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Batman RIP- A flawed combination of Artist and Writer

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:02:29 +0000

Batman RIP From DC Comics

In the comics world, Grant Morrison is the current caretaker of Batman. For the past few years, we have seen Batman stripped down to his core, and revamped for the ‘modern comics era’.

Whatever that means. Numerous writers and artists have had their own take on the character.

Neal Adams/Dennis Oneil
Paul Dini/Bruce Timm
Chuck Dixon/Graham Nolan
Doug Moench/Kelley Jones

The lists goes on and on. One significant factor in all these combinations is the combined efforts of an artist and writer.

That has always been Grant Morrison’s greatest weakness. His structure and ideas are always out of the box, creative, and dynamic. In Batman RIP he is partnered with Tony Daniel to produce his ‘definitive Batman epic’.

I think it’s lacking in several counts. One can just look at Batman and Robin #1 and #2 to see the appropriate key artist/writer combinations in place. How can you go wrong with Frank Tieri?

Frank Quitey's Pencils on Batman and Robin #1

When partnered with Cameron Stewart, or Frank Qutely, Morrison’s work truly shines. There seems to be moment where the pictures speak louder than words. With Tony Daniel, I find several key sequences in Batman RIP to be subpar, and lacking in their execution.

Tony Daniel on the defacto angry Batman in rain

In Batman RIP, Tony Daniel’s pencils seem to be appropriate for a standard superhero comic. But when partnered with Morrison, it just doesn’t seem to fit.

Call it a lack of finesse, or just lack of implementation. The story seems to be muddy in several areas.

For a quick reference of the story and execution, I recommend the comics fan check out the following annotations on Batman RIP:

Up to speed? Good. Another quick summary: Batman approaches an evil mastermind who has been secretly manipulating Batman his entire career. This mastermind, known as “Dr Hurt”, had previously brainwashed Batman, and was waiting for the appropriate time to “break him”. Did anyone read Batman KnightFall or Batman The Cult? You don’t fuck with Batman. He is always one step ahead, and usually wins in the end.

What made this story so innovate in its approach was that it attempted to put all 7 decades on the character into one giant tapestry of stories. Classics such as “Robin Dies at Dawn” are weaved into a complex story of mind manipulation and character analysis.

A couple episodes in here do have a perfect blend of writing and art. I think Tony Daniel is an extremely talented artist, and in key moments he shines. For example, The Batman of Zu En Raa:

Batman of Zur En Arrh

It’s here where the creative combination of artist and writer come together, and the story actually seems to be about something. Gotham City becomes a character in its own right, and Batman one of its many citizens.

In the end, the story seems to fall flat on the writing too. Who is Dr Hurt? We don’t know. Did Batman live? We don’t know. The reader had to read other stories to get the full story.

This is where DC Editorial is to blame as well. There is a lack of complete organization that helps the story to tie together. Only hard core Batman readers would know that the story truly continues in Final Crisis (and other related issues).

The things I do admire about this story are the ideas itself. I like the character study, I like the moments of true brilliance from Daniel and Morrison. It just wan’t enough. If there was more of a polished effort, this could have been rated as the next Dark Knight Returns. There are true innovative ideas in here that would have redefined the character for another generation. But it falls flat.

I still find myself re-reading parts of it on occasion. The visual imagery of an insane Batman in Arkham Asylum and Batman in a drug addled states provide some compelling character study points.

Stay tuned for more thoughts on Morrison’s run. There’s plenty to cover!

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Excellent catch up review for Batman RIP

admin — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:31:39 +0000

Excellent youtube review of the batman graphic novel-”Batman Rip”. Check it out below:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma8BGHzOrMM

Favourite Batman Graphic Novels!!!

admin — Fri, 01 May 2009 22:05:39 +0000

Part 1 of my favourite Batman novels!!

Duration : 0:1:34

[youtube Vi28naYeX2U]

Technorati Tags: batman, Bob, comics, Dark, DC, Frank, Jeph, Kane, Knight, loeb, Miller, Sale, the, Tim

Top Batman Graphic Novel items in the news – April 29, 2009

admin — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:16:25 +0000

Batman: Arkham Asylum FreeFlow Blowout – IGN

April 29, 2009

Christian Bale Admits He's ‘In A Bit Of A Fix' If Christopher … – MTV.com

April 28, 2009

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DC Comics SuperHero Figurine Collection

admin — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 19:28:42 +0000

Cool TV ad showing this superior collection of figurines. Check out Batman – he’s awesome! … DC Comics Batman Superman Wonderwoman CatWoman figurines models tv ad commercial

Duration : 0:0:40

[youtube WHphvFvIUos]

Technorati Tags: ad, batman, Catwoman, comics, commercial, DC, figurines, film, models, superman, trailer, tv, Wonderwoman

The Top Ten Batman Graphic Novels Part 1

admin — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:09:58 +0000

This is my look at the top ten Batman Story’s out there…. but peice of advice, If you want to read these first then don’t watch because I explain a lot about the stories…

Duration : 0:9:38

[youtube zmNSWZE-HwI]

Technorati Tags: all, batman, Dark, Hallowen, hush, joke, Joker, killing, Knight, long, one, Returns, Robin, son, star, year

Batman The Brave and the Bold – Graphic Novel Review

admin — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 23:57:11 +0000

on April 4th at Cartoon Upfront Execs announced that this coming fall the latest animated Batman Series will begin airing on Cartoon Network. The series, titled Batman the Brave and the Bold, from the same production team as the Legion of Super Heroes series, will follow the format of the Brave and the Bold books and basically be a team up title and will feature heroes such as Blue Beetle, Green Arrow, Aquaman and more. The new series will be rooted in its own continuity and while the art …

Duration : 0:1:56

[youtube MkH6C8XfeNA]

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Essential Batman Graphic Novels

admin — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 15:30:59 +0000

I’ve recently gotten involved in the online comic blog movement, and noticed that there was a lack of good websites that describe the best batman graphic novels. Out of all the established comic characters out there, Batman has the largest inventory of top notch graphic novels. From Batman Dracula: Red Rain, to Batman: Faces, Batman is the one character that can be cast in a variety of roles and still retain the bearing of a dark avenger. An essential Batman Graphic Novel library needs to hold true to three main themes.

1.The Canonical Batman Stories

2 The “What If” Batman Stories

3.The “end” Batman Stories (Probable endings for the character)

So where is there to start for “definitive” batman stories? A good place to start is “Batman Year One”. “Year One” is written by Frank Miller (of Sin City fame) and describes Batman’s first days as a crime fighter. It’s a gripping story that tells of how Batman came to be, and was also the main inspiration for Batman Begins. Other stories that are told in this same period and can also be considered “essential” are Batman: The Long Halloween, “Shaman”, “Gothic” and “The Man Who Falls”. Each of these stories delves a little deeper into the Batman Mythos, and gives a complete origin story for the character.

“What If” stories hold up a large bulk of other batman graphic novels. This is where the reader needs to be leery of substandard material. Sturgeon’s law quotes on how 97% of all entertainment can be crap. The same can be applied to a lot of Batman graphic novels. In this category, Batman has been cast as a Frankenstein Monster, a zombie, and even as a magical imp! (See batmite entries in Wikipedia for more information). The one story that hold a candle above all these other stories is Batman Dracula:Red Rain. In this horror apocalyptic world, Batman has to fight the most evil of villains, Dracula. In the process he becomes the thing he hates most, and in turn becomes a twisted reflection of himself. Red Rain is a gripping storyline that becomes a thesis on how to retain one’s own humanity in the midst of utter horror. Other recommended stories in this realm are “Batman: Gothic” and “Arkham Asylum”.

In regards to future tales, there is one that sits on its own pedestal. “The Dark Knight Returns” has become the defacto last Batman Story. In this twisted future, an aging Bruce Wayne needs to return to the role of Batman for his own sanity, and also to return peace to ha gang ridden Gotham City. It’s very dark, and has redefined Batman to the role of an obsessive compulsive sociopath who will do whatever it takes to “get the job done”. There’s not much else that can be really considered definitive Batman stories in this category. The only other story that has an epic final note is Kingdom Come (this can really be considered a Superman Story).

So there you have it, a definite list of essential Batman Stories. I will break them down into an easy to read list below.

Canonical Batman Stories

Batman Year One
The Long Halloween
Shaman
The Man Who Falls

“What If” Stories

Batman Red Rain
Arkham Asylum
Gothic

End Batman Stories

Dark Knight Returns
Kingdom Come

All of these stories can be regarded as essential takes on the character. There are a 1000 others, and a 1000 different opinions. But most people can agree on most of the above picks. For more listings of batman graphic novels, please visit visit this site regularly for more updates.

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