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COMICS COLLECTION:
This small collection of recommended book titles (and some trivia, too) reflects my interests in comics and graphic novels. Click the button to the right to see my much larger shop on Bookshop.org. |
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BATMAN AND FAMILY:
BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD
Judd Wince (author) Doug Mahnke (illustrator)
MY REVIEW: This compendium of Batman comics from the early 2000s is the resurrection story of Jason Todd, the second and most infamous Robin in Batman lore. Todd’s character was very unpopular with fans and he was ultimately killed off by the Joker in the 1980s, only to be resurrected years later as the vigilante, Red Hood. Batman always considered Jason and the circumstances leading up to his death as being his “greatest failure.“ In this book, Bruce Wayne must not only deal with his guilt about putting an emotionally unstable young man in harms way, but also not being able to save him from a brutal death. Jason, whose resurrection is the result of circumstance and magic, has a few feelings on it as well. It’s a mesmerizing and iconic set of stories. A must read for Batman fans.
This volume collects Batman #635-641, #645-50 and Batman Annual #25.
Judd Wince (author) Doug Mahnke (illustrator)
MY REVIEW: This compendium of Batman comics from the early 2000s is the resurrection story of Jason Todd, the second and most infamous Robin in Batman lore. Todd’s character was very unpopular with fans and he was ultimately killed off by the Joker in the 1980s, only to be resurrected years later as the vigilante, Red Hood. Batman always considered Jason and the circumstances leading up to his death as being his “greatest failure.“ In this book, Bruce Wayne must not only deal with his guilt about putting an emotionally unstable young man in harms way, but also not being able to save him from a brutal death. Jason, whose resurrection is the result of circumstance and magic, has a few feelings on it as well. It’s a mesmerizing and iconic set of stories. A must read for Batman fans.
This volume collects Batman #635-641, #645-50 and Batman Annual #25.
Damian Wayne and his friends are on the run and Dick Grayson just wants to help his younger brother — even if Damian want it!
Brothers will be brothers.
Brothers will be brothers.
Bruce Wayne has an endless supply of adopted, fostered, and biological superhero children to manage in this humorous take on the "Bat Family."
Death comes suddenly when Jason Todd's (Robin) impulsive nature clashes with the Dark Knight's methodical approach to crime-fighting.
Writer/artist Frank Miller completely reinvents the legend of Batman in this saga of a near-future Gotham City gone to rot, 10 years after the Dark Knight's retirement.
THE BOOK (AND SILENT FILM) THAT INFLUENCED THE JOKER
DC Comic's representation of Batman's greatest nemesis — The Joker — has a surprising origin. The Man Who Laughs was a novel published by Victor Hugo in 1869. In 1928, it was turned into a silent black-and-white film starring Conrad Veidt as a young nobleman named Gwynplaine.
While Batman's Joker may be homicidal criminal, Gwynplaine was a tragic character, disfigured as a child on the order of a vengeful king so outwardly he can express no emotion other than endless mirth. This ultimately condemns him to a life as a sideshow freak, a good person who's forever the butt of everyone else's jokes. While the film is often considered an example of early horror, its success giving rise to Dracula and Frankenstein three years later, it was intended to be romantic melodrama. Even more surprising, however, is that Veidt's grinning countenance became the artistic inspiration for The Joker some eleven years later when the villain debuted in Batman #1. Can you see the similarities? Read more about this.
DC Comic's representation of Batman's greatest nemesis — The Joker — has a surprising origin. The Man Who Laughs was a novel published by Victor Hugo in 1869. In 1928, it was turned into a silent black-and-white film starring Conrad Veidt as a young nobleman named Gwynplaine.
While Batman's Joker may be homicidal criminal, Gwynplaine was a tragic character, disfigured as a child on the order of a vengeful king so outwardly he can express no emotion other than endless mirth. This ultimately condemns him to a life as a sideshow freak, a good person who's forever the butt of everyone else's jokes. While the film is often considered an example of early horror, its success giving rise to Dracula and Frankenstein three years later, it was intended to be romantic melodrama. Even more surprising, however, is that Veidt's grinning countenance became the artistic inspiration for The Joker some eleven years later when the villain debuted in Batman #1. Can you see the similarities? Read more about this.
NIGHTWING: BATMAN'S FAVORITE SON:
When Dick Grayson decides to step out of the shadows as Robin and into the spotlight with his new superhero identity, Nightwing, will he fly or fall?
Batgirl and Nightwing accidentally get hit with something that reveals their deepest fears... and it involves each other.
When the Joker comes to town, armed with a mind-controlling crystal and a taste for mayhem, Dick Grayson finds his identity as Nightwing in question.
Nightwing must hunt down a new villain who stalks the back alleys of Bludhaven, removing the hearts of the city's most vulnerable.
SCHOLARS LOOK AT 75 YEARS OF ROBIN AND NIGHTWING
Kristen L. Geaman (editor)
Dick Grayson — alter-ego of the original Robin of Batman comics — has gone through various changes in his 75 years as a superhero but has remained the optimistic, humorous character readers first embraced in 1940. Predating Green Lantern and Wonder Woman, he is one of DC Comics' oldest heroes and retains a large and loyal fanbase.
The first scholarly work to focus exclusively on the Boy Wonder, this collection of new essays features critical analysis, as well as interviews with some of the biggest names to study Dick Grayson, including Chuck Dixon, Devin Grayson and Marv Wolfman. The contributors discuss his vital place in the Batman saga, his growth and development into an independent hero, Nightwing, and the many storyline connections which put him at the center of the DC Universe. His character is explored in the contexts of feminism, trauma, friendship, and masculinity.
Kristen L. Geaman (editor)
Dick Grayson — alter-ego of the original Robin of Batman comics — has gone through various changes in his 75 years as a superhero but has remained the optimistic, humorous character readers first embraced in 1940. Predating Green Lantern and Wonder Woman, he is one of DC Comics' oldest heroes and retains a large and loyal fanbase.
The first scholarly work to focus exclusively on the Boy Wonder, this collection of new essays features critical analysis, as well as interviews with some of the biggest names to study Dick Grayson, including Chuck Dixon, Devin Grayson and Marv Wolfman. The contributors discuss his vital place in the Batman saga, his growth and development into an independent hero, Nightwing, and the many storyline connections which put him at the center of the DC Universe. His character is explored in the contexts of feminism, trauma, friendship, and masculinity.
INDIE COMICS YOU JUST CAN'T MISS:
SAGA: ONE OF THE BEST-SELLING INDIE BOOKS OF ALL TIME
Brian K. Vaughan (author) and Fiona Staples (illustrator)
If you're looking for a series that breaks the comic book mold — no superheroes and intensely character-driven — then you probably couldn't choose better than Saga.
The story follows a family — Marko, Alana and their daughter Hazel — who are on the run across the galaxy, pursued by two different warring factions from which they deserted. It's a sweeping tale set against a galaxy as vast and interesting as anything you'll find in Star Wars or other, best-known franchises, but it never loses sight of also being an intensely personal family drama. And the artwork is both stylish and beautiful.
Started in 2013, there are now numerous Saga books to enjoy and the series has won multiple awards including a Hugo for Best Graphic Story.
Brian K. Vaughan (author) and Fiona Staples (illustrator)
If you're looking for a series that breaks the comic book mold — no superheroes and intensely character-driven — then you probably couldn't choose better than Saga.
The story follows a family — Marko, Alana and their daughter Hazel — who are on the run across the galaxy, pursued by two different warring factions from which they deserted. It's a sweeping tale set against a galaxy as vast and interesting as anything you'll find in Star Wars or other, best-known franchises, but it never loses sight of also being an intensely personal family drama. And the artwork is both stylish and beautiful.
Started in 2013, there are now numerous Saga books to enjoy and the series has won multiple awards including a Hugo for Best Graphic Story.
Mysteriously banished from existence by a multiversal event, the old superheroes of Spiral City now lead simple lives on a bizarre farm from which there is no escape!
Young Robot boy TIM-21 and his companions struggle to stay alive in a universe where androids have been outlawed.
The stories and artwork that laid the groundwork for the most successful independent comic book ever published, including the introduction Spawn himself.
ESSENTIAL MARVEL COMICS READING:
Re-live the legendary first journey into the dystopian future of 2013 - where Sentinels stalk the Earth, and the X-Men are humanity's only hope!
Published alongside the release of the original film in 1977, this comprehensive exploration includes this early era through to Marvel's return to the Star Wars brand in 2015 and beyond.
The FF faces monster menaces galore, including Dragon Man — and out-of-this-world villains, from the shape-shifting Skrulls to the undersea warlord Attuma.
The Marvel Universe is no more! The interdimensional Incursions have eliminated each and every alternate universe one by one.
The instant-classic saga that brought Bucky Barnes back from the dead — and introduced the world to the Winter Soldier!
The Mad Titan Thanos has seized control of Infinity Gauntlet and with it near-omnipotent power! Who can stop this deadly new overlord?
