They stalk the night. When they have your name, you are as good as dead, so pray that you never draw their attention. They are the League of Assassins. Whether they serve Ra’s al Ghul, his daughter Talia, the Sensei or any other master, the League has been a thorn in the side of Batman…
The beauty of DC’s Elseworlds concept, rather than a more traditional What If? or imaginary story, is the variety it opened up. This wasn’t a simple small recasting of one event, butterfly effect style, but creators imaginations could go wild and choose different times, places, and even twist the most basic concepts of the character…
Of all superheroes, Batman seems to have spawned more characters that are dark reflections of him than any other. Sure, Superman has Bizarro, and Spider-Man has Venom, but Batman has a legion of the them: Killer Moth, Bane, Hush, Owlman (the Lincoln March one), Wrath, Prometheus. There are enough to fill multiple episodes, so we…
While there are plenty of stories with Bruce Wayne in them, how many are really about Bruce Wayne? Not Batman, the Dark Knight, but captain of industry, philanthropist and playboy Bruce Wayne? At least three, as this week we look at the story of Bruce’s problematic return to health after Knightfall, a 150 year old…
Batman’s allies are known for many things. Their brains. Their fighting skills. Their dedication. And while Dr. Leslie Thompkins, the woman who comforted Bruce Wayne the night his parents were killed is lacking in the second of those three attributes, she more than makes up for it in the first and third. Leslie is a…
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…
Dan Grote · WMQ&A Episode 249: MONKEYS! with Matt D. Wilson Fellow comics podcaster Matt D. Wilson joins the show to talk about the Zoop campaign for his comic Impostor Syndicate, and play some comics primate trivia. You can listen to WMQ&A on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, Audible and at ComicsXF.com, where…
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…
Dan Grote · WMQ&A Episode 248: In Flux with Matt Kindt Matt Kindt returns to talk about his Flux House books at Dark Horse, wrapping up BRZRKR with Keanu Reeves, stepping on hairballs and generally doing things the hard way. For more of Matt’s work, check out this preview of Spy Superb #3, out this…
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…