Review- TALES OF THE BATMAN: LEN WEIN

TALES OF THE BATMAN: LEN WEIN (DC, First Printing, 2014; Hardcover)

Collects Detective Comics #408, 444-448, 466, 478, 479, 500, 514, Batman #255, 307-310, 312-319, 321-324, 326, 327, World's Finest Comics #207, The Untold Legend Of Batman #1-3, DC Retroactive: Batman- The '70s #1, and a story from Batman: Black And White #5 (cover dates February, 1971- March, 2014)

Writer: Len Wein

Artists: Pencilers- Neal Adams, Dick Dillin, Jim Aparo*, Ernie Chua, Marshall Rogers, John Calnan, Irv Novick*, Walt Simonson*, Don Newton, Tom Mandrake*, and Victor Ibanez*; Inkers*- Dick Giordano, Joe Giella, Vince Colletta, Frank McLaughlin, Bob Smith, John Byrne, Frank Chiaramonte, and all artists denoted with an * above

Len Wein is one of the greatest writers of the '70s and early '80s and is responsible for so many long lasting characters. Wolverine, Swamp Thing, the X-Men as you know and love them? Wein had a hand in their creation. He has an understanding and deep love for the flagship characters as well. He sadly passed away last fall but his work will live on in the hearts and minds of comic fans everywhere.

The bulk of this book is from 1975-1980, which is prime Bronze Age material that I have never read before. Wein had the good fortune of being paired with some top notch talent like Neal Adams, Jim Aparo, etc. It's a shame how DC has allowed Neal Adams to destroy classic comics like Detective Comics #408, the same re-inked and recolored version found in the Batman By Neal Adams hardcovers and trades. The bastardized version of Batman #255 is included. It's a pity, because it is a fantastic story about Anthony Lupus, a man who is afflicted with Lycanthropy. He goes to see Professor Milo, a certifiable quack who brings his condition to the fore. It's probably one of the best comics of the '70s, completely ruined with the now totally outdated Photoshop and at the time modern computer recoloring from 15 years ago. This George Lucas Star Wars Special Edition thinking was well-intentioned but ultimately doesn't work.

The Jim Aparo issues are equally excellent, with Aparo being almost as good as Neal Adams. He may not have had the inventive panel layouts but his storytelling ability and sense of pacing were equally great.

Len Wein was great at keeping the continuity flowing. While each issue was a complete story there were enough dangling subplots to give returning readers something to look forward to month in and month out. There were very few writers who could successfully pull this trick off, and Wein was one of the best.

Detective Comics #478 is a sentimental favorite of mine. My mom bought it for me as a kid while we were on vacation in northern Michigan during the summer of 1978. It was some weird convenience store in the middle of nowhere that's probably long gone. I am guessing that the whole area is now populated with Starbucks and Walmarts, but back in the late 70s it was “up north” and rural.

Batman had some great Christmas stories. While nobody does Christmas issues anymore for fear of offending anyone, this was not the case back in 1978 when Batman #309 was released. Batman #310 is what really got me, though. I'm a sucker for the Gentleman Ghost, with my first exposure to the character on the SuperFriends cartoons back in the '70s as Gentleman Jim. I love how Wein paints Jim as a ghost but Batman isn't having it. Batman tries to come up with a rational explanation for how he pulls off his capers. Wein had a really good grasp on the character Two-Face. Batman #313 and 314 were among the better Two-Face stories that I've read.

Lucius Fox is featured throughout these issues. Fans of The Dark Knight trilogy will know him as the character that Morgan Freeman portrayed on the screen. Firebug is an interesting character who was motivated by the same kind of grief that Batman was. In his introduction in Batman #318 he wanted to burn down unsafe apartment buildings because those same slumlord apartment buildings killed his family. Wein humanized the villain, a rarity at the time.

We see the Gentleman Ghost return for a rematch and Batman #319. He's such a great villain. Sorry to gush, but I have been a sucker for him since the SuperFriends cartoons were a part of my Saturday mornings in the '70s. Batman #327 was another standout issue. Wein brought Professor Milo back, who was running Arkham Asylum in a somewhat offbeat Silver Age-flavored story.

The Untold Legend Of The Batman mini series was great. The first issue had art by the team of John Byrne and Jim Aparo, which was mindblowingly great. Among my favorites in the book was Detective Comics #514, a story about human nature and why it's best to sometimes leave people alone.

I'm sorry to ramble on and on about this book, but it was so great that I cannot help myself. While this package leaves something to be desired (please refer to The OCD zone below), you get 600+ pages of top notch Batman stories by a writer whose likes we will never be seen again.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

Linework and Color restoration: This book is all over the place, from abysmal (the Marshall Rogers issues which were repurposed from his artist-centric hardcover), blasphemous (the Neal Adams “commissions”), to serviceable (much of the book). DC never revisits and remasters material when given an opportunity to do so, so unfortunately these lackluster restorations are it for the ages.

Original comic.

Restoration done for the 1999 BATMAN: STRANGE APPARITIONS trade paperback.

Restoration done for LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT: MARSHALL ROGERS hardcover which was used in this book as well.

DC often leaves a lot to be desired in terms of restoration. 

Paper stock: Bright white glossy coated stock. While this is better than the toilet paper they were passing off on folks, the light glare is too harsh for material with flat coloring. I find it best to read this stock in natural sunlight for minimal glare.

Binding: Perfect bound (read: glued). Glued binding on a supposedly high end hardcover is something of a joke. As far as glued bindings go, this one isn't too bad, especially with a page count of over 600 pages. It lays reasonably flat for much of the book.

Dustjacket and Hardback cover notes: Laminated dustjacket with the same cheap boards and chintzy casewrap that DC has been passing off on folks for years.

Review- BATMAN: THE STRANGE DEATHS OF BATMAN

BATMAN: THE STRANGE DEATHS OF BATMAN (DC, First Printing, 2009; Softcover)

Collects Detective Comics #347, World's Finest Comics #184, 269, Brave And The Bold #115, Batman #291-294, and selections from Batman Chronicles #8 and Nightwing #52 (cover dates January, 1966- February, 2001)

Writers: Gardner Fox, Cary Bates, Bob Haney, David W. Reed, Gerry Conway, John Stanisci, and Chuck Dixon

Artists: Carmine Infantino, Joe Giella, Curt Swan, Jack Abel, Jim Aparo, John Calnan, Tex Blaisdell, Rich Buckler, Frank McLaughlin, Sal Buscema, John Stanisci, Greg Land, and Drew Geraci

This is one of those scattershot collections that don't appeal to me. I dislike the idea of books that jump all over the place in terms of original publication date. I passed on this book when it came out. Years went by and I was at my local library with my kids and they had this book in the graphic novel section, so why not, I thought? It has some vintage stories and the price is right: free.

I will never understand DC's collected editions department or the methodology used in the way that they put their books together. This is collection of issues where Batman apparently “dies”, and it is a pretty flimsy thread to use to pull a bunch of random issues from different decades together. This is the type of trade paperback that Marvel used to do in the '90s, before they figured out that people want complete runs of titles collected. I can't imagine anyone demanding a collection like this, nor can I imagine this being the type of collection that a mainstream bookstore buyer would pick up. It seems that the only folks who buy collected editions of vintage material are the completists, and they only buy books like this because it is the only game in town to see vintage material in “high def”.

If you read it as a random sampling of issues then you will have fun. The Brave And The Bold #115 was great, as Aparo was the best thing since Neal Adams. The four part Where Were You On The Night Batman Was Killed? storyline is the highlight of the book, a real whodunit featuring a who's who of Batman's rogues' gallery. Great stuff, and it makes DC's unwillingness to properly collect their material even more frustrating. Like I said, if you take it as a random collection of comics it will result in a fun read. If you want a solid run in between two covers then the different art and coloring styles will prove unsatisfying.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- The cheap paper that DC uses makes their books weigh as much as a pack of cigarettes.

Linework and Color restoration: The linework is excellent, with no noticeable dropouts on the two issues that I did side by side comparisons with. The original color palette is faithffully maintained and errors present in the original comics, such as the Joker's teeth being blotted out by the printing press and colored red, are corrected.

Paper stock: DC uses cheap mando pulp paper in their collections of classic material during this era. It is ridiculous and feels cheap.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback. It should be noted that this is a library copy and is still kicking.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover that has weathered endless handling over the years and still looks okay. Library books are like science experiments to us OCD types. We would never handle our books this many times, so it is neat to see how a book read dozens of times holds up.

Review- BATMAN: KNIGHTFALL VOL. 3- KNIGHTSEND

BATMAN: KNIGHTFALL VOL. 3- KNIGHTSEND (DC, Third Printing, 2013; Softcover)

Collects Batman #509, 510, 512-514, Catwoman #12, 13, Detective Comics #676, 677, 679-681, Robin #8, 9, 11-13, Batman: Legends Of The Dark Knight #62, 63, and Batman: Shadow Of The Bat #29, 30, 32-34 (cover dates July, 1994- January, 1995)

Writers: Doug Moench, Alan Grant, Chuck Dixon, Jo Duffy, and Denny O'Neil

Artists: Pencilers (*also inkers)- Mike Manley, Bret Blevins*, Graham Nolan, Ron Wagner, Tom Grummett, Jim Balent, Joe Rubinstein*, Barry Kitson, Mike Vosburg, Mike Gustovitch*, Romeo Tanghal*, Lee Weeks, Phil Jimenez*, MD Bright, and John Cleary

Inkers- Dick Giordano, Bob Smith, Scott Hanna, Ron McCain, Ray Kryssing, Rick Burchett, Mike Manley, John Stokes, and Klaus Janson

Christ on a stick, would it have killed DC to do a complete run in any of their books? Did they have to omit the Zero Hour crossover which ran across the titles? They included one issue from it in this book while omitting the rest. Between this and the omitted issues from Vol. 2 it is apparent that DC will forever be second to Marvel's Collected Editions department. DC used to lead, and indeed helped define, this market segment but in the past decade became complacent. Marvel upped their game and raised the bar, leaving DC in the dust. All of the people who helped to build DC's collected editions department have long since left, leaving the clueless buffoons we have now running the show

This book starts out with the Knightsend crossover which ran across twelve comics. In that arc we see Bruce Wayne ready himself to return and resume the mantle of Batman. The problem is that his chosen successor, Jean Paul Valley (Azrael) is mentally unstable and is unwilling to give it up so easily. So Bruce Wayne has to defeat him in a pitched battle that requires not one, but two Aftermath issues to wrap things up. It is disgusting that this arc required folks to buy so many different titles in order to get the complete story. That is everything that is wrong with this industry. They should just slap a label on the cover reading ATTENTION COMIC FANS: We think that you are stupid sheep and will buy any and every piece of swill that we shovel at you.

The next arc is Prodigal. Bruce Wayne is not yet ready to resume his role as Batman, and picks Robin (Dick Grayson) to be the new Batman. The real Robin, not to be confused with the then-current Robin (Tim Drake, the third one). I used to spit at DC because of these multiple identities but Marvel has followed suit in the past decade, making me spit at them just as much. Ridiculous. At least this arc shows some true character development for Dick Grayson, as he regains his confidence while battle Killer Croc and Two-Face. Bruce Wayne returns at Batman on the final page of this twelve issue arc. He is wearing an all black costume reminiscent of the 1989 movie.

The writing and artwork are all good to very good, depending. While it is easy to lump in all '90s comics in together I think that DC was doing better superhero stuff than Marvel at this point in time. These three Knightfall books were an enjoyable line marred by DC's omissions. I would love to see DC go head to head with Marvel and do a chunky line of full color trade paperbacks which will eventually collect everything. These 600-650 page beasts are a good place to start.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- I love thick chunky trade paperbacks of complete runs.

Linework and Color restoration: Things look good overall. The linework is tight and clean. The original color palette is maintained if certain liberties are taken where the original gradient blends are.

Paper stock: The paper stock is slightly thicker than the cheap paper that DC uses in most of their collections of classic material. It looks like real pulp comic paper, which is nice, but I don't know how well it will hold up over time. Then again, a recent trip to John King Books in Detroit showed me how durable paper can be. I was flipping through books that were 70 plus years old and the paper was solid if browned.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.

Review- BATMAN: KNIGHTFALL VOL. 2- KNIGHTQUEST

BATMAN: KNIGHTFALL VOL. 2- KNIGHTQUEST (DC, Second Printing, 2012; Softcover)

Collects Batman #501-508, Catwoman #6, 7, Detective Comics #667-675, Robin #7, and Shadow Of The Bat #19, 20, 24-28 (cover dates October, 1993- June, 1994)

Writers: Chuck Dixon, Alan Grant, Doug Moench, and Jo Duffy

Artists: Pencilers- Graham Nolan, Vince Giarrano, Mike Manley, Barry Kitson, Jim Balent, Bret Blevins, and Tom Grummett; Inkers- Scott Hanna, Vince Giarrano, Mike Manley, Eduardo Barreto, Dick Giordano, Bob Wiaceck, John Beatty, Josef Rubinstein, Frank McLaughlin, Robert R. Smith, and Ray Kryssing

Ahh, the '90s. I quit this hobby during the turn of that decade (as 1989 gave way to 1990), but I occasionally popped in a comic shop to see what was shaking. Whenever I peeked into various comics I was appalled by the artwork (see cover image above). The “Image” look was in vogue, and the speculators lapped this stuff up. Buried under this horrid artwork are occasionally good stories, as evidenced by this very book.

The 1990s were !!!TOTALLY EXTREME!!!, and comics always move with the order of the day. Lame old-fashioned Bruce Wayne Batman was out, and in was the new, almost amoral badass replacement Jean Paul Valley Batman. He had psychological damage due to his programming when he was Azrael, only adding to his !!!TOTALLY EXTREME!!! '90s-ness. He even redesigned the costume with !!!TOTALLY EXTREME!!! weapons. This was a new Batman for today, man. I find the macho posturing of 1990s superheroes to be amusing.

The Joker kidnapping Hollywood studio heads and making a movie, The Death Of Batman, was the best arc in the book. Pretty funny stuff there. Both Catwoman and Commissioner Gordon have realized that this is not the Batman that they knew and loved. Other memorable issues were the ones with Mr. Freeze and Clayface, although why even the cops would refer to this third Clayface as Clayface 3 struck me as being dumb. Abattoir and Gunhawk are both '90s to the core, and were enjoyable adversaries in their own way. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed many of these stories, to be honest with you. They are fun, and while the !!!TOTALLY EXTREME!!!, dark and grittiness can get tiresome I enjoyed this book in 2-3 issue doses. The artwork was mostly decent, although there is some that is painfully dated and ugly.

I drink Diet Mountain Dew by the gallon. It is the nectar of the gods.

In typical DC fashion, this book is far from being complete or comprehensive. The entire Knightquest: The Search storyline (Bruce Wayne's quest to heal his back) is omitted, resulting in Bruce Wayne reappearing completely healed “on set” in the final issue in the book with no explanation. The issues omitted are Shadow Of The Bat #21-23, Justice League Task Force #5, 6, and Legends Of The Dark Knight #59-61. Only Robin #7 from that crossover was included in this book. What a joke. (Thanks to rifft for clarifying this to me.)

I already have Volume 3 and hope to read it someday. Stay tuned!

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The OCD zone- DC should do more of these complete runs in chunky trade paperbacks. Marvel has been doing this with their Epic-branded line, and I have been buying them all. I am a sucker for complete runs, and even if I am not very interested in the material I tend to pick them up. Think of it as a Blu-Ray box set of a complete series that you will likely never watch...only for comics that you will likely never read.

Linework and Color restoration: Very good overall. While the original color palette is faithfully maintained, it is the gradient shades that come up short. There were gradient shades in the original comics, and the blends here come up short when compared side by side with the original issues. Again, the colors are correct, and I would say that the blends are better than 90% accurate. For DC, this is good enough.

Paper stock: This being a value priced full color phonebook means that by definition it will have cheap paper. The pulp paper here is slightly thicker than the original issues and a tad heavier than what DC usually passes off on folks in their collections of classic material. I can live with it with this page count at this price point.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.

Review- THE BATMAN CHRONICLES VOL. 11

THE BATMAN CHRONICLES VOL. 11 (DC, 2012; Softcover)

Note: Book actually released in 2013

Collects Batman #20, 21, and the Batman stories from Detective Comics #82-85 and World’s Finest Comics #12 (cover dates December, 1943- March, 1944)

Writers: Don Cameron, Bill Finger, Jack Schiff, Alvin Schwartz, Joe Greene, and Mort Weisinger

Artists: Jack Burnley, Ray Burnley, Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson, George Roussos, and Dick Sprang

Golden Age Batman is the best. DC kicked Timely's (or Marvel as they will one day be known) posterior region during the 1940s. The writing and artwork in this book is way better than what was found in most other titles of the day. Continuity wasn't a consideration and yet there are minor references to past adventures. Batman and Robin are continually defined and redefined as characters, with regular readers becoming aware of their motives and beliefs.

I am always amused by fans who have never read the early stuff claiming that Frank Miller's dark and gritty run are true to the original essence of Batman. While it is true that some of the earliest stories were hard-boiled, pulp inspired tales where Batman killed, that was quickly phased out by the same folks who created the character. If anything, this stuff is more similar in tone to the 1966 TV series. I have been watching it quite a bit of late, having bit the bullet and bought the deluxe Blu-Ray box set. The style of the third party narratives and quips from that series are indeed found right here in the pages of the comics. Fanboys* can cling to their notion that bastardized Neal Adams Batman (READ: Frank Miller) is the true essence of the character, but I will debate that to my dying day. The most prevalent representation of the character is the bleak, morose curmudgeon we see today, but that is not necessarily the correct characterization of the character from his early days.

*Term used in the original pejorative.

Shades of Burgess Meredith!

Batman's early rogues gallery is present, with the Joker and the Penguin being front and center. We also see one of the earliest changes, when Alfred goes from a portly Limey with a secret desire to be a detective to the seemingly taller, vastly thinner, and well spoken butler that would go on to appear in the television series. These comics are all fantastic reads.

This is likely the last volume in this line, as DC scuttled plans for a Superman Chronicles Vol. 11 and have cancelled a number of other solicited volumes in the line, which sucks. I avoided the Archives because of the way that they collected the material by individual title rather than chronological by appearance. I could pick up some of them but a few of them are out of print and going for a couple hundred bucks each, more than I am willing to pay. So I will sit back and wait for DC to pump out Golden Age Batman Omniboo or maybe even resurrect this line down the road. I am patient. Godzilla knows I have more than enough reading material to tide me over until if or when it happens. And if it doesn't, my homeskillet Ferjo Byroy owns all of the Archives and has offered to loan them to me to read, so once I catch up on my reading in 2038 I can just borrow his.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- The material is presented in standard trade paperback trim size, meaning that the artwork is slightly shrunk down from the original publications. Golden Age comics were wider than modern comic books.

Linework and Color restoration: Hit and miss. Some linework looks great, other issues not so much. The original color palette is largely maintained although there are liberties taken here and there. I'd say it's 90-95% faithful to the scans of the original issues that I have done side by side comparisons with.

Paper stock: The pulp paper used in this book is thinner than the stock used in the original comics. It holds the color well and offers zero glare, but it would be nice if it were much thicker. This is Charmin toilet paper that will undoubtedly yellow with time.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Thick waxlike lamination.

 

Review- BATMAN: KNIGHTFALL VOL. 1

BATMAN: KNIGHTFALL VOL. 1 (DC, Fourth Printing, 2012; Softcover)

Collects Batman: Vengeance Of Bane Special No. 1, Batman Nos. 491-500, Detective Comics Nos. 659-666, Showcase '93 Nos. 7, 8, and Shadow Of The Bat Nos. 16-18 (cover dates April- October, 1993)

Writers: Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, and Alan Grant

Artists: Pencilers- Jim Aparo*, Norm Breyfogle*, Graham Nolan, Jim Balent, Bret Blevins*, Klaus Janson, and Mike Manley*; Inkers- Scott Hanna, Tom Mandrake, Bob Wiacek, Josef Rubinstein, Dick Giordano, Steve George, Terry Austin, Rick Burchett, and the Pencilers with * by their name.

Believe it or not, I have never read any of these comics before now. I am not a DC continuity expert by any stretch of the imagination so I don't know what fits, what doesn't, which Earth this is, so on and so forth. My review will be solely about the stories in the stories in this book.

Those who have seen The Dark Knight Rises will see many scenes that seem familiar, since much of the material of this 630-odd page book was translated right to the big screen. Unlike the movie, once Bane breaks Bruce Wayne's back a guy once named Azrael becomes Batman. He does all of the requisite '90s hero things, all extreme and brutal with a new, now horribly dated costume redesign.

I enjoyed the gauntlet that Bane made Batman go through with villains like the Joker, Two-Face, Killer Croc, Scarecrow, etc. Bane didn't really beat Batman fair and square in my opinion because of this, though. Batman was mentally and physically exhausted by the time that he fought Bane for real.

 

I am the Scarecrow. That looks a lot like my book room.

The writing in this book is good and the story continuity is tight while the artwork is hit or miss. You get some great stuff by Jim Aparo and other stuff that falls somewhere in the middle. It works for what it is. I enjoyed this book, to be honest with you. This event seems to polarize fans, but twenty years later it's history. Looking forward to reading Volume 2 someday.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

Buy BATMAN: KNIGHTFALL VOL. 1 TP at InStockTrades!

The OCD zone- I am a sucker for these phonebook style trades. I don't know why, but give me a complete run of something in one chunky brick and I am far more likely to buy it than I would be buying three smaller books at the same price point.

There is a typo on the page in the back of the book with the cover for Batman: Knightfall Part Two: Who Rules The Night TPB cover. It is incorrectly titled Batman: Knightfall Part Two: Broken Bat TPB.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: Batman #500 variant by Joe Quesada and Kevin Nowlan. (2 pages)

Batman: Knightfall Part One: Broken Bat TPB cover. (1 page)

Batman: Knightfall Part Two: Who Rules The Night TPB cover. (1 page)

Linework and Color restoration rating: 4.75 out of 5. Things look tight and clean to my eye, with only one or two pages looking marginally off.

Paper rating: 4 out of 5. The mando paper is only marginally thicker than the stock found in the Showcase books. While it is nice that it has zero glare it feels a little lightweight for my taste. I also worry about it yellowing like my old Alan Moore Swamp Thing trades have over the years. DC collected edition fans are a curious lot, as they not only want the books to collect a run, but they want the exact same crappy grade of paper used in the original comics. I don't understand it at all. It would be like buying a Blu-Ray and preferring it to be presented in 250p as it was originally mastered rather than remastered in 1080p...since that is how it looked when it was originally released.

On the flip side, this is also inexpensive, so I will just view it as a full color Showcase Presents phonebook and sleep well at night. Truth be told, when I descended down this collected editions rabbit hole 10+ years ago, I liked Masterworks and Essentials and that was about it. If the Essentials were in full color (like the Epic line nowadays) then I would have been perfectly fine with the cheaper paper. As the years have rolled by I have become more accustomed to higher end books and the price points involved with them.

Binding rating: 4.25 out of 5. Perfect bound trade paperback. These fat books always seem pretty solid to me.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. Nice thick waxlike lamination.

Review- TALES OF THE BATMAN: GENE COLAN VOL. 1

TALES OF THE BATMAN: GENE COLAN VOL. 1 (DC, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Batman Nos. 340, 343-345, 348-351 and Detective Comics Nos. 510, 512, 517, 523, 528, 529 (cover dates October, 1981- August, 1983)

Writers: Gerry Conway, Roy Thomas, Paul Levitz, and Doug Moench

Artists: All pencils by Gene Colan; Inking done by Adrian Gonzales, Klaus Janson, Alfredo Alcala, Tony DeZuniga, and Dick Giordano

I was a Marvel zombie in the classic definition of the term throughout the '80s. I would not read a DC comic if you paid me to. More fool me, as these issues stand up to anything that Marvel was doing in this time frame. Once Jim Shooter was named editor in chief at Marvel he chased away nearly everyone who mattered at Marvel in the '70s. These guys all found work over at the Distinguished Competition. 

Gerry Conway writes the bulk of these issues, and he is incredible. Most fans these days seem to have a stick up their rear toward him, largely because he killed off Gwen Stacey during his tenure on Amazing Spider-Man. Never mind the fact that he has penned countless great stories, as evidenced in these very pages. No Internet, keep on hating his work for penning one of the most powerful Spider-Man stories of all time, one that is every bit as important to the character as his Uncle Ben being murdered. 

The real star of the show is, of course, Gene Colan's artwork. A man whose work is moody and eerie, he is most famous for his legendary run on Tomb Of Dracula. Realizing his strengths, Conway of course pits Batman and Robin against Vampiri by introducing Dala DuBois. Those issues are particularly chilling and effective, especially the almost-solo Robin story.

Gene Colan's rendition of the Mad Hatter looks almost exactly like Gene Wilder in Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory. I imagined that issue almost as if it were an episode of the 1966 television series. Detective Comics #517 is sort of creepy, as there are almost incestuous implications in that issue. I hope that I am wrong and read it incorrectly, because it really weirded me out. 

There are members of the supporting cast that should be familiar to fans of the movies: Vicki Vale and Lucius Fox are both here. I am not a Batman expert by any stretch, so I was happy to see them.

One thing that I found interesting was that each issue of Detective Comics continued directly into the next issue of Batman. Apparently they were released two weeks apart, so fans essentially got a new issue every two weeks. Of course it is shenanigans when comic companies not only expect, but demand that fans buy more than one ongoing title to get a complete story. And here I thought that Marvel pioneered this shyster technique with Spider-Man in the '90s.

DC's artist-centric collected editions do not take Marvel's hybrid approach. Marvel will include an issue, even if the artist named in the title of the collection was not involved, so long as it is relevant to the storyline presented within the book so as to make it a cohesive read. The result here with DC's method is an uneven and occasionally unsatisfying read, as these issues tend to spill into one another. Some of these issues, such as Detective Comics #511, would have provided valuable subplot information. While there are recap panels and references in the next issue, in most cases it is not as fulfilling as reading the actual issue. This material is so good that I want to read every issue. All the skipping around drove me nuts. Marvel would have titled this Batman by Gerry Conway and Gene Colan and included everything. 

Regardless of the gaping holes in story or the unfaithful recoloring, this was a terrific read with artwork by one of the greatest artist of the Bronze Age. Now my question for DC is...where is Volume 2?

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This book was released during a dark period for DC, at least in terms of their collected editions department. Errors were the norm, and this book has incorrect information listed on the dustjacket and indicia. According to them, Detective Comics #520 is included. It is not, but it is not a dealbreaker since Gene Colan didn't draw that issue. #510 and 512 are included but are not listed, although they are listed on the Table of Contents page. As far as errors go these are among the most forgivable. This blog is for the most OCD-stricken of book collectors, though, and it is unclear how many regular readers died from strokes upon discovery of this error.

There is a dropped letter on page 177.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: This is DC. Surely you jest! I am just thankful that they decided to include all of the issue covers, even if Gene Colan did not do the artwork on all of them.

Linework and Color restoration rating: 3 out of 5. The linework is stunningly reproduced. If there is a dropout, I didn't catch it on the spotchecks I did. The color palette is occasionally faithfully maintained, although it is marred with “improvements” in an attempt to make things look more modern. Those unfaithful renderings resulted in a debit of two OCD points.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Excellent weight coated stock with a slight sheen. Again, this is also different from the high gloss paper used on the rest of the books in this line.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Perfect bound hardcover. Glued binding on books this thick with squared spines annoys the piss out of me.

Hardback commentary: While the boards of the hardback are the same cheap lightweight material with cheap coating that DC has been passing off on us for years, this book has an elaborate foil stamp. I am not sure why DC seemed to mostly go all out for this release when compared to the rest of the books in this line, but I am glad that they did. Material of this dignity deserves to be presented with care and love.

Buy TALES OF THE BATMAN: GENE COLAN VOL. 1 HC at InStockTrades!