Top 5 Batman Story Countdown Extravaganza: Number 5

My Top 5 Batman Story Countdown Extravaganza:

Today I will be starting my the countdown of my Top 5 Batman stories!

No secret here, Batman is my favorite character for a number of reasons.  First, he is often the darker presence in DC's crowd of heroes that are a bunch of boy/girl scouts.  He is the original gritty hero, a man that is constantly trying to save a dark world (Gotham) and bring it back to the light.  This is the exact opposite of Superman, a hero who can do seemingly anything that is constantly trying to preserve a dream of a harmonious world (Metropolis) that many largely feel does not exist.  Also, he has one vow he will not break, that is to kill.  His villains are constantly pushing him to be forced into that decision, it just makes for great storytelling.  Finally, the Batman franchise is one of the Rolls Royce titles in all of comics.  As a result, it is constantly attracting great writers, both established and young/hungry.

Some context for the criteria I used for this countdown, I only considered stories where Batman is the star.  So while, Batman has been a supporting character in many great story arcs, those ultimately are not under consideration for our purposes here.  As a result of my love for Batman, I now bring you the start of my countdown of my Top 5 Batman stories:

5.) Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth (1989):
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Dave McKean

This is just a downright great book, for a number of reasons.  First, the art in this book sells the story that you are reading.  You feel that you are in the bowls of Arkham Asylum when you look at this book.  It is gritty, dirty, and downright scary at points.  However, that does not mean it is sloppy.  It is the exact opposite in fact, there is so much care put into the look of this book, that characters even have their own unique dialogue bubbles and text.  This little touch alone really sells the story and the versions of the characters that Grant Morrison wrote.

For example, the Joke's dialogue is blood red and written in a style that is akin to Ralph Steadman's work with Hunter S. Thompson in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.  You can see an example of the art below:

The art of this piece paved the way for imitators in comics for years.  I feel that without this work, you would not have 30 Days of Night.

The grittiness of the art is matched by Grant Morrison's story.  Batman must go into Arkham after the patients have taken over and descend into the darkness that is Arkham Asylum.  This story progresses simultaneously with a fascinating story Amadeus Arkham and the founding of Arkham Asylum.  Though the story has many moving parts and characters, there is little waste as far as panel content is concerned.  Every character is essential to telling Morrison's story.  With a Two-Face twist at the ending, Arkham Asylum is so unlike any Batman story you will read.

Thanks for reading and next time I will be revealing my number 4 story on the Top 5 Batman Story Countdown Extravaganza!

Review of Batman The Killing Joke

Batman The Killing Joke

Author: Alan Moore

Summary:  This book provides a great twist one of the older origin stories of The Joker.  Without giving too much of the story away, the amazingly talented Alan Moore gives the reader a new backstory set in the past that makes you want to have sympathy for The Joker and who he was. While simultaneously running one of The Joker's most infamous and vile criminal acts when he paralyzes Barbara Gordon and kidnaps Commissioner Gordon and attempts to drive him insane.   Batman spends much of the story fearing that eventually, in order to stop the chess game that is their relationship, either The Joker or himself will have to die. When Batman arrives to save the day and the reader is left with a somewhat ambiguous (though it was not intended to be that way) ending regarding The Dark Knight and The Joker.

La Torrious' Analysis: This book is a must read for any serious comic fan.  It is such an important work for the character development that arguably only Alan Moore is capable of.  On the one hand, you have the tragic background of The Joker, hanging over the story in the present that gives the reader a better glimpse about what made Batman's nemesis snap in the first place.  On the other hand, you see Batman struggling with the fact that in order to finally stop the cat (or should I say bat) and mouse game that is Batman vs. The Joker, one of them might have to die.

As I have said, this book is so important for comics and was one of the jewels in the Alan Moore and Frank Miller dominated 1980's period in comics.  You would be hard pressed to find a comic writer working today that is not inspired by either one (or likely both) of those authors.  I mean this is freakin' Alan Moore writing Batman, it really does not get much better.  If I taught a course on comics, this book would most definitely be required reading.  If you have not read this yet, and you call yourself a comic fan, do yourself a favor.  Slap yourself in the face and pick it up immediately. Like yesterday.

La Torrious' Rating:  10 out of 10 Batman Cowls.

Review of The Walking Dead Compendium Two

The Walking Dead Compendium Two (2012)
Author: Robert Kirkman

I finally got my hands on this and just finished reading this gem.

Summary: Again, I won't really summarize this one because it is well over 1,000 pages long and any attempt to summarize that much material would be futile.  I will say this though, if you are a fan of the show, the timeline where the show is as of the start of this season, is where this compendium starts.  So we are done with the prison! (Or The Farm Pt. 2, Return of the Farm, or The Farm Strikes Back as I like to call it.)

Just some general information about this book is that it introduces a ton of new characters.  So if you read ahead with this, you will very much find yourself in uncharted territory in comparison to the show (which I feel is a good thing).

La Torrious' Views:  I think this book is another great example of Robert Kirkman's ability to write great plot lines.  At several points in this book, you will most likely find yourself stepping back and an awe of sorts wondering how situations will play out.  The characters' ability to overcome adversity of what comes their way is astonishing.

This book also is another example of how Robert Kirkman typically writes characters (his main ones at least, i.e. Rick, Andrea, and Michonne) that are not apt to making stupid mistakes.  Typically in the books when the group finds themselves in a bad situation, it is because they are dealt a bad hand.  Conversely, the show has a habit of having the characters make stupid decisions (Again see: Walker in the well on the farm or Let's stay on the highway for a year and search for Sophia).  So when you are reading the books, you generally think: "Wow, that sucks so much!" as opposed to on the show you wonder: "How did they not see this coming???"

Also in the books overall, I find it much easier to like most of the characters.  As opposed to the show, most people I speak to couldn't stand Lori and despise Carl.  I will say, I am not trying to throw hate on the show.  However, they will always in my mind be compared to one another.  That is the unfortunate fact that comes with adapting a beloved piece of literature for the silver screen (or big screen in most cases).

One piece of criticism I have to offer regarding the books has to do with character dialogue.  In both of the compendiums, for some reason, most of the characters have this tendency to literally say how they are feeling, or why they reacted a certain way.  To which the character they are talking to will say something like "I understand Rick (or whomever it is), you are under a lot of pressure because of (insert situation), it's perfectly understandable for you to react in said way".  For me, I find this literal description of character's feelings takes away from the overall experience of the book.  I would much rather read into a character's thought process and try to figure out why they did said thing.  Also, I don't know about you all, but in most social instances where I speak with someone, they don't typically lay out exactly how they were feeling, which in turn lead to the decision they made.  It's not a big deal, it's just something that gets somewhat tiresome after a while.

La Torrious' Rating:  8.5 out of 10 Batman Cowls.

Review of The Walking Dead Compendium One

The Walking Dead Compendium One (2009)
Author: Robert Kirkman

I actually read this one some time ago, but I wanted to be sure to give some variety in my reviews.

Summary:  Actually, I am not going to summarize this book.  Mainly because it is over 1,000 pages long and because of how long it is, I would not be able to do it justice. I know, I know, many of you might be thinking "How will I know if I want to get this book if I can't read a quick synopsis???"  Well ask yourself these two questions:  1.) Do you like zombies? 2.) Do you like comics? If you answered yes to EITHER of those two questions, then you have to read this book!

La Torrious' Views:  Next, by far the most frequent question I get when discussing TWD comics with someone who has not read them is: "How do they compare to the show on AMC?".  I will always say that I feel that the comics are much better than the show (and I actually enjoy the show as well, though it has been hit or miss as of late).

I feel the comics are better for a number of reasons.  The first being that the comic has a lot more creative license with story lines and gore because it is not bound television censors.  Second, when you read the comics you get a more genuine sense for the desperation of the characters and the situation they are in.  That is, they don't just stand around and talk (on a farm or in a prison) about how bad things are, you can see it in their actions, in their dialogue, etc.  Also, there are not nearly as many disposable characters like there are in the show.  You know how it goes, when you are watching the show, then you see Random Survivor #34 just hanging out like they have always been there.  You instantly know that Random Survivor #34 character is zombie chow.  The comics allow you to truly get attached to the core group of characters.  Finally, in the comics the survivors don't make as many boneheaded errors in judgment that a normal person would never...ever...ever, make (See: walker in the water well debacle on the farm in Season 2 of the show).

One thing I will point out that fans of the show will not enjoy about the comics is that the lack of a certain crossbow armed survivor (Darryl Dixon).  Yes that character is exclusive to the television show.  Even without him, The Walking Dead comics are well worth your time and are chock full of horror and zombie goodness!

Hopefully by now, I have convinced you to immediately get your hands on these comics.  So, if you quickly search The Walking Dead graphic novels, you will find a myriad of purchasing options.  There are small trade paperback (TPB) sets, medium TPB sets, and then the two large compendiums.  Which option should you go with?  For me, the value is with the compendiums.  You can get the first two for around $30 a piece as opposed to getting nickle and dimed to death by purchasing the smaller editions.  However, this is completely up to you.

La Torrious' Rating: 10 out of 10 Batman Cowls.

Review of Geoff Johns Green Lantern: Rebirth

Green Lantern: Rebirth (2004-2005)
Author: Geoff Johns

Summary: This is the start of Geoff Johns' takeover of the long stagnant Green Lantern character.  Hal Jordan (the most famous Green Lantern) had long been stuck (1994) as the villain Parallax, as well as serving as the host of The Spectre.

When Johns took the helm of the series, he decided to bring Hal Jordan back as Green Lantern.  To do this, he had to effectively separate him from Parallax and The Spectre entity.  In this process we learn that it was Sinestro who was behind Parallax and The Spectre being attached to Jordan in the first place.  The two engage in a fight where Jordan banishes his former mentor back to the antimatter universe.

While Jordan was able to separate himself from both the Parallax and the Spectre to become his old self, other heroes are obviously reluctant (giving all the murdering Jordan engaged in) to believe Jordan's rediscovered self.  Most notably of Jordan's critics is Batman.  Eventually the two have a minor dust up with Jordan giving Bats some chin music for his trouble.  Jordan, Kyle Rayner, John Stewart, Guy Gardner, and Kilowog work to rid the earth of Parallax, which they banish back to the power battery on Oa...Bats eventually concedes that Jordan is back and we are all set with Hal Jordan back as the Green Lantern!

La Torrious' Views:   I have NEVER been a fan of Green Lantern.  I never really read much of the character.  However, I decided to change this and went looking for recommendations for versions of the character.  Resoundingly, I was referred to Geoff Johns take on the character.  Needless to say, I read and immediately loved it!

I will admit, that coming into this book with no prior experience in the GL universe, I was a bit intimidated.  However, I think this was a great start for me and I immediately have started getting Johns' TPB versions in order!  DISCLAIMER: If you are looking for dark Frank Miller or Alan Moore style comic writing, you will not find that here.  However, that is not to say it is a childish book, it is quite the opposite actually.  This is definitely a story of a man's redemption, that any adult comic fan can get into.  I am very excited to see where Johns takes this character.

La Torrious' Rating: 9 out of 10 Batman Cowls.