Batman: Year One

Batman: Year One by Frank Miller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When James Gordon joined the Gotham City Police Department, he had no idea of the cesspool of corruption it was. Fortunately, there are a few good cops left in Gotham and Gotham has a fledgling protector of its own, Batman!

I'm three decades late to the party but I'm glad I showed up. Batman: Year One has been hyped as one of the definitive Batman stories ever since it was published. Is it?

No. It's the definitive James Gordon story and it's spectacular!

Batman: Year One is told from the point of view of James Gordon, the man who would later be Commissioner Gordon. This Jim Gordon isn't the buffoonish commissioner of Batman '66 either. He's a good cop and a good man, surrounded by bad cops and bad men in the worst city in America. And there's this vigilante running around in a bat suit who may or may not be Bruce Wayne, millionaire playboy who recently returned to Gotham after thirteen years abroad...

So fucking good. David Mazzucchelli's art had to be an inspiration for the feel of Gotham Central decades later. The gloomy, Mignola-esque feel is perfect for this gritty tale. Frank Miller was yet to enter his prime and his writing was pretty crisp, although I wasn't crazy about him making Catwoman a sex worker.

The bad guys are the worst kind, corrupt men in positions of power. I couldn't wait for Gordon and Batman to take them down. While this book was one of the ones that ushered in the era of the grim and gritty super hero, it feels authentic here and isn't grim for the sake of being grim like a lot of books that came after.

Whole swathes of this book used in the Nolan trilogy. Much like the Nolan movies, this would have been a great comic even without Batman in it.

Great stuff. Batman: Year's One is one book that definitely lived up to the hype and deserves its reputation. If you're only going to read one Batman comic in your entire life, you could do a lot worse than this one. Five out of five stars.



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Batman R.I.P.

Batman R.I.P. by Grant Morrison
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Batman gets cut by one of the Black Glove's minions on the first page, drugging him in the process. A little later, Jezebel Jet (who wouldn't have spotted a girl named Jezebel as being linked with the villains?) utters a code word Dr. Hurt implanted in Batmans' subconscious during an isolation experiment years ago (see Batman: The Black Glove) and the shit hits the fan. The Bruce Wayne part of Batman's psyche is completely eclipsed by the Batman portion. Batman goes on a rampage in a patchwork costume and finally catches up to the Black Glove at Arkham Asylum. He's consequently defeated and buried alive. But even being buried alive isn't enough to stop Batman...

I didn't like this one as much as the The Black Glove and here's why. First of all, you knew the vague ending was letting the door open for Bruce Wayne to return, even though Nightwing looked pretty impressive in the final shot holding Batman's cowl. Secondly, the two stories that followed, also in this volume, showed Batman surviving the helicopter crash. God forbid the fanboys think Batman might be dead for longer than ten minutes. THEN, Batman is "killed" by Darkseid in Final Crisis. It seems like they would have been better off leaving him "dead" at the end of RIP. The ending was vague enough that a return would have been believeable. However they end up bringing him back after Final Crisis (and they will) is going to be hokey as hell.

I'd highly recommend skipping the last two stories in this book. If you do and never read another Batman comic again, you can pretend something actually happened. Otherwise, it's just another example of why comics will never rise above their pro-wrestling type status with the general public. Nothing ever really happens that won't be undone later.

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Batman: The Black Glove

Batman: The Black Glove by Grant Morrison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The reason most people grow out of reading superhero comics is that nothing ever changes for long. Inevitably, everything eventually returns to the status quo. Enter Grant Morrison.

I've been a fan of Grant Morrison's work for quite some time. From Animal Man to The Doom Patrol to the Invisibles to Marvel Boy. His appeal for me is the same as Roger Zelazny's: he has so many ideas flying off the page at the same time. I started picking up Batman because I had a hunch Morrison would shake things up. In his first few issues, he had Batman's illegitimate son turn up and had an army of ninjas injected with the Man-Bat serum. That's what led me to continue reading, which brings us to The Black Glove.

The Black Glove starts with Batman meeting a group called the International League of Hero on a reclusive billionaire's private island. From what I gather, the League first made its appearance in a Batman story in 50's. Anyway, one member of the League isn't what he appears to be and starts killing the other members in a pretty good story.

The second story involves someone Batman trained as possible replacement going haywire and nearly killing Batman. Batman hallucinates/has flashbacks of an ritual he went through in the Himalayas as well as an isolation experiment he took part in. Eventually Batman recovers and things get settled.

The third story does little more than set up the next arc, Batman RIP. Bruce Wayne and his love interest, Jezebel Jet, are attacked by terrorists and Jet discovers Bruce is Batman in the process.

The common thread of these three stories is the Black Glove, a secret organization that has its sights set on taking down Batman. I won't go into how they are involved so as not to spoil the story. Needless to say, they are a foe unlike any Batman has faced.

To sum up, if you're a fan of Batman movies, you'll like this. Morrison's Batman is the most like the movie Batman than any other writer's depiction.

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Batman and Son

Batman and Son by Grant Morrison
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In the middle of a story involving man-bat ninjas, among other things, Ra's Al Ghul's daughter dumps a ten year old brat off at the Batcave, saying he's Batman's son. Damian, raised by the League of Assassins, shakes things up immediately and raises the ire of Robin. Who will emerge as Batman's heir?

I swore I reviewed this when I read it but apparently I didn't. Morrison picks up a plot thread left over from the twenty year old Son of the Demon story and runs with it. Damian, Batman's alleged offspring, is a colossal prick and provides a nice contrast to the usual Batman and Robin relationship. Overall, I liked the story but it wasn't a masterpiece. The most memorable part for me was the Man-Bat ninja's and Damian decapitating the main villain. The future story where Damian is Batman was kind of pointless being that it will immediately be invalidated when Morrison stops writing Batman. In all likelihood, so will Damian's place as Batman's son, for that matter.

Not a bad read but pretty pricey in hardcover. It's a must read for people that are fans of Morrison's run with Dick Grayson as Batman and Damian Wayne as Robin.

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Batman: Heart of Hush

Batman: Heart of Hush by Paul Dini
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hush returns and begins striking at Batman however he can. But when he attacks Catwoman and removes the heart from her chest, has he gone too far?

The Heart of Hush further fleshes out the childhood relationship between Bruce Wayne and Tommy Elliot, aka Hush, as well as that between Batman and Catwoman. It also cements Hush's place in Batman's Rogues Gallery along with legends like The Joker, the Penguin, and the Riddler.

Much like in his initial appearance, the big draw with Hush is that he knows Bruce Wayne well enough to strike him close to home, where it would hurt the most. In this case, it's Catwoman, who is used to show that Batman is still just a man. Hush continues to pal around with Bat-villains like Scarecrow and Mr. Freeze in order to achieve his goals. One thing I really liked in this volume was the Scarecrow juicing up a kidnapped, bat-fearing kid with Venom and unleashing him on Batman.

At the end of the day, however, it's not as remarkable as Hush or The Black Mirror, other recent Batman favorites of mine. Three stars, edging toward four.

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Batman: Hush

Batman: Hush by Jeph Loeb
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An unknown enemy is trying to destroy Batman at the same time he enters into a relationship with Catwoman. But who knows all of Batman's secrets?

I've been hearing about Hush since it was coming out in monthly format and finally decided to give it a chance. It was totally worth it.

Honestly, I was skeptical at first. While I liked Jeph Loeb's work on Batman: The Long Halloween, I thought it felt a little padded. As for Jim Lee, I was wondering if he still had that old magic. I was not disappointed.

Hush pits Batman against many of his foes, including a new one, Hush. Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Joker, Harley Quinn, Croc, and others all make appearances. Batman's relationship with Catwoman is explored, as are his relationships with other members of his supporting cast. Jim Lee's art has come along since his days as the flavor of the month artist that made his mark on X-Men before helping form Image.

I do have a few gripes, however. It was pretty obvious who would turn out to be Hush. Tommy Elliot was never mentioned before but suddenly Bruce remembers him as his best friend during his childhood. Not much detective work required from the reader. I was pleased that it turned out to be more complicated than that, what with Riddler and the Lazarus Pit and all. It did lead to Jason Todd being resurrected, something I'm still not that thrilled about.

Hush is the best Batman book not written by Scott Snyder that I've read in a long time. It's not earth shattering but is highly recommended.

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Batman, Vol. 3: Death of the Family

Batman, Vol. 3: Death of the Family by Scott Snyder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After disappearing for a year, the Joker returns with a vengeance, striking at Batman where it hurts the most: his family! Can Batman stop the Joker from murdering his friends and family without killing him?

I got this from Netgalley. Thank you, Netgalley!

Here we are again, another phenomenal Batman tale from Scott Snyder. This time, he utilizes an old Bat-foe, The Joker, and sets him against the Bat-family. How does he do?

Snyder passes with flying colors. Death of the Family is the best Joker story since The Killing Joke. The Joker hits Batman where he lives, taking out Commissioner Gordon and Alfred with relative ease and sowing the seeds of mistrust within the Bat-family.

Snyder did his homework on this one, referencing some early Batman tales and bringing in A-list Batman villains to help, namely Penguin, Two-Face, and the Riddler. I was hoping he'd bring in Catwoman and we'd get an homage to the 60's Batman movie where he had a shark hanging from his leg but we can't have everything.

The Joker was a very chilling villain in this volume, capable of taking out members of the GCPD in the police station without seeming like a super hero. There's a fair amount of psychological horror in this one and at the end, it's hard to shake the feeling that the Joker did what he set out to do, to sow discord between Batman and his extended family.

The art and writing were superb. Capullo has come a long way since X-Force days and Snyder is still the lone comic writer on my must read list. Four out of five stars. Bat-fans will not want to miss.

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Batman, Vol. 2: The City of Owls

Batman, Vol. 2: The City of Owls by Scott Snyder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Court of Owls is striking all over Gotham and their first target is Wayne Manor! Can an injured Bruce Wayne and Alfred fight them off and mobilize the rest of the Bat-Family? And what is Bruce Wayne's connection to the Court?

The Court of Owls storyline comes to a conclusion in this volume. Batman dons a suit of armor and kicks some undead ass as he figures out who is leading the Court of Owls in it's assault on Gotham.

I liked that Lincoln Marsh was revealed as the head of the Court and he may or may not be Batman's long lost brother, Thomas Wayne Jr, who appeared in one tale pre-Crisis, only he was an older bad seed brother in that depiction. Owlman's ambiguous end leaves the door open for more Court of Owls intrigue down the line.

That's about all there is to it. Snyder crafts a pretty creepy Batman tale and Capullo's art is up to the task. The only gripe I have is that it felt like a ton of stuff was missing, probably because I've only read the Scott Snyder Bat-title in the New 52 and not all the ancillary bat-stuff.

Four stars. Snyder is shaping up to be the best bat-writer in decades.

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Batman, Vol. 1: The Court of Owls

Batman, Vol. 1: The Court of Owls by Scott Snyder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Court of Owls, a long rumored secret society from Gotham's past, makes its presence known in the form of a knife wielding assassin called The Talon. Can Batman hope to defeat an enemy even more familiar with Gotham than him?

For my money, Scott Snyder can do no wrong. Batman: The Court of Owls is no exception. At first glance, the tale looks like a combination of Batman: The Black Glove and Batman: Gates of Gotham but it's a better story than either so far.

I really want to gush about this but I don't want to ruin any surprises. It's not every day a body is found with Dick Grayson's DNA under it's fingernails. It's not every day you see a killing machine taking the fight to Batman or Batman being trapped by villains for days.

One thing I really liked is that Scott Snyder isn't afraid to show us Batman isn't invincible. I hate how in recent years, Batman is portrayed as a combination of Captain America and Reed Richards instead of the World's Greatest Detective, as he should be. Snyder does a pretty good job of stripping away some of that. I can't see his Batman building a Brother-Eye satellite, for instance.

Snyder's writing is superb, as always. I can tell he draws from a deeper well than many comic authors, one filled with historical fiction and conspiracy thrillers. Greg Capullo's art is good too, I guess.

The Court of Owls is an easy 4. I may even bump it up to a 5 once the rest of the story is told.



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Batman: The Black Mirror

Batman: The Black Mirror by Scott Snyder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Gotham's Batman, Dick Grayson, takes on the Dealer, a man selling the weapons of supervillains stolen from the GCPD evidence room, gun runners harassing a mob bosses daughter, and possibly the greatest threat of all, Commissioner Gordon's son...

You know, when DC put Dick Grayson in the Bat-costume, we all knew it wouldn't last and while I liked the issues of Batman & Robin I read, I didn't find anything earth-shattering and thought Dick's tenure as the Caped Crusader would be pretty forgettable. I WAS WRONG!

There are epic tales of the Bruce Wayne Batman that everyone mentions: The Killing Joke, The Dark Knight, Year One, The Long Halloween, the list goes on and on. This is Dick Grayson's epic.

Scott Snyder and Jock take the reader on a dark journey, following Dick Grayson as he tries to fill Bruce Wayne's shoes. While Grant Morrison made Batman fun again when he put Dick in the costume, Scott Snyder made me believe.

Batman goes up against The Dealer, Roadrunner, Tiger Shark, and even the Joker, but the most chilling villain in the Black Mirror is James Gordon Jr, the Commissioner's son. I can't even think of another comic book villain that actually scared me but James was scary because he was so real, so plausible. And I had a batgasm when he finally got what was coming to him.

That's about all I can say without giving too much away. I know I clicked the spoilers box but I didn't spoil more than the dust jacket. If I could give this six stars, I would. Scott Snyder is the real deal and I'm going to continue buying everything of his I can find.

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Batman: Gates of Gotham

Batman: Gates of Gotham by Scott Snyder
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Someone is blowing up Gotham City landmarks and it points to someone with links to Gotham's founding fathers. Can Batman, Red Robin, Robin, and Black Bat stop the menace of... the Architect?

After the awesomeness of The Black Mirror, this was a little bit of a letdown but still pretty good. Dick continues to adjust to his role as Batman as he pieces together the identity of the Architect with the help of his partners.

Hush and the Penguin play important roles but Gotham City itself is almost a character. While I didn't think the art was that great, Scott Snyder's writing was superb. He really makes me believe Gotham is a real place. The interplay between Damian and the other team members was probably my favorite part of the book. Man, that Damian is an arrogant little shit. Then if your dad was Batman...

Three stars. It's good but not in the same league as The Black Mirror.

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Batman & Robin, Vol 3: Batman & Robin Must Die!

Batman & Robin, Vol 3: Batman & Robin Must Die! by Grant Morrison
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The Joker and Dr. Hurt wage an all out war against each other as Gotham burns. Can they make Dick and Damian look sufficiently like chumps in time for Bruce Wayne to return and save the day?

As you can tell by my brief and sarcastic synopsis, I didn't think much of this Batman collection. It showcases the entire problem with Morrison's run on Batman and Robin: when no attempt is made to make the readers accept Dick and Damian as Batman and Robin, does it really matter much when they bring Bruce back? Not to me.

Sure, the plot had a lot of potential, just like Dick and Damian's run as Batman and Robin. I love the idea of Batman and Robin teaming up with the Joker in order to take down Dr. Hurt and the Black Glove. Too bad it sucked for the most part. As with a lot of Grant Morrison's stuff, too much is going on and not enough of it is a good story.

The word "genius" gets thrown around almost as easily as comparisons to Hitler. Leonardo DaVinci was a genius. Einstein was a genius. Grant Morrison is not. He's just a little more willing to take risks than many of today's comic book writers. Sometimes, his risks pay off and a memorable story results, like Batman and Son or even the first Batman and Robin volume. In this book, the risks did not and wound up seeming like a confusing waste of time.

While I'm griping, I'm just going to say that the whole Batman Incorporated concept would work if Bruce Wayne wasn't publicly funding it. Way to conceal your identity, world's greatest detective!

Still, this volume has a few good moments. The Joker is in fine form and Damian managed to entertain me. Dick even had his moments when he wasn't being made to look like a chump. Bruce Wayne's return would have been more enjoyable had it not come at the expense of the rest of the story (and not been so hokey, as I've been told The Return of Bruce Wayen was).

That's that. I'm pretty much done with Grant Morrison on Batman. Save your money for Scott Snyder's run.

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Batman & Robin, Vol 2: Batman vs. Robin

Batman & Robin, Vol 2: Batman vs. Robin by Grant Morrison
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Batman takes Bruce Wayne's corpse to a Lazarus pit. Damian returns and he and Batman investigate clues to Bruce Wayne's whereabouts. But who is Oberon Sexton and why is Damian acting so strangely?

Dick Grayson's run as Batman continues. He and Damian seem less like chumps in this one but Bruce Wayne, even "dead," still has them playing second fiddle.

The stories are pretty good. The Domino Killer case continues, Talia Al Ghul gets some screen time, and an old enemy of Dick's has a fairly prominent role. Still, it feels like it's mostly setting the stage for Bruce Wayne's inevitable return more than anything else.

It still has its moments, though, like the revelation of Oberon Sexton's identity and Damian's body getting usurped. It could have used a consistent artist, though. I'm not a huge fan of Frank Quitly but his art gave the first one a unified feel. This one feels really disjointed by comparison.

Three stars but definitely on the low end of the threes.

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Batman and Robin, Vol. 1: Batman Reborn

Batman and Robin, Vol. 1: Batman Reborn by Grant Morrison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Batman Reborn: In their first case as Batman & Robin, Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne take on Professor Pyg and the Circus of the Strange.

I'll be honest, despite reading comics off and on for the last 30-ish years, I haven't read all that many Batman comics. When I heard Grant Morrison was doing the Batman monthly, that's when I got on board. Batman and Robin is Morrison at his best.

Remember when Bane broke Batman's back and they replaced him with someone who wasn't Dick Grayson? Well, Morrison didn't make that mistake. I love the dynamic between Dick and Damian. Damian saying "That will be all, Pennyworth" made me laugh when I read it, even the second time. For once, Batman is the lighthearted member of the dynamic duo. Professor Pyg is pretty creepy and made a good first foe for Batman and Robin. Other things I liked: the flying Batmobile and the paracapes.

Revenge of the Red Hood: While looking for the man behind Professor Pyg, Batman & Robin run up against a different dynamic duo, The Red Hood and Scarlet.

I didn't like this one as much as the first story. Batman and Robin were made to look like chumps, which is no way to get the fan boys behind them this early in their run. On the plus side, Flamingo seemed like a very credible threat in his first outing. Jason Todd chewed the scenery as always but he and Scarlet contrasted well with Dick and Damian.

The sketches in the back provided an interesting look behind the scenes.

So what gripes did I have? Only that I know all of this will be nullified when whomever follows Morrison on the title hits the reset button on everything so no one will ever have to read interesting Batman stories again.

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