The Batmans 3 A's

[MrWayne]

okay freinds.. im very much the type who makes his comic purchases based on good story telling as well as great art to accompany it so IYO which comic/TPB do you think has the best all around Arc, Art & Action? feel free to post pics and or covers!

 

[Dark Victory]

Batman: Year One
Batman: The Long Halloween
Batman: The Killing Joke

 

[Gexmeister]

The usual ones, like the ones Dark Victory posted above, as well as Dark Knight Returns, etc.

 

[Two-Face=Badass]

The usual ones, like the ones Dark Victory posted above, as well as Dark Knight Returns, etc.

I don't think Frank Miller's artwork could be considered that great...

 

[CapedCrusader14]

Batman: Hush Vol 1 and Vol 2 (Not Hush Returns).


You get a brilliant story with brilliant artwork.

 

[Majic Walrus]

Batman: Year One
Batman: The Long Halloween
Batman: The Killing Joke

They're great for a reason.

 

[deathfromabove]

I don't think Frank Miller's artwork could be considered that great...

TDKR is a masterpiece of the medium. frank miller's influence cannot be denied.

and there were two other artists who worked on that book, lynn varley and klaus jansen.

besides art is very subjective.

 

[Evil Twin]

Frank Miller, as an artist, will have a bigger long term impact on the medium than Jim Lee. Lee renders nicely, but he's not groundbreaking in the least and brings nothing to the table that Neal Adams didn't do first.

 

[Two-Face=Badass]

TDKR is a masterpiece of the medium. frank miller's influence cannot be denied.

and there were two other artists who worked on that book, lynn varley and klaus jansen.

besides art is very subjective.

Never said it wasn't a masterpiece, but the art is very iffy in spots, especially in the news segments, good god what was wrong with Lola?!?

And as you say, art is subjective, and TDKR's art is very subjective.

 

[BubbaGump]

DKR is some of the best Batman art...ever. At least in the "modern age." It's nasty, it's gritty, and it perfectly captures the feel of the story.

After the release of TDK, more and more people will get into Batman and will be turned off by Miller's art and lean towards the clean cross hatching of Jim Lee. This seperates the newbies from the veterans. Because Miller's art is something that is grows on you.

 

[MasterOgami]

I remember seeing Miller's DKR work when I was around 8 and being struck by it, in a good way, instantly. It was just so different than the Batman I was used to from Super-Powers and so on.

 

[Majic Walrus]

Miller's art is definitely valid but as valid as Kelley Jones and Jim Lee and any other artist. They're great artists in their own regard but not everyone likes them.

Personally Miller's art isn't my favorite but I agree with BubbaGump. In the modern age of comics and for the story that Miller wrote the art is PERFECT. It would not have been as excellent a book without that art.

 

[MrWayne]

im out of the loop on this but is Jim Lee still the main artist for Batman? im a HUUUGE Jim Lee fan since his early beginings with Marvel and X-men... he draws a wicked Wolverine! and i like his art for Batman... but you guys pretty much just named just about the main 4-5 Faves on everyones list.. thats not saying much for the plethora of other Batman comics... i was iffy about investing thats why i wanted to know the best buys...

 

[the_scream]

Arkham Asylum has some pretty impressive art-work. Story is pretty good too. Very dream-like.

My favourites are Batman: Year One and The Dark Knight Returns

The Long Halloween is pretty good reading too.

Killing Joke is ok but I don't really like the Joker backstory or Gordon in this one.

 

[Two-Face=Badass]

DKR is some of the best Batman art...ever. At least in the "modern age." It's nasty, it's gritty, and it perfectly captures the feel of the story.

After the release of TDK, more and more people will get into Batman and will be turned off by Miller's art and lean towards the clean cross hatching of Jim Lee. This seperates the newbies from the veterans. Because Miller's art is something that is grows on you.

That's a very narrow view you have there, people do have opinions you know? To instantly assume that all veterans like Miller's art while all newbies won't in ridiculous.

I don't like Jim Lee much but neither do I like Frank Miller's art either. Good? Yes. Great? In my opinion, no. The first page where Bruce Wayne is driving his race car I still can't tell what the heck is going on. Some bits look great, heck the atmosphere is down pat, but on the whole I believe that the characters faces and several drawn portions are lacking. That's my opinion and isn't decided by some veteran/newbie nonsense.

 

[MasterOgami]

im out of the loop on this but is Jim Lee still the main artist for Batman? im a HUUUGE Jim Lee fan since his early beginings with Marvel and X-men... he draws a wicked Wolverine! and i like his art for Batman... but you guys pretty much just named just about the main 4-5 Faves on everyones list.. thats not saying much for the plethora of other Batman comics... i was iffy about investing thats why i wanted to know the best buys...

Jim Lee still pencils All Star and, as far as I know, will until that series' conclusion.

As for the "plethora of other Batman comics", many of them are great, some not so much. The best thing to do is take a little sample from here and there, especially including back issues, to see which creative teams you enjoy the most, then you can track down their work, not all of which has been collected into trades.

 

[MrWayne]

yea im gonna make a trip to some comic shops this weekend and i love art that refelcts the story... stuff u can just stare at.. Thanks!!

 

[deathfromabove]

The first page where Bruce Wayne is driving his race car I still can't tell what the heck is going on. .

read more comics.

 

[BubbaGump]

That's a very narrow view you have there, people do have opinions you know? To instantly assume that all veterans like Miller's art while all newbies won't in ridiculous.

I don't like Jim Lee much but neither do I like Frank Miller's art either. Good? Yes. Great? In my opinion, no. The first page where Bruce Wayne is driving his race car I still can't tell what the heck is going on. Some bits look great, heck the atmosphere is down pat, but on the whole I believe that the characters faces and several drawn portions are lacking. That's my opinion and isn't decided by some veteran/newbie nonsense.

That is my opinion on that matter. I shouldn't have been so direct in my post, but that is how I see things going on right now. People are judging Miller's art because it's "ugly." Well the world he's crafted is derelict and distorted and the art suits the environment. Which is partly why I think DKSA failed. The new computer coloring just got in the way and distracted Miller from all the aspects that made DKR so great.

But that's not the point, new readers will flock to the nice art (Jim Lee) and shun Miller's work due to its strange quality. That assumption is not ridiculous. Hell, when I started reading comics I instantly flocked to Jim Lee ("Who hasn't? WHO HASN'T!! /Anthony Anderson). I still dig the man, but only through reading more comics and veering away from the clean cross hatching stuff did I begin to see how awesome Miller's work and the old school comics really are. I didn't mean to sound elitist, but that sort of "second look" at comics only comes from a lot of comics reading and exposure, something that I don't think new Batman readers will understand. I could be wrong, but that is how I see things.

All the new fans are flocking to The Long Halloween and Hush, and I don't blame them since those comics are entertaining, but all I'm trying to say is after you've enjoyed that stuff, please give the other books a chance.

 

[Two-Face=Badass]

That is my opinion on that matter. I shouldn't have been so direct in my post, but that is how I see things going on right now. People are judging Miller's art because it's "ugly." Well the world he's crafted is derelict and distorted and the art suits the environment. Which is partly why I think DKSA failed. The new computer coloring just got in the way and distracted Miller from all the aspects that made DKR so great.

But that's not the point, new readers will flock to the nice art (Jim Lee) and shun Miller's work due to its strange quality. That assumption is not ridiculous. Hell, when I started reading comics I instantly flocked to Jim Lee ("Who hasn't? WHO HASN'T!! /Anthony Anderson). I still dig the man, but only through reading more comics and veering away from the clean cross hatching stuff did I begin to see how awesome Miller's work and the old school comics really are. I didn't mean to sound elitist, but that sort of "second look" at comics only comes from a lot of comics reading and exposure, something that I don't think new Batman readers will understand. I could be wrong, but that is how I see things.

All the new fans are flocking to The Long Halloween and Hush, and I don't blame them since those comics are entertaining, but all I'm trying to say is after you've enjoyed that stuff, please give the other books a chance.

My apologies, I was a bit off an a-hole back there frankly. I'd make an excuse about a bad day or something but I guess I was just grumpy.

I do definitely agree that the colouring is great, I love the distortions, but I just wouldn't consider it top art. Top story for me, I love DKR, but there are just a few iffy panels I find atleast. I'm not exactly a new fan though. An elitist? Heck no, but I've been going over tons of Batman mythos for quite a few years. People are getting the idea I either dislike the art or consider it mediocre, I by no means do. Infact, some of my favourite panels are in this book, like the kicking Superman part and the Batmobile reveal, but if we are talking about the elite of the elite of comic art then I wouldn't include it.

 

[Evil Twin]

Thinking about it some more, I think you can make a good case for Strange Apparitions belonging. Particularly the Englehart/Rogers potion of the collection. Rogers probably had more effect on how Gotham City is portrayed than any other artist and the stories hold up well, particularly "The Laughing Fish"/"The Sign of the Joker".

Lesser known ones that I think belong in the discussion are Night Cries by Goodwin and Hampton and Batman: Ego by Darwyn Cooke. I suppose we can make an argument for Mad Love as well.

 

[BubbaGump]

My apologies, I was a bit off an a-hole back there frankly. I'd make an excuse about a bad day or something but I guess I was just grumpy.

I do definitely agree that the colouring is great, I love the distortions, but I just wouldn't consider it top art. Top story for me, I love DKR, but there are just a few iffy panels I find atleast. I'm not exactly a new fan though. An elitist? Heck no, but I've been going over tons of Batman mythos for quite a few years. People are getting the idea I either dislike the art or consider it mediocre, I by no means do. Infact, some of my favourite panels are in this book, like the kicking Superman part and the Batmobile reveal, but if we are talking about the elite of the elite of comic art then I wouldn't include it.

No problem.

Thinking about it some more, I think you can make a good case for Strange Apparitions belonging. Particularly the Englehart/Rogers potion of the collection. Rogers probably had more effect on how Gotham City is portrayed than any other artist and the stories hold up well, particularly "The Laughing Fish"/"The Sign of the Joker".

Lesser known ones that I think belong in the discussion are Night Cries by Goodwin and Hampton and Batman: Ego by Darwyn Cooke. I suppose we can make an argument for Mad Love as well.

Well Rogers was an architect. Probably why his Gotham is so atmospheric and accurate to American cities at the time.

And Ego is awesome. It's one of my favorite one-shots.

 

[MrWayne]

Does anyone know or have the Batman comic that has lots of sketches of Gotham in it?
im not sure if it was in the back or if it was a whole issue devoted to Gotham, but i had this comic like YEARS ago when i was a kid, its gta be from the late 80's-early 90's and if i remember correctly... discussed the influences of NY city and the use of Gargoils and such..

 

[MrWayne]

aaaaaarrghh!! F'kn Long Halloween is F'kn all sold out at my local comic stores wtf?? lol

 

[MasterOgami]

aaaaaarrghh!! F'kn Long Halloween is F'kn all sold out at my local comic stores wtf?? lol

Maybe try the "graphic novel/manga/whateverelse" section of a more mainstream bookstore like Borders or Barnes and Noble, if there's one nearby.

As for the Gotham comic, the only thing I can think of is the "Destroyer" three parter from the early 90s that ran in Batman, 'tec, and LOTD. The cover backgrounds were drawn by Anton Furst, the production designer of the '89 Batman.

Does that maybe look familiar?