It’s another Patreon request, as Abigale Heartbalm returns. She wanted to talk about the original Venom story, and after we realized she meant the Legends of the Dark Knight arc about the super steroid and not a DC/Marvel crossover we didn’t remember, it was decided that this week’s theme would be Batman and drugs. Venom…
Marvel Entertainment, LLC is a pop culture juggernaut. It dominates in key markets like cinema, streaming TV, articles about Easter Eggs in movies, and children’s birthday supplies (oddly enough? It does not dominate comics…). Those comics, however, have stretched pop culture past capes and into a whole world of stories that you can tell with…
Batman makes a last ditch play to stop Failsafe, a battle that takes him from Atlantis to the moon in Batman #129, written by Chip Zdarsky, drawn by Jorge Jimenez, colored by Tomeu Morey and lettered by Clayton Cowles. In the backup, the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh fights for control of Batman’s mind during a battle…
So, this week, it’s Matt’s birthday recording, and as opposed to Will, who picked stuff based on gut instinct (and who must have had a stomach ache based on what we got), Matt went with three stories from his younger years that he remembers really liking. The results are considerably better. We get some Grant…
Gotham City has its own gravity. Sooner or later, everyone is drawn back to it. Sometimes, though, when the protagonistic eye of the Batman is not on them, they get to live lives of their own … and that’s when Not-So-BatChat drops in. This week, we look at Tim Drake’s new solo series as he…
In Detective Comics #1,064, the Orgham family faces Talia’s assassins and makes a real estate purchase, Two-Face shows where he stands and Batman is saved by an old friend. The lead story is written by Ram V, drawn by Rafael Albuquerque, colored by Dave Stewart and lettered by Ariana Maher. In the backup, we get…
Batman and Halloween: two great tastes that taste great together. This week, we’re going back to a creative team that we have read a lot of work by, Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, for their first collaborations on Batman, and the last we have to cover, the Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Specials. They’re…
We recorded this episode mere days before the Will’s birthday, and so it was up to Will to pick the stories. So he satisfied his curiosity about the story where Scarecrow kills his dean, adds in some more Moench and Jones and closes a narrative loop for the podcast. The results for the Big Board…
In another moment that makes Matt feel like he’s not so slowly turning to dust, “Hush,” the Jeph Loeb/Jim Lee neo-classic, is turning twenty years old this week. Or is it a classic? That is what Matt and Will are looking at this week, with three stories starring the Batman villain most likely to make…
As Batman lies beaten by Failsafe, the Justice League comes to his rescue. Or tries to anyway. Batman #128 is written by Chip Zdarsky, drawn by Jorge Jimenez, colored by Tomeu Morey and lettered by Clayton Cowles. In the backup, see the origins of the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh in a story written by Zdarsky, drawn…
Ed Brubaker is one of the best crime writers in comics, and before going over and writing some of the best comics on the market for Image, he did runs on various Batman and Batman family titles. This week, we’re reading three stories from three different runs on those titles. Fearless (Batman V.1 #582-583) Made…
Detective Comics #1,064 sees a fable told by mother to son, Bruce Wayne visit a doctor and the League of Assassins make a play. The lead story is written by Ram V, drawn by Rafael Albuquerque, colored by Dave Stewart and lettered by Ariana Maher. In the backup, Jim Gordon confronts the crooked cop who…
This is the one Matt has been waiting for. To tie in with the first issue of his new ongoing series, we’re looking at three stories from the history of the best Robin, and Matt will brook no argument on this one, Tim Drake. See his origin, his return to Gotham from training, and his…
Batman: The Animated Series just turned 30 (soon it’ll be buying a motorcyle and growing a ponytail)! To celebrate, we asked our staff to share their thoughts about their favorite episode of the groundbreaking, fan-favorite series! “Joker’s Favor” by Matt Lazorwitz There’s a particular type of episode of Batman: The Animated Series that I love….
The final stop on Bruce Wayne’s tour to become Batman is here, as he and “Anton” meet the final master they will train under: Ra’s al Ghul. Batman: The Knight #9 is written by Chip Zdarsky, drawn by Carmine di Giandomenico, colored by Ivan Plascencia and lettered by Pat Brosseau. A rift in space brings…