DC Comics Celebrates Batman’s 80th Anniversary

The Long Halloween is one of my favorite comics. Nice write-up.

 

Thank you! It's definitely top 3 for me out of all of the comics I've read so far.

 

80 years later and Tom King is currently writing the best run the character has ever had.

Detective Comics 1000 was great.

 

Always great seeing comic book content on the front page. Everyone, I know comics are intimidating, but they're also wonderful. To anyone hungry for more comics talk, check out the comic book thread in the forums; we love people of all levels of comics knowledge/experience!

I'm not as much of a Batman fan as most people. When it comes to DC, I prefer Superman & Batgirl. But, with how many great creators love Batman, & how wide a range of stories you can tell with him... I don't think you can be a fan of superhero comics & not love at least some Batman story. Such a deep body of work.

Some of what I personally love:

Batman: Year One by Frank Miller & David Mazzucchelli
- New Frontier, All Star Superman, & this are easily my three favorite comics DC has ever published. Mazzucchelli's art is so fantastic in this story. Essential reading.

Batman (Rebirth) by Tom King & various artists
- Deanna already included vol. 1 of this run in her list of recs. But, legit, this is my favorite longer run on the character I've ever spent time with. Really speaks to my thoughts on superheroes, comics, Batman himself, & in a way, life in general.

Batman & Robin by Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely, & other artists not as good as Frank Quitely
- Dick Grayson as Batman. Damian Wayne as Robin. Fantastic art. Story gets pretty dark, yet still somehow captures the imagination & silliness of Silver Age comics. No one can make Adam West's Batman & Frank Miller's Batman feel like the same character as well as Morrison can, though Tom King gets close. After Batman & Robin, also check out Batman Incorporated, which way too briefly told stories where Bruce & Dick were both Batman at the same time.

Batman: Year 100 by Paul Pope
- Cool alternative version of the mythos as envisioned by Paul Pope, who's a stellar cartoonist. If you like comics as an art form, definitely seek this out.

Batman Noir: The Dark Knight Strikes Again by Frank Miller
[Note: This was written during Miller's descent into being a gross, reactionary old man. I remember at least one homophobic gag off the top of my head. It's not QUITE as bad as his later Islamophobic mess "Holy Terror" (as if that's an accomplishment), but proceed at your own risk.]
- The original release was infamously colored by Lynn Varley with gosh awful digital colors, instead of the great watercolors she used on Dark Knight Returns. Also, Miller's art had evolved from Ronin/Dark Knight Returns precision into what almost resembles crude cave paintings. Also, the story is a bit of a mess. So... Why the heck am I recommending this? Well, as my note hints at, I'm not necessarily "recommending" it. You need particular tastes to appreciate it, & even then, you have to decide if this is something you wanna give money towards (pirating & buying secondhand are one's best option, imo). That being said, even the original colored version is a fascinating piece of superhero media. And, in this "Batman Noir" version (where they rerelease stories in crisp black & white on high quality pages), Miller's bizarre, crude-yet-kinda-expert illustration really pops. The whole thing is such a gonzo look at vintage superhero storytelling. Like, at one point, when Batman's plan comes to fruition, he just randomly has a friggin' cup of tea in his hand, & the Flash is randomly behind him reading a TV Guide w/ glasses on. Before that, there's like 10 pages dedicated to splash pages of Superman & Wonder Woman's passionate embrace. The Question tells Green Arrow that Ayn Rand didn't go far enough. I... Um... I just... have to take every opportunity to vent about how ridiculous it is that this comic exists. And, most people don't, wouldn't, & shouldn't like it, but I... love it? Sorry not sorry.

Batman: Snow by J.H. Williams III, Dan Curtis Johnson, & Seth Fisher
- I... couldn't end my post w/ a tl;dr post about Miller's senile mess that I like more than I should. So, I'll leave off w/ this underappreciated gem of a story. Really fun tone, supported by some dope art by the late Seth Fisher.

 

@Tim All excellent suggestions, as well! I hope to sneak more comic book articles onto the front page.

 

I just realized I credited Jason w/ the recs instead of you in my post, lol. My bad. Gonna edit that. It was clearly you who wrote this, I can tell even w/out seeing your name, but I'm just used to front page comics stuff being from him.

Anyways, yeah, I hope you're able to keep getting comics content rolling here. Occasionally reviewing good standalone graphic novels/collections (newly released, on anniversaries, or in relation to news in movies/television/games) might be a cool strategy? As a way to appeal to new & longtime readers alike.

(Pardon the unsolicited suggestion, lol. I just think a lot about the best strategies to get more people to try comics.)

 

All good! I’m 100% open to post suggestions, so feel free to suggest away haha. I think I’m going to start organizing post ideas in a spreadsheet so I can get myself on a better schedule and determine what will go where (Chorus, WTG newsletter, other sites). Doing the Spidey site was fun, but way too much work. I did miss writing about comics though these past few months. I’ve only sparingly reviewed some Star Wars stuff.

 

There's only one Snyder I want touching Batman, and it's definitely Scott.

 

Thanks for sharing us, I will read it soon.