A Batman ranking podcast, hosted by Matt Lazorwitz and Will Nevin.
Wouldn’t it be great to go to school in Gotham City? Well, it probably wouldn’t be scarier than anywhere else. This week, Mrs. Abigale Heartbalm, Esq. stops by, and we talk Gotham Academy and two other school centric Batman related stories. We talk about how Gotham Academy successfully brings manga tropes to Gotham, question how…
Every time Will has complained about how much he hates Hush, Matt or someone else said, “Well, read ‘Heart of Hush.’ That might change how you feel.” And this week he did. And, well, it was the best story of the week, and the best story centered around Hush as the primary antagonist (since the…
From her first appearance, Barbara Gordon was a dynamic and exciting addition to the Batman family. Brilliant, tough and strong willed, Barbara has faced more adversity than most superheroes, dealing with trauma and coming out stronger for it. This episode, we read three stories that trace her evolution from the dominoed dare doll, Batgirl, to…
The Gotham City Police Department, or GCPD for short, has been part of Batman’s world since his first appearance, which also happened to be the first appearance of Commissioner James Gordon. And while the members of the GCPD focused on in the comics have shifted over the years, the presence of it has been a…
There are many great supporting characters in the Batman mythos. Alfred. The myriad Robins and Batgirls. Jim Gordon. Leslie Thompkins. And then, there is Bat-Mite, the 5th Dimensional imp who claims to be Batman’s biggest fan. And he is, in the same way that Annie Wilkes is to Paul Sheldon (that’s a Misery reference for…
I have been having a hard time saying that this month marks the 40th anniversary of the first appearance of Jason Todd. It just doesn’t seem like to could be that long ago, but it absolutely is. And so, to celebrate the anniversary of the angriest Robin (well, Damian does give him some competition), we’re…
It’s over! We have made it through the entirety of our giant sized, three part 75th episode, which means we have reached the end of the 52 issues of Batman Eternal. We discuss the ending, which Will admits to misremembering, how the preview issue of Batman fit in, and how the series worked as a…
We’re back with the second part pf our 75th episode and the second chapter of Batman Eternal. And this one is… not as exciting. There’s a whole lot of Hush this time. Like, a whole lot. Plus the supernatural stuff takes over a lot, and most of the cool crime stuff is forgotten. As is…
So, Will has been asking for it since about episode 3, and this week, it begins. For our 75th episode, we are covering the year long, weekly series Batman Eternal. But because it’s so long, this isn’t a normal episode. The series was collected in three trades, so we’re covering it as three stories in…
So, because of a combination of vacations and heavy workload, editing a proper BatChat did not happen this week. Instead, we’re taking an episode of our Patreon exclusive content from behind the pay wall. Tune in to hear a tribute to the man who defined Batman for a generation: Kevin Conroy. And if you like…
Hey look, it’s Valentine’s week! And since Grant Morrison once called Batman a, “hairy chested love god,” who are we to argue? That means it’s time for three tales of the Dark Knight and romance! Strange Apparitions (Detective Comics V.1 #471-476) The Return of Scarface (Batman V.1 #475-476, Detective Comics V.1 #642) Perchance… (JLA #90)…
Hugo Strange is one of Batman’s first recurring nemeses. And when Strange appears, he often brings with him his Monster Men, evil science experiments that Strange uses for his twisted plans. This week, in another thrice told tale, we see three versions of Batman confronting Strange and his creatures. The Giants of Hugo Strange (Batman…
Of the many writers who have written tales of the Dark Knight over the past 15 years, few if any have left their mark as much as Scott Snyder. Creator of the Court of Owls, with an impressive 52 issue run on Batman proper, not counting many other series and mini-series, Snyder explores the fears…
A sinister laugh over the airwaves. A threat. And death with a rictus grin. Those are aspects that each version of Batman’s first encounter with his greatest foe, the Joker, have in common. But as with many tales from the Golden Age of comics, this is a story that he been told and retold numerous…
Batman, as I think this show has proven, is a character who exists, and works, in an infinite number of permutations. And of all of those, one of the most famous is that of the campy Batman ’66. But does that Batman work with other characters from other franchises, or is his bright world a…