Mike W. Barr / Alan Davis Detective Comics run

[TruerToTheCore]

So, after Grant/Breyfogle is covered now to a much more obscure time of the Batman comics. Yes, it's the early post-crisis Batman, partially published at the same time as "Year One" when Denny O'Neil took over, the time when characterizations didn't really match between the titles... AT ALL!

Here we have Mike W. Barr, formerly known for his (rather mediocre) work on "Batman & The Outsiders" and the great Alan Davis. And as a big surprise after "The Dark Knight Returns" the run wasn't grim and gritty like everyone expected. And even compared to the last days of pre-crisis Batman under Moench and Conway this Batman is actually a lot nicer. No, just like Grant Morrison did 20 years later (and also Steve Englehart did 10 years before) this run doesn't try to hide the fact that there is a "funny" and "campy" past of Batman. Instead it embraced it and tried to mix it with the darker sides of the Caped Crusader.

This clearly shows the Dick Sprang era influence:



Here we have perhaps the best Batman and Robin (Jason Todd) characterization ever. Together they are having the time of their life, although their is some darkness and rage beneath that.

(Yeah he's called him "chum")

And he's funny:




But also:






And yes, this Batman knows them hoes by name and smiles as them:



It also features a great insight on Batman's past, how lonely he felt and that's the reason he trained Jason because not he would also be dead by now.











Sadly enough, the run is often tainted by the uneven "Year Two" and the last issues are rather weak... This run could have been legendary.

 

[TruerToTheCore]

 

[MasterOgami]

One of the things I liked about the Barr/Davis run was that Barr really seemed to be trying to create his own Gotham and populate it with new recurring characters. The run was too brief for that to really be developed though.

Yeah, I'd just as soon not get started on Year Two, not without reading that arc again. Lots of mixed feelings the first time around.

 

[Cobblepot]

Alan's art is one of the best, I remember buying 'Full Circle' and I simply could not stop looking at it. Every picture was just perfect in it. I wish their run was longer, and I need to catch up o the stories again.

 

[Cain]

It's a shame that the better stories from this era have yet to be collected but these were definitely the best Jason Todd as Robin comics.

 

[Nepenthes]

That was a great little recap Truer, thank you

Really looking forward to the collection out October I believe. I've want this collection for a long time !

 

[Cain]

That was a great little recap Truer, thank you

Really looking forward to the collection out October I believe. I've want this collection for a long time !

Whoa what? they're going to finally start collecting this run in TPB's?

 

[The Joker]

Oh I really hope that's true. I'd buy it in a second.

 

[TruerToTheCore]

It's actually out on October 16, 2012.



But I DO have my problems with collections that only features artists which is the problem with the Gene Colan collection, you cannot read complete stories because they some parts were drawn by other parents. that was really dumb in the early 80s. stories stretched over 'Tec and Batman but every title had their own artist so you never got a story from one artist.

This shouldn't really be the problem here as long as they do not include the first part of "Year Two".