Comic Book Herald

A Comic Book Reading Order Guide For Beginners & Fans

Batman

The Old 52: Morrison’s Batman Incorporated Pt. 2

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On February 25th, 2013, the New York Times arts desk column exclusively revealed that Damian Wayne would meet his untimely death at the end of Batman Incorporated #8, a story which naturally spread like wildfire among sites like IGN, ComicsAlliance, and Newsarama. DC then announced that throughout March 2013, the Bat-titles would take part in a month-long event called Requiem, with each issue adorned with an ‘R’ logo in tribute to the fallen Bat-family member. It was now clear why the second volume of Batman Incorporated was in-canon; DC wanted a news story and a sales boost. [Read more…] about The Old 52: Morrison’s Batman Incorporated Pt. 2

The Greatest DC Detective Stories Review!

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Many of us have our own definitions of what count as the “greatest” stories ever told. Stories we parade around as our recommendations to any new or curious reader who wants to hear our thoughts. Many of us put out our top-10 lists on forums, or argue on twitter about which story is the best one ever told. And these lists do not even have to be in order or have a defined structure. They could just be a handful of stories you think are awesome.

DC and Marvel are both no strangers to this concept, they’ve published trades in the past collecting their favorite stories. They might give us a collection of origin stories, or deaths, or weddings, or world-shattering events. This time around, DC has given us a list of what they believe to be their “Greatest Detective Stories Ever Told.” Whether or not this is a valid claim, we will see. I will be taking us down this rabbit hole of days gone-by and do my job as a critic to give my readers as much information as they can, so they can decide if this comic is good for them. [Read more…] about The Greatest DC Detective Stories Review!

Batman: The White Knight – Mirrors of Mental Illness

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The White Knight (2017) takes a look into the psyche of Batman and the Clown Prince of Crime, the Joker. This is perhaps one of the most outwardly progressive runs that has happened in the Gotham universe, though it is heavily flawed. While we get to take a closer look into the “bromance” between Joker and Batman, we also gain an introspective look into the social stratosphere of Gotham outside of the criminal activity that takes place. This is a socially relevant storyline and is just as complex as our world can be. One of the primary themes it tackles is mental health, its propensity of being criminalized – and who gets the privilege of escaping its punishments.

It’s not a secret that Bruce Wayne has serious child trauma issues, but it has been a part of the discourse for a while now that his status as a privileged man in Gotham allows him to live out his revenge fantasies on so-called super villains. The White Knight shows us that the other side of the pasture is not as green as we’d like to see it. [Read more…] about Batman: The White Knight – Mirrors of Mental Illness

BATMAN, INC. by Grant Morrison: The Dark Knight Undone

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Batman is everywhere. Batman is everyone. But what becomes of Bruce Wayne when his most personal enemy yet targets everything he holds dear? And what will become of a son who can never escape his father’s shadow?

Grant Morrison’s Batman saga is the experience of one hero facing the greatest evil imaginable and winning by conquering both time and death, asserting his own eternal nature. And when Bruce Wayne returns to conquer the devil after being sent hurtling through time by Darkseid, he’s compelled to become a greater version of Batman than the world has ever known. But with a worldwide Batman comes a worldwide threat. [Read more…] about BATMAN, INC. by Grant Morrison: The Dark Knight Undone

Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? | Unreliable Narrator

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It would take Crisis on Infinite Earths to stop Superman. Wolfman and Perez’s cosmic classic was meant to be the first story in a new era for DC’s heroes. Which meant the end of Superman and Action Comics, and the creation of one last story.

Alan Moore’s Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? marks the “end” not for the hero, but more for Superman’s two on-going series and what they represented. It’s a bold book that provides a kind of final statement on the hero’s whole ethos, and it’s still a magnificent example of how to say goodbye to not just heroes, but particular definitions of heroism.

Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? is, unabashedly, an attempt to recreate that prior miracle. Like its predecessor, it comes before an important reboot (in this case, the major developments and cosmic expansion between Final Crisis, Blackest Night, and New Krypton), the death of an iconic hero (Batman: RIP.), and ushers in the ending of two of DC’s longest-running titles (Batman & Detective Comics). [Read more…] about Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? | Unreliable Narrator