Batman rogues have some seriously strange evolutions. Some, like the Joker, have a path you can easily follow. Others, like Mr. Freeze, have just become completely different over the years. Another like that is Catman, created in the mid-Silver Age as yet another anti-Bat before becoming a joke character, and then evolving into a morally…
Alfred Pennyworth watches the Batman’s war with Roman and his Party Animals, while readers get a better feeling for the world of this very different Bruce Wayne. Absolute Batman #2 is written by Scott Snyder, drawn by Nick Dragotta, colored by Frank Martin and lettered by Clayton Cowles. Batman and Robin must escape the inferno…
It’s been a while, but we’re returning to the three runs that we’re following in order. In No Man’s Land, we take a break from big story revelations for an anthology month of four of shots. In Grant Morrison’s run, Dick Grayson brings Batman’s corpse to England to a Lazarus Pit and learns something unexpected…
The election. Good god, the election. His stupid face. Gleeful ignorance. Elon Musk. A single square of toilet paper on an otherwise barren roll. Decaf coffee. Stephen Miller. Four more years. There are any number of reasons to sink slowly, softly and sadly into blackness. These are some of my reasons to keep my head…
Mayor Nakano has been murdered, and Batman and Jim Gordon are on the case. Their investigation leads them to the alliance between the Riddler and the Court of Owls, as well as deceit and secrets between Nakano and his wife. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne investigates the possibility of a secret brother coming to light. Batman #154…
A fixture in the Bat titles from 1999-2011, and again since Rebirth, Cassandra Cain was the second full time Batgirl. Trained from birth to be a living weapon, Cassandra had to learn not just how to fit in with the Bat family, but how to fit in among normal people. This week, just in time…
Batman’s hunt for the kidnapped James Gordon Jr. leads him and Robin to Arkham Asylum. A clue received there leads him to hunt another rogue as the new Holiday shootings continue in Batman: The Long Halloween — The Last Halloween #2, written by Jeph Loeb, drawn by Klaus Janson, colored by Dave Stewart and lettered…
And we have reached the end of October, the spookiest of months, and this the end of villains month. And to wrap it up, we’re getting one of the spookiest of Batman villains: Man-Bat. Dr. Kirk Langstrom has an origin really out of the pages of Spider-Man, but someone has wound up a fixture in…
The Princess of Hell has reached Man’s World. Learn the origin of the Wonder Woman of the new DC Earth in Absolute Wonder Woman #1, written by Kelly Thompson, drawn by Hayden Sherman, colored by Jordie Bellaire and lettered by Becca Carey. A serial killer is targeting young criminals in Gotham, and they seem to…
Black Mask was Hush before Hush: a villains obsessed not with Batman but with Bruce Wayne, seeking to bring down Bruce for childhood grudges. But over the years he has evolved into a more sadistic figure. As villains month nears its end, we read three stories featuring Roman Sionis: his first appearance, his return in…
Three months ago, Batman took in an orphan. Now, it’s time for the world to meet Robin, the Boy Wonder. On his first night out, a run-in with Two-Face leads to questions about a new, and far greater, threat. Batman & Robin: Year One #1 is written by Mark Waid, drawn and colored by Chris…
Killer Croc is a character who has evolved a great deal over his time, and that pun is only half unintended. He has been a mobster, a monster and an anti-hero. This week, for Villains Month, we look at three different interpretations of Croc. In one, he’s a barely human monster running from humanity. In…
A new world, a new Caped Crusader. Absolute Batman #1 is written by Scott Snyder, drawn by Nick Dragotta, colored by Frank Martin and lettered by Clayton Cowles.Things seem to be improving in Gotham. Bruce Wayne’s new nonprofits are making a difference, and Batman is able to work less. But things never stay that way….
The second week of villains month, and we love a theme, so why not use this week to have our second Two-Face episode? We’ve covered a lot of Two-Face stories both for the podcast and the column, and we’re swinging back to some classics. We have the first appearance of Two-Face (a two-parter, of course),…
It’s the dawn of a new age. The heroes of the DC Universe have survived Amanda Waller, and now they’re trying to make a better world for themselves and everyone. But as that hopeful day begins, something darker arrives, too. Darkseid is here, on a mission like never before, and his attack will create something…