Batman in the Cold War
580117
Tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union were high, right up to 1989, when freedom rang throughout all of Europe and the Iron Curtain came crumbling down. The edgy suspense of the times were incorporated in comics and Batman lore, giving rise to the KGBeast. The KGBeast is the complete antithesis of Batman, instead of an armed detective who works to save lives, the Beast is an armed detective who works to take lives. He was the best assassin the KGB ever produced, but like many experiments, something went wrong and he began taking things into his own hands. Nothing seems able to prevent him from knocking off his hit list one by one and the last name on the list, is the President of the United States. Only, the Beast never expected for a Bat to fly in his way. Interesting story, somewhat dated because of the Cold War theme, yet that's also what makes it so intriguing.
3754185
An artic trip reveals something that has long since been buried - and with good reason. Simply looking at the captain of the voyage that finds it shows us that it has madness cradled inside the ice, and that it has reached out and touched the minds of both people and animal alike. Penguins, mottled and discolored, walk alongside of the thing inside the ice and, when inspected, one can see that it is not happy with its lodgings. No, it is taking its time to get loose but it is getting out nonetheless. When the ship that found the thing disappears, an older man goes to find him and comes across some very strange things. He also finds himself conflicted, and decides to go back to Gotham with some of the things he has found - includingone now-estranged person. As he does so, you can see something hanging in the background and recognize the man to be more than an older man on a voyage. Here we have a Batman, and his curiousity about the Doom coming to Gotham.

Mike Mignola, Batman, and a Cthulhu-like creature are a mix that I have loved since i found this seires once upon a time. It is three books that are really great in all aspects, and that connect to make something terrifyingly odd for the citizens of Gotham. the Dark Knight is also depicted well in this story, aging and yet still fighting for the city he loves, and that is a great thing. Combine it with the art and you have something to sink your teeth into.

While there have ben many Batman storylines, the one-shots that take the bat and make him face oddities, psychos, and other strange things are really good stuff. I looked all of them over as they came out, and i found that i really liked them. I am not the superhero type, either, but Mignola doing Batman was something I couldn't resist and the one-shots were something that allowed Batman to really get his hands dirty. That is the problem with a lot of superheroes - try as they might, the world simply does not work in a linear fashion. you will see damages done and bodies strewn about in one issue only to return to find that the event has been bypassed and only gets a brief mention in something down the road. That is one reason i like the Batman series done this way, because anything can happen and yet it is a self-contained tale. That means that Batman can be old or young, can have The Demon pop up, a psycho Dummy come out and play, or have something strange and undying find its way into Batman's clutches. mix that with mike mignola's skill level, a very great thing indeed, and you have yourself a tale and a half.
I always wanted to see Batman do something like this, because I always admired the way Batman takes on the world with only himself to fall back on.

Bat fans, Cthulhu-lovers, or people who want a good story should pick up these three issues. They are good beyond belief and, honestly, they have something different in their pages. that makes me happy, and happier still with Mignola on board. It is just too good to pass up and should be on anyone's radar that has an inkling of love for Hellboy style works, dark tales, and so many other things. If you came this far, you should find this and get it.
4072499
While Alan Moore remains best known for his work on the influential comic series/graphic novel Watchmen, the 1980s were an incredibly productive time for the subversive writer. Among a slew of successes came what is arguably Moore's second biggest work, V for Vendetta.

The three-part story follows the actions of a person known only as "V," who dons a Guy Fawkes mask as he preaches anarchism and carries out a one-man war with a totalitarian government in what was then considered the "near future," the 1990s. But like most stories that deal with the "not-too-distant future," V for Vendetta has much in common with current situations in the world, and as much has arguably stayed the same, the story remains relevant today.

V first appears as a Batman-like character, emerging masked from the shadows, striking fear in the enemy as he rescues a young girl, Evey Hammond, from corrupt cops who plan to rape and kill her. That's about as far as comparisons to the Bat go. V speaks as though raised on Shakespeare and proudly proclaims responsibility as the Houses of Parliament explode and fireworks light the sky. He apparently has no qualms about killing and destroying.

As the story unfolds, we learn more about V's background, as Evey learns more about the ideals of the masked man. V isn't through after the Houses of Parliament. There is a bigger plan, and the powers are scrambling to do everything they can to keep the propaganda rolling and bandage the damage V is doing to their ideals.

At its core, V for Vendetta advocates terrorism, or at least presents someone referred to as a terrorist as a protagonist of the story. He kills, bombs, and brainwashes in the name of his ideals. But that is what Moore challenges throughout. Is terrorism in the face of oppression "terrorism," in the negative sense, or is it patriotism if carried out in the name of a wakeup call to bring things back to the people?

There is an important battle brewing throughout the story involving "Fate" and "Justice." V for Vendetta is a book about ideals. This terrorist is someone who, literally in this sense, has been imprisoned, experimented upon, and tortured by his government. He wants freedom, not only for himself--he already has a slice of that in his subway dwelling--but for everyone. And he's fighting for it, breaking down the walls to give others the opportunity to do the same. He is like the protagonist of 1984, but he's willing to blow things up to change the world rather than run until he eventually gets a metaphorical bullet to the head.

The art of David Lloyd is unique, to say the least. The images strike a realistic tone but are often shaded in white, blue, and sometimes yellow tones that seem to deprive the panels of some detail. It is a style that may not work for many readers.

But at the core of things, V for Vendetta is about the ideas it presents. In a three-book arc, Moore creates a cinematic story that entertains and, more importantly, will leave readers questioning their ideals for years after the last chapter is read. It is another fantastic entry into the world of subversive comics by the industry's best.

-- William Jones
3240028
Enemies and Allies reads very much like a comic book.  While it does not have the illustrations you would expect in a comic book, obviously, Kevin Anderson has done a masterful job of "illustrating" the story with his words.  If you are used to other literature, you may find this to have too much descriptiveness, but considering the subject matter, it is just right.

Kevin Anderson is best known for co-writing the Dune prequels with Brian Herbert.  Here, he introduces us to Batman and Superman, and more importantly, introduces them to each other.  They begin as wary, both assuming the other to be in the employ of Lex Luthor.  Eventually, they come to an agreement of sorts, but always there is the undercurrent of their differing philosophies.  Superman serves the law, Batman serves justice.  Superman concentrates on the macro problems, Batman on the micro.  Superman works in the open, Batman in the shadows.  Nevertheless, both are orphans, and both are on the same side.

The backdrop to all this is the Cold War.  US - Soviet tensions are high.  Lex Luthor and his Soviet ally (Ceridov) plot to destabilize the world with nuclear strikes (which are pre-planned to be thwarted by Luthorcorp) and eventually an alien invasion.  Lex even turns Senator McCarthy's attention from communists to aliens!

Whether you are a longtime reader of DC Universe comics, or even if you have just caught an episode or two of Smallville, you will enjoy this novel.
613445
In 1940, Hitler had conquered continental Europe with little resistance, and the predictions were that Britain would be next. Under the command of Squadron Leader Stanley Croft, pilot Officer Bogdan Kapolski leads the Red Section across the skies of England. He becomes an Ace flier when he takes down his fifth plane. Indeed, a wizard in the air, Kapolski becomes one of the best fighter pilots in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He brings those skills to the table again in the Korean War, and then during the Cold War when his government calls him to action to pilot the last flight of the Arrow.
In 1945 in the Mariana Islands, a guest reporter Ben Spencer, Canadian war correspondent for the Vancouver Daily News, accompanies a mission to drop bombs on Tokyo. Hits to the plane's port wing and leaking fuel force the crew and reporter to bail out and send a distress call for air-sea rescue. The crew and reporter float in the water and wait for a sub to find them. Spencer's daring to accompany dangerous missions creates a solid reputation for him, later giving him free reign, in his column printed in the Toronto Tribune, to boldly attack policies and politicians that don't, in his view, fulfill Canada's best interests, including the end of the Arrow program. His own investigations in the Arrow will fuel controversy and help bring about the public end of the aircraft.
With the advent of the missile age, heralded by the Russian Sputnik, manned interceptors become obsolete. On February 20, 1959 the Canadian prime minister announces to the House of Commons the end of the CF-105 Avro Arrow supersonic fighter-interceptor program. Three hundred million dollars had already been invested in an aircraft, and its draining the economy. Further, Russia claims that the Arrow is a threat to world peace, and promises to disband her own buildup of planes in return for the end of the Arrow project. They do not fulfill their promise. Meanwhile, Canadian and American intelligence learns of their plans, and the Canadians pretend to end the Arrow program, staging an end to the Arrow program while they actually move bases to the far north. As politics, the media, and espionage converge, it will be up to Kapolski to pilot the mission that prevents the advent of World War III.
Espionage and intrigue abound in Daniel Wyatt's THE LAST FLIGHT OF THE ARROW. This is a fictional tale based on the myth that some of the Arrows escaped destruction and were used to preserve the free world. Originally published by Random House, where it sold 20,000 copies, the novel has been revised to include more intrigue. Indeed, the cloak and dagger games of the CIA, Canadians and Russians lend the novel amazing conviction. As international tension builds, Wyatt's plot moves at a fast clip, skillfully maintaining the pace and the reader's attention. Credible characterizations bring the plot to life, interwoven with the technical jargon and avionic facts that keep the novel firmly grounded in history. Yet the avionic facts never bog the narrative, keeping the tale fresh even for those who are not necessarily aviation buffs. Very highly recommended.
440668
An interesting, if hard to find, read for fans of the Bat.  As the title suggests, this is not your traditional action-packed superhero tale, but rather a collection of short stories detailing the forensic aspects of Batman's work.
As other reviewers have noted, this book can sometimes feel a bit dry, as if the text were ripped directly from a text book.  That's because it was - large sections of the book have been taken verbatim from non-fiction sources.  For example, sections dealing with determining time of death are pulled from 'Corpse,' by Jessica Snyder Sachs.  The author does include a bibliography at the end of the book but does not cite sources within the body of the text.  I'm not sure if the author had permission to use these other works or if this is an example of plagiarism, but either way I've deducted a star from my review.
With that in mind, the author's delivery meshes well with the text borrowed from other sources and I consider this one of the best Batman works I've ever read.  This book appears to be out of print, but if you're fortunate enough to stumble across an old library copy as I did, I highly suggest picking it up.
1753095
Batman: Son of the Demon is a showcase for the definitve Batman of the 80s.  O'Barr weaves a tale in which Batman is forced to unite with his most powerful enemy, the ancient eco-terrorist, Ra's Al Ghul, in order to quell  the destruction of the Earth.  This is an excellent book, featuring  stand-out art for Jerry Bingham, and great story telling from O'Barr.  It  is hard to put down, and you'll never believe the last page!  And when you  read that, read Kingdom Come...
895988
Great figure of Solomon Grundy as he appeared in Batman Arkham City with a lot of details and a huge size. He has a  removable chest exposing his putrid heart. Very rare to find this kind of action figures.
1602423
Good action & suspense. The wizard made a formable foe for the dynamic duo. Although I thought the ending was a little anti-climatic when Batman finally confronted the Wizard. They were a couple of inconsistancies in the series though. They drove the same car as their alter egos' and nobody was the wiser.:-) I found this version of Robin is a little more mucho then his predecessor was in the 1943 movie series. In this version Batman & Robin worked with the police. Over all I found the the 2 DVD series quite entertaining.
4234786
Really, a great book about Batman and a whole lot more. Found the book fascinating.
1493286
Love Batman, and these old cartoons from the 90's showed a more darker Dark Knight. Very well written and put together.
75715
Batman: Nine Lives is a DC Comics production from the Elseworlds line. Elseworlds takes superhero characters and tears them from their familiar continuity and places them in "what if" situations. This particular graphic novel presupposes that Bruce Wayne and his contemporaries are living their lives back in the 1940s (which is how it originally started anyway). The impetus of the storyline is the murder of the promiscuous, Kit Kat club manager Selina Kyle. Selina, it seems, has been privy to dangerous secrets, and her death results in a whirlwind of furious activity from the underworld denizens. Now, Batman must chase down treacherous clues and doggedly track down the killer. But even for the Caped Crusader, it won't be easy.

Batman - a down and dirty urban crimefighter - has always resided on the outskirts of the film noir genre. Only now, the creative talents have deliberately mined  film noir in crafting this gritty pastiche. A profusion of dark colors are utilized, and much is drawn in shadow, to accentuate the bleak moods of the story, with the flashback sequences done in somber red/burnt umber tones. To quote writer Dean Motter: "Each page will be against a black surround to create the ambiance of a darkened movie theatre." Dean Motter and Michael Lark unfold a mystery that pays homage to film noir gems such as Out of the Past, D.O.A. and The Narrow Margin. The writing is accordingly lean and hardboiled, and the images are stark and stylishly, simplisticly rendered, somewhat recalling to mind the wonderful art of David Mazzucchelli from Batman: Year One. Other than Bats himself, there's nary a whiff of the superhero elements. This actually is more reminiscent of the Shadow and Spider pulp novels of yesteryear.

As in other Elseworlds offerings, some things are the same, some things are vastly different. Gotham is still steeped in corruption. Bruce Wayne is still the theatrical Darknight Detective - oh, maybe a bit more primitive in his crime-fighting methods and perhaps more focused and ruthless in his business empire dealings. Gordon is still Gotham's Police Commissioner. But, the rest of the cast are a tad off-key:  here, Dick Grayson is an ex-cop turned private eye, with no sighting of Robin or Nightwing to be found. Barbara Gordon is his faithful girl friday; Selina Kyle, before her death, was a gone-to-seed club manager, who resorts to blackmail to maintain her lofty lifestyle; costumed villains such as the Penguin, the Joker, Mr. Freeze seem more like common thugs and gangsters. Killer Croc is a former circus freak now lurking in the sewer systems of Gotham.

The actually mystery itself isn't all that gripping, to be honest. Instead, the allure and fun of this graphic novel is in seeing these somewhat familiar characters doing their thing in this somewhat new 1940s backdrop. I get a particularly big kick out of our narrator, Grayson, as the somewhat mangy private dick. He is pretty much threatened and beat up for much of the story, yet he still presses on. Classic shamus behavior. Batman: Nine Lives is great, diverting stuff and is an ample tribute to the film noir genre.
1153078
Even with all the brilliantly drawn pictures, this is a LONG read.  The book is basically a "failsafe" written by Bruce Wayne in case something happened to him and/or the Batcave so the reader would have an idea of who Batman was, how he operated and why.

For the most part, it's written in comic book chronological order, which means it focuses on the older stories/characters first, (Joker, Catwoman), then to the later stories, (Barbara Gordon, Killing Joke, Jason Todd, Death in the Family), then onto the most recent ones, (Knightfall, No Man's Land, Batman Inc.)  Instead of the straightforward retelling of each main story line, the events are told via newspaper articles and pictures "cut out" by Bruce & "pasted" on to the pages.  Next to each article is either a one page file printout from the Batcomputer on the main characters in that story, (ex. Bane & Azrael for Knightfall), and/or a journal page written by Bruce describing what he saw and felt during that specific incident.

The "journal entries" are by far the most interesting part of the book because while everyone knows the stories, the journal goes into Bruce's mind as to what he was thinking and feeling at that time, (the ones about Killer Croc & Bane are easily the best).  It's somewhat slanted in that he gives himself too much credit and his allies or enemies not enough, (which typifies the arrogant, confident Bruce so it somewhat works).  The only gripe I had with that was during the Knightfall/Knightquest entry.  Bruce mentions the drug decadron as the cure for Bane breaking his back when in fact it was Shondra Kinsolving with her healing abilities that cured Bruce.  She is barely given a mention when she was a major character and factor in that story.

The book is extremely detailed and the illustrations are outstanding as well.  Anyone who's a Batman fan is going to spend countless hours reading this and appreciating it.  The book is highly recommended.
1140752
This volume contains Batman and Detective comic issues from February 1971 to September 1972. By this time, the dark knight characterization of the Batman was solid; the plots were more realistic; and the writing along with the artwork had matured. Continuing from 1970, Dennis O' Neill and Frank Robbins write most of these stories, while Robert Kanigher and Len Wein add one tale each (Asylum of the Futurians, Batman #229 and The House that Haunted Batman, Detective Comics, February 1971). In spite of having two writers for the Batman, the tone and mood for the Batman issues is similar. In the art, DC continues focusing on realistic art with Neal Adams, Irv Novick, Bob Brown, and Dick Giordano; and Michael WM Kaluta illustrates a few covers in 1972. Frank Robbins' art distinguishes itself in this series being more cartoonish and perhaps, being closer to the very early period of Batman when Bob Kane started drawing him. In spite of the fact that Robbins' art is outstanding in establishing mood and atmosphere, and it also makes a good representation of people, it is not the kind of art to be enjoyed in black and white formula. Seeing the original artwork with Robbins' inking will show you how effective his art is in Batman stories. Although I could not tell about the mature writing during my childhood, I notice now the poetry in most of these narratives, O'Neill, Wein, and Kanigher excelling at this (Wein will have more to write later on).

Most of the stories are basic detective work of murderers and robberies that people often watched on TV detective programs. While O'Neill introduces his Ras Al Ghul saga and the villain's daughter Talia, he also revives Two Face from the old villain gallery; and Robbins writes and illustrates a Man-Bat story and the man with ten eyes. This is a great tome for the Batman fan. I wish they would make the others quicker.
2141307
This is a 2 disc set complete with all 15 chapters of Batman and Robin (including teasers), Directed by Spenser Gordon Bennet, and starring Robert Lowery and Johnny Duncan as Batman and Robin.

This series was the 2nd original Batman series made for cinema, the first being released in 1943.  This, along with the other Batman movie serial set the tone for the later to come Batman movies and tv serials, although there have been dramatic changes through the years.

Not nearly as campy as the 1960's tv series, Batman and Robin are Gotham's heroic crime fighting duo, dressed in tights and capes, and leading their double life.

I purchased this serial for the purpose of reviewing for Classic Cinema Online, I'm comparing live action Batmans from the 1940's to the present.  This serial, along with the others, is enjoyable to watch and even solicited a giggle or two out of me.

I highly recommend this series, along with the others, to any Batman buff.  In addition to being good family entertainment, it's an important and historical part of the Batman collection.

I purchased this new and it arrived on time and in excellent condition.  Worth the few bucks I paid for it!
4386612
Allan Moore's V FOR VENDETTA is a true classic in the world of graphic novels. The atmosphere of paranoia and repressed angst created here is unique in its genre. You rarely find such depth of characterization in comics. If you've read any of the other reviews, you surely know the plot by now so I'll skip a synopsis. What I find so appealing about this work is the mystery that is "V". How one man can be a catalyst for change in an oppressive society is actually an upbeat concept at the core of this dark story.
 In an interesting style MOORE tells his story strictly through dialog with little to no narration or thought captioning. The pictures tell the story and although somewhat sparse, the artwork by DAVID LLOYD is a perfect fit for the Orwellian world of post world war 3 fascist England. I felt this was better than MOORE's later work, the critically acclaimed WATCHMEN. While that is a good story, I found it somewhat pretentious. V FOR VENDETTA is excellent and is one of the best graphic novels I've ever read. 5 stars.
373008
The Killing Joke is, without a doubt, the finest work that involves Batman.
The story goes like this - The Joker, in a desperate attempt to get someone to see things from his point of view, shoots Barbara Gordon (daughter of police Commissioner Gordon), paralyzing her. Then, he takes the Commisstioner and tries to turn him insane. And, as usual, it's up to the Batman to stop him.
Maybe the most entertaining aspect of the book is the backstory it weaves. It shows the Joker, pre-accident, as a stuggling comedian unwittingly brought into a robbery. Using elements from the famous 1950's Joker origin story, 'The Man behind the Red Hood', Moore and Bolland make the Joker seem tragic, in a maniacal sort of way.
The dark story Moore writes meshes well with Brian Bolland's detailed, linear artwork. Bolland makes every character look remarkable, and his rendition of the Joker on the cover has become one of the most famous Joker images in history.
You can't call yourself a Batman fan if you don't own this. Heck, you aren't much of a comics fan at all if you haven't at least read the story. This is ESSENTIAL for EVERYONE'S collection.