New Comics! A quick review of Snyder/Capullo's BATMAN #1, and the WTF ending of TDK #1 (SPOILERS!)

[about_faces]

I know it's a week late, but I figured that I would be remiss in not giving a quick look at the opening pages of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman #1, which is being hailed by some as the very best comic to come out of the DCnU so farMy own reaction: it's good. Not brilliant, but good. It doesn't punch me in the gut, nor does it blow my socks

Comments

[ext_262094]

Ya know i heard rumors that The Riddler in that pic was based on Tim Burton's abandoned Batman 3 film where he was to be depicted as psychopathic, and oddly enough to have a question mark shaved on his head.

[about_faces]

Huh. Hadn't heard that one.

[wo_meimei]

I'm probably the only person here who wants to fuss over melty!Harvey's scars. As always, I find myself wondering WHY over this issue. Like, why do I still bother with DC? Yes, I've become severely disenchanted with DC over the whole DCnU thing.

I don't actually mind the ending of TDK #1.

Is it supposed to indicate that Harvey's bad side has completely taken over when he became Hulk!Harv?

I think so. But since I can't think of any multiples who have never ever had a time where only one person fronts, I never could understand all the fuss over all-evil Two-Face (like when Dixon or Moench write them). So my over all reaction to this is a resounding "so what?"

[about_faces]

I'm probably the only person here who wants to fuss over melty!Harvey's scars.

Fuss away! If we're really unlucky, this well-publicized image of Harvey might prove to be so influential that we'll see other artists try aping it down the line! Although it occurs to me, maybe Harvey's one-eye look here is a bit inspired by Lee Bermejo's take in Azzarello's Joker.

As always, I find myself wondering WHY over this issue. Like, why do I still bother with DC? Yes, I've become severely disenchanted with DC over the whole DCnU thing.

It's hard not to be, especially considering what they've been doing to characters like Catwoman.

Did you get a chance to read the whole issue of TDK? I have not been able to yet, although I can't imagine that context will make it much better. It's Jenkins and Finch, after all.

[wo_meimei]

Ah, I didn't mean that kind of fuss. I meant the "oh you poor thing! here, let me get you some soothing cream...." kind of fuss. Though yeah, I'm really hoping we don't see it a lot. It looks too piteous (and laughably unrealistic).

Didn't Harvey have both his eyes in that story?

I was already becoming disenchanted thanks to 90% of the comics published before DCnU, but that whole crap was the final straw. But especially after Catwoman #1 (it didn't come as a real surprise, and that makes it even worse...). I haven't actually picked up a superhero comic since then. Not even Jekyll & Hyde (even though I really need to get back to work on that review).

I haven't gotten a chance to read it either. I'm completely broke and out of work right now.

[about_faces]

He did, although when we saw it, it was clouded over. And even then, it was more often seen enveloped in shadow. I can't find any actual scans, but here are two Bermejo sketches:

[psychopathicus]

Yeah, I couldn't point to any specific examples, but I think the whole 'Batman fights off the whole of Arkham at once' thing has been done multiple times. It's always pretty badass, mind you, but it's certainly not anything new. Hell, I think during Last Laugh, Nightwing did something like that, with the bar raised by having them all be Jokerized

[about_faces]

Yeah, it's definitely badass, like one of those near-to-final boss battle levels in beat-em-up arcade games where ALL the previous bosses come after you at once. But as you say, it's hardly impressive for Batman to take on Riddler and Scarecrow in a fightfight. Or Ventriloquist, for that matter. Harvey is a bit tougher, and Croc, Clayface, and Freeze are serious contenders. But in the end, yeah, they're pretty much just another mob.

As for the pink guy, my guess would be the Flamingo. Given that we've also got Professor Pyg, it would make sense - two Morrison villains for the price of one! (Mind you, I'm not sure why he'd be wearing a makeshift cape, but...)Makes sense, although he looks more like a pink Riddler than I recall him looking in Philip Tan's artwork. And considering that one of the Circus of Crime (why the hell didn't you just go for the Red Triangle Circus Gang, Grant Morrison? At least then it would have had precedence and thus wouldn't have looked like a COMPLETELY transparent excuse to have Dick use circus slang)

[psychopathicus]

Well, they haven't been around for that long, after all. Two-Face and the Joker and so forth have had decades to develop their depth - give 'em time.
And yeah, the Red Triangle Circus Gang would have been awesome. Furthermore, that'd introduce the possibility that they'd ditch Pyg and follow the Joker, which is where they should have been to begin eith, in my opinion. (Don't get me wrong; they worked fine with the Penguin, but - they're CIRCUS PERFORMERS. They fit with the Joker like a wave fits sand.)

[about_faces]

Thing is, I was raised on TAS, which gave almost every villain an origin, background, and motivation in their main episodes. That shaped my view of what makes the villains great. Furthermore, many of the great villains got the same treatment in the comics. Riddler, Scarecrow, and Harvey each came equipped with their own origin stories in their first appearances, and it made them better characters than others who just showed up out of nowhere. Then you have Professor Pyg, whom I find to be so superficial and aggressively weird/creepy for the sake of being weird/creepy that there's absolutely nothing for me to care about.

[captaintwinings]

It makes me ridiculously happy to see Squishy with Batman in a headlock.

In fact...

[captaintwinings]

Bonk bonk on the head!

[about_faces]

HEE!

Is that or is that not about the most physical damage that Squishy's ever been able to do to Batman?

[psychopathicus]

Not necessarily. In his post-Joker-team-up story from KnightFall, you may recall, the Scarecrow stated that he was "not above a spot of rough and tumble", specifically the Crane Style (appropriate) of martial arts - "no defense against it, they say!". Of course, it didn't do him a lick of good against AzBats, and he's made little or no use of it since, but then, that makes sense - he prides himself largely on his mental abilities; it's not surprising that he's neglected his physical ones. Still, the point is that he CAN defend himself, when he remembers that he can.

[abqreviews]

Wow. I am so glad I'm sticking with the titles based off of the more obscure properties; DEMON KNIGHTS & ALL STAR WESTERN (which I expected to hate) were both great reads.

Hulked-up Two-Face? Wow. The very concept is like some sort of dumb action figure variant.

The only good thing I see coming from this is if they have him fight Solomon Grundy in this state. While I dislike TLH, I did like the idea of Grundy and Two-Face bonding, and it would be nice to explore that er..."dynamic".

[about_faces]

How was All-Star Western? More to the point, what references were there to modern Gotham besides Amadeus Arkham showing up? Even more to the point than EVER BEFORE, anything Dent-related? I doubt it, but man, I feel like Hex+Gotham=SOMETHING ABOUT TWO-FACE. I've wanted to see a story dealing with both characters, but the only possible crossover I can imagine is Harvey getting involved in a crime near Hex's stuffed corpse.

I liked Gray and Palmiotti's Jonah Hex an awful lot, but not enough to follow religiously. Did you read that beforehand as well, and was there something there which caused you to batten down the hate-hatches?

While I dislike TLH, I did like the idea of Grundy and Two-Face bonding, and it would be nice to explore that er..."dynamic".

Agreed. They barely did, and I wanted to see more.

[abqreviews]

>How was All-Star Western

[about_faces]

If I can't make it down to my local shop within next week, I'll be sure to buy it digitally, then. I've always feared that Hex was just BARELY avoiding cancellation, and now the stakes seem even higher. I can understand your apprehension, because yeah, this feels like a late-season bid for ratings desperation, the Jump The Shark moment. But if it's good, then hell yes, I wanna support it. I just hope they don't lose the revolving door of amazing artists who popped by for an issue or two. I think it really says something with Darwyn Cooke--a writer/artist who generally hates working with another writer--went to do not one but two issues of Hex because he enjoyed it so much.