December 11, 2006
Detective Comics 826: Dini's Joker is the Bomb
Detective Comics 826 proves that Grant Morrison has formidable competition with the writing of Paul Dini. We finally get Dini's take on the Joker and Robin as well! Robin is fleeing a gang of gun-wielding thugs and makes the mistake of his life when he jumps into the Joker's car in order to get away. The Joker proceeds to take him on a car ride through Gotham that resembles "Death Race 2000" with David Carradine. There's a great scene where the Joker enters the drive-thru of a fast-food restaurant and vents his frustation on the imcompetent employees. Don Kramer captures the maniacal look in the Joker's face perfectly, and I love that Santa hat he's wearing. I think the Joker's coming back in Morrison's book, but how can he top this? Nuff said.
November 3, 2006
DC's Podcasts; Busiek Pays For Captain America vs Batman
The other day I discovered that DC has a podcasts area on their downloads page as well as a feed for ITunes and Juice. The very latest download in this series is in the middle of the 52 crew discussing the creation of the weekly series. I've never heard Grant Morrison's voice before, and I don't know what I thought it would sound like, but he sure is a Scotsman! Besides Morrison, you'll hear Mark Waid, Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Dan Didio, JG Jones, and Keith Giffen. I've downloaded all the podcasts in this series and listened to a number of them taped at San Diego Comic-Con 2006: Gail Simone, JLA/JSA (with Meltzer and Johns), Mark Buckingham, and Kurt Busiek. The Busiek podcast is fascinating, especially if you want some insight behind Astro City storytelling compared to his DC/Marvel superhero work. Lots of cool info there about Arrowsmith, Aquaman, and Avengers Forever as well. One of audience members rakes Busiek over the coals about the anti-climatic fight between Captain America and Batman in JLA-Avengers. Busiek replies that he thought it was conclusive--Captain America would beat Batman, although it would take a long time. Given the fact that we had such a great knockdown-drag out fight between Thor and Superman, I really didn't care, but this guy was really pissed at Busiek: "Why? Why did you do that?" Busiek's exasperation is really funny. Nuff said.
November 1, 2006
I Was Edujicated by DC's Giants
DC continuity was just too dang confusin' for kids to figure out. When the Dumb Communists infiltrated Superman's publishin' company in the 1980s, that's what they claimed in order to justify Crisis on Infinite Earths. How can a dumbass kid know about Earth I and Earth II and the fourteen varieties of Kryptonite and the Adult Legionnaires? Well, I did, and I didn't have a rich Uncle with a secret stash of Silver Age comics. How did I, Cousin Dick, a hick from the boondocks, learn so much comics history? I was edujicated by Giants!
Batman 213 (1969) was the first Giant book I ever bought. 5 big stories for 25 cents, that was a big deal to me when the regular comics were 12-15 cents. This book had the Holy Grail for me: the origin of Robin! Like many kids in the 60s, I was a big fan of the BATMAN tv show starring Adam West. I always wondered why the TV show never explained their origin! I idolized Robin, and here it was all explained: the murder of Dick Grayson's parents, his adoption by Bruce Wayne, and his training to become the Boy Wonder. But little did I know there was an even better story in this issue: "The Man Behind the Red Hood". Little did I know until the very last page--this was the origin of the Joker! I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that Judd Winick also read this same story and used the Red Hood in Jason Todd's revival.
I wasn't just a Batman fan. I loved Superman, and that also translated to Superboy. I liked readin' about Superman's teenage adventures, his family life with the Kents, and most of all, his super-dog, Krypto! My first fan letter to DC comics was written in crayon: "Where did Krypto come from? How come we never see Superman's parents in his own comic?" Quite soon after that, another Giant, Superboy 165 (1970) answered both of these questions! Jor-El used Krypto as a test animal to perfect his rocket ship for Superman...heck, that didn't seem cruel at the time. But the secret of Ma and Pa Kent's death had me cryin' like a baby! They contracted a rare disease, which Superboy thought that he caused through a time travel adventure. Later it turned out just to be the Kents own misfortune. After exhaustin' ever possible resource to save them (Lex Luthor, Phantom Zone, etc), the Kents quietly pass away at home--forcing Clark to finally leave Smallville.
DC 100 Page Super Spectacular #6 (1971) introduced me to Earth I and Earth II. I remember seeing this title on the comic book rack at The Book Cache in Anchorage, Alaska. (How I got there was another story altogether.) I only had a dollar and decided to spend half of it on this title because of the wonderful Neal Adams wraparound cover--I had never seen so many heroes in one place! I was curious why there were two Supermen, two Batmen, and an adult version of Robin. Luckily, the lead story was the classic "Crisis on Earth-1, Earth-2" Justice League two-parter that explained the whole mystery. If that wasn't enough, the back cover had a guide that explained who each hero was on the front cover. The rest of the book was filled with Golden and Silver Age reprints of The Spectre, Johnny Quick, Vigilante, Wildcat, and Hawkman. Little did I know that I was studyin' to enjoy Roy Thomas' All-Star Squadron that featured all these cowpokes!
In 1972, DC made Detective Comics a regular bi-monthly 100 page comic, and that format lasted until 1975 (issues 438-445). This particular run was exceptional, because Archie Goodwin was the editor. He revitalized the all-new Batman stories with exceptional artwork by Jim Aparo, Sal Almendola, Alex Toth, and Howard Chaykin, and wrote all of them except one--the classic "Night of the Stalker" (written by Steve Englehart from an idea by Neal Adams). We also had the remarkable Manhunter backup, written by Goodwin and drawn by a new artist called Walt Simonson. This truly was the best deal in comics--awesome new stories, coupled with reprints that explained the history of the DC Universe. I learned all about Doctor Fate, Kid Eternity, the Guardian and Newsboy Legion, the Atom, Hawkman, and the power of fishnet stockings--Zatanna! Detective 438 reprinted Zatanna's adventures with the Atom, and gave us a trail to follow her classic search for Daddy Zatara thru other 100 page spectaculars.
There ya go pardners, the trail of DC Giants. If you've tried to follow them now in back issue bins or EBay, it can cost ya a pretty penny to buy 'em back! But ya know what I remember thinkin', even as a ten-year old, that these big books were the best value--each one took me hours to read. I suppose ya got the equivalent in DC Showcase reprints, but somehow it just don't seem the same to me. Ain't none of 'em got a beautiful Neal Adams cover like Superman 252! Nuff said.
August 24, 2006
Batman 656: Fighting Man-Bats in a Pop-Art Museum
We haven't posted on here for a bit--slackers, all three of us. There's a lot of great comics out this week: Justice League of America 1, Wonder Woman 2, Astonishing X-Men 16, etc. The one that stands is Batman 656 by Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert, part 2 of "Man-Bats Of London". Morrison's recent interview on Newsarama revealed that he is trying to channel "the Neal Adams-esque, hairy-chested love god Batman". In this issue, he certainly succeeds. We see Bruce Wayne trying to woo the Jezebel Jet, who is the Prime Minister of an African nation, but also happens to be a supermodel. Wayne's thwarted by the arrival of "Man-Bats. Ninja Man-Bats. Alarming Twist." After a quick change into the caped crusader, the fight is played out within this museum hosting a Pop-Art exhibition. It's an ingenious twist on the standard superhero fight, having these paintings with the sound effects in the background as Batman takes out the Man-Bats (who carry Shuriken stars and Samarai swords). There are a few James Bond quips throughout the issue, too. Andy Kubert draws this story with a cinematic widescreen flair--Morrison molded this script to his particular talents. What a great time this is, to have Morrison writing both Superman and Batman. Nuff said.
External Link:
Grant Morrison Talks Batman at Newsarama
February 16, 2006
Holy Shit, Batman! It's Frank Miller!
Frank Miller made quite an impression at Wondercon, with a couple of articles appearing this week after it ended. Peter Hartlaub at the San Francisco Chronicle talked to Miller and extracted more information about the new Batman graphic novel that Miller is drawing. It's going to be titled "Holy Terror, Batman" and it's going to be a whopper at 200 pages. Miller has finished 120 pages so far; previous rumors indicated it was going to be black and white, like Sin City. Batman isn't going to fight Republicans any more...
"I wish the entertainers of our time had the spine and the focus of the ones who faced down Hitler," Miller said. "I just think it's silly to have Batman out chasing the Riddler when you've got al Qaeda out there."
Yeah, but the minute you make superheroes enter into real world conflicts, it's just not realistic. Batman could invade Iraq all by himself. The Flash could find Osama Bin Linden in a few minutes of super-speed searching and bring him to US Navy aircraft carriers in the Gulf. That's why Roy Thomas wrote that story about the DC heroes not being able to go to Europe or Japan during World War 2.
I am constantly confused by Miller's politics. Is he liberal or conservative? He bashed Reagan in Dark Knight Returns and took swipes at big corporations (Starbucks) in Dark Knight Strikes Again. Yet Miller loves punishing criminals mercilessly through his characters, and now he's going after al Qaeda.
Miller also made an appearance in Berkeley for a screening of Sin City that benefited the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. There are some good behind the scenes info on Newsarama about how Miller worked with Bruce Willis and Mickey Rourke.
External Links:
Who needs comic-book villains when real ones lurk? Not Batman.
SPACE Channel Video showing Holy Terror pages
CBLDF's Benefit Sin City Screening Report.
Frank Miller Wondercon Spotlight Part 1
Frank Miller Wondercon Spotlight, Part 2
January 2, 2006
Frank Miller Serves Up All-Star Cheesecake
Some people said that Dark Knight Strikes Again was Frank Miller's idea of a joke. I forget who said it, so I'm paraphrasing out of context, but the joke was the DC paid Miller booku bucks for a superhero sequel, and instead they got this indie comic. The most expensive indie comic ever made. Was it true? Who cares, it still sold like gangbusters and made DC a ton of money, not to mention the publicity. The first time I read DKSA, I hated it. It was nothing like the first Dark Knight mini-series. Starbucks-bashing, Republican-bashing, Flash wearing short biker pants, and another Superman-Batman fight where Supes loses again! Second time I read it, I liked it a little better. Not enough to actually buy the damn thing: I read it at Borders (first time) and from the public library (second time). Miller got enough of my money in the 80s and 90s. I bought everything he did: Daredevil, Wolverine, Ronin, Dark Knight, Sin City. Not to mention those What Ifs. What thanks did I get for making this nebbish a superstar? Did Miller invite me to the Sin City premiere so I could meet Carla Gugino? No. Fuck him. Everything FM writes will now be read for free in a chain bookstore.
All Star Batman and Robin: after the first three issues, I think it's safe to say that Frank Miller really hates the whole idea of superheroes. Or he just thinks the entire concept is so damn ludicrous. We've seen Batman slap Dick Grayson around in the second issue. In the third issue, he tells to Dick to "Shut Up" when the kid asks an innocent question. I think if I were Dick Grayson, I'd freaking run as fast as I could away from this lunatic. Batman has never been portrayed crazier than he is in this series. I was telling someone the other day that it reminds me of those old Mad magazine superhero parodies like Superduperman. It is hard to take seriously the thought of a teenager beating up experienced adult fighters. So maybe that is Miller's point. In the past, it was the ultimate child wish fulfillment, to do whatever an adult could do. The whole idea of teen sidekicks is just plain child abuse in the modern era. Although I suppose I hoped that Miller would find a way to reinvent the old and come up with a way for Bruce Wayne to actually be a father to Dick. Maybe the first step in this direction would be to change his name. No one wants to be called Dick anymore. I tried it in elementary school and the other kids kicked my ass.
Teen sidekicks, that's the first point; the second point is to give all fanboys an erection with Jim Lee's babelicious artwork. The level of cheesecake surprises me. Not that I mind cheesecake; I've got a ton of Gen13 comics in my closet. What we've never seen in any Miller superhero comic is that HE likes cheesecake. Elektra was sexy, but not really overtly. Sin City has cheesecake hooker ninjas, but they aren't superheroes. I think as a collective audience, when we read All-Star B&R #1, and saw Vicky Vale prancing around in her sexy pink panties, that we pretty much thought Jim Lee had to be responsible. I mean, Mr. Lee has drawn a number of outlandish babes, from Psylocke to Voodoo to those Marvel Swimsuit pin-ups. Rich Johnston broke that story of Miller's script actually instructing Lee: "OK, Jim, I'm shameless…Let's go with an ASS SHOT…she's got one fine ass." Boom shocka! That is damn fine investigative journalism, Mr. Johnston. I think you belong on 60 Minutes. Mike Wallace is gonna retire any minute.
For the cheesecake alone, All Star Batman and Robin might be worth buying. I was again surprised to read issue #3 with the appearance of Black Canary. It's pretty much an all BC-issue; Batman and Robin are only featured on 4 out of 20 pages. There's no connection between this BC and the Dinah Lance that we've known in Birds of Prey. This Canary is an Irish barmaid. (It looks like Miller lost that memo from Dan Didio about the All-Star line containing classic versions of DC characters.) For some reason she needs to wear a costume with fishnets and a mask while serving booze. Her bust has been expanded to a double D and the corset is so low that her jugs would have to pop out when fighting. A girl like this wouldn't be a barmaid for long, she'd probably be in Playboy. There are a lot of gratuitous crotch shots (for which I'm thankful) when Black Canary leaps and kicks a bar full of drunken men. Most of the comedy is about all these guys in a bar making libidinous comments about BC's ass, while a fuse (representing her tolerance) burns down on a stick of dynamite. When the patrons get out of control, Black Canary uses her kung fu to decimate the entire room. Apparently she's fantasizing about Batman while she does this. I guess if you think of this character as not Dinah but a Miller-esque crazy version of Black Canary, kind of like the ninja hookers in Sin City, you might be able to swallow this. Jim Lee does do a fantastic job of drawing those fishnets. I think he should abandon the Wildcats revival and just do a Black Canary book. Maybe it could be this version of Black Canary leading a gang of female superhero hookers kicking butt and falling in love with alcoholic ex-Leaguers. But I digress…
The timeline of events in All Star B&R also seems wacky. Bats is still taking Dick to the Batcave in the Transformer Batmobile (which cracks me up) for the first time. Meanwhile, Dick's face is already on milk cartons in Metropolis and Clark Kent is really pissed. Looks like we're gonna see another Superman-Batman conflict again. Sheesh! Can't Miller do something new? Like maybe have Black Canary fuck Batman and relieve his tension so he doesn't go around hitting teenagers. Nuff said.
Posted by Adam Warlock at 12:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)November 18, 2005
Why I Loved Earth-2, Part II: Batman Wasn’t an Asshole
The multiple Earths at DC had a nice purpose: when the heroes of the previous generation became too old for most readers to connect with, they were given their own space. In this case, a separate Earth, where they could grow and change in ways that were quite extraordinary at the time. Batman of Earth-2 was a prime example.
An excellent writer named Alan Brennert (who didn't work nearly enough in comics) produced a chapter of "The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne" in Brave and Bold 197. This told the story of how the Earth-2 Batman finally fell in love with Selina Kyle (Catwoman). One of the few Batman stories at that time told in first person, we see Bruce Wayne realizing that he's aging. With few friends to stand beside him, he wonders if he will wind up all alone. The damage his playboy persona had done troubles him: "…along the way, Bruce Wayne became frozen into someone I'd never intended him to be!"
The story features the Scarecrow as the villain, which plays into the emotional heart of the story. Scarecrow knows that Batman is afraid of losing everyone and concocts various drugs to make his friends disappear before him. Batman has no choice but to ask Selina Kyle (now reformed) for assistance. In the climax of the tale, even Selina begins to disappear in Batman's vision. She unmasks herself and asks him to do the same. When Batman does, they kiss, and it's at that moment that Batman retires and Bruce Wayne begins to live again. He's finally overcome the emotional demons that have dogged him since his parents were killed.
Paul Levitz (now the publisher of DC Comics) wrote the rest of Bruce Wayne's final years across a number of series. In DC Super-Stars #17, featuring the origin of the Huntress, we see Batman's wedding to Selina on the first page. Wayne becomes Police Commissioner while Robin becomes an adult, adopts a more mature costume, and takes care of Gotham City. Meanwhile, Selina gives birth to their daughter Helena Wayne. They all presumably have happy lives until Selina becomes a young woman.
Of course, happiness can't last forever. A criminal blackmails Selina into pulling one last job, because she killed a man many years earlier, and never told Wayne the full truth. During a museum robbery, things go haywire when Wayne becomes Batman temporarily to stop it (Robin is out of town) and accidentally causes a stray bullet to hit Selina. She falls to her death and dies in Wayne's arms. It's this event that propels Helena to become the Huntress-her first mission avenges her mother's death.
Bruce Wayne becomes a supporting player in the JSA's series in All-Star Comics that ran during the 70s. When that series was cancelled, the team appeared in Adventure Comics for a few issues. The story that took place in Adventure 461-462 was the final story of Bruce Wayne. The JSA is attacked by Bill Jensen, an ordinary criminal suddenly gifted with magical powers. Jensen demands to see Bruce Wayne-he thinks Wayne framed him years ago. Wayne becomes the Batman one last time, and faces down Jensen. His homicidal rage consumes both of their lives.
Wayne's funeral is attended by the heroes of Earth-2 and Earth-1. At first Robin wants to become the Batman, but Helena tells him: "There was only one man who could be the Batman, Dick, and my father is dead. We can carry on his work-you as Robin, me as the Huntress…but the Batman is dead. Only legends live forever…not the men who make them." Nuff said.
See Also: Why I Loved Earth-2, Part I: JSA and World War 2
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