Editor's Note: Here is part two.
Red Robin #10, with the current creative team of Chris Yost, and Marcus To, is another issue in the Red Robin versus Ra's al Ghul saga. This issue picks up where Batgirl #8 left off, with Prudence on a rooftop with Red Robin and Stephanie, only now, she’s holding a gun to Stephanie, claiming she has to kill her. Tim then gives us a page of inner monologue about how it is his fault that Stephanie is in this situation and how it is his fault she is going to die. Stephanie then takes down Pru with a kick and punch combo, before it is revealed that Pru owes Tim, and how she’s here to help him.
Next up we have Alfred talking to Vicki Vale who is asking to see Tim, and how she is starting to question where he really is. It’s a boring two page scene that you won’t really care about five minutes later. This is followed up by Hush, who still looks like Bruce Wayne being kidnapped by Ra’s Al Ghul, who knows who Hush really is and wants his help. We go back to the scene of Pru, Batgirl, and Red Robin on a rooftop talking about how things have changed and what they need to do to combat Ra’s.
Next the team of Batgirl, Red Robin, and Pru go to Tim’s hideout, and try to work out what to do next, however before they can plan their next move, they are ambushed by what looks to be DC’s version of the X-Men, except they work for Ra’s and don’t look nearly as cool, or even interesting.
The issue ends with Tam, the person who Tim is meant to care about, left at the wayside outside of Wayne Manor, being told by Vicki Vale that no one is home, and how she wants to talk about Tim. Tam answers with what do you want to know, just as a sniper has their sights set to kill Tam and Vicki, and that is where this issue ends, to be continued.
Well, it’s like night and day with these books, one has great writing, but an artist who decided to phone it all in. The other has an artist who has really grown on me, and whose art I really enjoy be plagued by terrible writing.
To sum that up for you, this is yet another filler issue of Red Robin, nothing of interest happens, Tim’s inner monologue is still very depressing and makes me dislike the character a little more each time I read it, and he is just not very interesting here, most certainly not enough to justify his own comic. Take the Red Robin from Batgirl, Red Robin there, is written to be like a mini Batman, but also, he’s still written to be Tim Wayne. Here, he’s written to be an annoying emo, who every month I find myself hating more and more.
Once again, the art in this book goes from strength to strength. It is not the best art I have ever seen, but it is not necessarily the worst. Over the past few issues, To has grown more and more comfortable with drawing Red Robin and his world, and that really comes across here. It’s really just a shame that Chris Yost is writing a pretty poor comic for him to work from.
Red Robin #10:
Reviewed by Suavestar
Editor's Note: Suavestar has created a nice three-part piece of not only a review of Batgirl, but also of his normal comic Red Robin. He also commented on yesterday's announcement of Fabian Nicieza taking over writing duties on Red Robin starting in June. All of the pieces will post today with a four hour window in between. So be sure to tune in throughout the day to see all three great pieces.
Last month, Red Robin #9 ended saying that there would be a crossover issue with Batgirl next. Being an idiot, and interested in seeing how this would turn out, this afternoon I went out and picked up both Batgirl #8 and Red Robin #10. So, welcome to this one off double review from me of both Red Robin #10, and Batgirl #8. Usually Zaius reviews Batgirl on the site, but for one night only, I will also be reviewing Batgirl. So let’s begin with the first issue of the two part crossover, Batgirl #8.
Batgirl #8 is written by Bryan Q Miller, with art by “Guest Artist!” Talent Caldwell. We open with Batgirl training against machines and an inner monologue about her life and a bunch of other stuff. She is then stopped by Red Robin, who asks her why she is dressed as Batgirl, and where are Dick and Cassandra. I’m already going to stop with a continuity error. In Red Robin last month, Batgirl was seen just hanging out in the cave waiting for Red Robin, and smiling, in this issue, she’s approached by him in the middle of training. I’m not too bothered about this error, but it’s something worth noting. The issue continues with some funny back and forth between Batgirl and Red Robin, it’s a light-hearted scene about how much Stephanie has moved on and how Tim needs to respect her as Batgirl. Really, that is all this issue is about, Tim is back in town, and he has to get used to the status quo. Stephanie is Batgirl, deal with it, oh, and if you have time, stop Ra’s Al Ghul from destroying Gotham.
Next up we have Tim and Stephanie going to a charity event of some sort in Gotham and Tim showing that he is back and here to be the hero Bruce wanted him to be. The issue is fast paced, as we next up have a Stephanie/Tim team up against a few league of assassin nobodies, followed by the end of the issue where Tim finally accepts Stephanie as Batgirl, and says that he is proud of her. The issue ends with the pair being confronted by Prudence of Red Robin frame, and the line “To be continued in Red Robin #10!”
Right, problems with this comic first, well the main issue is the art, it is horribly inconsistent here. You can have good pages, like the opening scene between Red Robin and Batgirl, which looks almost like Francis Manapaul, which is never a bad thing. You can compare that to the second half of the book, where you can almost hear the artist say “Crap, this is due in two hours!” and rush through his final ten pages. The game changing point where the art gets really bad is during the scene between Oracle and Detective Nick, the scene seems to set the pace for the rest of the book, in that it is cartoony, and not very nice to look at.
The writing by Bryan Q Miller, for the most part, is great. He doesn’t create a well organized action sequence here, but what he does give us is a great character issue. You can almost see Tim slowly accept Stephanie as Batgirl in this issue, and although it was the first issue of the title I have picked up, I did not feel like I was left out of the loop.
All in all, I was very happy with this comic, and even though, it wasn’t the crossover I was expecting, seeing as Ra’s takeover and destruction of Gotham was secondary to building a new relationship between Tim and Stephanie, I was still very happy with this comic. It’s a real shame that the art let this comic down.
Batgirl #8:
Reviewed by Suavestar
Like the last issue of the Brave and the Bold I reviewed, this comic was written by J.Michael Straczynski and the art and cover was by Jesus Saiz.
Before I go on and talk about this book, am going to fill you in on the character Brother Power the Geek. From what I learned from Wikipedia, Brother Power the Geek is a character created in the 60’s. The character was inspired by Frankenstein. He was a dummy in a tailor shop owned by Hippies in the 60’s, who decide to dress up the dummy in their clothes. The dummy got hit by lighting and was given powers. The comic only lasted two issues.
So on to this issue. It starts with Bruce as a child watching TV with his parents. It talks about how his dad would let him stay up late every now and then to watch horror films despite his mother getting angry. His dad said it would prepare Bruce to face his fears when the time came. Bruce wouldn’t be scared and too used to a life of luxury. It then shows Thomas and Martha being killed. Bruce then explains why Frankenstein was his favorite movie and the movies now are different the classic one because they don’t know how to end monster movie. We then see Brother Power the Geek climbing out of the remains of a burnt down building. Batman sees Brother Power walking down a dark alleyway looking like he is lost. Batman recognizes him from one of his case files and goes down to talk to him. But Brother Power just keeps repeating a phrase from the 60’s, “Make love not war, flower power.” Then Brother Power asks Batman what year it is and Batman proceeds to tell him that it’s the year 2009. Brother Power seems to be confused. Batman feels sorry for him and lets him go. Batman tells him that he will check up on him in a couple of days to see how he is doing.
There is a flashback to the 60’s when Gotham was a bright place and people are having fun. Brother Power is shown with some friends talking about a riot that’s going to happen. It then flashes forward back to 2009. Brother Power is wondering what happened to all of the trees. We then see Batman fighting some thugs with guns. While he is taking them down, all he can think about is Brother Power and why he is in Gotham. The thought is bothering him, but he can’t figure why. It then makes him remember one night when he was watching Frankenstein. Young Bruce overhears his parents talking about their friends who are going through some problems. Thomas tells Martha the reason why they are having problems is because it is easier to get mad and blame someone else when you are the one who screwed up. Then we see a split screen of Frankenstein and Brother Power calling themselves monsters. Brother Power is patrolling the streets protecting innocent people like he use to do. Batman starts to think about the burnt down building that Brother Power was found crawling out of. Batman leaves a few cameras in part of the building. When Batman leaves, a man and a woman walk in to the building, who we find out are actually living there with their baby.
Then we see Brother Power searching through a charity clothes bin and picks himself up some new threads. He puts on some make-up to make himself look less like a zombie. He remembers that in the 60’s he would go to a free clinic and get his makeup done by a nurse called Cindy. I don’t know if she was in his comics or that she is even important. During this flashback he is in the clinic with his friends and they hear on TV that President Kennedy has been shot. So he and his friends decide that you have to fight fire with fire and start a riot in downtown Gotham. Brother Power and two of his friends manage to not get arrested. Brother Power is not happy about what happened and tells his friends that he wants no part of this violence. Then it flashes back to 2009 and Brother Power is looking out of a window seeming sad and lost. He then he sees a fire. An alarm goes off in the Batcave and Batman rushes to the Bat-Computer only to find out that the building burning is one that he placed the camera in. He sees a man pouring gasoline inside the building and sees the couple tied up. Batman jumps into the Batmobile and races to the scene. At the building, Brother Power climbs up the fire escape and jumps through a window to get in to the building. Batman speeds to the scene and runs into the building. He starts to search for the couple, only to find Brother Power talking to himself. He tells Batman that the world is a much different place from the one he left in the sixties. He tells Batman "This isn’t my time… Maybe it’ll never be my time.” Batman leaves him and finds the couple. The woman tells Batman that their baby is upstairs. Then Batman hears “But maybe it’s not over.” Then Brother Power comes out of the flames and hands their baby over saying “For some of us.” He tells Batman to “Have a nice day” and is engulfed by the flames. Batman grabs the entire family and grapple guns out of the building. Batman’s footage helped the police catch the man who burnt down the building. Later Batman went back to the burnt down building. He looks to see if he could find anything left of Brother Power and finds it strange that there is nothing. Batman knows he is still alive and he is out there somewhere waiting to be reborn. Batman finds this thought strangely comforting.
This issue is pretty cool. At first the cover of this issue kinda put me off, but the story itself is really good. You get a to know Brother Power and you start to feel sorry for him right from the start. This is one thing that Straczynski is really good at. The art work is different and takes to some getting used to, but overall it is good. One thing that I have noticed about Straczynski is that he likes end an issue with something emotional, like a character dying and the other character commenting on their life. I find that pretty cool and different. I would say pick it up because it’s a pretty good read.
The Brave and the Bold #29:
Reviewed by Johnny Impulse
Smallville, the series many thought wouldn't last, has just been renewed for a tenth season. It's move to Friday nights has been a good ratings move for the CW network.
This year has had some memorable moments, including the highly anticipated "Absolute Justice" special which featured the Justice Society. The series has had many high profile DC characters appear throughout it's run. We've had Flash, Green Arrow, Aquaman, Cyborg, Zatanna, Black Canary and Martian Manhunter.
There is one very notable name missing from that list. Batman.
This isn't due to any reluctance of part of Smallville's creative team. Actually, they've reportedly ask Warner Brothers every year for permission to include Bruce Wayne. Every year they are denied. Why? It's called the Bat-Embargo.
The Bat-Embargo is a mandate from Warner Brothers not to include Batman or various Batman characters in other DC media for fear of diluting the franchise and confusing the public from Chris Nolan's film series. It started around the production of "Batman Begins", although Smallville had already been attempting to get Bruce Wayne for a while.
This problem affected the Justice League cartoon series. They had wanted to include Batgirl for an episode but were forced to substitute her for Huntress (ironically another Batman character). Tim Drake and Cassandra Cain did appear, but were reduced to nameless cameos.
The Bat-Embargo has gotten more relaxed as time has gone by, yet Smallville still hasn't been given the green light. We already have a Batman in the movies and one on the "Brave and the Bold" cartoon series. We even almost had a "young Dick Grayson" live action drama before that was thankfully vetoed. Would a guest shot in Smallville by Bruce Wayne really hurt?
Interestingly enough, Smallville was very close to becoming a "young Bruce Wayne" type series. You can see the full evolution of that project here, but needless to say it eventually evolved into "Batman Begins" and "Smallville". Season three also introduced a character name Adam Knight who many thought was Bruce Wayne in disguise. I recall being a viewer during those episodes and the speculation and guessing that even had me fooled. The creative team said Knight was never intended to be Bruce Wayne, but rumors persist that it was their original plan but things changed.
Green Arrow has taken on a role similar to Bruce Wayne within the show. He even had a Kryptonite ring last year. I sometimes wonder if this could have Bruce Wayne instead of Oliver Queen had plans been different. It's a mixed blessing though, as Smallville has done a lot to revitalize the character of Green Arrow to the general public.
Season ten will most likely be Smallville's last year. It's past time they had Bruce Wayne on. If he could do a musical number with Neil Patrick Harris on Cartoon Network, then he should spar with Tom Welling on Smallville.
Posted by Josh
Welcome once again, my bat brothers and sisters to Creator Spotlight. Zach here as usual, and this time I will be admiring the prolific and underrated career of the writer Alan Grant. So join me as we take a trip down memory lane and look back at the Scotsman’s career. Enjoy:
Alan Grant is a long time comic book writer, who surprisingly is often mentioned when talking about some of the “great” Batman writers of the last 25 years. Other than Batman, Grant has also worked on a number of other characters including; Judge Dredd, the Demon, Lobo, L.E.G.I.O.N, and many strips in the 2000AD line. Grant’s Batman work is often heralded by fans, but often forgotten by others. Grant’s key Batman works consists of storylines such as; The Last Arkham, Batman: Anarky, and Batman: The Scottish Connection. Additionally, Grant has often co-written several Batman main events; The Knightfall Saga, Batman: Contagion, Batman: Cataclysm, and Batman: Prodigal. Grant has also co-created several Batman villains, who appear in the comics today. These characters include; Victor Zsasz, the Ventriloquist (Arnold Wesker), Anarky, Jeremiah Arkham, Cornelius Stirk, the Ratcatcher, Legs, and the unforgettable Amygdala. Alan Grant is often linked with longtime friends, creators John Wagner and artist Norm Breyfogle.
Alan Grant broke into comics in 1967, when he was hired as an editor for the publisher, DC Thompson. Grant left DC Thompson in 1970 after moving and going back to college. It was here that Grant would meet writer, John Wagner. The two formed an instant friendship and began co-writing Tarzan, and later, Judge Dredd in the weekly magazine; 2000AD. The pair continued to write together for much of the 1980s. After much success in the European market, the two decided to try out American comics. They quickly found themselves working at DC Comics and began writing a 12-issue series titled, The Outcasts. The two gentlemen found themselves working on Detective Comics. This title also marked the beginning of Grant’s often collaborator, the vibrant artist, Norm Breyfogle. The trifecta began with issue #583, a story title; Fever. Issue #583 would also mark the first appearance of the Ventriloquist. Wagner would later leave the title, giving Grant the lead. Together, Grant and Breyfogle would take the Batman Universe by storm.
While on Detective Comics, Grant and Breyfogle would continue to electrify fans until #597, where Grant would leave the title for a short time. Breyfogle had already departed following issue #594. However, the pair would return shortly with issue #601. They would continue to work on the title until #621. Throughout their run on Detective Comics, many unforgettable storylines were written and penciled, including; The Mud Pack, Anarky, and Rite of Passage. Grant and Breyfogle would later return to the title, but not together. All together, Grant wrote 39 issues of Detective Comics. 
Following the success of Grant’s work on Detective Comics, Grant and Breyfogle would once again reunite to launch a new Batman title; Batman: Shadow of the Bat. It would be here within the pages of the first issue, that Grant would introduce one of the most mentally deranged characters into the Batman’s Rogues Gallery, Victor Zsasz. Along with Zsasz, Grant would also introduce Jeremiah Arkham in the four-part story arc titled; The Last Arkham. Grant would leave the title, but would frequently return to Shadow of the Bat. Grant would have a hand in writing the Batman: Cataclysm storyline that would also appear in the title. Shadow of the Bat would run for 96 issues and Grant wrote a total of 36 of them.
Unfortunately, Grant was never given the opportunity to work on the main Batman title, but he often appeared in other various Batman related comics. Grant also wrote a collection of various Batman one-shots that include; Batman/Phantom Stranger, Batman/Judge Dredd Files, Batman-Lobo, Batman/Daredevil: King of New York, and the Batman of Arkham, among others. I think it is safe to say that Alan Grant was the “Batman” writer of the 1990s. He made major contributions to the mythos and should be greatly acclaimed for his work. In my opinion, Grant seemed to be ahead of his time. The characters that he created seem to be more frequently used today then they were back then. He wrote grounded stories that were rooted in the realism of Batman.
Well bat-fans, I hope you enjoyed a watered down look at the enormous career of Alan Grant. Be sure to look out for the next Creator Spotlight, which will focus on Grant’s often partner in crime, Norm Breyfogle. Tune in next time, Same Bat-Time, Same Bat-Blog.
Posted by Zach
Batman in the JLA
In this, the second entry of my “Year of the Batmen” series, I am going to discuss the Dick Grayson Batman and the dynamic of his entry into the newly reconstituted Justice League of America.
For the longest time the JLA was led by the holy trinity of the DC pantheon, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. The Batman character, specifically embodied by Bruce Wayne, was often seen as the intellectual leader of the JLA and for the most part its chief tactician. The Wayne Batman was renowned for planning for every contingency, for being several steps ahead his foes and for never being caught off guard. This served him well in the JLA as that unit was often comprised by disparate heroes, some with much less experience than Wayne but often possessing much more physical power and or abilities.
Because Wayne often dealt with these heroes of different or greater qualities, who were used to pursuing causes of their own, he often clashed with them as they chafed under his authority. And because this Batman did not suffer fools well and was often harsh and impatient he often clashed with his team mates off times coming to physical blows. The most distinct rivalry often came from Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern, who was essentially an inter-galactic policeman and who quite often resented taking orders from Batman who basically was the guardian just of one city.
As most readers know now the Bruce Wayne Batman is no longer on the scene. He has been succeeded by his foremost protege, Dick Grayson. For years Dick toiled under the shadow of the Bat as Robin and is only now getting up to speed as Gotham’s premier crime fighter. In the JLA, as written by James Robinson, we see a different personality to the Batman. It’s something I call the “Winick Model” after Judd Winick, who took up the writing for the Batman series as Grayson became Batman. This particular take on Batman found the caped crusader to be more open and visible. No more lurking in the shadows or avoiding the spotlight. He even smiles.
Fortunately, Dick Grayson is no neophyte when it comes to the team concept. Something the original could not claim. As Nightwing he fought along side the Teen Titans some of which now comprise this new JLA. The Teen Titans however could be seen, unfairly or otherwise, as a second tier unit. What’s different now are the expectations of being the Batman and serving in the JLA which has historically been seen as Earth’s mightiest heroes and its foremost protectors. So how does Robinson integrate this new Batman into this new progression? By having Grayson coordinate his first major action with the team.
In JLA #42 the team is confronted with a rogue Atlas and it takes all the group members to bring him down. Each heroic character is allowed an internal dialog that speaks to the reader on how they feel it is to be part of the team. Grayson comes off as a bit callow. He seems surprised to be even included. He says, “My league, me as Batman” as if he can’t quite comprehend that he is there. Something the Wayne Batman would not think even to himself. As the battle rages Dick also has to deal with the fact that two of his team mates have had an intimate relationship with him. Something the Wayne Batman would certainly sneer at. Grayson calls out instructions to Donna Troy and Starfire and they execute his plan perfectly and when the coup de grace has to be applied, it is Dick who orders Green Lantern into play. Jordan thinks it is “weird” taking orders from Dick as does Grayson giving orders to the Green Lantern.
So that part of the dynamic stays true. Batman calls the shots while the others follow, trusting that Batman will know what is best for the team and the consummation of the outcome to be without flaw. The major difference is the hint of doubt we see from each principle even though it does not affect their performance. At least for now.
Additionally, let’s study how this particular Batman is drawn for this story. Mark Bagley does the pencils. Inks by Hunter, Rapmund, and Glapion with colors by Pete Pantazis. This new JLA Batman is not very threatening. He wears the blue and gray costume as opposed to the more Gothic black and gray as drawn by Tony Daniel. Therefore this Batman is depicted to less of a loner and more of a team player. Even the cowl as drawn by Bagley has a less threatening look to it as the ears are minimized and therefore less frightening. This Batman will not threaten the team dynamic with arrogance or force of will and is drawn to reflect that.
As constituted now the new JLA Batman is a bit green behind those nominal ears. Unsure, untested in his new team dynamic. Will he be allowed to grow in this new structure? Will doubt set in if his next plan goes awry? The original Batman led without question. Will the Grayson version be allowed the same luxury? And what of the return of Bruce Wayne? As Dick becomes more comfortable in this role will he want to let it go? There are many questions to be answered as the Dick Grayson Batman not only fills out the most iconic of roles but also steps into the rarefied air of the holiest of trinities of the DC pantheon.
Next up for the Year of the Batmen, a sneak peek into the art of the Batmen as drawn by Daniel, Gary Frank, Rags Morales and Frank Quitely amongst others.
Posted by Dark Knight Dave
Arkham Asylum will be getting a special edition treatment later this month. Well, at least that's what the ad says. This website questions this and it's more likely we'll see a later release date.
This will be the "Game of the Year" edition". As you can see by the above ad, it will have six extra challenge maps. Don't worry, you won't have to re-buy the game. Most of these are supposedly ones that were already downloadable content. The exclusive ones? If I know video game companies, even if they say it'll be exclusive, you can bet that we'll be seeing these as downloadable content within the next year.
Interestingly enough, one of the challenge maps will be Crime Alley, and it doesn't seem to be a dream sequence like we got in the game. This is interesting because in the game we only fought inside Arkham and it's sewers. Going into Gotham would be a good preview for the eventual "Arkham 2" game that is being developed.
3D glasses? Video games in 3D rarely work. I doubt this will do much better. Save your money and download the maps later.
The DC DTV animated movie series has had its fair share of ups and downs. It has put out awesome movies, like Green Lantern, or Wonder Woman, and it has put out very bad movies, like Superman Batman: Public Enemies. So where does JL: CTE, the latest film in this series, sit? Well, it’s at the top. This movie was fantastic!
Before I actually review it though, I want to go into the history of the film. It originally was supposed to be Justice League: Worlds Collide, and was going to be part of the DCAU. The film was intended to be released between Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. It would have served as a bridge between the two series. However, the film never got made, and Justice League Unlimited began, albeit, bridge-less. Now, many years later, the film has finally been released, but rewritten as Crisis on Two Earths. Even though The Film has been rewritten, not much has changed. We get to see the League building the new Watchtower, how the expanded roster came about, and even how Wonder Woman got her Invisible Jet. The only actual difference is that Green Lantern is Hal Jordan, not John Stewart. Other than that, CTE fits nicely into the DCAU, and perfectly fills the gap between JL and JLU.
The story is simple enough, a good version of Lex Luthor, from an alternate earth, comes to the Justice Leagues world, asking the league to help him defeat the Crime Syndicate of America, super powered criminals who have the country’s crime under their thumbs. The League goes to Luthor’s earth to take down the Syndicate, but soon discover a more sinister plot to destroy all of reality. The story is not to complex, but excellent nonetheless. Though the movie is made primarily of action sequences (awesome action sequences), it has some nice character development, especially a subplot involving John Jonzz. Dwayne McDuffie delivers one his best scripts with this movie.
The animation is absolutely top notch. The fight sequences are brutal, and exciting, and just look great all-around. The character designs are very good too. They seem to take some inspiration from Frank Quitley’s artwork on the JLA Earth 2 graphic novel written by Grant Morrison. I particularly liked Batman’s fight with Owlman at the end of the movie. It was one of the coolest animated fight scenes I have seen in a while. I won’t talk about it though; you just have to see it.
One of the things that makes the movie so good is the flawless voice cast. Everyone involved is great, there is no weakness in the cast (can we expect less from Andrea Romano though?) In the Justice league we have Mark Harmon as Superman, William Baldwin as Batman, Josh Keaton as Flash (he was awesome, and had the perfect voice for The Flash), Vanessa Marshall as Wonder Woman, Jonathan Adams as Martian Manhunter, and Nolan North as Green Lantern. From the Crime Syndicate we have James Woods as Owlman, Gina Torres as Superwoman, Brian Bloom as Ultraman, and James Patrick Stuart as Johnny Quick. Also from the Crime Syndicate world is Chris Noth as Lex Luthor. Focusing on Batman for a minute; William Baldwin was great! At first I was a little jarred by his voice, it’s definitely different from Kevin Conroy’s DCAU portrayal. However, as the film progressed, I liked his performance more and more. He is actually really good, and I would like him to return to the role. His last line to Owlman is awesome! Speaking of Owlman, James Woods’ performance is one of the highlights of the film. He was the perfect actor for the role, and it shows! His performance alone makes the movie worth watching!
Also, one more thing I loved; the music. The film is scored by James L. Venable, and though he is new to me, I hope I hear more of him soon. His score was very good, and had a big budget cinematic feel.
So all in all, I can’t say enough good things about his movie. It’s certainly the best of the DC DTVs, and I highly recommend that you see it.
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths:
Reviewed by TheCapedCrusader
We loyal followers of the Dark Knight are in for a treat this year. No, not just a treat, a singular event. Perhaps something that many of us will only experience once in a lifetime. This year DC comics will not only follow the adventures of one Batman but as many as four, or quite possibly seven!
In 2010 in what I call “The Year of the Batmen” I will endeavor to chronicle these various manifestations of Batman and discuss the dynamic of having their respective storylines running concurrently. Even as they exist in different “universes”, alternate realities or as parallel plotlines that remain apart but eventually come together.
How will these Batmen compare? How will the media and readership accept or reject them? Whose storyline will succeed while another may fail? Will the various writers and artists vie for supremacy or just engage in a little friendly competition. Is it possible for all of these incarnations to exist at the same time and avoid saturation? Or will we embrace all of them and insist they continue for years to come? Perhaps multiple readership factions will arise and insist their Batman is the one true Caped Crusader.
As we all know Dick Grayson has picked up the mantle of the Bat in the absence of Bruce Wayne. This particular arc has been admirably filled out by the likes of Morrison, Daniel and Winick. How will the eventual return of Bruce Wayne (written by Morrison) effect Grayson? Will he give up the cape and cowl and go quietly into the night or will there be conflict? Will Bruce actually want it all back?
What of the iteration of the “First Wave” Batman? Brian Azzarello has promised a young Bruce Wayne one that is a, “millionaire playboy; brash, cocky and fully relishing life.” This Batman is inexperienced and makes mistakes that extract “the cost of fighting crime.” Stir in a healthy dose of Doc Savage and the Spirit and we have a whole new Dark Knight. 
Speaking of re-imagining the tale of the Dark Knight how will Geoff Johns’ interpretation compare to Azzarello’s? Johns tells us his Earth One Batman will “break the restraints of any continuity and focus on two things: character and story.” Certainly, what we have seen of artists Gary Frank’s Earth One Batman is in sharp contrast to the First Wave Batman as penciled by Rags Morales. Frank’s take looks indomitable and steadfast while Morales looks more sinewy and athletic.
But I am getting ahead of myself. There are several other incarnations that are worthy of discussion. The ghoulish Black Lantern Batman from the Blackest Night. The “undead” Batman resurrected from a Lazarus pool by Dick Grayson. And what of the Batman that exists in “Superman/Batman” comics or in Batman Confidential? Not to mention the JLA Batman that is both teammate and leader as embodied by Dick Grayson written by James Robinson.
There will be much to discuss and I am eager to get at it. Throughout this massive effort I will seek your input. Comments are welcome. The impressions from you the reader will add fuel to the fire as we discuss and dissect one of the most iconic figures in comic book history. It all comes together in 2010, “The Year of the Batmen”.
Written by Dark Knight Dave
Once again, the DC Comics solicits have lead us astray. No you say? Unfortunately, yes. While we all could have expected the latest issue of Streets of Gotham to be the second part of Mike Benson’s two part arc, the solicits said otherwise. The previews stated that Paul Dini would be returning to the title, however, he didn’t. None the less, Benson pens the conclusion to the “Hardcore Nights” storyline.
Some fans may be disappointed with issue number nine, but not me. Benson doesn’t present the reader with a major villain and the Commissioner Gordon plays a major role. Basically, issue nine is just a downright good Batman crime story. However, while I thoroughly enjoyed this issue, Dick Grayson’s characterization is completely out of whack. First off, I get the strange feeling that Benson initially wrote this with Bruce Wayne as Batman; the dialogue that Dick speaks is very “Bruce like”. Dick displayed a very dark and less optimistic personality, qualities that fit the Bruce Wayne personality. The only other problem I had with issue nine is that the antagonist is revealed rather sudden and everything just comes to a end to quickly and conveniently. This is just my opinion, why don’t you decide after reading the issue summary:
The issue opens where issue eight left off; Dick and the escort are in the penthouse when the armed man busts through the door. Benson pulls a classic trick; issue eight led us to believe that the armed man was the jealous boyfriend. However, Dick soon learns that this is not the boyfriend, but someone completely random. The hunter smacks the escort and demands Dick’s wallet. Throughout this sequence, Dick is studying the man’s movements. The hunter keeps a gun pointed on Dick the entire time when the escort makes a remark distracting him. This gives Dick just enough time to land a knee right to the man’s face. The hunter becomes completely disoriented and eventually becomes unconscious. The escort quickly exits the room and makes her way out of the building. As she is running, the doorman, Anthony asks her if everything is ok. Remember Anthony because he plays a much larger role, later in the issue. Anyway, at police headquarters, the hunter, whose name is Sal, is being questioned by Commissioner Gordon and Batman. Sal is hesitant to talk at first, but soon Batman “persuades” him into singing. Batman and Gordon then bring in the escort, Sophia. We learn that Sophia and Sal have been blackmailing the same men who have been found murdered. Sophia would take them back to the room and then Sal would barge in and scare them. They accuse her of killing the men but she pleads her innocence. Gordon demands a name from her, and she gives the name of her ex-boyfriend, Roland Davis. Batman knows she is innocent and tells Gordon to let her go. Reluctantly, Gordon agrees, but there is a twist. Sophia is dropped off back at the penthouse and then heads back to work. She runs into him in the club and is shaken up by this. She heads home and upon entering in the elevator, Roland enters and begs her to take him back. Anthony then enters and takes control of the situation. Roland learns of the set up and seems to feel differently about Sophia now. Gordon enters the elevator and arrests Roland. In the interrogation room, Roland receives some tough love from Gordon and Batman, but maintains his innocence. Gordon and Batman know they can’t hold Roland for long and decide to take another crack at a set up, with a twist. Back at the night club, we see Sophia sitting with another man, who remains hidden. They leave the club and then head for the penthouse. Two hours later, the man exits the penthouse alone. He begins walking down the sidewalk when we see a large figure approach him. The man turns down an alley and sees the dead body of Roland Davis. The man is shocked by this and we learn that it is none other then Gordon. Gordon then is confronted by Anthony with a knife in hand. Anthony attacks Gordon but Batman is there to moderate the situation. Anthony turns out to be the killer, SHOCKER! Gordon informs Sophia that it is over. Gordon takes Sophia to the bus station, buys her a bus ticket, and tells her to leave and begin a new life. And that’s where the issue ends.
The Manhunter co-feature opens with Manhunter beating the snot out of a low level thug looking for answers she knows he doesn’t have. The issue then cuts to the court room, twelve hours earlier. Dent asks for a bench trial because of his horrid facial features. This leads to Kate asking the judge the relieve himself of the case. This upsets the judge and grants Harvey his request. Court is adjourned and rescheduled for Thursday. Back in Los Angeles, Kate’s son, Ramsey, has decided to head to Gotham to help his mother and is riding in the boxcar on a train. We then cut back to when Manhunter is beating up the thug when she is confronted by Huntress. Huntress offers Manhunter her help in finding something to bring Dent down. We cut to Thursday, back in the courtroom. In the courtroom, Harvey is outwitting Kate and then Commissioner Gordon is called onto the witness stand. Dent asks Gordon why he would have kept him alive if Gordon knew that Dent killed the district attorney. This upsets Gordon, and Kate knows she is in for a roller coaster ride. To be continued…
This past story arc impressed me. I think Mike Benson is a writer with a strong future in comics. He seems to have that gritty style that I so often enjoy. However, how obvious is it that Anthony is the killer? Once he is introduced, the reader automatically knows that he has a major role. None the less, I could dismiss this simple storytelling method. What I could not dismiss, was the poor characterization of Dick Grayson. It wasn’t that Batman was portrayed poorly; it was that this was written to be the Bruce Wayne Batman. This becomes very apparent in the interrogation scenes; Batman is threatening and isn’t planning on taking any prisoners. Dick isn’t Bruce, which is something that, I guess Benson doesn’t understand. However, issues eight and nine are exactly what I want from Streets of Gotham. Good stories that don’t always have to contain a large number of characters. I thought it was great to see Gordon take such a larger role in a story, it seems that recently; Gordon has taken a back seat in the other titles. It’s always good to see a writer stress the importance of Gordon’s character. Bravo, Mike Benson!
Of course, Dustin Nguyen remains to be impeccable and always impressive. I will say that Nguyen surprised me with his ability to pencil such a grim and gritty story so effectively. Derek Fridolfs is consistent as always. Fridolfs seems to be lost in the shuffle sometimes and I think he is just as important to this title as Dustin Nguyen is. But the art is great as always and leaves me with no complaints.
The Manhunter co-feature I found to be a little disappointing. This story felt like filler and not much progressed in the storyline. When you have so few pages to tell a story, Andreyko needs to keep the ball rolling. Needless to say, I am still interested to see where this is all going and I expect a better performance from Andreyko in the upcoming issue. Jeremy Haun is much like Dustin Nguyen, perfect. He art works so well with the Manhunter character and he maintains his consistency.
Overall, I found Streets of Gotham number nine to be an enjoyable read from front to back. While the issue felt a little rushed, I must say I am not missing Paul Dini and hope Mike Benson is giving some more batman-related work in the near future. The book’s art remains candy for the eye and is about the most consistent of any of the bat-books. In the end, if you enjoyed issue eight, you will not be disappointed with issue nine.
Batman: Streets of Gotham #9:
Reviewed by Zfactor
We received a copy of the DVD version of Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths a little while ago and it releases today in stores. Should you head to the store and buy this right now? Well, I am going to let you know.
At first glance, this film seems like another quick story to expand the animated DC Universe, yet something feels strangely familiar. We have the Justice League battling villains in order to save the world. Does that remind you of something? Perhaps, Justice League Unlimited. Well, when this film was announced, that is exactly what I thought it was. In the podcast that you will hear on Friday, I referred to the announcement seeming as if it was another Superman/Batman mishap. Everything seemed to line up as what we saw before. The story originated from Dwayne McDuffie, who wrote many episodes of Justice League Unlimited. All of the characters that were in the film we had seen in the show. So why would you think that this was any different than the many multi-part stories we saw in episodic form for the show? Well, let me tell you why.
The basic plot of the film is that the Justice League of our earth battles the Crime Syndicate from a parallel earth. In this parallel earth, things are different. Despite the Syndicate being an obvious group of villains, they are treated with a level of respect. The heroes on this "Earth" are led by Lex Luthor. Their "Justice League" has been taken out one by one by the Crime Syndicate. We even see The Jester (a parallel version of The Joker) give his life to try and stop the Crime Syndicate. Lex Luthor travels to our universe to enlist the help of the Justice League to help him take down the Syndicate. The Justice League travels to the alternate earth to take them out. Batman stays behind, as he believes that there are enough problems in their universe. Owlman (the parallel version of Batman) is pretty much the main villain. He has created a bomb that will take out not only the the earth of his universe, but destroy Earth Prime, hence eliminating all "Earths." Batman of course comes and faces Owlman head on leading to climatic ending.
Overall, this film was a surprise to me. As I said, because it was first announced as a series of episodes that McDuffie wrote for Justice League Unlimited, I was concerned that it would have a feel of episodes put together as a film. But, it did not have that feel at all. The pace was very quick. It did not feel at any point that there was meant to be a break between acts. It had a more mature feel with the obvious violence. It wasn't overdone. We got more than we would have if this had ever aired on Cartoon Network. I applaud McDuffie for this. He took what was supposed to be a cartoon and made it a film.
On the Batman front, William Baldwin did a decent job at voicing Batman. It isn't the best job, but it fit with the feel of the film. Batman did take a back seat to the first half of the film. Although we see that while he wasn't around, he had a recruitment drive to have more heroes join the league. That kind of seemed out of place. Then again we have seen stranger things in the DC animated films. Batman not only saves the day in the end, but also proves to be smarter than most of the Justice League within the final scene with the Crime Syndicate.
For the special features, there were some interesting ones. The main feature was a piece about the various "crisises" that have happened in the DC Universe. They did a very good job getting many of the main creators that were involved in everything from Identity Crisis to Final Crisis. There was also a preview of the next DCAU film, which we know will be Batman: Under the Red Hood. There wasn't any footage from the film, but we did see the voice cast as well as some storyboards.
Also in this release, was the first DC Showcase film. It featured The Spectre. A good story that laid out his origin and told an interesting story in a very short amount of time. This was maybe even better than the main film. I look forward to more of these.
Overall, the film was good. I would not place it in the top three of DCAU films, but it was definitely better than I expected. One thing that many do not know is that the film will be released at Best Buy with an exclusive Owlman figure. This will be in limited quantities and only be with the Blu-ray and 2-disc DVD version. So you may want to get that right away and not wait until the end of the week to pick it up. I think if you are questioning it, rent it on iTunes or at your local video store. You will see that the film is worth adding to your collection of DC films.
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths:
Reviewed by Dustin
Tony Daniel’s current arc on Batman has been solid, to say the least. As the story is beginning to wrap up, we are getting ever closer to finding out the identity of the Black Mask.
Last time we saw Batman, he had fallen into a trap set by the Penguin and the Mad Hatter at an abandoned amusement park. This issue basically picks up the story an unspecified time later. Batman is washed up on the shore in Gotham Harbor, and is found by Damian. Dick is seen to be beaten up pretty badly when he is discovered, and is wearing a broken mask that the Black Mask has been giving to the “false faces.”
Now throughout the book, Batman continuously goes in and out of consciousness. At the same time, the story is going back and forth between the present time, and flashbacks of the previous nine hours that are running through Dick’s mind. Going back nine hours, we see that Batman is under the control of the Penguin, following his orders by way of the altered gas mask. Damian has already figured this out, but just hasn’t figured out whose orders Dick had been following. We see that the Penguin had sent Batman to break into the Mayor’s office where he takes two tubes of the antidote to Black Mask’s mind control toxin. As Batman is beginning to gain consciousness again in the present, he blacks out once more and the story goes to Catwoman and Kitrina Falcone who are going after Black Mask as well. Catwoman saves Kitrina from the third member of their group who was about to kill Kitrina. Batman shows up, still under Penguin’s control and takes them down, but goes with Kitrina to Devil’s Square, which has attracted both the National Guard and the Marines due to the Black Mask and his followers.
While going through all of the flashbacks in his mind, Dick is slowly beginning to remember what happened. We see that he had confronted Black Mask and his inner circle of Fright and Dr. Hugo Strange. They fight and Batman had gained the advantage until Black Mask pulled a gun, and shot Batman in the chest, who proceeded to fall out a window, off a cliff, and into the ocean below. And that is where he reaches the point at the beginning of the book. It ends with a now fully aware Batman telling Babs that he thinks he may know who Black Mask really is.
I enjoyed this book, despite its non-linear timeline. I think Tony Daniel did a good job pulling it off, though I will acknowledge that I am not a huge fan of this style. The reason he was able to keep the story from being too confusing or choppy was the fact that the main focus was in the flashbacks, with no action in the present. That’s the trap that many writers fall into, but Daniel avoided. The actual story started off great, with Damian doing all the talking. That first scene gives the reader a reminder that even though he may think of himself as an adult, Damian is still just a kid. I got a small chuckle out of the first line when he saw Dick lying on the beach and yelled out, “Epic Fail!”
The one issue I had with this book was the absence of Dick’s thought process during the fight scenes. This was obviously because he was being manipulated, but maybe it would have been a little cooler if we saw conflicting views between the Penguin and Dick’s thoughts. Either way, Daniel’s doing a good job, and his art has been excellent as well. It’s nice to get a break from the seemingly never ending Blackest Night with a good Batman story (I’m sure I’ll get some flak from that).
Batman #696:
Reviewed by RiddleMeThis
Superman/Batman 69 starts off where the last issue took place, with Superman staring down NRG-X who actually is that Bronze Age villain, Grant Haskill, (this is shown in a flashback as a shadowy man, Anderson Gaines, is asking for the hit on Clark Kent) I mentioned in the last review. They fight, have some exposition dialogue and Superman is left wondering who would want him killed.
Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne while at a function gets to meet Gaines, afterward. After Gaines unwittingly gives Bruce a DNA sample, contacts Clark and the two convene at the JLA Watchtower.
While Gaines is going back to his penthouse apartment we learn why we’ve never heard of this character before. Gaines is in fact one of the shape shifting alien terrorists from the Kryptonian ship that Superman and Batman found in issue 64. Currently the ship is still on the dark side of the Moon and is shown on the last page of the issue. Gaines also reveals his Durlan form and it does look interesting. It’s a nice grouping of all these green tentacles coming out. We then end with Batman telling Superman that instead of taking on Gaines head on, that they’ll have to do it guerrilla warfare style.
Well, it’s moving the story well, which is a good thing of course. But at the same time the story is still leaving me wondering what is the need for it to be set after “Our Worlds At War.”
It does seem that Joe Casey had this idea, the editors were saying “Yeah okay, but just so you know, when the Blackest Night crossover is over, the book is getting an overhaul. So can you do your thing around it?” So it’s like we are getting two stories; this Durlan vs Krypton story that Casey started back in issue #64 and the aftermath of Our Worlds At War, which is getting the “shoehorned in because I have to drop references” treatment. At some point I’d like to know if there is a reason that the time of this story had to be where it is, and not say after “Legends” or “Invasion.” Actually Invasion would have been a more intriguing setting as that would have been just before Superman literally went into his self-imposed “Exile” (that was the name of the storyline). Whatever results from this story could have added to the reasons Superman just left Earth for a time.
But the story Casey is telling is still an intriguing one, and I am interested in seeing where this is going. I’m going to drop the rating a bit though, because it still has a run-of-the mill feel to it, as opposed to an epic feel that an aftermath tale should be.
Superman/Batman #69:
Reviewed by SteveJRogers
Yesterday, we got a somewhat amusing image from Cameron Stewart over on his Twitter page.
Rejected cover sketch for Batman & Robin #9
Posted by Dustin
Yesterday, there was a big announcement from DC about the future of the company. The press release stated a new executive team that will be put in place to run things. Back in September, we heard about the creation of DC Entertainment. The idea behind the creation was to bring the DC Universe to the mainstream public by way of movies, TV shows, toys, and video games. We gave you our thoughts about the announcement back then and with the news yesterday, we should again give you our thoughts. First, let's cover the press release from DC.
Jim Lee and Dan DiDio Named Co-Publishers DC Comics
Geoff Johns to Serve as Chief Creative Officer
John Rood Named EVP, Sales, Marketing and Business Development
Patrick Caldon Named EVP, Finance and Administration
(February 18, 2010 – New York, NY and Burbank, CA) DC Entertainment, founded in September 2009 to unleash the power of the DC Comics library of characters across all media platforms, has named its executive management team, including new co-publishers of DC Comics and a Chief Creative Officer, as well as heads of Sales/Marketing/Business Development and Finance/Administration. Diane Nelson, President, DC Entertainment, made the announcement today.
The new senior executive team includes Jim Lee and Dan DiDio, who have been named Co-Publishers of DC Comics, and Geoff Johns, who will serve as Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment. Additionally, John Rood has been named Executive Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Business Development, and Patrick Caldon will serve as Executive Vice President, Finance and Administration. Each of these executives will report directly to Nelson.
“DC Entertainment’s new executive team is a creative ‘dream team,’ with accomplishments and talent unrivaled in the business,” said Nelson. “This announcement continues and underscores DC’s legacy as the ultimate destination for creators. We’ll benefit enormously from the deep experience this team represents, while re-energizing the direction and focus of the company. I’m excited and honored to have each of them with me at the helm of DC Entertainment.”
“With this new leadership team, Diane will be able to fully and respectfully integrate DC’s brand and characters, not only as key content drivers in the film division, but across all of the businesses of Warner Bros. and Time Warner,” said Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group. “I am very proud and excited about the accomplished executives who are charged with expanding this powerful library. They each have a diverse and complementary skill-set and are deeply committed to contributing to the DC Comics legacy.”
Prior to his current post, Lee served as Editorial Director, where he oversaw WildStorm Studios and was also the artist for many of DC Comics’ bestselling comic books and graphic novels, including “All Star Batman and Robin, The Boy Wonder,” “Batman: Hush” and “Superman: For Tomorrow.” He also serves as the Executive Creative Director for the upcoming DC Universe Online massively multiplayer action game from Sony Online Entertainment.
Lee is an award-winning comic book illustrator/creator/publisher who started his professional career at Marvel Comics where his work on the X-Men continues to hold the all-time sales record for single issue sales at eight million copies sold in one month. At Marvel, he also drew the Punisher and co-created many characters, the most popular being Gambit, featured in 2009’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” feature film. In 1992, he started his own production company, WildStorm Productions, and co-founded Image Comics, an independent comics company which quickly grew to become the number-three North American comics publisher. His most notable creations, “WildCats” and “Gen 13,” saw life beyond comic books as a CBS Saturday morning cartoon and as a direct-to-video animated movie distributed by Disney, respectively. In 1998, he left Image Comics and sold WildStorm to DC Comics.
DiDio most recently served as Senior Vice President and Executive Editor, DC Universe, overseeing the editorial department for the DC Universe imprint, including the ongoing adventures of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and scores of heroes and villains. He also worked to develop new titles with the industry’s premier writers and artists. At DC Comics, DiDio has spearheaded such bestselling projects as “All Star Batman and Robin, The Boy Wonder,” “Identity Crisis,” Green Lantern, Teen Titans and The Outsiders.
Before joining DC in 2002, DiDio was with Mainframe Entertainment, where he most recently served as Senior Vice President, Creative Affairs, overseeing the development, distribution, marketing and promotion of all Mainframe’s television properties. Prior to that, he served as Executive Director of Children’s Programming for ABC, where he was also a publicity manager, having started his television career at CBS, working in a variety of positions.
Johns builds on his current role at DC from being one of today’s most prolific, popular and award-winning contemporary comic book writers with this new executive role. He is a New York Times bestselling author who has written highly acclaimed stories revitalizing Green Lantern, Superman, the Flash, Teen Titans, and the Justice Society of America for DC Comics.
Johns began his comics career creating and writing “Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.” for DC Comics while at the same time working with film director Richard Donner. After acclaimed runs on Flash, Teen Titans and the bestselling “Infinite Crisis” mini-series, Johns co-wrote a run on Action Comics with his mentor, Donner. Johns has also written and produced for various other media, including the acclaimed “Legion” and “Absolute Justice” episodes of Warner Bros. Television’s “Smallville” and Adult Swim’s “Robot Chicken” and “Titan Maximum.” He also wrote the story of the DC Universe Online massively multiplayer action game from Sony Online Entertainment.
Rood returns to Warner Bros. after 10 years with the Disney ABC Television Group, where he most recently was Senior Vice President of Marketing, ABC Family. While at ABC, he also consulted for ABC News during the recent transitions at “Good Morning America” and “ABC World News with Diane Sawyer.”
Prior to Disney, Rood worked for six years at Warner Bros. Consumer Products, negotiating promotional deals with national advertisers using Warner Bros.’ properties, including the DC Comics characters. He has also worked in promotions for Equity Marketing on the Burger King account and in advertising for Leo Burnett on the McDonald’s and Miller Brewing accounts.
Caldon most recently served as Executive Vice President, Finance and Operations of DC Comics and MAD Magazine. Before that, he served as Senior Vice President, Finance and Operations, and his other posts at DC include Vice President, Finance and Operations, and Controller, the position in which he joined the company in 1985. Prior to joining DC Comics, Caldon spent a decade at Warner Communications in corporate accounting and as Senior Vice President and CFO of the Cosmos soccer team (owned by Warner Communications at the time).
DC Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, is charged with strategically integrating the DC Comics business, brand and characters deeply into Warner Bros. and all its content and distribution businesses. DC Entertainment utilizes the expertise the Studio has in building and sustaining franchises to prioritize the DC properties as key titles and growth drivers across all of the Studio, including feature films, television, interactive entertainment, direct-to-consumer platforms and consumer products. The DC Comics publishing business is the cornerstone of DC Entertainment, releasing approximately 90 comic books through its various imprints and 30 graphic novels a month as well as continuing to build on its creative leadership in the comic book industry.
Alright, so there you have it. Jim Lee gets a huge promotion. Didio moves up the corporate ladder. Johns gets a position that will keep him at DC for a good amount of time, while he gives input on everything that has to do with the DC Universe. So a couple of the normal posters here at TheBatmanUniverse.net gave their two sense about this big news.
The first thought come from SteveJRogers:
Well, Dan DiDio, Jim Lee and Geoff Johns have nice shiny promotions. I don’t think the full scope of what is happening here though won’t be felt until a successor to DiDio’s EIC role is filled. And I’d like to see how this affects the Green Lantern books as well as the Flash title. It was going to be interesting to see the EIC take over Outsiders as it really is more of a Batman satellite than a cornerstone of the entire universe. I doubt Johns will have much time to do anything other than a brief fill-in or mini or one-shot.
The important question for Bat-Fans of course is how does this impact the Bat-Books? I’m not entirely sure if it does just yet, of course Johns is in the midst of the new OOC graphic novel series, or I am calling it, the latest attempt of DC creating an Ultimate Universe (see All-Star Batman & Robin The Boy Wonder and All-Star Superman), but as I said, I can see an executive having that kind of project on his/her plate, but not any of the major on-goings (Batman, Batman & Robin, Detective are the big three at the moment).
What I hope doesn’t happen, and it has been seen far too many times (Marvel in the 1990s for example) is when you have giant seismic paradigm shifts that the first thing that happens is immediate change. So maybe it’s a good thing that the big three were promoted within, and whatever change happens is a gradual process.
Interesting times indeed.
So next we have some thoughts about Geoff Johns and his new position from Dark Knight Dave:
James Cameron may “King of the World” but Geoff Johns is King of the Universe. The DC Universe that is. I always when I reached work today I fired up the trusty Dell and started poking around the ‘net for any cool and unusual news. One of my more frequent stops is “The Source” brought to us by DC. Alex Segura usually has something to tease us with and I enjoy clicking on preview panels and checking out some new art and or storylines.
Who the heck is David Hyde? And why is he writing so many “War and Peace” type entries into the “Source” blog. I scroll down, I scroll down some more, this guy is pretty excited about something but it seems pretty dry. I think I’ll click on one of my favorite sci-fi sites, io9, and see what they have to offer. Oh, something has rocked the DC world. I read it. Geoff Johns is what? He’s in charge of what now? I zoom back to the “Source” blog and things are still pretty dry there but I am glad David Hyde is happy as I click back to io9.
Geoff Johns is being named “Chief Creative Officer for DC Entertainment.” Holy promotion Batman I thought the guy was busy now. Not only is he the brains behind the cash cow that is “Blackest Night” for DC comics (although he stumbled a little with the last issue of “BN” after a great Batman centric Blackest Night #5) he wrote the highly rated and well received “Absolute Justice” two parter for the WB’s Smallville series and he has single handedly thrust Green Lantern as one of the if not the foremost hero in the DC pantheon of heroes. Let’s add to his resume the much anticipated “Earth One: Batman” and a little thing called “Brightest Day” as a follow up to “Blackest Night”. Phew! You’d need the “Flash” just to write this guys Wikipedia page just to get it done before years end. Oh, right, he writes “The Flash” also.
Good luck Geoff the eyes of the DC Universe are upon you and its loyal readership eagerly awaits your next offering. I have no doubt it will be a hit.
P.S. Geoff I have a movie treatment for you! Geoff? Geoff?!!
Alright and lastly, Zach gives his thoughts about everything:
Yesterday, February 18th, DC Entertainment announced their plans for the future. DC Entertainment has decided to play quite a large game of musical chairs for the year of 2010. Some major players will be stepping up and taking control of the DC Imprint. Here is the latest news on the future of DC, that no one saw coming.
First off, the Jim Lee and Dan DiDio have been named new co-publishers of DC Comics. What does this mean? Jim Lee is experienced with being the editorial director of Wildstorm Studios, while also having a large hand in the upcoming video game, DC Universe Online. This is a huge promotion for Jim Lee, and this really is DC thanking him for all the hard work that he has put in over the years at DC Comics. Congratulations Jim, very well deserved. Now, Dan DiDio has also taken a much larger seat at the table. I know that many fans feel iffy about DiDio, but I think he will be able to handle this position. I think that while he hasn’t always made the best call, he has been consistent as the Senior Vice President and Executive Editor at DC. This also confirms that DiDio is going nowhere after rumors have swirled over the last couple years that he was on the hot seat. None the less, I am excited and I think DiDio will really flourish under his new position.
As if the news couldn’t get any bigger! DC Entertainment also announced that Geoff Johns will serve as the Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment. While some may know, I am not Johns’ number one fan, but I do know that he knows comics. And it is this reason that I know that the DC Imprint is in good hands. He truly loves the DC Universe and all of its characters. Now, don’t worry! Johns will continue to write, but now he will give his creative input on all the comics. In addition to this, he will use his control to get the DC Universe into other imprints such as film, merchandise, animation, and video games. I think Johns has proven himself to be worthy of the job, especially after the large work loads that he has taken over the years at DC.
In addition to these announcements, John Rood will become Executive Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Business Development. Rood has previously worked at Warner Bros. and to be a key asset in the growth of DC’s consumer products. Patrick Caldon was also named the Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration. Caldon has been with the company since 1985, about 25 years. I would definitely say he has earned his stripes.
Now, nothing was announced directly towards Batman, but I will say that this news does impact the Batman Universe, therefore affecting you, the fan. First off, Jim Lee knows Batman; he has done some terrific work over the years with the character, and will continue that work. He knows the passionate following the character has and I am sure will do everything to enlarge that following. In regarding Dan DiDio, I think during DiDio’s time as the Executive Editor, the character has been through some major changes. Some have been good and some have been bad, but I think for the most part he gets it, and therefore I am not very concerned. And I think once Morrison finishes his tale of the dark knight; Geoff Johns will definitely oversee many of the future tales. I think that from a creative stand point, Johns loves the character and looks forward to getting his hands on the Batman Universe.
Well it was a wild day over at Warner Bros. Many are already calling this the most talented executive team in the comics industry. I know I am excited to see what this team does. Are you? We will have to wait and see what kind of magic the new crew is able to pull off.
So there you have it. For the most part this will be in fact another new chapter for DC and DC Entertainment. Hopefully, now that they have the staff announced we can get to some news about future projects. As soon as we hear something, you will be the first to know.
Posted by Dustin