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Review: Detective Comics #42

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dc042In a sense, Detective Comics is DC Comics.  DC owes its name to one of its flagship series, and although the series has gone through tough times before, it has always persisted.  In the 1970s during the DC Implosion, the title was almost lost in favor of the Batman Family comics, but Detective Comics was too important, and became Detective Comics featuring the Batman Family.  Except for the brief period just before the new 52 when the series featured Batwoman, the series has also always had Batman, be that Bruce Wayne, Jean-Paul Valley or Dick Grayson.  That is to say that DC is Detective Comics, and Detective Comics is Batman, which is an easy way to identify one of DC’s main two heroes.

The recent story arc in the Batman titles deals with the fallout of the Endgame story arc in the main Batman series.  With Bruce Wayne gone, there needs to be someone to fill in the gap as the Batman, and it has fallen to the unlikely choice of Jim Gordon to fill the suit.  It is not just any suit though, rather an Iron-Man like mockup, but with a few kinks.  This series has also put some focus on the renewed partnership of Montoya and Bullock, and the story here finds itself somewhere in between.  Jim is still trying to figure out what it takes to be Batman, especially as some criminals have figured out how to weaken the suit, and Harvey and Renee are trying hard to make work what was once a great partnership.

If DC needs Batman, and specifically Detective Comics, then it is hard to see how this fits in.  The idea of Jim Gordon as Batman is one which breaks certain base assumptions about the group of characters.  Though both defined by a moral code, Batman is not Jim Gordon, nor can Jim Gordon be Batman.  Others that have taken up the title have done so in the spirit of Bruce Wayne, but this new version is a bit bizarre, asking the reader to forget key parts of the publication history of the characters, so that an unconventional story can be told.  Unconventional stories can be great, as any work of fiction should try to push the boundaries of what is the expected, but in this case it still doesn’t quite feel right, as Detective Comics still feels like it is missing its Batman, even when it ostensibly has one.

Story: Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellatto Art: Fernando Blanco
Story: 6.8 Art: 6.8 Overall: 6.8 Recommendation: Pass

How Old are Comic Book Characters?

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How Old Do I Look? is an interesting website where you can upload an image and it’ll guess your age and gender based on that. While it’s fun putting people you know in, it also works in some drawings. So, I decided to put in some comic characters to see what the site says.

As you can see, it’s a bit all over the place, hell it thinks I’m in my mid-50s.

Review: Gotham Academy #4

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ga04covFor those that have been reading along with the series or at least following the buzz, they might think that this is a series with a set shelf life, that after a certain amount of time that there are going to be enough mysteries solved that Gotham’s own version of Nancy Drew is simply going to run out of interesting stories.  For any that were thinking this, who thought that issue #3 signaled the start of a downwards spiral for this series, they can instead rest assured that there is still lots of story left to tell in this series, as the compelling mysteries are not one but many.

The presence of the ghost hunt in the previous issue might have seemed like the end of the glue that held the first story together, but the writers prove that they are not afraid to diversify a bit here, not only in terms of content but also context.  While the previous issues dealt with Olive and Maps searching for answers for secrets that they nothing about, here the secrets become a lot deeper as Olive especially is forced to deal with new mysteries such as secret symbols, secret passageways and trying to figure out exactly why Bruce Wayne is so interested in her.  In so doing the characterization here is amazing, and it pays good homage to its intended demographic by not treating its main characters as stereotypes of this age bracket (what was particularly on the mark was what Maps wished for on her birthday.)  This realistic approach to the characters is what makes this series more approachable for all-ages to dive into.

The creative team proves here that they have a lot left in this series.  Far from being a drop off in quality this issue might be the best so far, especially as the shock value has worn off from the first few issues for those that thought that such a series could never be good or entertaining.    Indeed this is one of the best issues that DC has on offer from its wide selection of titles.  It is still tied to superheroes and belongs in the DC Universe, but at the same time it mostly doesn’t and stands on its own by itself as well.

Story: Becky Cloonan and Brendan Fletcher Art: Karl Kerschl
Story: 9.2 Art: 9.2 Overall: 9.2 Recommendation: Buy

Superman and Daredevil as Batman!? Ben Affleck Cast as Batman!

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affleck hollywoodlandDaredevil is Batman. Larry Gigli is Batman. Rudy Duncan is Batman. AJ Frost is Batman. Ben Affleck is Batman. Warner Bros. announced today that Ben Affleck will be stepping into the cape and cowl following in the footsteps of Christian Bale and will place Bruce Wayne/Batman in the upcoming Superman/Batman movie. He’s the eighth actor to do so.

WB president Greg Silverman said in a statement:

We knew we needed an extraordinary actor to take on one of DC Comics’ most enduringly popular Super Heroes, and Ben Affleck certainly fits that bill, and then some.

The film, as sequel to this year’s Man of Steel will be directed by Zack Snyder. The movie will open July 17, 2015, with Henry Cavill, Amy Adams and Diane Lane reprising their roles.

Snyder in a statement added:

Ben provides an interesting counter-balance to Henry’s Superman. He has the acting chops to create a layered portrayal of a man who is older and wiser than Clark Kent and bears the scars of a seasoned crime fighter, but retain the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne. I can’t wait to work with him.

Past rumors had swirled that Affleck had been offered the chance to direct the upcoming Justice League movie. He’s proven himself an accomplished director with recent hits like Gone Baby Gone, The Town and Argo. Bale was also reportedly offered $50 million to reprise the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Affleck has actually played Superman before stepping into the tights while playing real life actor George Reeves in the wonderful Hollywoodland. Reeves was an actor who played Superman and died under mysterious circumstances.

Affleck is clearly in the Warner Bros. family as the last two movies he directed, The Town and Argo, and his next one, Live by Night (he produced all three too) were all Warner Bros. films.

This is another comic franchise to add to Affleck’s belt continuing a common occurrence of a few actors playing multiple comic book characters in movies from different comic publishers.

(via Variety)

HeroClix Online Announces DC Comics’ The Dark Knight Rises Figure of the Week

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HeroClix Online developers today announced the latest set to join the “Figure of the Week” program, showcasing over a half dozen all-new figures from DC Comics’ The Dark Knight Rises collection. The Dark Knight Rises Figure of the Week will run today through early September.

Find the full Figure of the Week schedule below, detailing which figures will be available each week:

July 26-Aug. 1: Batman
Aug. 2-8: Bruce Wayne
Aug. 9-15: Catwoman
Aug. 16-22: Bane
Aug. 23-29: Rachel Dawes (from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight)
Aug. 30-Sept. 5: John Blake

During the Figure of the Week program, two individual figures from an upcoming set are made available weekly for a limited time. More information on the Figure of the Week program can be found here.

Occupy Gotham

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While thousands gather in cities across the US to protest, something… Bruce Wayne steps up for “Occupy Gotham.”  Anjin Anhut posted up the below image in his Deviant Art account.  Though, I think this might be more appropriate with Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow.

Around the Tubes

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I had a great night last night watching Kevin Smith‘s new movie Red State followed by a question and answer session.  the movie is fantastic and blows Smith’s previous work away.  Expect a review today.  Yes, I’m bummed a man with 1.7 million followers couldn’t get me a date to the screening (see the tweet below), but what can you do.  Onto the comic book news.

Around the Blogs:

Northwestern – Bruce Wayne to Batman: It’s basic physiology – What would it take for a real world person to become Batman?  Head to Northwestern and find out!

Readers – Winter Star Productions Announces Graphic Novel Along with its Movie “Midnight Reckoning” – This time it’s the movie that becomes the graphic novel.

PR – Central City Tower Debuts Graphic Novel at Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo – Some news out of C2E2

Bleeding Cool – David Slade To Direct New Daredevil Film – I actually liked the first one.  It wasn’t great, but it was ok.

CBLDF – The Good Fighters: Terry Moore – Any time we can plug the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.  Support them!

Comics Alliance – Digital Comics: Why They Can’t Be Both a Shark and a Goldfish – Are digital comics good or bad? You decide!

ICv2 – ‘Captain Action Spider-Man & Captain America Costume Sets’ – I want!

CBR Robot 6 – Bat-mystery solved! Bruce Wayne is a Yale graduate! – Even more of a reason to dislike him.

Comic Book Movie – Easter Egg Hidden In The Newest ‘Thor’ Trailer. – Pretty funny and great someone caught this.

The Gateway Online – A world of artistic superheroes – Wish I was closer to Alberta to check this out.

Around the Tweets: – Kevin Smith and Red State Edition

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