Superman/Batman: Big Noise (Review)

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Citizen's Grade: O.K.

The tenth collection of the Superman/Batman series.  This series has impressed over time despite no promotion from DC Comics since Jeph Loeb left.  The artwork and writing have always been at least O.K., and on some occasions quite impressive.

Big Noise was written by Joe Casey (known most recently for writing Ziggy Marley's superhero,  Marijuana Man), with artwork from Ardian Syaf & Scott Kolins. This veteran group of creators deliver a "veteran" story in Big Noise (I'll explain "veteran" story further down).

A Kryptonian Ship appears out of nowhere with all it's inhabitants murdered.  A missing escape pod. As Batman & Superman investigate the ship's past and try to track down the one missing escape pod, an assassin attacks the Dailey Planet in an attempt to murder reporter Clark Kent.  These are the clues to the mystery that lays before The Man of Steel and The Dark Knight.

Batman: Long Shadows (Review)

Citizen's Grade: O.K.

Part of the "Batman Reborn" story arc, Long Shadows deals with Dick Grayson (a.k.a. Nightwing, and now Batman) taking up the mantle of the Bat and the risks and responsibilities that go with it. The book starts with a flashback to Superman bringing Batman's Cape back to Wayne Manor and giving it to Alfred and Grayson. It's a rather touching moment when Superman asks Alfred if he is alright, and Alfred responds, "No Sir. I am not alright. My son has died." It then shifts to Robin getting himself in trouble with Doctor Phosphorus. Nightwing saves the day driving the Batmobile.....but only Batman should drive the Batmobile, right?

Superman/Batman: Night and Day (Review)

Citizen's Grade: Impressive.

Night and Day is the 9th volume of the Superman/Batman ongoing series, written by Michael Green & Mike Johnson, Scott Kolins, & Peter Johnson. Artwork by Francis Manapul (also does artwork on Flash), Scott Kolins, & Rafael Albuquerque.

Batman finds himself in a Gotham City he isn't familiar with, while Superman experiences the same in Metropolis.....but wait, they are both in the same city! Gothamopolis; a composite city of Gotham & Metropolis, is filled with strange apparitions of heroes and villains that Superman & Batman are unfamiliar with. These strange heroes don't know the Man of Steel or the Dark Knight either! See how Superman & Batman must work with these new heroes

Superman/Batman: Finest Worlds (Review)

Citizen's Grade: O.K.

In this eighth volume of the ongoing Superman/Batman series, Finest Worlds is just that....as friends and foes alike drag The Dark Knight & The Man of Steel into other worlds and bring others into theirs.

In the aftermath of Superman's battle with the All-American Boy (see: Superman/Batman The Search for Kyptonite), the entire Justice League shows up in Smallville to rebuild the town. They find an artifact that looks Kryptonian in design, and it "activates" when Superman touches it. Unknown to Batman & Superman, it has triggered a Kryptonian artifact secretly hidden in the Batcave by Batman's deceased father.

Superman/Batman: The Search for Kryptonite (Review)

Citizen's Grade: Impressive.

"He's faster than a bolt of Lightning. He can stop a missile with two fingers. He can mold titanium between his molars like gum. But there is one substance that can tear him apart from the inside out. One substance that can kill him." What is that substance that can kill Superman? Kryptonite.

Superman/Batman: Torment (Review)

Citizen's Grade: O.K.

What seems to start out as a simple burglary of a Lex Corp facility by Killer Croc, turns into a universe-spanning mystery for the Man of Steel & the Dark Knight.

As Batman investigates Killer Croc, and the item stolen from Lex Luther, Superman begins having dreams & visions that he can't control. Unable to tell fiction from reality, Superman falls prey to an unexpected villain....Scarecrow. Just as Batman figures this out, he realizes that he may be too late, the item stolen from Luther is made to control even Kryptonian minds. A mysterious benefactor is behind the scenes directing Scarecrow and others, and Superman is their target.

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (Review)

Citizen's Grade: Impressive.

Maybe I'm just liking animated movies more, or DC Comics is doing a better job translating their great Graphic Novels into movies. Superman/Batman: Apocalypse; just like Batman: Under the Red Hood, does a wonderful job taking Jeph Loeb & Michael Turner's Superman/Batman: Supergirl and turning it into a good animated movie. I think they did a better job with this than Superman/Batman: Public Enemies.

After a mysterious spaceship splashes down in Gotham Bay, Batman & Superman discover the ship was inhabited by a mysterious girl.....

Superman/Batman: Enemies Among Us (Review)

Citizen's Grade: O.K.

The fifth volume in the Superman/Batman series, and the first that was written by someone other than Jeph Loeb. Written by Mark Verheiden (Executive Producer of Battlestar Galactica), with artwork done by Ethan Van Sciver (Green Lantern: Rebirth & Flash: Rebirth)and others.

Most of the story is narrated by Bruce Wayne's Butler; Alfred, who's first-hand knowledge and relationship with the Dark Knight gives him a unique perspective. When the Martian Manhunter attacks Batman for no reason, he contacts Superman for help. They come away confused that an old friend would attack Batman, and other sudden ambushes from other alien friends & foes only confuse them more.

Batman Streets of Gotham: Hush Money (Review)

Citizen's Grade: O.K.

After Bruce Wayne died saving the Universe from Darkseid in Final Crisis, a new Batman stepped up....Richard Grayson, the former Robin and Nightwing. With a new Batman came new Batman Titles, including Batman: Streets of Gotham. Written by Paul Dini with artwork by Dustin Nguyen.

Hush; unaware of Batman's demise, on the run after being beaten in the Batcave by Batman & friends, & having had his vast fortune stolen by Catwoman in retribution for almost killing her....decides to end it all on the bridge in Gotham where his parents were murdered (by him) so long ago. Plunging off the bridge into the depths below, he is content to seek their approval by following them to their watery graves. Destiny; however, has other plans.

Batman: Under the Red Hood (Review)

Citizen's Grade: Impressive.

This animated movie; based on Judd Winick's Batman: Under the Hood Graphic Novel, is probably the best animated movie I've seen DC Comics/Warner Bros. put out yet! The script; written by Winick, is very good and "adult-themed", the action is fantastic....and for someone not familiar with the story (of either Jason Todd's death or the Under the Hood storyline), as was the friend who watched the movie with me....it explains all the background you need to enjoy the plot and get into the movie.

Batman & Robin: Batman Returns (Review)

Citizen's Grade: Impressive.

Bruce Wayne is dead or gone, or both....Batman has been gone as well, leading many of Gotham City's criminal masterminds, mob leaders, & thugs to come out of hiding to take over Batman's city! What they are unaware of though is....Batman is NOT dead! Richard Grayson; the first Robin and later Nightwing, has taken up the mantle of the bat with the sometimes violently stubborn help of the NEW Robin....Damian Wayne (Bruce Wayne's son with Talia Al Ghul).

The two set out to clean Gotham City up,

Superman/Batman by Jeph Loeb (Review)

Citizen's Grade: Awesome.

The Superman/Batman series is AWESOME!! How; if you are a fan of either character...or even more if a fan of both, can you not love and collect this great series? I find myself asking that question more and more as I see sales dwindling every month to the point that the "cancellation" whispers have begun....the only answer I can come up with is that Jeph Loeb is no longer writing the series. He IS that good!!

Loeb wrote the first four Volumes of the Superman/Batman series that generally sold around 80,000-100,000 issues per month (compared to the 30,000-40,000 that it is selling now under different writers).....making it one of DC's best sellers. The "out-of-continuity" series was in a universe all it's own, with Loeb as mastermind of this universe, and include the following volumes:

Batman by Paul Dini (Review)

Citizen's Grade: O.K.

I love Batman comics, and generally enjoy whomever is writing and doing artwork for Batman comics. Paul Dini (Emmy & Eisner Award winning writer, and TV producer-writer for Batman: The Animated Series & Lost) has been "hit or miss" with me. He is currently writing the Batman comic "Batman: Streets of Gotham", and I've been on the fence about whether to continue collecting volumes he writes. When he is involved in deeper plots like "Heart of Hush", or "The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul" I really enjoy him....when he does "stand-alone" stories, he frustrates me.

Batman by Matt Wagner (Review)

Citizen's Grade: O.K.

The Dark Moon Rising series of Batman, written and drawn by Matt Wagner, is "old-school" Batman! Matt Wagner's art always gives me that feel of "times past", and these two volumes tell stories from early on in Batman's crime-fighting career. Well-written as well, you get drawn into the detective stories trying to unlock clues to stop crime in it's tracks. Even if you aren't an avid Batman fan or collector, you can still enjoy these "stand alone" volumes, since they don't connect (i.e. out-of-continuity) to the current storylines in the other Batman books.

Trinity (Review)

I must admit; as a Catholic, that I sometimes feel guilty refering to Superman, Batman, & Wonder Woman as the "Trinity". I understand DC Comic's reasons, and that they are not trying to turn the three into gods for us to worship, but you just have to wonder who really might be behind that name (if I may be cryptic for a moment..lol). There have been two collections titled "Trinity" released in Graphic Novels (that I am aware of), Matt Wagner's and Kurt Busiek's. They couldn't be more opposite....

Batman by Grant Morrison....(Review)

Grant Morrison is a great writer; one of my Top 5, and these volumes prove his worth. I fell in love with his writing during his JLA run, which portrayed Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, & Green Lantern Kyle Rayner as Iconic figures saving the time, space, the world, and the universe on countless occasions.

In his Batman run so far, these following volumes have taken The Dark Knight into uncharted territory with Morrison's unique way of thinking and writing.

Batman: Under The Hood (Review)

Citizen's Grade: Impressive.

Before the Animated Movie "Under the Red Hood" (the same story, but with a slightly different title) is released in a couple months, I thought I'd give a review of the book. Originally released in two volumes, Batman: Under the Hood is dynamite!

A figure from the Caped Crusader's past unexpectedly returns, forcing him to revisit the most tragic event of his crime-fighting career. The psychotic, disfigured Black Mask has seized control of Gotham City's criminal underworld, but his rule is challenged by the mysterious Red Hood, who has hijacked a crate full of 100 pounds of Kryptonite.

Batman: Hush Trilogy (Review)

Citizen's Grade: Awesome.

Hush is the best new villain of The Batman's Rogues in a long time. He's intelligent, diabolical, a master surgeon, and jealous to the point of murder. Plus, He knows who Batman is! This review covers the three Hush Volumes to date....Hush, Hush Returns, & Heart of Hush.

Only Hush receives the "Awesome" grade individually, but as a whole they do deserve the highest acclaim! They were written at different times, and are NOT part of an event (like No Man's Land, Bruce Wayne: Fugitive, or War Games). I included them all so the avid Batman fan can see the whole of Batman's newest and possibly most dangerous enemy....Hush!

Batman: War Games (Review)

Citizen's Grade: Impressive.

This is another awesome Batman event, which spans 5 volumes, and never has a dull moment. A team of writers (including Ed Brubaker, Bill Willingham, A.J. Lieberman, & Anderson Gabrych) and artists took part in this crossover which spanned all the Batman monthly comics at the time. Ed Brubaker is an especially good detective writer, which makes all his writing with "detective-type" characters great (Batman, Daredevil, & currently Captain America).

Batman: War Drums. War has hit Gotham City...but the stage was set in the issues collected in this action-packed trade paperback! The startling prelude to "War Games"! A talented pop star goes missing and Leslie Thompkins, the most important woman in Bruce Wayne's life, vanishes. Batman is drawn into an all-out battle for the section of Gotham City known as The Hill, but is taxed to the limit by new threats and trouble within his circle of allies. And when Tim Drake gives up his Robin identity after his father discovers his secret, Batman gets an unexpected — and unwelcome — replacement in the form of Spoiler!

Batman: War Games (3 Volumes). The plot revolves around a gang war involving all the major criminal groups in Gotham. It starts with one of Batman's most ambitious contingency plans involving one of his aliases, Matches Malone. In preparation for a possible outbreak of uncontrollable gang violence, Batman developed an elaborate scenario that would unite all of Gotham's underworld under a single crime boss: Matches Malone.

Unfortunately, this plan was discovered by Stephanie Brown, aka Spoiler, who was serving as Robin at the time and who was unaware that Malone and her boss were one and the same; she simply believed that Malone was an "employee" of Batman. When Brown was fired from the Robin position, she attempted to regain Batman's trust and confidence by implementing the contingency plan without Batman's knowledge or participation. Thus, Matches Malone was not present when Spoiler assembled the leaders of all of the gangs into one place. The meeting ended disastrously, with all of the gangs in Gotham going to war with one another.

In the chaos of the city-wide gang war, The Black Mask prepared to seize control of all the gangs. To do this, he kidnapped Stephanie and tortured her for the information she possessed. With that knowledge, his plans succeeded, making him the ultimate crime lord of Gotham City. Stephanie would later die from her torture at Black Mask's hands, a tragedy that Batman holds himself responsible for.

Batman: War Crimes. In the wake of Gotham's recent, and brutal, gang war, Batman is blamed by the city for the recent chaos, and heavily criticized for endangering children. (This latter follows the death of Stephanie Brown, as well as having been photographed carrying a young girl, shot during the War Games arc, from a school. The girl died soon after.)

As Batman attempted to deal with his guilt for the death of his friends Spoiler and Orpheus, he discovered another betrayal that fundamentally altered his relationship with one of his oldest, and most respected, friends. Staunch pacifist Dr. Leslie Thompkins had allowed the Spoiler (Stephanie Brown) to die from her wounds, in order to punish the Batman for his use of children in his war on crime.

These Volumes are a gritty, down-to-earth story involving the worst sins of humanity played out in Batman's Gotham City....the death of Spoiler casts a shadow over The Batman that would last for years to come.

Batman "Bruce Wayne: Fugitive" (Review)

Citizen's Grade: Impressive.

What is so interesting about these volumes (Bruce Wayne: Murderer? and the 3 volumes of Bruce Wayne: Fugitive) is that the story is based around Bruce Wayne, not Batman. A lot of twists and turns in what is basically a down-to-earth detective story.