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Most of them are released in hardcover too, aren't they? Every time a French/Belgian comics get released in Norway, they get published in paperback, with a slightly smaller format. When I got a copy of the latest XIII-album (which i bought just for the art), I was impressed by the printing quality. Only a few French/Belgian cmic books ever get released in Norway, and most of them are published in comic book magazines, with horrible printing quality. For example, the spin-off comic book, XIII Mystery: Colonel Amos, got published in one of those magazines - in black and white! Of course, this is a magazine which publish all they comics in black and white, but still.
I'd say about an extra inch in height and almost two extra inches wide.
They can be bought both in hardcover as well as paperback. I prefer the latter, and not merely because I question the additional costs for a hardcover, but mostly because I want my comics stacked economically and because I simply prefer them that way when I handle them, read them or transport them. ;-)
I see. Still, here we have to pay almost the same price for a paperback edition without the same printing quality, as for a hardcover editions you buy in France/Belgium.
@0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Exactly. For books, I might prefer paperback, but for comics, with the drawings and the colors, I want the best quality possible.
Much better than expected IMO. A few have been so so but I expect them to improve. I really enjoyed the first issue of Ozymandias. I'd recommend them.
Are they on par with the original series?
You can knock DC but if you look at it from the perspective of the writers and artists you soon realise that these people are genuine fans of the novel. Why would they do anything but their utmost to make it appealing to said fans. I too was disappointed when it was announced but at the end of the day, commercialism aside, why would anyone connected with it want to fuck it up. That's why I gave it a chance.
As an aside, while I love Moore, and I mean I really do, he's a tad hypocritical calling them out on the use of his intellectual property. Too soon, maybe, but he makes a good living out of using folk heroes and characters devised by those who are long gone. He even admitted such.
I enjoyed each once again, naturally, and I will give my quick thoughts one them. The Dark Knight Returns is most deserving of respect of the lot, for showing everyone in the 80s that Batman could and should be portrayed as conflicted and dark. Frank beautifully
writes the dialogue and story pieces with such power you truly feel moved by many pieces. While some hound the art I really enjoy it, and it is seedy much like the setting of the tale is. Though inconsistent in quality, Frank's visuals are stark and outline a dangerous Gotham City. The art is scrappy, yet powerful. Rough, yet quite fine tuned to the tone of the adventure. It is great that we get to see the story how the man who wrote it intended. My favorite moments amongst this classic graphic novel are:
My main problems with TDKR is that the story sags for me when Joker finally returns, which shouldn't happen. HE'S THE JOKER! The banter between Batman and Superman is great, but some of the stuff that erupts between them doesn't feel necessary. And though Frank tries to portray Batman as the same old "no guns, and no killing" hero we know and love, there are moments were Batman takes things way to far, like actually firing a huge bullet into a baddie, and going way over the edge into dangerous territory with his limits. Overall, this graphic novel is one of the pinnacles of the genre, and a work you will always find on lists for the greatest graphic novels of all time.
Batman: Hush has always been so so for me. The plot once everything is resolved feels odd and unbelievable that it actually occurred like that, and some loose ends aren't tied up quite enough to avoid ambiguity. But Loeb is great with Batman's world and exploring his many relationships in that world. The best of the best in this novel are Batman's growing relationship and trust for Selina/Catwoman, and the stories of Bruce and Tommy as boys and meeting again as boys are wonderfully crafted and add exceptionally to the story as the plot rolls on. Batman's guilt over Jason's death still eats away at him, and his motivations for continuing his crusade in Gotham as well as his relationships with Barbara, Dick, and Tim are wonderfully laid out, and truly some of the best interactions with Batman and his "family" I have read in comics. Jim Lee's art is startlingly wonderful, and as a young artist who also loves drawing Batman I look up to the legend quite a lot. He gets everything just right, from Batman to the ladies to the city and the action. Though it was drawn almost a decade ago, the brilliant are crafted by Lee still holds up.
Batman: Year One is probably my favorite of the bunch. It isn't big in scope like The Dark Knight Returns, nor is it quite as layered as Hush, but what it is is a damn fine origin story told in perfect detail. The tale isn't long, but doesn't need to be. The timeline of Bruce's climb from an angered young man into a force of justice in the guise of Batman is wonderfully on display again by Frank's penmanship, and though Mazzuchelli's pencils aren't the best of the best they fit perfect in the quite realistic world Miller portrays in this novel, and that stark realism is evident in the art. His panels are creative and at times I find myself pausing just to stare. Gordon is center-stage sharing the spotlight with Batman, and both are equally compelling with each of their own flaws and ideals. The character study of both Bruce the man, and Batman the symbol are brilliantly constructed, as we see many of Bruce's inner conflicts ranging from his own fear of failure to his deep and complex thirst for stopping the crime that took away his parents as well as his own scars from that childhood tragedy being a focus of the piece. Gordon's arrival in Gotham along with his horrible misgivings put on by not only himself but by the GCPD itself, lead by Commissioner Loeb and Flass are some of the most powerful pieces of the novel, where we see the man who Gordon really is. One who never falters in his search for some kind of justification for what hie is doing and the assurance that his own personal life will pick itself up from the shambles and endure the storm that passes on him in this storyline. The examination of Gordon's own resentment of Gotham when he first arrives to how he deals with the corruption and mistrust he holds in the GCPD as well as his fall from grace with Essen and his discovery of the Batman and the eventual partnership that grows between both men is the reason why this graphic novel is so celebrated, and deservedly so. Not only is Year One one of the greatest Batman tales ever woven, it is the perfect example of everything a graphic novel in style and substance can be.
These graphic novels are amongst the best of the best in all of comics, and expertly personify just why Batman is such an important figure in pop culture, and why he is so enduring as not only a character, but as a symbol standing for an ordinary man standing up against the corruption that marked his life early on. The story of Bruce Wayne showcases why heroes are so important to have, and his respect for his parents' memory, his fight against the crime that took their lives, and his many rules he holds that separates his own actions against that of his greatest enemies underscore why he is not only my favorite comic book hero, but one of my favorite characters of all time.
That story seriously had just about everyone that's ever been in a Batman book!
If you were trying to post a cover for Batman Hush, it didn't go through.
On TDKR, you talk about how Bats seems to be going overboard at times. I always felt that was exemplary of how much worse he's gotten in his old age. Miller clearly shows that Bruce can't live without (as he states on the Batman DVD) "dressing up as a bat, hunting down criminals and savagely beating them". The opening scene of the animated series Batman: Beyond also shows something like this, but Bruce is able to stop himself from shooting a criminal there.
I do, though, agree that the Joker is very underplayed in that book.
I've never read Hush,so I can't comment on that one.
Oh, what's your favorite part of Year One? Mine is the scene where Gordon fights Flass as retaliation.
Y'know, Year One is as great a Gordon origin as it is a Batman origin.
Currently I'm reading 'Dexter is Delicious' by Jeff Lindsay (always been a fan of the TV show) and was astonished to read the following passage.
For a bit of context they have just found the latest victim (a work colleague of the protagonist) of what appears to be cannibalistic killers:
'We found this', Debs said, standing at my shoulder and holding up a plastic evidence bag with a sheet of plain white paper in it. There was a red-brown stain of dried blood on one corner, but I took the bag from her and looked: On the paper was written a short message, in a large and ornate font that could have come from any computer printer in the world. It said He disagreed with someone who ate him'
The author is obviously a Fleming fan :D It's actually the second time I've seen him refer to the Bond books in the 'Dexter' series
A character in another of his books refers to the three sections of the GF novel: Happenstance, Coincidence, Enemy Action.
In this fairly standalone comic series, we see Batman tracing down a suspiciously invincible killer, one who carries with him a few uncomfortable nods to Bruce's childhood. Very soon he will discover the sinister truth, a truth with a deep gothic flavour to it.
Don't expect this series to be like the usual detective work. There's hardly any familiar character involved (only Batman, Thomas Wayne and Alfred are featured; no Gordon, Joker, ...) and we more or less deal with strange, otherworldly concepts.
Grant Morrison is of course a big name in the world of Batman comics and with this one, he has absolutely managed to entertain me. I like the style of the comic, both in terms of storytelling and visuals, and the amped up violence certainly fits a particular mood, that of dark, obscure, demonic freight. Not your average day Batman, but altogether a quality endeavour nonetheless.