Batman and Robin Adventures #3

Here we are! My final holiday comic review for the 2024 season. Based on the iconic Batman: The Animated Series, this comic sees the Riddler holding a prestigious gentlemen's club being held hostage during its annual Christmas party. 

First of all, when I use the term gentlemen's club, I'm not referring to the seedy nudie bar near the airport. Second, when I use the term holiday comic, I'm actually actually referring to the time of year this book is set. Otherwise, this story is one that could have been told the other 364 days of the year.

Christmas is basically just a prop. The Riddler does cause a fire at the club by turning all of the Christmas tree table decorations into incendiaries. However, the fiend could have set the blaze with any sort of decor. The Riddler's scheme could have happened during the club's annual Easter banquet, Fourth of July fete or Thanksgiving feast. 

This is no Christmas With the Joker.

I also had trouble with the ending. Riddler's escape hangs upon dumb luck. Somehow after escaping Batman's clutches, the villain dons a Gotham City SWAT team uniform. He manages to flee the scene when Commissioner Gordon orders the Riddler's SWAT team 'officer' to request fire and rescue and in order to do that, he's got to get inside a transport vehicle to get on the horn to make the inquiry. How would the Riddler have planned to have escaped if Gordon didn't pick him to contact the GCFD?

The ending really rests on a 'hand of fate' decision. The Riddler's heists are too well planned to the finest detail that having this escape step of his scheme hangs on random selection is just too implausible to me. Considering how perfect Paul Dini's Batman: TAS stories are, he really got a little sloppy with this plot. A Riddler caper has to be like clockwork and I'm not talking about using a sun dial. 

Ty Templeton's art work was flawless. So clean and so screen accurate. It really steals the show... Uh, comic. 

Not a true Christmas story. Not the most well thought out Riddler story. But some darn fine artwork. 

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Batman: The Long Halloween Deluxe Edition- Catwoman: When in Rome

I wondered for the longest time after buying this deluxe edition, brand spanking new in 2022, what the book had to do with The Longest Halloween. I figured that since it was by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, this Catwoman solo venture was just being branded as part of the whole franchise. But that assumption couldn't be further from the case. 

In Dark Victory, Catwoman goes to Italy. It's assumed until the very last 2-pages, that Selina Kyle was attempting to get information over whom might have stolen the body of Carmine Falcone. Well, what happened to Selina in in Europe is explored here in When In Rome. Since it occurs during the events of Dark Victory, this is a midquel, I guess you could say. (Is midquel even a word?)

Needing help with the language and the customs of Italy, Selina has reluctantly hired Edward Nigma, the Riddler, as her traveling companion. Also helping with Selina's mission is a top Falcone family hit man known as The Blonde. It's pretty clear from almost the moment Selena and Eddie step off their plane that someone is trying to kill them. As the hired natives begin using weaponry commonly associated with Batman's Rogue's Gallery, it's becoming clear that somebody from Gotham is behind the plot to kill Catwoman. Could it be Sofia Falcone, who's got a vendetta against the cat thief for putting her in a wheelchair? Or, as Selena's dreams are haunted by visions of Batman could it be the Dark Knight himself trying to kill her?

I feel like I have read this story before. Some scenes seemed familiar. However, I couldn't find evidence in my reading journal that I have read When In Rome previously. I was devouring issues of Wizard and Toyfare when this book originally dropped. Maybe I'm remembering those scenes from an interview with Loeb and Sale. If I had read it before, I had forgotten enough to feel like this was almost an all-new story. 

When In Rome is a very solid mystery. It's psychological as well as a con job yarn. The Riddler was great comic relief. Sale's artwork is amazing as as usual. It's a bit cheeky. If you've ever wanted to see Catwoman's naked backside, you're almost in for a treat. Not full cheesecake, but definitely a sampling.

I've got 1 more story left in The Long Halloween storyline to read. 2021's Batman: The Long Halloween Special. Wait, that's not right. I just learned that a final chapter is coming out. A 13-chapter promised finale, The Last Halloween will start later this month. As Tim Sale had passed away about a year ago, I'm interested in knowing how much he contributed to the closer and if some sort of tribute will be forthcoming with the first issue.

It appears that The Long Halloween just might never end.

Worth Consuming!

Rating 9 out of 10 stars.

Batman- One Bad Day: The Riddler

The Riddler kicks off DC's series of 8 one-shot graphic novel anthologies devoted to some of Batman's greatest foes. 

As a kid, the Riddler was the villain I always chose over the Joker. Sure, the Joker was colorful, using jokes and pranks to commit his crimes. But the Riddler had panache. He used puzzles, riddles and games which the reader got the chance to solve alongside the Dark Knight. Plus, Riddler had all those great oversized props. Hey, Gallagher, Carrot Top and Tape Face make me laugh. What can I say, I like prop comedy!

This Tom King story changes everything you know about the Riddler. No longer content with riddling, Edward Nygma ups the game by randomly shooting a man in cold blood, immediately surrendering himself to Gotham City police and demanding to see the Batman. As Batman tries to undercover why the Riddler is acting totally against his character, the super-villain's origin will be revealed. 

Tom King does manage to utilize some of the Riddler's origin which was established right away by character creator Bill Finger in the character's first appearance in 1948's Detective Comics #140. Doing such was an homage I appreciated. I just didn't like how heartless Tom King made the Riddler. King's not the first to turn the Riddler into a more sadistic killer. Portrayals on TV's Gotham and last year's The Batman have seen the character getting ever so much more closer to the edge of reason. This story is what sent the character right over the cliff. 

The illustrator is Tom King's regular collaborator Mitch Gerads. As usual, Gerads art style is gritty, realistic and far more superior than 75% of the artists operating in comics today. I appreciated how Gerads used famous people to visually represent many of the characters. Am I the only one who saw the resemblance of a young school boy Edward to that of Ethan Hawke in his teens? I could have also sworn that Mitch Gerads used Jon Hamm as a muse for Bruce Wayne. Whether that's the case or not, my thoughts lead me to think that a serious Jon Hamm would make a great older Batman.

I'm not really sure yet if all 8 One Bad Day books are interconnected or not. However, a passing comment by the Riddler leaves me to believe that it very much might be the case. We may also find that some defining moments in the Dark Knight's history are interconnected with the One Bad Day. We'll just have to see. 

I enjoyed this read. It's just a much less playful and fun Riddler than the one I grew up with. I don't think I would've named one of my cats after the character if he was as evil and conniving as he was transformed here by Tom King. Good thing the story was so engrossing. And that ending- WOW! I wasn't the only one who didn't see that coming!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Batman's Mystery Casebook (Family Comic Friday)

If you ever wanted to solve crimes like Batman and his cohorts, then have I found the book for you! Batman's Mystery Casebook is a young adult graphic novel that I've been looking forward to for a while. The book is so many things wrapped into 144 pages of crime fighting starring your favorite members of the Batman family. 

There are several cases in which readers are tasked to examine the clues. Can you solve the case before turning the next page and letting Batman do it? It's a lot like Donald J. Sobol's Encyclopedia Brown books. In fact, one of the cases is a total swipe of a famous case involving a Civil War era sword. Only this time, the mystery is set during World War I and it guest stars Hans Von Hammer: the Enemy Ace!

Batman's Mystery Casebook is also educational and a bit like an activity book! In between cases are segments that involve crime solving techniques used by Batman and your local police force's unit of crime scene investigators. Readers get to learn about finger prints, foot prints and tracking criminals. Fun is added to the education as young readers are encouraged to explore activities like practicing fingerprinting with household tools like tape, flour and a brush. Readers even get to test their skills as an eyewitness by helping the Gotham City Police Department with a crime scene involving the Penguin!

A lot of your favorite Batman villains are featured in the book. Along with Penguin, you get to help Batman apprehend The Riddler, Catwoman, Mister Freeze, Harley Quinn and the Joker. Since there are many more villains out there to be caught like Clayface and the Mad Hatter, I really hope a second casebook might be forthcoming. I just hope if this happens that the cases are a bit less loose with the clues. 

The amazing Sholly Fisch wrote this book. I've been a fan of his since Scooby-Doo Team-Up. Overall, this casebook was a dream come true for me. I've always wanted a Batman video game that was less about fighting and more about mystery solving. This casebook is probably the closest I will ever get to that wish. But I feel that in at least 2 of the cases, the solutions were more based on making assumptions about the crimes and not actual facts. I will admit that I totally goofed on the Riddler mystery and that one was my fault. But the Mister Freeze and the break-in at Wayne Enterprises didn't seem to play fair with the readers. To be fair- Donald J. Sobol was guilty of doing the same thing with some of his mysteries. 

The artwork by Christopher Uminga was awesome. Now I will admit that if you have a Batman story by Sholly Fisch, only Dario Brizuela should be doing the art. However, I can now say that Christopher Uminga is a perfect second if Brizuela isn't available. Uminga's work reminded me of that of the L'il Gotham series by Dustin Nguyen in which all of the characters are of diminutive size and just a touch on the adorable side. That is except for the Joker!

Christopher Uminga's Joker is one of the most terrifying versions of the character ever. Those dark, dead eyes. That frenzied mouth that looks part clown make-up and part hideous scars. The credits in the back of this book list Uminga's art style as one that 'blends together creepy and cute.' I couldn't agree with this assessment more!

I really enjoyed this book. Yes, a couple of cases tripped me up. For the most part, I felt that the mysteries were fair. But there are a couple that are really tricky and might just be a little too difficult. Heck, if a 45-year old Madman like myself can think things are arduous, can you imagine how tough these cases can be for the recommended readings ages of 8-12? Regardless, I really hope that this isn't the only book in the series. There's so many more crimes in Gotham that need to be solved and Sholly Fisch and Christopher Uminga are the creative team to get it done!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars. 

Batman #21-27, 29-33 & DC Comics: Zero Year One-Shots (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

(DC Comics Zero Year contains: Detective Comics #25, Batgirl #25, Batwing #25, Batwoman #25, Birds of Prey #25, Catwoman #25, The Flash #25, Green Arrow #25, Green Lantern Corps #25, Nightwing #25, Red Hood and The Outlaws #25 and Action Comics #25.)

When DC Comics rebooted its entire line-up in 2011's New 52 campaign, almost all of the major players seemed to be retooled. That is with the exception of the Batman. For one reason or another, most of the Bat-Family history was the same as before the change which occurred on August 31st. Making drastic changes to Batman, the publisher's most popular character, might have destroyed DC's loyal fan base. Another reason for keeping Batman's history from being completely rewritten as opposed to the newer, grittier version of Superman, was the need to keep some of the established DC characters from looking too different. Regardless, the ultimate decision was all about money.

Batman writers Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV both noticed the need to incorporate a little bit of New 52 backstory into the Batman Family. Not wanting to erase any of the amazing lore crafted about the legend of the Dark Knight, especially Frank Miller's Batman: Year One, the writing duo went even further back with Zero Year! 

DC Comics had already explored this 'zero year' in 2012 in commemoration of the 1-year anniversary of the New 52 in which all existing series were given an issue #0 that delved into the origins of these rebooted characters. In follow-up, Snyder and Tynion crafted an entire storyline based around the 'zero month' concept. 

Batman #21 would see Bruce Wayne returning to Gotham City after years of a self-imposed exile. This occurs 5 years before the beginning of the storylines of the New 52 lineup. Many believe Wayne is dead and Bruce wants to keep it that way. That is until the billionaire discovers that a menacing force known as the Red Hood Gang has infiltrated the Wayne family business and is using Wayne Enterprises technology and funds to organize a criminal vice over the city. 

Bruce Wayne attempts to stop the Red Hood Gang by acting as a standard ski-mask wearing vigilante. But his early attempts don't do much to intimidate crooks. Building upon his childhood phobia of bats, Bruce Wayne creates a high-tech suit resembling a giant chiropteran and begins to strike fear into Gotham's criminal element. 

As Bruce Wayne/Batman fights the Red Hood Gang, another player is working in the shadows. Edward Nygma has positioned himself as a trusted advisor to current Wayne Enterprises CEO, Philip Kane. This gives Nygma not only access to a vast enterprise of advanced technology, but also the ability to manipulate the Red Hood Gang after Batman seemingly kills their leader. 

With Gotham in a power vacuum and a deadly super storm hurricane zeroing in on Gotham, Nygma makes his play. Now touting himself as the Riddler, Nygma detonates scores of bombs, shutting off the metropolitan area's power.  Effectively Gotham is cut off from the rest of the world. 

It is at this point that a dozen New 52 series take a brief pause in their current storylines and revert back to Zero Year. Clark Kent learns that despite having god-like powers, he's nothing compared to an act of God. Rookie Keystone City policeman Barry Allen volunteers to beef up Gotham's depleted police force and learns that all saints are sinners and vice versa. Marine John Stewart assists in the evacuation of citizens that have flocked to the Gotham coliseum. These are all episodes that will define these heroes years later.

Meanwhile, the members of the Bat-Family are also learning important lessons on the eve of Zero Year. Barbara Gordon gets a first hand look at mob mentality and displaced trust when the public shelter she has fled to begins to flood. Dick Grayson learns about bravery and to never trust someone with the last name Falcone. Cassandra Cain gets her first taste of vigilantism while making a chance encounter with a member of the Metropolis police department. But most perplexing of all is the back story of Jason Todd. His story sees him infiltrating the Red Hood Gang and running afoul of an alluring member of the League of Assassins all for the chance at cheap thrills!

After the Zero Year one-shots, the regular storyline commences. It sees Gotham isolated with the Riddler ruling the megalopolis through the use of deadly drones and the only power source in town. Batman comes to grips with his past distrust of Jim Gordon and along with Lucius Fox, seeks to restore power and order to Gotham.

Zero Year was a unique crossover event. To only have to purchase 12 single issues, each comprised of a stand alone story that occurs with such devastation in a major location in the DC Universe was actually a rare thing. For example, if one wanted to read all of the material of 1988-86's Crisis on Infinite Earths, the first major multi-issue crossover event, they'd have to buy the 12 issues of the maxi-series plus an astounding 38 supplemental issues. Compare that to Marvel's 2015 Secret Wars event where fans had to purchase nearly 100 issues in order to complete their wish list. 

Though fans' pockets weren't as assaulted with Zero Year as with other in-house crossovers, the story itself was a bit jarring. There are flashbacks splattered all throughout the series, many of which don't get addressed properly, if not at all. The final issue takes place in 3 simultaneous perspectives; one of which is at least 5 years (or more) in the past, just as Batman seeks to finally wrestle control of Gotham from the Riddler while a team of Air Force jets approach with warheads armed and ready. 

Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV do manage to create a Batman origin story that does not contradict Batman: Year One. The whole idea of the coming super storm and Riddler's role in the crippling of Gotham City were plot devices used in 2022's The Batman. 2012's Batman: Death of The Family and other previous works might have established the Joker as the Dark Knight's most deadliest foe. But, a lot of that is personal vendetta type stuff. Batman: Zero Year establishes the Riddler as Batman's most destructive enemy, willing to sacrifice millions at the cost of saving face in order to prove just who is the smartest man in Gotham City!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #35 (An Entire In-house Crossover Event like Civil War or Final Crisis) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Archie Meets Batman '66

The combined forces of the Joker, Riddler, Penguin and Catwoman descend on Riverdale in their bid to take over the world. Figuring that Batman is the reason they can't conquer Gotham City, the villains of the United Underworld embark in their most devious caper yet in Archie Andrews' backyard! Aided by the enchanting songs of the Siren, the fiends manage to enslave the adults of Riverdale. But for some reason, the lyrics just don't affect the teenage population. 

With the Bookworm on the loose in Gotham, Batman can't afford to leave the big city. So the Caped Crusader sends Robin and Batgirl in his place. Meet Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon, the newest students of Riverdale High School. Along with Archie and his gang, these young heroes may be the last line of defense between 4 of Batman's most deadliest enemies and the fate of the free world!

Regular Batman '66 writer Jeff Parker pens this swinging 60s era crossover. There's a lot of the magic of that monthly series in this book. But of the Batman '66 crossovers, this is probably my least favorite. The other team-ups made by the Dynamic Duo involved other live action characters like the Green Hornet and the Man from UNCLE. Those stories felt like natural progressions of the TV show. Having Batman, Robin and the rest interact with the Archie gang felt more like those Scooby-Doo cartoon crossovers from the 70s. 

The artwork by Dan Parent was superior as ever. The definitive modern era Archie artist proves that he's got the chops to tackle the Batman '66 universe. And then there's the covers! A half-dozen regular cover masterpieces from Michael Allred (Madman). Plus, there are literally dozens of variant covers by many amazing artists such as Joe Giella, Jerry Ordway and Art Baltazar. 

I must make one giant complaint. There's a great Batman '66/Archie connection that would have made a great capper to this story. Unfortunately, Jeff Parker ruined the moment by having Bruce Wayne flippantly ruin things with an off-the-cuff but it all makes sense sort of observation a couple of issues prior to the ending.

Plus- isn't Barbara Gordon an adult on the Batman '66 series? So why isn't she susceptible to the Siren's call like the other adults? Okay- so I had 2 complaints!

I had read issue #1 a long time ago when it first came out in 2018. And then I had forgotten all about it until just recently. Worth the wait. Just not as perfect as I had built things up to be in my head.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Batman

Thanks to a free preview weekend of HBO/Cinemax, I'm catching up on a few movies I missed in 2022. First up is Matt Reeves' The Batman. 

There was a lot of push back on casting Robert 'Twilight' Pattinson as Batman. But he did a decent job. I don't think he was the best to have ever donned the cowl and cape. However, he was a heck of a lot better than George Clooney and Val Kilmer. With Pattinson, I thought his Bruce Wayne was far better than his Dark Knight. I think if we could have took Christian Bale's Batman and used Pattinson's Bruce Wayne, we would have had a perfect character here.

Jeffrey Wright's (Casino Royale) take on Jim Gordon was by far one of the best ever. Probably only Gary Oldman's version was better and that's just because of how epic Oldman is as an actor. I've heard that a GCPD series is being developed and if Jeffrey Wright is going to be on this, playing a major role, I very much might need to sign up for HBOMax. 

Speaking of the GCPD, it was refreshing to have a Batman movie that was more driven by mystery than action. A mysterious serial killer calling himself The Riddler is systematically killing corrupt members of Gotham City government. When this killer begins sending personalized calling cards to the Batman, the GCPD is forced to work mano a mano with the masked vigilante on this case. 

Other than on the 1966 series, I don't think I've ever encountered a live action version of Batman in which the Dark Knight is on scene in public working with police officers and detectives to solve crimes. Christopher Nolan's trilogy tried to accomplish this but there was a lot more subterfuge involved in all that. It was a refreshing change to see these corrupt Gotham City cops getting freaked out by the presence of an amateur sleuth dressed as a bat, operating in front of all of them.

When this film does dip its toe into action packed waters, I get bored. There was this very unnecessary scene in which the Penguin is being chased on a Gotham freeway by the Bat and the carnage was just gratuitous. Like 7 semis explode and you know a lot of folks died from that destruction and yet Batman doesn't seem to have any remorse over that. 

Kudos however to the actor and make-up team behind The Penguin. I learned in the credits that Cobblepot was played by Colin Farrell and I was stunned. He looks and sounds nothing like Farrell has in any of the few films I have seen him in like 2003's Daredevil. When I realized just who was under all that makeup, you could have knocked me over with a feather. It's that good of a transformation.

Another great transformation is that of Zoe Kravitz (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald) as Seline Kyle. In Frank Miller's Batman: Year One, Selina is portrayed as a light-skinned black woman with short bangs. Well, chalk another mark up for the make-up department as Kravitz's Catwoman looks like she was Miller's artwork come to life. 

I'm seeing on Wikipedia that Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) hopes to make a trilogy with the Pattinson Batman and that part 2 is currently in some sort of pre-production mode. Even though this wasn't my favorite Batman film, I definitely want to see more if only for another mystery. Batman is a detective you know. But it might be how Jim Gordon rises the ranks to police commissioner that I find more interesting than what Bat-tinson does...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

The Batman/Judge Dredd Collection

The 1990s was the cross-publication crossover era. After a brief blip in the late 70s, the DC and Marvel universes went through most of the 1980s without the two sides ever meeting. Then in the 90s with Marvel facing bankruptcy, the worlds of the two big publishers collided. Not to be outdone, the major indy publishers followed suit. Shi meet Daredevil. The Ninja Turtles meet Savage Dragon. And Batman meet everyone!

That's how the DC Universe came to meet the citizens of Mega City One!

In Judgment on Gotham, a futuristic piece of tech transports the feared Judge Death to Gotham City. In a melee with Death, the Batman gets his hand on the dimensional warping gadget and finds himself in Mega City One facing down the one and only Judge Dredd! Meanwhile, back in Gotham, Judge Death forms an unholy alliance with the Scarecrow! 

Vendetta in Gotham sees Judge Dredd in Batman's backyard and he's come with a sentence on the Dark Knight- a death sentence! 

The story Die Laughing is supposed to be the next story. According to the ending of Vendetta in Gotham, that's where things wrap up. Yet, for some reason, The Ultimate Riddle came next. It has Batman, The Riddler and Judge Dredd enslaved by a powerful being who has joined the mightiest fighters in the galaxy in a no holds barred battle royale.

Vendetta in Gotham wraps things up with the Joker joining forces with the Dark Judges in Mega City One! 

Finally, the last Czarnian, Lobo is hired to protect an intergalactic children's host who happens to get kidnapped by the mutants of Mega City One. The story was a wild ride. What would you expect from a 1990s era Lobo story? Not sure why this one was added to a collection of Batman/Judge Dredd crossovers. But I am glad it was. Now if we could get a Lobo/Deadpool crossover!

5 amazing adventures. The level of violence, gore and naked flesh would make this a Vertigo property. But I guess DC saw a cash cow and thought they'd lose sales and they might of! I'm sure 2000AD didn't care one bit. But this is definitely not something for all ages. Maybe not mature audiences only type stuff. But please don't buy this for your under 11 years old Batman fans!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Batman Arkham: The Riddler

It only took 2 issues for the Riddler to return after his debut in 1948. Yet, it was almost 20 years before the man born as Edward Nigma would return to perplex Batman and Robin. Just in time for being the first villain to appear on the live-action Batman series from 1966!

This is a fantastic collection of Riddler stories. Many of which I've never read before. A lot of folks think that The Joker is the best Batman villain. And while the Clown Prince of Crime is his most deadliest rival, I think that it's the Riddler who is Batman's most cunning, most cerebral and most infuriating. 

I think that Batman looks at Joker as a side project. Someone to try and cure. I feel that it's Riddler who really gets up in Batman's crawl because the two are just so much alike. Both are detectives. Batman uses his brains to solve the crimes. It's Riddler who uses his intellect to craft those crimes. And for a very brief, but fun time, Riddler was also a real deal detective, playing private investigator for cash and glory.

There's two amazing stories in which Batman and Riddler are forced to team-up. While I thought that ending to both stories was contrived, the build-up was this awesome buddy-cop thing that had some great one-liners. (It's here where you really see E.Nigma rubbing the Dark Knight the wrong way, like a wedgie from Hell.)

I loved this collection of stories that feature art and stories from a fantastic line-up of talent including Bill Finger, Dick Sprang, Gardner Fox, Jim Aparo, Paul Dini and Scott Snyder. Featuring stories from every era of Batman comics, you get a perfect, yet incomplete glimpse into the psyche of one of the greatest Batman foes of all-time.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Batman Forever: Official Comic Book Adaptation (3rd Printing)

   Yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of the movie Batman Forever opening in theaters. That means I was 16 when I took my then 5-year old sister to see the movie. God, I am officially old...

    In honor of that milestone (of the film's release not my being old), members of the Facebook group 'Unite Fans of the DCU Project' decided to either watch the movie again or read/ reread the official comic book adaptation of the film. I hadn't read my copy before, so I went with reading the comic book.

   So how different was the comic from the movie? It was mostly faithful to the movie, but the scenes sequences were skewed. In terms of the beginning of the film, it doesn't start with Batman stopping Two-Face from robbing the Second National Bank of Gotham. Instead, it starts at Arkham with guards discovering that the criminal has escaped the asylum and then it goes to Wayne Enterprises with Bruce Wayne meeting Edward Nygma for the first time. After Wayne refuses to conduct further research on Nygma's sonic brainwave transference device, the action goes to Gotham Bank where the movie original started off.

  After that slight change in plot, the book follows the film's plotting pretty much without any new scenes. There was some extra dialogue thrown in. For example,  Two-Face and Riddler getting high off of Nygma's brain drain machine after the two antagonists first meet. 

  The only other major change in this book is the appearance of Batman. Until the third act, Batman is drawn in the same costume that Michael Keaton wore in Batman and Batman Returns. I'm pretty sure Val Kilmer's Batman did not wear that costume at any point in the film.

    So why the change? It's not like they thought Keaton was going to be playing Batman in the third film. He had made it clear that if Tim Burton didn't direct, he wouldn't wear the cowl. The art team did a very good job of rendering the characters to look like the actors that played them and it's clearly Val Kilmer as Bruce Wayne in the first two acts of this book. So again I ask, why did the artists draw this Batman in the wrong costume?

   For a comic book adaptation, it was actually pretty good. The story was faithful to the source material. The art was near photorealistic and the colors were vibrant just like in the movie. I consider this a dollar well spent and worthy to be a part of my collection forever.
  
   Worth Consuming

    Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Batman '66, Volume 2

  A snakebit millionaire, the Joker downsizes his gang, an evil cousin from across the pond, time-travelling hijinx with King Tut, a frozen summer in Gotham, and the Riddler gets away. All this and more; along with covers by the great Mike Allred. It must be another volume of DC's digital first comic homage to the 1960s- Batman '66!

    Jeff Parker and a host of top indy talents continue to give the classic Batman TV show the comic book it long deserved. It's still got that quirky magic, but there are just a few things mission in this collection of comics as opposed to volume 1. The first collection had those clever cliffhangers told by an over enthusiastic narrator. It also contained some crafty cameos when Batman and Robin would scale the wall of a building. Lastly, any little plot curve was eventually solved a few stories later on. But there was a plot in which someone at Barbara Gordon's workplace was zapped by an arcane tome and it's not been resolved- YET! If that plot is explored in volume 3, I fear someone (probably me) will have forgotten this little bit of demon possession.

   I really enjoyed this volume and I look forward to the next. I hope DC continues to publish this dynamic series for quite some time. There is supposed to be a Wonder Woman '77 based on the Linda Carter series, but it's not happened yet. I hope this isn't a bad sign for the future of this awesome book.

  Worth Consuming.

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Batman, Volume 5: Zero Year- Dark City (New 52)

   This collection contains the last two acts of the Zero Year storyline. Act Two continues the excitement and mystery of Act One. Here, the Riddler has succeeded in crippling Gotham City by shutting off all of the power. In total control now, the Riddler uses lethal drones and his own personal power source to act as big brother keeping the populace in line and in fear of escaping. Meanwhile, a killer named Doctor Death is killing former Wayne Enterprises employees by causing their bone structure to mutate.

   Seemingly one would think the two villains are not intertwined but Batman has uncovered a link and it could result in mass casualties in the area. With the added threat of a massive hurricane bearing down on Gotham, the Dark Knight and the Gotham PD race to restore power and stop Doctor Death from using the storm clouds as an irrigation system of death.

    The final act occurs a few days later with the GCPD having failed to restore the power, and the storm having flooded the city. Now, the Riddler promises to restore power to the crippled city if someone can best him with a riddle that he cannot solve.
   To me, having Batman best the Riddler in a battle of wits would be an awesome ending to this book. But it just doesn't happen that way. Yes, at some point Batman tries to stump the Riddler but then there's an added plot of having to disarm a series of bombs that the Riddler has placed around the city. Should they go off, the city's foundation would crumble into Gotham Bay. So Lucius Fox and Commissioner Gordon must work to disarm those. Plus there's a series of flashback sequences involving Bruce Wayne committing himself into Arkham peppered in for some reason.  All of this really does stretch out the story to a point I'm begging it to end.

  Zero Year started off perfectly. The first act was nearly flawless. Act Two was very clever and it featured the Caped Crusader solving a murder mystery which is an element of Batman that's often overlooked, but I really enjoy when they happen. But by Act Three, the story is starting to lose steam and it barely crosses the finish line. I was sorely disappointed. If it wasn't for the epilogue to this story showing some of the rebuilding of Gotham would I have rendered this book NOT WORTH CONSUMING. But thanks to it's addition, I'll say it's okay.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars

 

Gotham Underground #

   In the 80s, there was a short-lived comic called Vigilante. A district attorney named Adrian Chase, whose family was killed by mobsters, found that doing things the legal way took far too long and sometimes it didn't do enough with loopholes and corrupt cops letting crooks run free. Donning a fancy biker's suit and an arsenal of elaborate guns and ammo, the Vigilante was essentially a poor man's Punisher.    

   Over time, Chase would give up the mantle but other troubled lawmakers bear the helmet and take aim on the Big Apple's criminal syndicate. At the time of this 2008 miniseries, the latest Vigilante was named Dorian Chase, a long lost brother of Adrian's.

   Dorian also operated out of New York like brother Adrian but upon seeing the lawless situation in Gotham, he's decided to pick up where a seemingly absent Batman left off. Unfortunately, for Nightwing, under the guise of one of the Penguin's goons, he's the latest target. It's a good thing Dick Grayson decided to rely on the Riddler for assistance, right?
 
   I enjoy the twist of the placing the Vigilante within the story. I've only read a couple of stories about him but the ones I did were fantastic. There's one tale in particular by Alan Moore in which the Vigilante protects a woman from an abusive husband. Yeah, this isn't the same anti-hero but he adds a new dynamic to this already thrilling story.

  Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Gotham Underground #4

   

   With the coming gang war and dozens of heavy-hitters disappearing for not joining with Tobias Whale, the remaining untethered villains are joining forces and then selling their new allies to the gang leader whose the highest bidder. Meanwhile, Nightwing has agreed to allow the Riddler to become his partner in order to maintain his cover as a Penguin goon but someone is on to them. Then Robin has an encounter with a blast from his past.

   There's a lot going on in this issue and that makes for a little bit too much in just 32-short little pages. I haven't stopped enjoying this series but this was the weakest, and by weakest, I mean jumbled and disjointed plotting, chapter of this mini-series.

   Worth Consuming!

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Gotham Underground #3

  

   This miniseries has been a who's who of Batman characters. But one heavy hitter has been noticeably absent until now- the clown prince of crime: The Joker! With criminals disappearing left and right by refusing alliance with Tobias Whale, the Joker sees the writing on the wall and has punched his ticket out of Gotham. But before he leaves, he decides to enjoy one last meal at Penguin's Iceberg Lounge.

    While the Joker dines, another ally of Batman's has gone undercover. This time, Nightwing has donned a suit and enlisted as one of Penguin's goons. But the Riddler has seen through this disguise and threatens to unmask him, unless Nightwing teams up with him to solve the mystery of the missing villains.

    Lots is going on in this issue along with Batman in disguise as Matches Malone fighting for his life against Mr. Zsasz in Blackgate Penitentiary. All three issues have been excellent, but this one just has so much action, great dialogue, and villains, villains, and more villains that it's my favorite thus far.
   Worth Consuming.
 
   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Batman, Volume 4: Zero Year- Secret City (The New 52)

Zero Hour: It’s the New 52 equivalent of Year One. Many of the back stories of the characters of the DC Universe changed after Flashpoint. This DC event tries to explain those changes by staying true to the timeless legends we’ve grown up with while trying to be new and trendy for the next generation. Many long time readers hate these reboots. I for one am often in that boat. But, I’ve really liked the New 52’s Batman titles, so I decided to give this a try.

  In this volume, the main course of events occurs 6 years prior to the storylines that began in the very first issue of New 52’s Batman #1. Here, Bruce Wayne’s been declared legally dead, having disappeared 7 years earlier to go on his pilgrimage, training to become a master detective. Now he’s back in Gotham and operating as a vigilante while wearing rubber masks and plain clothes. Upon his return to his home, Wayne finds a that a gang of red hooded thugs have taken over, conscripting the citizens of Gotham into the Red Hood’s army whether they want to join or not.

   

  If you are familiar with the Red Hood’s origin, you’ll know that the Hood is what will become the Joker. Writer Scott Snyder does a fantastic job building from Alan Moore’s the Killing Joke to tie the origins of Batman and the Clown Prince of Crime ever so closer together. Snyder also does a fair job expounding on the manipulative exploits of Edward Nygma, AKA the Riddler, casting him as a rogue financial analyst for the corrupt heads of Wayne Enterprises.

While we see Bruce Wayne taking steps to becoming Batman, we also see a lot of rough edges. For example, Wayne flips off the Red Hood, definitely something the ice cold Dark Knight wouldn’t have stooped too. In another scene during Wayne’s first adventure as the Bat, a foe says that his will “gore him like a bull” to which the Caped Crusader jumps on top of the criminal and proceeds to yell out “Yee-ha!” It’s a funny moment but not characteristically Batman.

There’s still more of the Zero Hour story left to tell. I’m expecting to find it in the next volume of this title. But I would not be surprised to find it played out in the pages of Detective Comics or Batman: The Dark Knight. I’ll have to research more as to where to find the next chapter…

(Goes to Amazon)

(Returns) Okay got my answer. The next chapter to the Batman: Zero Year story is already out in Batman, Volume 5: Dark City. I guess somebody checked it out at the library. So, I may not have to wait very long.

Overall, this first volume was very good. The Red Hood was done superbly as was Riddler. It’s the rough edges on Bruce Wayne/ Batman that’s a little hard to adapt to. But, in previous volumes, Batman is his usual bad-ass self. So, I am sure that it’s going to take some spit and polish to get Bruce Wayne into proper crime-fighting shape.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Batman '66, Volume 1

Thanks to my Admin work with the weekly DC Comics new releases, I grew more and more interested in this series. If you're like me and born before 1989, you'll remember either watching the classic Batman series on ABC or in infinite syndication. Batman '66 continues the legacy of that ground breaking series with new adventures starring some of your favorite villains of the Caped Crusader.

 Batman was supposed to have a fourth season but a miscommunication between producers and set designers resulted in many of the sets being torn down prematurely. Rather than rebuild them, the powers that be altogether cancelled the entire project. In the way this series is crafted, it's almost like getting to read what season 4 would've been like.

In this book, you'd learn which two villains are in reality brothers, see what Goldie Hawn would be like if the character of Dr. Harleen Quintzel existed in the 1960s, and witness the return of the original Catwoman, Julie Newmar but still thrill at Eartha Kitt's take as the princess of purr. (I'll let you in on a little secret- it's explained that the Newmar Catwoman went straight s noticing a void in the Gotham underworld, another felon took on the mantle! That's an explanation I could live with!)

There are tons of great stories in this book. I really enjoyed the Emperor Penguin story guest starring one of my all-time favorite Bat-villains, Mister Freeze! Plus The Joker, Riddler, and several obscure baddies abound in this collection of 'digital first' comics.

I think DC is on the right track with Batman '66. Along with continuing the tradition of the show, DC's done another team-up between the Dynamic Duo and the Green Hornet & Kato. Soon, they'll be releasing a miniseries based on a lost script that involves Two-Face. Rumor had it that Clint Eastwood was supposed to play the role of Harvey Dent/ Two-Face. Plus, thanks to this series success, the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman series is going to see new life as a comic next year. Hopefully, we'll be seeing some other great DC shows returning to 'lost season' comic form (I'm hoping for Superman '52 and Flash '91!)

 Along with some dynamic covers by the much personally beloved Michael and Laura Allred, the scope of art is amazing. I'm hooked but alas I'm out of issues to read.

Will this intrepid blogger get to read more of the further adventures of Batman '66? Will he blog about it? Tune in next time- same madman blog, same madman typing!

Worth Consuming

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Joker’s Asylum II: The Riddler (the 160-Character Review Challenge)

 

The Riddler has an obession with puzzles. The one he can't solve is the way into a woman's heart. It's a terrifying look at the villain. wc 8/10

 

Gotham

I’ve now seen 4 episodes of Gotham. So I feel like I can give an adequate review of the show. With FOX ordering a full season order, I should have about 22 episodes left to watch. Oh, I can’t wait.

Gotham is a prequel to the Batman trilogy of Christopher Nolan’s. Well, sorta. There’s a big focus on the mob war brewing between the Falcone family and the Maroni’s. That was quashed by the Bat in the first film.

But another premise for this series is something that the Nolan movies haven’t really delved in. That idea is to examine how some of Batman’s biggest villains became who they are. In this series we see how Penguin, the Riddler, and Catwoman got their start. Catwoman was the only character even in the last 3 Batman films, so I’m not really sure if we’re to go under the assumption that Batman got rid of them in-between sequels or something.

One of the main problems that many fans of Batman have with this series involves the Gotham City Police Department. See when Bruce Wayne becomes the Dark Knight in the comics, Detectives Bullock, Montoya, and Allen are relative new comers to the city. But here, they’re seasoned veterans compared top fresh faced Jim Gordon, direct from Detroit.

I see this series as a sort of Elseworlds title in which somethings are tangent from the real Batman universe timeline. Also in the Elseworlds books, it’s explained that in those stories there occur things that “don’t exist or shouldn’t exist.” So maybe that’s you answer- Montoya & Allen shouldn’t be in Gotham, but hey, this is a different earth so anything can happen.

Things aren’t always as they seem and that seems to anger fans. One case in point is Harvey Bullock. In the comics, he’s a slob and kinda lazy but he’s as honest a cop as they come. Here, he’s on the take for the Falcones. Now, my theory is that Bullock is undercover for Internal Affairs, collecting data on corrupt cops. But he’s got to play a slime ball in other to fit in with the rest of the bad apples in the GCPD. Now that he’s got straight arrow Gordon as his partner, Harvey’s got to be more cunning or Jim’s going to blow his cover.

I don’t really mind that some characters are too old or that they don’t belong. I’ve been a fan of DC’s imaginary tales for so long that it doesn’t bother me. Plus, GCPD is one of my favorite series of all-time. It shows the workings of the Police Department without the assistance of the Bat. I think this series captures that spirit very well. So what if Rene Montoya would be almost 50 when Bruce dons the cowl? This is good television.

One pleasant surprise has been the character of Oswald Cobblepot (AKA the Penguin.) When I saw previews of this series, I didn’t think actor Robin Lord Taylor quite had the chops, much less any resemblance. But, I’ve been proven wrong! Taylor’s Penguin is cunning, ruthless, and has panache for the good life. His beak nose and the walk he now walks after a serious leg injury is episode 1 has made this Penguin so very close to being the definitive Penguin on stage and screen. He’s only missing a little padding- okay, a lot of padding.

Gotham has potential and it’s rumored that many more fan favorite villains and their origins will be revealed. I’m hoping they’ll tackle some of the lesser known members of Batman’s Rogues Gallery. Characters like Tobias Whale, Humpty & Dumpty, the Bookworm, and even the Mad Hatter and the original Clayface could be used to an extent that it would be plausible that they were adults and active before Bruce Wayne matures.

Like Elseworlds, the possibilities are endless even if they shouldn’t be.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars

Gotham airs Monday nights at 8pm EST on FOX.