Official Batman Titles thread 2.0 - - - - - - Part 15

[antsman41]

Didio will never learn, this is what the 3rd or 4th soft "clean slate" since OYL, in about 10 years. New 52 was a bust to everyone, and just a cluster-**** to the hard-core longtime Batman fans.

I'm so happy I gave up on these idiots, they never know what they're doing. All they care about is getting new readers while sustaining the old readers is more profitable, plus the new readers are so ADD today that it will always be a lose-lose situation.

When I was a new fan in 1991, I bought new stuff without care of continuity but because of said continuity they 'suckered' me in happily on buying a lot of stuff from the 80's (Batman/Detective) and had me 'suckered' into keeping up with solid titles every few years; Batman, Detective, and Graphic Novels in the early 90s especially relying heavily on huge crossovers.

Then the late 90's with Nightwing, Robin, Batman, Detective, Legends Of The Dark Knight, Shadow Of The Bat, and Graphic Novels. Early 2000's with Gotham Knights, Batman, Detective, Gotham Central, Batgirl, Nightwing, Catwoman, and Graphic Novels. Then finally burning me out in the late 2000's and early 2010's with crossovers and epic storylines that had no payoff/follow-through/consequences.

Yes; Batman & Robin, Batman, Batman INC, and maybe some Nightwing were solid but in the end DC ****ed over that 'Morrison Legacy' with a ****** reboot.

I never bought everything or what was 'necessary' during my hey-days of the 90's to early 2000's, and they maybe all didn't tie into each other but that's why it was fun building my collection because it was mine and they all could have blended together.

I usually checked out here and there but that totally worked because there was something else to tap into and so forth. When Detective got bad, I hopped to Gotham Knights, when that got weak, I hopped heavily into Batman again, while also trying Catwoman again.

Didio has kept me from doing that in the New 52 because of the twisted and stupid 'half ass reboot' aspects. You can't do it partly, they should have gone full in if they were doing it at all. They should have given us a great end to the pre-52 continuity... we at least deserved that.

This new-new-new soft-boot sounds good but with Didio still at helm, I have no desire to waste money on something that will not have any growth or depth in 3-5 years where they throw everything away again.

DC has always have had corporate problems (horror stories from Adams' days to Dixon's days to Dini), but at least we had passionate comic folks growing DC from within. It just seems DC treats their creative even worse by crapping on them every so often [reboots, Batwoman, Morrison, et cetera], and they'll only treat you right if you drink their kool-aid like Snyder/Capullo have done. All Didio wants is rehashed stories that basically retell great stories in an even worse way, that are convoluted, and boring. Nothing Snyder has done in BATMAN has had repercussions, no matter how EPICZ he gets or how CRAZY the villains are, or had TEHDARK the story is. Why twelve into 12 issues of story when in the end the next arc will not carry anything over or follow through? Grr...

 

[Cain]

I've been a Batman fan longer than you have and personally in terms of pure quality and variety this is the best the Batman line of books has been in a very very long time.

Seriously:

Batgirl
Grayson
Gotham Academy
Detective Comics
Batman & Robin


are all golden and none of those books is derivative of the other so they all bring a very distinctive flavor that is still very much grounded within Batman's corner of the DCU. One of the key reasons they have been so good is because the creators are trusted to do what they feel is best for these characters when it comes to storytelling. Contrary to the myth that only Scott Snyder gets carte blanche over in those bat editorial offices. So I'm perfectly fine with that being the line's overall continuous vision going forward.

I would wager that the success of that diversity in recent memory is what has inspired the green lighting of a lot of the post-Convergence titles in the first place. That's without even mentioning the excellent Batman '66.

 

[antsman41]

When Knightfall ended, Bruce wan't magically healed and back... we had to go through KnightsQuest, and even KnightsEnd to come out of the 'Broken Bat' storyline. You could easily say some issues were bad and some of the plot line got bad but it was overall worth it and not just a random EPIC story that was never brought up again. Bane evolved so much through the years because of it and Contagion/Legacy.

Hell, NML lasted about 2 years starting with Cataclysm/Road To.../New Gotham. Look at how much Snyder destroyed Gotham with Year Zero and we have seen nothing about it since, as if it was an afterthought within that last issue ending... along with DOTF. OMG JOKERZ is going to be so naughty and bad but he did nothing, nothing.

At least DC used to have balls with NML, where Joker killed Sarah. Honestly, when they brought back Babs as Batgirl, the end was here. Oh, super-powered Damien, lol **** that ****.

Grayson is a joke, Batman & Robin has been too fantastical and weird post Damien death, and Batgirl should not exist. I'll be honest, I've ignored Academy because it looks to 'fringy' and have no desire to buy Detective/Batman until Didio is gone. I torrent them here and there and they're no more than bubble gum to me when I'm in the bathroom or bored. I hate typing that because I would never have believed myself in never enjoying a Batman comic, but it has come to that.

 

[Cain]

Honestly, when they brought back Babs as Batgirl, the end was here. Oh, super-powered Damien, lol **** that ****.

That's very easy to say when you're only looking from the outside and haven't actually read any of those books.

I didn't like Gail Simone's Batgirl run at all and dropped it with the quickness. It doesn't mean the new team hasn't made the Babs as Batgirl concept actually work for me today in 2015 though. Same with Tomasi and Damian's resurrection. However I wouldn't have known that if I didn't give those books a chance again too so that I could find out.

With that said I don't like Scott Snyder's Batman either. Pretty artwork isn't enough to get me to read a book. The writing is what matters to me and I can't stand his writing on that title. Which is also why I've put up with a lot of titles with lackluster artwork but fantastic writing in the past.

 

[antsman41]

I sadly bought into the scheme with 6 (7 with the half released Batman Inc) titles for atlas 2 years of the NEW52 and Batman scoured me, Batman & Robin was great but then nose-dived after Damien died, Nightwing was cancelled wrongly and never got full time to shine because of terrible tie-ins, Batwoman was ****ed over, Detective was blah, Batgirl... I tried really I did but it was so-so bad and Babs should forever be Oracle outside of flashbacks and GNs.

 

[antsman41]

I want to love and enjoy Batman comics, but I just can't any more.

Luckily without the cash burden of reading stuff I ultimately hate out of blind Batman passion... it has gotten me to try and enjoy old Green Arrow (80's run, plus Smith, et cetera), Captain America (Winter Soldier and beyond), and more artsy stuff friend's have suggested.

And, honestly... if something did turn out great I can always pick up the Hardcover/TPB which is 'more equitable', easier to collect, and has no blind buy doubts. I had to hold off on Streets Of Gotham because of such but retractably bought it and it was the best non-Morrison thing in years.

 

[Cain]

I'm sorry that you can't find one Bat title to enjoy anymore. However I do think the important thing is you're still able to read comic books that you actually do enjoy. 80's Green Lantern is freaking awesome. I wish I could go back and re-read a lot of the stuff again for the first time.

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

I'm annnoyed that Batman and Robin is on it's way out. It was such a fun and consistent book, that I would have liked it to have continued for another while longer.

In saying that, I'm always looking to cut back on comics now and this will save me few dollars. I'd consider following Patrick Gleason over to Robin: Son of Batman, but I can't see it happening.

So my monthly stack will soon be:

Batman
Detective Comics
Batman '66
Batman Beyond
Bat-Mite (maybe)

 

[The Shape]

I've actually really enjoyed a lot of the Bat titles since the New 52 began. There's some really solid work taking place across the spectrum right now.

 

[Naked Shia]

Robin son of Batman is promising. It was a matter of time before Damian got his own title... which is basically what Batman and Robin was in the new 52 before his death. I'm sad to see Tomasi leaving, but I have high hopes for Gleason.

 

[superkong 500]

Wow batman 38 was great. I know some people don't like the ideas and possibilities snyder has come up with for the Joker but I think its fanastic and adds a new level of complexity to the dynamic between joker and bats and also takes J to a new level of mythological romanticism that just feels really fresh. I mean if all this time Joker was pushing to see if bats would take the plunge to further darkness by killing him, only for batman to discover he can't or at least not so easily, its the ultimate joke. a big slap in the face to Batman.

Also Am I the only one who would like to see francis manapul take over the batman title after Capullo decides to leave? Not that I want him to leave, I love his art I just wouldn't want anyone else replacing capullo's great drawings(hopefully he stays after his contract runs up) other than manapul or andy Kubert.

 

[Cain]

I would only be interested in seeing Manapul on Batman if he gets to work with a writer that isn't Scott Snyder or ends up writing the book himself.

 

[Cain]

 

[Colossal Spoons]

I'm not a big Batman fan but I'm really enjoying this Endgame story. Joker being connected to Vandal Savage and R'as is some good stuff.

 

[-Arya-]

Yeah Endgame has been awesome so far. Definitely my favorite story after Court of Owls.

 

[Naked Shia]

I don't really know what to think about endgame so far. All snyder's flaws are here, but there are also some interesting ideas.

 

[Mee]

I'm not a big Batman fan but I'm really enjoying this Endgame story. Joker being connected to Vandal Savage and R'as is some good stuff.

Spoons, nooooOo!

 

[Snow Queen]

I'm not a big Batman fan but I'm really enjoying this Endgame story. Joker being connected to Vandal Savage and R'as is some good stuff.

Umm...this is a thing that happened? And I wondered why I stopped reading Batman...

 

[antsman41]

Yeah... Joker is immortal or some **** now, it sucks.

 

[HighFivingMF]

Umm...this is a thing that happened? And I wondered why I stopped reading Batman...

I hate vague plot threads that haven't been fully explored yet in books I haven't read too.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Spoons, nooooOo!

Oh, my bad Meeford. Is the internet not enjoying Endgame?

Yeah... Joker is immortal or some **** now, it sucks.

I have a feeling that whenever we got a slight backstory for Joker, it wouldn't be well received. Most people would be content having him stay a mysterious clown. I dislike mysteries, so I'm just happy to have an explanation.

 

[Snow Queen]

I hate vague plot threads that haven't been fully explored yet in books I haven't read too.

The idea of Joker being immortal is dumb no matter how it's executed as far as I'm concerned. If it turns out to be false, then great, but if it's true I think it's an awful choice.

 

[Saint]

Didio will never learn,

Quite the opposite: it appears he finally has learned, only about ten years too late. Frankly, even with the loss of some great titles (like Batman & Robin), it's hard to look at the new lineup and be anything other than thrilled. Finally, books that aren't subject to a pervasive house style (allowing for the sort of artistic variety we haven't seen in years), books targeted at someone other than twenty-something males, books pushing new characters, and for the love of christ, books featuring women. Let the sausage fest come to an end!

Even Starfire's finally getting the book she should have gotten when Teen Titans was on the air.

Both major publishers refresh their publishing line every few years. Marvel even more frequently than DC--this just happens to be the first one DC has done is a while that actually addresses some of the issues that exist in the line.

 

[Saint]

I've been a Batman fan longer than you have and personally in terms of pure quality and variety this is the best the Batman line of books has been in a very very long time.

Seriously:

Batgirl
Grayson
Gotham Academy
Detective Comics
Batman & Robin

Though I would say my personal "Golden Age" was in the '00s, when guys like Rucka and Brubaker were running the show, it's hard to argue with much of the current lineup. Grayson is an absolutely killer book. Batman & Robin is consistently solid, and is like a small slice of the Post-Crisis universe that managed to survive into the New 52. Though I haven't read Batgirl because it doesn't look like a book aimed at me, I am absolutely thrilled it exists for the sake of readers who are not me.

 

[Cain]

My favorite era of the bat books will always be the late 80's and early 90's Detective/Batman days where the likes of Alan Grant, Dough Moench, Marv Wolfman and Chuck Dixon were regularly writing those 2 books and later on the additional Legends and Shadow titles.

That New Gotham era back in the early 00's was pretty righteous though I'd agree with that. Only bat family book era I really liked since then was the Batman Reborn/Batman Inc one from 2009 - 2011. Until now at least. After a rocky 3 and 1/2 years of inconsistent quality across the line the ship was righted yet again with the current line up. Thank You Mark Doyle.