Black and White Batman

[darkknightfan63]

Did anyone here ever read the Black and White Batman comic. When I was a kid I had one, I personally like them. They have a different take on the whole idea of Batman and Gotham City.

 

[Mee]

I have Batman: Black & White volume 1, I was pretty letdown by it. So I haven't bothered to get anymore. There were a couple good stories/artists in it, Matt Wagner...Bruce Timm, but most of it was pretty bleh.

 

[darkknightfan63]

I have Batman: Black & White volume 1, I was pretty letdown by it. So I haven't bothered to get anymore. There were a couple good stories/artists in it, Matt Wagner...Bruce Timm, but most of it was pretty bleh.

I haven't read it since I was about 10, so I could be wrong.

Maybe if I read it now it wouldn't be very good, especially up against Year One:, The Long Halloween, and The Killing Joke.

 

[Mladen]

I have vols 1 and 2. 1 is definately the best of the pair, haven't checked out anything from vol 3 yet (waiting for it to be released in the larger format).
I'd say the first volume is one of my favorite bat-books ever, so each to his/her own.

 

[darkknightfan63]

I have vols 1 and 2. 1 is definately the best of the pair, haven't checked out anything from vol 3 yet (waiting for it to be released in the larger format).
I'd say the first volume is one of my favorite bat-books ever, so each to his/her own.

He Mladen,

Is Volume 2 the one where the huge dude breaks into the two girls house and rips the head off the doll, and Batman saves them, and talks to the girl? Then in the other story its like snowing or something?

 

[Mladen]

He Mladen,

Is Volume 2 the one where the huge dude breaks into the two girls house and rips the head off the doll, and Batman saves them, and talks to the girl? Then in the other story its like snowing or something?

the one you're talking about with the huge dude kidnapping a little girl and then ripping her doll in half (and later batman tracks the girl down to help her get over the childhood shock) is in Volume 1, (the particular story is "In Dreams" by Liberatore and Helfer).
It snows in a lot of the stories, but you could be talking about the very excellent Bill Sienkiewicz story in the same volume (a dad throws his son's kitten off a rooftop, Batman isn't sure how to proceed at the risk of destroying the son's life)... that or the Kristiansen/o'neil story with the murderer dressed up like santa clause...

 

[darkknightfan63]

the one you're talking about with the huge dude kidnapping a little girl and then ripping her doll in half (and later batman tracks the girl down to help her get over the childhood shock) is in Volume 1, (the particular story is "In Dreams" by Liberatore and Helfer).
It snows in a lot of the stories, but you could be talking about the very excellent Bill Sienkiewicz story in the same volume (a dad throws his son's kitten off a rooftop, Batman isn't sure how to proceed at the risk of destroying the son's life)... that or the Kristiansen/o'neil story with the murderer dressed up like santa clause...

I think the snowing one I am thinking of is in the same volume. I only had one volume of the comic.

Also, is there a story that has like 5 men walking around in a bank setting or some other kind of large building. They are robbing something and Batman fights them.

 

[Mladen]

I think the snowing one I am thinking of is in the same volume. I only had one volume of the comic.

Also, is there a story that has like 5 men walking around in a bank setting or some other kind of large building. They are robbing something and Batman fights them.

Thats definately volume one, the bank robbers one is the Matt Wagner story.

 

[BubbaGump]

Stories were hit and miss, though some were really good:

Two of a Kind by Bruce Timm, Heist by Matt Wagner, Heroes by Archie Goodwinn up, that Brian Bolland story, and the Paul Dini-Alex Ross collaboration about the Joker. The one illustrated by Tim Sale was good, too.

The rest I could care less for.

 

[Cobblepot]

Brillaint that's what they all are. Even Jim lee's art was passable, better then on Hush.

 

[Mladen]

Brillaint that's what they all are. Even Jim lee's art was passable, better then on Hush.

True. I normally don't like Jim Lee's art at all, but his Black and White story was really good since it was a bit of a departure from his normal ultra-sheen slick stuff.

Definately a great range of styles and stories in there, which is probably why a lot of people dislike the Black and White compilations... They only want to read the one type of characterisation of Batman, and they immediately dislike anything remotely abstracted besides the usual comic-book fare. I like well-tol short stories, so maybe its about that preference?

For me, the Bill Sienkiewicz story was a highlight in terms of Eisner-esque panelling and other storytelling devices beyond whats IN the panel. Plus I'm a huge fan of Ted McKeever as well, so any books that feature those two artist/writers as well as Neil Gaiman, Bruce Timm, Brian Bolland, Paul Dini, Katsuhiro Otomo, Klaus Jansen, Tim Sale, and others has got to be worth the price.

Has anybody picked up volume three? How would you rate it?