Batman Graphic Novels

Top Batman items in the news for graphic novels, video games and movies – March 10, 2010

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:20:15 +0000

Nolan Superman Interview – Batman Reveals | Geekosystem

March 10, 2010

'Batman 3' Will End The Story, Says Christopher Nolan

March 10, 2010

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Top Batman items in the news for graphic novels, video games and movies – February 19, 2010
Top Batman items in the news for graphic novels, video games and movies – February 3, 2010

Excellent review of Batman and Robin #8

admin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 04:21:13 +0000

Check out a very good review of batman and robin # 8 at Comics Should be Good.

Batman and Robin is the best superhero comic on the stands at the moment. It embraces realism with goofy out of this world storylines. Only Grant Morrison can balance that fine line of realism and comic bookery.

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Batman, Spirit, Doc Savage Form First Wave

admin — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:32:18 +0000

Get ready for the First Wave, DCs newest line pitting Doc Savage, Will Eisners Spirit, Batman and a host of other DCU players in their own self-contained, pulp-inspired universe. Helmed by crime writer extraordinaire Brian Azzarello ( 100 Bullets ), First Wave promises to deliver a thrill ride fans of the pulp genre, the DCU and Azzarello cant afford to miss. With the first issue of the flagship ... Related posts:

Batman 3 Already in Chicago?

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:33:24 +0000

photo credit: jeffwilcox

This is about as slim as slim news gets, but word has come in that location scouting has begun for Batman 3 in Chicago. Check out initial input from IGN

New Batman game with Aquaman?

Yahoo! News Search Results for batman — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:13:21 +0000

Last year’s Batman: Arkham Asylum did more than just vindicate the Dark Knight’s video game reputation, it might have inadvertently opened the door for other Batman related titles. Queue Warner Bros. Interactive, which just announced a video game based off the Cartoon Network show Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Batman: The Brave and the Bold the Videogame looks to be targeting a kid-friendly version of Batman.

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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