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- 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- THE SUPERMAN CHRONICLES VOL. 10

THE SUPERMAN CHRONICLES VOL. 10 (DC, 2012; Softcover)

Collects Superman Nos. 18, 19 and the Superman stories from Action Comics Nos. 53-55 and World’s Finest Comics No. 7 (cover dates Fall- December, 1942)

Writer: Jerry Siegal

Artists: Leo Nowak, John Sikela, Ed Dobrotka, George Roussos, Jack Burnley, and Joe Shuster

Golden Age comics are like alcohol: fun in moderation, but too much at one time causes one to feel disoriented, confused, and/or puke. I plowed through this book in short order and found that charm of these “simpler” times can wear thin. The stories are formulaic, predictable, and increasingly cheesy. The Superman Paramount serials were released during this time, and Superman, Matinee Idol (from Superman No. 19), which is a self-referencing story, is terrible. Another godawful story is Superman's Amazing Adventure (also issue 19) where Lois Lane and Clark Kent are trapped under a pile of boulders and then it turns out on the last page that the entire story is a dream sequence. Lame. Pretty much every story in issue 19 is silly and whimsical, and I can only hope that this isn't the direction that the series goes in from here on out. 

This book is not without its charms, though. There is tons of inappropriate fun here. Superman is still something of a bully. He uses windows instead of crashing through walls, an improvement over the rampant property damage in previous issues. Superman is still not technically flying yet. He is still doing his huge leaps. 

Yes, Superman punches an owl. PETA would be all over this shit today.

World War II was going on at this time, and unlike the superheroes over at Timely Comics (Marvel during this era), Superman largely stays out of the fray. There's a few references here and there, but unlike Captain America, the Human Torch, and the Sub-Mariner, he does not engage in fisticuffs with Fifth Columnists or the Axis Powers themselves. 

The artwork and writing are still well above average for the era. I've said it before, but I'll say it again for those just tuning in: DC made the finest comic books in the 1940s.This was a fun read all in all, and I am in for Volume 11, due later this year. I would recommend that you read Golden Age comics in small doses, no more than 2-3 stories/ issues a day. Please enjoy Golden Age comic books responsibly.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- DC has switched printers to the same company that Marvel uses for these books, and the improvement in quality shows with better paper and better cardstock covers.

Linework restoration rating: 4 out of 5. This book has such a mixed bag of restoration. Some issues look flawless, with the linework being crisp and clear. Others look like muddy, poorly scanned messes. Most pages look decent, so I'll give this a 4. Some issues would get a 5, while others get a 3. Dare I get so anal with my restoration critique that I start going issue by issue? 

An example of one of the rougher restoration jobs.

Color restoration rating: 4.5 out of 5. The original color palette is maintained throughout the book. These books are such a treat to read when compared to the horribly printed original issues. One doesn't have to look to hard to find scans of all of these issues online. The off-register printing and color bleed are terrible on the original issues.

Things aren't entirely perfect with the re-coloring, though. There are gradient shadings here and there, but they seem to be done with greater care. The blends are softer. Nobody in their right mind would even notice this stuff. I, unfortunately for DC, am not in my right mind.

Paper rating: 3.75 out of 5. The paper used in this book is slightly thicker than the cheap pulp/mando paper used in previous volumes. It has a nicer feel and also seems to hold the colors better.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Glued binding is the norm for softcovers.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. DC has switched printers to the same company that Marvel uses for these books and, as such, their covers now boast the same thick, waxy coating that Marvel's cardstock covers have. Bliss!

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Review- THE SUPERMAN CHRONICLES VOL. 9

THE SUPERMAN CHRONICLES VOL. 9 (DC, 2011; Softcover)

Collects Superman Nos. 16, 17, and the Superman stories from Action Comics Nos. 48-52, and World’s Finest Comics No. 6 (cover dates May- August, 1942)

Writer: Jerry Siegel

Artists: John Sikela, Fred Ray, Ed Dobrotka, Leo Nowak, and Joe Shuster

Golden Age Superman rules! I love comic books from this era, and nobody did them better than DC did. I love the old cars, the old fashions, the old slang, and the might makes right attitude that Superman had. It's completely inappropriate here in the second decade of the 21^st century, but I love it nonetheless.

That Clark Kent knows how to put Lois Lane in her place. .

Superman is essentially a bully here, pushing people around. Only a super-powered Lex Luthor and Metalo give Superman a run for his money. The rest of the time Clark Kent just tries to convince Lois Lane that he is not Superman, and when he is Superman he is busy crashing through walls instead of using doors or windows.

Shades of Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon!

A few elements that came to define the character are presented here for the first time. Unless I'm mistaken, the first time that Superman utters the iconic phrase “Up- up- and away!” occurs in this book. I don't recall him saying it in the comics before, and I even tried Google-ing it, to no avail. 

Superman still isn't flying per se', just doing extremely high leaps that are looking more and more like flight. Unlike you new jack Superman fans, my Superman doesn't fly. 

This is not the first time that Superman has used his powers for breaking and entering or rifling through confidential files.

Another mainstay, the Fortress of Solitude, makes it's first appearance in issue 17. Superman visits his then-currently under construction mountain fortress hideaway. It is not actually called the Fortress of Solitude here, nor is it made of crystal...or located in the Arctic.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5. 

The OCD zone- The nice thing about these Chronicles is that they are value priced collections of vintage material. Think of them as 2/5 thickness full color phone books.

The cover image has some of the most godawful pixelation that I've ever seen. DC needs to stop letting the interns work on their collected editions. This is getting embarrassing.

Linework restoration rating: 4 out of 5. This is some uneven restoration. Some issues look great, most are serviceable, while others look godawful.

Color restoration rating: 4 out of 5. The color palette is faithful to the original publication...to a point. Some color choices here are just plain stupid, not just CMYK percentage miscalculations. In Action Comics No. 61, most of the colors are as faithful as possible. The desk on page 3 is miscolored pink instead of brown...four times on the same page. Things like that make no sense, especially when every other color on the page is done correctly. I am not certain if this is an isolated incident, or if there are mistakes like this all over the book. I compared this book to scans of the original comics online. Scans that I got...when they fell off a truck. Yeah, a truck. That's the ticket.

There also occasional gradient shadings, which annoys the piss out of me. It's just cheap, lazy coloring. The colorist responsible for the work let the computer fill in the shading rather than doing it by “hand” on computer. Their way is faster and cheaper but it sticks out like a sore thumb to me. Your mileage may vary.

Paper rating: 3 out of 5. The mando/pulp paper has zero glare and is very easy on the eyes. I have first printings of all of these Chronicles, and the older ones are already beginning to yellow. This is horrible, the worst aspect of old comics brought into the realm of collected editions. DC fans tend to be overly nostalgic in terms of presentation, wanting the paper in collected editions to be every bit as crappy as that found in the original publication. Thanks, but no thanks.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. DC softcovers tend to have decent glued binding.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 3 out of 5. (*shudders*) The white has that weird, almost uncoated frosted glass feeling to it. Worse still, it easily scuffed, with minor imperfections evident even when handled gingerly for a single reading. The portions that have color (i.e. the character image and text) have a thin, rubbery screen coating. It just feels weird and unpleasant.

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