Any Fans of Pre-crisis Batman?

[MikeandRaph87]

Originally Posted by TurtleTitan97

Have you READ his recent work? The man has lost his touch, and Batman Odyssey and his recent Superman comic are proof of it..

The problem is Neal is a legendary artist he is not a writer. It is one of the cases of a superstar artist who thinks they can write. Can Neal? I don't know. There are quite a few of those. Some can do it, just look at the Mirage Dudes, but they are not rockstar artist either but above average in multiple areas. Prez tried it after giving Marv Wolfman plot points when he wrote Wonder Woman after COIE or recent example of Tony Daniel in the Batman title.

[myconius]

Originally Posted by TurtleTitan97

Have you READ his recent work? The man has lost his touch, and Batman Odyssey and his recent Superman comic are proof of it..

i was buying Batman Odyssey when it was in single issues, and also bought the collected Hardcover.

call me kooky bananas, but i actually liked the silly campiness of it.
was it as good as his original comics about R'as Al Ghul? not even as close!
but no matter how silly Batman Odyssey was it was no where near as bad as Dark Knight Strikes Again!!! xP
that story stunk so bad it'd make an onion cry!!!

Originally Posted by MikeandRaph87

Amen to that. I never understood the fascination and praise both Miller and Alan Moore for that matter got. Bleak street grit. I did enjoy Batman Year One and for Moore I liked the follow up of Clayface III in Batman Annual#11. One story I like each does not mean pantheon of creators in my opinion.

Neal and Jose are my #1 and #2 artist and forever capture the heroes of DC Comics in a classic era.

Catwoman appeared in Batman#256 and Batman#266, but I do not believe Neal drew the O'Neil penned stories. Neal's last job as regular artist was Batman#255.

no i do have to admit, i do in fact enjoy some of Miller's work before he completely went Berserk.
i absolutely love the early stories i've read of Sin City, though i've never finished it yet.

but some of the stuff he's put out in the last few years was just depressingly awful!!!
Dark Knight Strikes Again is a shining example of "what the H%$@ Happened??"

but hey, even King George went mad right?

if Neal didn't actually draw Catwoman i don't count it as part of the iconic run.
such a shame, but what can ya do??
Neal missed the boat drawing my favorite female character in comics!
so that lowers my opinion of him as an artist now!
just kidding! but not really!

[MikeandRaph87]

I read the four part " The Lazarus Affair" from Batman#332-#335 for the first time in ten years. This is the origin of the Lazarus pits and it had a detail in it I had completely forgotten about, Wolfman had Talia to be 150 years old but the touch of her father's hand keeps her form aging past Dick Grayson's age bracket. I wonder if the brief skirmish between Batman ad Ra's inspire part of Ra's first appearance in Batman: TAS. Of course the first part mirrored Batman#232, but there were similarities to Batman#335 as well. It was a good character piece for Robin and Catwoman though it does not go into reason why Dick Grayson left Hudson University. Also fans of Young Justice will note the location of Ra's base op operations this time around is Infinity Island which was the villains base on Young Justice. The red bubble that eats flesh? That was lame, but I only have minor gripes on this well done story.

Spoiler:

[MikeandRaph87]

I will read Batman#1 and the first two of the four stories in Batman#2 by Sunday evening alongside Myconius. If anyone else wants to pull out their reprints and read alongside us you are most welcome to do so. We will drop commentary of the half dozen stories Sunday-Monday so hope you all chime in.

[myconius]

be there .... or be square!

[myconius]

i re-read the original 1940's Batman #1 today.
there's such an awesome charm to these silly stories i love, and there's so many goofy things that happen that really make me crack up!

one thing i do love is the creepiness they got from the Joker, right from the get-go!!!
it's still pretty terrifying when his victims get poisoned with Joker-venom and die with those hideous grins!

the first victim was particularly freaky how after he died the grin slowly formed on his face like rigor-mortis.

when they tried to get a little more creative with the deaths that's when i thought they got a little TOO silly. like the tiny dart inside the phone or the sharp edges on the cards laced with Joker-venom.

one thing we can learn from comics is if someone is lunging at you with a knife just step to the side and they'll stab themselves in the chest.

seriously, these scenarios are TOO silly not to have fun with!

i do crack up every time i see the panel where Batman punches Hugo strange out the window!!
and i LOVE the Monster Men!!!! they are just WICKED creepy!!!

one of the coolest scenes in the non-Joker non-Hugo Strange stories was when Batman rounded all the thugs guns away from them and had then fist fight little Robin four against one, and Robin beat their @$$&$!!!

[myconius]

the Monster-Men Story in Batman #1 was so much fun!!!
recently re-reading it wasn't as socking as the first time seeing Batman kiiling in cold blood!!






and i don't buy into that baloney 'Earth Two' theory that Batman Killed cuz it was from an arternate reality!
where's the FUN in that???

[myconius]

i read those stories you recommended from detective comics 434 & 435, as well as batman 276.

definitely an amusing villain!! really had a sense of the scooby doo cartoons from back in the day!

[MikeandRaph87]

Joker stars out as a murderous jewel theif. He killed his victims to get their riches and wanted his mark left behind as a sign of arrogance. It is funny how Joker dies rayher definitively every early appearance. Thrown to a watery grave, caught in a fire, etc.

Batman let Catwoman go by tripping Robin just because he was attracted to her. While Batman claiming he had no choice, but to claim lives as he shot Strange's henchmen it's just as odd letting a criminal go because of that.


Do you see what I mean of The Spook being a formible foe for Batman thst could have continued instead of disapoearing only to resurface to fullfill a joke need?

[myconius]

Originally Posted by MikeandRaph87

Joker stars out as a murderous jewel theif. He killed his victims to get their riches and wanted his mark left behind as a sign of arrogance. It is funny how Joker dies rayher definitively every early appearance. Thrown to a watery grave, caught in a fire, etc.

Batman let Catwoman go by tripping Robin just because he was attracted to her. While Batman claiming he had no choice, but to claim lives as he shot Strange's henchmen it's just as odd letting a criminal go because of that.


Do you see what I mean of The Spook being a formible foe for Batman thst could have continued instead of disapoearing only to resurface to fullfill a joke need?

i did rather enjoy the early Joker appearances. he was just the right combination of entertaining and creepy.
the way his victims would take on those death grins was TERRIFYING!

i did crack up a Batman letting Catwoman go like that! poor Robin got goofed!

in all honesty i don't think that'd be it for Spook though.
did they say his actual identity was someone that had already been given capital punishment?
but i don't know if those gags would still hold up today? the man-hole cover switch flipping open the big trap door in the street.
i swear i'd seen that gag once in scooby doo one time???

still it was a lot of fun! thanks again for pointing those issues out to me!

[MikeandRaph87]

Originally Posted by myconius

i did rather enjoy the early Joker appearances. he was just the right combination of entertaining and creepy.
the way his victims would take on those death grins was TERRIFYING!

i did crack up a Batman letting Catwoman go like that! poor Robin got goofed!

in all honesty i don't think that'd be it for Spook though.
did they say his actual identity was someone that had already been given capital punishment?
but i don't know if those gags would still hold up today? the man-hole cover switch flipping open the big trap door in the street.
i swear i'd seen that gag once in scooby doo one time???

still it was a lot of fun! thanks again for pointing those issues out to me!

Batman#5 has a good Joker story if you have not read it. Don't want to give anything away. Yes, Joker left sadistic grins on his victims from the beginning. The point is he was originally a jewel thief just like Catwoman. The difference was one was lethal in methods and the other was not.


The Spook was in an issue of Scooby Doo Team Up, #3. So it is funny that you mention that.

Val Kaliban was sentenced to the electric chair, but rigged it not to work and faked his death. Kaiban was an escape artist and challenged Batman in that perspective of Bruce's supposed strengths. In another appearance he made Batman think he was dead.

[myconius]

Originally Posted by MikeandRaph87

Batman#5 has a good Joker story if you have not read it. Don't want to give anything away. Yes, Joker left sadistic grins on his victims from the beginning. The point is he was originally a jewel thief just like Catwoman. The difference was one was lethal in methods and the other was not.


The Spook was in an issue of Scooby Doo Team Up, #3. So it is funny that you mention that.

Val Kaliban was sentenced to the electric chair, but rigged it not to work and faked his death. Kaiban was an escape artist and challenged Batman in that perspective of Bruce's supposed strengths. In another appearance he made Batman think he was dead.

i'll definitely have to check out that Joker story in #5.
yeah i think most of the villains motives back then was larceny before they made most all of them into nothing more than a bunch of mass murderers.
(cuz that's just TOO hip 'n cool 'n edgy 'n stuff )

HA! Spook showed up in Scooby Doo??? that's TOO perfect!

i think Val Kaliban must have some connects with some corrupt officials or something with the things he's able to pull off?
he's gotta have some sort of higher up access of some kind???

but even his imagery was awesomely wicked!! he did remind me of the the chocolate, strawberry & vanilla ghouls they had the one time on Scooby Doo!



seriously though .... how COOL were these guys????

[MikeandRaph87]

Spook worked with one-shot Batman foe False Face, made known by the pair of Batman (1966) apoearances.

To tease Batman#5, it debuts the Batmobile and shows it is not too difficult to deduce Batman's true identity if you interact with both in a short period.

I am not familiar with the flavored ghost as I have only seen a few episodes of Scooby Doo outside the entire series of Scooby Doo Movies and A Pup Named Scooby Doo.

[myconius]

Originally Posted by MikeandRaph87

http://a1.mzstatic.com/us/r30/Public...480x480-75.jpg

Spook worked with one-shot Batman foe False Face, made known by the pair of Batman (1966) apoearances.

To tease Batman#5, it debuts the Batmobile and shows it is not too difficult to deduce Batman's true identity if you interact with both in a short period.

I am not familiar with the flavored ghost as I have only seen a few episodes of Scooby Doo outside the entire series of Scooby Doo Movies and A Pup Named Scooby Doo.

there was something really awesome about seeing Spook drawn in that 1970's style art. he had that elongated and lanky ghoulish look.

it did strike me as odd that his original appearances had him with a bald head and in Batman and Son it looked like he had a full head of hair.
Meh! comic continuity, never an exact science.

i'll definitely have to add the classic Batman #5 on my 'to read' list!
i'm sure i must have read many of the early stories already from buying the 'archives' collection a few years back. but it all just gets jumbled and becomes a blur.

i don't remember much about those ice-cream flavored scooby doo ghosts other than them looking really cool! (no pun intended )
i looked it up and the episode was called 'Scooby Doo: The Ghost of the Bad Humor Man'
but i can't really say it's worth going out of one's way to search for.

[MikeandRaph87]

Kaliban had been inactive from 1983 to using him as a punch-line about how older villains cannot adapt in late 2003 and then that appearance which you speak of.
http://random-happenstance.blogspot....ecidivism.html

Here is the Batman#5 main story which debuts the Batmobile aside form the red convertible that was used a couple of times before.
http://goldenagebat.blogspot.com/201...ring-1941.html

[myconius]

i absolutely love that cover to issue 5!

[myconius]

Originally Posted by MikeandRaph87

Kaliban had been inactive from 1983 to using him as a punch-line about how older villains cannot adapt in late 2003 and then that appearance which you speak of.
http://random-happenstance.blogspot....ecidivism.html

Here is the Batman#5 main story which debuts the Batmobile aside form the red convertible that was used a couple of times before.
http://goldenagebat.blogspot.com/201...ring-1941.html

issue 5 was pretty awesome! so what that the original debut of the Royal Flush gang?

[MikeandRaph87]

Originally Posted by myconius

issue 5 was pretty awesome! so what that the original debut of the Royal Flush gang?

I would say an related precursor to it. The actual group did not debut until the mid 60s in the JLA comic. Its one my favorite 1940s stories. Knights of Knavery in Batman#25 is good as well as a story which Brucecshows Dick urban life at night in Batman#31. I don't recall the title,but it was something like "When The City Sleeps".

What did you think of how Queen deduced Batman's identity and Robin lifting Joker over his shoulders to a watery grave in response of his kidnapping?

[myconius]

Originally Posted by MikeandRaph87

I would say an related precursor to it. The actual group did not debut until the mid 60s in the JLA comic. Its one my favorite 1940s stories. Knights of Knavery in Batman#25 is good as well as a story which Brucecshows Dick urban life at night in Batman#31. I don't recall the title,but it was something like "When The City Sleeps".

What did you think of how Queen deduced Batman's identity and Robin lifting Joker over his shoulders to a watery grave in response of his kidnapping?

yeah these early 'Batman' comics definitely were a lot of fun! not as grim as the stuff of 'Detective Comics'.

i had a good chuckle as soon as i saw Bruce Wayne nic himself shaving!!!
it was definitely an - "OH BOY! i know where THIS is going" moment!!!

[MikeandRaph87]

Originally Posted by myconius

yeah these early 'Batman' comics definitely were a lot of fun! not as grim as the stuff of 'Detective Comics'.

i had a good chuckle as soon as i saw Bruce Wayne nic himself shaving!!!
it was definitely an - "OH BOY! i know where THIS is going" moment!!!

Yes, it was one of those easy to figure out plot points. It shows the ease in figuring out secret identities in the real world.

The 1940s have a few gems mixed in that is easily ocerlooked. I was surprised Dick did the judo move and Bruce and him did not reflect on Dick possibly killing him.