Re: So... what are we currently reading?
« Reply #615 on: Sep 20th, 2011, 10:53pm »
I've recently been getting back into a comic book mood, so I think I will be starting up my chronological readings of the (pre-reboot) DC Universe again soon! It's been almost a year since I started reading all this and I'm no where near as far along as I had planned on being at this point. Once I get further along and into better stories, I'll probably be inclined to start reading more quickly. Anyway, I've decided to copy all of my posts chronicling my readings up to this point, mostly because I wanted to review what's happened so far and put my entire list of read stories into one post. Note that there are very minor spoilers here, but surely nothing that you don't already know about the stories. With that said, here is my complete list of everything I've read in the DC Universe since last October, in chronological order.
The Kents - Set in 1800s and chronicles the lives of Superman's adoptive ancestors in the American old west.
(The following stories are set in the 1930s and 1940s.)
Secret Origins #5 - The Crimson Avenger becomes the world's first costumed superhero. The Crimson Avenger - four-part miniseries Secret Origins #9 - The Flash (Jay Garrick) Secret Origins #18 - Green Lantern (Alan Scott) Secret Origins #15 - The Spectre Secret Origins #24 - Dr. Fate Secret Origins #31 - Justice Society of America Justice Society of America: Vengeance from the Stars - Eight-part miniseries set in 1950, shortly before the JSA would disband.
(The modern age of superheroes starts here.)
The Man of Steel #1 - Clark Kent becomes Superman. Superman For All Seasons #1 The Man of Steel #2
Batman: Year One - Bruce Wayne becomes Batman. Batman: Shaman Catwoman: Her Sister's Keeper - Selina Kyle becomes Catwoman. Catwoman Annual #2 (1995)
Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn - Hal Jordan becomes a Green Lantern. Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn II
Batman: The Man Who Falls
Batman: Turning Points #1
Batman and the Monster Men - Batman's first encounter with Dr. Hugo Strange; Bruce Wayne dates Julie Madison. Batman and the Mad Monk - Bruce and Julie break up.
Batman: The Man Who Laughs - Batman's first encounter with the Joker.
The Man of Steel #3 - Superman and Batman meet for the first time.
Shadow of the Bat Annual #3 (1995) - Batman's first encounter with Poison Ivy.
Batman: Prey
Batman: Journey Into Knight
Batman: Tenses
The Man of Steel #4 - Superman's first encounter with Lex Luthor.
Batman: Gothic
Superman For All Seasons #2
The Batman Chronicles #8 - Dinosaur Island - Origin of the giant dinosaur robot in the Batcave.
Legends of the Dark Knight Annual #5 (1995) - Origin of Man-Bat.
Legends of the Dark Knight Annual #7 (1997)
Batman and Catwoman: Trail of the Gun
Superman For All Seasons #3
Batman: Venom
Batman: Snow - Origin of Mr. Freeze.
Superman For All Seasons #4
Detective Comics Annual #8 (1995) - Origin of the Riddler.
Batman Annual #19 (1995) - Origin of Scarecrow.
Batman: The Long Halloween - Harvey Dent becomes Two-Face. Two-Face: Year One - Ties directly into the events of The Long Halloween.
Batman: Haunted Knight
Batman: Terror
Batman: Rules of Engagement - Batman meets Lex Luthor.
Batman & Superman: World's Finest #1
Catwoman (first series) #38-40 (Catwoman: Year Two)
Green Arrow: Year One - Oliver Queen becomes Green Arrow. Green Arrow Annual #7 (1995) Secret Origins #38 - Green Arrow Green Arrow: The Wonder Year
Batman: The Ring, The Arrow, and The Bat - Green Arrow meets Green Lantern; Green Arrow meets Batman.
Secret Origins #32 - Justice League of America JLA: Year One - A monumental event in the DC Universe. The Justice League of America is founded by Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), The Flash (Barry Allen), Aquaman (Arthur Curry), Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz), and Black Canary (Dinah Lance).
Batman & Superman: World's Finest #2
JLA: Incarnations #1 - Green Arrow and the Atom are now members of the Justice League; Hawkman and Hawkgirl join the team at the end of this issue.
Batman: Jazz
Batman: Faces
Legends of the Dark Knight #0
Batman: Year Two - Batman encounters Joe Chill, the man who murdered his parents; Joe Chill dies.
JLA: Incarnations #2 - Batman joins the Justice League of America; Superman joins as a reserve member.
Batman: Dark Victory - Dick Grayson's parents are murdered; Bruce Wayne takes him in and begins training him to be his sidekick. Catwoman: When In Rome - This chronicles Catwoman's time in Italy during the events of Dark Victory.
Batman Chronicles: The Gauntlet - Dick Grayson passes his final test and officially becomes Robin, the Boy Wonder.
Batman: Turning Points #2
Robin: Year One
Robin Annual #4 (1995)
Batman & Superman: World's Finest #3
Batman: Ego
Batman: Full Circle - This is a sequel to Batman: Year Two. Batman and Robin encounter the son of Joe Chill.
Legends of the DC Universe #6 - Robin meets Superman for the first time.
Year One: Batman/Scarecrow
The Brave and the Bold #54 - Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad team up for the first time.
Teen Titans: Year One - The Teen Titans are founded by Robin (Dick Grayson), Kid Flash (Wally West), Aqualad (Garth), Wonder Girl (Donna Troy), and Speedy (Roy Harper).
The Man of Steel #5
Detective Comics #334
Brave and the Bold #60 - Teen Titans
Batman & Superman: World's Finest #4
Batman: Fortunate Son
Showcase #59 - "Dig this gig -- When a fab singin', swingin' teen group makes the scene with a crazy crime beat that'll have you losing your cool -- until the merely greatest group of all, the Teen Titans, blows in and really has to go-go-go to put down the baddies who have copped out with the loot! You better believe it -- this caper is just... beautiful!"
Batman: Two-Face Strikes Twice: Part One
JLA: Zatanna's Search - The character of Zatanna is introduced as she encounters various members of the Justice League while searching for her missing father. She later becomes an important member of the team.
Teen Titans #1 - "They're here!... Those kids with the super-hero beat... The Teen Titans... Busting loose in their first book-length killer-chiller that's all strictly their own! Fighting, battling, daring, dashing -- and even thinking! So come along where the action is -- as the newest, hottest team, in or out of this world, takes on... The Beast-God of Xochatan!"
Batgirl: Year One - Barbara Gordon becomes Batgirl.
Legends of the DC Universe #10-11 - Batgirl
JLA: Incarnations #3 - The Justice League moves into their new satellite headquarters. The roster at the start of this story includes Green Lantern, The Flash, Black Canary, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow, The Atom, Hawkman, Zatanna, Firestorm, Superman, and Batman. Green Arrow leaves the team.
Batman & Superman: World's Finest #5 - Superman meets Batgirl.
Batman: Batgirl - Batgirl encounters the Joker for the first time.
The Man of Steel #6
Batman: Batgirl (Girlfrenzy!)
Batman Family #2
Teen Titans #18
Detective Comics #392
Detective Comics #393 - Batman and Robin (Dick Grayson) work their last full-time case together before Dick goes off to college.
Batman #217 - Dick leaves for Hudson University. Bruce and Alfred then move out of Wayne Manor and into a penthouse in the city. Dick is still Robin but he no longer works with Batman full-time.
Detective Comics #394
Detective Comics #395
Detective Comics #404
Detective Comics #405 - First appearance of the League of Assassins.
Detective Comics #411 - "Into the Den of the Death-Dealers" - Batman's first encounter with Talia.
Batman #232 - "Daughter of the Demon" - Batman's first encounter with one of his most fearsome opponents, Ra's Al Ghul.
Teen Titans Spotlight #21
Batman #235 - "Swamp Sinister" - Another early encounter with Ra's Al Ghul.
Detective Comics #417 - Commissioner Gordon reveals in a thought balloon that he actually knows that his (adoptive) daughter Barbara Gordon is Batgirl, but he does not tell her that he knows.
Batman #240 - "Vengeance for a Dead Man" - Though Batman already had a bad feeling about Ra's Al Ghul and had refused to join him, this is the issue where Batman actually realizes that Ra's is completely insane and their rivalry really begins.
Birds of Prey: Batgirl/Catwoman
Detective Comics #422 - Barbara Gordon tells her father that she is Batgirl, which he already knew.
Detective Comics #423 - Barbara Gordon starts her campaign to be elected to the United States Congress.
Detective Comics #424 - Barbara Gordon wins the election and moves to Washington, D.C.
Batman #242 - "Bruce Wayne--Rest In Peace" - Batman fakes Bruce Wayne's death in preparation to take down Ra's Al Ghul. Batman #243 - "The Lazarus Pit" - Ra's Al Ghul is shown using the Lazarus pit for the first time. Batman #244 - "The Demon Lives Again" - Batman's legendary first sword fight with Ra's Al Ghul.
Batman #245 - "The Bruce Wayne Murder Case" - Bruce Wayne is found alive, wrapping up the loose end from the previous story arc.
Detective Comics #425
Detective Comics #426
Teen Titans #41-43
Adventures of Superman #440 - Superman and Batman learn each other's secret identities.
Green Lantern/Green Arrow: Part One - Green Lantern and Green Arrow embark on their legendary cross-country adventure. Green Lantern/GreenArrow: Part Two - Green Arrow discovers that his sidekick Speedy has become a heroin addict. Speedy is subsequently able to get clean with the support of Green Lantern and Black Canary.
Legends of the DC Universe #12-13 - Justice League of America
Batman #257
Justice League of America #105 - The Elongated Man joins the JLA.
Detective Comics #444-448
Batman Family #1
Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman: Trinity - Superman and Batman meet Wonder Woman.
« Last Edit: Jan 20th, 2012, 01:27am by TurkeyMoose »
Re: So... what are we currently reading?
« Reply #616 on: Sep 24th, 2011, 6:10pm »
I just finished reading all of Timothy Zahn's Star Wars books (9 of them). Good stuff. If you haven't read them, read them in the order they were published (like you'd watch the films). I'm now working through the comics I got behind on while doing so - mostly the last issue or two of the "old" DCU.
Re: So... what are we currently reading?
« Reply #617 on: Sep 26th, 2011, 07:13am »
And now my latest update to my chronological readings.
Man-Bat #1-2
Detective Comics #457 - "There Is No Hope In Crime Alley"
Batman #276
Detective Comics #463 - First appearance of Black Spider Detective Comics #464
Teen Titans #44-52 - Titans West is formed by Beast Boy, Golden Eagle, Flamebird*, Lilith, Hawk, and Dove. *Note: Flamebird actually uses the name Bat-Girl in this story but I put Flamebird because that is what it is retroactively changed to in post-Crisis continuity.
Justice League of America #138-139
The New Titans #56 - This is an issue of the later Teen Titans series but is set here in the past.
Batman & Superman: World's Finest #6
Batman #287-288 - Batman battles the Penguin.
Batman: Strange Apparitions - Collects issues of Detective Comics #469-479. Batman battles Dr. Phosphorus, Hugo Strange, the Penguin, Deadshot, the Joker, Clayface, and the corrupt politician Rupert Thorne. Bruce Wayne dates Silver St. Cloud. Hugo Strange discovers Batman's identity but is subsequently murdered. Silver St. Cloud also discovers that Bruce is Batman but he does not directly confirm this to her. Note: By my calculations, at this point in continuity, the only living people who solidly know that Bruce Wayne is Batman are Alfred Pennyworth, Leslie Thompkins, Julie Madison, Robin (Dick Grayson), Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), Superman (Clark Kent), Wonder Woman (Diana), Ra's Al Ghul, and Talia.
Teen Titans #53 - The Teen Titans officially disband. This is the final issue of the original Teen Titans series.
« Last Edit: Jan 14th, 2012, 1:58pm by TurkeyMoose »
Re: So... what are we currently reading?
« Reply #619 on: Sep 29th, 2011, 6:05pm »
I've been thumbing through the "nu" batbooks, but not really reading anything from the re-launch (especially after Detective sucked so hard). I'm going to wait until the 'NEW 52 #2s!!!ELEVEN!1' are out and read 1-2 together of each. In the mean time, I've begun re-reading the Star Wars New Jedi Order series. I read it in real time years ago until they killed off a major character that was mandated from the Lucas camp (which pissed me off pretty majorly). I continued to buy the books and not read them. I guess I showed them who was boss!
Re: So... what are we currently reading?
« Reply #620 on: Sep 30th, 2011, 01:01am »
A couple of things I've read recently that I don't think I've mentioned:
Power Girl: Bomb Squad
Damn that Judd Winick! As much as I want to hate the guy for sucking so very hard, he occasionally comes along and writes a book a really do enjoy. I think a lot of it comes down to the beautiful art by Sami Basri. I loved loved loved the Amanda Conner art, and that fit the comedic tone of the first two TPBs perfectly. But likewise, this is very fitting art for a very different tone of book. The way Basri draws Power Girl's face especially is something I am very taken with. He seems to draw her in a less 'conventionally' beautiful way, and in a more subtle and quirky way - I like that Quite honestly I really can't wait for the next trade!
That damn Winick, he has no consistency whatsoever! You get horrific crimes against Grayson in his recent Batman & Robin arc, there are also horrific crimes against Grayson from that old Long Shadows (Batman Reborn) arc, wherein both arcs he portrays Dick as an inept fool. But in Power Girl, not only do I actually like Winick's use and portrayal of Dick, but I also really love the fact that Power Girl fancies the pants off him! And even more shocking, the whole Grayson crush is very tastefully done.
In fact, the whole TPB was very tasteful. Who would have thought it from the guy behind Catwoman #1 2011... You know, the guy who manages to outdo Frank Miller in hookerfying (yes I just made that word up) Catwoman by about 17,000% actually makes a tasteful Power Girl book?! What is the world coming to?!
The Pro (Garth Ennis/Amanda Conner)
Ha! I liked this one.
I know some might see that as hypocritical considering my distaste of the recent sordid sexualistion of Catwoman (as opposed to the tasteful and mature sexuality under Brubaker). But it's all about the context and the character, and in The Pro - it's funny.
Re: So... what are we currently reading?
« Reply #621 on: Oct 9th, 2011, 9:39pm »
I came across a fair few panels online of various Supergirl/Grayson interactions, which got me curious about the character, because other than the guest appearances in Batgirl, and the World Finest TPB (bought because of my beloved Stephanie) I don't think I've actually read anything with the character since her Superman/Batman introduction all those years ago.
I pulled Superman/Batman: Supergirl off the shelf and gave it its' first re-read in 5-6 years. Still didn't like the book, remembered why I stopped buying the Superman/Batman Trades. But I really liked the portrayal of Supergirl in the movie adaptation, and I wated to see some Grayson interactions with her, so I decided I was going to buy the Supergirl Trades. Loved the first one, really did. The Ian Churchill art was beautiful; I particularly like the way he draws Supergirl with her face so full of wonder and innocence, and I found the way he gave her a comparatively small cleavage to be wonderfully refreshing in relation to most female heroes in comic books. Can't believe this girl is related to Power Girl though...
Have to say I really did not like the next two Trades anywhere near as much (other than the High School issue at the beginning of the third TPB which I did enjoy). They seemed to drag on aimlessly with a lost and miserable Supergirl never really progressing at any pace. This must have been so frustrating to read month by month. But I've heard really good things about the Sterling Gates run of Supergirl so I'm gonna see this one through to the end!
This also reignited a Superman interest in me for the first time since 2006. I went out and bought the complete Superman Collection on Blu Ray! So far I've only watched Superman Extended Cut and (for the first time) Superman 2 Richard Donner cut - I much preferred that to the Lester Theatrical Cut. Suprisingly I always quite liked Superman 3 so I'm cautiously looking forward to that. Never seen 4... Also did not like Superman Returns on my only ever viewing of it at the London Imax, so it'll be interesting to see what I think of that one these days.
Tonight I read Batgirl: The Flood. It was the first time reading it since the single issues so it was the first time reading it in one sitting. It made me sad. It made me very sad. Bryan Q Miller I love you. Lee Garbett I love you. Stephanie Brown I love you. I miss you all.
Re: So... what are we currently reading?
« Reply #624 on: Oct 31st, 2011, 05:06am »
I read through Ten Nights and I agree that it has a strength to it; it's the osmosis of era, meaning that it's captures the character at that moment and the broader society. It feels right, rather than simply having the setup and references of a certain period.
The Beast is one of numerous inspirations from the late 80s/early 90s for Bane. But like Hamm's work on Blind Justice, the idea of cypher is intended and in some ways inverted.
Bane was supposed to be a mastermind whose psychology and depth was provided in his first appearance -- itself an origin -- yet the character works only as a means to an end, which is a mixture of marketing material, editorial edict and an author's analysis of another's work (either as indictment or cachet, all three standards are partially, or fully, owned by Denny O'Neil).
IN Ten Nights and Hamm's Blind Justice, the antagonist is either a larger force or one who is altogether out of reach. The KGBeast's purity was a triumph, in that it very simply made a Cold War argument (the individual becoming so subservient to a larger movement, that his existence is only an expression of it) without any direct statement of this factor in the dialogue. He just is.
Instead of being the darker side of Batman, the Beast is a near-complete contradiction, where the personal isn't even a part of his character. A state-created monster against a self-created vigilante.
If the story has a flaw, it's era-specific: Batman works too closely with the government. It then misses a key point, perhaps, of the power of the individual versus the state. Certainly, that's played to with tensions between Batman and Parker, but there are moments where it almost seems like an inter-departmental feud rather than an issue of government reach.
I suppose the Beast makes up for that, ironically showing the weakness of the government to stop an individual.
As conflation of idea and character, the Beast is a success while Bane is, if not a failure, a bore.
It's summed up, in a way, by the contrasting reveals (or their lack) of a character's face: when Bane takes off his mask it means....nothing. That the Beast never takes off his, means quite a bit.
Even lack of detail or plain gaffes in the coloring of the Beast's eyes (sometimes brown, other times blue) work as a happy accident that dovetails with the thematic structure of character and larger story: his features as beside the point, his face as beside the point, then these things as the(?) point.
And the ending? Pretty close to perfect. The Beast uses infrastructure against Batman and his victims throughout, and yet this is exactly what undoes him: for all his power is obviated by a steel door. The individual defeated by a literalized societal structure.
Starlin has fun, obviously, making an exoteric reference to the Iron Curtain with this ending. The Beast destroyed by his own ideology, in real-world terms of cause and effect.
I think this was a much better example of Starlin exploring the weaknesses of state infrastructure, relative or as opposed to his work on The Cult (though it may be time to look at that again, as a companion piece at the very least).
Side notes:
1) The Weather Underground reference has actually gained relevance rather than losing any; years ago the idea of an FBI agent having connections with such a group was questionable. Today? The US President has, at least, vague connections through Ayers (arguably the ghost writer on Dreams) and others.
2) Not only does Batman allow the Beast to rot, pretty clearly going against the retrofitted or canonized (that can be taken a number of ways, can't it?) No Killing Code, but Jason also kills the Beast's acolyte.
There's a grimness to it, and with the Batman side it speaks to his power in place of the state; he leaves the Beast to die because the alternative is to free him.
It's pretty clear that the leash was far looser back then. As Batman was darkening, post-Crisis and Returns, various boundaries were not only pushed but crossed. I can't say that I'm saddened by that.
3) Not sure this is much of a note, but has anybody read the Wolfman followup in Batman 445/446/447? It's pretty weak. No Beast. But another trace of Bane in his replacement.
The BIG idea is...to simply have the same basic story, only to set it in Glasnost-era Russia. The idea is pretty thin, and illogical, both as far as Batman's characterization and the still-standing Soviet Union.
But Wolfman does open the book with an implicit reference to Ten Nights, as well as closing the first chapter: first, Batman in the Gotham sewers, then the Demon escaping into the Moscow sewers.
It's a nice reference, and it should sum up the conflict between characters and cultures: Moscow is very far from Gotham, and Batman's understanding.
But Wolfman botches it. Every step of the way. By trying so eagerly to play up globalization on all levels, he subverts any idea of differences between Gotham and Moscow, or the ideology of the West versus that of the Soviets.
While he plays to the differences between Batman and Demon -- such as the hockey/subway chase, where Batman throws himself off a car to save one woman, following a public slaughter by the Demon -- he does very little to show any cultural differences between greater Moscow and Gotham.
The police even decide against unmasking Batman, protecting his right to privacy.
Really? This snowballed for me, as it just points to the poor logic in having Batman in Russia at all.
Perhaps the most clever image is somewhat opaque: in the same train sequence, the Demon throws away an apple, already bitten. Forbidden knowledge? From which side? It's almost a Gnostic statement, whether by design or ignorance. But matched with the subway car, hurtling down the tracks, I think we're at the center of Wolfman's thematic exploration: the idea that the Demon is fighting something already passed/past, thus fighting the inevitable.
The story visualizes the idea of the US and Soviet Union being inextricably intertwined with the climax of chapter two, but I don't think it does an effective job of exploring the very real tensions and differences throughout Russia; instead it tries to focus all conflict through the Demon.
By having Batman nearly deputized by the local police, Wolfman also takes away from the notion of any need for the character to solve this problem. How ridiculous is it that there's less conflict between Batman and The State while in Soviet territory, than there was when he was in Gotham?
It may be a good, even great, point on lack of freedoms in the States, no matter rhetoric, but I really just think it's Wolfman simplifying the structural issues of another society and global ethos. It appears to be pretty dim and provincial, really.
That the Demon is being dealt with by such a public portion of government is rather odd as well, as it ignores where the Beast and Demon come from and what remedies these people would have for a "rogue" agent. If the Demon is all that rogue, well, that would be a pretty big point, wouldn't it?
The final chapter then descends into an all-out plea for one-worldism, tied to the risible Earth Day propaganda. Forever Revolution, indeed. There was a big push by DC for Earth Day, with a Superman special dedicated to it in the same year (that languished on store shelves for years after).
The Soviet/Western conflict comes down to putting aside thoughts of nuclear annihilation for.... Earth Day!
Maybe the Demon had a point on capitalism and communism conflating.
I started to feel sympathy for the Demon, which was compounded or further pushed by one of the more one-note Bruce Wayne Schticks I've read.
The dull and stiff hotel scene between Wayne/Vale is contrasted quite well with the romanticized fireplace monologue to Lenin by the Demon. Unfortunately, it just further underscores how soulless both Batman and Bruce are in this material.
Perhaps someone else has another viewpoint, but I thought the story was a dud.
2) Not only does Batman allow the Beast to rot, pretty clearly going against the retrofitted or canonized (that can be taken a number of ways, can't it?) No Killing Code, but Jason also kills the Beast's acolyte.
Good, solid story. The above is my only problem with it. If I remember correctly, this was one of the first stories to get a "collected edition" (along with A Death in the Family).
Good, solid story. The above is my only problem with it. If I remember correctly, this was one of the first stories to get a "collected edition" (along with A Death in the Family).
The Jason part fits, but not necessarily the reaction to it.
The Batman stuff is problematic, especially as relates to consequences. Did they ever explain how the Beast escaped?
The Jason part fits, but not necessarily the reaction to it.
The Batman stuff is problematic, especially as relates to consequences. Did they ever explain how the Beast escaped?
Yes. In Batman: Year Three, Batman mentions that he later contacted the police to pick up the Beast.
I love the story too, but the one problem I've always had with it, and I'm surprised no one here has mentioned it, is the fact that they disguise themselves in masks of the human variety. If I remember correctly, Batman even wears one right over his Batman mask. How does that work?
« Last Edit: Oct 31st, 2011, 1:02pm by TurkeyMoose »
Yes. In Batman: Year Three, Batman mentions that he later contacted the police to pick up the Beast.
I love the story too, but the one problem I've always had with it, and I'm surprised no one here has mentioned it, is the fact that they disguise themselves in masks of the human variety. If I remember correctly, Batman even wears one right over his Batman mask. How does that work?
As problomatic as that can be in a comic, I found this idea truly unbearable in the one and only time I suffered through Mission Impossible 2. The sheer amount of Scooby Doo unmaskings was ludicrous and I hated the fact that my friend had chosen such an excrutiating and mindless mindkilling movie to force us to endure for his birthday celebration. Needless to say I never watched it again... Or for that matter a Tom Cruise movie now that I come to think of it except for a bit of Eyes Wide Shut on tv. ---
Even when reading it, I thought it was intended for the reader to believe that Batman knew the Beast would escape eventually, but was just buying himself and everybody time. Nonetheless, the much enjoyed the ambiguity of it
I much enjoyed the way The Batman was written in general. The whole 'I'm better than everyone and will order you about' got very tiresome in the Post-NML to OYL period. But here, the biting sarcasm (rather than the general being a dick of the first half of the 2000s) really is what made it work.
Re: So... what are we currently reading?
« Reply #629 on: Nov 1st, 2011, 3:39pm »
Against my better judgement I've just won the first four Cassandra Cain TPBs from an ebay seller. Everybody knows I'm not her biggest fan (to put it extremely mildly). But I've reached that stage where the desire to have every TPB/Graphic Novel/Prestige in the old Continuity is currently winning out.
I did like it when Tim Drake shot her in Robin/Batgirl: Fresh Blood though ---
Speaking of Prestiges, I've been buying up what I need of the Batman Forever and Batman & Robin tie-ins. Mr Freeze I have not included on my Continuity shelf. Obviously it was intended to be the origin of Mr Freeze at the time of publication, but it is 100% incompatable with Snow that came years later, and in all honesty I much preferred Snow. Not that I didn't like this one, but I'm going with Snow for this one. But then I haven't included any of the Begins/Dark Knight tie-ins on my shelf. We've all discussed before specifically how Scarecrow Year One is impossible in relation to many other stories where Scarecrow appeared long before Robin.
I liked the Two-Face tie-in. I don't recall the history with his father being contradicted anywhere so that one stays unless somebody wants to tell me otherwise that the inclusion/portrayal of his father is way off? Batgirl, Poison Ivy, and Bane were already on the shelf. Just The Riddler to go now! ---
Speaking of Two-Face. Has anybody read Tony Daniel's final Batman run Pre-Reboot? I wont go near the Monthlies or Hardcover and will wait for the TPB just for the sake of being complete. The reason I ask is because I hear Gilda Dent is in it. I want to know whether there is any mention of the Janus children (or lack there-of) that would place Two-Face Strikes Twice into Continuity. My impression was that it was never intended to be an actual Canon piece and rather just one of those out of Continuity standalones like many others - examples being Book Of The Dead, The Ankh, The Chalice, Unseen, Gotham After Midnight, The Last Angel etc etc etc.
Next is the debate as to whether to get the Batman Confidential Trades... From what I've read many of the early ones especially 1) Suck, and 2) Majorly contradict established Continuity as it is.
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