Holy Batmania (1989)

[Silver Nemesis]

What you're suggesting kinda makes me think of what Marvel did several years ago with their "The End" line of books. Chronicling the final adventure of various characters. I think Wolverine had one, and I've read Punisher The End (Garth Ennis), along with Hulk The End (written by Peter David, which made sense, and penciled by Dale Keown, which also made all the sense in the world. As an aside, I thought it was interesting that for Peter David having such a long stint on the Incredible Hulk book, and for getting away from the Savage Hulk for long stretches of time ... that his idea for a final Hulk story would wind up featuring the Savage Hulk for the characters book end).

I guess the same could be applied to DC characters, but it's just a issue with getting credible talent for the assignments...

I'm not familiar with that Marvel line, but it sounds interesting. I reckon something similar could work for DC, provided they made it clear that it wasn't just a non-canon gimmick. That these stories really did mark the end of the current timeline, and that what followed would have a clean slate.

That approach may work. It could very well work. I guess I'm just more bullish, in just boiling everything down to a absolute bare minimum, stripping everything down to what would largely be considered 'classic iterations' and begin a slow, but methodical, rebuilding implementation. Speaking of old comics, I honestly wouldn't be opposed to adopting a more cartoony art style aesthetic (silver/bronze age is what I'm more or less thinking of) as the 'house style', and see what happens. I don't know, but when you skim around and look at some of the covers back then, as opposed to the more posing style these days, a good many of the comic book covers back in the day were very eye-catching. Which they needed to be, considering comics used to be located at venues as a impulse buy (and they REALLY need to get back to that strategy, like Archie Comics, and not be reliant on the LCS/direct market, which has increasingly proved over the years to be a fools errand).

That might be a better solution. I'd be down for it.

The Batman Adventures, the B:TAS tie-in comic, had a huge impact on me as a kid. The UK version featured a Batman story in every issue plus a secondary story starring another DC character. There'd always be a pull-put poster and a section highlighting the main villains of the guest hero. It helped educate me about the DC universe and introduced me to many of its classic heroes. It also paved the way for me to read more mature comics. The art showcased a consistent 'house style' that reflected the look of the TV show, which was fine with me since the TV show looked beautiful to begin with.

A more recent example of something similar would be The Brave and the Bold tie-in comic. This series ran for 22 issues in the States, utilising stylised visuals that mirrored the look of the TV show and straightforward kid-friendly adventure stories that were suitable for all ages. Here are some of the covers. They have a certain retro flavour that I find very appealing.

And here's an example of what the interior art looked like, characterised by neat page layouts, clear lines and vibrant colours. Again, it's stimple but appealing. Different artists worked on this series, but all adopted the visual style of the TV show to create a consistent aesthetic.

The overall feel was closer to the Golden and Silver Age comics than most modern titles. In the UK these comics were published in a different format where the stories were split across issues. So one issue would end on a cliff-hanger, and you'd get the second half of the story in the following issue. The rest of the pages were filled with character profiles, episode guides for the TV show, puzzles and competitions. Every issue came with a pull-out poster and free plastic toy. The pages were also bigger, with the original US comic-size blown up to a larger magazine size. The British version ran for 55 issues in total, all of which were sold in high streets. I often used to pick them up on trips to the supermarket. I've still got lots of issues stashed away somewhere.

This comic was bright, colourful, funny and perfect for kids. It did a great job introducing new readers to the DC universe, and it was easily available in newsagents across the country. The closest I've seen to a Batman title like this in recent years was the Lego Batman comic. My eldest nephew used to read that, though I'm not sure if it's still going in 2025. There should be a permanent comic like this. One featuring bright stylised art and family-friendly content that's easily purchasable from high street stores, not just specialist retailers.

Two monthly Batman titles should be enough: one a dark mature anthology called Detective Comics, and the other a lighter and more accessible title called Batman and the Robin: The Dynamic Duo.

[The Dark Knight]

This comic was bright, colourful, funny and perfect for kids. It did a great job introducing new readers to the DC universe, and it was easily available in newsagents across the country. The closest I've seen to a Batman title like this in recent years was the Lego Batman comic. My eldest nephew used to read that, though I'm not sure if it's still going in 2025. There should be a permanent comic like this. One featuring bright stylised art and family-friendly content that's easily purchasable from high street stores, not just specialist retailers.

One of the more entertaining comics to come out in recent times is Batman Universe. Very bright and fantastical with lots of action, a sense fun and good art. There's a cameo of the B89 Flugelheim Museum, too. If you haven't checked it out I highly recommend you do. I also see recently Gunn cited Man-Bat as one of the villains he'd like to see adapted at some point - which bodes well for a Batman Universe style film being more likely than not.

[Silver Nemesis]

I haven't read Batman Universe. I've fallen behind with the Batman comics in recent years, but Brian Michael Bendis wrote some of my favourite Daredevil stories so I might give Universe a look. It sounds fun.

[The Joker]

I'm not familiar with that Marvel line, but it sounds interesting. I reckon something similar could work for DC, provided they made it clear that it wasn't just a non-canon gimmick. That these stories really did mark the end of the current timeline, and that what followed would have a clean slate.

Yeah, or a good "what if" tale or whatever. To me, Hulk The End was the strongest of the "The End" books, but the Punisher one written by Garth Ennis wasn't bad either. I don't believe I read the Wolverine one, and I'm not sure if Spider-Man had one without looking it up (Spider-Man Reign is the only thing coming to mind).

That might be a better solution. I'd be down for it.

The Batman Adventures, the B:TAS tie-in comic, had a huge impact on me as a kid. The UK version featured a Batman story in every issue plus a secondary story starring another DC character. There'd always be a pull-put poster and a section highlighting the main villains of the guest hero. It helped educate me about the DC universe and introduced me to many of its classic heroes. It also paved the way for me to read more mature comics. The art showcased a consistent 'house style' that reflected the look of the TV show, which was fine with me since the TV show looked beautiful to begin with.

A more recent example of something similar would be The Brave and the Bold tie-in comic. This series ran for 22 issues in the States, utilising stylised visuals that mirrored the look of the TV show and straightforward kid-friendly adventure stories that were suitable for all ages. Here are some of the covers. They have a certain retro flavour that I find very appealing.

You got it, Silver. This is pretty much exactly what I have in mind. As an aside, I always liked whenever a villain from another character would occasionally cross over to another hero's book. That cover with Cyborg Superman is a good example. Where it's like, "Well, how does ol' batsy prevail against this guy?" Stuff like that always (especially) piqued my interest.

And here's an example of what the interior art looked like, characterised by neat page layouts, clear lines and vibrant colours. Again, it's stimple but appealing. Different artists worked on this series, but all adopted the visual style of the TV show to create a consistent aesthetic.

The overall feel was closer to the Golden and Silver Age comics than most modern titles. In the UK these comics were published in a different format where the stories were split across issues. So one issue would end on a cliff-hanger, and you'd get the second half of the story in the following issue. The rest of the pages were filled with character profiles, episode guides for the TV show, puzzles and competitions. Every issue came with a pull-out poster and free plastic toy. The pages were also bigger, with the original US comic-size blown up to a larger magazine size. The British version ran for 55 issues in total, all of which were sold in high streets. I often used to pick them up on trips to the supermarket. I've still got lots of issues stashed away somewhere.

This comic was bright, colourful, funny and perfect for kids. It did a great job introducing new readers to the DC universe, and it was easily available in newsagents across the country. The closest I've seen to a Batman title like this in recent years was the Lego Batman comic. My eldest nephew used to read that, though I'm not sure if it's still going in 2025. There should be a permanent comic like this. One featuring bright stylised art and family-friendly content that's easily purchasable from high street stores, not just specialist retailers.

Exactly. There are such things that are 'too much of a ask', and asking a kid to find a comic store, and pick up a book that's right in the middle of comic event #8474832982, in addition to being able to mentally grasp just what the hell is going on with whatever the tenuous status quo is at that particular moment in time, is just too much of any new reader really. Especially someone young. When I started out as a kid, the Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man books were already going into these extensive story line sagas (Death/FuneralFriend/Reign/Return, Knightfall/KnightsQuest/KnightsEnd, the dreaded Clone Saga, ect), but I really liked going back and finding back issues. As many of them was fairly concise and easy to digest and follow. Honestly, reading books like Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, Wonder Woman, ect was a welcome break and something of a refuge from all the dense '90's sagas, as their titles were (most of the time) just one issue monthly. 

Two monthly Batman titles should be enough: one a dark mature anthology called Detective Comics, and the other a lighter and more accessible title called Batman and the Robin: The Dynamic Duo.

Sounds good to me. I know such a implementation would likely cause some serious ire with some older readers, but at this stage, with the sheer amount of rot, and the shenanigans that have been pulled by both companies, from the top to the bottom, something dramatic seriously needs to be done in order to have just a glimmer of hope for a future. I can't specifically remember which comic veteran had this judgement (it might have been Jim Shooter, maybe John Byrne, maybe George Perez), but the gist of the observatory was that specifically superhero comics were originally created and made for children. It's now warped to cater to mostly middle age readers, but should ideally get, for the most part, back to basics. If, under that pretense, the reader simply cannot find enjoyment on that level, then perhaps the reality is that they have simply outgrown the hobby.