Official Batman (New 52) Series

[Mac Man]

Okay, really enjoyed issue #7. It's pretty interesting to see the connection to Grayson, but I wasn't happy with Bruce hitting . It just seemed a little overboard. Based on Capullo's recent tweet, he didn't actually knock 's tooth out--just the cap (which contained the big reveal). Still... that piece was a bit of a turn off. But otherwise, the story itself was pretty tight and artwork continues to be top-notch.

 

The only other issue I'd bring up came from fellow comic critic whose opinion I value (Collin Smith--Thinking About My Comics blog). He started reading #6 and was thoroughly lost. Part of the New 52's purpose *was* to create open access for new readers who weren't up to speed with all of the baggage of continuity. Unfortunately, the story with the Owls is SO tight... that I almost have to agree with the premise of Collin's argument that it becomes a little inaccessible for new readers.

 

But again, I DO believe that for those of us who have been following the series since its inception will find this continuation in the story to be a great addition. Snyder and Capullo continue to bring it home, and I'm looking forward to #8.

[Point Five]

Haven't read #7 yet -- hoping to pick it up soon.

 

 

[krighton]

unless you're going to have 1 issue arcs you kind of have to start at the beginning if you pick up a new comic, whether it's a reboot or not.

[Mac Man]

unless you're going to have 1 issue arcs you kind of have to start at the beginning if you pick up a new comic, whether it's a reboot or not.

 

Hey, I understand where you're coming from. But you have to admit that #s 5 & 6 would be far less neophyte-friendly Nonetheless, I'm almost feeling like I need to begin mentally preparing for the quality drop off *only because* I'm so thoroughly enjoying this team's run on Batman. There's the kid in me who just loves the intrigue, action, and vibe that comes from a Batman story arc done right. Then there's the part of me that writes about comics on a professional level who looks at the way Snyder and Capullo make use of panel layout to help drive the narrative that gets me geeking out. @#$%^&* if I don't sound like a borderline fanboy!

 

Suffice to say (again), PointFive gets some well-deserved kudos for me into giving the series a try.

[krighton]

waiting for a Batman Batwoman team-up.

[Nico Esq]

+1

[Comicopolis]

waiting for a Batman Batwoman team-up.

 

She's batting for the other side.

[AKA Rick]

The David Finch Batman title, "Batman The Dark Knight" has amongst the best art for Batman I've seen in a while, and the introduction of new female characters, Jaina Hudson and The White Rabbit ('tho she reminds me of Tim Seeley's "Love Bunny" from "Love Bunny and Mr. Hell" from Devil's Due/Image Comics) make for a good read, in story writing and visually.

[Hawkman]

It just seemed a little overboard. Based on Capullo's recent tweet, he didn't actually knock 's tooth out--just the cap (which contained the big reveal). Still... that piece was a bit of a turn off. But otherwise, the story itself was pretty tight and artwork continues to be top-notch.

 

 

this is how i felt reading that.

[Point Five]

Okay, really enjoyed issue #7. It's pretty interesting to see the connection to Grayson, but I wasn't happy with Bruce hitting . It just seemed a little overboard. Based on Capullo's recent tweet, he didn't actually knock 's tooth out--just the cap (which contained the big reveal). Still... that piece was a bit of a turn off. But otherwise, the story itself was pretty tight and artwork continues to be top-notch.

 

The only other issue I'd bring up came from fellow comic critic whose opinion I value (Collin Smith--Thinking About My Comics blog). He started reading #6 and was thoroughly lost. Part of the New 52's purpose *was* to create open access for new readers who weren't up to speed with all of the baggage of continuity. Unfortunately, the story with the Owls is SO tight... that I almost have to agree with the premise of Collin's argument that it becomes a little inaccessible for new readers.

 

But again, I DO believe that for those of us who have been following the series since its inception will find this continuation in the story to be a great addition. Snyder and Capullo continue to bring it home, and I'm looking forward to #8.

Hey Forrest, finally read #7 and was able to catch up with your review. Agree across the board... Bruce punching Dick struck a bit of an off-note, and it frustrates me that these stories aren't more accessible for new readers who haven't followed all the back issues to date. But overall, enjoying the run very much.

 

 

[LastRaven]

Okay, really enjoyed issue #7. It's pretty interesting to see the connection to Grayson, but I wasn't happy with Bruce hitting . It just seemed a little overboard. Based on Capullo's recent tweet, he didn't actually knock 's tooth out--just the cap (which contained the big reveal). Still... that piece was a bit of a turn off. But otherwise, the story itself was pretty tight and artwork continues to be top-notch.

 

The only other issue I'd bring up came from fellow comic critic whose opinion I value (Collin Smith--Thinking About My Comics blog). He started reading #6 and was thoroughly lost. Part of the New 52's purpose *was* to create open access for new readers who weren't up to speed with all of the baggage of continuity. Unfortunately, the story with the Owls is SO tight... that I almost have to agree with the premise of Collin's argument that it becomes a little inaccessible for new readers.

 

But again, I DO believe that for those of us who have been following the series since its inception will find this continuation in the story to be a great addition. Snyder and Capullo continue to bring it home, and I'm looking forward to #8.

Hey Forrest, finally read #7 and was able to catch up with your review. Agree across the board... Bruce punching Dick struck a bit of an off-note, and it frustrates me that these stories aren't more accessible for new readers who haven't followed all the back issues to date. But overall, enjoying the run very much.

 

 

I am loving the new Batman series as well, but to an extent you can't expect to jump in every issue and say "Hey, here we are and here we go!" What you are expecting a comic to deliver in this case is a very tight story, which Batman has not been delivering on as much. References to previous issues do lose new readers, but they should be expected to at least pick up a previous issue unless it's the end of an arc. I agree 6 is difficult to pick up on, but it's an amazing issue if you've read the a previous issue and the story isn't terribly difficult to go with.

 

I'll liken it to Batman before the change. I think I got about 5 or so issues trying to "go with it" and really never got anywhere. This is a bit easier to follow in my opinion.

 

Nothing I've read in DC or Batman and Robin have lived up to the current series though.

[Mac Man]

I think it's just one of the side effects that will happen when you have a story that is complex--you can't just jump right in at any given point. I remember I tried to do this halfway through the first season of "Lost" and, well, I was thoroughly lost.

 

One thing I think that would help would be to keep storylines contained within a finite number of issues, and then start fresh again. For example, issues 1-10 deal with the Talon but then 11 starts a new storyline. I remember Legends of the Dark Knight took this approach initially, and it worked really well. This way, you'll know whether or not it's a good time to jump in.

 

But I see it this as how to make an A and A+ and nothing more. It's just a really gratifying read, and I look forward to its release each month. I just hope these guys can continue to keep the quality as high as they have.

[Point Five]

I think it's just one of the side effects that will happen when you have a story that is complex--you can't just jump right in at any given point. I remember I tried to do this halfway through the first season of "Lost" and, well, I was thoroughly lost.

It's funny, but looking back on comic history I somewhat have to disagree. Writers as diverse as Stan Lee, Alan Moore and Frank Miller have written long, complex storylines where you actually could still jump in at any issue and reasonably understand what is going on. There are artful, succinct ways to sum up the previous storyline in the first page or two that don't interrupt the narrative flow. If the writer is motivated to do it -- or if there's a strong editor behind the writer -- every issue can be a jumping-on point. (Channeling Jim Shooter here...) If neither one is motivated to worry about it, it won't get done.

 

Actually, maybe the best example I can think of is the Uncanny X-Men title of the 1980s ... tough to think of a more complex storyline than that. As a kid I tried out the title for the first time with issue #185, which in theory couldn't have been a worse jumping-on point ... it's an issue that doesn't feature the most popular X-Men, it introduces lots of new minor characters (for the Rogue/Gyrich/Dire Wraiths plot), and it's absolutely jammed with multiple convoluted storylines going on at the same time. Yet re-reading it recently from today's perspective, I can tell that effort did go into making it accessible to a new reader, and giving them enough information to get the main dramatic thrust ... and it was enough to get me hooked instead of frustrated. It's kind of a shame that a lot of modern writers seem to "write for the TPB", and that new readers aren't always given what they need to jump in and come back for more.

 

 

 

[Mac Man]

I think it's just one of the side effects that will happen when you have a story that is complex--you can't just jump right in at any given point. I remember I tried to do this halfway through the first season of "Lost" and, well, I was thoroughly lost.

It's funny, but looking back on comic history I somewhat have to disagree. Writers as diverse as Stan Lee, Alan Moore and Frank Miller have written long, complex storylines where you actually could still jump in at any issue and reasonably understand what is going on. There are artful, succinct ways to sum up the previous storyline in the first page or two that don't interrupt the narrative flow. If the writer is motivated to do it -- or if there's a strong editor behind the writer -- every issue can be a jumping-on point. (Channeling Jim Shooter here...) If neither one is motivated to worry about it, it won't get done.

 

Actually, maybe the best example I can think of is the Uncanny X-Men title of the 1980s ... tough to think of a more complex storyline than that. As a kid I tried out the title for the first time with issue #185, which in theory couldn't have been a worse jumping-on point ... it's an issue that doesn't feature the most popular X-Men, it introduces lots of new minor characters (for the Rogue/Gyrich/Dire Wraiths plot), and it's absolutely jammed with multiple convoluted storylines going on at the same time. Yet re-reading it recently from today's perspective, I can tell that effort did go into making it accessible to a new reader, and giving them enough information to get the main dramatic thrust ... and it was enough to get me hooked instead of frustrated. It's kind of a shame that a lot of modern writers seem to "write for the TPB", and that new readers aren't always given what they need to jump in and come back for more.

 

 

 

Ha! Ha! You know, Jon, I was thinking about that as I wrote the post. Here's the rub: Count the number of pages. Back when Lee was at it, there were FAR more pages to tell the story. Today, they get what? 22 pages compare to the near 44? If the books were longer (and they SHOULD BE), there would be more time and space to catch readers up. I think with such a shortened stretch of time, however, it becomes tricky to do so. But I think you're correct about writing for the TPB. As a shameless plug, this is one of the problems I encountered with the recent Dark Horse Conan the Barbarian in the reviews I wrote for them. I really lacked sufficient context for issue #2 and it provided a very poor reading of the issue. When I get #3, however, everything made SO much more sense and #2 offered much more to the reader. But as a stand alone issue without the benefit of #3? It fell apart. Comics shouldn't do this IF they're going for the monthly issue format.

[Comicopolis]

I enjoyed issue #7 but like others on here thought the 'knocking the tooth/cap out' bit was unnecessary and gratuitous.