Dark Knight Rises Teaser

Gotham City Sirens #20 Comic Review

In this new arc of DC comic’s series Gotham City Sirens the reader encounters the character Harley Quinn breaking into Gotham’s infamous institution, Arkham Asylum to confront the love of her life; The Joker.

This issue ties nicely into the Batman universe, since the Joker has returned and is recapturing the role of not only Batman’s but also Gotham’s most prominent villain.

Batman: The Dark Knight

I am personally not a big fan of Batman. Most of the time when a series comes out involving the character, it really depends on who is writing and/or who is doing the art. In the case of Batman: The Dark Knight, I was excited about the writer and the artist, due to the fact that the whole book is created by one man, the legendary David Finch.

Batman: The Return

The time that so many Batman fans have been waiting for has finally arrived, Bruce Wayne is back and he is ready to not only reform the criminal underworld in Gotham City, he is ready to reform the world. The issue entitled “Planet Gotham”, which is all too fitting, begins with a metaphor which describes the endeavor that Wayne plans on embarking on in the newest series Batman Incorporated, which is the subsequent issue to Batman: The Return.

Batman Incorporated #1

The concept of Batman Inc. is one of the most creative concepts I have seen in comics in the past few years. The idea of Bruce Wayne training a Batman for every major city in every country is beyond anything I could have ever thought about in my entire life, and the idea itself is extremely unique.

This story takes place immediately following the issue Batman: The Return. So If you have not read that issue, or have not read my review of it yet, then I suggest you do so that you do not have anything spoiled for you.

Knight and Squire #1

Going into this issue I didn’t know much about Knight and Squire, except that they are basically the British equivalent of Batman and Robin. Knowing this, I assumed that the issue would have an English tinge to it, but little did I know that I would be getting a British Revolution with this issue.

This issue is filled with an abundant amount of what seem to be British jokes, which really fit with the story since it takes place in an English pub with a number of British heroes and villains. I accredit this success to write Paul Cornell, being from England, he really had the life experience to do an issue like this, and I give DC props for choosing him as the writer for this mini-series.

The art in the issue is crisp and clean, but retains a sort of classic style to it that fits the time period the issue is going for, and accents the use of older characters perfectly, giving them the original feel.

One thing I really liked about the issue is that it was a self-contained story even though this is going to be a six issues mini-series. This is always a plus in my opinion when it comes to comics, it is great for new and old readers, and it is always a way to keep people on a book, because even though this story may not be to a readers liking, the next story could be different.

The one negative aspect about this issue, that really damages its integrity, is the fact that almost 70% of the issue is British inside jokes. Although it is really neat, it leaves a lot of readers and fans confused if they do not know the origin of the content. I mean, if the reader is British, then great they would understand a lot of the content, but since the majority of the people that are reading this aren’t, it really hurts the book in my opinion. If you are a fan of British humor, and are a fan of these characters, check out the book. If you aren’t, a fan of British humor and feel as though constant British jokes may confuse you, then steer clear. I would recommend this as an interesting book to check out and get a full story out of, but in the end it is up to you.

6.5 out of 10

Batman 3 to be called The Dark Knight Rises

Will not feature The Riddler.

Will not be in 3D.

Will be shot with IMAX cameras.

And Tom Hardy (the forger in Inception) will have a lead role.

The Birds of Prey think Aquaman has a little fish...

Show: Batman: The Brave & the Bold
Setup: Batman gets amnesia and believes he is a mobster, grows a stache & starts wearing a pimp cape. Catwoman, Black Canary & Huntress going to stop him by singing. Oh the song was written by Gail Simone and you definitely can see some of her Secret Six style humor in it.

Thank to Topless Robot for pointing this out.

Batman: Arkham Asylum Sequel is Named....

Batman: Arkham City. OK, I will admit the named is kinda stupid but this images are getting me excited.

The Batman Dreams of Hieronymus Machines

This is a video of a presentation/performance given by Matt Fraction. Not only does it go into great depth about what exactly comic books are but it's also hilarious. I know that it's long and it's 2010 so everyone has ADD but please take the time to watch it. It's completely brilliant. Boobies.

The Batman Dreams Of Hieronymus Machines

Batman Odyssey #1

I jumped off the Batman band wagon about six months ago back when Batman and Robin was almost 2 months late and none of the Batman titles were really doing it for me. After reading this first issue of Batman Odyssey both written and drawn by the legendary Neal Adams it has me re-thinking my decision of ditching any and all Batman titles.

When it comes to drawing Batman, Adams is one of the best. He has a unique talent when it comes to drawing the master detective, more so than many of the artists that are undertaking the task lately. He gives the art that classic Batman feel, and it especially works well with Odyssey since the story takes place back when Dick Grayson is still the “boy” wonder and Batman is still using the classic grey and blue costume.

Speaking of this series taking place back in time when Bruce was still Batman and Dick was Robin, is probably the main reason as to why I enjoyed the book as much as I did. I tend to enjoy reading about Bruce Wayne Batman, more so than Dick Grayson Batman. Maybe its because it just feels right because it is the original, or maybe it is because I am always sick of whiney Damian Wayne in all the Batman titles—who knows the truth really? Regardless, having the original line-up in this title is one of the main reasons why it was such a great read.

Aside from that, the story that is taking place is really interesting as well. It begins with Batman telling Robin about one of the first times he took up being Batman, and it quickly segues into the actual storyline of the first arc, featuring the Riddler. It seems like the main focus is going to be about classic detective Batman, having to figure out every little thing and not really keeping Robin, Commissioner Gordon, or the reader in the loop. It is safe to say that it will be interesting as to how Adams ties the storyline of the arc together with the story that Bruce was telling Dick in the beginning of the book. This issue is a refreshing change of pace to what has been going on in the world of Batman lately, and seems like it should continue to be the same, hopefully more of the Bat-Books will be like this when Bruce fully returns.

8.5 out of 10

*Originally posted on the Chris' Comics Official Website