. In the chaos, Batman, the Creeper and Talia escape leaving Ra's to apparently perish in the flames. Outside, Batman turns Talia over to Gordon and thinking the situation solved he turns to leave only to be told that the warrant still stood and that he was under arrest but before it can be discussed further Gordon opens fire on Batman which leads him to discover how Ra's framed him: a micro circuit computer that Ra's could use to remotely pull the trigger, which not only proved Batman's innocence but also that Ra's was still alive.
Review: As much as I like 70's Ra's Al Ghul stories and Len Wein and Jim Aparo this isn't the best story out there. Although I like the various circus folk that the Al Ghuls used as disguises (Sireena, the sensuous snake charmer, Shondu the human corkscrew, Slapleather Smith the sharpshooter and Grobo the strongest small man in the world) the whole death plot just struck in my craw as the sequence events involving a coroner, mortuary assistants and grave diggers needed to prove Batman guilty just seemed overly complex. I mean, yeah, its comics but it felt a little too illogical and at this point did we really need another story about Ra's attempting to recruit Batman?
C-
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Post by Hoosier X on Apr 29, 2015 18:21:10 GMT -5
I love mid-1970s Batman but if you're picky about things like "logic" and "making sense" and "not being kind of stupid at times," then you might be disappointed a lot.
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