Bats
Of course I'm not going to talk about actual bats. I'd have to ask Ell to talk about those. No, but between me deciding to re-read a bunch of 90's Batman storylines and also reading a shit ton of fanfic set like after Bruce comes back from the dead, and like chronologically I haven't even made it to JASON coming back from the dead, so really I should not be reading these fanfics. But they only spoil stuff I already know will happen AND I am mostly looking for happy fluffy funny stuff so it's basically like reading AUs anyway. So, between those things there's been an awful lot of Bats... I finished reading No Man's Land yesterday. It took forever. But in keeping with what I've been doing lately, which is read a bunch of comics and then write pointless posts here because no one will see my opinions here. I bring you my opinion on old Batman story lines.
I was only going to read No Man's Land, but then I thought I should read the story lines leading up to it, and then that turned into me also reading the Contagion and Legacy story lines because I never read all the parts for any of these story lines (I mean all these story archs, I missed a bunch of parts mainly because I did not have Catwoman or Azrael's books).
I liked Contagion, didn't really care for Legacy though I kinda liked the final parts in Gotham. Cataclysm and Aftershock sort of blended together and I liked those. Road to No Man's Land was my favorite because it had so much of Bruce trying to help by being Bruce. I liked seeing him try his best to do the right thing for people without having to dress up as a bat.
No Man's Land had its ups and downs, mostly ups once Robin and Nightwing arrived in Gotham. And while I hadn't cared for Catwoman in the Legacy story arc I really liked her parts in No Man's Land.
Side note, I remember reading the Robin and Nightwing titles and thinking it took forever to read them and it was a bit of a chore, so when I picked up The Flash this year and I just breezed through them super fast it made me love those stories even more (also they are bright and colorful and not as heavy on the death and angst). And it takes forever to read through No Man's Land. It really does, and there are so many parts and there's so many different books with tie ins, but it is an impressive story. It's a definitely a good story, I like it but it's perhaps not amazing.
High points were among other things anything involving Robin and or Nightwing. Nightwing being sent to Blackgate alone to take control of it was just awesome because he succeeded. I wanted to punch Bruce for putting all of that on Dick's shoulders alone. But Batman was right, Dick could live up to the responsibility... Though he almost died doing it. Seriously. Sometimes I just... Anyway it was good. Also Robin. TIM! TIM! TIM! My pretty tiny teenager who is making jokes and everyone he loves haven't started to die from him. I just want to wrap him up and protect him. Anyway. There was some weirdness about the reading order where you read about him getting out of Gotham only for him to still be there in the next Batman issue. Really weird, but eh. Whatever.
Catwoman's bits I also liked.
Selina: "I'm going to kill Batman once I make it to Gotham."
Me: "No, you are probably going to end up making out..."
*few pages later: Catwoman and Batman making out*
Me: What did I say?
Though that wasn't really the high point. It was just amusing how predictable that was. Still not sure I ship them. She can do so much better than Batman/Bruce. Seriously honey, so much better.
Huntress Huntress Huntress! She is badass and amazing and seriously Batman never giving her enough credit. She was amazing at the end there standing up alone like that. Man she is amazing. (Only thing I have a problem with was Dickie boy kissing her, but whatever it's his personal life. Don't drag me into caring about who he dates. I refuse to have an opinion... Yet I clearly have an opinion... Whatever)
Cassandra Cain! <3
I like Jean-Paul (One day I might read Knightfall properly... Probably not). Sure most missions Batman sent him on he completely failed, but then there was that one mission when Batman sent him to capture the joker but Azrael had to make a choice between the joker or saving an innocent life and he went with saving another person, which I agreed with and then Batman telling Jean-Paul that it was the right choice. It made me all happy and stuff.
Jean-Paul is also the only character I don't know anything about in terms of what happens to him next...
I don't remember if I said it in an earlier post, but I don't like the Joker. Out of everyone in Batman's rogues gallery I had to pick Joker as the character I don't care for and then have to put up with him... Also not sure about Harley, but at least I don't dislike her.
I didn't really like the one shot with Superman showing up, it felt a bit... While possibly true it felt a bit disrespectful to his character. The second one shot which had Clark being Clark was a lot better. Because it did focus more on Clark being, well Clark and still caring for people. It also had better interaction between him and Bruce. Just, the fact that Clark was concerned about Bruce and said as much, and yeah... I liked that one.
There was also a Young Justice tie-in it was awesome because I missed reading about those characters. They are too hilarious and awesome together.
(Didn't really matter that the Robin issues when he's in Keystone City weren't included in this torrent, because I've already read those at least twice this fall since discovering Wally West and needing to read everything with him. But technically they should maybe have been included they are also super entertaining and funny)
Some other things... Shadow of The Bat I think it's that book, during the Contagion and Legacy storylines why is Batman drawn in that book with a cape that looks a little bit like a strange black living creature that can move and create weird shapes? And why are the ears on his cowl so long? Seriously, why is he drawn so inhuman in that book? Very confusing...
I enjoyed reading all the parts this time around. It made a whole picture which is probably better than the weird disjointed story I read the first time. It's a lot to read and it takes a long time to get through, but it was kinda worth it because its not a bad story. It's a fascinating story about survival, and people having to make the strangest of alliances to survive. I'm glad I read it again.
And now I will move on to try and tackle Infinite Crisis. I've put it off long enough. I was going to read all the Robin and Nightwing issues up to the ones I've read in the prelude stuff. But while I kinda don't want to move on and continue (so much pain, angst and bad decisions I've heard about), I also really really do. Because I'm going to read Countdown to Infinite Crisis now, and among those are the whole Red Hood thing which means Jason, and I never made it that far last time around, and I am super fucking curious about Jason alright. I also want more Wally, I miss my speedster. Yeah, there are things I want to read that happens later. While I don't really want Tim to be replaced I want to eventually read the Red Robin book because I've seen scans from it on Tumblr and Marcus To draws the prettiest most handsome beautiful gorgeous Tim Drake I have ever seen in my life! So pretty... So fucking pretty.
Anyway, um. I will make another post once I'm done with the Countdown to Infinite Crisis bit and before I start on the actual Infinite Crisis stuff. Just to try and keep these a bit on the shorter side.
I was only going to read No Man's Land, but then I thought I should read the story lines leading up to it, and then that turned into me also reading the Contagion and Legacy story lines because I never read all the parts for any of these story lines (I mean all these story archs, I missed a bunch of parts mainly because I did not have Catwoman or Azrael's books).
I liked Contagion, didn't really care for Legacy though I kinda liked the final parts in Gotham. Cataclysm and Aftershock sort of blended together and I liked those. Road to No Man's Land was my favorite because it had so much of Bruce trying to help by being Bruce. I liked seeing him try his best to do the right thing for people without having to dress up as a bat.
No Man's Land had its ups and downs, mostly ups once Robin and Nightwing arrived in Gotham. And while I hadn't cared for Catwoman in the Legacy story arc I really liked her parts in No Man's Land.
Side note, I remember reading the Robin and Nightwing titles and thinking it took forever to read them and it was a bit of a chore, so when I picked up The Flash this year and I just breezed through them super fast it made me love those stories even more (also they are bright and colorful and not as heavy on the death and angst). And it takes forever to read through No Man's Land. It really does, and there are so many parts and there's so many different books with tie ins, but it is an impressive story. It's a definitely a good story, I like it but it's perhaps not amazing.
High points were among other things anything involving Robin and or Nightwing. Nightwing being sent to Blackgate alone to take control of it was just awesome because he succeeded. I wanted to punch Bruce for putting all of that on Dick's shoulders alone. But Batman was right, Dick could live up to the responsibility... Though he almost died doing it. Seriously. Sometimes I just... Anyway it was good. Also Robin. TIM! TIM! TIM! My pretty tiny teenager who is making jokes and everyone he loves haven't started to die from him. I just want to wrap him up and protect him. Anyway. There was some weirdness about the reading order where you read about him getting out of Gotham only for him to still be there in the next Batman issue. Really weird, but eh. Whatever.
Catwoman's bits I also liked.
Selina: "I'm going to kill Batman once I make it to Gotham."
Me: "No, you are probably going to end up making out..."
*few pages later: Catwoman and Batman making out*
Me: What did I say?
Though that wasn't really the high point. It was just amusing how predictable that was. Still not sure I ship them. She can do so much better than Batman/Bruce. Seriously honey, so much better.
Huntress Huntress Huntress! She is badass and amazing and seriously Batman never giving her enough credit. She was amazing at the end there standing up alone like that. Man she is amazing. (Only thing I have a problem with was Dickie boy kissing her, but whatever it's his personal life. Don't drag me into caring about who he dates. I refuse to have an opinion... Yet I clearly have an opinion... Whatever)
Cassandra Cain! <3
I like Jean-Paul (One day I might read Knightfall properly... Probably not). Sure most missions Batman sent him on he completely failed, but then there was that one mission when Batman sent him to capture the joker but Azrael had to make a choice between the joker or saving an innocent life and he went with saving another person, which I agreed with and then Batman telling Jean-Paul that it was the right choice. It made me all happy and stuff.
Jean-Paul is also the only character I don't know anything about in terms of what happens to him next...
I don't remember if I said it in an earlier post, but I don't like the Joker. Out of everyone in Batman's rogues gallery I had to pick Joker as the character I don't care for and then have to put up with him... Also not sure about Harley, but at least I don't dislike her.
I didn't really like the one shot with Superman showing up, it felt a bit... While possibly true it felt a bit disrespectful to his character. The second one shot which had Clark being Clark was a lot better. Because it did focus more on Clark being, well Clark and still caring for people. It also had better interaction between him and Bruce. Just, the fact that Clark was concerned about Bruce and said as much, and yeah... I liked that one.
There was also a Young Justice tie-in it was awesome because I missed reading about those characters. They are too hilarious and awesome together.
(Didn't really matter that the Robin issues when he's in Keystone City weren't included in this torrent, because I've already read those at least twice this fall since discovering Wally West and needing to read everything with him. But technically they should maybe have been included they are also super entertaining and funny)
Some other things... Shadow of The Bat I think it's that book, during the Contagion and Legacy storylines why is Batman drawn in that book with a cape that looks a little bit like a strange black living creature that can move and create weird shapes? And why are the ears on his cowl so long? Seriously, why is he drawn so inhuman in that book? Very confusing...
I enjoyed reading all the parts this time around. It made a whole picture which is probably better than the weird disjointed story I read the first time. It's a lot to read and it takes a long time to get through, but it was kinda worth it because its not a bad story. It's a fascinating story about survival, and people having to make the strangest of alliances to survive. I'm glad I read it again.
And now I will move on to try and tackle Infinite Crisis. I've put it off long enough. I was going to read all the Robin and Nightwing issues up to the ones I've read in the prelude stuff. But while I kinda don't want to move on and continue (so much pain, angst and bad decisions I've heard about), I also really really do. Because I'm going to read Countdown to Infinite Crisis now, and among those are the whole Red Hood thing which means Jason, and I never made it that far last time around, and I am super fucking curious about Jason alright. I also want more Wally, I miss my speedster. Yeah, there are things I want to read that happens later. While I don't really want Tim to be replaced I want to eventually read the Red Robin book because I've seen scans from it on Tumblr and Marcus To draws the prettiest most handsome beautiful gorgeous Tim Drake I have ever seen in my life! So pretty... So fucking pretty.
Anyway, um. I will make another post once I'm done with the Countdown to Infinite Crisis bit and before I start on the actual Infinite Crisis stuff. Just to try and keep these a bit on the shorter side.