Book Review #57: Batman: The Killing Joke

Batman: The Killing Joke (1995)

Batman: The Killing Joke has the definitive origin story of the one and only Joker. Everything you have read about this book is all true. From Alan Moore's writing to the amazing, and I mean AMAZING artwork of Brian Bolland, this is definitely a book to have in your personal Library. This Deluxe Edition also sees Brian recoloring every page to his specification in how he originally saw it in his minds eye. Along with the stunning artwork, Brian nails the storytelling and pacing to a T. It's just a great piece of work all around. I will refrain from revealing any spoilers to readers that have yet to actually read this. But I will say this, The Joker leaves his mark, destroying the lives of not one, but two prominent characters within Batman mythology.

The only downside to this book is that it's short. Really short. Forty-eight pages in all. That's it. But, to make it worth buying for those that have the original edition, they have added a bonus story centering around a derange fan of Batman, who fantasizes about killing Batman. Think along the lines of Mark David Chapman if you will and you will get what it's about.

Highly recommend this to any and all fans of Batman...or Joker fans.

Rating: 5 Stars out of 5

Book Review #31: Batman: Hush

 Batman: Hush (2002)

Story and Words by Jeph Loeb

Pencils by Jim Lee

Inks by Scott Williams

Colors by Alex Sinclair

Letters by Richard Starkings

Hush had a lot of things going for it from Jeph Loeb doing the words to mega-superstar Jim Lee on pencils and his trusty sidekick inker extraordinaire Scott Williams and the amazing colors of Alex Sinclair. With all these elements in place, did Hush live up to the hype?

A resounding yes. The first thing you will obviously take notice of when opening the book is of course Jim's amazing art. The guy just continues to top himself with each and every book he does. And he does not disappoint one bit in this book at all. If you are coming into this book for the first time having never seen anything he has done before, you will definitely come away as a fan.

What about the story? Any good? Very good. It was actually much better than I thought it would be. You're in for a treat if your a fan of DC Comics as pretty much the entire gallery of characters make an appearance at some point here, from Catwoman to Superman to the Joker just to name a few. Hell, you get not one, not two, but three Robins here. You will just have to read the book to find out how it all ties in together. 

I absolutely recommend this book for anyone that is a fan of amazing art or in need of a pretty solid story with lots of well-known characters. Also, be on the look out for a new Hardcover Edition of Hush with just Jim's pencils inside. That's right. No Inks and no colors. I can't wait to pick this one up next month (July, 2011).

Rating: 5 Stars out of 5

Review by Chiprocks1

Book Review #30: Spawn/Batman

Spawn / Batman (1994)

Written by Frank Miller
Art by Todd McFarlane

Spawn / Batman is your basic and typical by-the-books crossover story whenever 2 competing Superheroes hook up. Their paths cross. They kick each other's asses. They join forces. They take down an Arms Dealer. They save the city. They go their separate ways. Then end.

This book could have been so much better and a whole lot more meaningful if it wasn't just a one-shot deal. How can you expect to really have any depth story-wise if all we get is one comic book? Most crossovers of this magnitude with Characters this big and popular warrant at least 4 issues worth of story and art. For whatever reason, this was not the case here.

The writing was a little too on-the-nose. My guess is that Frank really had to edit himself here since he had to accommodate to Todd's art and panel work. Don't take this the wrong way. Todd's art is pretty slick and nice to look at. But the way he draws panels does have a tendency to not leave a lot of room to expand on the dialogue and story.

If it matters to anyone, Spawn / Batman is a "companion" to that of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns as it takes place during the same time. Other than that there is no other tie-in, storywise or character-wise.

I only recommend this if you like McFarlane's art. That's it.

Rating: 3 Stars out of 5

Review by Chiprocks1

Book Review #29: Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again

Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again (2001)

Words by Frank Miller

Art by Frank Miller

Colors by Lynn Varley

I can't even begin to list all the things that went wrong with this. If there was ever a case to be made against making sequels, Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again would be the poster child. It just boggles the mind that the same creative team of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns did this one.

Where DKR1 was tight and on the money, DKR2 is nothing short of a chaotic mess. There are so many other Superheroes populating DKR2 that it really doesn't feel anything at all like a Batman story. He comes off as a minor character prone to showing up occasionally.

The art that made DKR1 such a joy to look at is nowhere to be found within the pages of DKR2. I lost count of how many times Frank's interpretation of characters from panel to panel looked goofy or just downright atrocious. His style was constantly changing and really became a thorn in my side while reading. The story itself was pretty lame and a complete waste of time. I should have known this was going to suck the minute I saw that Robin (Carrie) was now Catgirl. Her wearing the classic "Boy-Wonder" costume went a long way to adding to the charm of DKR1.

So, if this book is so bad then how did it even get a 1 Star rating? The only thing that saves this from having 0 Stars is the twist at the end, where the "Joker" is revealed to be that of Dick Grayson, the original Robin. The fight that ensues between him and Batman was pretty cool. But even with this twist at the end, I still have a problem. Visually the story would have worked and played so much better if Carrie was still Robin herself when she is getting her ass kicked by Grayson. And overall, I really believe the story itself would have been much better to know that "Joker" and Grayson were one and the same from the beginning. It would have made for a far better read, especially during the rest of the story that was taking place which was a chore to get through.

I can not and will not recommend this one to anyone. There is a reason why this sequel was not included in The Complete Frank Miller Batman - Leather bound Hardcover Edition. It's that bad.

Rating: 1 Star out of 5

Review by Chiprocks1

Book Review #28: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1986)

Story and Words by Frank Miller

Pencils by Frank Miller

Inks by Klaus Janson

Colors by Lynn Varley

Letters by John Costanza

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is everything that you've heard and more. It's such an amazing piece of literature and art combined to tell one kick ass story about Bruce Wayne who as Batman had been retired for years and out of the game only to come back one last time to face a Government that wants him tried and convicted for his brand of vigilante. Along the way he takes on gangs and mutants that have taken over Gotham City, not to be outdone here, Batman also has one last dance with the Joker and a final throw-down with Superman.

Along for the ride is Robin, portrayed by Carrie Kelly. Yes, a girl. I thought this was a brilliant move and highlighted that in a world of superheroes, that they too are celebrities with the public at large. And the biggest fan of Batman is of course Carrie who did what any would-be fan would do...bought her own costume, only to end up saving the big lugs life and becoming the new "Boy-Wonder".

The only thing that's unclear in the story is exactly what happened to Jason Todd, the 2nd Robin. It is mentioned that he is dead, but how or why is left a mystery.

The story and words for DKR is just about as perfect as you can get here. On top of Miller's writing, the art is just absolutely amazing. Drool worthy in my eyes. And we can't forget about Lynn Varley killer watercolor's to bring the images to life.

If I were asked to recommend just one book to a newcomer into the world of comics, THIS is the one that I would tell them to get. I can't count how many times I have read this book, which I have read more than any other. Just a great story and it never gets old no matter how many times I read it. Many publications say that Batman Year One is the greatest of them all with The Dark Knight Returns sitting at #2. I for one have that order reversed. 

Rating: 10 Stars out of 10 (Yep, I fore go the standard 5 Stars and really recommend this one).

Review by Chiprocks1

Book Review #25: 300

300 (1998)

Art and Words by Frank Miller

Colors by Lynn Varley

I'm a huge fan of Frank Miller as an artist and as a writer. But not everything he does is gold like most people will have you believe. 300 isn't perfect by any stretch and to me isn't one of my favorites from Miller. It's the story of how 300 Spartans withstood a Persian army of thousands upon thousands at the Battle of Thermopylae. I won't delve into the historical inaccuracy of the comic and will focus on the art and writing instead. 

I love the artwork, both Millers drawings and Lynn Varley's colors are phenomenal. But for me, I think the book is average at best because the story is so much bigger than what we get in the pages of a comic. Five issues is far too little to tell a story of this magnitude and it's why, to me anyway, it feels condensed and rushed. As a reader, I feel cheated because I know there is so much more to the story.

I know I am probably in the minority here and will probably get toasted for not holding this book up to a lofty high standard that most other people have a tendency to do. Good for you people. Just not one of Miller's best in my eyes. I think that at the end of the day, I just don't care about any of the characters within the story. There is no emotional connection that the reader gets to connect with like say, Marv from Sin City. Because 300 whizzes by so fast, it leaves very little time to build up a genuine rapport with the lead character as well as the secondary ones too. Without that bond, there is no sense of urgency that one feels when we finally get to the big showdown at the end.

This is a pick 'em book. Pick it up at your own discretion. If I were you, I'd go to the Library first and check it out before laying down your hard earned cash.

Rating: 3 Stars out of 5

Review by Chiprocks1