Gotham Calling

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (13 July 2020)

Posted on July 13, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

Your badass reminder that comics can be awesome…

Posted in AWESOME COVERS | Tagged Black Science, Black Widow, covers, Elektra, Jeffrey Veregge, Joëlle Jones, Kaare Andrews, Lady Killer, Michelle Madsen, Mike Del Mundo, Ninjak, Phil Noto | Leave a comment

1990s’ Batman comics reading guide – part 4

Posted on July 9, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

Batman #530

(Yep, I’m still posting about superheroes, even though the latest proto-apocalyptic events seem to have finally pushed the genre out of public consciousness, perhaps suitably.)

After the success of 1993-1994’s Knightfall, the different Batman books kept a closely articulated continuity, yet each of them also went its own way again, for a while. Indeed, although the point of this set of posts is to draw attention to the coherence and connectivity of 1990s’ comics, I should point out that – regardless of the occasional crossover events bringing all the strands together – each series still developed an autonomous narrative and peculiar tone.

In Detective Comics, Chuck Dixon wrote crime yarns featuring the Dynamic Duo and the Gotham City cops, mostly illustrated with a sharp, no-frills approach by Graham Nolan. In turn, Doug Moench treated Batman as a superhero horror title, in line with Kelley Jones’ über-gothic artwork (check out the hilariously impractical, physics-defying properties of Batman’s cape in the panel above…) and Greg Wright’s extravagant colors. Alan Grant’s Shadow of the Bat continued to spotlight members of the supporting cast, usually with a twisted sense of humor. Dixon also wrote Catwoman, about the titular thief’s heists (brought to life by Jim Balent’s graceful – if increasingly sexualized – pencils), and Robin, a lighthearted comedy about adolescence (not unlike the original Spider-Man formula) focusing on Tim Drake, with cartoony art by Mike Wieringo. The only stinker in the batch was Azrael, an adventure epic starring Jean Paul Valley, written by Dennis O’Neil and horribly illustrated by Barry Kitson in the exaggerated style popularized by Image at the time. Moreover, there were a bunch of one-shots and mini-series, plus the quarterly anthology The Batman Chronicles.

Thematically, it’s interesting to note that despite the writers’ clashing politics (O’Neil’s New Left liberalism, Dixon’s right-wing conservatism, Grant’s leftist anarchism, and Moench’s own brand of paranoid libertarianism), there was an overall vibe of Clinton-era progressivism, moving beyond Cold War dichotomies and gradually increasing the number of female characters in positions of power. (What can I say… reading politics into Batman comics is a gift that keeps on giving.)

LOOSE STORIES [Let’s start with a few loose stories that fit somewhere after Knightfall, even if Batman’s costume doesn’t always match his new look.]

Demon (v3) #52-54: ‘Suffer the Children’ (collected in The Demon, v2: The Longest Day) [Tommy Monaghan’s final encounter with Jason Blood and the demon Etrigan before meeting them again in Hitman. This was followed by Demon’s closing arc, ‘The Longest Day’ (#55-58), which is set in Hell, in the aftermath of The Sandman’s classic story ‘Season of Mists.’]

Huntress (v2) #1-4 [Dixon wrote this mini-series following the continuity from Joey Cavalieri’s and Joe Staton’s 1989 run on The Huntress.]

Legends of the Dark Knight #54: ‘Sanctum’ (collected in Dark Legends and DC Universe by Mike Mignola) [Mike Mignola and colorist Mike Chiarello explore the style they went on to develop in Hellboy]

Batman Annual #18: ‘Black Masterpiece’ [All of 1994’s annual issues are labelled as Elseworlds tales, but I don’t see why this underrated story can’t be canon. In turn, Shadow of the Bat Annual #2 (collected in Shadow of the Bat, v3) is certainly set in a different continuity, but it builds on so many of Alan Grant’s pet characters and themes that fans of his Batman comics should definitely check it out.]

Metropolis S.C.U. #1-4 [This excellent mini-series (by Cindy Goff and Peter Krause) about the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit has no direct connection to the Batman comics coming out at this time. However, one of the main characters, Maggie Sawyer, will become a key member of the Gotham cast a few years later, so fans may want to check it out, especially as this comic has a flavor similar to that of Batman stories about the GCPD.]

Green Arrow (v2) #89: ‘Forgotten Paths’ [Green Arrow comes to Gotham and meets Anarky.]

Batman / Spawn: War Devil [Not as good as the intercompany crossovers with the Punisher, but this crossover with Spawn has the particularity of being written by the trio of Moench, Dixon, and Grant. (And no, it has no relation to Frank Miller’s and Todd McFarland’s Spawn / Batman one-shot, which is actually set in the caricatural continuity of The Dark Knight Returns and its sequels/prequels.]

Showcase ’94 #11: ‘Man-Bat’ (collected in Arkham: Man-Bat) [Chuck Dixon and Flint Henry introduce their updated version of Man-Bat.]

Showcase ’94 #12: ‘A Little Knowledge’ [A nice tale spotlighting Barbara ‘Oracle’ Gordon, by Scott Peterson and Brian Stelfreeze]

Catwoman (v2) #15-18: ‘Catfile’ (collected in Catwoman: The Catfile and Catwoman by Jim Balent, v2)

Catwoman (v2) #19: ‘Jungle Cat’ (collected in Catwoman: The Catfile and Catwoman by Jim Balent, v2) [A coda to ‘Catfile’]

Azrael #1-7: ‘Fallen Angel’ [Since most of Azrael’s early solo adventures took place outside of Gotham City, you may as well read them separately, so that they don’t clutter the flow of the Gotham-based books in the next section.]

Azrael #8: ‘Azrael at Large’

Azrael #9: ‘Azrael on the Run: Breakout’

MAYORAL CAMPAIGN [After the ‘Troika’ crossover, the various series pursued separate storylines for a year. Ongoing subplots about the city institutions did carry over from series to series, though, most notably a mayoral campaign that gradually became an elaborate political thriller.]

Shadow of the Bat #36: ‘In the Name of the Father’ (collected Shadow of the Bat, v4)

Robin (v4) #15: ‘Looking for Clues’ (collected in Robin, v5: War of the Dragons)

Robin (v4) #16: ‘All Fall Down’ (collected in Robin, v5: War of the Dragons)

Detective Comics #683: ‘Odds Against’ [This is the first issue of a two-parter, but it makes sense to read the next issue only after catching up with the other series, thus respecting the proper order of the ‘comatose Harvey Bullock’ subplot.]

Shadow of the Bat #37: ‘The King of Comedy’ (collected Shadow of the Bat, v4)

Shadow of the Bat #38: ‘Tears of a Clown’ (collected Shadow of the Bat, v4)

Batman #516-517: ‘Sleeper’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1) [Starts off with Batman recalling the events of Azrael #2.]

Detective Comics #684: ‘Darkest Day’

Showcase ’95 #4: ‘Fear No Man’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v2) [Catwoman short story by Deborah Pomerantz and Jim Balent]

Batman #518: ‘Black Mask: The Spidered Face’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1)

Detective Comics #685: ‘The Iron Dragon’ (collected in Robin, v5: War of the Dragons) [First issue of the ‘War of the Dragons’ three-parter]

Robin (v4) #17: ‘The Silk Dragons’ (collected in Robin, v5: War of the Dragons) [Second issue of ‘War of the Dragons’]

Batman #519: ‘Black Spider: Web of Scars’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1) [Continues the main storyline from Batman #518, but also the Tommy Mangles subplot brought up in Detective Comics #686. Sarah Essen-Gordon replaces her husband as police commissioner.]

Batman #520: ‘Fades to Black’

Detective Comics #686: ‘The Winged Dragon’ (collected in Robin, v5: War of the Dragons) [Third issue of ‘War of the Dragons’ is set shortly after Sarah Essen takes over.]

Shadow of the Bat #39: ‘One Night in Slaughter Swamp’ (collected Shadow of the Bat, v4) [Detective Mackenzie ‘Hardback’ Bock is still surprised to find out about the new commissioner, so this story must run parallel to Batman #520 and Detective Comics #686.]

Showcase ’95 #5: ‘Uneven Parallels’ [Spoiler short story by Keri Kowalski and Yancey Labat]

Catwoman (v2) #20: ‘More Edge, More Heart’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v2)

Catwoman (v2) #21: ‘Box Office Poison’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v2)

Robin (v4) #18: ‘The Mouse That Ate Gotham’ (collected in Robin, v5: War of the Dragons)

The Batman Chronicles #1: ‘Midnight Train/Tomorrow Belongs to Us/Death Mask’

Psyba Rats #1-3 [A very cool Robin spin-off]

Shadow of the Bat #40: ‘Prophet of Doom’ (collected Shadow of the Bat, v4 and Batman: Anarky)

Shadow of the Bat #41: ‘The Anarkist Manifesto’ (collected Shadow of the Bat, v4 and Batman: Anarky)

Detective Comics #687: ‘Red Tide’

Detective Comics #688: ‘The Rip’

Nightwing: Alfred’s Return (collected in Nightwing: Ties That Bind, Knightfall Omnibus, v3, and Troika) [One-shot about Alfred Pennyworth, who hasn’t been seen since ‘Knightquest.’ Ending leads to Batman #521.]

Batman #521: ‘Fast Train to the Wet Dark’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1)

Batman #522: ‘Swamp Things’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1)

Shadow of the Bat #42: ‘The Day the Music Died’ (collected Shadow of the Bat, v4)

Catwoman (v2) #22-24: ‘Family Ties’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v2) [A fun fill-in written by Deborah Pomerantz]

Detective Comics #689: ‘The Blazing Heart’

Detective Comics #690: ‘Burning Love’

Batman #523: ‘Dark Wings Fly Away In Fear’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1 and Arkham: Scarecrow)

Batman #524: ‘Haunted Houses of the Head’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1 and Arkham: Scarecrow)

Azrael Annual #1: ‘Requiem’ [A flashback that leads up to Azrael in the desert, where he has been since #9.]

Vengeance of Bane II: The Redemption (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v3 and Troika) [This one-shot about Bane’s life in prison is both a sort of coda to Knightfall and a set-up for the character’s upcoming adventures.]

Showcase ’95 #11: ‘Escape’ [Arkham Asylum short story by Archie Goodwin and Gene Ha]

Nightwing #1-4: ‘The Resignation/The Renewal/The Oubliette/Dead Simple’ (collected in Nightwing: Ties That Bind and Nightwing, v1: Blüdhaven (2014 edition)) [This mini by Denny O’Neil and Greg Land is Nightwing’s first solo series (and much lamer that the next effort…)]

Catwoman (v2) #25: ‘The Crooked House/Endangered Species’

The Batman Chronicles #2: ‘The Space Between Good and Evil/Goin’ Downtown/Commissions’

Robin (v4) #19: ‘War Gods in the Hood’ (collected in Robin, v5: War of the Dragons)

Robin (v4) #20: ‘The Empire Strikes Out’ (collected in Robin, v5: War of the Dragons)

Robin (v4) #21: ‘Shadows’ (collected in Robin, v5: War of the Dragons)

Robin (v4) #22: ‘I Was a Teenage Ninja’ (collected in Robin, v5: War of the Dragons)

UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED [This mega-crossover has a full-on superhero fantasy tone that is quite different from the more street-level stuff of the Batman family of books, but it includes some neat moments involving the Gotham cast. That said, the overall premise (Devil-like demon Neron upgrades a bunch of villains) is so simple that you don’t really have to read the main book – by Mark Waid and Howard Porter – to pick up the ramifications in Batman comics.]

Underworld Unleashed #1 (collected in Underworld Unleashed)

Azrael #10: ‘Arena’ [Azrael is back in Gotham (and so is the Question, last seen in a punchy story in Showcase ’95 #3). Tie-in to Underworld Unleashed.]

Shadow of the Bat #43-44/Catwoman (v2) #26: ‘The Secret of the Universe’

Azrael #11-12: ‘Azrael Rising/Angel Rising’ [Runs parallel with ‘The Secret of the Universe.’]

Underworld Unleashed #2 (collected in Underworld Unleashed)

Batman #525: ‘Frozen Assets’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1 and Arkham: Mister Freeze) [Tie-in to Underworld Unleashed]

Underworld Unleashed: Devil’s Asylum [Tie-in to Underworld Unleashed set in Arkham Asylum]

Batman #526: ‘Constant Whitewater’ (collected in Tales of the Batman: J.H. Williams III)

Robin (v4) #23: ‘Buggin’’ [Tie-in to Underworld Unleashed]

Robin (v4) #24: ‘Insects and Violence’

Green Arrow (2) #105: ‘Open Season’ [The new Green Arrow (Connor Hawke) comes to Gotham.]

Robin (v4) #25: ‘Sophomore Lethal’ [Connor Hawke is still in Gotham.]

Robin (v4) #26: ‘The Hard Lessons’

Catwoman (v2) #27: ‘Groddspell’ [Tie-in to Underworld Unleashed]

Detective Comics #691: ‘Will It Go ‘Round in Circles’ [Tie-in to Underworld Unleashed]

Detective Comics #692: ‘Lying Eyes’

Underworld Unleashed #3 (collected in Underworld Unleashed)

Azrael #13-14: ‘Demon Time’

Catwoman (v2) #28: ‘Larceny Loves Company’

Catwoman (v2) #29: ‘Thieves’

Catwoman (v2) #30: ‘The Great Plane Robbery’

Shadow of the Bat #45: ‘Wayne Manor: Anatomy of a Murder’ [I’ve discussed this incredible issue here.]

The Batman Chronicles #3: ‘Riddle of the Jinxed Sphinx/The First Cut is the Deepest/Workin’ My Way Back to You’

Man-Bat #1-3 (collected in Arkham: Man-Bat) [Chuck Dixon and Flint Henry finally explore their version of Man-Bat in this mini-series featuring several regular players from the GCPD.]

GOTHAM CITY ELECTION [The various subplots about the mayoral campaign culminated in the issues cover-dated January-February 1996. As usual, each title followed its own major storyline while secondary plots developed across different series. The three stories take place more or less simultaneously, so you have to choose whether to follow the main narratives (linked by cliffhangers) or the political machinations in the immediate aftermath of the election. I suggest the compromise below …]

Shadow of the Bat #46: ‘Cornelius Stirk – part 1’

Batman #527: ‘The Face Schism’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1)

Batman #528: ‘Schismed Faces’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1)

Detective Comics #693: ‘Systemic Shock’

Detective Comics #694: ‘Violent Reactions’

Shadow of the Bat #47: ‘Cornelius Stirk – part 2’

CONTAGION [After a full year of parallel storylines, editors Denny O’Neil, Scott Peterson, Archie Goodwin, Jordan B. Gorfinkel, and Darren Vincenzo brought all the series together into an expanded crossover (about an epidemic of the deadly Clench virus), with the main story now moving across the series. (These issues are collected in Batman: Contagion.)]

Shadow of the Bat #48: ‘The Apocalypse Plague’

Detective Comics #695: ‘The Gray Area’

Robin (v4) #27: ‘Natural Born Healer’

Catwoman (v2) #31: ‘Flesh and Fire’

Azrael #15: ‘Requiem for an Immortal’

Batman #529: ‘Tears of Blood’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1)

Shadow of the Bat #49: ‘Angel of Death’

Detective Comics #696: ‘Babylon Falls’

The Batman Chronicles #4: ‘Hitman/Exposure/Beggar’s Banquet’ [Includes Batman’s first encounter with Tommy Monaghan, setting up the spin-off Hitman.]

Catwoman (v2) #32: ‘Fever Pitch’

Azrael #16: ‘Contagion’

Robin (v4) #28: ‘Bitter Dregs’

POST-CONTAGION [Following the Contagion blockbuster, we got separate storylines for three months before the next crossover.]

Robin (v4) #29: ‘Hit and Myths’ (collected in Contagion (2016 edition))

Robin (v4) #30: ‘Iliads and Oddities’ (collected in Contagion (2016 edition))

Black Canary / Oracle: Birds of Prey: ‘One Man’s Hell’ (collected in Birds of Prey, v1) [The original one-shot that launched the lasting partnership between Barbara Gordon and Black Canary actually came out before Contagion, but if the two women had already been working together at the time then Barbara would’ve brought her agent into that crisis, so it makes more sense to read this here.]

Batman #530-532: ‘The Deadman Connection’ (collected in Contagion (2016 edition) and Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1)

Azrael #17-20: ‘Angel in Flames’

Showcase’96 #5: ‘Birds of a Feather’ (collected in Birds of Prey, v1) [Birds of Prey short story by Jordan B. Gorfinkel and Jennifer Graves]

Shadow of the Bat #50-52 (collected in Contagion (2016 edition))

Birds of Prey: Revolution (collected in Birds of Prey, v1) [The second Birds of Prey one-shot actually came out a year later, but it seems to be set not too long after the ending of the first one, so I’m sticking it here. (Yes, the Birds of Prey: Manhunt mini-series came out in the meantime, but I like how this one-shot dovetails with the first one, so I’m pushing that mini to the next post.)]

Catwoman (v2) #33: ‘Devil Does Your Dog Bite’ (collected in Legacy, v1 (2017 edition)) [This three-issue arc sets up the stage for the Legacy crossover.]

Catwoman (v2) #34: ‘The Razor’s Edge’ (collected in Legacy, v1 (2017 edition))

Catwoman (v2) #35: ‘The Wheel of Plagues’ (collected in Legacy, v1 (2017 edition))

Detective Comics #697: ‘Deadbolt’ (collected in Legacy, v1 (2017 edition))

Detective Comics #698: ‘The Tomb’ (collected in Legacy, v1 (2017 edition))

Detective Comics #699: ‘The Chain’ (collected in Legacy, v1 (2017 edition)) [The death of former Mayor Armand Krol raises the specter of a new Clench outbreak.]

Robin (v4) #31: ‘Up to Speed’ (collected in Legacy, v1 (2017 edition)) [The ending leads directly into Legacy.]

LEGACY [Just like experts now fear a second wave of Covid-19, back in 1996 the Gotham books explored the dramatic potential of Clench’s return in this sequel to Contagion. (These issues are collected in Batman: Legacy.)]

Shadow of the Bat #53: ‘Hobson’s Choice’ (collected in Legacy, v1 (2017 edition))

Batman #533: ‘Twelve Steps to the Heart of Hell’ (collected in Legacy, v1 (2017 edition))

Detective Comics #700: ‘Progeny of the Demon’ (collected in Legacy, v1 (2017 edition))

Catwoman (v2) #36: ‘The Best of Enemies’ (collected in Legacy, v2 (2018 edition))

Robin (v4) #32: ‘Born with Teeth’ (collected in Legacy, v2 (2018 edition))

Shadow of the Bat #54: ‘The Power of the Picts’ (collected in Legacy, v2 (2018 edition))

Batman #534: ‘A Wound on the Heart of Heaven’ (collected in Legacy, v2 (2018 edition))

Detective Comics #701: ‘Gotham’s Scourge’ (collected in Legacy, v2 (2018 edition))

Robin (v4) #33: ‘Riptide’ (collected in Legacy, v2 (2018 edition))

Detective Comics #702: ‘Second Chances’ (collected in Legacy, v2 (2018 edition))

POST-LEGACY [A few reads to wrap up this era before moving on to the late ‘90s…]

Bane of the Demon #1-4 (collected in Legacy, v2 (2018 edition) and Batman Versus Bane) [Done a couple of years later, this nifty mini-series is actually a prequel to Legacy, but like many prequels it works better as a flashback, otherwise it would spoil some of the original’s surprises.]

Shadow of the Bat #55: ‘Standard Operating Procedure’ [Wraps up the Madolyn Corbett subplot that had popped up in different titles.]

Birds of Prey: Wolves (collected in Birds of Prey, v1 (2015 edition)) [The third Birds of Prey one-shot is still dealing with the fallout from the second one (Revolution), so not too much time has passed since then.]

Catwoman (v2) #37: ‘Fang and Claw’ [Dixon’s final issue on the series.]

Batman versus Predator II #1-4 (collected as Batman versus Predator II: Bloodmatch) [This mini-series came out in 1994, but in order for Alfred’s and Jim Gordon’s roles to properly fit, it must take place either before Knightfall or after Contagion. Since it ends with a reference to the Joker being on the loose, I like to imagine it occurs shortly before Devil’s Advocate (even if the Huntress’ costume doesn’t match her look at the time, which I explain away with an acknowledgement that everything inevitably looks sleazier when drawn by modern-era Paul Gulacy).]

The Joker: Devil’s Advocate [One of my favorite Batman comics, this one-shot is basically a spin-off of Dixon’s and Nolan’s Detective Comics, featuring many of that series’ supporting cast.]

GCPD #1-4 (collected in Gordon of Gotham) [The same goes for this awesome mini-series about the Gotham City Police Department, illustrated by Jim Aparo.]

Gotham Nights II #1-4 [John Ostrander’s and Mary Mitchell’s second Gotham Nights mini-series has no connection to the first one, but it’s just as good. It’s set around this time, with James Gordon back as police commissioner.]

Batman / Demon [A one-shot by Alan Grant and David Roach in which Etrigan takes Batman to Hell, with callbacks to Knightfall and A Death in the Family.]

Batman: Two-Face – Crime and Punishment (collected in Arkham: Two-Face) [One-shot by J.M. DeMatteis and Scott McDaniel delving into Two-Face’s connection with child abuse (which harkens back to Batman Annual #14)]

Batman: Riddler – The Riddle Factory [In this one-shot (which, like the Two-Face special above, was clearly meant to capitalize on the release of the movie Batman Forever), Matt Wagner and Dave Taylor use the Riddler to satirize television.]

Azrael Annual #2: ‘Night’s Fall’ [Like other 1996 annuals, this is basically an Elseworlds tale in the guise of a misremembered future retelling of DC history (a gimmick titled Legends of the Dead Earth). While other series reimagined their characters in pretty radical-yet-generic terms, however, this one is full of specific nods to Knightfall and to Azrael’s early adventures, which should make it particularly interesting for fans of those storylines.]

Posted in BATMAN COMICS FOR BEGINNERS | Tagged Alan Grant, Arcie Goodwin, Barry Kitson, Brian Stelfreeze, Chuck Dixon, Cindy Goff, Darren Vincenzo, Dave Taylor, David Roach, Deborah Pomerantz, Denny O'Neil, Doug Moench, Flint Henry, Frank Miller, GCPD, Gene Ha, Gotham City, Graham Nolan, Greg Land, Greg Wright, horror, Howard Porter, J.M. DeMatteis, Jennifer Graves, Jim Aparo, Jim Balent, John Ostrander, Jordan B. Gorfinkel, Kelley Jones, Keri Kowalski, Mark Waid, Mary Mitchell, Matt Wagner, Mike Chiarello, Mike Mignola, Mike Wieringo, Paul Gulacy, Peter Krause, politics, reading order, Scott McDaniel, Scott Peterson, Todd McFarlane, Underworld Unleashed, Yancey Labat | 2 Comments

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (6 July 2020)

Posted on July 6, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

Prompted by the Atomic Age, the 1950s were one of the coolest decades for American science fiction. Ray Bradbury, a key writer in elevating the genre’s cultural status from disposable pulp to respected literature, published The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, and Fahrenheit 451. In cinema, gems like Gordon Douglas’ Them!, Jack Arnold’s The Incredible Shrinking Man, Joseph M. Newman’s This Island Earth, and John Sherwood’s The Monolith Monsters had a kind of simplicity to them, but also wide-eyed imagination, thought-provoking ideas, and unsettling imagery that projected the era’s sociopolitical paranoia – a trend that culminated in Rod Serling’s original The Twilight Zone, in the turn towards the ’60s. (I’m clearly not the only one with a lingering obsession for this period of sci-fi, as we keep getting neat throwbacks to that type of mood, from Brad Bird’s charming The Iron Giant and Frank Darabont’s terrifying The Mist to Andrew Patterson’s recent recreation in The Vast of Night).

If you were looking for this eerie sort of vibe in comic books at the time, Strange Adventures was probably one of the closest things you could find, at least after EC closed shop in the mid-50s (because of the Comics Code Authority’s censorship). It also boasted the most consistently amazing covers on the stands. So, as a tribute, here is your weekly reminder that comics can be awesome, Strange Adventures edition!

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged covers, Frank Giacoia, Gil Kane, Ira Schnapp, Jack Adler, movies, Murphy Anderson, science fiction, Strange Adventures | Leave a comment

10 brilliant issues of Astro City – part 2

Posted on July 2, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

If you read the last post, you know what’s going on. Here are another five brilliant issues of Astro City:

‘Where the Action Is’

(Astro City (v2) #21)

Another blatantly ‘meta’ issue, albeit with a more satirical bent. ‘Where the Action Is’ is told from the perspective of Sally Twinings, writer at Bulldog Comics, a local comic book company specialized in non-fiction superhero series, licensed to publish the exploits of ‘real world’ heroes. The thing is that the publisher, Manny Monkton, likes to play fast and loose with the truth, adding inaccurate, sensationalist elements to the stories in the name of spectacle and excitement, much to the chagrin of the actual heroes…

Again, you can see in this tale a further exploration of the tension between superhero fiction and realism, whether you interpret Manny as a metaphor for creativity and entertainment that doesn’t want to be held back by realism or whether you (like Geoff Klock) see him as a symbol of the lack of respect for superheroes’ history manifested by revisionist authors, so that the heroes’ complaints about slander come across like ‘characters taking revenge for literary misprision.’ It’s also a tribute to the medium’s long line of eccentric editors and publishers – all those hucksters who could be cynical and manipulative, but who also imbued their staff with enthusiasm and helped fill the readers with joy.

Aside from these many layers, ‘Where the Action Is’ is also one of Astro City’s funniest tales, leading up to a hilarious punchline near the end.

‘Knock Wood’

(Astro City: Local Heroes #4)

A fascinating look at Astro City’s jurisprudence, ‘Knock Wood’ shows us the first time a lawyer decided to apply the standards of superhuman logic to ordinary crime. I’m a sucker for this kind of stuff – just beginning to imagine how the legal system would cope with a superhero universe is a field so rich with possibilities that it has inspired many extremely cool comics (Powers Annual #1, Top 10: Season Two Special, Dan Slott’s run on She-Hulk), but ‘Knock Wood’ also benefits from Kurt Busiek’s ability to quickly conjure up a fully formed character in a lived-in corner of the world. On the obligatory metatextual side, the fact that the story takes place in the 1970s is clearly meant to reflect the end of the Silver Age (represented by the recent death of the Silver Agent), tying the growing cynicism about superheroes – and, ultimately, the law – to the Vietnam/Watergate zeitgeist (an idea that was later expanded in the story-arc ‘The Dark Age’).

It’s a tight little tale that works by itself, especially as it finishes on a satisfyingly ironic note. However, the story actually carries over into the following issue (‘Justice Systems’), which explores the consequences of ‘Knock Wood’ while stressing the link between the genre’s loss of innocence and the creation of gritty vigilantes like the Punisher and Michael Fleisher’s version of the Spectre (foreshadowed in both issues by the way Brent Anderson draws a character’s reflection on a car window and on a napkin dispenser).

(Busiek further explored the city’s bizarre legal system in a very amusing two-parter, in Astro City (v3) #39-40.)

‘The Eagle and the Mountain’

(Astro City: Samaritan)

Having realized they can never destroy each other and are therefore stuck in an infinite deadlock, Samaritan and his arch-nemesis Infidel (an immortal with the ability to manipulate matter who seeks to unmake Astro City’s timeline) have agreed to stop facing each other head-on and instead started meeting for a polite dinner once a year. Their relationship is marked by sharp ideological differences and paranoid distrust, but they have accepted that, rather than keep destabilizing the whole world around them, they might as well just try to very gradually chip away at each other (like an eagle wearing away at a mountain) through diplomacy and cultural exchanges, each hoping to eventually persuade the other to adopt his point of view. At first, the whole thing feels like an imaginative allegory of the Cold War.

Yet the Infidel is not a communist, far from it. He is, in fact, a different breed of stereotype – born in Kenya and later raised as a slave in a caliphate, he draws his powers from mystical alchemy and astrology, wears a stylized Muslim star & crescent for a symbol, is steeped in Arabic iconography (his clothes, his lair’s architecture, his flying carpet…), and has a condescending view of women (although he is explicitly not religious, hence the name). So yes, one can get a whiff of orientalism and even of Huntington’s ‘clash of civilizations’ in the Infidel’s marked contrast with Samaritan… but I see something much more interesting here. ‘The Eagle and the Mountain’ came out in 2006, at a time when the Global War on Terror was increasingly looking like an endless conflict. Thus, by replacing our world’s violent confrontations with Samaritan’s and Infidel’s more subdued competition, Astro City splendidly applied its reconstructionist vision to international relations.

‘Her Dark Plastic Roots’

(Astro City: Beautie)

In this special one-shot, the living doll Beautie (an intriguing member of Honor Guard) goes in search of her mysterious origins. The result is typically multilayered: you can read in it a comment about the superhero genre’s difficult relationship with girls and fetishistic relationship with toys, a take on the objectification of women and social exclusion based on gender (and sexuality), a metaphor for autism or for identity crisis in general…

Regardless of the themes you may want to project upon it, what makes ‘Her Dark Plastic Roots’ so heartbreaking is how it captures the solitary, self-reflexive voice of an Artificial Intelligence adrift in the world. It once again proves Astro City’s ability to create emotional connections with all sorts of distinct perspectives, taking archetypes we’ve seen many times before and lending them a new dignity by finding some way of making them relatable, at least on a certain level. (For a different – yet also quite clever – spin on this type of character, check out Tom Peyer’s comics featuring Tomorrow Woman.)

‘The Deep Dark Woods’

(Astro City (v3) #12)

It may seem like a stretch to label ‘The Deep Dark Woods’ as brilliant. For the most part, it’s just a neat little tale about a ‘clotheshorse,’ i.e. a costumed criminal known for wearing distinctive, expensive clothing. Inspired both by Little Red Riding Hood and by a passion for elegant fashion, Edward James Carroway (his professional name) is a somewhat tragic, charismatic addition to Astro City’s cast, brought to life by the slick, smoother visuals of guest-artist Graham Nolan.

What elevates the issue for me is the protagonist’s realization, near the end. It’s a brief moment, but it contains a whole world of feelings about obsession, effectively conveying the thin line between being a predator and being a prey to one’s own impulses.

Posted in SUPER POWERS | Tagged Astro City, Brent Anderson, Cold War, Dan Slott, Graham Nolan, Kurt Busiek, politics, Tom Peyer | Leave a comment

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (29 June 2020)

Posted on June 29, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

Your weekly reminder that comics can be awesome, Alfred Pennyworth edition…

…and I just can’t resist adding this mouth-watering pastiche, from the wonderful blog Super-Team Family: The Lost Issues!:

Posted in COVERS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Alex Ross, Alfred Pennyworth, Bob Smith, Brian Bolland, covers, Dick Sprang, Lee Loughridge, Terry Beatty | Leave a comment

10 brilliant issues of Astro City – part 1

Posted on June 25, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

I’ve mentioned before that Astro City is one of the most accomplished superhero comics in recent memory. This anthology series takes place in its own autonomous universe, providing us with fresh ways to look at all the archetypes developed by Marvel and DC over the decades, thus re-imbuing them with a sense of wonder – yet with a humanistic, modern sensibility, without falling into pastiche. It treats everyone as a proper character, whether we’re talking about the Honor Guard (a version of teams like the Justice League and the Avengers) or the Green Man (an amalgam of Swamp Thing, Man-Thing, and Doctor Strange).

Besides the intertextual angle, there is an almost sci-fi element to the comic, as it ingeniously speculates about how everyday life in a superhero universe would actually work if all the tropes were true, attributing complex subjectivities even to the crudest staples of the genre. Some of the stories humanize fantastical heroes and villains while others focus on the perspective of people in the sidelines, from actors in a superhero-themed soap opera to operators in the Honor Guard’s call center. Astro City is an example of fiction driven by compassion and identification, fascinated with imaginary lives from different races, genders, planets, and historical periods, ushering readers to find a bit of themselves even among flying time-travelers and talking animals. It succeeds in doing this not only because of Kurt Busiek’s knack for writing believable characterization of even the most unbelievable characters, but also because Brent Anderson’s elegant art – based on Alex Ross’ designs and with stunning colors, mostly by Alex Sinclair and Wendy Broome – realistically brings to life a wide variety of what could have been merely goofy-looking superhumans. Ross also lent his talent to the series’ arresting painted covers:

Gradually, Busiek has been weaving the different narrative threads into a broad tapestry, even if most stories can still be read by themselves. Although Astro City – sometimes labeled Kurt Busiek’s Astro City – has taken many forms since its debut in 1995 (including mini-series, ongoing series, specials, short stories, and original graphic novels, published by Image, WildStorm, and Vertigo), its vision has been remarkably consistent from the outset. It’s clearly a labor of love for everyone involved.

Over a hundred issues of Astro City have been published, all of them filled with new ideas and powerful moments, staying away from decompressed, dragged-out storytelling. Here are a handful of them that still manage to stand out:

‘In Dreams’

(Astro City #1)

As much as I love the works of Steve Gerber and Scott McCloud starring the Man of Steel himself, for my money the absolute best Superman stories do not take place in the DC Universe or even feature the official iteration of the character at all. Instead, they were crafted by creators unconstrained by continuity who, through thinly-veiled versions of Superman (Mr. Majestic, Supreme, Hyperion, Apollo, Ultiman…), made the most out of the character’s potential. ‘In Dreams’ is one of the greatest examples I can think of.

Astro City’s debut issue introduced both the titular setting and its version of Superman, called Samaritan (whose cape neatly resembles a Greek toga and whose civilian identity, Asa Martin, is a fact-checker for a local magazine). ‘In Dreams’ also established the series’ mature tone – not in the sense of being grim and violent (like many ‘mature’ takes on superheroes), but in the sense of revolving mostly around adult characters dealing with elaborate emotions. In this case, we follow a typically busy day in Samaritan’s life, as he constantly moves from one crisis to the next while trying to safeguard his secret identity, carrying the world’s burden on his soldiers with barely any time for himself. Busiek writes a touching story about burnout adorned with a poignant first-person narration (including a heartbreaking moment of loneliness as Asa goes over a feature on the most beautiful women in Astro City). The series’ initial colorist, Steve Buccelatto, effectively contrasts the lively feel of the dream world with the more understated tone of ‘reality’ without sacrificing the latter’s brightness (which is part of Astro City’s identity). The result is beautifully melancholic.

(Twenty years later, Busiek and Anderson did a sequel to this story, in Astro City (v3) #26, and it’s nice to see that they didn’t lose their touch in the meantime.)

‘The Scoop’

(Astro City #2)

‘The Scoop’ is probably my favorite issue of Astro City. It pulls off the kind of speculative fiction the series does so well, seamlessly merging the recognizable with the unimaginable while giving you a real sense of depth to each time and space.

The tale is framed as a conversation in which the editor of the Astro City Rocket newspaper tells his latest reporter about one of his earliest published pieces, written back in 1959. The catch is that it was pretty hard to fact-check a story about superheroes teaming up to stop an invasion of shark-men from another dimension, especially as nobody involved had a press secretary that could confirm the events, which posed quite a challenge to journalistic standards. The conclusion is counterintuitive yet somehow inspiring.

‘Dinner at Eight’

(Astro City #6)

The first volume of Astro City wrapped up with an endearing issue about a date between Samaritan and Winged Victory (the series’ take on Wonder Woman). We get an insightful look at the logistics and implications of such a date, juxtaposing the protagonists’ quiet evening with glimpses of their fellow heroes’ actions around the world (i.e. of the conventional adventures that Samaritan and Winged Victory are temporarily ignoring in order to embark on a different kind of discovery). Busiek manages to make their conversations ring credible and natural, making us feel like we are really sharing this intimate moment (we even find out Samaritan’s secret origin). Meanwhile, Brent Anderson, Steve Buccellato, and letterer Richard Starkings nail every single beat, culminating in a stunning exchange by the moonlight.

(Busiek later went on to write another romantic comic about an alternative Superman, the excellent Superman: Secret Identity.)

‘Everyday Life’

(Astro City (v2) #2)

Some of Astro City’s most moving stories focused on Astra, the youngest member of the First Family (the series’ variation on the archetype of the family of powered super-scientists/explorers, a la Fantastic Four). The first of those issues, ‘Everyday Life,’ hit it out of the park as we follow a day in the life of ten-year-old Astra, who lives the superhero version of the joys and frustrations of a child celebrity. It’s a tale about how what is mundane for some people can be fantastic for others and vice versa, but it manages to come across as less corny than that. Alex Ross and Brent Anderson really deserve much of the credit for this one: not only for Astra’s expressive acting and for all the nifty designs in her sci-fi house, but also for delivering a ridiculously fun adventure in the middle section without losing the comic’s dramatic anchor.

The ending hits the just the right note, even though Astra’s story actually continues into the next issue. More than a decade later, the creators followed it up with a couple of stupendous specials (titled Astro City: Astra) about her graduation day.

(The Fantastic Four have been the object of many other interesting alternative interpretations – from WildStorm’s Planetary to Dark Horse’s Project Black Sky, not to mention The Incredibles – but the First Family really feel like they could carry their own ongoing series and I would read the hell out of it…)

‘In the Spotlight’

(Astro City (v2) #13)

An issue where Astro City’s metafictional inclinations are at their most forceful, ‘In the Spotlight’ tells us the life story of Leo, an animated lion who was somehow brought to life in the 1940s (because of an evil professor armed with a ‘belief ray’ that turned imagination into reality). Leo has stuck around since then, at first hanging around the entertainment industry (Who Framed Roger Rabbit? obviously comes to mind) and later facing the tribulations of many celebrities, with the added challenge of being a children’s character unprepared for the ‘real world’ in all its ugliness. Despite a premise that easily lends itself to silliness, the story’s general tone is more quirky than comedic, imbuing even this anthropomorphic animal cartoon with heartfelt humanity. Busiek and his team pull it off: you actually feel a bittersweet empathy towards Leo, in part due to the inspired decision of giving him a world-weary, Humphrey Bogart look.

Geoff Klock has a provocative analysis of ‘In the Spotlight’ in his book How to Read Superheroes and Why, arguing that this is ultimately ‘a fable about the effects of translating childhood heroes onto a realistic landscape,’ like Frank Miller and Alan Moore did in their deconstructionist comics of the 1980s. At one point, a desperate Leo tries to drain the heroes’ reality, rendering them insubstantial fantasies, thus ‘taking them to the extreme but opposite end of the spectrum that he himself is on; if is he destroyed by becoming real, then so they will be destroyed by becoming fiction.’ Klock concludes that the tale feeds into Astro City’s overall genre reconstructionism, as it ‘suggests the inability of noble childhood characters like Leo to survive in such realistic adult conditions and situates those who would place them in realistic settings as the villains of the story.’

Posted in SUPER POWERS | Tagged Alex Ross, Alex Sinclair, Astro City, Brent Anderson, Kurt Busiek, Richard Starkings, science fiction, Steve Buccelatto, Wendy Broome | Leave a comment

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (22 June 2020)

Posted on June 22, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

Readers of this blog know that I am a firm believer that, even in these agitated times, genre fiction remains an interesting way to conceptualize what is happening around us. For instance, if the first half of 2020 filled screens and streets with imagery straight out of horror films like George Romero’s The Crazies and Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later, things have recently verged closer to the dirty sci-fi of Paul Verhoeven’s RoboCop and, notably, Kathryn Bigelow’s Strange Days. That said, some of the most visceral elements that come to my mind derive not from supernatural thrillers nor from futuristic science fiction, but from more low-key exploitation. In particular, it’s hard not to think of the police as the German Shepherd in Sam Fuller’s White Dog while the sense of asphyxiation by an encroaching far-right was disturbingly captured by Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room or even by Kevin Smith’s Red State (just to stick to color-based titles).

And speaking of horror, here are some gothic reminders that comics can be awesome:

Posted in ART OF HORROR COMICS | Tagged Alfredo Elias, Bernard Baily, Bernie Wrightson, Carl Burgos, covers, horror, House of Secrets, Journey into Mystery, Mike Kaluta, movies, politics, Scary Tales, science fiction, Stan Goldberg, Swamp Thing, Weird Mysteries | Leave a comment

1990s’ Batman comics reading guide – part 3

Posted on June 18, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

Vengeance of Bane

We’re back with another installment of the 1990s’ Batman comics reading guide! Sadly, in the meantime this feature has also become a tribute to the recently deceased group editor of these titles, Dennis O’Neil, whose vision was no doubt a key part of what made this era so great…

After a few years finding their feet, in 1993 the different strands of Batman comics finally converged into a sprawling crossover that clearly made them all part of the same saga: Knightfall (technically, ‘Knightfall’ is just the title of the crossover’s first stage – followed by ‘Knightquest’ and ‘KnightsEnd’ – but it has become common practice to use this label to refer to the whole thing). In this epic tale – masterfully edited not just by O’Neil, but also by Scott Peterson, Jordan B. Gorfinkel, and Darren Vincenzo – Batman (the character and, on a metafictional level, the intellectual property itself) finds himself exhausted and is temporarily replaced by an edgier version. The result is an essential read for fans of the Dark Knight.

Here is my suggested reading order:

INTRODUCING THE PLAYERS [The final months of 1992 and the first months of 1993 were all about putting the domino pieces in their exact places. Special issues introduced new characters who would play a decisive role in Knightfall while the regular series established the mindset of Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake, Sarah Essen, Commissioner Gordon, and Mayor Krol going in. Moreover, DC’s new anthology, Showcase, joined the lineup, as each issue included one Batman-related feature.]

Sword of Azrael #1-4 (collected as Sword of Azrael) [Mini-series by Denny O’Neil and Joe Quesada introducing Jean Paul Valley (aka Azrael)]

Showcase ’93 #1-4: ‘Sorrow Street’

Showcase ’93 #5-6: ‘The Takedown/One Stone’ (collected in Robin, v3: Solo) [Picks up where the badass Catwoman yarn ‘Sorrow Street’ left off, now focusing on Robin. Batman is out of town, so I assume this takes place during Sword of Azrael.]

Batman #488: ‘Costumes’ (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v1 and Prelude to Knightfall)

Shadow of the Bat Annual #1: ‘Joe Public’ (collected in Shadow of the Bat, v2) [Parallel to Knightfall, DC had a separate crossover event running through its 1993 annual issues, called Bloodlines. This means that, every once in a while, we’ll get a story about alien vampires giving super-powers to random citizens. This is the first one.]

Vengeance of Bane (collected in Knightfall, v1 (2012 edition), Knightfall Omnibus, v1, Batman Versus Bane, and Prelude to Knightfall) [One-shot by Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan introducing Bane]

Detective Comics #654-656: ‘God of Battle/The Anvil of War/Besieged’ (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v1 and Prelude to Knightfall)

Detective Comics #657-658: ‘Null and Void/Deciphered’ (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v1 and Prelude to Knightfall)

Batman #489: ‘Killer’s Bane’(collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v1, Arkham: Killer Croc, and Prelude to Knightfall)

Batman #490: ‘Who Riddled the Riddler?’ (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v1 and Prelude to Knightfall)

Batman #491: ‘The Freedom of Madness’ (collected in Knightfall, v1 (2012 edition), Knightfall Omnibus, v1, and Prelude to Knightfall) [Massive breakout at Arkham Asylum, which means that all sorts of rogues are loose in Gotham City at once. Chaos ensues!]

BROKEN BAT [The Dark Knight gradually breaks down, mentally and physically, while chasing the various villains. Despite the storyline’s growing intensity – and unlike what Kelley Jones’ and Sam Kieth’s overblown covers may suggest – the interior art remains quite restrained, with Norm Breyfogle, Jim Balent, Jim Aparo, and Graham Nolan sticking to a relatively ‘grounded’ visual style. (All these comics have been collected in the various editions of Knightfall, v1 and Knightfall Omnibus, v1.)]

Batman #492: ‘Crossed Eyes and Dotted Teas’

Detective Comics #659: ‘Puppets’

Batman #493: ‘Redslash’

Detective Comics #660: ‘Crocodile Tears’ (collected in Arkham: Killer Croc)

Batman #494: ‘Night Terrors’

Detective Comics #661: ‘City on Fire’

Batman #495: ‘Strange Deadfellows’

Detective Comics #662: ‘Burning Questions’

Batman #496: ‘Die Laughing’

Detective Comics #663: ‘No Rest for the Wicked’

Batman #497: ‘The Broken Bat’ (collected in Batman: A Celebration of 75 Years and Tales from the DC Dark Multiverse)

Detective Comics #664: ‘Who Rules the Night’

Showcase ’93 #7-8: ‘Double Cross/Bad Judgement’

ENTER AZBABTS [With Bruce Wayne severely injured, Jean Paul Valley takes on the mantle of Batman… He gradually proceeds to make the Dark Knight more similar to Azrael (whose techno looks and brutal methods seem more in tune with the zeitgeist), creating the version of the character that the fan community would come to label ‘Azbats.’ This effectively becomes the new status quo, for a while.]

Batman #498: ‘Knights in Darkness’ (collected in Knightfall, v1 (2012 edition), Knightfall, v2 (2018 edition), and Knightfall Omnibus, v1)

Batman Annual #17: ‘Ballistic’

Shadow of the Bat #16-18: ‘God of Fear’ (collected in Knightfall, v1 (2012 edition), Knightfall, v2 (2018 edition), Knightfall Omnibus, v1, and Shadow of the Bat, v2)

Detective Comics #665: ‘Lightning Changes’ (collected in Knightfall, v1 (2012 edition), Knightfall, v2 (2018 edition), and Knightfall Omnibus, v1)

Batman #499: ‘The Venom Connection’ (collected in Knightfall, v1 (2012 edition), Knightfall, v2 (2018 edition), and Knightfall Omnibus, v1)

Catwoman (v2) #1: ‘Rough Diamonds’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v1)

Catwoman (v2) #2: ‘Blast from the Past’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v1) [Ends in a bit of a cliffhanger, but it makes sense to take a break here, since the events in the next issues take place after Batman #500.]

Detective Comics Annual #6: ‘Not Fade Away’

Detective Comics #666: ‘The Devil You Know’ (collected in Knightfall, v1 (2012 edition), Knightfall, v2 (2018 edition), and Knightfall Omnibus, v1)

Batman #500: ‘Dark Angel’ (collected in Knightfall, v1 (2012 edition), Knightfall, v2 (2018 edition), and Knightfall Omnibus, v1)

KNIGHTQUEST [After the climactic Batman #500, the saga broke into two parallel storylines. ‘Knightquest: The Search’ followed the injured Bruce Wayne’s travels abroad (in search for Tim Drake’s father and for Shondra Kinsolving). ‘Knightquest: The Crusade’ followed AzBats’ crimefighting exploits (and spiraling mental instability) in Gotham City. I think it makes sense to alternate between sizeable chunks of the two lines.

Moreover, in addition to an ongoing series focused on Catwoman (by Jo Duffy and Jim Balent), we got one about Robin (by Chuck Dixon and Tom Grummett), thus further increasing the franchise’s overall variety.]

Justice League Task Force #5-6: ‘The Search’ (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v2 and Knightquest: The Search) [Picks up where Catwoman (v2) #2 left off]

Catwoman (v2) #3: ‘Shadow of the Cat’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v1)

Catwoman (v2) #4: ‘Full Circle’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v1)

Robin Annual #2: ‘Looking Sharp’ (collected in Robin, v3: Solo)

Showcase ’93 #9-10: ‘Survival/Armageddon’

Showcase ’93 #11-12: ‘Raptors/Partners’ (collected in Robin, v3: Solo)

Detective Comics #667-668: ‘Wild, Wild East/Runaway’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v1)

Robin (v4) #1-2: ‘Outcast/Busted!’ (collected in Robin, v3: Solo, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v1)

Batman #501-502: ‘Code Name: Mekros/Phoenix in Chaos’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v1)

Detective Comics #669: ‘Town Tamer’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v1)

Catwoman (v2) #5: ‘Nun Better’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v1)

Detective Comics #670: ‘Cold Cases’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v1)

Robin (v4) #3-5: ‘Clueless/Breathless/Last Gasps’ (collected in Robin, v3: Solo)

Shadow of the Bat #19-20: ‘The Tally Man’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, Shadow of the Bat, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v1)

Shadow of the Bat #21-23: ‘The Hood/A Day in the Death of an English Village/Curse of the Bat’ (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v2, Shadow of the Bat, v2, and Knightquest: The Search)

Detective Comics #671-673: ‘The Cutting Room Floor/Smash Cut/Losing the Light’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v2)

Demon #40: ‘The Wild One’ (collected in The Demon, v1: Hell’s Hitman) [No connection to Batman other than the fact this is the debut of Garth Ennis’ and John McCrea’s work on Demon, which will eventually lead to Hitman. Their run continues two issues later, after a cool (yet unconnected) fill-in by Kevin Altieri.]

Demon Annual #2: ‘Hitman’ (collected in The Demon, v1: Hell’s Hitman and Hitman, v1: A Rage in Arkham) [The origin of Hitman’s lead, Tommy Monaghan, in another one of those awful Bloodlines crossovers.]

Legends of the Dark Knight Annual #3: ‘Transformation’

Catwoman (v2) #6: ‘Animal Rites’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, Catwoman by Jim Balent, v1, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v1)

Batman #503-504: ‘Night Becomes Woman/Dark Dance’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v1)

Catwoman (v2) #7: ‘Body Chemistry’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v1)

Showcase ’94 #1-2: ‘The Great Pretender/King Joker’

Showcase ’94 #3-4: ‘Madmen Across The Water/What’s Your Twenty?/Banzai, Good Buddy’ [Besides the fun two-parter ‘Madmen Across the Water’ (collected in Tales of the Batman: Tim Sale) – about the captured rogues being sent to Blackgate Prison while Arkham Asylum is getting reconstructed – these issues include a rollicking adventure starring the Psyba-Rats, a team of techno-thieves introduced in Robin Annual #2.]

Chain Gang War #1-7: ‘Chain Reaction/The House of Correction/Weak Link/Cold Cuts/Reunion/Hangman/Jailbreak’ [This short-lived crime series (created by John Wagner and Dave Johnson) was set near Gotham City and had a few guest-appearances by AzBats.]

Shadow of the Bat #24: ‘The Immigrant: Rosemary’s Baby’ (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v2, Shadow of the Bat, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v2)

Batman #505: ‘Blood Kin’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v2)

Shadow of the Bat #25: ‘The Birth of a Hero’ (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v2, Shadow of the Bat, v3, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v2)

Chain Gang War #7-12: ‘The Crooked Man/Meltdown’ [Set after AzBats’ latest upgrades, in Shadow of the Bat #25]

Batman/Punisher: ‘Lake of Fire’ (collected in DC/Marvel Crossover Classics, v2) [The rare intercompany crossover that genuinely seems to fit comfortably in the main continuity]

Showcase ’94 #5-6/Robin (v4) #6: ‘Benedictions’ (collected in Robin, v4: Turning Point)

Batman #506-507: ‘Malevolent Manaxe/Ballistic’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v2)

Showcase ’94 #7: ‘Cracks’ (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v2 and Knightquest: The Crusade, v2)

Shadow of the Bat #26-27: ‘Creatures of Clay’ (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v2, Shadow of the Bat, v3, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v2)

Outsiders(v2) #7-9: ‘Friendly Fire/Shadows of Knight/Breakout’

Detective Comics #674: ‘Out-Gunned’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v2)

Batman #508: ‘Mortal Remains’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v2)

Shadow of the Bat #28: ‘The Long, Dark Night’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, Shadow of the Bat, v3, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v2)

Detective Comics #675: ‘Midnight Duel’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v2)

Legends of the Dark Knight #59-61: ‘Quarry’ (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v2 and Knightquest: The Search)

Robin (v4) #7: ‘Turning Point’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, Robin, v4: Turning Point, and Knightquest: The Search)

Catwoman (v2) #8-9: ‘Zephyr/Happyland’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v1)

KNIGHTSEND [Mid-1994 saw a recovered Bruce Wayne trying to take back Batman’s title from Jean Paul Valley, who put up one hell of a fight. The meta-subtext was clearer than ever, pitting different conceptions of the Dark Knight against each other. (These issues are collected in Knightfall, v3, Knightfall Omnibus, v3, and KnightsEnd.)]

Batman #509: ‘Spirit of the Bat’

Shadow of the Bat #29: ‘Proving Ground’ (collected in Shadow of the Bat, v3)

Detective Comics #676: ‘Too Many Ninjas’

Legends of the Dark Knight #62: ‘Devils’

Robin (v4) #8: ‘Death’s Door’ (collected in Robin, v4: Turning Point)

Catwoman (v2) #10-12: ‘Falling Star/Tin Men/Fire in the Sky’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v1)

Batman #510: ‘Return of the Bat’

Shadow of the Bat #30: ‘Wild City’ (collected in Shadow of the Bat, v3)

Detective Comics #677: ‘Flesh and Steel’

Legends of the Dark Knight #63: ‘Climax’

AFTERMATH [A few epilogues to the Knightfall saga.]

Robin (v4) #9: ‘The Triumph’ (collected in Knightfall, v3, Knightfall Omnibus, v3, Robin, v4: Turning Point, and KnightsEnd)

Catwoman (v2) #13: ‘Catfish’ (collected in Knightfall, v3, Knightfall Omnibus, v3, Catwoman by Jim Balent, v1, and KnightsEnd)

Batman: Mitefall [Alan Grant and Kevin O’Neill present Bat-Mite’s version of Knightfall, which is essentially a slapstick parody of the whole thing.]

The Punisher/Batman: ‘Deadly Knights’ (collected in DC/Marvel Crossover Classics, v2) [After having faced AzBats, the Punisher finally gets to meet the real Batman in a comic written by Chuck Dixon (an expert in both characters).]

Demon (v3) #42-45: ‘Hell’s Hitman’ (collected in The Demon, v1: Hell’s Hitman) [Readers who aren’t caught up on Demon may be a bit lost, but it’s worth noting that this story features not only Tommy Monaghan, but also Tweedledee, Tweedledum, and Gotham City’s own demon, Gothodaemon. The next issues, however, are mostly of interest for completists or Demon fans.]

Demon (v3) #46-48: ‘Haunted Glory’ (collected in The Demon, v1: Hell’s Hitman)

Demon (v3) #49: ‘From Hell’ (collected in The Demon, v1: Hell’s Hitman)

Demon (v3) #50: ‘The Shanty of Captain Scumm’ (collected in The Demon, v2: The Longest Day)

Demon (v3) #51: ‘Sons & Lovers’ (collected in The Demon, v2: The Longest Day)

ZERO HOUR [DC’s line-wide crossover Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! (about Hal Jordan’s attempts to remake the DCU) involved all sorts of merged timelines, so several characters crossed paths with alternate versions of themselves. (The issues involving the Batman family are collected in Batman: Zero Hour.)]

Batman #511: ‘The Night Before Zero’

Shadow of the Bat #31: ‘The Battling Butler!’ (collected in Shadow of the Bat, v3 and Batman Allies: Alfred Pennyworth)

Detective Comics #678: ‘Yesterdays Gone’

Robin (v4) #10: ‘Two Birds One Stone’ (collected in Robin, v4: Turning Point)

Catwoman (v2) #14: ‘Broken Mirrors’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v2)

THE BEGINNING OF TOMORROW [Zero Hour served as a way to softly reboot specific aspects of DC continuity (it’s the kind of retconning event that inspired the classic Astro City short story ‘The Nearness of You’). This was then followed by a set of #0 issues in which characters recalled their (now revised) origins. One of the changes was that Batman was now considered an urban legend, thus revising the fact that he had shown up on television in Detective Comics #622 and #629.]

Showcase ’94 #8-9: ‘The Secret Origin of Scarface’

Demon (v3) #0: ‘Zero Hour’ (collected in The Demon, v2: The Longest Day)

Catwoman #0: ‘Cat Shadows’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v2 and Batman: Zero Hour)

Catwoman Annual #2: ‘Catwoman: Year One’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v2) [Although this issue only came out the following year, this seems like the logical place to read it, as it expands the new, less downbeat version of Catwoman’s origin (thus replacing Her Sister’s Keeper) while introducing the ridiculous-looking Hellhound, who will later show up in both Catwoman and Birds of Prey. There is also a cameo by Harvey Bullock, who looks closer to his present-day persona, thus cancelling out Legends of the Dark Knight #105-106.]

Showcase ’94 #10: ‘Aftermath’ (collected in Knightfall, v3, Knightfall Omnibus, v3, and KnightsEnd) [Yet another epilogue to Knightfall, focusing on Jean Paul Valley]

Batman #0: ‘Creature of the Night’ (collected in Batman: Zero Hour)

Shadow of the Bat #0: ‘The Beginning of Tomorrow’ (collected in Shadow of the Bat, v3 and Batman: Zero Hour)

Detective Comics #0: ‘Choice of Weapons’ (collected in Batman: Zero Hour)

Robin (v4) #0: ‘Brothers in Arms’ (collected in Prodigal, Robin, v4: Turning Point, and Batman: Zero Hour)

PRODIGAL [Before Bruce Wayne fully returned to his Batman persona, Dick Grayson took over for a bit, capturing the villains that were still on the loose. Not only is the plot continuity tight in these stories, but they also look super-slick, thanks to the artwork of Mike Gustovich, Bret Blevins, Lee Weeks, Phil Jimenez, Graham Nolan, Ron Wagner, and Mark Bright, beautifully colored by the great Adrienne Roy. (These issues are collected in Prodigal, Knightfall, v3, and Knightfall Omnibus, v3.)]

Batman #512: ‘Robin and Batman’ (collected in Arkham: Killer Croc)

Shadow of the Bat #32: ‘Prodigal – Part Two’ (collected Shadow of the Bat, v4)

Detective Comics #679: ‘The Vermin Factor’

Robin (v4) #11: ‘Two in Every Crowd’ (collected in Robin, v4: Turning Point)

Batman #513: ‘Double Deuce’

Shadow of the Bat #33: ‘Prodigal – Part Six’ (collected Shadow of the Bat, v4)

Detective Comics #680: ‘A Twice Told Tale’

Robin (v4) #12: ‘Bullies’ (collected in Robin, v4: Turning Point)

Batman #514: ‘One Night in the War Zone’

Shadow of the Bat #34: ‘Prodigal – Part Ten’ (collected Shadow of the Bat, v4)

Detective Comics #681: ‘Knight without Armor’

Robin (v4) #13: ‘Wings over Gotham’ (collected in Robin, v4: Turning Point)

TROIKA [Besides establishing the new status quo and creative teams, this small crossover served as a post-Cold War coda to Soviet villains Dark Rider and KGBeast (who henceforth became more of a minor villain, mostly serving time in Blackgate Prison). (These issues are collected in Troika and Knightfall Omnibus, v3.)]

Batman #515: ‘Dark Rider, Cold Warrior’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1) [Picks up right after Robin (v4) #13.]

Shadow of the Bat #35: ‘Troika – Part Two’ (collected in Shadow of the Bat, v4)

Detective Comics #682: ‘The Doomsday Clock’

Robin (v4) #14: ‘Big City Bomber’ (collected in Robin, v5: War of the Dragons)

Posted in BATMAN COMICS FOR BEGINNERS | Tagged Adrienne Roy, Alan Grant, Azrael, Batman's personality, Bret Blevins, Chuck Dixon, Cold War, Darren Vincenzo, Dave Johnson, Denny O'Neil, Doug Moench, Garth Ennis, Graham Nolan, Jihn Wagner, Jim Aparo, Jim Balent, Jo Duffy, Joe Quesada, John McCrea, Jordan B. Gorfinkel, Kelley Jones, Kevin Altieri, Kevin O'Neill, Knightfall, Lee Weeks, Mark Bright, Mike Gustovich, Norm Breyfogle, Phil Jimenez, Punisher, reading order, Ron Wagner, Sam Kieth, Scott Peterson, Tom Grummett | 5 Comments

COMICS CAN BE AWESOME (15 June 2020)

Posted on June 15, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

Lately I’ve been using the COMICS CAN BE AWESOME section to spotlight nifty covers, mostly of old, Cold War-era series, from war/horror hybrids to pulpy fantasy anthologies (usually with the words ‘weird,’ ‘strange,’ and/or ‘mystery’ in the title)… I’m not the only one who loves these, though. This week, let’s look at a set of modern pastiches that pay tribute to those Golden and Silver Age comic book covers in all their colorful, oddball glory.

Posted in WEBS OF FICTION | Tagged 1963, Big Bang Comics, Bulletproof Coffin, Chis Ecker, Cold War, covers, Laura Allred, Madman, Mike Allred, Scott Morse, Shaky Kane, Stephen Bissette, Strange Science Fantasy | Leave a comment

Dennis O’Neil (1939-2020)

Posted on June 13, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

One of the greatest figures in comics since the late 1960s, Dennis J. O’Neil (affectionately known as Denny), passed away two days ago. Although he dabbled in all sorts of genres, his specialty as a writer were brazenly pulpy, two-fisted adventures, often with a social consciousness and a twinkle in the eye. You can find these in his memorable runs starring Doc Savage, The Question, The Shadow, Daredevil, and Green Arrow, among countless other charismatic heroes (hell, he even worked on Indiana Jones comics!). His legacy lives on, not least in the form of cool creations like Lady Shiva and Talia al Ghul.

Above all, Denny O’Neill wrote and later edited many of my favorite Batman stories. If it wasn’t for his work, this blog would probably not exist.

Superman #236

Posted in WRITERS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Denny O'Neil | Leave a comment