The Stony Brook Press » Batman

Reboots! My One Weakness!

Evan Goldaper — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:11:34 +0000

As recent trends in film, video games and clothing have indicated, Americans love comic book characters. But, as recent sales trends have indicated, Americans don’t love comic books. We’re talking about an industry where $4 gets you 20 pages of material that doesn’t tell a full story, and you won’t be able to read the next section for another month, mind you. So it’s no surprise that, aside from a few select fanboys, no one’s been buying many comics lately.

Everyone in the industry has realized this, and each company has its own way of dealing with it. DC Comics, the folks who bring us such big guys as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and…um…Static Shock, has approached this with the The New 52!, meaning they’ve ended every single series they run and are slowly rebooting every comic from Issue 1. Considering most people’s problems with comics is that their sprawling mythos is hard to get into, this seems like a great plan.

But any change is bound to bring up critics, and DC has had its fair share even before the books launched. Notable arguments involved the lack of female authors and illustrators: a trend in the industry, that, when coupled with such things as Power Girl’s “chest-window” and Green Lantern’s “girlfriend-in-a- refrigerator,” makes comic books look like they’re trapped in the time when female superheroes’ main team roles were moral support, fashion design and being kidnapped. Indeed, many fans complained during a period of never-ending Wonder Woman redesigns that I’ve dubbed “Pantsgate.” Should Wonder Woman finally start wearing pants in a stance of visual equality to Superman and Batman, or should she still wear a one-piece bathing suit all day because it’s “sexier” and “classic?” Ultimately, weeks of internet argument ended with the only visible change being

an increase in Wonder Woman’s bust size, which I suppose isn’t exactly the feminist victory some fans were hoping for.

Additional early complaints included accusations of racism. Every single member of the new Justice League is a white male save for two: one white woman and one “Cyborg,” everyone’s favorite ‘half-black, half-machine, all-attitude’ bruiser from TV’s Teen Titans. This time, there aren’t even racially-ambiguous aliens like Martian Girl to save them, nor is there a black Green Lantern. It’s just that. It’s a step forward, insists DC, but early press material that often excluded Cyborg completely made it clear to many fans that he was truly the “token.”

I was able to pick up a copy of Justice League #1 before my comic book store inevitably sold out of it, and I have to say that, though I’m not blown away, it was good, clean comic book fun. Oddly enough, this issue only features Green Lantern and Batman, but my two favorite superheroes do make an excellent team. The whole issue is basically the duo engaging in witty bantered around centering on Batman’s incredible competence but lack of powers and Green Lantern’s general idiocy but godlike skills. It’s great fun, and well- written, but “witty banter and little else” seems like an odd way to say “Welcome to the re-launch of our primary comic series!”

The comic also features the beginning of a subplot about the creation of Cyborg. We see our hero, prior to being roboticized, as a high school football star, and there are implications that he’s destined for more than he realizes. But there’s not enough time to chat with Cyborg, because we have to see Green Lantern and Batman exchange more witty lines.

There’s not much else to this. The art is tragically overworked, with every character’s costume covered in random lines to make them look “cool” and explosions riddling every page. A cleaner, simpler art style would’ve gone further, and indie comic creators across the web have been trying their hand at redoing this in that style for a while now.

But at the end of the day, all of those original complaints have yet to shine through. Wonder Woman’s not here and half the team does nothing, which leaves no way for audiences to judge Cyborg’s usefulness. Of course, this just means that the anger will flare up again, and by the time Issue 3 comes around, I’ll be parsing through pages and pages of angry internet comments all over again. But for now, this reboot could’ve been much worse. And I’ll be picking up the next issue, if only because someone’s got to be the hero whose purchases save this industry, and it might as well be me.

Batman: The Bat and the Cat Review

Eric DiGiovanni — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 03:11:52 +0000

By Eric D. Giovanni

If you look closely, there’s a building in this picture

Don’t be fooled by the title, this is all about Barbara Gordon, the newly minted Batgirl, a buxom red-handed spitfire.

The magazine collects issues 17 to 21 of the series Batman Confidential. It opens with Gordon, a librarian trying to decode a notebook that belongs to her father, Commissioner Gordon. The book is stolen by Catwoman and she’s on the chase. What seems at first like a case of petty theft soon turns into something much deeper.

We never find out what’s in the notebook, but it takes us everywhere from a club, to a junkyard, to the rooftops of Gotham, all the way into the headquarters of the Russian Mafia. Catwoman, in order to save a friend of hers from servitude, steals the notebook to use as a bargaining chip. Batman comes to help just as the mob takes the notebook and enlists the help of The Riddler. The final issue takes Batgirl through the bowels of Arkham Asylum, where, and I’m not making this up, she avoids confrontation with The Joker by winning a riddle contest.

What drew me to the book was writer Fabian Nicieza. His previous writing credits include X-Men and Citizen V, and was the editor in chief for the short-lived Acclaim Comics from which we get the Turok series of video games. However, he is best known for co-creating Deadpool with Rob Liefeld. So I went in expecting some witty, light hearted adventure that remains true to the spirit of the characters. Oh, and a shit ton of inner monologues.

My only complaint is the layout. Kevin McGuire’s art is really expressive, but whenever a fight scene took place, things got claustrophobic and hard to follow. Other than that, it was an enjoyable read. Would I buy it? Not at the $13 recommended asking price. Still, it got me interested in Batman Confidential, so at the very least that series has a new reader.

As a side note, if you’re expecting girl-on-girl action, Batgirl and Catwoman totally wrestle naked in a hedonist club. I’m just sayin’.

I (Heart) Grant Morrison

Andrew Fraley — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:18:49 +0000

By Andrew Fraley

Batman

2008 was a huge year for Grant Morrison. After making his start in alternative comics in his hometown of Glasgow, Scotland, he has slowly built his way up to the top of the world of comics. He’s taken the helm of Batman for two years, taking the Dark Knight to all new places…like the grave. He’s also been the poster child for DC Comics’ most recent—and last? Probably not—crossover series, Final Crisis. Morrison ended his run of both series by killing off Batman…sort of.

Well, he didn’t really kill him off. Nobody kills The Batman, after all. That’s the one thing we learned at the end of Batman RIP. But he did send him to the past…or something. I’m not really sure. Regardless, Bruce Wayne will eventually return to his role as the caped crusader. The other thing Grant Morrison taught us about the Dark Knight? He always has a contingency plan.

Now that Morrison has finished with the official Batman series, he has started with a new series, called Batman and Robin. Part of the Batman: Reborn collection of the Batman series—which follows Final Crisis—Batman and Robin follows Dick Grayson, former Robin and Nightwing, as he dons the new cape and Damian Wayne, the love child of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul, as he becomes the new Robin.

Batman and Robin, in addition to exploring a new dynamic between the two heroes, also experiments with the idea of somebody else in Batman’s shoes. In an interview with IGN, Morrison described a “reverse” dynamic between the two, with a lighter Batman and a darker Robin. The only problem I have with this series is that I can’t stand that little bastard Damian. But I must admit, he is made out to be much more badass than he was in Batman and Son, Morrison’s earlier work.

Apart from an all new Batman and Robin, Morrison has introduced some brand new villains and baddies. The Circus of Crime—made up of fire guy, a toad-faced man, a fat lady and led by a frightening man named Pyg—are the first arc’s troublemakers. Pyg wants to infect the city with fear, and has been turning ordinary citizens into dollotrons to do so. Dollotrons are Pyg’s attempt at human perfection; a terrifying process turns his victims into red-headed, mindless man dolls. By the end, however, Batman and Robin are able to get over their differences and put a stop to the dollotron epidemic.

Morrison has also teamed up again with Frank Quietly, who has collaborated with Morrison on other projects, such as the brilliant All Star Superman. Morrison has reportedly given Quietly much more free range with the art flow and choreography than usual. This can be seen with Quietly’s seamless use of sound-effects and art. For example, the “boom” of an explosion is integrated into the explosion itself. It makes for a pleasing aesthetic and more enjoyable read.

Ultimately, the story falls a bit short of what I’d expect from a Grant Morrison Batman tale. It’s only the first three issues, and first story arc, so I’m still very excited for this tale’s potential. For the next several arcs, different artists will be rotated in and out, starting with Phillip Tan, before returning to Frank Quietly. Morrison has also hinted at a Joker appearance, with Quietly at the drawing board. Thus, I do expect this story to go far. And with Grant Morrison, even if the story is bad, it’s still pretty good. This will hopefully be a great conclusion to Morrison’s stunning Batman run.

Seaguy

At the 2008New York City Comic Con, during a Q&A with Grant Morrison, a fan asked, “Is Seaguy a superhero, or a detective?” Morrison laughed aloud and, in his thick Scottish brogue, said, “He’s just a guy. Imagine if you or I dressed up in a scuba suit. That’s Seaguy.” I don’t think anything else could better describe this funny, terrifying, whimsical, depressing and phenomenal comic series. And after languishing for five years in publication limbo, Morrison has returned to the comic that he has called his “Watchmen”.

Seaguy began as a simple three issue miniseries for Vertigo in May 2004. Less-than-average sales caused the series’ discontinuation. Morrison had originally planned on having three volumes of the series, the second one subtitled The Slaves of Mickey Eye and the third called Seaguy Eternal. In 2006, it was reported that Morrison had put another series he was working on, 52, on ransom until the publishers agreed to finish the series’ run. In April 2009, Morrison and his fans got their wish, and Seaguy: The Slaves of Mickey Eye issue one was released.

The story follows a young superhero named Seaguy, and his talking, floating, cigar-smoking tuna friend, Chubby. The world in which Seaguy lives is a dystopia in which the masses are placated by a cartoon called Mickey Eye, which is about an omniscient anthropomorphic eyeball, and by the corresponding Mickey Eye amusement park. Seaguy has never actually been on an adventure, because the world he lives in is perfect and crime-free. When Seaguy is playing chess with Death, he’s also trying to earn the affection of a bearded female warrior named She-Beard. If this doesn’t already sound incredibly weird, Seaguy and Chubby then go on their very first adventure after discovering that a popular food named Xoo is actually alive, and sentient. After a series of increasingly more tragic events, including the death of poor Chubby, Seaguy discovers the secret behind his perfect world.

In The Slaves of Mickey Eye, Seaguy has forgotten many of the events of the past. The Eye and its minions, including the ruthless Seadog—former friend of Seaguy—attempt to rein Seaguy in because of his dangerous knowledge. With guidance from the ghost of Chubby, Seaguy is able to bring down Mickey Eye in the end, and gain the love of the now beardless She-Beard. Nothing really changes by the end, though; The Eye is still in power, and the status quo is unchanged. This leaves the real resolution for the final volume of the series. It is a satisfying conclusion to this chapter, however. It’s certainly happier than most trilogies’ middle chapters.

Eternal Seaguy doesn’t have a release date, yet. I hope that it’s less than five years though, because I’m really excited for the story’s conclusion. And when one of the most prolific authors in the comic industry calls this his “Watchmen,” it’s a series that needs to be finished. Seaguy is a truly unique story that challenges all the conventions of the typical superhero archetype. It’s a perfect mixture of quirky, light hearted humor and dark tragedy, and contains many of Grant Morrison’s trademark characteristics. Look for Seaguy, Volume 1 at your local comic book stores, and expect a trade paperback of The Slaves of Mickey Eye soon. Grant Morrison rules. I heart him.