Category Batman

A Batman #132 Micro-Review – “In Any World, I Love Her”

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Batman 132, cover, February 2023, Jorge JimenezTITLE: Batman #132
AUTHOR: Chip Zdarsky
ARTISTS: Mike Hawthorne, Adriano Di Benedetto (Inker), Tomeu Morey (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer). Cover by Jorge Jimenez.
RELEASED: February 7, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I don’t necessarily notice this kind of thing often. But that red dress Selina’s wearing in this issue? Killer.

Bruce has a great line about her, too. He’s in an alternate universe, and sees this alternate version of Selina. He thinks to himself, “In any world, I love her.” Beautiful.

I’m starting to get into one of the central ideas of this “The Bat-Man of Gotham” story: An older Bruce Wayne forming his Batman identity again with all his memories from his old life intact. To an extent, he’s getting a chance to start over as Batman. I’m intrigued.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #4 Micro-Review – Just Use Robin!

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Batman and the Joker the Deadly Duo 4, cover, February 2023, Marc SilvestriTITLE: Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #4
AUTHOR: Marc Silvestri
ARTISTS: Silvestri, Arif Prianto (Colorist), Troy Peteri (Letterer)
RELEASED: February 7, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I’m still grumpy about the fact that Nightwing is in this book as, essentially, Batman’s sidekick. There’s even a joke or two about it in this issue. I get that Nightwing is cool, but just use Robin!

There’s a cool sequence in this book in which the Joker tries to do something heroic using his own murderous methods. Batman then has to come to grips with the fact that it, in its own way, worked. That’s a great Batman/Joker moment, and the best part of this story thus far. Good writing by Silvestri.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Alex Ross Spotlight: The Mask of Batman

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

Batman, eyes, Alex RossBy Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

What’s the right way to portray Batman’s eyes in a real-world scenario? Should the mask have eyeholes that are smaller, and come right up to the eyelids? Or is it the standard set by Tim Burton’s Batman movie, in which the eyeholes are larger, but black make-up around the eyes creates the illusion of a tighter fit?

For Alex Ross the answer, in a sense, is both.

“I wanted it to look like it was just like make up on a face,” Ross said via YouTube video. “That it wasn’t this three-dimensional thing jumping off a human being, but that it was as close to his skin, like as if a human being becoming Batman is just more of a transformation. It’s less about what’s plausible and more about what matches what the comics always did, which is they treat costumes as really just naked skin painted. And that’s what I thought artistically was desired about Batman, not the practicality of, ‘Well how well will that mask take a gunshot?’ Well, it ain’t gonna take a gunshot. It’s imaginary, in effect.”

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #11 Micro-Review – Leave ‘Em Wanting More

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

**This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Batman:Superman World's Finest 11, cover, January 2023, Dan MoraTITLE: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #11
AUTHOR: Mark Waid
ARTISTS: Dan Mora, Tamra Bonvillain (Colorist), Steve Wands (Letterer)
RELEASED: January 17, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Considering the cliffhanger we got last issue, this “Strange Visitor” storyline ends pretty abruptly here. It seemed like there might have been a lot more meat on the bone. Better to leave them wanting more, I suppose?

This issue borrows an idea from Superman II that I don’t know if we’ve ever seen in the comics. Certainly not in recent history…

Mora and Bonvillain get to work on some fairly obscure villains in this issue. Zebra-Man? Acid Master? Bag O’ Bones? Sure! Why not?

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #3 Micro-Review – S&M Joker?!?

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Batman and the Joker the Deadly Duo 3, cover, January 2023, Marc SilvestriTITLE: Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #3
AUTHOR: Marc Silvestri
ARTISTS: Silvestri, Arif Prianto (Colorist), Troy Peteri (Letterer)
RELEASED: January 10, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I dig that cover, but…is that an S&M mask the Joker is wearing? What the hell? First S&M Riddler in The Batman and now this? If they give one to the Penguin I’m gettin’ the hell outta here…

Silvestri hits his stride with this issue, particularly in terms of his writing. His art was pretty much always on point.

The one downside to the writing: Nightwing is in this story, essentially in a sidekick role. Which is odd, because last I checked Batman had a sidekick. You might have heard of him. His name is Robin.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Batman #131 Micro-Review – The Tim Drake Renaissance

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Batman, 131, cover, January 2023, Jorge JimenezTITLE: Batman #131
AUTHOR: Chip Zdarsky
ARTISTS: Mike Hawthorne, Miguel Mendonca, Ariano Di Benedetto (Inker), Tomeu Morey (Colorist), Roman Stevens (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer). Cover by Jorge Jimenez.
RELEASED: January 3, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Zdarsky’s “The Bat-Man of Gotham” storyline isn’t going much for me thus far. But I eventually came around on his previous story, “Failsafe.” So I’m hopeful that will change.

I’m partial to this issue’s back-up, which sees Tim Drake commence his hunt for the missing Batman. Granted, it treads some ground we already covered more than a decade ago. But still, between the revelation about his sexuality, his new ongoing series, and him getting this spotlight in Batman, I’m digging this Tim Drake renaissance we’re having.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Detective Comics #1067 Micro-Review – The Kingdom of Cold

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Detective Comics 1067, cover, December 2022, Evan CagleTITLE: Detective Comics #1067
AUTHORS: Ram V, Simon Spurrier
ARTISTS: Ivan Reis, Hayden Sherman, Danny Miki (Inker), Dave Stewart (Colorist), Nick Filardi (Colorist), Ariana Maher (Letterer), Steve Wands (Letterer). Cover by Evan Cagle.
RELEASED: December 27, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

The overarcing villains for Ram V’s run on Detective Comics aren’t really landing with me. Unfortunately, I’m actually finding them a bit boring…

But on the plus side, he writes a great scene between Batman and Mr. Freeze that Ivan Reis absolutely knocks out of the park. We see what, to an extent, is Mr. Freeze’s Batcave. He calls it the “Kingdom of Cold.” Great stuff.

The Simon Spurrier/Hayden Sherman back-up starring Two-Face hasn’t landed with me either. They do, however, stick the landing as it ends this month. So there’s that.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Astonishing Art: Batman as the Joker by Marc Rienzo

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

There’s a lot of great Joker art out there. I’ve featured some of it in this space. But these seven portraits by Marc Rienzo are some of the best I’ve ever seen, both in terms of concept and execution.

What we have here are depictions of actors who’ve played Batman on the big screen (or in Adam West’s case the big and small screens) made up like the Clown Prince of Crime. The effect is downright chilling, as Rienzo modifies the depiction for each portrait to suit the actor. The ones for George Clooney and Robert Pattinson are my personal favorites.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

In the comments section on one of the images, someone suggested Rienzo flip the concept and paint the various Joker actors as Batman. I’m game for that. Jack Nicholson as Batman? I’ll admit, I’m curious…

Incidentally, Rienzo has a pretty decorated film resume, having worked as a visual effects supervisor and/or digital artist on movies like The Force Awakens, Thor: Ragnarok, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and many others. His work is definitely worth a look.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Epic Covers: Seinfeld, Superman, and Batman

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

For Christmas this year, Mrs. Primary Ignition gifted me a copy of The Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee Book, which of course is based on the web series starring Jerry Seinfeld. To my great surprise, one of the first images seen in the book is this variant cover to March’s Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #1.

Illustrated by Dan Mora, the cover shows us Seinfeld driving the classic 1966 Batmobile, with Superman in the passenger seat and Batman along for the ride as well. I’m a fan of everybody on this cover. So to see it come to fruition was a treat. I also love that Mora’s art is exposed to a whole new audience via the Comedians book. Everybody wins, including/especially the fans.

Batman:Superman World's Finest 1, Jerry Seinfeld, variant cover, 2022, Dan Mora

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Batman vs. Robin #4 Micro-Review – A Misleading Title

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Batman vs Robin 4, cover, December 2022, Mahmud Asrar, Nathan FairbairnTITLE: Batman vs. Robin #4
AUTHOR: Mark Waid
ARTISTS: Mahmud Asrar, Scott Godlewski, Jordie Bellaire (Colorist), Steve Wands (Letterer)
RELEASED: December 20, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Those bat ears on the Helmet of Fate look ridiculous. Just my opinion. But I’m right.

We do get a little character-driven scrap between Bruce and Damian in this issue. But ultimately, Batman vs. Robin isn’t really about Batman and Robin. It’s a misleading title in that sense. The story is really about setting the table for next month’s Lazarus Planet event comic. I can’t say I’m swayed one way or another at this point. Just feeling misled.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.