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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 1, 2020 13:20:16 GMT -5
No new comics means no new Off the Racks...but DC did release this digital first book based on Batman the Animated Series so that'll have to tide me over. Batman: The Adventure Continues #1Written by Alan Burnett and Paul Dini Art by Ty Templeton Summary: When a strange robot steals an alien artifact from Wayne Enterprises while Lex Luthor is in town Batman's target is clear.
Plot: I've loved Batman nearly my whole life and Batman the Animated series is by far my favorite Batman project to ever come out. It's mix of classic stories and new capers with classic villains it gave all viewers a fantastic look at just why Batman was tops. Coming out around the same time was the companion book The Batman Adventures which not only gave us extended takes of key episodes but also explored territory in the corners of the animated universe and this new book unites the original creative team from that book in new adventures from the animated universe bridging the gap between when Batman ended and the Bruce Timm helmed Justice League began. In this issue we saw the start of a new clash with Lex Luthor, and Burnett and Dini still have it as I could hear Clancy Brown's distinctive voice with each line of Dialogue they wrote. That level of immersion is just the treat I needed in this comic starved time, giving me a taste of past love and new adventures to fill my mind.
Art: Templeton always had a great hand at evoking the style that Bruce Timm brought to Batman and he didn't disappoint here. My only qualm is that he stuck with the New Batman Adventures style, which while far from bad is not my preference especially in terms of the Batmobile design.
Grade:10/10 |
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Post by BigPapaJoe on Apr 3, 2020 22:24:44 GMT -5
I think DC and Marvel released a combined 4 or 5 comics this past Wednesday. And Marvel isn't releasing anything. The only thing that seemed interesting was this new book. I'll have to give it a read. Never read the Batman Bruce Timm comics, but it is a top 5 cartoon of mine.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 6, 2020 8:25:05 GMT -5
I think DC and Marvel released a combined 4 or 5 comics this past Wednesday. And Marvel isn't releasing anything. The only thing that seemed interesting was this new book. I'll have to give it a read. Never read the Batman Bruce Timm comics, but it is a top 5 cartoon of mine. The tie in comics started off a little bland, but they grew over time and actually told some pretty solid stories. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 15, 2020 10:11:43 GMT -5
Issue two wrapped things up rather nicely I thought. It was a tad simplistic plot wise, and the way Batman escaped Lex was a little bit of a let down as it stunk of Bat-God induced Deus Ex Machina and in a very literal sense of the phrase as Batman escaped Lex's clutches because he left a booby trap in the head of Brainiac that only he could trigger with a battarang, but it did have some fun points in it's use of the armor from Dark Knight Returns which was a great homage and the over all tone was still a great match for the animated series. On top of that I'm really interested in the Jason Todd sub plot and I wonder how differently it'll play out than how we've seen before.
Grade:7/10
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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 22, 2020 19:30:29 GMT -5
DC released a new digital book today... Batman: Gotham Nights #1Written by Brad Meltzer and Larry Hamma Art by Jim Lee and Mirko Colac Summary: A double feature book about honor featuring Batman and Batwoman.
Plot: While it's true that I'm practically starving for new content I'm not so desperate as to love just anything so I can safely say that this entry was mediocre at best. The first feature was where most of the dead weight with it's pairing of a typical night in Gotham for Batman with a speech from President Obama about Staff Sgt. Sal Giunta's acts of heroism that led to receiving the Medal of Honor. I can see what they were going for, the acts of everyday people like Staff Sgt. Giunta should be viewed with as much awe by the public as they treat big action set pieces staring guys in tights like Batman but the execution came off as a bit muddled as it's purpose isn't clear until the very end and the fact that it isn't an actual story is a little disappointing for someone just looking for a Batman comic. The second feature with a prequel Kate Kane story was on a lot more solid footing than the first feature. Sure, we've had prequel stories of Kate as a cadet before but under the pen of a real military vet like Hama it really came off as more authentic here which I really enjoyed. So the first issue was a mixed bag, but it was still something so I'll be picking up more in the future.
Art: While the first story was lacking in execution plot wise I really liked seeing Jim Lee on Batman again; his look may not be for everyone but I love how his Batman looks.
Grade:6/10
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Post by earl on Apr 23, 2020 18:11:37 GMT -5
Andy Diggle wrote a pretty good Lex Luthor vs Batman story that was in Batman Confidential 1-6. There is some robot fighting in that one too. That might be one to revisit.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 23, 2020 18:44:39 GMT -5
Andy Diggle wrote a pretty good Lex Luthor vs Batman story that was in Batman Confidential 1-6. There is some robot fighting in that one too. That might be one to revisit. I might have to check that one out. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 24, 2020 16:34:54 GMT -5
Superman: Man of Tomorrow #1Written by Robert Vendetti Art by Paul Pelletier Summary: Superman faces off against the Parasite.
Plot: I've since read else where that these new books by DC were previously released in the Giants but I never got them as I wasn't interested in the older stories they mostly collected so this digital version carrying just the new material is new to me. While this story wasn't breaking any new ground plot wise (Superman beats the Parasite by taking him to someplace with out any energy to consume) and it didn't give us anything new about Superman as a person that we haven't already seen before it's one and done, self contained style was really refreshing. On top of that, Superman's message to the people of Metropolis that if everyone looks out for each other than no one is left alone really rang true to me, especially considering the health crisis we're all facing right now. It was a really great human moment and what's more it worked well not only on its own but also as a highlight to how out of tough Lex Luthor is at the end as he complains about Superman's feats of strength stealing the spotlight.
Art: Like the story, there wasn't anything super special about Pelletier's art, but it told the story well enough.
Grade:8/10
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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 26, 2020 10:23:38 GMT -5
Andy Diggle wrote a pretty good Lex Luthor vs Batman story that was in Batman Confidential 1-6. There is some robot fighting in that one too. That might be one to revisit. I don't know how I missed Confidential when it came out, I remember seeing it on the racks at the time but I never picked it up. The first arc you mentioned was a great read; it reminded me a little of the World's Finest arc from Superman the Animated Series only here Batman didn't need Superman's added muscle. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 26, 2020 11:26:58 GMT -5
Swamp Thing: New Roots #1Written by Mark Russel Art by Marco Santucci Summary: Swamp Thing is on a crusade to bury the Sunderland Corporation but they have an inside track to beating him.
Plot: While Russel's Swamp Thing is a little too talkative for my taste the one and done nature of the story with its twist ending reminded me of the old Warren horror stories which is always a good thing. However, as big a proponent of one shots as I am(especially when they're horror) I feel like this story would have benefited more from being longer. In such a short story Russel just didn't really build the mood adequately, and the relationship between Swamp Thing and the Voodoo Priestess wasn't built up enough to really make the twist ending with her work as well as it could have. The bones for a great story were here and I enjoyed it for hat it was but the feeling that it could have developed into something much better did drag it down a bit for me.
Art: Santucci draws a mean Swamp Thing but in this entry he didn't get to do a whole lot, hopefully in further entries we get to see him do something much moodier.
Grade:6/10 |
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Post by Batflunkie on Apr 26, 2020 14:10:11 GMT -5
Yeah, been liking these stand-alone digital stories that DC's been doing. Are they going to continue with them once production of physical copies resumes or ditch them?
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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 26, 2020 14:20:57 GMT -5
Yeah, been liking these stand-alone digital stories that DC's been doing. Are they going to continue with them once production of physical copies resumes or ditch them? I believe they're all from the DC giants so I suppose they'll run until they've put out all the material that was originally put out in them. I never picked them up because the reprints didn't interest me but the new stories have been pretty decent. |
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Post by earl on Apr 26, 2020 16:31:17 GMT -5
If you are a fan of the Legends of the Dark Knight series, Batman Confidential was pretty much a continuation of self contained Batman stories. Some arcs are better than others, but there are some good reads in the run.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 26, 2020 17:55:52 GMT -5
If you are a fan of the Legends of the Dark Knight series, Batman Confidential was pretty much a continuation of self contained Batman stories. Some arcs are better than others, but there are some good reads in the run. Yeah, I was reading up on some of the other arcs but nothing else really stuck out to me though I may try New Dawn as I loved King Tut. |
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Post by earl on Apr 26, 2020 18:22:57 GMT -5
Tony Bedard wrote a solid sequel to the classic Barr/Golden Wrath story line.
I'd also check out Peter Milligan and Andy Clarke's Batman in Russia story. It's really good, maybe my favorite in the series.
They did a Joker origin story with Denys Cowan that had some nice visual moments, but isn't up to others done before.
Kevin Maquire did a 'ha ha' Batgirl/Catwoman story that is fun.
For some reason, I never got the last few issues and it has a Jerry Bingham Batman story. He's a good artist and has not done that many issues, as I think he has a commercial art background and that is his main thing.
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