Graphic Novel Suggestions

[The Dark Knight]

Hey! Just bought Batman: Gothic on Amazon.com. Thanks guys!

Excellent, no problem!

[riddler]

if you want a good 'general' batman novel, I really enjoyed the hush ones. They kind of embrace all previous incarnations of the character. The panels in the bat cave for instance show the adam west, michael keaton, and bale batmobiles side by side. Very enjoyable.

currently about to read earth one and i do have arkham city on the burner.

[The Dark Knight]

Folks, even if just for the art, check out Batman Damned at some point. I've enjoyed the first two issues quite a lot.

[The Laughing Fish]

I've been reading Damned too. I think it's so-so. Very out there. It was brought to my attention when I saw dozens of YouTube videos making a fuss about Bruce's naked body when he took off the Batsuit. Specifically, the shape of his penis was visible. Thankfully, the copy I've got have shaded that away because it got a lot of backlash.

So far, the only thing I find very fascinating about Damned is it explores Thomas and Martha Wayne having a rather troubled marriage, and how young Bruce looks on feeling lost and alone, while Enchantress haunts him and foreshadows his destiny as Batman. Perhaps the best moment would have to be when the unfaithful Thomas walks out, and young Bruce sees how much hurt he caused his already distraught mother after he angrily pointed his toy gun at her. It's definitely a no-brainer that emotional moment stayed printed in his psyche and foreshadowed his parents' demise. It adds even more psychological depth behind his no-guns stance as he got older.

But besides that, everything else is rather ho-hum and I kinda wish the rest of the story gets on with it. I'll keep my expectations low for the third and final chapter.

[thecolorsblend]

I've been enjoying Batman In The Fifties lately. It's a compilation of pivotal Batman stories published, duh, in the 1950's. These are fun, wacky adventure stories where anything can happen. It's a pretty entertaining change of pace from the heavier, grittier Batman stories. In fact, I'd say all of those decade books are worthwhile- In The Forties, In The Fifties, etc. They're all good. Definitely worth checking out.

Aside from that stuff, the older I get, the more I especially value Batman- Year One, The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, but you all know all about those trades already. I enjoy Year One from the angle that it's the Post-Crisis Batman's launching point. But as a Batman story... well, it barely qualifies as a Batman story. It's TLH and DV that pay off Year One and give it a greater depth.

[Silver Nemesis]

I love the fifties Batman comics. That's by far the most underappreciated decade in the character's history.

I used to think Year One was overrated because it was primarily focused on Gordon rather than Batman, but more recently I've come to appreciate its place in the Post-Crisis canon. Particularly in relation to TLH and DV. With someone whose work is as stylised as Tim Sale, you wouldn't expect it to blend with another artist's drawings. But Mazzucchelli's work complements Sale's surprisingly well. Both use clear lines and place a strong emphasis on the chiaroscuro contrast between light and shadow, similar to Mike Mignola's work on Gotham by Gaslight. It's an art style that works particularly well for Batman.

Loeb's writing expands on numerous unresolved plot points from Miller's script, delving into Gotham's pre-freak underworld in greater depth and revealing the fates of characters like Carmine Falcone, Commissioner Loeb and Flass. As a trilogy depicting Batman's early years, YO, TLH and DV are unlikely to be bettered.

Speaking of Year One, it's interesting to note that Miler did include a memorable throwback to the fifties Batman comics. I'm referring to the scene where Batman activates the sonic device in his boot to summon a flock of bats to his aid. This scene was one of several from YO that Nolan adapted in Batman Begins.

It's also the same technique the fifties Batman used to summon Ace the Bat-Hound, as shown in the following scene from 'The Secret Life of Bat-Hound' (Batman Vol 1 #125, August 1959).

Perhaps Miller was a bigger fan of the Silver Age than he let on.

[The Dark Knight]

I know it's an important part of the canon, but I've never really connected with Year One. TLH and DV are much more my thing, both in terms of art and storytelling. As for the 50s comics, I need to look at those.

I enjoyed the Morrison and Scott Snyder arcs A LOT, but the new stuff with Tom King doesn't do much for me. The only arc I've enjoyed is the War of Jokes and Riddles. The rest? Forgettable.

I am looking to order these 1980s compilations.

Batman: Volume 1 : The Caped Crusader
Batman: Volume 2 :The Caped Crusader
Batman: The Dark Knight Detective Vol. 1
Batman: The Dark Knight Detective Vol. 2

So indeed...it's back to the future with the majority of my Batman reading.

[The Laughing Fish]

I finished reading the third and final chapter of Damned. I got to say, I was underwhelmed. But I won't post any spoilers about it.

Instead, I want to recommend another book called Night Cries, written by Archie Goodwin. It's about Batman investigating a new drug smuggled into Gotham City, until he finds it connected to a serial killer going after child abusers. Meanwhile, Gordon struggles to adapt to his responsibilities as the newly promoted Commissioner, and it has a negative effect on his troubled marriage and family life. At the same time, Gordon has to come to terms with the beatings by his own abusive father that has haunted him ever since he was a child.

Yes, it does make a rather harrowing read, but I think this has to be among the most realistic Batman comics I've ever read. Normally, I'm not somebody who likes to read too much horrifying real world crises in Batman comics, but thankfully, Goodwin does very well in treating such a taboo topic as maturely as possible, where you can still empathise the characters affected by such abhorrent tragedies. Under another writer, the subject matter itself could've risked been done for shock value and turn you off completely.

The painted art by Scott Hampton reminds me a little bit like Dave McKean, but it's less exaggerating as you would see in Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on a Serious Earth. So if you're into reading comics that has such grim artwork which reflects such a grim story, read this.

[The Dark Knight]

I read the City of Crime hardcover edition in recent days. This is heavy duty Batman with a moody story, amazing art and horror elements. It should be spoken about more and I can't recommend it enough.