When Everybody Loves You
You Can Never Be Lonely
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New comics from Wednesday that I forgot to post about last week. All of them are very solid, with Justice League stepping up its game from last issue. Wonder Woman is also very, very awesome. Brian Azzarello has yet to write something I didn’t like. Scott Snyder is
probablythe best Batman writer in the past 10 years. Seriously. That guy is going to be heralded as one of the greats someday. -
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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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!
St. Louis. Geek. Straight Edge.
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