Batman

[Chickenman 9]

Does anyone read the actual comics?

[Andy 60]

Can't say I ever have, sorry.

[Chickenman 9]

Don't be sorry. It just means that society will allow you to have sex at least once in your life. :p

[Chickenman 9]

Since of few of you (i.e., Du and only Du) have expressed interest in reading the series, I'll list some good Bat Stories to introduce yourself to the series. My advice is to borrow from the library, lol

Batman: Year One- Reboots the franchise. Exactly as the title says, details Bruce Wayne's first year as a crimefighter. Great book. Batman's just getting used to the ropes, he really struggles early on, having trouble stopping small time hoods, nevermind supervillains. Speaking of which, there are no supervillains. Batman is just trying to heal a wounded city, and the city's desperation really comes through at times. Bats spends his days fighting gangsters and corrupt cops. As much as it's a story about Bats, it's also about not-yet Commissioner Gordon first year in Gotham, maybe more so than it's about Batman's. And Gordon kicks some ass too. Batman Begins borrowed A LOT from this book.

Batman: The Long Halloween- Best Batman story of all time. A serial killer is targeting the mob, making a killing every major holiday of every month. As the mob begins to fall to the mysterious killer, Batman, Jim Gordon, and young, promising district attorney named Harvey Dent make a pact to bring the killer to justice, no matter what. This pact begins to take a toll on the three, and they'll all be changed forever. Batman books often overlook the fact that he's a detective. This one doesn't. Great murder mystery leads you through three beautifully drawn issues. When you finish reading for the first time, you realize that the end is really the beginning of another mystery.

Batman: Dark Victory- A year later, another serial killer is prowling Gotham, this time killing a cop every holiday. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne sees a circus and watches the aerial murder of a young boy named Dick Grayson. Another great mystery, and a great sequel to the Long Halloween.

Batman: The Killing Joke- Best Joker story ever. The Joker kidnaps Commisioner Gordon and tries to turn him into a raving lunatic, just like the Joker. All to prove to Batman that anyone is just a bad day away going insane. Huge turning point for Barbara Gordon, too. Definitive portrayal of the Joker, and Heath Ledger read it to get a feel for the character.

Batman: A Death in the Family- Huge turning point for Batman, even though the story itself...err...sucks. Really badly. But if you can get past that, it's an important comic. Jason Todd (The second Robin) travels through the mideast in search of his real mother, as Batman chases the Joker, who's gallivanting around in the same region with a SCUD missile. Huge moment for Batman.

Batman: Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on A Serious Earth- The patients have broken loose and taken over Arkham Asylum. Batman travels in to quell the riot, only to embark on a journey of self discovery. Very psychological, very gothic, very good. Make sure you get the 15th anniversary version with an annotated script in the back. Explains what the hell you just read, as well as pointing out the meanings of a truckload of symbols that you'll miss along the way. Best to read this comic in the dark with a flashlight, if you want the full effect.

Batman Knightfall Part One: Broken Bat- Bane sets the criminals of Gotham free. As the murder count rises, Batman races against time to capture every last villain, slowly succumbing to fatigue as each battle drains him, and he begins to wonder if he'll survive. All the while he's being lead into a final battle with Bane, with an ending that may surprise you.

Batman Knightfall Part Two: Who Rules the Knight- Another takes up the mantle of the Bat.

Batman Knightfall Part Three: KnightsEnd- Haven't read it yet, but I think Bat and the new Bat duke it out. Maybe. Possibly.

If anyone actually reads these...wow. And I'll extend the list. :p

[Radioactive Isotope 29]

i read Year One and Dark Victory. Long Halloween and A Death in the Family are on reserve at work, and the rest aren't in our system (*cry*). i've enjoyed what i've read so far.

[Chickenman 9]

You read Dark Victory first? *shudder* I can't imagine reading it without the Long Halloween first. You'll probably like Halloween when you can finally read it though. Really channels the Godfather and the old detective movies and such, makes Batman act like the detective he's supposed to be. I luffs it.

Unfortunately, no library in the state has Knightfall 2, as both copies have been lost. So I'm debating shilling out the cash for it or not. The only one I've bought is Arkham Asylum, and that's because it's something else entirely. Freeking beautiful.

[Radioactive Isotope 29]

Dark Victory came in first. i'm sure it will make more sense once i get ahold of Long Halloween, but i liked it. i was very disappointed that the library didn't have Arkham Asylum cuz that's the one i really wanted. next stop is Interlibrary loans, but i need to get a crapload of information off Amazon first.

[Chickenman 9]

Dark Victory will make a million times more sense after Long Halloween. The Long Halloween will make absolutely no sense after the Long Halloween.

There's actually a third companion graphic novel, details what Catwoman was up to during Dark Victory. It's also very good. Beautiful art. Each panel looks like a painting.

[Chickenman 9]

Finally got to read Knightfall 2. It was pretty good. I ordered Knightfall 3 from the library, and, not realizing there were already two holds on it, also ordered the graphic novel that comes after it, Batman: Prodigal. So now I've got that one, which I can't read until Knightfall 3, which means I have to renew the crap out of it. Can't wait to get to it though. This time, Dick Grayson gets to take up the mantle of the Bat. :D

[Radioactive Isotope 29]

finally got Long Halloween and A Death In The Family. why do all the books i reserved over several weeks have to all come in at once? i don't have time to read them all. :(

[Chickenman 9]

Go with Long Halloween. Death in the Family's story sucks. Offers some good ideas, but never cashes in on them.

And don't you guys have renewals? :p

[Radioactive Isotope 29]

yeah, but i still might not be able to get to all of them even with the renewals. and i can only renew if there's not a waiting list for the book, which may be a problem with Force Unleashed.

[Chickenman 9]

Every time I get to the next book in the series, which has been able available for weeks, it gets lost or there's some other reason I can't order it.

JM, what does it mean when a book is "on search" in the online library catalogue thingy? :???:

[Radioactive Isotope 29]

no idea. we don't have that designation in our system. we have Active, Pending, Shipped, and Held for reserves.

my guess would be that the last person that borrowed it claims to have returned it, so now the library pages have to scour the shelves looking for it. but that's only a guess.

[Andy 60]

SPOILER WARNING

This link contains spoilers!

So, it appears that Bruce Wayne is dead. Who will take his place?

[Radioactive Isotope 29]

i saw that the other day.

i can't believe they killed off Batman. but then, Superman and Captain America are supposedly dead as well. rumor is that Tim Drake (Robin) will take up the mantle of Batman.

but Bruce Wayne can't be dead. he has to get old and train

Terry McGinnus to be Batman.

[Chickenman 9]

I've heard about the storyline, but I'm still a good 9 years behind in the Batman mythos, so I won't be reading it for awhile.

I will say this though, Batman is DC comics' hottest property right now, and the death was left very, very vague.

Anyway, should be interesting to see who takes up the mantle. I'd love to see Tim Drake, but I'm not sure how old he is at the moment. Bruce has expressed that he wants Tim to follow in his footsteps, but he might still be too young. Dick has donned the mantle once before, finding it not to his liking, but you never know. Both would make good replacements. For now.

[CorSec 5]

Reading the non-canon "The Dark Knight Returns" graphic novel now. I was going through my dads collection (looking for Watchmen, mind you), and decided to give it a shot.

[Chickenman 9]

The Dark Knight returns is damned epic.

[CorSec 5]

I finished it last night. I'm sure he has most of the other collections you mentioned above, so I'll grab them the next time I'm at home.

The Superman/Batman battle was delicious.

[Chickenman 9]

It seriously is.

And this is coming from someone who literally cringes whenever he sees Superman in a Batman comic.

What I'm saying is, I'm pathetic.