VINTAGE - Superman/Batman: Supergirl

LOEB, Jeph. Superman/Batman: Supergirl. DC Comics, 2005. ISBN: 1401202500

Just when you thought all the superhero action was over, I'm throwing a wonderful combo at you just before turkey day. TWO superheroes for the price of one. A little title DC Comics likes to call Superman/Batman. They slap those two wacky kids together just to see what wacky highjinks will ensue. In this one, the second volume that happens to be penned by Jeph Loeb from Batman: Hush acclaim, he reintroduces Supergirl into mainstream continuity. Hasn't there always been a Supergirl, you ask? Yes. Sort of. Since the late fifties. Sort of. Loeb does his best to explain the situation in a, I'll say it, poorly written foreward to the book. He uses a rollercoaster analogy because apparently some high-up muckity much at DC was riding a "Superman-themed rollercoaster" and saw that Supergirl's biography was kind of horrible. It described her a protoplasmic lifeform. P.S. I totally know which coaster they were referring to. It's totally Bizarro at Six Flags! I was there! And the best part of that was totally reading the bios while I was waiting in the line. I'm a nerd who reads comics. Rollercoasters are kind of scary.

VINTAGE - Batman Forever Adaptation

O'NEIL, Dennis. Batman Forever: The Official Comic Adaptation of Motion Picture. 64p. DC COMICS, June 1995. ISBN: 1563891999

I know what you're thinking. They didn't. But oh yes, they did. They made it into a graphic novel. And what's worse: I'm actually going to review it. I did, however, make a promise to you about going through all the old treasures in my collection... and Batman Forever is in there. Sadly. It's actually been republished, too. There are different covers I've found. Dennis O'Neil, who is actually a great Batman writer, has his name on this piece of poo. That's surprising. If you aren't familiar with Joel Schumacher ruining the Batman film franchise, this is a loose adaptation of the movie with the same name. It revolves around Batman stopping an already established villain Two-Face, inadvertently creating a new enemy in The Riddler, and gaining a new partner in circus performer-turned-orphan Robin. Like most graphic adaptations and novelizations, this was most likely adapted from the original screenplay to coincide with the release of the film. Both came out in the summer of '95, so it's a fair assumption for this title.

VINTAGE - Robin Year One

Batman Schmatman. If it came down to which character I really love in the dynamic duo, it hands down has to be Robin. Let's face it, the Boy Wonder rocks. He's a pre-teen, butt-kicking superhero in his own right.


Robin Year One by Chuck Dixon deals with the early days of Dick Grayson donning his mask and tights. Narrated by Bat-butler Alfred Pennyworth, this trade paperback deals with some of the early reactions to Batman suddenly having a little kid he introduces around as his "partner." Jim Gordon, still a Police Captain and not yet a Commissioner, seriously has a problem with it. Gordon and Batman are barely on speaking terms over the whole thing. Meanwhile, the recently escaped Two-Face sees Robin as an easy target, ultimate proof that the Batman "has a heart." As the Joker rises as Batman's ultimate villain in most of the great stories, it's really Two-Face here who is this Robin's primary antagonist. In this tale he is one scary dude. Or is it two dudes? I always get confused when it comes to good ol' Harvey Dent.

Besides the looming threat threat of Two-Face, Robin also faces off solo against the mind-controlling Mad Hatter and the chilling Mr. Freeze. New villain Shrike, a child stealing killer from the League of Assassins, also lends an element of danger towards the tale's climax. There's also fun cameos from villains like Killer Moth, the original Blockbuster, and The Joker. The graphic novel includes a lot of foreshadowing moments which, if you read a lot of Chuck Dixon's contemporary work on the Batman titles, make you smile with childlike glee. Also when the Joker says he called "dibs" on Robin, it's slightly disturbing; it is the smiling clown who is the villain that ultimately kills Grayson's replacement, Jason Todd, after the latter assumes the Robin role. It's interesting that Batman is relegated more to a supporting role, with Alfred featured more as the person taking care of Dick and forming an interpersonal "fatherly" relationship with him. It's obvious that Dick being in Wayne Manor makes both Bruce and Alfred happier, and "lightens the mood" - which was the whole point of Robin's creation in the first place.

I don't usually gush about the art, but here? It's good. Beatty's style initially looks simplistic, but once the action starts happening, your mind fills in all the blanks between his pointed panels of intense physicality. When Robin is taking down Shrike's kiddie ninjas, or leaping out of the way of Mr. Freeze's ice gun, you are right there with him every step of the way. Some scenes, especially as Robin sneaking up on people, don't even have words on them; you really don't need any further explanation. He constantly has characters drawn partially obscured; when Robin is "fired" for instance, you see the tears streaming down his face but not his actual eyes. Two-Face is often shown part-in focus, depending on how monstrous Dixon is writing him in the particular part of the story. It really sets the scene for Dick one day becoming Batman, which if you read current issues of "Batman" out by DC Comics, you know is the current Bat-plan. It's worth trying to track this one down, buying it, and then loving it for all time.