Tag Archives: batman

10 Things I’m Looking Forward to at NYCC 2011

Posted on by
4

New York Comic Con is fast approaching (I’m going on October 15th), and while last year rocked, this year is looking to outdo it. Here’s what I’m looking forward to, in no particular order:

  • Robert Kirkman, who is going to be promoting The Walking Dead comics, the spinoff novel The Rise of the Governor, and the new season of the TV series (which starts on the 16th)! I’m not sure which issue to have him sign.
  • Brandon Seifert, who will be promoting Witch Doctor, and according to the letters column, may have some cool syringe pens with the WD logo on them. He also told me on Twitter that he’s going to be doing a panel, so I’m going to try to make that. Again, I’m not sure which issue to have him sign; I’m torn between #0 (which is a flipbook of one of The Walking Dead issues), or #1.
  • Being in New York, because hello, it’s New York! I can’t wait to walk through Times Square and down Broadway again. At night, it really comes alive. I’d like to eat at one of the restaurants — maybe find a hole in the wall — but that’s all going to depend on how my paycheck looks that week.
  • Patricia Briggs, author of the Mercy Thompson books — Moon Called is the first in the series — is one of the literary guests. I might have to bring my copy of Moon Called, just in case I get a chance to meet her.
  • James Marsters, the actor who played Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, was also at NYCC last year. I got to meet him last year, so I’m not going to be disappointed if I don’t get to say hi this year, too, but it’d be nice.
  • Felicia Day, writer, director, and actress of web series The Guild, as well as comic book writer, and actress on Dollhouse, is going to be there, so I may have to have her sign the jacket of one of my Dollhouse DVDs.
  • Kevin Smith is going to be there. I’m not sure what he’s promoting, but I know he writes comics occasionally, and of course we all know the Jay and Silent Bob and Clerks movies.
  • Patton Oswalt was also on Dollhouse, but he also wrote a one-shot for Firefly, Serenity: Float Out. I’ll be bringing that along, for sure.
  • Seth Green, AKA Oz on BtVS, and the guy behind Robot Chicken, will be there. I’m so bringing one of my BtVS jackets for him to sign.
  • Ben Templesmith will be there again. Mike is working on a drawing for him. I’m just looking forward to hanging out with him for a few minutes again; he was quite a gentleman.
  • Greg Capullo, most notably known for his work for Image Comics (Spawn), will be there promoting his new Batman series, which is probably the only good thing coming out of The New 52. (You have got to see his Batman artwork!) Last year, there was virtually no line to his table, so Mike and I were able to chat with him and his wife for quite a while. This year, I expect things to be different since he’s working for DC now and the series started last month, but a girl can dream.
  • Meeting so many comic fans again will be fun, too. I’m not sure which of our friends are going to make it with us, but Mike, Robbie, and I are definitely going either way.
  • Seeing all of the costumes last year was a lot of fun. I would never do cosplay for that kind of convention (because A, I don’t have the patience to make something so elaborate and B, I don’t have the patience to wear a costume all day like that), but there were some really cool ones last year.

Okay, so that’s more than ten, but still. I’m really excited!

Most of the people from the entertainment industry will probably have signing fees, but I’m going to bring stuff anyway, just in case; I definitely cannot afford $40 an actor!

Also, I lied; I’m probably most excited about meeting Brandon Seifert. Witch Doctor is a blast to read, and through his emails and tweets he seems like an awesome guy, so I can’t wait to actually say hello in person.

Are you going to NYCC? What are you most excited about?

Review | A Death In the Family

Posted on by
Reply

But the real murderers are the BATMAN readers.
– Newsweek

A Death In the Family

A Death In the Family

One phone number became the difference between life and death for the new Robin, Jason Todd, in A Death In the Family when it debuted in 1988.

Jason decides to search for his birth mother when Batman tells him he needs to take a break from being Robin. When Jason runs away, Batman has to make a choice between preventing the Joker from wreaking havoc and chasing down his adopted son.

Ultimately, Batman’s need for justice and his obsession with taking down Joker, as well as Jason’s stubborn disobedience, costs the Dark Knight his sidekick. Even though I knew Robin was going to die — I mean, have you seen the cover? — it still hit me hard to see Batman endure such pain. Regardless, I think I would have voted for the Joker to kill Robin if I had been old enough at the time to dial a phone number.

Usually, I have a tough time picking sides between Batman and Joker, because I love them both and love the dynamics of their relationship. They’re a more complicated Tom and Jerry; they are always waging war, neither of them ever win, and I think that, secretly, they both enjoy the game they play. It gives them both the opportunity to play at being the hero (Batman) and the villain (Joker) that they could otherwise never be. In “Death,” I wanted Batman to kill Joker, or at least beat the face paint off of him.

What I liked most about “Death” — aside from the storyline: Jason searching for his biological mother, Batman versus Joker — was that most of the story was set internationally in the Middle East. The writers clearly had a strong sense of the crime culture, political situations, and social situations in the countries that the main characters interacted in.

This particular story arch is a catalyst for the bitter Batman we know in the present and in the future as the retired Caped Crusader who passes on his legacy to the young Terry McGinnis.

The more Batman stories I soak up, the more I love this franchise.

What’s your favorite Batman story arc?

Review | Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?, by Neil Gaiman

Posted on by
1

You’d have thought Batman R.I.P. would have been about the death of Batman, but no, Caped Crusader opens up at the Dark Knight’s funeral.

Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?

Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?

Do WHAT now?

Yeah, that was my reaction.

All of Batman’s friends and enemies — including Joker and Harley, yay! — show up to pay their respects. Things start to get a little questionable, though, when his funeral attendees begin telling stories about his life and death that even the most novice of Batman fans — hi! — can tell is a bunch of BS.

So what’s going on?

Well, of course I’m not going to tell you, but if you’ve read The Dark Tower, you’ll be interested in the ending.

I liked the art and storyline, and liked the sort of tribute it paid to previous Batman stories. This deluxe version even includes a few old school Batman comics after the book is over. I liked R.I.P. even more, though, but I’m not sure if it’s because Mr. Wayne’s character design was super hot or what. I did, however, like that Caped Crusader showed a lot more of Batman’s and Bruce’s history, and incorporated the death of his parents as well. Obviously this is a big part of who Bruce/Batman is, but I still liked it.

I give both of these graphic novels five freaking stars!

Review | Batman R.I.P., by Grant Morrison

Posted on by
1

Because of this book, I have the biggest crush ever on Bruce Wayne.

Batman R.I.P.

Batman R.I.P.

Mike lent me Batman R.I.P. and Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? a couple of weeks ago. Because I was still reading On the Road by Jack Kerouac — and still am — and was too busy to even really spend a lot of time reading that, the books just sat waiting on my nightstand/filing cabinet.

Lucky for them, I got sick and stayed sick from Monday afternoon through Tuesday night, so I had plenty of time to read both Batman books between cat naps Tuesday.

I became fully immersed in R.I.P. right away. The art is gorgeous, and the Alex Ross covers make it even more worthwhile. (And let’s not forget the Bruce Wayne eye candy. I’ve never before thought that Batman was hot, but his character design in this book is delicious!) Aside from the beautiful art, the storyline is brilliant. I loved the final showdown at Arkham. There really isn’t anything I didn’t love about this book.

I really liked that it incorporated a lot of Bruce Wayne’s and Batman’s history, as well as a few characters I wasn’t too familiar with but quickly learned a lot about and came to love (read: Nightwing). After reading this book, I really want to learn more about Damian. Honestly, I’m not super familiar with Batman, though I’ve recently been getting really into the story. So I am not exactly sure if Damian is just a little side story thrown into this book or if there is a “universal” story arc including him and his mother.

(Please don’t hurt me!)

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Even though I liked Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?, I liked R.I.P. much better.

Any suggestions for what Batman books I should read next?