Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Batman, Detective Comics and All-Star Batman

It begins with Detective Comics #817. And I've waited far, far too long for it.

Somewhere across the internet, maybe he'll know: thank you James Robinson.

Batman is back, and it is good. The Commissioner back in place (yes!), Bullock back and kicking ass (yes!), crisp clean story-telling and a good opening part one to the story. Great art. Great dialogue between Batman and Gordon. This is the Batman comics I want. Above all, even in the quick scenes we see, Batman is likeable once more. He's dark, he's mysterious and he's by no means a sweetheart...but you can just feel that he's no longer a dick. He and Gordon have tremendous respect for one another and it shows.

And a great story looms with Harvey Dent, Poison Ivy, the mystery of the last year and how Bullock & Gordon came through...I can't wait.

Batman is back!

Casual readers of Batman that feel like grabbing a Batman story for the first time in a long time? I'm telling you, pick this up now!

This is a great start for the 1yr later Batman! I've already expressed in another thread my pleasure in seeing Gordon as the Commish again and you're right about Batman - he actually cracks a smile here. He's still serious, but not grim and angry - that year off must've done wonders for him.

I'm also really glad to see Harvey Dent. Two-Face is my fav Bat villain next to the Joker.

The most intriguing thing though are the hints Gordon drops about what happened the previous year:
"Three months since my return"
"Six months since Harvey Bullock made his discoveries."
"Nine since the rot within GCPD first shone as more than a glimmer."

It'll be interesting to track this in "52". I'm especially intrigued to know how the Question fits into that.

Hm...I didn't even think of that Drake! You're right, that makes it even more interesting.

Two-Face is also my fave Bat-villain (tied with Ra's al Ghul), so he's welcome here.

I know I see symbolism in places where it isn't always there, but I always saw KGBeast as the first in a series of stories/characters that highlight the grim and gritty Batman stories of the 1990's. He was really at the start of that (I also think these were very good stories too, although the trend deteriorated in later years). Interesting that he is killed off at the start of this new era, since he symbolically was part of the start of that era. In other words, it *is* a new era, and it feels good.

Very, very promising start to the storyline.

I'm hoping we'll start that less psycho Bats that has been rumored.

so that Poison Ivy is alive? (no have not read the Batman but heard that she was killed off...)

Fans of psycho Bats can have their fill in the horrid Frank Miller ASBaRTBW.

<span style="font-size: 8px;">Please Santa make Batman good again!</span>

Looks like I'll start buying Batman again. At least until Grant Morrison moves in and puts the Batcave on Mars.

I'd still buy it. He'd make it work somehow.

This is Batman.

Agree. This the Batman we all have been sorely missing.

I heard an interview with Rags Morales and he said when Paul Dini and he take over Detective, they'll be doing complete stories in one issue for the most part.

Morrison and Andy Kubert are on "Batman" haven't heard what GM plans. It might be nice if Batman had more multipart epics while "Detective" had shorter self-contained issues.

According to this interview on Newsarama , JH Williams III (Promethea, Desolation Jones) will be illustrating Dini's stories now. Not sure what's up with Rags... I think there's a link to info somewhere in the responses there.

I'm seriously torn... JH is one of THE best artists around, and I'm happy for his mainstream exposure, but it sounds like he's off Desolation *and* hasn't started on 7 Soldiers #1 yet... still waiting on Morrison's script. :rolleyes:

AND it's Batman. Feh.

But Pov, its good well-written Batman!

Read the first three Robinson issues on the weekend - it is good Batman. I was happy to see Jason Bard, an old favourite, along with the classic Gordon. The only Batman I'd read for years was The Long Hallowe'en TPB, which struck me as really stretched and repetitive. So Bats is back on the list, for now. I agree with Tamper Lad that a mix of multi-part and one issue stories would be best.

Just read the latest issues. Awesome! I don't know hoe Dini will play catch up to this.

Maybe he won't. Read the Facade issue (Detective #821) - the story was okay, but didn't knock me out. It seemed a bit simplistic and I really didn't like the idea that Gotham "society' were the better class of people. I know the character Facade condemned them as just wearing facades themselves, but the message from the Batman seemed to be don't mess with my tribe of gentlemen.

Interesting JH Williams art.

Morrison's Batman has arrived, and it is KICK-ASS so far. I'm really liking it, especially Bruce's interaction with Robin & Alfred. Great way to begin, by showing the Joker the exit (a great Batman run with no Joker for awhile? Yay!), and Bruce not actually shooting him, but allowing that myth to circulate. Funny Jim Gordon scene.

I love Morrison's take on less popular characters, but he really feels like he's born to write Superman & Batman too.

Dini's latest Detective was a ton of fun too. Great Riddler story, good 'detective' aspect to it, and an excellent done in one story that reminds me of the animated series.

These two titles OYL (as well as Robin and Catwoman) are very appealing.

You know... I've actually always thought that Batman should have an underlying current like this. Kind of an element of protecting that idealized "upperworld" of Gotham society from the evil "underworld" which threatens to disrupt it, as it did his life. I would think, given his origin, that he might initially conceive of his motivation in something like these terms. Of course, as time goes by, he'd realize that things weren't as simple as all this, but a bit of this way of thinking might remain.

That would make sense as his motivation, and there's no reason he couldn't remain a bit of a snob and still fight for justice. He could even go after white collar criminals because they are giving his class a bad name.

The new Batwoman is a society girl as well; it's interesting that all the buzz has focussed on her being a lesbian, not that she's another rich person playing superhero in Gotham.

Hm, just read the Paul Dini Facade story (I read the Riddler one first, out of order). I notice that there's actually some dark humor underplayed here too, just like in Morrison's Batman. I love it!

"No crime in progress here, unless you count what the artist is charging for his works." Batman: art critic, and a harsh one to boot!

i've never really been a big BATMAN fan [ the only recent issues that i bought was the 'HUSH' LOEB/LEE issues ]

but after reading these posts and listening to GRANT and PAUL talk about the books on the latest DC COMICS/PODCAST, i'm thinking of giving them a go ??

Matthew.

So, question on Batman #655. Who is that on the last page? Is it Talia? Or someone else? Not a bad read if a bit quick and I love the synopsis for the next issue:

It's the Dark Knight vs. the League of Assassins' Ninja Man-Bats!

Sounds like it would make a great 'toon.

I assumed it was Talia, because I was told that this issue is tied into Son of a Demon.

And, for the picky readers, Newsarama has an article on the "sub-text" for #855 . I don't know if some of that isn't reaching for subtle messages, but it's an interesting adjunct to the issue.

Right on both. Son of a Demon is one of the few pre-Hush Batman arcs I think I collected.

Read #656 and it wasn't too bad, maybe a bit predictable. Does anyone else think that Kubert's art looks like Wally Wood here though? I had flashbacks to House of Mystery and Plop! while reading some panels. Especially the ones with Langstrom.

ninja man-bats, nuff said!