Deffinition Batman Graphic Novel Reviews

[thecolorsblend]

Shaman is one of those stories that I just never GOT. You know? I enjoy the art. But O'Neil's writing... it's hard to describe exactly but it's like Batman just talks too much. I could put that down to a stylistic preference on my part, I guess. But his "first" appearance with the street thugs is just a bit too full of 90's action movie tough guy talk, for example.

The art's solid though.

[Silver Nemesis]

I could put that down to a stylistic preference on my part, I guess. But his "first" appearance with the street thugs is just a bit too full of 90's action movie tough guy talk, for example.

I like that scene. You're right about it having an action movie vibe, and I chalk that up to O'Neil deliberately referencing the Burton film that was released earlier that same year. If you compare the scene in Shaman with the equivalent scene in O'Neil's Batman 89 adaptation, the symmetry is very obvious. The context is similar too. In both stories, this is Batman making his costumed debut and trying to instil fear in the criminal underworld.

I must have been around 9 years old when I first rented this story from the library, and back then I used to love spotting any similarity between the comics and the movies. So I really dug this scene for that reason alone.

Now I'm older, I like seeing Batman stories that address the totemic rationale behind the bat-motif. The idea of a man dressing as a bat to intimidate hardened criminals is so utterly absurd to begin with. It works fine in a light-hearted comedic context, but if you're translating it into a grittier and more serious setting then it requires a stronger psychological or spiritual subtext to reinforce the logic behind it. Batman Returns and Batman Begins both tried to do this. Why a bat? Why a cat? Why a penguin? Of course Year One had already covered this aspect of the character's formative process, but Shaman delves a little bit deeper into the subject.

[thecolorsblend]

Now I'm older, I like seeing Batman stories that address the totemic rationale behind the bat-motif. The idea of a man dressing as a bat to intimidate hardened criminals is so utterly absurd to begin with. It works fine in a light-hearted comedic context, but if you're translating it into a grittier and more serious setting then it requires a stronger psychological or spiritual subtext to reinforce the logic behind it. Batman Returns and Batman Begins both tried to do this. Why a bat? Why a cat? Why a penguin? Of course Year One had already covered this aspect of the character's formative process, but Shaman delves a little bit deeper into the subject.

That's the story's saving grace if you ask me. I kind of like the totemic thing with the mask exercising some kind of transformative power over Bruce. When Bruce wears the mask, he's not Bruce in a mask. He's Batman, which is a different thing entirely. That gets pretty well illustrated, so to speak, in the story.

Bruce is never entirely just Bruce... but he's not truly Batman without the mask. I dig that.

[Deffinition]

yeah the books great psychologically. It's mystical and is still very very grounded at the same time. There is a great balance in the book

[Deffinition]

I'm back with my graphic novel read through review. This time it's Batman And The Monster Men by Matt Wagner. This story seems to be getting a remake in rebirth and it's interesting in comparing the two.

I absolutely love this book and you can read here why I like it over year one....controversial I know.

Batman and The Monster Men Review

Cheers

[GBglide]

I really liked Batman and the Monster Men, I found Hugo Strange a much more interesting character than he was in his original appearance.

[The Dark Knight]

I think just one thread called Deffinitions's Reviews may be in order.

The Monster Men and The Mad Monk are fantastic. I've always enjoyed them. They're fun, balanced reads. And yes, I think they're both better than Year One. Batman kicks ass more often and he's a scary thought. He's often interrogating goons. He's the detective visiting crime scenes. The scientist analyzing samples in the batcave. The creator making his own equipment. As Bruce he's sitting alone in the darkness, but he's also seen in bed with a female. This Batman also has vulnerability about him. He does get injured from time to time and badly. But he perseveres and finds a way to either win or escape.

A Batman film in which Batman enters a creepy old castle full of wild dogs and deathtraps while it's pouring with rain and thundering? I'm totally there. These two comics are right up my alley because they merge Batman with something more fantastical and psychological. Having Hugo Strange as the villain does that. He's a severely under-utilised villain and these day I prefer him over The Riddler. Plus I like the art.

[thecolorsblend]

I think just one thread called Deffinitions's Reviews may be in order.

A much more politic comment than I was planning to write.

The Monster Men and The Mad Monk are fantastic. I've always enjoyed them. They're fun, balanced reads. And yes, I think they're both better than Year One. Batman kicks ass more often and he's a scary thought. He's often interrogating goons. He's the detective visiting crime scenes. The scientist analyzing samples in the batcave. The creator making his own equipment. As Bruce he's sitting alone in the darkness, but he's also seen in bed with a female. This Batman also has vulnerability about him. He does get injured from time to time and badly. But he perseveres and finds a way to either win or escape.

I love the originals upon which these Wagner series were based. They were foundational to my initial immersion in Batman lore.

Batman vs. the Vampire especially, in fact. It goes a long way toward establishing my view that Batman can work just fine in a paranormal-horror story. Which is more or less what Batman vs. the Vampire is all about.

A Batman film in which Batman enters a creepy old castle full of wild dogs and deathtraps while it's pouring with rain and thundering? I'm totally there. These two comics are right up my alley because they merge Batman with something more fantastical and psychological. Having Hugo Strange as the villain does that. He's a severely under-utilised villain and these day I prefer him over The Riddler. Plus I like the art.

To this day, I'm surprised that Hugo Strange has never been seen in a Batman film. If ever there was a character who could lend himself to virtually any type of Batman movie you want to make, it's Strange. But it's never happened.

A mystery...

[Deffinition]

So I'm currently reviewing A LOT of Batman graphic novels over at my website. I'm trying to do them in chronological order which is sometimes difficult but so far I think I have the majority of them. Instead of spamming thread i'm going to post them in here.

So far i've posted

Batman Year One Review
Batman Shaman Review
Batman And The Monster Men Review

Following the above is

Batman And The Mad Monk Review

Let me know your thoughts on the books!! Cheers

[Silver Nemesis]

I hope you don't mind, Deffinition, but I've merged your earlier threads with this one. It just makes it easier for people following your reviews to find them if they're all in one place.