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"Batman Begins" has gotten me hooked on the Dark Knight. Don't get me wrong - Batman's always been my favorite "super hero", precisely because he isn't super -- he's not faster than a speeding train, he doesn't have webbing that shoots out of his fingers, and he can't breathe in space. He's just a dedicated ordinary guy who has devoted his life to the study of how best to fight crime ... well, yes, he's a billionaire too so it isn't like he has to worry about schlepin' around in a restaraunt to pay the bills or anything.
I'm making my ways through Volumes 1 - 4 of The Batman Animated Series which, as I understand, is actually the completed set of the early 90's "Batman" cartoons ... "Batman", "Batman & Robin", and possible "Gotham Knights." I've also been turning my attention to graphic novels -- I'd purchased "The Dark Knight Returns" this summer, and expanded my collection with "The Dark Knight Strikes Again", "Batman: Year One", "Hush", "Fortunate Son", "Year Two: Fear the Reaper", "Dark Victory", "War Drums", "Under the Hood" and "The Long Halloween."
What am I missing to round out my enjoyment of the Caped Crusader? I'm particularly interested in filling in the gaps between "War Drums" and "Under the Hood." What happened to Oracle? Was it Stephanie/Spoiler who died?
I might be to the point of actually buying weekly comic issues ... this is an addiction!
(Also ... the Batman Hush figure is, wow, amazing!)
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Spoiler dies. Robin returns....his father gets killed in "Identity Crisis".
It appears that Jason Todd is indeed still alive (like in Hush).
Season 4 of the Animated Seris is incredible- the episode with The Demon is a favorite of mine. I gotta buy the DVD set on friday (payday) as I blew my pocket cash today on Serenity.
For graphic novels, get Year One. Pretty much tells the origin with Frank Miller's usual gritty twists.
FOr a great story and amazing artwork, get World's Finest TPB (collecting the three prestige format limited series).
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted
The batman beyond series is good as well, the Return on the Joker (uncut) dealing with the original batman is very good.
-------------------- Over the centuries, mankind has tried many ways of combating the forces of evil...prayer, fasting, good works and so on. Up until Doom, no one seemed to have thought about the double-barrel shotgun. Eat leaden death, demon...
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Really? It's on like the millionth printing....I'll see if I can dig it up for you. It's allright, I guess- it's imporntant in that it made Joker a homicidal maniac and crippled Batgirl, but not the best story, really.
Mostly, it's imporntant to continuity at this point.
So, I went and bought season 4 of the Animated Series- it sooooo rocks. The epsode guest starring the Demon (Etrigan) is amazing. A whole lot of people get killed by the Joker during that season- I counted at least ten (and he's only in five episodes of 24). Great revamps of Bane and the Scarecrow too. Scarecrow is actually very creepy and menacing- particularly in the episode where he kills Batgirl.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted
No, mostly it's important in the way it handles an exemplary criticism of the continuity of comic books as a serial form.
Registered: Oct 1999
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If you want to know what went on between War Drums & Under the hood, then you'll need to read War Games.
As for the animated series, year, Scarecrow was very well done, made all the more creepy that he was voiced by Jeffrey Combs.
If you like Miller's Dark Knight Returns then it might be worth checking out the "Batman Beyond" animated series, which draws plenty of inspiration from that comic.
As for the killing joke, not the best story and the subject matter is a little too uncomfortable for my tastes, but it's certainly an important work so worth picking up if you can get it cheep. But you're not missing much.
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The Killing Joke is perhaps the only Batman comic book that has any importance whatsoever to any degree that makes it worth, and required, reading.
But, I guess, when you can read WHEN HE FIGHTS SUPERMAN WITH A SUIT OF POWER, who cares?
Registered: Oct 1999
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quote:Originally posted by Home Decor and Gardening: The Killing Joke is perhaps the only Batman comic book that has any importance whatsoever to any degree that makes it worth, and required, reading.
Phhht. The Long Halloween is far better.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted
Find yourself a copy of "Batman: War on Crime" by Paul Dini with extraordinary painted frames by Alex Ross. It's gorgeous, and thanks to Dini's fine touch it's deep and powerful.
-------------------- . . . ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.
posted
Now that, I'll second. I've got all of Ross' oversized stuff (except the JLA one which is on my list, mostly because of all the cool Hal Jordaniness). War on Crime is definitely one of the best of the lot.
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