When Everybody Loves You

Apr 25

30 Day Batman Challenge - Day 1

Day One: First Batman comic you read?

It’s actually a bit hard for me to remember the very first Batman comic I read because I’m sure it was when I was very young. So I suppose I’ll have to improvise a bit and answer with the comic that got be reading Batman again.

I remember walking into a comic shop and strolling over towards the section of new books—the ones that had come out the previous Wednesday. On the shelf was a stack of Batman comics with the words “Batman: R.I.P.” across the top next to a blood-soaked bat. Was DC Comics actually killing Batman? I had to flip through it.

Inside the comic was panel after panel of spectacular art from Tony Daniel, but one section in particular caught my eye:

I had no idea what was going on, but I bought it immediately. I had to know why Batman’s costume was so different, what “Zurr-en-arrh” meant. Soon enough, I was all caught up on the “R.I.P.” arc, and I’ve been buyingBatmanever since.

Batman #678 by Grant Morrisson and Tony Daniel got me back into comics, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

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Apr 26

30 Day Batman Challenge - Day 2

Day Two: Favourite Batman costume?

I’m not quite sure what exactly this is asking, but I’m assuming it has to do with the different designs of Batman’s suits over the years, so I’m going to treat it as such. Batman certainly has had a lot of different types of costumes since his creation in 1939. So many, in fact, that it may be hard to choose one that trumps all the others. There is one, however, that’s always stuck out in my mind as being iconic, and when it’s imitated it always catches my eye.

Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns is one of those comics that changed comics. It is challenging and stimulating, but it also appeals to the eyes in a way that other books—including other Frank Miller Batman books—simply cannot. A lot of what makes TDKR so great stems from Miller’s decision to write as well as pencil the book (at the time, Miller was more prominently known as an artist). His design for Batman in and out of the costume is totally different from anything that had been seen before the book’s release. Miller’s take is highly stylized, with Batman being older than the audience was used to seeing. Batman is very wide and barrel-chested, and the bat symbol on the front is massive. Instead of the sharp points and curves that influenced, well, every version of Batman ever, Miller’s elderly Batman is very broad, simple and in your face. Batman’s cowl is equipped with short ears, which is also very different from the almost cartoony long, sharp, pointed ears that Batman artists drew in the 1980s. It’s grim and dark, and it perfectly contrasts the book’s Robin costume, as worn by Carrie Kelly.

I absolutely love it:

I also really like Jim Lee’s homage to this Batman costume as he drew it in another Frank Miller-scribed comic All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder, which is supposed to act as a sort of prequel to TDKR:

I won’t comment on the actual content of that book, but everyone agrees the art is beautiful.

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Apr 27

30 Day Batman Challenge - Day 3

Day Three: Favourite actor in a Batman film?

This is a strangely difficult decision to make. I think it’s a bit of a cliche to say that Heath Ledger’s Joker had a significant effect on the way that The Dark Knight was received by audiences, but it’s absolutely true. However, his performance does kind of overshadow many of the other brilliant actors in Batman Begins as well as The Dark Knight. Liam Neeson is one that comes to mind especially. Cilian Murphey played a fantastic Jonathan Crane. And let’s not forget Eric Roberts as Salvatore Maroni in The Dark Knight. I was a huge fan of Aaron Eckhart before his portrayal of Harvey Dent/Two-Face, and he definitely gave Ledger a run for his money. I can’t forget Christian Bale, whose Batman was, for once, as believable as his Bruce Wayne.

Then, of course, there are the pre-Chris Nolan movies. I’m not a huge fan of any of the actors who played Batman in any of Burton/Schumacher films. I can go on and on about those, so I won’t do that here. The best casting decision that was ever made during this period was Jack Nicholson’s Joker. He is brilliant. He’s every bit as terrifying as Ledger’s but in a totally different way. He’s a sort of darker, more twisted play on the Cesar Romero Joker from the 1960s television series.

But if I had to pick someone who I truly enjoyed most out of everyone, it’d probably be Michael Caine’s Alfred in the Christopher Nolan series. Alfred has always served as a sarcastic, light-hearted comic relief character whose concern for Bruce was always underplayed in the Burton/Schumacher series. But Caine perfectly translates Alfred from page to screen, making a character often overlooked into someone who becomes another star of the show. That’s definitely commendable. Plus, he delivers everyone’s favorite line in The Dark Knight: “Some men just want to watch the world burn.” I can’t wait to see how big of a role Alfred plays in The Dark Knight Rises.

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Apr 29

30 Day Batman Challenge - Day 4

Day Four: Least favourite actor in a Batman film?

Okay, let’s all be honest: some of the Batman movies have had some pretty damn terrible cast members. That doesn’t mean that they were necessarily bad actors. I know George Clooney is great in some roles, but as Batman, he just didn’t work. The same can be said for a lot of the actors and actresses that have made their way into the Batman film legacy.

But there’s one that was the worst of the worst, the most terrible of them all. He was cast seemingly for pure recognition, to get people in the seats regardless of his talent. The production team wanted to sell toys, and they knew they could do it with this person’s likeness attached. The writing was poor, filled with terrible, horrible one-liners, each of which was a pun that related to the character’s M.O. I don’t even need to elaborate further, as I’m sure anyone who has seen the dreadful Batman and Robinknows exactly who I mean.

What I really hated about the whole movie in general is, Mr. Freeze is such a cool villain with a lot of potential. Check out the animated series episode Heart of Iceand you’ll agree. Anyway, Arnold Schwarzenegger wins the title of Worse Actor in a Batman Movie.

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Apr 30

30 Day Batman Challenge - Day 5

Day Five: Favourite Batman side kick?

Well, this is certainly an interesting question. Batman has but one actual sidekick, and that’s Robin. Though I suppose he does have a lot of members of the Bat-family that could function as so-called “sidekicks,” in my opinion they all stand up pretty well on their own. But if I’m interpreting this correctly, and this is about my favorite member of the Bat-family, I’m gonna have to say Batwoman is my favorite.

I feel kind of guilty that I don’t pick up Batwoman on a regular monthly basis. When Greg Rucka wrote her into the pages of Detective a little bit after Final Crisis was finished, I thought the book was stellar. I really didn’t want to like it, as I was sort of new to comics and the extended Batman universe at the time, and Batwoman seemed like a cheap rip-off of Batgirl. (To be fair, though, I did find out that Batwoman came first, and that this was a new iteration of the character, which fascinated me, especially when Grant Morrisson proved that both could exist in the same Earth.) I was soon proven just how wrong I could be when I saw how awesome of a character Batwoman is.

A complain that plagues DC like no other is their lack of diversity in their universe. Batwoman serves to fill two ever-so-needed character types: she’s a strong female who doesn’t need to show skin to be taken seriously as well as a lesbian character. But what works best about Batwoman is how organically those character traits were introduced. They didn’t make her a lesbian for the sake of having a gay-friendly character; she simply was one, she she was written as one. The same is true of her being a female. They didn’t create a great female character; they created a great character who just happened to be a woman.

And, on the subject of Batwoman, oh my god look at the art.

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May 1

30 Day Batman Challenge - Day 6

Day Six: Least favourite Batman side kick?

Hmm… least favorite sidekick, you say? I’m not quite sure I have a least favorite. Each does seem to serve his or her purpose to the team, which is somewhat of a testament to the lasting power of Batman and his circle of characters. But I suppose I have to have an answer to this, so here goes nothing!

While it may not be an actual “sidekick” per ce, I’m sort of opposed to the idea of The Outsiders. When I say that, I don’t actually mean that the characters are bad in any way. Some of them are actually pretty damn cool. But I don’t buy the whole concept: Batman sees these heroes struggling for their place, so he forms a team, which he initially leads, and helps them to get their footing. While that’s a really cool idea for a comic superhero team, it just doesn’t fit my perception of Batman. I like my Batman to be grim, stoic, and a loner, which is one of his many flaws. I don’t like my Batman surrounded by B-list heroes, cracking one-liners and helping to save the day, even if those B-list heroes include Metamorpho (who is pretty awesome regardless of Batman affiliation).

Although, I do like the idea that Batman quits the Justice League and forms the Outsiders to spite them. That’s pretty cool.

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May 2

30 Day Batman Challenge - Day 7

Day Seven: Favourite Batman quote?

“Criminals are a terror. Hearts of the night. I must disguise my terror. Criminals are cowardly. A superstitious terrible omen. A cowardly lot. My disguise must strike terror. I must be black. Terrible. Criminals are a superstitious cowardly lot. I must be a creature. I must be a creature of the night. Mommy’s dead. Daddy’s dead. Brucie’s dead. I shall become a bat.”

Grant Morrison’s Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earthis one my absolute favorite graphic novels ever. If you’re a fan of Batman, comics in general, or even really good books, you need to read it. One of the best parts of the book is how it presents Batman and many of his villains. Each is given a more realistic approach, similar to what we’ve seen so far in the Christopher Nolan Batman films. The only exception to this is Batman himself. In Arkham Asylum, Batman is portrayed as much less realistic than anyone else. His costume curves and swirls in impossible patterns, and he’s actually not much more than a silhouette through the whole book.

Anyway, I could talk about this book all day. But I chose this quote, which is actually separate from the narrative and added on as the first of a series of journal-esque entries at the end, because I think it perfectly illustrates a recurring theme of Arkham Asylum: Batman is crazy. Obviously he isn’t mentally stable; this is a man who dresses as a bat and fights crime in order to cope with the pain of his parents death when he was 8 years old. It also blatantly states that Batman is the genuine persona, while Bruce Wayne is the created identity, which is something that a modern Batman audience is finally starting to understand.

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May 4

30 Day Batman Challenge - Day 8

Day Eight: Favourite Robin?

This is no contest by any means. The best Robin has always been Dick Grayson. The relationship between Bruce and Dick is one of the best in all of comics. Even though I really like my Batman gritty and flawed, it’s nice to have someone there to remind Bruce how human he is. If Jason Todd’s death was Bruce’s greatest failure, then Dick Grayson becoming Nightwing is his greatest achievement.

I will admit, though, that Damian is giving Dick a run for his money.

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May 6

30 Day Batman Challenge - Day 9

Day Nine: Favourite Batman artist?

Batman is really one of those massively iconic characters who has been drawn by countless artists. But one particular artist has always drawn Batman in a way that stick out in my mind. In fact, his art is so good, it’s become somewhat of a cliche to say you like it.

Jim Lee’s Batman showcases some of my favorite parts of the character. There’s a lot of shadow, which is necessary to portray the darkness that exists both in Batman’s world and his own self. But the blue highlights of the cape, cowl, gloves and boots show the good side of Bruce, too. I like the shorter ears and the points on the chest logo. I also really like the way Jim Lee draws the utility belt. Too often people make it look like something too high-tech, whereas here it’s very simple. The gadgets within are the technology.

My favorite quality of Jim Lee’s work is his use of lines that seem to have nothing to do with the image, yet they add a dynamic to the art that only Jim can create. Sometimes, his Batman has stubble to indicate a long night’s worth of patrolling. Sometimes the uniform has a line here and there, meticulously placed to suggest the imperfection of the character.

Not to mention the way Jim Lee draws the supporting cast as well as the villains. If you’re a guy, well, just look at the Huntress. If you’re a girl, take a look at Nightwing. That weird, “Oh I can’t believe I thought that way about a drawing!” feeling you’ve got? Yeah, I get it, too.

Catch Jim Lee on Justice League monthly!

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