Scans_Daily

And for a happier Father's Day tale...

2013-06-16T16:07:32Z

Posted by: icon_uk

I make no excuses for reposting one of my favourite "Batman and Sons" strips

( Father's Day )

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Dick Gives up the pixie boots V 2.1

2013-06-16T15:07:42Z

Posted by: icon_uk

And for Father's Day, we're back with some father son issues, unfortunately this is perhaps the most "Oh good grief" of the iterations of this story that you'll see..

( From Nightwing #101 - The first part of Nightwing: Year One )

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Some Old-School Ventriloquist, for your reading and viewing pleasure...

2013-06-15T16:33:34Z

Posted by: lego_joker

Back in ye goode olde days, Gotham villains didn't need no stinkin' telekinetic powers or rotting corpses to do their bidding. No, they got by through bein' tougher than the toughies and smarter than the smarties, and makin' it square. Well, as square as drug-running, arms-smuggling, "protection"-selling, and cold-blooded murder can be, anyways. Of course, the sheer snazziness of their character designs didn't hurt, either.

Like most of you, I imagine, I can't muster up any enthusiasm for the new Ventriloquist running through the pages of Gail Simone's Batgirl. As dull as I'd found Peyton Riley's story, I'd happily take her (preferably written by Paul Dini) over this SAW-wannabe any day.

But, as with many things in life, none can compare with the original.

( Old guys playing with dolls, behind the cut! )

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Batman #21: Year Zero

2013-06-13T17:55:55Z

Posted by: superfangirl1

( Read More )

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Fancomics: Sabredeath, Ice Cream Vision, Alien Sex, Legacy Lament and Pym-Dad!

2013-06-13T16:38:36Z

Posted by: auggie18

( Read more... )

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Dick Gives up the pixie boots V 2.0 (and 2. -1 sort of)

2013-06-10T23:01:49Z

Posted by: icon_uk

In the past, I've posted from the original ending of Dick Grayson's Robin career, a long organic process of growth, told across both Batman titles, and primarily in the Teen Titans (Where Dick was a much more prominent character than in the Batverse at the time).

I've detailed telling the Titans, telling Bruce and Jason and putting on his Nightwing costume for the first time

And it struck me (and also following a post by lego_joker that uses one of the panels herein) that in the interests of fairness and comparison, I should post from a couple of other iterations of the story. Starting with the first revamp... such as it was.

( From Batman #408 )

( World's Finest #6 )

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As one door closes, another one opens...

2013-06-07T01:46:19Z

Posted by: lego_joker

We've seen the end of the Silver Age Batman in a previous post. But as a wise man who may or may not be a figment of my imagination once said: for every end, there is a beginning. And as DC comics plunged headlong into the 1970s, the first shots of Bronze Age Batman were delivered, loud and clear, with the January 1970 issue of Detective Comics.

It would probably be fair to say that this story broke just as many traditions - if not more - than its predecessor. This, after all, was a Batman story with no Wayne Manor or Batcave, no Alfred or Gordon, no Robin, and no Gotham. It's a straightforward, pulpy little yarn with quite a lot in common with the first Golden Age Batman stories - the dark atmosphere (literally as well as figuratively - it takes place over a single night, after all), the high-stakes clashes, the overtones of mysticism and magic (Silver Age Bat-comics preferred to shy away from such things; even Bat-Mite was explained through sci-fi mumbo-jumbo), and more.

And men who brought this story to us? Oh, just three little nobodies by the names of Denny O'Neil, Neal Adams, and Dick Giordano.
( Darkness, death, and Batman the (arguable) murderer, all behind the cut! )

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The one that started it all...

2013-06-06T16:28:24Z

Posted by: lego_joker

Every interest, every hobby, every fetish has to start somewhere. And it was such a quiet, innocent day in a bookstore when I came across a comic that I would only later identify as Justice League Adventures #17.

Now, back then, superhero comics were pretty much the last thing on my mind. I recognized most of the really iconic heroes - mostly in their Timmverse incarnations - but I was primarily invested in Tintin comics, along with a stipend of Chinese-translated Disney comics that my grandparents would mail over from The People's Republic every few months. There was something about this one though, that just made me want to pick it up.

Fast-forward ten years, and I'm now neck-deep in a den of debauchery involving (amongst other things) homicidal clowns, mute ninja Batgirls, and X-rated fanfiction about people who insist on putting their underwear outside of their pants. And you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way.

In retrospect, this particular comic isn't really much of a keeper - the story's kinda goofy and shallow, especially in comparison with the kind of tie-in comics that previous DCAU properties, like Batman: The Animated Series, got. General consensus around the 'net also seems to be that the quality of the DCAU tie-in comics slowly went down the toilet as time went on, with the ones for Justice League Unlimited truly hitting the bottom of the barrel. Anyone who cares to comment on this part, please do!

But enough about that. On with this tribute the the one that started it all.

(Note: 7 pages from a 22-page story.)

( Femdom, crossdresing, and more behind the cut! )

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Because such things are relevant to my life, as of today...

2013-06-05T04:02:12Z

Posted by: lego_joker

... let's have a look at the day that Dick Grayson graduated from high school ~~after being held back for thirty years~~. And the historical implications for the Bat-comics surrounding it as a whole.

For different heroes (and their respective supporting casts) in the DC Universe, the exact moment of transition from "Golden Age" to "Silver Age" varied from "clear as day" - such as in the case of the Flash and Green Lantern, who had entirely new people take over the titles - to "muddled, vague, endlessly-debated mess" - as was the case with Superman and Batman.

The transition from "Silver Age" to "Bronze Age" was just as messy for many heroes, if not moreso. After all, unlike the jump from Golden to Silver, the jump from Silver to Bronze saw no retcon saying "Oh, all the comics published during [insert time period here] took place on this Earth, while the ones you're reading right now take place on this Earth!". A portion of comics fans and/or scholars today even deny the very existence of a "Bronze Age", choosing to lump all of the output from the 1970s to the mid-1980s (a rough approximation, mind you) into the Silver Age.

Still, there were definite changes in tone, art style, and story elements in most of DC's publications once the 1970s rolled around. Clark Kent, for one, became a TV News Anchor, while Oliver Queen picked up his (in)famous rough-edged personality and left-wing ideals (as well as his fabulous goatee).

For me, though, the clearest line in the sand - at least where DC's major heroes were concerned - was the one drawn in the Batman books.

(Note: 7 pages - and a cover - from Batman #217.)

( Read more... )

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To start your Monday off with a bit of a smile (I hope) - JL8

2013-06-03T07:25:49Z

Posted by: icon_uk

Webcomic JL8 by Yale Stewart (the adventures of the JLA as kindergarten) is usually fun and cute, but this new one I just love.

( And why? Because, of all people, it's Barry's turn to shine )

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Because homicidal clowns should have a voice in international politics, too...

2013-06-02T19:37:09Z

Posted by: lego_joker

It has just occurred to me that there is precious, precious little documentation of the Joker's two tenures as a Middle Eastern delegate. Well, little documentation by my standards, anyways.

For quite a while, the aforementioned subject was one of the biggest reasons that I thought "A Death in the Family" was an overrated pile of garbage. But now... well, I still think it's an overrated pile of garbage, but I'm a bit less vitriolic toward people who continue to tout it as "one of the best Batman/Robin/Joker stories of all time!". For one thing, those people seem to have developed selective amnesia when it comes to the fact that over half the story is tangled up in 80s-era hot-button political issues, coupled with copious amounts of grimdark that just might constitute the most desperate attempt to ride on Frank Miller's coattails in the history of Batman comics.

Seriously: we've got Arab terrorists, we've got nuclear trafficking, we've got allusions to The Troubles, we've got (implications of) underground abortion, we've got references to Reaganomics, we've got the Ethiopian famine, we've got an opening sequence that features Bruce and Jason crashing a child pornography ring, and, of course, we've got all those "Joker gets appointed Iran's ambassador and the UN, Washington, and Superman idly stand by and order Batman to play along" shenanigans.

Two or three of these things would merely drag down an otherwise-serious (if overly self-important and crassly-promoted) tale about the death of Robin. I've come to believe, though, that all of them put together vastly overshadows the rest of the story, turning it into a bizarre, comedic, and oftentimes surreal romp that feels like the Adam West show stuck through a dozen looking glasses, dipped in LSD, and genetically spliced with an 80s action movie.

(Credit, of course, must go to Jim Aparo's art as well as Jim Starlin's script. I must confess that Aparo was never one of my top Bat-artists - his style always struck me as childish, and characters often seemed too cheesy and trying-to-be-dramatic-instead-of-being-dramatic for my tastes. But in that vein, he was a perfect fit for the effect described above: such bright, innocent art and coloring is hardly appropriate for such dark themes, and the result, in my opinion, is sweet, surreal dissonance.)

In short: this story upstaged the sheer nuttiness of All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder - and by extension, latter-day Frank Miller - twenty years ahead of time. And for that, I can no longer hate it with the passion of a thousand fiery suns. Perhaps only a hundred.

Were scans_daily's post limits to allow me, I would eagerly dissect every inch of this wonderful, horrible storyline. But since that is not the case, I would like to focus on (what is probably) the most infamous: Joker as Iran's ambassador. As well as the far less well-known sequel it spawned in the early 2000s.

Note: Four pages from Batman #428, seven from Batman #429, two from Birds of Prey #15, seven from Birds of Prey #16, a third of a page from Birds of Prey #17, and three pages from Action Comics #765.

( Wacky, politically-incorrect fun behind the cut! )

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The Universe Hates Mr Freeze, Part 2

2013-05-29T13:52:35Z

Posted by: espanolbot

( Read more )

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Man, Mr Freeze Was Even More Depressing Than I Thought (Part 1)

2013-05-28T20:54:21Z

Posted by: espanolbot

( Have You Ever Seen A Flower Die? )

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Sex, Violence, and Superheroes

2013-05-25T09:55:33Z

Posted by: sadoeuphemist

'Aren’t most superhero comics basically pornography with fight scenes instead of sex scenes (with the knockout punch acting as the cum shot)? Aren’t superheroes usually depicted visually as naked human figures with lines drawn onto them and colored as costumes? I think I remember Frank Miller once saying that, in his first run on Daredevil, the scenes where Elektra and Daredevil would fight were basically the two of them consummating their relationship. That’s the way superheroes do it.'

People were unconvinced by Joe Casey, but I do think the premise makes sense. It's a shame that Sex is so didactic and asexual, but it got me thinking about why and how sex and violence are linked in superhero fights.

Note: there's nothing explicit in these scans, and I don't bring up outright sexual assault, but the confluence of sex and violence can get pretty uncomfortable and misogynistic at points, so fair warning.

( Read more... )

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auggie18's Collection of Random: Robin's Warning, Bruce's True Love, Maximoff Sibling Snark and more

2013-05-19T19:28:45Z

Posted by: auggie18

( Read more... )

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Double post! Sorry

2013-05-17T04:21:12Z

Posted by: starwolf_oakley

I accidentally did a double post. After the cut is a panel of Batman yelling at someone.

( What did you think? )

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Injustice Gods Among Us #18

2013-05-15T02:35:13Z

Posted by: superfangirl1

( Read More )

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"Batman And..." #22 and #23 Solicitations

2013-05-13T03:52:31Z

Posted by: zapbiffpow

Dad, quasi-Mom, and the eldest of the Bat-children take center stage with the release of the last two solicitations for the "Batman and Robin: Stages of Grief" arc, one each for July and August.

( Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and REMATCH! )

Also, has Tomasi talked about what's next for Batman and Robin after this? Are they ending the series or rotating Batman's partner line-up, like those old Animorphs stories with a different narrator every book?

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George Perez reminds us why HE is the master.....

2013-05-12T11:20:57Z

Posted by: icon_uk

Just saw this on George Perez Facebook page.

( Some pretty for Sunday, just because... )

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Batman # 20: Batman And Superman Vs Will-o'-the-wisp

2013-05-10T21:35:22Z

Posted by: superfangirl1

( Read More )

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auggie18's Collection of Random: Sexism, Barda vs the Dragon, The Spider-Hood, and more!

2013-05-10T18:24:30Z

Posted by: auggie18

( Read more... )

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Batman And Robin #20

2013-05-08T18:19:50Z

Posted by: superfangirl1

( Read More )

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Detective comics #20: Batman Vs Emperor Penguin

2013-05-07T17:55:38Z

Posted by: superfangirl1

( Read more )

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Batman: Earth One - Crime:1, Dark Knight:0

2013-05-07T06:15:43Z

Posted by: zapbiffpow

With Geoff Johns making head writer on Arkham Origins, I decided to check out what kind of Batman we'll be seeing come October.

If you haven't read it yet, here's what might possibly be Batman: Earth One's take on the "none of you are safe" scene from Year One. Eight pages out of 144, less than 1/3, non-recent!
( Read more... )
So, Johns on the new Bat-game: yay or nay? Any others who could have fit the bill better?

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Superman's Saddest Day

2013-04-30T19:54:40Z

Posted by: cyberghostface

( Scans under the cut... )

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