Tag Archives: Batman

Apr 10 2012

Detective Comics 8


Today, Peter and Drew are discussing Detective Comics 8, originally released April 4th, 2012.

Peter:  If there is one thing I can’t do it’s throw in the towel. I’m a bit of a completionist. Sometimes, it’s really easy for me to finish something because it’s really good. Sometimes it’s really easy for me to finish something because despite it being impossibly hard, I enjoy doing it, and at the end, I feel extremely satisfied, even if completing it was stupidly hard and I probably will never be able to do it again. (Battletoads, I’m looking at you!) But I will say that continuing to read Detective Comics is putting me to the test.
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Apr 9 2012

Batwing 8


Today, Patrick and Drew are discussing Batwing 8, originally released April 4th, 2012.

Patrick: At its outset, Batwing was something incredibly new for the DC Universe. David Zavimbe is the first to open a Batman Inc. franchise and his is the first series to take place in Africa. The early issues explored dark dark dark themes, toeing the line of exploitation, but this gave these early issues a relevant, almost dangerous feel to them. With two whole issues in Gotham and in the presence of Batman, Nightwing, Robin and Batgirl, Batwing loses its identity, becoming a bland, by-the-numbers comic book adventure. Continue reading →

Mar 23 2012

Justice League 7

Today, Peter and Shelby are discussing Justice League 7, originally released March 22nd, 2012.

Peter: Okay, I like a good team book as much as the next person. It allows for interesting character interaction on a regular basis. It also gives me the feeling that there are clearly some things that no one superhero can take down on their own. That’s how this Justice League came together; no individual could defeat Darkseid. They were brought together by fate — and Fatherboxes — to defeat evil. Now, we’ve jumped ahead to present day, the origins are long gone, and now we get a taste of the current Justice League. But why does it taste funny?
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Mar 23 2012

Nightwing 7

Today, Patrick and Peter are discussing Nightwing 7, originally released March 21st, 2012.

Patrick: Drew and I like identifying themes. Oh the curse of the liberally educated! When we first started this comic-review-practice, we both quickly picked out the theme of “you can never go back” from the pages of Nightwing. It’s a potent concept and one that hits double-hard for recent college grads that insist and transplanting themselves thousands of miles away from their friends an families. Boo hoo, Patrick, we all have problems. Since our initial 3-issue write-up, the thematic and narrative focuses have broadened, usually to the detriment of the storytelling. But Nightwing #7 reclaims the series’ former glory by addressing its central mystery and staying emotionally on-point. Oh and a cameo from the Batman don’t hurt none, either.

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Mar 16 2012

Batman and Robin 7

Today, Peter and Drew are discussing Batman and Robin 7, originally released March 14th 2012.

Peter: This is it. I have been waiting several months for this story to come to fruition, and it is finally upon us. Batman vs. Nobody. Bruce Wayne vs. Morgan Ducard. This is a Bruce unlike any we have EVER seen before; not once in his entire history has Bruce been faced with losing is own flesh and blood. Sure Dick, Jason, Tim and Cassandra are his children; he adopted them, but never before has he had a biological son to lose. Based on the cover alone, I can guess that this is going to be a wild ride. I mean, when was the last time you saw and image of Batman that was so menacing, or so scary? I mean he is about to rip into Morgan with not one, but 14 knives sticking out of his back. Is this Batman going bat-shit crazy? Continue reading →

Mar 13 2012

Detective Comics 7


Today, Peter and Patrick are discussing Detective Comics 7, originally released March 7th 2012.

Peter: Tony Daniel has a great history with DC Comics. He has written and/or drawn some great books. In fact, he drew one of my favorite books, The Flash: Fastest Man Alive #13. His art couples with a great story, and unfortunately, results with the death of Bart Allen. In his new run of Detective Comics, Daniel does a great job with the art, hands down, giving it that noir, shadow-y feel that I would expect in a detective story. However, Daniel is still leaving something to be desired from a story point of view. I have enjoyed some of his previous writing, such as Battle for the Cowl, or even Detective Comics #1, but as his story progresses and comes to a close in the second story arc, I’m still dazed and confused as to what is going on and why should I care.

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Mar 8 2012

Batwing 7

Today, Drew and Patrick are discussing Batwing 7, originally released March 7th, 2012.

Drew: At the end of issue 6, I had mixed feelings about this title. I liked the stylized art, particularly Brian Reber’s atmospheric, almost dusty colors, and I appreciated the idea of distilling the idea of Batman down to it’s essence and seeing how it plays in different cultures. At the same time, I wasn’t sure I actually liked the approach writer Judd Winick had applied to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I complained that the title was exploitative, but it really isn’t guilty of doing anything any frank (or, more importantly, action-focused) depiction of subsaharan Africa wouldn’t do. I’m still not convinced that this title isn’t exploitative, but this month’s issue comes a long way in making me more comfortable with the world David Zavimbe inhabits. Continue reading →

Mar 7 2012

Chat Cave: The Five Year Rule

When DC re-launched its entire line in September, they allowed individual writers and artists creative control over just how hard they wanted to throw the reset switch. With one exception: DC management decreed that in the “present” of all the books, no superhero had been active for more than five years. This holy edict seems to have served some characters better than others, and it also upsets some fans more than others. The Retcon Punchers weigh in on this universal change. Welcome to the Chat Cave.

Shelby: You know, I really don’t think about this all that much. Honestly, my first reaction to Patrick’s posing the question was, “Wait, what?” I kind of forgot; it just doesn’t enter into my brain while I’m reading. Continue reading →

Mar 1 2012

Justice League 6

Today, Shelby and Patrick are discussing Justice League 6, originally released February 29th, 2012.

Shelby: I can appreciate the appeal of tradition. There is something very appealing to me about doing things “the old-fashioned way.” This isn’t to say that I can’t appreciate innovation, either, far from it. I just enjoy the comfort of doing things the way they’ve always been done. To me, this issue of Justice League is definitely a “classic comic book story.” Two parts action, one part cheesy dialogue, it’s precisely what you expect, and sometimes that’s what you want. There’s a fine line, however, between the enjoying the comfort of a classic and being frustrated by the same nonsense you’ve seen again and again. A very, very fine line… Continue reading →

Feb 29 2012

Detective Comics 1-6

Today, Patrick and Peter are discussing Detective Comics 1-6, originally released September 7th, 20122, October 5th, 2011, November 2nd, 2011, December 7th, 2011, January 4th, 2012, and  February 1st, 2012.

Patrick: I’m a bit of a completionist. Any time I take up a new hobby, I have to fight my collectorly urges and pace my intake of that hobby. When I discovered Green Lantern in the Fall of 2010, I was fortunate enough to be working a high-paying administrative gig. I threw down laughably large amounts of money on every trade paperback with the words “Green” and “Lantern” printed on them somewhere. They weren’t all classics, but damn it all, I wanted to know what was going on. DC Comics understands this impulse so very, very well.  That’s why there are four series in the New 52 starring Batman (Batman, Detective Comics, Batman and Robin and The Dark Knight) with seven other series that have already featured Batman in prominent roles (Nightwing, Batgirl, Batwoman, Batwing, Catwoman, Justice League and Justice League International) and a few where I assume he’ll show up sooner or later (Red Hood and the Outlaws and Birds of Prey). DC is in the goddamned Batman business.  Continue reading →