Author Archives: I.M. Baytor

Batman’s damn guns

Posted on September 29, 2015 by I.M. Baytor

Batman #301 We can all agree that Batman is not exactly a pacifist. After all, the Dark Knight does beat up crooks on a nightly basis and he has been known to resort to torture. However, there is a line, … Continue reading →

Posted in POLITICS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Batman: The Animated Series, Batman's personality, Bob Haney, David V. Reed, Frank Miller, guns, Jim Aparo, Jim Starlin, Mike W. Barr, politics | 1 Comment

Covers with movie homages

Posted on September 22, 2015 by I.M. Baytor

Back when I listed 10 great Catwoman covers, I regrettably didn’t include this homage to the poster for the awesome crime movie Bullitt: That image was part of a cool stunt DC pulled a few months ago, in which … Continue reading →

Posted in WEBS OF FICTION | Tagged covers, James Bond, Jerry Bingham, movies, Terry Dodson | Leave a comment

A symphony of kicks in the head

Posted on September 15, 2015 by I.M. Baytor

There is probably no cliché Batman fans hate more than ‘BIFF! ZAP! POW! COMICS ARE NOT JUST FOR KIDS ANYMORE!’ It’s bad enough that you don’t realize comics haven’t been *just* for kids for a very looooong time… but do … Continue reading →

Posted in ART OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Ben Oda, Jim Aparo, John Costanza, martial arts, Tim Harkins, Todd Klein, Willie Schubert | Leave a comment

Non-Batman gothic comics – part 3

Posted on September 8, 2015 by I.M. Baytor

If you read the last posts, you know what’s going on. Here are another couple of awesome gothic comics: STRANGE EMBRACE Strange Embrace and other nightmares It’s hard to do justice to David Hine’s nightmarish tour de force, Strange Embrace. … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged Alan Moore, Bernie Wrightson, Brian K. Vaughan, David Hine, David Michelinie, Dick Foreman, Doug Wheeler, Gerry Conway, Grant Morrison, horror, James Robinson, John Ostrander, John Totleben, Len Wein, Mark Millar, Martin Pasko, Nancy A. Collins, Neil Gaiman, Nestor Redondo, Rick Veitch, Rob Steen, Stan Woch, Stephen Bissette, Strange Embrace, Swamp Thing, Tom Yeates, Walt Kelly | Leave a comment

Non-Batman gothic comics – part 2

Posted on September 3, 2015 by I.M. Baytor

If you read the last post, you know what’s going on. Here are some more comics that are gothic as hell and definitely worth checking out: THE NEW DEADWARDIANS The New Deadwardians #1 Set in an alternative 1910, this wonderful … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged 2000 AD, Bernard Baily, D'Israeli, Dan Abnett, Dave McKean, Doug Moench, horror, I.N.J. Culbard, Ian Edginton, Jerry Spiegel, Jim Aparo, Joe Orlando, John Ostrander, Karen Berger, Michael Chabon, Michael Fleisher, Mike Carey, Neil Gaiman, New Deadwardians, Patricia Mulvihill, Sandman, science fiction, Spectre, Stickleback, sword & sorcery, Todd Klein, Tom Mandrake, Travis Lanham | Leave a comment

Non-Batman gothic comics – part 1

Posted on August 31, 2015 by I.M. Baytor

If you’re into Batman comics, it’s not a far cry to assume you enjoy gothic horror. After all, that’s a built-in feature of the Dark Knight. It’s been there right from the start… Detective Comics #33 As Mark Fisher (citing … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged Arnold Drake, Bernie Wrightson, Bob Haney, Bruce Jones, Carmine Infantino, Dan Jurgens, Deadman, Duncan Fegredo, Enigma, George Roussos, Gerry Conway, Grant Morrison, horror, Jim Aparo, José Garcia-López, Len Wein, Man-Thing, Mike Baron, Neal Adams, Peter Milligan, Roy Thomas, Sherilyn van Valkenburgh, Steve Gerber, sword & sorcery | Leave a comment

Top 20 Batman: Black & White stories

Posted on August 27, 2015 by I.M. Baytor

It’s no secret that many of the greatest Batman short stories are black-and-white. There’s something about the mood, between art house and classic Hollywood (serials aside), the urgent page count, and the overall sense of bare-bones minimalism that seems to … Continue reading →

Posted in BATMAN COMICS FOR BEGINNERS | Tagged Alan Davis, Alex Ross, Archie Goodwin, Blair Butler, Brian Bolland, Bruce Timm, Chris Samnee, Chris Weston, Dave Gibbons, Dustin Nguyen, Gene Ha, Harlan Ellison, Hilary Barta, Howard Mackie, Jim Lee, John Arcudi, José Muñoz, Mike Carey, Mike W. Barr, Neil Gaiman, noir, Paul Dini, Paul Levitz, Paul Rivoche, Rafael Grampá, Rian Hughes, Ronnie del Carmen, Simon Bisley, Steve Mannion, Ted McKeever, Tony Salmons, Walt Simonson, Warren Ellis | 1 Comment

An average week in the life of Batman

Posted on August 24, 2015 by I.M. Baytor

MONDAY Batman #156 TUESDAY Batman #333 WEDNESDAY The Batman Adventures #25 THURSDAY Batman: The Brave and the Bold #10 FRIDAY Detective Comics #571 SATURDAY Batman: Black & White (v2) #6 SUNDAY Gotham Adventures #23 NEXT: Batman in black & … Continue reading →

Posted in GOTHAM INTERLUDES | Leave a comment

The Mark of Zorro

Posted on August 20, 2015 by I.M. Baytor

The Dark Knight Returns It’s been fully established by now that Bruce Wayne’s parents watched The Mark of Zorro with him shortly before they were killed. Well, at least in the comics – on the big screen, Tim Burton changed … Continue reading →

Posted in WEBS OF FICTION | Tagged Bill Finger, Bob Kane, James Robinson, movies, Tim Sale, Zorro | 1 Comment

Taking a break… (August 2015)

Posted on August 6, 2015 by I.M. Baytor

Action Comics Annual (v2) #1

Posted in GOTHAM INTERLUDES | Tagged Art Adams | Leave a comment