Batman Odyssey

[Drz]

Awesome comics deserve their own manly threads!

Batman Odyssey #1 preview!

It’s finally here. Legendary Batman artist Neal Adams returns to Gotham with the first issue of two six-part mini-series. In the story, Batman faces a series of seemingly unrelated challenges as villains and allies old and new push him to his limits. And after Batman discovers a dark and dangerous matrix being superimposed over his life, what must he do to escape? Get a few clues below, and pick up the first issue, which hits tomorrow.

This is going to be some classic Batman & Robin. You got Bruce Wayne, you got Dick as Robin, you got the 70s Sportscar batmobile (that can fly!). You got Aquaman, Deadman, Man-Bat, Joker, Talia al Ghul, Riddler and whatnot going on! Heck Robin even goes to HELL! Maybe he'll meet Wolverine there.

Here's some great art teasers for what's coming:

 

[Kurosawa]

Looking awesome. Can't wait for this!

 

[CrimsonMist]

I'm hit or miss with the thought balloons, but it feels like a '70's comic(i hope, however, the silly melodramatics from that era are absent), and from the looks of it, we're in for a 4 dollar comic book that will actually take some time to read through, and not 30 seconds.

This is going to be awesome, I think.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Dang, Aquaman's gonna stab someone with all those fins.

 

[Cobblepot]

I've just finished #1, and I don't know what to think of it. So far it's a mediocre story with Batman over explaining the obvious like he did in the 70's.
For example when he's climbing up the traincart, he thinks "Could've waited on drawing the gun. Now I have to climb with one hand...stupid"

Batman doesn't think like that, and these first three pages could have easily not been inserted. I mean look at his mask...

Not to mention what he did to Man-Bat...

 

[TheCorpulent1]

The fact that he's running around waving guns around kind of tells you right off the bat that this isn't the standard Batman. Apparently, this Batman does think like that...

 

[Dreadstar]

I HAVE WAITED SO LONG FOR THIS. ITS EPIC! NOTHING SHORT OF GREATNESS. THE MAN THAT DEFINED THE BATMAN RETURNS! Its historic!

Loved this issue! Loved the homage to the gun totting era of Batman. Loves the 70s sports car Bat-mobile. The art was out of this world. We need a poster book of art from this series.

I liked how Batman was unsure of himself. He is not some unstoppable demi god, he is a human being. I liked the thought balloons. The different villains thoughts on seeing the Batman was very well done.

I really like the look of Aquaman too. (in the above pics)

THIS IS THE STANDARD WHICH ALL OTHER BATMAN interpretations should be measured.

 

[Mystirious]

Dang, Aquaman's gonna stab someone with all those fins.

Outrageous!

 

[Cobblepot]

The fact that he's running around waving guns around kind of tells you right off the bat that this isn't the standard Batman. Apparently, this Batman does think like that...

Then they should have but an Elseworlds label on the book.
It's just silly why he uses the guns in this book.
The one thing that has been grounded in Batman's history (apart from his earliest stories) was that he hates guns. Batman doesn't need a gun to feel powerfull (not even a beginning one), he's honed his body to perfection for years before even thinking of wearing the cowl.

Sure an early Batman should make mistakes but this is just taking it too far for my taste.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Didn't he use guns in that story that Mask of the Phantasm was based on? It was either Year Two or Year Three.

 

[Kurosawa]

Not crazy about the guns. The thought balloons are a non-issue. They still use inner monologues in todays comics, they just do it with captions. Same thing dressed a little differently.

 

[Drz]

Then they should have but an Elseworlds label on the book.

Well they are just promoting this as Neal Adams comeback, but maybe you are right.

It's just silly why he uses the guns in this book.

How so? He's using them because he feels confident. This was his very first night in Adams' Universe, and i thought it was awesome that he wasn't killing, but using the gun to disarm gunners.

The one thing that has been grounded in Batman's history (apart from his earliest stories) was that he hates guns. Batman doesn't need a gun to feel powerfull (not even a beginning one), he's honed his body to perfection for years before even thinking of wearing the cowl.

Yet this was his very first night, even how hard you train and whatnot, you always feel abit insecure when you first start out. Not to mention this is once again Neal Adams' Odyssey to Batman, so yeah i guess we should blame DC marketing for not labeling it as an elseworld.

Sure an early Batman should make mistakes but this is just taking it too far for my taste.

Each for their own indeed. Also regarding what he did to Man-Bat, you have to remember Neal Adams enjoys Violence, so ofcourse this Batman is a dick. I mean originally FRANK MILLER was suppose to do the dialogue for the story, but Adams decided to do it himself.

I LOVED this issue! The art was so outstanding, and the writing wasn't awful or anything, but it wasn't special either. I'm very happy that Adams gave a shot with doing the dialogue, because he can always improve.

Next issue will have AQUAMAN! Outrageous!

 

[CrimsonMist]

Yet this was his very first night, even how hard you train and whatnot, you always feel abit insecure when you first start out. Not to mention this is once again Neal Adams' Odyssey to Batman, so yeah i guess we should blame DC marketing for not labeling it as an elseworld.


Each for their own indeed. Also regarding what he did to Man-Bat, you have to remember Neal Adams enjoys Violence, so ofcourse this Batman is a dick. I mean originally FRANK MILLER was suppose to do the dialogue for the story, but Adams decided to do it himself.

I LOVED this issue! The art was so outstanding, and the writing wasn't awful or anything, but it wasn't special either. I'm very happy that Adams gave a shot with doing the dialogue, because he can always improve.

Next issue will have AQUAMAN! Outrageous!

A few things. I hate the idea of trying to label this an Elseworld tale. Batman uses guns. Big deal. He used guns in the earlier history of the character. This book celebrates the history of the character. Adams isn't pandering to modern continuity geeks just to tell a damn story. He's telling a story that incorporates the character's entire continuity since creation.

DRZ, saying that since Adams loves violence, it's only natural to make Batman is a dick is really stupid. All of Batman's dickish things in this issue were random and poorly handled; basically, all of it was uncalled for, simply because there was no purpose for it at all.

The dialogue was rather poor. It was disjointed and very stilted, and some of it felt as if Adams had William Shatner say all the dialogue as Adams copied it down. There was to much "If...you...were in a room...surrounded by guys...with...guns".

I'll stick with it for a few more issues but I can't help but think this book would have been better off had Miller actually written the dialogue.

 

[Drz]

DRZ, saying that since Adams loves violence, it's only natural to make Batman is a dick is really stupid. All of Batman's dickish things in this issue were random and poorly handled; basically, all of it was uncalled for, simply because there was no purpose for it at all.

I'm just saying that Neal Adams enjoys his violence, hence he would write his Batman as a violent and rude man. This is after all his project on Batman, and he's allowed to do whatever he wants. Was Green Arrow mercilessly beating up on Speedy uncalled for? We can make these debates, but i'm just telling you that this is what Neal Adams enjoys about Batman. Hence hes writing it.

 

[Kurosawa]

Adams has always been a pretty poor writer. Who cares, normally to read a comic completely for the art is shallow, but this is Neal f'n Adams.

 

[Motown Marvel]

the writing was rather sub-par. i also dont like the guns. and its weird seeing batman rather...jovial? but adams' art was solid. he's not quite as tight as he used to be, but it still works quite well.

 

[TruerToTheCore]

Absolutely horrible, this first issue.

The art isn't as good as he was. The general tone is just weird. It's like Bronze Age Batman with some Silver Age and Modern Bat-Dick thrown together. Why doesn't Batman listen to Man-Bat? And why is he suddenly there?

Meh.

Dialogue is also bad.

 

[Drz]

Why doesn't Batman listen to Man-Bat? And why is he suddenly there?
.

Batman had requested Kirk's help, but it's also revealed Man-Bat is being forced by another Man-Bat creature. What do you mean he's not listening to him? That Batman didn't wanna risk Man-Bat going on a rampage? Thats kinda how Batman feels about Kirk, ye know.

 

[TruerToTheCore]

Batman had requested Kirk's help, but it's also revealed Man-Bat is being forced by another Man-Bat creature. What do you mean he's not listening to him? That Batman didn't wanna risk Man-Bat going on a rampage? Thats kinda how Batman feels about Kirk, ye know.

nah. Didn't Man-Bat say to Batman that he has something to tell him and Batman just ignores it?

 

[Drz]

Ah yeah that one. Yeah Batman was on a rush, and told Kirk to take the anti-serum wheres Kirk says he doesn't have the balls to say it unless he has the serum. Batman is too much in a rush right now, he asks Kirk to call him before he leaves tho.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Hey, at least he didn't shoot Man-Bat.

 

[Mace Dolex]

WOW! that flying Batmobile looks like something out of the 80's cartoon M.A.S.K.

 

[Drz]

Hey, at least he didn't shoot Man-Bat.

*Sniff* if you read my post you'd know Batman only used guns for his first night, and he was just shooting at the guns/hands.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Oh, Drzzly-butt, you know I never actually read your posts.

 

[CrimsonMist]

I'm just saying that Neal Adams enjoys his violence, hence he would write his Batman as a violent and rude man. This is after all his project on Batman, and he's allowed to do whatever he wants. Was Green Arrow mercilessly beating up on Speedy uncalled for? We can make these debates, but i'm just telling you that this is what Neal Adams enjoys about Batman. Hence hes writing it.

Batman and Ollie are two different characters. And it doesn't correlate anyway. "I like violence, therefore i all my characters will be violent and rude." It was random, poorly handled and poorly written. Not to mention, Denny O'Neal wrote the damn stories, and where Adams may have plotted them, O'Neal is the one responsible for the not crappy dialogue. Under a better writer, I imagine things would have flowed smoothly. Unfortunately, we're stuck with an amazing artist who couldn't write himself out of a paper bag.