Recent Posts
So far I'm liking Judd Winick's take on Dick Grayson as Batman a bit more in the Batman title, but the Batman & Robin series hasn't disappointed yet. Maybe I'm just being cautious in wanting to give the book thumbs-up because of the bad taste Final Crisis left in my mouth. Grant Morrision is capable of such great work, but I haven't been as disappointed in a DC crossover event since John Byrne's excremental Genesis in 1997.
I kinda don't get into those mega crossover foofaraws, so I know next to nothing about Final Crisis.
I just remember "Crisis on Infinite Earths" with Superman holding dead Supergirl, then there was a Supergirl comic; then Superman died and there were FIVE Superman comics. And then Superman wasn't dead anymore; I can't keep it all straight.
So how long til Batman's not dead anymore?
I just liked Morrison and Quitely's Allstar Superman series, so I figured I'd check this out. I mean, I picked it up and was like, "oh. Batman's dead. Well...."
Batman was shown not to be dead the month after he "died", in the last issue of Final Crisis. Darksied hits him with the "Omega sanction", something akin to the Omega effect, only instead of killing you it condemns you to experience alternate realities, each worse than the last. For some reason, although it seems to not destroy your physical form, it also leaves your charred remains at the site you were hit (don't ask questions), and thus all of your friends think you're dead. Anyway, the Final Crisis series ends with a scene featuring the death of Anthro, and watching over him is a bearded Bruce Wayne, still wearing the bottom half of his Batman uniform. The last page shows him drawing the insignia from his chest on the cave wall. So, A) apparently Paleolithic arts and crafts is the worst punishment in the world for Batman, and B) in about ten months someone in the DCU will find, deep in a cave, the Bat-symbol, leading ultimately to the return of status-quo a few months after that.
And as far as Quietly's art goes, the man could draw Tijuana bibles and I'd crawl over dead bodies for them. It doesn't get much better than what he did in JLA: Earth 2.
I remember reading Alan Moore's "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" when I was fourteen and thinking it was just about the neatest thing I had ever read. Unlike Moore's take on the final bit of Silver Age fun that his Superman tale was, Gaiman's metafictional turd "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" is utterly forgettable. Even if there hadn't been such a delay between the first and second parts coming out, I don't think I would have cared enough to recall from one issue to the next what happened.
I would've enjoyed Gaiman's story more if DC hadn't hyped it as the Batman version of Alan Moore's Superman story. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to the hype. I like the vast majority of Gaiman's work, but he doesn't seem too suited to the superhero genre.
I never thought I would read an ongoing Batman series, but "Batman and Robin" is just too good to pass up. Not quite at the level of "All Star Superman" but pretty damn close. I do worry about the upcoming issues when they give Quitely a break.
I remember reading Alan Moore's "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" when I was fourteen and thinking it was just about the neatest thing I had ever read. Unlike Moore's take on the final bit of Silver Age fun that his Superman tale was, Gaiman's metafictional turd "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" is utterly forgettable. Even if there hadn't been such a delay between the first and second parts coming out, I don't think I would have cared enough to recall from one issue to the next what happened.
I loved "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow." Alan Moore, for all of his quirks and his pushing the envelope, really seemed to have a deep affection and respect for the Superman Mythos. The story, even though it "ended" the Silver Age (in brutal fashion for a few of the characters), for some reason didn't feel like the almost casual, even gleeful way in which old elements are swept aside in more recent comics.
I would've enjoyed Gaiman's story more if DC hadn't hyped it as the Batman version of Alan Moore's Superman story. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to the hype. I like the vast majority of Gaiman's work, but he doesn't seem too suited to the superhero genre.
I never thought I would read an ongoing Batman series, but "Batman and Robin" is just too good to pass up. Not quite at the level of "All Star Superman" but pretty damn close. I do worry about the upcoming issues when they give Quitely a break.
I thought #1 was kinda okay, but #2 blew my mind.
Thought you guys might get a little kick out of this one.
Very fitting. Of course, Jean Grey is there. Outside. Eating the sun.
Got #1 and #2, and I'm lovin' the series.
I dig Mr. Pyg, and was hoping to learn more about Toad. After #2, looks like I won't get the chance though . . .
Oh, yeah.....Mr. Pyg is cool as hell.
Uh,......my knowledge: history: Batman is kinda iffy; Mr. Pyg is new, right?
You are correct. Mr. Pyg is Grant Morrison's creation (most likely with some help from Quitely). I am amazed at how imaginative Morrison is. Even Final Crisis, which was somewhat of a mess, had a lot of interesting ideas throughout the series.
After being disappointed by both Batman: R.I.P. and Final Crisis, and taking into account my complete dislike of the character of Damien "Wayne", I have cut down on my Batman related collecting. I'm still collecting Batman Confidential and Superman/Batman (both of which still feature Bruce Wayne), along with Detective Comics (featuring the new Batwoman). No Batman, and certainly no Batman and Robin.
After being disappointed by both Batman: R.I.P. and Final Crisis, and taking into account my complete dislike of the character of Damien "Wayne", I have cut down on my Batman related collecting. I'm still collecting Batman Confidential and Superman/Batman (both of which still feature Bruce Wayne), along with Detective Comics (featuring the new Batwoman). No Batman, and certainly no Batman and Robin.
Eh, I see where you're coming from.
Just pick up one issue of Batman and Robin and give it a shot. Sure, Damian you'd like to just smack the crap out of, but it's interesting to see Dick try to wear the Bat mantle, and see just how heavy a burden it is.
He really is trying to fill some big shoes, and doesn't quite cut it IMO. But, for now it's cool to see him try.
After being disappointed by both Batman: R.I.P. and Final Crisis, and taking into account my complete dislike of the character of Damien "Wayne", I have cut down on my Batman related collecting. I'm still collecting Batman Confidential and Superman/Batman (both of which still feature Bruce Wayne), along with Detective Comics (featuring the new Batwoman). No Batman, and certainly no Batman and Robin.
Batwoman is awesome, but I think I like the new Question better. On a related note: Harvey Bullock is back on the police force (see The Question: The Five Books of Blood, and Battle for the Cowl: Comissioner Gordon). I guess it's hard to recruit in Gotham these days.
Final Crisis had lots of potential, and some interesting storylines. The problem was that it was spread out over several different storylines, and the main one only touched on each one briefly. It was very confusing unless you read all of them.
I think the list is as follows: Final Crisis, Rogues' Revenge, Resist, Submit, Revelations
Overall, it ended up being a bit too ambitious and fell flat. I was disappointed in Infinite Crisis too.
While I enjoyed the first issue and took a little time off from comics after that,I just read issue 7 and 8 and think they are two of the worst books I have read in a long time. I love Batman and hate Morrison. I hated Batman R.I.P. and was not a big fan of Final Crisis. I hope that the return of Bruce Wayne is better, but I really don't think it will be.