Posted by Richard Pulfer on Aug 5th, 2008
During an immensely eventful week, I did find some free time to watch Batman: Gotham Knight. Set between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, the movie pairs up American comic writers and movie producers with Japanese directors to present six interlocking short films. The final product differs from other franchise tie-in’s like The Animatrix in the way it presents a complete narrative, with various elements building upon one another throughout six distinctive stories. “Have I Got A Story For You” by Josh Olson (of History of Violence fame) plays up the urban legend angle of the Batman by showing three different versions of Batman witnessed by Gotham City skateboarders. This is a very accessible and exceptionally visual work, though it pales in comparison to Legends of the Dark Knight, the similar episode of Batman: The Animated Series (also included in the special features).
Greg Rucka’s Crossfire has future Spectre Crispus Allen (played by former CSI’er Gary Dourdan) caught in a fight between warring factions with his partner, Anna Ramirez (who, fans will note, plays a certain role in Dark Knight). Jordan Goldberg’s Field Test shows the consequences of Batman using a high-tech electromagnetic pulse generator on patrol, while David Goyer’s In Darkness Dwells finds Batman fighting both Killer Croc and the Scarecrow. Working Through the Pain, by Brian Azzarello and Goldberg, lifts off right where In Darkness Dwells ended and intercuts with Bruce Wayne’s quest to control his own pain. Lastly, Alan Burnett and Goldberg’s Deadshot pits Bats against the titular marksman and ties up several loose ends send in the Gotham City backdrop.
On the plus side, Batman: Gotham Knight shows a variety of styles all working in concert to depict a single story through six wildly different points of view. On the other hand, however, very few of these stories are as grounded or as engaging as Batman Begins or Dark Knight. Field Test, for an example, winds up giving Batman a force field generator. The problem isn’t so much that Batman uses a force field – he puts it away by the end of the episode – but that such a device exists in the universe of Batman Begins.
Overall, while Batman: Gotham Knight may not tie very well into it’s gritty franchise, it is a must for Batman fans – with six great visions of Batman, two documentaries (including a very interesting one on Bob Kane) and several episodes from the original Batman: The Animated Series which ran in the mid-1990′s. Though its no Dark Knight, Gotham Knight is definitely good at what it does.
Now for the comics. On the Marvel side, Act One of Avenger/Invaders ends in issue #4 with both teams of the present-day Avengers as well as the past Invaders and the agents of SHIELD fighting in Washington D.C. If that wasn’t a slug-fest enough, Dr. Strange – a character not featured much in Secret Invasion – is the one to discover what the Invaders are doing here – and how it’s harming reality.
Cable #6 has Nathan’s daddy Scott Summers struggling to come to terms with Cable’s jump through time with the salvation of mutantkind in his care – and Bishop closing end. Now, Cyclops is going to make a move which is somehow going to impact Cable’s quest – and possibly not in a good way.
Thor makes his way between two Hulks – one red and one green (what is this? Christmas?) in Hulk #5 as the clash of the Titans continues. This story has been accused to being way too convoluted as of late, but you have to give them loads of style points for finally turning up the adrenaline on Marvel’s Big Green Franchise.
If you are tired of Brand New Day, you might want to check out King-Size Spider-Man Summer Special, which features Spidey teaming up with Falcon and MJ teaming up with a whole slew of superheroes to take on the Enchantress. If you’re looking for comic book fun, you typically can’t go wrong with Marvel’s seasonal books.
Speaking of MJ, the redhead returns – as a teenager at least -as the critically acclaimed series Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane begins a new series. I’ve heard a lot of hardcore comic books fans – the same guys picking up Watchmen and 300 – praising this series, so I’d recommend picking it up at least one or twice to see what’s new.
Venom: Dark Origin shines some light onto Venom’s Year One, but no one is sure whether this character is villain, anti-hero or just plain monster. Marvel has been pushing the latter theory for a while now, but with the character slated for a Spidey spin-off in the movies, the anti-hero angle might be occurring soon as well.
On the DC side, Detective Comics #847 ties into Batman RIP by focusing on the secrets shared by Bruce Wayne and Tommy Elliot – now mortal enemies known as Batman and Hush. The issue probes why Hush is determined to destroy Batman, and also brings int a new pawn – Catwoman – who herself is finding herself up a tree following the events of Salvation Run.
Final Crisis #3 finds plenty of very bad things occurring in the DCU. Superman is immobilized, Batman is MIA and Wonder Woman is facing off with, well, the face of evil all while various heroes across the DC Universe prepare to th do the same. With one hero already killed in the first issue (Martian Manhunter), this is bound to get much, much worse before it gets better – if it gets better at all.
Infinity Inc. comes to an end in issue #12 – and just in time for Final Crisis, as the team faces off with the mysterious Dark Side club said to have some connection to Darkseid. I was interested enough by what I saw in 52 to see this new team warrant a book of its own, but now I’m curious where the DCU will lead these new characters in the face of Final Crisis – future heroes or cannon fodder?
Nightwing #147 ties in with “Batman RIP”, as Two-Face appears in New York. This time, it looks like it’s Harvey Dent who intent on making NYC pay for its crime, unless Nightwing can save one of his old flames from an assassination attempt.
And if that weren’t enough “Batman RIP” action, Robin #176 ties in as well. With both Batman and Nightwing missing, Robin finally takes over the Bat-suit, with the newly-returned Spoiler at his side. This is a moment that’s been a long time coming – and even if its temporary, its definitely something you don’t want to miss, with Chuck Dixon (Batman and the Outsiders) at the helm.
Related posts:
- Comic Rundown: Now with 100% more Skrulls
- Comic Rundown: Hell Yeah
- Comic Rundown: Sweet Salvation
- Comic Rundown: Secret Spoiler Subscriptions
- Comic Rundown: Still Live in Deadpool
Related posts:
- Comic Rundown: Now with 100% more Skrulls
- Comic Rundown: Hell Yeah
- Comic Rundown: Sweet Salvation
- Comic Rundown: Secret Spoiler Subscriptions
- Comic Rundown: Still Live in Deadpool
Posted in comics, entertainment, geek
3
Comments are currently closed.
I was looking forward to Spidey Loves Mary Jane just for Adrian Alphona’s artwork, but then I found out he’s not working on it anymore (aside from an occasional cover, it seems). That’s a shame, I’ve missed his artwork ever since he left Runaways. What I wouldn’t give to get him back on that title and get rid of Humberto Ramos…
Richard, got a Q for you maybe you might know something about.
I just heard something from a source that common courtesy keeps me from naming, but suffice to say is someone whose judgement I trust on a variety of levels, that there are rumblings within the comic industry that Final Crisis might just be Dan Didio’s last gasp at DC. Seems even they’re wising up to the fact they’ve hired an idiot.
Have you heard, in your travels around the comics field, anything to this effect? And on the off chance it happens to be true and Didio is history after FC, who’d you like to see take over and at least try to fix this mess?
That’s actually the first I heard of that, Devin. I guess I haven’t really given too much thought to who I’d like to replace Dan Didio.
I think with Final Crisis Marvel out-crossover’d DC and continues to do so. What Marvel did is left little loose ends untied all over the place. For example, I’ve long lamented that Marvel’s galactic line of Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy isn’t getting near enough press. I also complained both the Inhumans Silent War and the X-Men Emperor Vulcan ended with pretty substantial cliffhangers. At Comic-Con, it was revealed all of things are leading up to War of Kings – written by none other than the creative team behind Nova. This is to say nothing of the loose ends left by New Avengers #1, being tied up in Secret Invasion.
DC, by comparison, put all their eggs in one basket – a basket called Crisis. I’m pretty neutral on Dan Didio, but I think he definitely dropped all the eggs in Final Crisis. I remember way back in Infinite Crisis, Mark Waid was exalting a brave new DC after IC, but the new car smell lasted for about two or three months before being tainted by the smell of stale stories. Now, two years after the biggest crossover in DC history, we have another crossover claiming to be even better. But the facts just aren’t there. Batman is heading for major changes even when people are getting hooked on his character on the big screen. There’s no jumping-on point – unlike Marvel, which launched several Iron Man books for that expressed purpose. No wonder Marvel’s stock is up.
I’ll tell you, I don’t know if Dan Didio will keep his job or not, but I will say this – his actions have definitely titled the game in favor for Marvel for the foreseeable future.