When this issue came out I have to admit I wasn’t exactly ripping the bag open and whipping through the pages. In fact I wasn’t even thinking about reading it until I had read through the rest of my pull list twice! The reason being I was just not too interested in the story. The first part (Detective Comics #864) was alright we got to see Jeremiah Arkham as the twisted maniac that he is, but I just wasn’t pulled into the story. So when it was time to read this current issue I was not too excited. But Batman is Batman and I’ll read it regardless.
Our story begins where Detective Comics #864 left off, with Dr. Jeremiah Arkham slaughtering the beauties, which we learn that like everyone else in his messed up family, he hallucinated them. But Arkham wasn’t always crazy, he was slowly poisoned by Dr. Hugo Strange and the Joker using one of Strange’s toxins (which was delivered via a marionette that was given to him by the Joker), and to top it all off, when Dr. Arkham (who was under the influence of the toxin) conducted sessions with Strange, Strange used subliminal messages to create multiple personalities for the Doctor which he promptly set up a mental block for.
Meanwhile Conrad Leblanc (the man with the bomb in his chest) has successfully canceled all of the deals he had arranged to bring down all of Gotham’s finance institutions, while Arkham, now recovering from the exposure to the toxin has finally come to his “moral” senses and tells Batman the code to de-activate the bomb. Turns out Arkham had given Batman the wrong code so the bomb explodes (in a rather violent scene) and Conrad is killed instantly. Meanwhile Batman visits Gordon who, when posed with the question of why Sinner was promoted to the Director position at Arkham, says that he abstained his vote only to be out ruled by the majority vote. Batman leaves saying he’ll keep an eye on Sinner to see whether she’s a murderer or not. Back in Arkham’s cell in solitary confinement, Alyce Sinner, after she confirms that Arkham gave Batman the wrong code, tells him that Victor Zsasz is next door. While she walks past Zsasz’s room she unlocks it and in the next scene we see Zsasz at the entrance to Arkham’s room wielding what looks to be a scalpel saying he’s going to put Arkham’s name on the inside of his eyelids. Arkham manhandles Zsasz and does it for him as Batman breaks the door down to the room. Later we see Alyce in Arkham’s room saying he’ll probably have to stay in solitary confinement. He reveals that Alyce sent Zsasz to see if Arkham was the same old weak, boring, timid Jeremiah, the man she hates or Black Mask, the man she loves. They embrace and kiss, the last page shows them cuddling by a mirror in the reflection we see Arkham as the Black Mask.
This story arc as a whole wasn’t that great and to be honest I’m kind of sick with the whole Black Mask thing. There isn’t a lot of action in this story which up to a point is a good thing. But when every other scene is either a monologue of how smart Jeremiah Arkham thinks he is, a flashback to how he was poisoned, or became what he is besides that fact that there are very little Batman scenes and quick easy conclusions, it above all things gets more than a little boring. Is the Black Mask that much of a dollar sign for DC that the only reason this story exists is to stretch it out just a little farther? Granted, it has its moments of pure, deep story and thought, but it’s slow pace and failure to deliver any sort of meaningful content that pushes forth the legacy of the idea of Detective Comics masks that. What we are left with is the basis of what DC has built up to that point with the Black Mask that only moves it’s story forward a centimeter, if not even that.
The artwork on this issue and the previous issue is visually stunning. Jeremy Haun definitely knows how to approach the concept of the villain. Whether it’s his work on the Mortician cuddling up with his zombie parents or the Joker fooling Arkham, it is great and disturbing along with David Baron’s gory and demanding colors.
Overall, where this issue fails, it fails. And where it succeeds, it succeeds. Although it’s brevity, sluggishness and banal nature is what continually brings it back down to a forgetful arc. I think there is some redeeming qualities in its pages and for that it should be paid some attention to.
Detective Comics #865:
Reviewed by Dane
Editor's Note: This was sent in before the release of Batman #700. We were just able to post it.
So, we’re almost there. To Batman #700 I mean. Issue #700 has been touted by DC and other Bat-fan’s as Grant Morrison’s grand return to the Batman comic that comes along with a sweeping story that features Batmen from different generations all starring in one single over sized issue priced at $4.99!!!!! But wait, hold on, this review isn’t about #700 because at the time of this writing it hasn’t come out yet!!!! With all the hype surrounding issue #700 there are the people especially on the internet who complain that #699 was rushed, that Tony Daniel’s story was cut short and not fleshed out and as a one-sided theory, it is true.
This issue begins where the last issue left off, Batman finds Edward Nigma under the influence of the Joker’s laughing gas which is later revealed to be a generic knock off of the real thing, Batman however still needs to search for the killer of issue # 698. While I will not spoil anything completely for you in the two issue story arc I will agree with the facts, being that the story was rushed and cut short. There are questions that are left unanswered and it is incredibly fast-paced even with Dick’s inner monologue, which is one of the things Daniel got perfect, not to mention the ending which just left another huge question about what is going to happen. I just felt that this story could have been more than what was presented in the actual book. While it had a great story , beginning in Batman #698 and concluding with this issue, Daniel had too much to work with and not enough time or pages/issues to create a better story considering the return of Grant Morrison in the landmark 700th issue. If he had had the time maybe we would’ve got a better story. But maybe it’s Daniels fault with the fact that he could have condensed the story and re-worked it with consideration to the issue number and the number of pages he was allowed. Maybe he was just overwhelmed and distracted with other things. No one knows except for him and we can't truly blame anyone at this point. Saying that it was Daniel's fault or DC’s fault or even Grant Morrison’s fault is the elusive one-sided theory.
But overall we can only assume what we are led to believe (until we get all the information) which is the fact that it was just poor planning on both sides. Whether it was in fact the number of issues or some other unseen reason. Anyways, all the negativity aside I can commend the artwork by Guillem March. Even though he has been heavily critiqued in the past, is one of the best artists in the game with his visually stunning style and overall scope, depth, and understanding of the medium pulls you into the world of the long forgotten world of true artistic statement. I can also commend the story up to a certain point. I see the depth that Daniel wanted to take it to with the addition of Edward Nigma to his story and the overall sense of where the story was going, it truly would have been great. The inner monologue with Dick as Batman was truly the highlight of the story because I finally pictured Dick as Batman and was no longer haunted by the image of Robin and Nightwing when I see him as the Batman, his inner monologue was some of the most eloquent writing I have read in a long time. But the story just doesn’t cut it, it just reads way too fast, it was too rushed, and finally there are things that are supposedly happening when truly nothing is going on ? Maybe I am wrong, maybe what we were presented with was what Daniel wrote and he just had a bad run? Like the ending it leaves us in the universe’s waiting room with a bag full of future possibility. We all have our bad days thus we are forgiven. I’m sure with the proper situation this could have been a great swan song for Daniel. And like any person that has had a bad day, I will forgive.
Overall, the presentation is there with Guillem March’s art and Daniel's story but sadly it falls short almost to the point where March’s artwork cannot redeem it. But what I am hoping is that all the questions that weren’t answered and the cliffhanger at the end of Issue #699 with the question/possibility it hold will be revealed in future issues. But I can only hope.
Batman #699:
Reviewed by Dane
A Look at 700 Issues of Batman
Despite the title, we are not going to look at all 700 issues of Batman. Today marks a very rare occasion in comics. A comic book series makes it to seven hundred issues. Very few series can last that long, much less the character still stay interesting. Batman is obviously one of the more popular characters no matter what company's comics you read. Batman also has the current longest running series with Detective Comics. I want to take a look at some of the covers for issues over the years and give you a little history lesson.
Batman #1 came out in May 1940. At the time Batman was published quarterly. Batman was appearing in not only Detective Comics, but also his in a series named after himself. This cover has been copied and reimagined over time. The latest issue that paid homage to this was Batman #686 by Andy Kubert.
Batman #100 was released in June 1956. At this point the book was now bi-monthly. This issue is only a collection of the various issues that preceded it.
Batman #200 was released in March 1968. The issue again used a college of covers to celebrate the "Smash" issue. The issues were now coming out monthly and would continue to do so.
Batman #300, from June 1978, steps away from the group of covers to a unique cover that deals with a special story. Can the world survive without Batman? This is one of my personal favorite stories, because it takes the future of what could happen and let the readers believe what is possible. It gives the readers an idea of what lies ahead for our favorite characters that have had very little life changes over the past thirty years.
Batman #400 came out in October 1986. Comics were starting to become mainstream in the media. With the Superman films coming out years before, people were starting to pay more attention to the little books that they read as children. 1986 was a big year for Batman comics. It was only months after Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns was released. Batman: Year One was months away from coming out within the pages of Batman. A group of the biggest names in comic art were featured in the issue. It even had a introduction by Stephen King.
Batman #500 came out during the peak of comic collecting, October 1993. The Death of Superman came out and everyone was buying comics. It didn't matter if there were five different covers came out, you bought them all. Above is the special foil double cover. Foil covers were also huge at the time. Coincidently, this cover was drawn by the future head of Marvel, Joe Quesada. This issue took place in the middle of the Knightfall storyline, but they were still able to celebrate the achievement of five hundred issues.
Batman #600 was released in April 2002. This issue makes me a little upset. At the time, the story arc crossing the various titles was Bruce Wayne: Fugitive. Instead of even making it aware that it was a special issue, they pretended as if it was a normal accomplishment for comics to get to six hundred issues. The cover is nothing more than what we would find on a normal number issue.
Finally, we come to Batman #700. There will in fact be one cover, but also a variant for every 25 copies of the normal cover. The variant cover was drawn by Mike Mignola and is modeled off of Detective Comics #168. The normal cover was drawn by David Finch. DC takes us back to the time of anniversary issues with the over-sized issue. We will see all three Batmen that we have grown to know over time; Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Damian Wayne.
So whatever, anniversary issue you are most familiar with, be sure to head to the comic shops today and pick up the latest issue of Batman.
Posted by Dustin
The State of Comic Book Films
“I am Iron Man. Think you are the only superhero in the world? Mr. Stark, you’ve become part of a bigger universe, but you just don’t know it yet,” Nick Fury, director of SHIELD. “I’m here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative.”
Those words, spoken by Samuel L. Jackson at the end of 2008’s Iron Man are words that may have shaken up the way comic book movies are made. On its own Iron Man was a great comic book superhero-based film. It had just about everything you could have asked for in a thrilling, smart, and at times comedic popcorn entertainment action flick. But, those words were the lynch-pin of what Marvel Studio hoped would be the next evolution of comic book movie storytelling. Essentially taking the idea of a fully fledged “universe” and transform that into film.
For years of course comic book character films have been presented as if the characters spotlighted were the only heroes in their world. Oh sure Metropolis got named dropped in Batman Forever, and there is the “This is why Superman works ALONE” quip in Batman & Robin, but in every movie, and even live action television, for the most part (after the series ended, the Incredible Hulk TV show came back in TV movie form a couple of times featuring both Thor and Daredevil, and Smallville has the Green Arrow as a cast member, as well as appearances by other non-Superman supporting characters), done featuring a comic book character whom is part of a bigger comic book universe, it is apparent that for that movie or TV program they are the ONLY super hero on the scene.
Marvel Studios was set to change all of that, and it started in that summer of 2008. Shortly after it appeared Iron Man was a big hit, its sequels were green-lit and pre-production was full steam ahead for other projects that would all go into what will be the first Avengers movie in 2012. The plans were further cemented in that summer’s Incredible Hulk, which included a cameo by Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark telling General Ross that he and a “team” that was being formed could help with the Hulk problem. And now Iron Man 2 has given the Mighty Marvel Movie Society even more steam by being a blockbusting success, and setting the stage for next summer’s Thor film. Oh, and next summer Captain America is set to shake off the aftertaste of the 1990 flop as well.
With Ant-Man, another Iron Man film and The Avengers coming down the pipeline as well, it seems things are running smoothly in terms of Marvel Studios creating a “Movie Universe.” Even with its biggest heavyweights; Spider-Man, the X-Men and Fantastic Four, as well as Daredevil still tied up with other studios as Disney seems content with honoring pre-existing deals.
And DC? Well, there is the follow up to The Dark Knight slated for 2012. As well as the next Superman project which is being “Godfathered” by Batman Begins and The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan. Oh, and Green Lantern is coming out next year.
While one can expect the third, and Nolan’s final, Batman flick to be a success, maybe not as wild as The Dark Knight as one could chalk a good percentage of its popularity to the “morbid curiosity” surrounding Heath Ledger’s passing, the fact that it will be the final Nolan directed film in the series should trouble a DC movie fan. Where will the Bat-Franchise go from here? Logic would dictate that the next director could pick up where Nolan leaves off, but hey this is Hollywood, and there is enough of a chance of Warner Brothers rebooting the whole darn thing as there are as them letting the next guy continue what Nolan started.
But where does this leave the various projects that have been speculated, and in some cases even gone through the pre-production stage, only to be shut down like the JLA movie? Good question. The hope is that the Green Lantern film becomes as wild of a success as the first Iron Man was. The proof will be in the pudding of course, but at the same time it was clear that Marvel had all its ducks in a row when Iron Man came out. Right now DC/WB is looking at a Batman movie universe where Batman is the only known costumed hero, and Nolan has gone on record as saying he’d like the Superman movie universe to be the same. Okay, so how are you going to rectify that with a possible JLA film? Oh sure movie audiences aren’t that stupid to realize the Batman in a JLA film isn’t the same as Christian Bale’s Batman, or even Adam West’s, Michael Keaton’s, Val Kilmer’s, George Clooney, or heck even Kevin Conroy’s and Diedrich Bader’s. But the fact is, it’s hard to sell two different continuities going on at the same time. Heck, it’s hard even for DC to sell multiple continuities in comic books! Say what you will about Batman Confidential and Superman/Batman, they probably aren’t selling nearly as much as the other Bat-Titles because they are OOC books while all the others are.
Well, that is the current state of affairs with comic book movies. While the next Batman film should bring in the dough that will make Warner very, very happy, and despite the critical responses to Superman Returns one can still say Superman is still a very profitable on-screen franchise, it does seem that DC is still light years behind Marvel in terms of innovation in crafting big screen storytelling. In some cases it might be fine, as DC still holds arguably the two most popular super heroes of all-time in its arsenal, but if Marvel is able to completely pull of what it hopes to with the Marvel Movie Universe, DC will have to change its game plan in terms of how their properties are treated by Hollywood.
Posted by SteveJRogers
The story begins with a tribe of cavemen who go by the name of The Deer Tribe and who upon discovering a space vehicle crashed wonder if its part of the sky that fell. They then notice a trail of footsteps leading from the capsule to a cave nearby. They wonder if the tracks belong to one of the “Shining Ones.” One of the cavemen says that if the Shining Ones come again then it is some sort of end. As they make their way to the cave one of them throw a rock into the cave causing bats to fly out from the cave. We then see Bruce Wayne emerge. The cavemen all speak in a form of broken English and Bruce talks in sentences where words are combined into one word.
One of the cavemen introduces himself as “Man” son of the “Old Man” and the youngest caveman is “Boy” the grandson of “Old Man” and the son of “Man” who is learning to be a Young Man. There is of course one caveman who is called Joker. Man, Boy, and Joker walk into the cave and find Old Man dead, as Bruce is walking out, utility belt in hand, to the space vehicle where he finds Superman’s cape, he then proceeds back to the cave.
Later on in the night, The Blood Mob attacks with their leader Vandal Savage. Bruce who acts on his pure instinct grabs Boy and hides him while he goes and fights. Both Man and Joker are killed while Bruce is captured and named “Man-God” by Savage. At the Blood Mob village Savage proclaims that he’s brought his village gifts from the forbidden land that he took from the Shining Ones and claims that he has defeated the Man-God just like he defeated a large bat beast as we see a cloak and bat head. Savage then says he will eat the Man-God as soon as the sun rises on the Man-God’s suffering. We then see Boy in a mask and wearing Bruce’s utility belt wielding a shield with a large bat symbol on it, he cuts Bruce from his restraints. Savage then wakes up and Bruce attacks using all of his gadgets to defeat him. As the mob runs after them Bruce and Boy jump off of a cliff and into a river.
We then cut to Superman, Hal Jordan, and Booster Gold next to the time sphere, Superman says that they just missed Bruce, as Hal says Bruce has no memory of who he is or what happened to him, while Booster Gold says that no one, not even Bruce could survive this. Superman replies by pointing out that that’s what Bruce does, Survive, while commenting that if Bruce survives this and makes his way back to the 21st Century on his own then everyone dies.
We then see Bruce in the water (Boy is gone), in a new era with a huge water monster behind him as a nameless woman says “Master Demon. Whatever you are. What horse is this you rode in on?”. Bruce holds a sword as the monster rises up.
With the Return of Bruce Wayne I have to admit I was hesitant to pick it up, one because I didn’t know how this time traveling thing would play out and two because I had been reading Batman & Robin (also by Grant Morrison) and I think Dick and Damian do a good job in their current respective roles. So when the first issue of The Return of Bruce Wayne had hit the stands I resisted it for 3 days. But curiosity got the best of me and I caved in and bought it.
When I got home I immediately started reading it. After my first read through I found it hard to read. It was confusing and served no purpose in telling the story of Bruce’s return, with a minor exception for the end. So I re-read it. Still didn’t get it. So I re-read it. Nothing. By the time I was about to start my fourth read through I had grown so frustrated with the content that I had to close the book, stand up and take a deep breath while I cleared my mind. Then out of nowhere I realized that the problem wasn’t the content or Grant Morrison’s writing, it was me. I had been thinking about what I know and what SHOULD happen in the strict terms of this story.
The foundation of this issue isn’t the basis for anything except your own mind. Bruce Wayne/Batman as a whole or absolute system or as we know him isn’t what we think he will be after all of our readership. All these thoughts and ideas we have created for him in our own minds that bring him to a whole is subtly broken down and laid on the floor in front of us as we open to the first page of this issue. By that I mean (now strictly hypothetically speaking), Grant Morrison’s Bruce Wayne/Batman is a brand new forging, forged not by him but by us. There is no need to refer to our Year One’s or whatever back issue you want to throw out there that defined Batman as you, yourself know him, it is already within you stirring and mixing the old and the new in your mind as you read these brand new pages. Morrison creates this “new” Batman by starting off in the middle of nowhere, with no back-story as to how we got here, erasing Bruce’s memory, by breaking our understanding of the English language, and most importantly by letting the pictures tell the story. The pictures serve as an emotional narrative that we use to forge our new memories of the Dark Knight. We can refer to our memories as children or as adults reading our eyes out gathering all this random information to (in our minds) not have these random pieces of information scattered all about but to put these pieces together to create Batman as we see him in our minds eye. What Grant Morrison does is break down this Batman and scatter all these pieces of information so that its laid out in front of you as brand new thoughts and ideas, but as he does this He’s building a new Batman using our memories. Batman will never be the same as we let go of the old one and let in the new one as you now see him. Grant Morrison not only helped break down and rebuild our image of Batman, he started anew, building the Dark Knight from the ground up not by forcing his hand or convincing us or saying this is your Batman, this is your ideas, and thoughts, and feelings but by simply showing us the door.
All in all, great issue. The art looked like a throwback to the older days of Batman while hinting at a new style or direction which only enhances the experience. Not really recommended to the newer reader but highly recommended to all of us who have been with Batman for all these years.
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #1:
Reviewed by Dane
Batman finally makes his return in the second issue of the “First Wave” series along side Doc Savage and the Spirit. And for all his fame and notoriety he gets one panel. That’s’ right, one panel. Oh, and no dialog. We finally see Batman as he wraps up a would be mugger in his cape making quick work of the bad guy. But that’s it. Make no mistake about it, “First Wave” is a Doc Savage vehicle and through the first two issues he is sharing the limelight with The Spirit as comedic relief. I guess I should mention the Blackhawks get plenty of face time too.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m digging this book. I love the noir feel to the story narrative. Moonlit nights, large limos with their headlights cutting the darkness, blackened alley ways, cemeteries and most importantly, gritty dialog befitting a George V. Higgins novel.
It’s just that a little more Batman would be nice.
We got our first look at the “First Wave” Batman in November of 2009 when DC presented us with a one shot called the “Batman-Doc Savage Special, the First Wave begins.” Batman got plenty of ink in that issue and if you read the book you’ll remember that Batman was portrayed as a young brash playboy. Untested and inexperienced, this Batman was willing to make mistakes and take his lumps in order to ply his trade. He’s not the brooding angry dark avenger that we are accustomed to. He’s cocky and brash. He’s having fun.
Brian Azzarello is the writer for this series, as he was in the one shot. Phil Noto was the artist for the one shot and his effort lent itself more to a Sunday morning comic’s type of feel. This time Rags Morales takes over the art work and he is ably assisted by Nei Ruffino. Their combined effort lends itself more readily to the noir feel of the book as they understand the use of shadow and perspective that is so important to this style.
Azzarello is weaving a dense, multi-faceted storyline that involves some the most iconic heroes of the golden age. Doc Savage, his crew, the Spirit, the Blackhawks, Justice Inc and we haven’t even seen Black Canary yet. And Batman too. For one panel. But fear not, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing plenty of the Bat, and sooner rather than later. There is a lot of gray area in this series. The good guys work in and outside the law, everyone has their own agendas that intersect for better or worse and a mysterious darkness looms fueled by greed and revenge. The type of story that is begging for a Dark Knight.
I’m giving this book a four out of five Bat-a-rangs for where I believe this story is taking us. And I’ll get into some in depth analysis of the plot itself once Batman and his guns (yes, I said guns) makes their full time appearance. I’ll be seeing you soon for “First Wave” issue three of six.
First Wave #2:
Reviewed by Dark Knight Dave
In the 1960s, writer Bob Haney got the idea to take all the younger characters in the DC Universe and mash them together as a team. Not unlike the very successful Justice League Of America. And so in the summer of 1964, in the pages of Brave and The Bold #54, Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad teamed up. A year later, in issue 60 the team got its first female member in Wonder Girl, and a name, Teen Titans. And by 1966 the team would have its very own magazine. The Titans would see many twists and turns through the years, but at the core was still Dick Grayson, either as Robin or Nightwing. And as the book “grew up” from its early Silver Age roots, especially with the Marv Wolfman-George Perez 1980 relaunch of the title, it appeared writers would thrust the role of “leader” onto Grayson. Even on the animated series based on the Wolfman relaunched lineup, Robin was very much the leader of the team.
And so in 1999, when the team was renamed simply “Titans” guess who was right in front? Yup, Dick Grayson, now of course in his Nightwing personae. So in 2010 (JLA issue # 41 to be exact), now taking over, for the second time, the Batman mantle of his mentor Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson is finally a card carrying member of the Justice League of America! And once again it appears the writer, this time James Robinson, who has been on the book since #38, is angling Dick into a leadership role. This seems especially the case since in issue # 41 he assembled a team of heavyweights, drawing from former League and Titan heavy hitters and proceeded to disassemble them by issue #43! Leaving Batman with Donna Troy (Wonder Girl), Mikaal Tomas (aka the current Starman), and Congo Bill (aka Congorilla) as the current JLA lineup, the latter two from Robinson’s JLA: Cry For Justice mini-series. This is especially interesting since there is a feeling that DC wants a return of the “classic 7 (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter)” in the 75th anniversary year of the company. But that is most likely down the road this year, in the meantime it’s Dick, Wonder Girl, Starman and Congorilla as your JLA roll call.
Well, that brings us to the current story arc, which features the Brightest Day trade dress, due to the fact that it is dealing with the return of Jade, who was one of the Black Lanterns who got resurrected at the end of Blackest Night. Issue # 44 featured Jade returning to Earth in the middle of a meteor fragment, and her father, Alan Scott, Earth’s first Green Lantern of the Justice Society of America, in bad shape with emerald energy emitting from him.
And so, preamble out of the way, we begin with Justice League Of America issue # 45. Written by James Robinson, art by Mark Bagley, inks by Rob Hunter and Norm Rapmund.
We begin where #44 left off. In Germany, with Jade announcing to Jason Blood that she will not stand down, and Dick's inner monologue exposition on her. Well, it turns out the meteor was part of the Starheart, which Jade describes. Then members of the JSA, trying to follow Alan Scott, whom is in a trance, headed right towards the said Starheart fly in, but their plane gets ripped up by what appears to be a mind controlled Power Girl. The speedsters in the JSA, Jay Garrick Flash and Jesse Quick are able to save the team. The matter gets complicated when Obsidian gets taken over by whatever is drawing Alan to the Starheart.
And from out of literally nowhere, even several characters inner monologue the fact, Supergirl flies in to take out Power Girl. It turns out Congorilla had signaled for her help before they left the Watchtower. Batman then gets Jade to use her magic based power to take down Power Girl (Kryptonian in case you didn’t know). While Batman wonders why the Starheart affected Power Girl, but not Supergirl, Jade then goes into an explanation of Starheart via a retelling of Alan Scott’s origin.
Well, the Starheart was this rock, created by the Guardians of The Universe as a way to create order between chaos and good. A piece broke off, fell to earth where Alan Scott found it, becoming Earth’s first Green Lantern. After Jade finishes up her story, Mr. Terrific, and Batman start receiving reports throughout the world of magic wielders going crazy. It is theorized that it could be in part thanks to the chaos part of Starheart. Then Alan appears to be out of his trance, but only to talk about the Starheart bringing about the end of the world, and he is transformed into something akin to what Alan Scott wore in the Kingdom Come story.
Well, that was interesting. Right now we are dealing with a JSA story in the pages of JLA. Which is fine, but is this something needed if Robinson is trying to mold a new team? I guess since the whole Starheart/Alan Scott situation is a big enough problem that the JLA has to be present for then yeah. Obviously the DCU’s biggest team has to confront it. It should be noted that this is part one of a story, and the second part will be in Justice Society of America #41 next month.
Don’t get me wrong, its a good story, its just feels like reading a JSA story with the JLA as the guest stars in their own title! Maybe that’s just the “B-Team” feel of the team at the moment, and wanting to see that team rise or fall before getting its first team-up with a team like the JSA. Yes, DC is all about the cross branding, and since Brightest Day is the current event, the flagship team book has to be a part of it. In any case this is still a good issue.
Justice League of America #45:
Reviewed by SteveJRogers
A Bat-Bulletin about
The Return of Bruce Wayne
It’s interesting isn’t it?
A iconic hero who has been a mainstay of the company since FDR was in the White House dies in midst of a major crossover event. But he really didn’t die but was trapped in some time and space void where he was seen reliving past events. However, while still mourning the “passing” of a legend, the mantle of the name, as well as the costume and everything, fell to the first sidekick the hero ever had. This included a full blown “return” mini-series for the returning hero, coming back to a universe that sorely missed him and one in a state of “interesting times.”
Oh, you thought I was talking about Bruce Wayne?
Nope, just ruminating on the striking similarities over the 4 year arc over at Marvel concerning the “death” and return of Steve Rogers, Captain America, and DC’s death and eventual return of Bruce Wayne, Batman.
Like Bruce, Steve was seemingly taken out in midst of a very polarizing crossover event, more so due to the politically, and socially, charged nature of the series known as Civil War. After his death it came time to give the mantle of the character to someone else. That someone else was Bucky Barnes. Retconned back but as Soviet agent called Winter Solider. Basically taking an idea of what would happen if Cap was found by the enemy instead of the Avengers and running with it.
In any event, the sad duty of carrying on the legacy of the presumed dead hero fell to Barnes. Much like Dick Grayson accepting that he must continue on what Bruce had started with Batman. It is interesting when one considers Robin’s and Bucky’s beginnings. Nearly 70 years after their respective debuts as youthful sidekicks (Robin in Detective# 38 in 1940, Bucky in Captain America Comics # 1 a year later) they’d become the heroes that they were sidekicks to.
Well, it didn’t take much thinking at the time to realize Batman did not die during his tussle with Darkseid at the end of Final Crisis # 6, but that he was hit with the Omega Sanction, which apparently is where one lives a life over-and-over-and-over-and-over-and-over…you get the point. This will play out in this summer’s Return Of Bruce Wayne mini-series, however Steve Rogers’ fate was not as clearly foretold when the events were unfolded. But indeed, as last years’ Captain America: Reborn series showed, Cap was instead “stuck” in time and relived through past events before being brought back into current continuity.
Now, things will get interesting from here, as currently while Steve Rogers is very much back among the living, certain events in the Marvel Universe dictated that Bucky continue as being “Captain America” but Steve Rogers was recently put in control of US security after the fall of Norman Osborn. While I highly doubt Bruce Wayne will be heading in that direction, things should be interesting to see what DC comes up with;
How exactly will he be brought out of the Omega Sanction?
How will his fellow heroes react to the original Batman being back?
Will DC actually HAVE him back in the cowl right away?
Well, these questions and more should be answered in the coming year. No doubt the higher ups in Time Warner are probably pushing DC to get the guy back where he should be by the time the next movie came out, but then again The Dark Knight came out as R.I.P and Final Crisis were putting Bruce in position to be gone for a while. But at the same time somehow the entire Knightfall-Prodigal-Troika saga got neatly wrapped up in the time frame in between Batman Returns and Batman Forever, so these things do have a tendency to work out!
Posted by SteveJRogers
And now we kick off yet another new chapter in the saga of this title! First off though, fans of Superman should be welcomed by the return, of sorts, to the world of writer Paul Levitz, most known for his work on the Legion of Super-Heroes, and artist Jerry Ordway, who had a long run as artist and even writer and plotter on many Superman titles after the 1986 reboot of the character. (FYI, for those interested Ordway’s work on Superman, check out the SupermanHomepage.com’s From Crisis To Crisis podcast, which also includes a two part interview with Ordway in episodes 32 and 33).
This storyline is entitled “Worship,” so that it will explain the liberal use of religious imagery and themes. We kick things off with Superman taking care of a hurdling asteroid and musing about the late Pa Kent, which would probably set this story somewhere in between Infinite Crisis and Final Crisis. Meanwhile in Metropolis Lois Lane gets kidnapped while en route from a funeral for a co-worker, just before she is knocked out she signals Batman for help.
Meanwhile, in space Superman unwittingly breaks up a Kryptonite laced meteor and plummets with the fragments onto a planet, Superman recovers and does the usual one-man-construction-crew thing quickly before dashing off for a date night with the wife. However, the populous that observed Superman doing his thing appear to believes Superman to be an evil God and it seems the beginnings of an anti-Superman cult is being formed. As this is going on, it is being observed by Lex Luthor, who feels that he should contact these people, and he also gets word that Batman is arriving in Metropolis and pretty much goes into Defcon 1 when he hears this news.
And Batman does in fact arrive in Metropolis and is able to get in hot pursuit of Lois’ kidnappers, but she is no longer with them when he gets a hold of them. Instead Lois is tied up and is about to become a sacrifice to a cult of Kal-El because she rejected the chance to have Superman’s child by marrying a human named Clark Kent!
And I hope that last sentence doesn’t mean this book just went back to being modern takes on Silver Age tropes! Not that I know off hand that a story like this could have happened, but it does seem like a story that would be common place in the Silver Age. “Oh my God, I’m being made a martyr because I didn’t marry a hero, but instead I married his human secret identity, oh the irony!”
Well, this was an enjoyable issue nonetheless, trepidation aside it is a good story and some great Ordway art and pretty sweet colors and shadings by Pete Pantazis to highlight the art. The cover by Fabrizo Fiorentino was also great.
Superman/Batman #72:
Reviewed by SteveJRogers
Concept Art: Part 2
In this, the fourth entry of the Year of the Batmen, we’ll continue to examine how Batman is depicted artistically. Characterization, mood and message will be dissected. Many of the storylines to accompany this art work hasn’t even been released yet. So, this will afford us with a unique point of view as study the personality of Batman from the artist’s perspective.
The Neal Adams Batman
This particular entry comes from the upcoming Batman: Odyssey. This picture has been much discussed in the blogosphere and not always favorably. Batman’s face has a feral look to it which is accentuated by the sharpness and length of the cowl ears. Batman’s bared teeth also give him an animalistic look. As we see he is being riddled with bullets perhaps we are to see Batman as the prey instead of the hunter.
The Mark Bagley Batman
As an accompaniment to the Neal Adams Batman above we are presented with another Batman that is bloodied and bruised. We are accustomed to seeing Batman triumphant and nearly invincible despite his human nature (especially as opposed to Superman). So it is quite a contrast when he is depicted as near defeat and perhaps overmatched. Note the arm raised to protect himself and the head tilted in a recovery mode following a hard blow. One might argue the oversized Bat utility belt buckle has a “shield” like quality to it to further the image of vulnerability. So despite the over musculature, we have a Batman, who with tattered cape, is portrayed as being far from invincible. You may remember this picture from Batman #688.
The Andy Kubert Batman
Most of the Batman readers out there will recognize this Batman from the upcoming Return of Bruce Wayne. Kubert depicts his Batman as preternaturally athletic. You would have to be in order to evade a shower of automatic weapons fire as this Batman does. Note only one hand on the rope and the other ready to strike. So despite being in an undesirable position this Batman with his sweeping cape silhouetted by a blinding spotlight actually has the upper hand. We are far more used to seeing this, the Bruce Wayne Batman, depicted as such. Nearly invulnerable. Is there a prejudice against the Dick Grayson Batman that we are meant to see him as not quite as worthy of the cape and cowl?
The Alex Ross Batman
The artwork of Alex Ross is often characterized as “photo-realistic” and the use of light and shadow are very important to this type of work. This Batman isn’t just consigned to the pages of a comic book. No, this Batman is ripped from the pages of a magazine or captured off a TV news program. Gothic in nature, there is no over musculature adding to realism of this caped crusader. Moreover his cape has a silken quality lending it a funereal look and darkening the mood for this Batman. Despite its being oversized however it is never an impediment. The cape legitimizes the Ross Batman and his dark purpose despite this Batman being overtly human. Note the heroic pose as Batman is seen as a solitary sentinel overlooking a blackened city.
The Jim Lee Batman
You’ll observe that Jim Lee makes ample use of Batman’s cape also. Here, the cape is even larger than the Ross version. It has a very dramatic flair to it as its surrounds the Batman in its most intimidating form. It also seems to envelopes the city in a protective cocoon. Lee likes to draw his Batman with an oversized chest. This characterizes Batman with a heroic quality reminiscent of the champions of ancient Greek mythology. He is our Hercules (or technically Heracles). The thighs are overly large and the hands probably too big. This style might have been inspired by the work of Michelangelo who depicted his hero, David, with similar attributes. Finally, this Batman is standing, not lurking in the shadows. He is a demigod, otherworldly, defiant and unafraid. A true Homeric champion.
In upcoming entries to the “Year of the Batmen” I’ll be taking a look at the more ghoulish artistic versions of Batman as well as what is going on inside the mind of Dick Grayson and how Batman is depicted in the issues of the JLA. Comments are always welcome.
Posted by Dark Knight Dave
Red Robin #12 marks the end of the Chris Yost run on the title, and with it, the culmination of the story he has been telling about Tim Drake since issue 1, the only question is, was the story worth telling?
To me, the answer is sadly no. What started out as a strong series about Tim Drake becoming his own man, slowly but surely turned into a book about a whiny brat not believing that his father figure was dead. It went from being not as much as a hero, as becoming annoying. The issue opens with Ra’s plan to bring down everyone Tim cares about down being foiled, as Red Robin was able to call in friends to stop the league from committing mass murder, a quick fix, but really, there was no other way for the situation to end nicely, so I’ll let that slip.
Next we have a fight between Tim and Ra’s, this is meant to be the culmination of all the work Yost has put into Tim Drake, and what does Tim have to say for himself? “I’m probably going to die.” Awesome.
This issue was a fast read, like most of the issues for this series, not a fast read in the sense that I wanted more, it was more a fast read in that I was in awe at how very little I cared about Red Robin in this comic.
My main issue with the comic, is not the issue itself, which when read alone, is a good solid issue, it is nothing special, but Yost has certainly written worse. My problem has to do with the culmination of the work. With issue 8 I said how annoyed I was at how fast Yost glossed over the issue of Red Robin facing new villains, and in this issue, he does an even sloppier job of dealing with all the plot threads he had been dangling in front of the reader since issue one. Most of which only received one panel of explanation.
My personal favorite was the conclusion as to why Tim felt that Bruce was alive, and why he has felt that way since issue 1. I am not going to spoil it here, but I will say, it felt like Yost had ended the comic a page earlier and his editor came back to him and said he forgot to explain why Tim was such a dick and believed Bruce was alive.
Bing bang boom and we have the culmination of Yost’s run on the book.
The art is serviceable one again from Marcus To, who is slowly proving himself to be a damn fine secondary artist for a second tier book, I wouldn’t want him anywhere near Batman, judging by how he draws Dick here, but Red Robin seems to given him the opportunity to shine. I will say some of the pages felt like they should have been given more room, such as the page where Red Robin is kicked out of a window by Ra’s. This one pager would have looked awesome as a two page full spread, with Ra’s on one page and Red Robin on the other, it would have been awesome. As one page, it felt cluttered.
All in all a good issue of Red Robin, marred by being paced way too quickly for the comic to breathe. Pretty soon I will be doing a retrospective of the Chris Yost era of Red Robin as a whole, which will discuss how explain how badly I hated this pay off to his run. But right now, for an average issue with nothing spectacular art, I am giving this:
Red Robin #12:
Reviewed by Suavestar
Greetings everyone, and welcome back to Creator Spotlight. In this piece, I take a look at the highly successful and controversial Grant Morrison. You either love him or you hate him, I love him, but what about you? Let’s take a look:
Grant Morrison is one of the most highly creative and respected comic book writers in the medium today. However, while Morrison is considered a true pioneer of the comics’ medium, his works often divide the fan base of characters such as Batman.
Morrison began his career in comics working for Near Myths magazine. It was here that he introduced his character, Gideon Stargrave, who appeared in issues three and four of the magazine. Unfortunately, the magazine only ran for five issues before cancellation. Following his work at Near Myths, Morrison found himself writing comic strips and penning various issues of the comic, Starblazer. Morrison would leave the comics scene briefly, but he would later return and begin working for Marvel UK briefly before moving over to 2000AD. While working there, Morrison along with Steve Yeowell and Brendan McCarthy would create Zenith. Zenith, a popular piece in the 2000AD magazine would consistently appear from 1987 to 1992. Zenith is responsible for Morrison landing a job at DC Comics. Morrison would propose Animal Man. Now Animal Man was a somewhat forgotten DC character who Morrison would later revive. Morrison would write the first twenty six issues of the series and the title proved to be highly successful. With Morrison’s unique prospective on the superhero genre, DC would hand him the rains to Doom Patrol in 1989. Morrison would take a rather simple group of characters and expand greatly upon the concept. 1989 would prove to be rather important role in Morrison’s career, along with Doom Patrol, Morrison would write Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth.
The story was released as an original graphic novel and there is no other Batman graphic novel like it. By this point in his career, Morrison had established himself as a writer who would often want the reader to read in between the panels. Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth was no different. At the time, Morrison felt that too many writers were taking the realistic approach to Batman; therefore he countered that with a very surreal and mythical approach. While the story was simple; Batman enters Arkham Asylum to gain the asylum back from the prisoners, Morrison did an excellent job of weaving various forms of symbolism into the story. And while the story focuses on Batman, it is very much about Amadeus Arkham and how the asylum came to be. Morrison also greatly altered some of the characterizations of many of Batman’s villains; especially the Joker. Morrison depicted the eccentric clown as a transvestite. Along with Morrison, the artwork was done by Dave McKean. McKean created a world with boundaries within Morrison’s scripted pages, it was like no other Batman comic before it, and there has been nothing like it since.
With the enormous success of Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, Morrison was now a household name in the comics industry. The graphic novel has gone on to become the best-selling graphic novel of all-time. In April of 1990, DC gave Morrison five issues in the fairly new Batman title, Legends of the Dark Knight. The storyline was titled, “Gothic”, and again, Morrison incorporated some surreal and satanic themes into the plot. The book was penciled by the legendary Klaus Janson and the storyline is considered to be one of the best of the series and one of the darkest Batman stories of all time.
Throughout the 1990s, Morrison would continue to work with DC Comics but would also have work published with small publishers, and would continue to have printed material in 2000AD. During this time, Morrison would also establish his relationship with fellow Scotsman, writer Mark Millar. The two would collaborate on various projects throughout the decade. Also during this time, Morrison would write his rather epic and fan favorite run on the Justice League of America. JLA was Morrison writing fun and action-packed superhero comics, and this is my favorite run of JLA. Morrison would also begin working within the Vertigo and Wildstorm universes. Morrison would work closely with DC Comics until 2000, where after the release of JLA: Earth 2, he would leave for Marvel Comics. However, while Morrison enjoyed success at Marvel, in 2004 he returned to DC and Vertigo. Morrison would relive great success with the releases of We3 and his return to the JLA. Over the next two years at DC, Morrison would continue to be their ace with such works as Seven Soldiers of Victory, 52, and All Star Superman. However, Morrison could not keep away from the bat and in 2006, was given the rains to the Batman main title, and really the entire Batman universe.
Morrison began his Batman run with issue #655 in September. He would begin with artist Andy Kubert, who was also working with DC for the first time. The storyline was titled; “Batman and Son” and it would run until issue #658. This would mark the beginning of the highly-acclaimed “Batman R.I.P.” story arc. Morrison would then attempt a prose issue, with issue #663, “The Clown at Midnight”. While it was a bold attempt and good story, fans didn’t seem to take kindly to it. None the less, Morrison continued with act II of Batman’s demise in, “The Black Glove” storyline. Morrison would collaborate with the talents of J.H. Williams III and then the current writer/artist on Batman, Tony Daniel. After the first two issues of the storyline, “The Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul” would crossover into the main title for issues #670 and #671. Morrison wrote the prelude and part 4 of 7 in the storyline that would also crossover into the Robin, Nightwing, and Detective Comics titles. Morrison would then continue on with “The Black Glove” storyline that was wrapped up with issue #675. Morrison, along with Tony Daniel, would begin of his epic and controversial Batman tale, with Batman R.I.P.
For the better part of two years, Morrison had been writing Batman and everything he had been working for was leading up to Batman R.I.P. All of the issues he had written going back to the beginning with issue #655 were intricate pieces to understanding the over all story. R.I.P. began with issue #676 in May of 2008 and concluded with the Last Rites storyline, issues #682 and #683. Also that same year, Morrison penned the DC main even, Final Crisis, which ended up playing a big role in the future of the current Batman universe. While I personally feel that Morrison’s run on Batman has been unforgettable and one of the best that I’ve read in a long time, many fans feel that Morrison began writing for himself. Many readers felt that they were misled and the ending was not what they were looking for. The question I ask is; did Morrison not capture the very essence of Batman’s character? Did he not show great respect and understanding for this comic book mythology we all love?
Following a brief absence from the Batman titles, Morrison made his triumphant return in June of 2009 with the release of Batman and Robin #1. The result was an epic critical and commercial success. The first three issues of the series are considered by many to be the best written superhero comics that were published in 2009. Morrison was redeemed by fans for any of his prior Batman work. Along with great artist and close friend, Frank Quitely, Morrison was able to capture the quirky and action-packed fun that we all have come to love inside the pages of comics. However, after issue three, Frank Quitely left the title, and the book has since had a revolving panel of artists every three issues. Morrison has remained and the book has lost some of the magic that it had within those first three issues. None the less, it is still considered to be the best current Batman title currently being released.
In addition to Batman and Robin, Morrison is writing The Return of Bruce Wayne miniseries. The first issue is set to release today. The six issues miniseries will bring Bruce Wayne back to Gotham City, and will be the latest chapter in Morrison’s Batman epic which continues. Morrison is also set to return to Batman with issue #700 in June of 2010. Morrison just continues to leave a rather large stamp on the character.
Grant Morrison is widely recognized and considered to be of “rock star” status in the comic book world. There is no denying that no other creator has impacted the character of Batman like Morrison has. He has taken chances, some that haven’t always worked but others that had. He isn’t afraid of making mistakes and I feel like he has taken the Batman universe in a fresh and bold new direction that will change the future of the character forever. Love him or hate him, you have to respect him.
That concludes this entry of Creator Spotlight; I hope you enjoyed a look at the rather impressive look at the career of Grant Morrison. Next time, I will be elaborating on the fan-favorite artist, Tim Sale. Until then, tune in next time, same bat-time, same bat-channel.
Posted by Zach
Oh the things to say about this book. First of all, the story did seem okay for what it was, and I consider it decent popcorn entertainment, so for face value, it did entertain.
Pretty much a paint-by-numbers resolution of the story; Superman takes care of NRX-G, kills him in fact, but since it’s an cybernetic life form I guess we are giving Supes a pass there. Batman tackles the Durlan on the ship, pretty much your standard cliched villain that thinks his cause is justified versus Batman who looks on with disgust.
Then Superman jumps aboard the ship as the Durlan posing as Gaines had the ship doing a Kamikaze run into downtown Metropolis. You get a fight with Superman and the Durlan, Superman wins, Superman stops the ship from crashing into the Daily Planet Building, the Durlan seemingly kills himself, Bruce and Clark have a pow-wow concerning terrorist ways of warfare.
Oh, and a piece of the Durlan is seen floating around where the ship splash-landed, so apparently Casey is doing more “setup” for a possible continuation of the centuries long Durlan-Kryptonian war.
I can kind of see what Casey might have been going with an almost morality tale about guerrilla warfare, but it just seems to come off flat and almost cliched. Yeah, yeah that is wrong headed and “WE must do better.” The same old, we shouldn’t be the bad guys argument. Quite frankly, that isn’t what I am reading comic books for. If I wanted that lesson about how to fight a war, I’d watch Sean Hannity, not read Superman/Batman!
That aside, the major gripe I have with this book is the trade dress. Yes I know, as I said last time, a comic book reader should be used to this sort of thing by now, but still, the conclusion issue mentions nothing about the “Our Worlds At War” story despite the banner splashed across the cover. And apparently this “new direction” ends here as Paul Levitz takes over, with Jerry Ordway doing the art, with a brand new story next month. Very disappointing as this seemed like a great idea for the title. The two Icons of the DC Universe and various events throughout the years, it could have been gold! But instead it seems that the direction was just your standard “tie-in that really doesn’t tie-in, we are just selling books” crossover. For what it’s worth though, issue # 72’s cover, also the cover art for the latest TBU Comic Podcast, done by Fabrizio Fiorentino does look awesome, and the story does sound intriguing.
I enjoyed it for what it was, but considering my expectations for the run and the big letdown for the new direction.
Superman/Batman #71:
Reviewed by SteveJRogers
A Batman Bulletin
from
The Blackest Night
Now that Geoff Johns’ Blackest Night has wrapped up and his latest effort “Brightest Day” has begun we are left with a few questions.
First and foremost amongst the questions is the current state of Bruce Wayne’s remains. Now we all know that the current Batman, Dick Grayson, took a set of whole remains to a Lazarus pit over in the UK with less than perfect results. But what of the remains that Black Hand pilfered from the Wayne family plot? Batman and Robin salvaged most of the remains while Black Hand kept the skull and used it as a sort of talisman to channel Nekron's black energy.
So where is the skull? And since we know that Bruce Wayne is traveling through time, whose skull was it really? At the end of Blackest Night #8, Hal Jordan and Barry Allen stand over the graves of Thomas, Martha and Bruce Wayne. They deduce that since the Black Lantern Batman didn’t recognize them then Bruce is alive. Tim Drake was right! This deduction is a leap of faith that has been repeated in many other of the Batman titles. Most notably by Dick Grayson himself and with relative ease. Does that bother anyone?
We’ll set that head-scratcher aside and talk a little about a member of the extended Batman family, Deadman. Deadman played a significant role in Blackest Night. He was a key player in the “Batman: Blackest Night” titles and provided the essential truth that led to Nekron's demise. So where is Boston Brand now? He’s alive! Not only alive but he looks to be a charter member of the new White Lantern Corp. His first act was to bring a baby bird back to life. Hey you have to start somewhere.
I’m not reading all the Bat titles so please fill me in if I’ve missed something. Anyone know where the skull of “Bruce Wayne” is? How do you feel about Deadman being anything but dead? How will the Bat family play a role in Brightest Day? Will Dick Grayson perish to pave the way for Bruce’s return? (A hot topic on the web). Is Deadman's role to eventually resurrect Grayson if he should have to die? Or is that too easy?
Posted by Dark Knight Dave
Alright, so as some may know, I recently moved back to where I grew up, Chicago. Well, this week marks the first convention on a major scale in the city. I attended today and will be attending all weekend. I have to say that I am really pleased with what I have seen so far.
While not be as big as San Diego Comic Con, it has the potential to be much larger. The exhibit hall was very large and spacious. I mention the latter since at SDCC, in order to move around, you really have to some times get to know the person you are standing next to. There was plenty of space throughout the entire convention hall. The DC Nation panel was held in a room that could be compared to half of the size as Hall H at SDCC. Plenty of room.
I keep mentioning plenty of room because it did not feel cramped at all. Even thought this convention is not in the dead of summer it is still being pretty well attended. There were plenty of people scoping out deals with the vendors and getting sketches from their favorite artists.
DC turned out big to push the con, as they had their own booth to the extent of what we would see at SDCC. Not as spread out, but all of the contents was the same. Plenty of free swag from DC as well. (Some will be making it to the Quiz show prize package.)
On a personal note, came across the Joker and Man-Bat figures from the DC Universe Classics line that were exclusive to Wal-Mart for a reasonable price. I also got sketches from Tony Daniel and Dustin Ngyuen. I secured some future interviews for the show and expect to land some more tomorrow.
Speaking of Dustin Ngyuen, he loves to let news slip. Remember when we first interviewed him back last year in April. He mentioned that we should really push the fans for DC to get him a Black and White statue. Well, it turns out that at SDCC this year, his statue will be revealed. He said it is already in production. Also without giving too much details, we have not seen the end of his Little Gotham characters. Hopefully more on that tomorrow after the Batman panel.
Well, a lot happened and even more will happen tomorrow. So I am off to bed to try and get rested for another awesome day in Chicago.
Posted by Dustin