Batman: Where to start?

[Hashi Lebwohl]

Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth

This particular story is really more about Arkham himself; Batman and the various characters in the asylum are, in fact, the subplot. Yes, very heavy on the symbolism and the Joker's speech can be a little difficult to read at first until you get used to the lettering.

Professor Milo and Maxie Zeus truly are minor characters.

[sgt.null]

Murrin - here is something that I am looking for...



Batman/Houdini: The Devil's Workshop

a 1993 Elseworlds one-shot, written by Howard Chaykin and John Francis Moore, with full-painted art by Mark Chiarello. The story recounts a fictional encounter between the superhero Batman and famous escape artist Harry Houdini in early 20th century Gotham.

In the Winter of 1907 children are going missing from the poorest part of Gotham, known as "the Devil's Workshop". The culprit is a grinning white-faced ghoul named Jack Schadenfreude.

Meanwhile, Harry Houdini is in town for a performance and mingles with Gotham's elite. Amongst them is Bruce Wayne, from an Old Money background, and Elijah Montenegro, the nouveau riche, self-styled "Beef Baron". Also in town are other notables, specifically Tom Mix and Leonora Reinhardt. All the high society events are being documented for the "Gotham Globe" by Victoria Vale.

Vale and Wayne attend Reinhardt’s performance as the lead in Medea, where they meet the Baron again. They are then invited to a séance to be held by Reinhardt. An invitation also extended to Houdini, who has an interest in the paranormal. The séance is apparently a success, leading the three to conclude something genuinely supernatural is going on.

The abductions are traced to Montenegro’s meat factory and it soon becomes apparent that everything is somehow connected.

The story is narrated by Houdini. He contrasts his own poor upbringing with that of Bruce Wayne. It also highlights Batman's comparatively poor lock picking and escapological skills, as he learned a number of his skills from studying Houdini's work.

[I'm Murrin]

I went on a bit of a binge recently and ordered The Long Halloween, The Killing Joke, Hush, and Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader?

[I'm Murrin]

Well, the Killing Joke was the first to arrive, and shorter than I expected, so I read it last night.

I'm not really sure why this one is such a big deal. It wasn't all that interesting a story, and frankly in my opinion giving the Joker an origin really undermines the character.

I think it could have done with a lot more room taken to tell the story, rather than compressing it all into a 46-page issue.

[Hashi Lebwohl]

I'm not really sure why this one is such a big deal.

I highly doubt I am spoiling anything here, since it happened over 20 years ago, but is was a big deal because of what happens to Barbara Gordon. The events of Killing Joke ended Batgirl and began her transformation into Oracle.

[I'm Murrin]

Thnig is, when you buy and read The Killing Joke as a one-shot, which is how it's sold these days, the shooting of Barbara Gordon turns from some big comics moment into just another woman in a refrigerator. She appears, is immediately shot, doesn't appear again once taken to hospital, and the entire incident is used only to torment a man (her father).

For such a big moment in Barbara Gordon's story, the way it's told is entirely about Joker, Jim Gordon, and Batman.

[Hashi Lebwohl]

Well, in all honesty it wasn't really about her at all. Oh, sure, it ruined her life until she managed to find new purpose but to the Joker it was "just business". Even Batman was mostly incidental to Killing Joke and serves only as the means to resuce Gordon. No, that particular story was all about Joker, who qualifies as The Most Important Supervillain Ever Invented, outranking even Lex Luthor and Doctor Doom.

Why hasn't Batman ever built a special holding cell for Joker in the Batcave is beyond me. Certainly he could design something escape-proof that would hold this man who has killed hudreds of people over the years. *shrug*

[I'm Murrin]

That'd be a hell of a storyline, by the way. Having the Joker right there in the batcave every. day. Driving Batman nutty himself.


Anyway, I now have the Long Halloween to read. It looks promising, bit more meat to it.

[I'm Murrin]

Read The Long Halloween, and it was good! I like the longer format, and the way it made use of a lot of characters.

I have two minor issues. One, is that even by the end, I'm still not sure what exactly happened.

Spoiler

So Gilda killed the first three. Then she suspected Harvey had killed Alberto. But Alberto wasn't dead, and apparently killed the coroner and his aunt to cover for that; he killed Maroni; and he seriously seems to believe he is Holiday. And Harvey definately did have something going on, there. So who killed whom, and what does Alberto think happened on those first three killings? Was Harvey innocent - was it all Gilda then Alberto? Is Alberto making it all up, and it was Gilda and Harvey? I can't puzzle it out.

[Edit:

Spoiler

On further thought, all of the killings after New Year's Eve make more sense for Alberto than for Harvey Dent. I think perhaps Harvey never killed anyone until the second Halloween.

End edit.]

My second quibble is the artwork. I have a really strong dislike for when the superheroes are drawn as ridiculously oversized and muscular as they were here with Batman and Catwoman. Batman even seemed to double in size when he took off the guard's helmet at the end. There was a page near the beginning, a double-page spread with Batman and Catwoman, where Catwoman was twisted into an obviously anatomically impossible position.

[Hashi Lebwohl]

The hypermuscular development of superhumans, as well as the overly engorged breasts of superheroines--case in point = Power Girl, whose true power seems to be "super mammary glands"--has continued to increase over the years. If you look at older comics the characters are more anatomically accurate but the ones these days are just ridiculously overblown. It doesn't make any sense and it detracts from the story.

[I'm Murrin]

I don't think it's so much a time thing, just certain artists and certain publications. The current artist for Batwoman, J H Williams III, does a very good job of drawing the characters realistically, for example (though he does tend to give Batwoman pointy nipples in her costume).

[Fist and Faith]

Damn, that refrigerator scene in GL was really horrifying! Seriously. Couldn't believe they did that.

Sorry, return to Batman.

[sgt.null]

The hypermuscular development of superhumans, as well as the overly engorged breasts of superheroines--case in point = Power Girl, whose true power seems to be "super mammary glands"--has continued to increase over the years. If you look at older comics the characters are more anatomically accurate but the ones these days are just ridiculously overblown. It doesn't make any sense and it detracts from the story.

www.progressiveboink.com/2012/4/21/2960 ... d-drawings

[I'm Murrin]

Last night I read Hush. Written by Jeph Loeb, the writer of The Long Halloween, it is actually quite similar to the older series. I enjoyed it a lot.

It's the most recent Batman story I've read, and it's interesting seeing things this late in the continuity - Luthor as president, Batman as owner of the Daily Planet, the inclusion of characters like Nightwing, Tim Drake's Robin, Oracle... It's actually the first Batman comic I've read, apart from the non-canon The Dark Knight Returns, that includes a Robin - and this one covers all three main Robins. Made me kinda wish I'd read the story with Jason Todd's death beforehand.

It gets into the idea of Batman and Catwoman starting a relationship, and Batman starting to open up to her, which was interesting to see. It's something that gets played with a lot through Batman's history, but seemed to go a little further here.

Anyway, as to the story, I was spoiled: the Batman: Arkham City video game included a side-mission which revealed the identity of Hush, although his plot in the game bears no resemblance to that of the comic. Nonetheless it was interesting to see the twists and turns, and the fakeouts, as the story went along.

Spoiler

I think the most interesting part of Hush is that Batman doesn't win. Batman never goes off the path that Hush laid out for him - he behaves predictably throughout. Elliott never fails to outmanoeuvre him. It's Harvey Dent going off-script that ends it.

[sgt.null]

A three-issue story arc in Batman #667-669, written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by J.H. Williams III, shows what has become of the Batmen of All Nations.

The Knight, aka Cyril Sheldrake, Earl of Wordenshire, is the adult Squire, having taken his father's mantle after the original Knight was killed by Spring-Heeled Jack, who forced him to swallow a small explosive. As the Squire, Cyril sunk into depression following his father's death, spending his father's fortune and ending up in the gutter, until given help by a young lady named Beryl Hutchinson and her mother. Upon becoming the new Knight, Cyril has appointed Beryl as his Squire.

The Musketeer was sent to an asylum after he accidentally killed a man in battle. After he was released he wrote a book about the experience and became rich. He recently sold the movie rights.

Native American Man-Of-Bats and his son Little Raven, who has grown up and changed his name to Raven Red, have a strained relationship. Man-of-Bats has some medical expertise.

Wingman has changed his look and resembles Batman even more than he originally did. He refuses to admit he worked with Batman and claims he came up with his superhero identity a year before Batman debuted.

El Gaucho has become a serious superhero in Argentina and has changed his look. By far the most courageous of the group.

The Ranger changes his costume and methods in order to keep up with the increasingly violent villain community. Now calling himself Dark Ranger, he wields a jetpack and a pulse weapon.

The Legionary has let himself go and loves to reminisce on his past as a superhero.

[Rawedge Rim]

Arkham Asylym was awesome

The Dark Knight Returns was so amazing it's affected every Batman story since.

Kingdom Come, another awesome one

[Akasri]

Are any of these graphic novels available in electronic format? Like for reading on iPad?

[I'm Murrin]

Looks like some are available on Kindle.