Commentary: Batman in Walmart

Just a quick reminder that you can always catch up with the latest Bat news on the News Page.

This whole thing started on my twenty-eighth birthday. My lovely girlfriend Mary Jane loves getting me gifts, and so a couple of months ago, I found myself unwrapping several boxes full of various trinkets that made her think of me. One of these was a juice bottle with a nozzle in the shape of Batman's head. Ridiculous? Yes. A tad demeaning and juvenile? Perhaps. Did I drink it? Absolutely!

As I sat there trying to gain suction on the poorly designed bottle so that I could suck out the sickeningly sweet, artificially flavored with 100% unnatural ingredients fruit concoction, I found myself thinking about just how completely Batman has saturated our culture. There I was, a grown man, greedily sucking down a somewhat disgusting fruit drink from a container made for five year olds, yet I found myself delighted just because the bottle happened to be shaped like Batman. What's wrong with me?

What exactly is wrong with me? Well, that's a question for another time, but I found myself wondering just how much Batman has seeped into pop culture and consumer products. I've seen Batman on toothpaste, coffee mugs, soap, T-shirts, pants, jackets, coffee tables, tote bags, watches, and magazines. Batman has been used to sell just about everything, and I decided it was my mission to measure just how deeply Batman has become ingrained in our culture and commerce. To measure this, I went to the mecca of American pop culture and commerce, Walmart.

I vowed that I would walk through every aisle of Walmart and chronicle each toy, movie, ball and shoe that bears the Bat symbol. Would I find a Bat item on every aisle? That seemed unlikely. Would I find Bat swag in every section? That seemed plausible, but just how far does the shadow of the Bat reach?

The Quest Begins

Entering Walmart, I immediately stumbled upon gold as I found double DKR's in Redbox, The Dark Knight Rises and the Animated adaption of The Dark Knight Returns.

I had already mentally charted my course from there. The plan was to travel the outer rim of the store and then work my way inwards marking down all Bat items along the way. I would go through the pharmacy section first where I expected little in the way of Bat items. Perhaps I might find some Bat vitamins, but it seemed unlikely, but beyond, there was the bath and body section where I would no doubt find soaps, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and many more hygienic items geared towards kids that tricky mothers could use to lure their young ones into cleaning themselves. I would then enter what I expected to be a desert for Bruce Wayne memorabilia for I had little hope of finding Bat merch in the pet section or the garden section. However, I had high hopes to find treasures in the car department and sporting goods. I had great faith that I would find much to sustain my love for the Bat.

I was completely wrong.

Click Here To Read the Rest of the Article.

Featured Review: Detective Comics #20

King for a Day

It's time for more na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na na, Batman! Introductions like that are why I should not write intros right after waking up.

John Layman (current writer of Image's Chew, IDW's Mars Attacks and Detective Comics) has been a blast on Detective Comics, and though we actually have several extremely talented writers working on Bat books these days, I think Layman is my favorite. I'm delighted that he delivers a more or less finished story in every book while building larger arcs between books. It's must be a delicate balance to write, but the satisfaction of having a completed case in each issue makes it well worth the extra work. Now, we are at the conclusion of the Emperor Penguin story arc, and somehow, our beloved thug who made it to the big time goes from being a trim classy looking guy with a bad haircut to a blue, muscle bound brute with a bad haircut. It looks like some twists are in store for both us and Batman in this issue, and I'm not completely convinced that I am on board with those twists, but I am intrigued.

Does Emperor Penguin feel the cold hard hand of justice or does this story leave readers out in the cold?

In this issue, Penguin is set free and Batman takes on a mutated Emperor Penguin.

A Justification for Big Blue

My biggest concern going into this issue was how Ogilvy transformed from a run of the mill human to a big blue metahuman bruiser. I originally thought that his transformation was going to be a by product of Penguin's plan for revenge. You know, it could have run the typical, “Let's kill him by dunking him in a vat of experimental chemicals. Oh no! He's transforming!” That scenario has been done countless times, so I was hoping it would not be the case here. Alternatively, it seemed like a possibility that Ogilvy might have always been a metahuman, and he might have kept it a secret in order to appear as a non-threat, but if that were the case, then Ogilvy would have had a secret advantage the whole time he made his play for Gotham, so it would have made his success slightly less impressive.

Thankfully, the real scenario turned out to fit neither of these templates. Rather than his mutation being something that happened to Ogilvy, Ogilvy was the driving force behind these mutations. Many of the pieces that had been left dangling throughout the story were all tied up in Ogilvy's transformation for he was secretly trying to test out various chemical enhancers over these past six issues. His final form was caused from a mix of Man-Bat formula, venom and some plant mutation by Poison Ivy. I know for certain that Poison Ivy and the Man-Bat formula were shown in the comics, and I believe Ogilvy also hit STAR Labs in a past issue which is where he stole the venom, so it was rather nice that the clues were laid out before us the entire time. By transforming himself, Ogilvy just solidifies himself as a self-determined and fearsome villain willing to do whatever it take to hold on to power.

To Read the Rest of the Review, Click Here.

More Recent Reviews

Detective Comics #20

Worlds' Finest #12

Batwing #20

Legends of the Dark Knight #45 - #47

Li'l Gotham #9

Bat Polls 5/1/13

Hey Bat Fans,

It's Wednesday which means you have the chance to share your thoughts with the rest of the Batman community in the Bat Polls, but first let me tell you what's happening across BatWatch. Today, of course, is comic book day, and I have the day off, so I should be able to pump out reviews in a timely manner. If you want the rundown on what Bat titles have to offer today, then simply check out yesterday's On Deck article. In that article, I also give my opinion of today's Legends of the Dark Knight print release. Also, reviews have been done of Li'l Gotham #9 and Legends of the Dark Knight #45 -#47. Finally, you can always check out the News Page to find out all the latest Bat happenings.

Before we get to today's polls, let's go over the results from last week which I found to be full of surprises.

Which of These Villains (Clayface, Doctor Hurt, Hush, Killer Croc, The Ventriloquist) Would You Most Like To See in a Live Action Batman Movie?

Overwhelmingly, (62%) Batwatchers voted for Hush as the villain of choice for a future Batman film. I have to say, this greatly surprised me. I knew a lot of people enjoyed Hush, and obviously, the Hush story arc is one of the best selling Batman arcs of all time, but I had no idea so many wanted to see good old Tommy Elliot make it to the big screen. Hush is the anti-Batman in a lot of ways, and we've never really seen someone in the movies with a similar backstory and mode of operation in terms of his cunning, planning and spite. I suppose Joker fit the bill in terms of master manipulator, but Tommy is much less flamboyant, and it would be cool to see a Spy vs. Spy battle with a personal vendetta play out on the big screen.

On the other hand, half the fun of Hush was the mystery of his identity, and trying to adapt the graphic novel Hush to the big screen would be such a logistical nightmare that it may as well be deemed impossible based on the amount of villains in play alone. A movie could always try to invent another story to showcase Elliot, but quite frankly, Tommy has never really impressed me at any point other than Hush. I felt like The Return of Hush (or whatever his next story arc was called) did a good job of deepening the character and setting the groundwork for future stories, but then, no truly great Hush stories ever came to my admittedly limited knowledge. I will give props to Hush for stealing Bruce's identity after R.I.P., but that's as far as the compliments go for me.

My choice, and I know this is an odd one, is The Ventriloquist. I know this would be incredibly difficult to do because Scarface would be such a difficult character to make believable, but that's precisely why I want them to do it. If you could pull off a live action movie which makes The Ventriloquist and Scarface believable characters, it would bring the magic of comics to the big screen in a way that is has never before been showcased. A good Ventriloquist story would nail the fractured mind of so many of Batman's villains which has been all but ignored in previous movies. As a villain, Wesker would be both frightening and sympathetic which is an interesting dynamic. The story could obviously incorporate action, but it would also have some minor horror elements. I think it would be a step forward for the superhero movie genre.

Should DC Comics Shy Away from Terrorist Strikes in the Wake of the Boston Bombings?

Again, the BatWatch community was pretty clearly decided with %76 saying that DC should not shy away from violence in light of the bombings. I agree with the majority on this one, but let me explain why I asked.

First, I remember movies and other forms of media changing their stories and delaying products because of the attacks on 911. I am not sure if DC pulled any stories during this time, but I do recall them shying away from dealing with any terrorists in the immediate aftermath. I believe Marvel actually did have some stories focused on terror, and personally, I prefer the Marvel approach. Great evil must be confronted, and I don't think it can be truly confronted if you choose to hide your eyes from reality. I'm not saying we should glorify violence or dwell on horrors constantly, but reality, whether good or bad, must be recognized. It is tragedies like this that give opportunities for real life heroes to rise, and I want to see both the tragedy and the answering of the call reflected in comics.

Second, I read Batman Beyond #21 the other day, and it showed bombed buildings from a recent Joker attack, and with Boston so fresh in the memory, those scenes really struck me differently than they did just a month earlier. I have no idea if DC has even considered pulling any stories, but I can understand the urge to shield people from feelings of discomfort.

What Should Be Done to the Joker when Caught?

This is another one that really shocked me. 65% of Bat fans said that Joker should be executed. Out of those favoring the death penalty, 39% said is should be done by the government and 26% said that Batman should handle it personally. I still have a hard time believing this because I've talked about the death penalty on ComicVine, and the vast majority appeared to be against it.

Personally, I believe every first degree murderer should be executed by the state. I do not think the taking of an innocent life and the taking of a guilty life are remotely similar, and I find the idea that you can murder someone and then live moderately comfortably on the citizens' dime for the rest of your life to be reprehensible. I do, however, think that execution is the government's job and not Batman's. If Batman had to use lethal force to save his own life or the life of others, that is a okay with me, but taking the authority of judge, jury and executioner is a role we do not want in the hands of any one person...even Batman.

I have been wondering though what might cause so many in the BatWatch community to be okay with the death penalty when ComicVine seemed so against it only a year ago, and I've come up with a few theories. Maybe, the distinguishing factor is that Joker is such an extremely vile murder who has killed hundreds and perhaps thousands of innocent people. Maybe in some people's minds, Joker is a special case who is worthy of the ultimate punishment. Alternatively, maybe the recent bombings have made people more hostile to cold hearted murderers. I toyed around with the idea that perhaps Bat fans are more in favor of the death penalty than the average comic book reader, but that does not really make sense since Bruce is historically anti-killing. Maybe, I just attract a bloodthirsty crowd.

On Deck! 4/30/13

Greetings Bat Fans,

We're going to run down the list of Wednesday's crop of comics in just a minute, but first, let me tell you that there have been a lot of news articles added in the past two days, so you will definitely want to check out the News Page if you have not been over there recently. Personally, the return of Renee Montoya is what interests me the most out of recent Bat news, but there are lots of other tidbits worth checking out.

Also, I should have enough time this evening to finally do reviews for the latest Legends of the Dark Knight and Li'l Gotham comics. Those should be linked to the homepage Wednesday.

Pull List

So what does the Bat world have cooking this week?

Detective Comics #20 is finally concluding the Emperor Penguin arc that John Layman (current writer of Image's Chew and Detective Comics) has been building since issue thirteen. The story has weaved its way through Death of the Family and 'Tec 900, but Layman's sites have been set on Ogilvy the entire time. Rather than his typical look, the cover sports Ogilvy appearing as a blue body builder desperately in need of a haircut. I saw this cover months ago and assumed that Ogilvy's transformation would be some vengeful mutation caused by Cobblepot, but from the preview, this is not necessarily the case. Perhaps Ogilvy has always been a metahuman and has simply hid it to keep an Ace up his sleeve? The issue's backup mentions that Ogilvy will be taking a trip to Blackgate that he will never forget which makes it appear as if Batman will have the last laugh in this issue. I wonder if Cobblepot will have prepared a warm greeting for the Emperor. It looks like this issue will be a lot of fun, but Layman has a tiny bit of work cut out for him to win back my complete loyalty after disappointing me with the Man-Bat reboot in Tec' #19.

Worlds Finest #12 comes out today featuring the return of the boob window. I mention the boob window first because it will probably be the only thing talked about regarding this issue, and for once, people's obsession with Power Girl's boobs will actually be somewhat justified because nothing more interesting than Power Girl's boobs ever happens in this series.

Last issue left us with Power Girl facing off with Desaad, and this does hold some promise in that Power Girl might finally, for the first time in twelve issues, have a decent fight scene. The preview actually made this issue look okay as Desaad engages in a decent battle with Huntress and Power Girl and cleverly manipulates the ladies. However, past issues have made me rather cynical, and if this issue follows Worlds' Finest's regular pattern, Power Girl will fight Desaad without difficulty while making some forced sex pun, the issue will pause in the middle of an intense scene to show a boring and trivial flashback, the issue will return to the present wherein Power Girl will thrash Desaad, Huntress will get in trouble, Kara will save her, turning her back on Desaad and Desaad will escape with the Worlds' Finest having learned nothing through the whole experience. Roll credits.

Batwing #20 is also coming out tomorrow, and I have rather mixed feelings on this issue. I guess I have become more attached to David Zavimbe than I realized because I find the prospect of reading a Batwing issue without him to be a little sad. However, Jimmy Palmiotti (former inker for Jonah Hex and writer for Power Girl and current writer for Batwing, Ame-Comi Girls, The Human Bomb and All-Star Western) and Justin Gray (former writer for Jonah Hex and Power Girl and current writer for Batwing, Ame-Comi Girls, The Human Bomb and All-Star Western) did give Zavimbe an acceptable end to his story, and now a new character is up to Bat. Luke Fox seems like an interesting guy, and anybody who could lighten up the mood of the Bat Clan would be much appreciated. Palmiotti and Gray are writers with a good track record, so if you have any interest in giving Batwing a try, this is the time to jump on board and get a flavor for the series' new direction.

In first time to print, Legends of the Dark Knight #8 comes out containing two short stories. I read and reviewed both of these stories, and though I'm usually a big Legends fan, I have to suggest you only buy this particular issue if you are really in need of an extra Batman fix. The first story, Carved, is silly and unmemorable. Also, it is drawn in such a way as to make all the characters look like Stretch Armstrong. The second story, Unnatural Selection, is much cooler and features the weird world of cryptotaxidermy. There is a definite classic sci-fi vibe to this latter story, but it's still not an amazing work. As an average between the two, I'd say this issue is about a 6/10.

That's it for Bat comics this week, but if anybody is a big Gail Simone (former writer of Birds of Prey and current writer of Batgirl and Vertigo's Time Warp) fan, you might want to check out The Movement #1 which has been promoted as Occupy Wall Street with superpowers. I'm not an Occupy guy, but I have to admit to a slight bit of intrigue. However, BatWatch has it's plate full, so I will not be reviewing it, but if anybody else reads it and has thoughts, feel free to share.

That's it for now. Catch everybody later!

Batman Video: Key of Awesome

Hey Bat Fans,

I ran out of time for my planned article today, so I'll have to do "Batman in Walmart" on Friday. To make up for the lack of an article, check out this video which picks apart some plot wholes with The Dark Knight in the best possible way...with song. Just so you know, there are a couple of minor curse words in the lyrics.

Also, yesterday was a big news day for Batman, so head over to the News Section to catch up with all the latest.

Tweets of the Week 4/28/13

It's Sunday which means it's Tweets of the Week where I collect interesting tidbits from comic book creators (and commentators) as shared over Twitter. Before we get started, let me give a quick reminder that you can always check the News Page to catch up with the latest, and there were several news articles added Saturday. With that out of the way...

Let's Kick This Pig!

Batman-News.com shares an interesting report on Justice League.

Batman-News: “Zack Snyder likely to direct 'Justice League' if 'Man of Steel' is a success http://batn.ws/17jaTQ0”

JimZub (former writer of Image's Skullkickers and current writer of Image's Mighty Skullkickers and Dynamite's Pathfinder) needs to find his way Back to the Comic Con.

JimZub: “Parked at the Calgary Mariott... #bttf pic.twitter.com/natyNZ8JAq”

Duane Swierczynski (former writer of Birds of Prey and Cable and current writer of Valiant's Bloodshot, IDW's Judge Dredd and Dark Horse's X) stumbles across a murder most fowl.

Swierczynski: One of the chicken legs in this pack was broken. Clearly, this chicken owed money to the mob.

Fhiz (creator of GothamSpoilers.com) got his hands on some Brett Booth artwork.

Fhiz: “GothamSpoilers.com , Nightwing #20 Art Preview http://goo.gl/fb/K6p9D”

Finally, DC Comics (I assume they need no introduction) released the promo trailer for Lobo in Injustice: Gods Among Us.

DC: “Here's the Lobo trailer from @InjusticeGame that was just shown off here in Chicago: http://youtu.be/RFwC8dV2l1Y  #DCC2E2”

I know it was a bit short today, but hopefully, it was sweet. I'll catch you guys tomorrow where if all goes according to plan, you'll see a BatWatch article that goes boldly where no Bat site has ever gone before, Walmart.

News Updates

Hey Bat Fans,

I do not have any major announcement for today, but I'll tell you a few little things happening. First up, the News Section is updated every day. BatWatch has added twenty news articles in the past week. Yesterday, there was some info on Adam West's health issues and some stats on Teen Titans Go! along with promos for future episodes. Also, there are two new reviews which should be done soon. Legends of the Dark Knight has completed it's latest arc. I know some of you have been waiting for my review because I can see the hits on the Legends page. Sorry. Give me another day or two. Also, the latest Li'l Gotham is ready for review. Finally, I've sorted out my comic book images, and I'll be updating the Image Galleries soon. I'll make sure to place a link on the homepage when the images are uploaded. 

Hasta luego.

Featured Commentary: Batman Beyond Moves Beyond the Cartoon

Batman Beyond Grows Beyond the Cartoon

Online, I talk to people about comics constantly, and I ran into this one guy who was a big fan of Batman Beyond. He said, “Man, I really miss that show. They should have kept it going,” to which I replied, “You know they are continuing Batman Beyond in comics, right?” It's hard to decipher tone in written communication, but my impression of his words were of a man preparing to die of dehydration suddenly realizing I had a bottle of water because he said, “What?!!? What are you talking about? Where is this! Seriously?”

It's true. Batman Beyond is still alive and well, and I'd go as far to say that it has grown beyond the original conception of the show and is now better than ever.

Batman Before

I never saw much of Batman Beyond until recently. I grew up poor, (well, poor by United States standards which would be considered rich throughout much of the world not to mention compared to all the people who lived in previous generations who could never dream of having the luxury that “poor” Americans suffer through) and my family never had cable. I did see a few episodes of Batman Beyond when I was babysitting some kid, (to make another side note, I was a horrible babysitter. I napped while the kid played in the back yard. It's a miracle he wasn't kidnapped) and while “watching” the kid, I saw a few episodes and I thought they were okay, but I was not a huge fan. This was not the Batman I knew. The Batman I knew was now old, and the universe just felt like it glorified in the cyberpunk without really having a soul.

When I started gearing up for BatWatch about a half year ago, I realized there was a Batman Beyond series being released digitally, and I reluctantly resigned myself to shell out the money for what I thought was going to be a mediocre comic, but I was wrong. I was very, very wrong.

Click Here for the Rest of the Article

Featured Review: Batman, Incorporated #10

Gotham's Most Wanted

When thinking about Batman, Incorporated, I find myself asking, “What's the point?” All the changes to the Batman universe brought forth by Morrison (former writer of Rebellion's 2000AD and Batman and current writer of Batman, Incorporated) are being reset by the very same writer, and according to the preview for this issue, Batman, Incorporated has now been dissolved, so we are essentially reading about a ghost team at this point. The last issue made it appear as if the boys (Batman and the ex-Robins) were going to take out Tallia's forces singlehandedly, and though that is no doubt awesome, it should really just be standard operating pattern for the Bat Clan, so I can't help but wonder what will set these next four issues apart from every other Batman story.

Then, I consider all the many things this series still has going for it. Morrison is a good writer whether or not he is reversing all his previous plot developments. The fight appears to be epic, and to quote every generic action movie, “This time it's personal,” as Batman has a Robin to avenge. There are still plenty of potential reveals lurking around the corner of the story. (Is The Heretic really who he appears? Is Talia really this evil or is something amiss with her? Will there be any long term fallout from this arc?) Azrael, (Michael Lane) for instance, is making a return this issue. What else could happen?

Does this issue prove that Batman, Incorporated still has what it takes to be a great Batman story or has the once great Morrison devolved into writing clichés?

In this issue, Batman prepares for war, Talia ties up loose ends, and the city turns against Batman.

To Read the Rest of This Review, Click Here.

More Recent Reviews:

Batman, Incorporated #10

The Dark Knight #19

Teen Titans #19

Talon #7

Batwoman #19

Birds of Prey #19

Batwing #19

Legends of the Dark Knight #42 -#44

Bat Polls 4/24/13

Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening to you my fellow Bat Fans!

It's comic book day! Four titles release today, and we have lots of potential in the mix. If you want a rundown of what we can expect from today's Bat comics, then check out yesterday's On Deck! article. I do have today off from work, so hopefully, articles will be out in a timely manner.

To give you just a dash of Bat related goodness to tide you over until you can get your hands on your pull list, we're going to do the Bat Polls where you can share your thoughts on Bat related matters. But first, let me give you a quick reminder that there are articles added every day to the News Section of BatWatch, so be sure to head over there to keep up with the latest.

To the Bat Polls!

Before getting to this week's polls, we're going to review the results from last week.

Do You Plan To Play Injustice: Gods Among Us?

Injustice clearly struck a chord with DC fans. I honestly would have expected a little less interest. %33 of BatWatch not only intended to play it but was already playing it within a week of it being released. I'm guessing this game will be making a nice little stack of money for DC and NetherRealm. Another 28% said they were planning on buying it which means over half of those that responded are shelling out the money for it. Another 11% said they'd rent it, and only 28% said they would not give it a try.

Personally, I'll rent it. I actually tried to rent it last night, but it's not yet in RedBox. I'm more of an FPS guy than a fighting game guy, and I do not play video games all that much at the moment, but for BatWatch, I want to give this game a try. Also, maybe I'll cop to a slight desire to see my favorite heroes and villains wail on each other.

Did the Change Ups in Batwing Make You Want To Buy the Series?

Injustice may have hit a major nerve with the Batman fans, but Batwing recent attempt to do away with David Zavimbe and replace him with a new character was not quite as popular. The largest response (40%) was, “I couldn't care less,” but if you combine the options of, “I'm definitely picking up the next issue,” and, “I'll probably check it out,” then you come up with a slightly larger sum, (45%) so it looks like the changes have been moderately successful attracting new readers. The questions is whether those new readers will stick around.

Obviously, I'll be reading it as long as Bat is in the name, but I will make sure to let you guys know what I think when the next issue is released. However, I do think the new series has promise.

Who Is the Best Batgirl?

We have a tie for first place between Barbara and Steph with both receiving %38 of the vote. Cass took second with 19%. One person who is full of crap said Barbara Wilson who some scarred individuals might remember is the Batgirl from the abysmal Batman and Robin movie.

Personally, I think I'd go with Cass, and it's a darn shame she didn't get more votes. Babs is a completely unlikable character to me as Batgirl, and I saw very little of Steph wearing the cowl, so it seemed unfair to give her the crown. However, I did see Cassandra, and she was a force nearly beyond comprehension in terms of physical power. Balancing out her near physical perfection, Cass was socially and verbally handicapped, and her nearly child like wonder made for a fascinating lens through which to view Gotham.

On Deck! 4/23/13

There were three news articles added to BatWatch yesterday including two previews and the possible return of two character to the DCU. To catch up with the latest, just head over to the News Section of BatWatch.

I become worn out hanging with some friends last night, and now, I am writing this last minute, so I will not have enough time to make this post quite as polished as usual.

So, what's on the agenda for tomorrow in the Batman realm?

Batman, Incorporated #10 is coming out, and I have to say that I've soured on the whole Batman, Inc. concept now that I know from interviews that Morrison (former writer of Rebellion's 2000AD and Batman and current writer of Batman, Incorporated and Action Comics) is basically resetting the Batman universe. Still, the preview makes it look like there is a lot worth noting and appreciating still happening in the book. The full cover reveals Batman turning into a man-bat though my money is on that being more emotional than physical representing Bruce giving himself over to his more feral nature, but we might see Bruce sprout some wings. Who knows? (minor spoilers for rest of paragraph) The preview also has a couple of other big things happening with the police turning on Batman for the millionth time and the return of Azrael, Michael Lane. However, Morrison's goal to reset everything makes me wonder if Azrael will live through the arc.

The Dark Knight #19 is out, and I'm, surprisingly, kind of excited about it. The origin of the Mad Hatter has intrigued me for many reasons not the least of which is that his madness originally started from a lack of testosterone and an experimental hormone supplement. Since I also have low testosterone and take supplements, I know I now have permission, an obligation really, to go on crime sprees. I'll tell my lawyer about The Mad Hatter defense, and I'll be scott free. Anyway, it actually has been a good origin story, and the part of the story set in the present, though not ground breaking, has been entertaining.

Teen Titans #19 also comes out today, and I can't say I much care. Tim Drake, my beloved Robin, is a complete douche these days as Red Robin, and nothing would please me more in this arc than to see him fly into a wood chipper. Well, that might be a bit much, but the preview for this issue makes it clear that Tim continues to show signs of constant irrationality, and Lobdell's (former writer of Uncanny X-Men and current writer for Teen Titans, Superboy and Superman) comments on the series make it seem as if this is not some sort of external influence affecting Tim but rather just some personal hangup of the character. Trigon also plays, presumably, a big role in tomorrow's Titans since he was lording over NYC when last we saw our bumbling group of heroes and heroines. Standing by Trigon's side on the cover of this issue are Raven and...Beast Boy? Interesting.

Finally, Talon #7 comes out today, and if you are not reading this series, why not? It's awesome. This issue will, presumably, deal with the betrayal of Sebastian Clark with which I still have some reservations since it was such an obvious reveal. However, writer James Tynion does seem to be backing up the idea of Clark being evil. Also, we have Talon coming face to face with the leader of the Court of Owls. Finally, Bane, newly reinvigorated to reflect a persona more in tune with his origin, has come to town to break Calvin. If that does not get you excited, you've got a screw loose.

Finally, a trade is released today, Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams: Volume 2. I know no more about it other than that Neal Adams (former artist for Detective Comics, Batman, and World's Finest and current artist for The First X-Men and cover artist for Daredevil)  is an extremely respected artist.

Gotta go!

Commentary: The Dark Knight Rises Was a Mediocre Film

Greetings Bat Fans,

The reviews of Batman Beyond #21 and Legends of the Dark Knight #42 - #44 are up. There were also several news articles added yesterday including a story about a guy who built his own Bat Cave, so head over to the News Section to keep up with the latest Bat News. Also, I think I've now responded to all the comments people have left on BatWatch and Twitter which have been previously  unanswered, so if you've been waiting for a response, check your comment again. If I've missed anything, please let me know.

The Dark Knight Flounders

I wrote this a week or two after the movie came out and posted it to ComicVine, but I have a much larger audience now, and I do not think most of you have read this. Also, people still talk about how amazing The Dark Knight Rises was, and personally, I don't see it, so this is still relevant in my book.

Before we get started, let me tell you where I stand on the previous films in the trilogy. I was not overly impressed with Batman Begins. It was an okay movie, but the action scenes didn’t do much for me. For this reason, I was pretty cynical when I went to see The Dark Knight, but I was blown away by the best live action Batman movie to date. The action and acting were amazing, the plot was solid with ingenious themes and resolutions, and all aspects of the Bat were well represented: the fighting, the detective skills, and the determination. When I heard the rave reviews of the Dark Knight Rises, I was ready for an even better Batman film. Boy, was I in for a disappointment.

I’ll put these in order of importance starting with the minor quibbles and working my way towards the more major offences.

Whatever Happened to the Dark Knight Detective?

In The Dark Knight, Batman finally acted like a detective. He used high-tech gear to piece together a bullet fragment and pull a villainous fingerprint. He tracked down leads as Batman and Bruce Wayne in an attempt to put together Joker’s scheme. He quickly decoded many of Joker’s taunts and riddles such as the death of the detectives Harvey and Dent. He played the role of the classic noir detective and beat information out of lowlife thugs. For the first time in a movie, a director seemed to understand that Batman is more than a typical action hero who beats up bad guys. He pieces together puzzles and works preemptively on his intelligence with his intelligence to stop crimes before they happen.

Where did that go in The Dark Knight Rises? The closest we get to Bruce detecting is noticing that Selina was dusting for fingerprints and then putting together…absolutely nothing from that startling revelation. Batman couldn’t even mention some theories as to why she might want to do that? I believe Batman yelled something like, “Where’s the trigger!?!!?” at Bane at some point during the film. Does that count as detective work? No! No, it does not. In Nolan’s final Batman film, Bruce is retarded back from a skilled detective to a simple action hero who reacts to villains rather than preemptively acting to stay one step ahead of them.

Click Here To Read the Rest of the Review.

Tweets of the Week: 4/21/13

Welcome to Tweets of the Week where we highlight some of the most interesting tidbits shared from Bat Family creators over Twitter. As I said yesterday, I have not had much time to pay attention to things like Twitter recently, but since this is a weekly feature that I enjoy and I believe you enjoy, I wanted to make time for it, and I spent about a half hour Saturday collecting these tweets. Luckily, writers were being especially interesting yesterday, so we have a good batch today.

Let's Kick This Pig!

Gail Simone (former writer of Birds of Prey and current writer of Batgirl and Vertigo's Time Warp) makes a good point.

Simone: “It's hilarious that execs still believe guys won't go see a Wonder Woman movie. #bronies”

I've heard of a backhanded compliment, but Mike Choi (former penciler of Top Cow's Witchblade) has perfected the art of forehanded self deprecation.

Choi: “I won't be there, but a crapload of other more-talented-but-less-attractive awesome artists will be.”

Choi also made a pitch for a new color spectrum to be added to the Lantern Corps.

Choi: “Grumpy lantern. pic.twitter.com/QEBvUXaRWT”

I thought this was mildly amusing, but my roommate thinks it is hilarious as does Rob Williams (former writer of Rebellion's 2000 AD and current writer of Legends of the Dark Knight and Dynamite's Miss Fury) and his family.

Williams: “My children think this Despicable Me short is hilarious. They're right. 'Banana!' http://youtu.be/BYBw_o_2nG0”

John Layman (current writer of Detective Comics and Image's Chew) proves that Ann Nocenti's poor writing cannot be a result of smoking pot.

Layman: “Layman= A proud pot smoker.”

Phil Jimenez (former cover artist for Titans and writer and artist for Wonder Woman and current inker for Worlds' Finest, penciler for Green Lantern and cover artist for Fearless Defenders) encapsulates the craziness of a comic convention.

Jimenez: “You know you're at #FanExpo when you ride the elevators with He-Man and Black Widow and then, in the lobby... pic.twitter.com/iYo1SKv7by”

Scott Snyder (former writer for Detective Comics current writer of Batman, Talon, Swamp Thing and Vertigo's American Vampire) makes an expression which is still making me laugh.

Snyder: “"@paqman13: @Ssnyder1835 does your mom txt u each week that its #1 #proudmom" HAHAHA! Come on! No way! Pfft! Heh. pic.twitter.com/blOAT8xbwH”

Finally, Jimmy Palmiotti (former inker for Jonah Hex and writer for Power Girl and current writer for Batwing, The Human Bomb, All-Star Western, and Ame-Comi Girls) shared an amazing video which I do not want to spoil, but let's just say it involves a forensic artist and soap.

Palmiotti: “http://www.youtube.com/embed/XpaOjMXyJGk …" frameborder="0"... http://fb.me/sM71AHtq”

Until next time, Batcelsior!

Most Recent Additions and Personal Notes

Greetings Batfans,

I've finally, after weeks working on it, managed to get caught up on major reviews. I've been promising for awhile that I'll let you know what's going on to cause all these little bumps in the road, and how I plan to address things to make BatWatch run more smoothly, and I'll get to that in a minute, but first, let me get you caught up on what is now finally done on BatWatch.

The Birds of Prey #19 Review is done. The Batwing #19 Review is done after infinite delays. Reviews of Legends of the Dark Knight #42 - #44 and Batman Beyond #21 should be done tomorrow evening. I have two continuing projects I am working on at the moment. First, I'm trying to fix the bug on the Specials review page which has oddly turned the text black. Second, I'm in the process of updating the Image Galleries of BatWatch. I have a lot of awesome pictures to add, but I accidentally missorted them, so I am now having to go through my entire comic book image library and pull out the newest additions for upload which, as you might imagine, is a time consuming process.

Also, there were twenty-eight news articles added to BatWatch in the past week including one yesterday which commemorated a very special birthday, so as always, you can head over to the News Section of BatWatch to catch up with the latest.

What Been Happening?

Hopefully, I've been managing to keep BatWatch rolling well enough so that most of you did not notice many problems, but for those who pay real close attention, you might have noticed a few minor problems such as failing to get Batwing reviewed for over two weeks. Here is what is causing the delays.

Mostly, the problem is work, and the work issues are two pronged. First, I'm a house tech guy who sets up and runs video and audio systems, (along with some other odds and ends) for clients. Work is usually steady, but occasionally, it goes from steady to insanely busy, and with a department of only five guys for a building that regularly gets thousands and sometimes tens of thousands of clients through every week, that requires all hands to be on deck for some long hours. About a month ago, I worked about a hundred hours in eight days at which point I posted pretty much nothing on BatWatch. About two weeks ago, I worked sixty hours in a week which is when I first ended up getting behind on the Batwing review. Once I get behind, it's hard to get caught back up because new articles have to be added to BatWatch everyday.

The second problem on the work front is that computer usage has been prohibidado. I suspect most people who have worked very long in any sort of high pressure job with office politics can probably tell you that there is always some person in every group that is the whipping boy that everybody looks for excuses to criticize. Well, it appears that it is my turn to be under the microscope.

I suppose this sounds like I have a bit of a persecution complex, but I've seen different people become under the gun in the past for no real reason. The situation usually goes like this. One person has a complaint about another person which may or may not be legitimate. That person complains to everybody else in the building except the one person who actually bothers them. Soon, everybody is sharing about the mistakes this one individual made and talking behind their back constantly. After a month or so of trashing the one person, another person hacks somebody off and the cycle begins anew. It's weird and probably indicative of a very big problem in society, but I'm not claiming immunity. I've cast stones with the best and the worst of them.

Anyway, my boss recently informed me of a laundry list of complaints about me that nobody bothered to tell me to my face despite the fact that I've always asked others to let me know if they have an issue, and one of those complaints was that I was using the internet on company time. My bosses use the internet on company time, but that's apparently cool. My coworkers are free to take fifteen minute smoke breaks and play on their smart phones during slow moments, but apparently it is way out line for me to use a laptop or PC to check a comic book site.

You either laugh at it, or you go crazy.

In an overabundance of caution, I've just completely abandoned using the internet at any point at work including on lunch breaks which kind of sucks for BatWatch because, though I rarely had the time to write actual articles at work, I did frequently take five minutes here or there to respond to comments on BatWatch, ComicVine and Twitter, so if you've wondered why you've barely heard from me in the past month except through BatWatch posts, that would be the reason.

Another thing that has taken some time away from BatWatch is that this strange girl calls me nearly every day who claims she is my “girlfriend” and makes unreasonable demands of my time. She will rudely interrupt me when I'm doing important work on BatWatch and say, “Stop playing with BatWatch and kiss me,” and I'm all like, “Unhand me foul temptress! My people need me!” Nonetheless, she can be oddly persuasive. Other unsavory characters who identify themselves as family and friends also seem to want to slice off chunks of my time. I'm constantly saying things like, “I'm really busy with this review. I'm afraid I can't come over tonight, Mom,” and she's all like, “But son, I haven't seen you in two years. Also, I fell three hours ago, and I still can't get back up. Please, help me.” Nag, nag, nag.

Actually, I have been trying to spend a little more time with my girlfriend in the past month because BatWatch had begun to take too much time. We spent the whole day together Sunday and went to Little Rock, visited a museum, went inside the Presidential Double Wide (the Clinton Presidential Museum which looks like a giant trailer) and started to do the tour until we realized we had to pay at which point we decided we really didn't care that much. We just stopped because it was close by the museum and we were curious. We found a nice restaurant and ate some good food. It was nice.

Monday, we went to see Mary Jane's friend, Rachel which brings me to...

Rachel Update

Several of you made the mistake of showing basic human concern for my girlfriend's (Mary Jane's) best friend Rachel who is terminal with brain cancer, so now you must be depressed periodically with detailed updates.

There is both bad news and good news this time. The last time I mentioned Rachel was about a month ago when Mary Jane had gone on a trip with Rachel, and Rachel was doing very poorly. Over the course of the trip, she had gone down quickly going from being fairly aware and engaged to being barely mentally coherent and losing basic bodily functions such as the ability to walk up three steps. Both Mary Jane and Rachel's mother concluded during this week that Rachel was truly going to die which they had been rejecting previously despite the doctor's prognosis. Things became even worse in the week after Rachel came home as she had a major seizure and nearly choked to death on her vomit in the process.

However, things took a turn for the better after this. They took Rachel to the hospital and did a brain scan fully expecting the cancer to have grown despite the radiation, but the tumor had actually remained about the same size. What was causing Rachel's health decline was brain swelling from, I presume, the radiation. They put her on some steroids, and she has returned to a better state. When I was there with her the other day, Rachel seemed fully aware, and she talked and joked a little though she was very weak and quiet, but she had the light of understanding in her eyes at all times. She is finding it difficult to pinpoint the best words to express herself for whatever reason. Both Rachel's mom and Mary Jane have regained their faith that God will perform a miracle. We'll see.

Getting BatWatch Back on Track

First up, BatWatch should naturally get back on track just as soon as I stop getting work weeks that take all my time. There will probably be a few more crazy weeks over the Summer, but for the most part, these interruptions should be rare. However, I am working on some ways to improve the consistency of BatWatch.

The main thing I am doing is trying to streamline my review process. From writing my intro before reading the comic to adding all the links to other reviews at the end of the post takes nearly two hours per review, and that kills me on weeks like this where I have five comics to review, but I can't get the day off from work. Consequently, I am trying various tricks to streamline my writing and speed up the process. My goal is to get reviews done in an hour, and I've made moderate improvements in increasing my speed. Also, if I get way behind on a reviews, I'm going to shorten the review to get caught up.

With comments, I'm going to have to just ask you to be patient with me. Anything you write me on BatWatch I will eventually respond to, but it might be awhile. I'm very frustrated because you have actually been more active than usual on giving comments recently, and that means a lot to me, but I simply cannot get to you as quickly as I like all the time. By getting caught up today, I can hopefully start to catch up on those comments. On ComicVine and Twitter, I'll try to get caught up, but there is a chance I might just have to let a bunch of those comments go unattended as much as I hate to be that way. Please know that I will always read those comments even if I cannot find the time to respond.

Something that would be a huge help is if anybody would send me links to commentary articles for BatWatch. I mentioned this idea a month or so ago, and I was flooded with people who said they were interested in contributing, but many of those who said they were interested never actually sent me an article. (and obviously, I mean something you wrote. I don't want to be stealing people's work) BatWatch received 1,600 separate visitors last week alone. If you want a place for your thoughts to be read by your fellow Bat fanatics, this is the place. Before, I asked for specific articles, but now I'm just saying if you have anything you want to share, send it to me, and I'll use it as I feel is is most useful. I'll send you a message, if I have a way to contact you, letting you know I intend to use it. It's as simple as that.

I think I did misplace one or two articles some of you sent to me. I'm very sorry about that. I think people sent me the articles at the same time work started going crazy. The only article I have right now that I have not used is about diversity in the Bat Family, and I have not yet used that because it's kind of similar to some other things I've talked about recently, and I try to keep things fresh. Sorry if I lost yours. Please send it to me again.

It's a lot easier to edit someone else's article than it is to write, edit, and post my own, so if you guys have anything you want to share, please send it to me. It would be good for you, for me, and for the BatWatch community. Arnoldo Acosta's article on the way the DCNU ruined Batman, Inc. is still one of the most popular commentary articles I've ever posted, so there is definitely a market for some variety in Bat opinions.

Anyway, that's about it. If you are enjoying BatWatch, please pass it on. Almost every Batman fan loves BatWatch once they give it a try, but it's difficult to get someone to take that first taste to discover how much they enjoy it. Please pass the word if not out of the generosity of your heart then for the quality of your own entertainment because if BatWatch became big enough for me to start making money off of it, I would be able to invest the capital and time to make it a much better service with an interactive community that loves talking intelligently about the Bat Family.

Commentary: What Does the Future Hold for Batman and...Robin?

Hey Batwatchers,

I, theoretically, had time to get caught up on comics last night, but that didn't work out because I've deprived myself of too much sleep, and I crashed instead. However, I still got some things done. About a half dozen News Articles were added, and I reviewed Batwoman #19 in addition to writing the article below. Enjoy!

With rotating titles like Batman and Nightwing, Batman and Batgirl, Batman and Red Hood, and Batman and Catwoman, I'm not sure if any series has ever managed to suffer from multiple personality disorder as completely as Batman and...

Batman and..., of course, refers to the series formerly known as Batman and Robin, but ever since Damian was beaten, shot full of bullets and arrows, broken Bane style, riddled with projectiles once more, slammed head first into a wall, and run through with a sword, (because killing a Robin with just a crowbar and bomb was so twenty years ago) the old title doesn't really seem to fit the book anymore.

Right now, the series seems to be in limbo. With a new titles every month, it's anybodies guess what the future holds. However, that's exactly what I'm going to examine today, and though I can't authoritatively offer any conclusions, I can certainly give you a fair rundown of the options.

As I see it, there are only three big picture possibilities for the series. The series can be canceled, it can continue to act as a team-up book, or it can continue as originally conceived with a new Robin. Let's check this out one option at a time.

Canceled!

DC has made many calls over the past couple years that I, and many others, find questionable and downright stupid, but despite these reservations for the editorial staff at DC, I do not think there is any real chance that Batman and... is going to be canceled.

Peter J. Tomasi (former editor of Hitman and current writer for Batman and... and Green Lantern Corps) and Partick Gleason (former artist for Robin and cover artist for Arkham City: End Game and current penciler for Batman and Robin) have proven their skills on this book. In addition to delivering many of the most critically acclaimed stories of in the DCNU, they've been successful financially firmly planted in the top third of DC's sales month to month. Very few creative teams are still together since the inception of the New 52; Tomasi and Gleason are on of the very few left which apparently enjoy working together and unquestionably deliver a high quality product.

DC might occasionally make some immensely stupid decisions, but I do not believe that they are anywhere near stupid enough to shoot one of their champion horses in the face. Batman and... might switch titles and directions, but as long as Tomasi and Gleason are willing to work together, I think there will be a place for them on a Bat Family title.

To Read the Rest of the Article, Click Here.

Featured Review: Nightwing #19

Second City

It's time for some Bat Family goodness, or at least I hope that's what we have in store with this month's Nightwing. The last issue left us with the massive cliffhanger when it was revealed that Anthony Zucco, the man who killed Dick Grayson's parents, is still alive and operating in Chicago. Kyle Higgins has already leaked lots of hints as to what's to come in Dick's adventures in the Windy City, and I haven't heard a bad note yet. Brett Booth (former artist on Wildstorm series Backlash and current penciler for Detective Comics and cover artist for Earth 2, Vibe and Superboy) is adding his smooth and spectacular art style to the book, and Nightwing gets a brand new (to him) villain in the form of Prankster who will apparently become a significant threat, so I'm geared up and ready for this issue.

Does all of this promise send Grayson flying to new heights, or is this one flight of fancy that needs to be ground----ed?

In this issue, Nightwing makes some friends, makes some enemies and meets at least one crazy person in Chicago.

Brett Booth FTW!

I know I'm totally sucking up to Brett Booth at the moment, but his work on this title is pretty much everything I hoped it would be. Nightwing's movements look as beautiful as they have ever been portrayed, Brett's sleek style does indeed fit the tone of the book, every image does a great job of conveying the story, faces are expressive and distinctive and even the panel layout is fresh keeping readers on their toes during fight scenes and conveying the chaos of the moment. The colorist, Andrew Dalhouse, (former colorist for Boom's Irredeemable and Teen Titans and current colorist for Detective Comics, Nightwing, Threshold and Fairest and cover artist for Earth 2 and Justice League) also does a great job giving the entire issue a vibrant feel which compliments Booth's pencils perfectly.

To See the Rest of This Review with Images, Click Here.

More Recent Reviews:

Nightwing #19

Red Hood and the Outlaws #19

Catwoman #19

On Deck and Bat Polls! 4/16/13

Quick Housekeeping

I goofed yesterday by failing to put a link in the image of Monday's news article, “What DCNU Titles Are Getting the Ax Next?” I have now fixed that link, and I've added another eight articles to the News Section of BatWatch, so make sure to head over there if you want to keep up with the latest. Also, I have to work Wednesday. I'm going to try to get up early to get some reviews done, but who knows if that will work? Comixology does not even release comics at a consistent time every day, so they may not even be available when I first wake up. Regardless, most and hopefully all of the reviews will be done by the end of Wednesday.

I'm going to do On Deck and Bat Polls. If you don't care about being briefed on today's releases, just skip down to the Bat Polls.

Oh, and I have not forgotten about Batwing. I have now read it, but I still do not think I have time to review it. I'm sorry for those of you waiting. I'm robbing Peter to pay Paul here. I'll post a link on the front page when I get it done. I'll also give you an update on my personal life towards the end of the week so you guys can know what my recent hangups with getting material out on time and how I plan to deal with these recent developments.

On Deck!

This is the biggest Bat week of the month in terms of number of titles on the market, so what Bat related goodness do we have on the agenda today?

Nightwing #19 will be coming out, and I for one am really eager about this issue. First up, Brett Booth (former artist on Wildstorm's Backlash and current penciler for Detective Comics and cover artist for Earth 2 and Superboy) will be making his triumphant return to the Bat verse, and I think his smooth, streamlined yet detailed style will fit very nicely with Nightwing. Adding to my anticipation is the fact that this is a brand new chapter in Nightwing's life as he moves to a new city, Chicago, in search of the man who murdered his parents, Tony Zucco. Chicago itself promises to have its own share of secrets and threats apart from Zucco as Kyle Higgins (former writer of Batman: Gates of Gotham and Arkham City and current writer of Nightwing) has said that there are almost no heroes in Chicago for unknown reasons. The preview for this issue showed the police opening fire on Nightwing. Could it be that there are no heroes in Gotham because the police have authority to shoot vigilantes on sight? I'm looking forward to finding out. Oh, and the Prankster will be in the mix, and he will become a major player if rumors of his starring role in villains' week is accurate. He seems as if he could be a promising Nightwing villain, so it looks like we are in for a good time.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #19 also appears to be a fairly major issue at least in terms of the overall direction of the book for the former creative team has left to be replaced by one of my favorite Bat writers, James Tynion IV, (former writer of Batman and Detective Comics and current writer of Talon, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Batman and Detective Comics) and Julius Gopez. (former cover artist for Devil's Due's Dragons of Spring Dawning and penciler of The Ravagers and current artist for Red Hood and the Outlaws) I've loved almost all of Tynion's work, but the preview for this issue did not really gear me up. The All Caste is coming back in play which is okay I suppose, but beyond that, Tynion seems extremely reluctant to disclose any real hints as to what is coming. Also, I'm not really feeling the art by Gopez.

Catwoman #19 has guest appearances from the JLA, and Selina is sent into Arkham Asylum to work as a spy for the Justice League of America. The preview alone presented a half dozen errors, so we can probably assume this will be absolutely awful. I truly wish I could think of something to give hope to you on this book, but I've got nothing.

Batwoman #19 will hopefully be a more exciting read. I've not read a bad issue of Batwoman yet, and it's a darn shame it's being outsold by Catwoman. In fact, I would rank it much higher than Nightwing and RHATO as well, but I digress. Last issue was a good jumping on point if anybody is looking to give it a try as Kate Kane is torn between her loyalties to Batman, The DEO, and her family. The last issue ended with Agent Chase bringing a new feminine character into play who appears to have supernatural abilities, but her identity remains hidden. As for the gatefold cover for this issue which was not revealed until Tuesday, it is rather ambiguous and not overly shocking. It shows, if I am interpreting it correctly, Kate dreaming of being turned into a skeleton, and it says, “A Tale of Blood and Family Secrets.” Blood could easily have a double meaning by referencing blood relations, and what family secrets could be revealed? Quite a few in this family, but the obvious would be the secret of Mr. Bones being Kate Kane's brother if his words to Alice in Batwoman #17 are to be believed. Batwoman's dream of becoming a skeleton would also tie thematically into this idea. I'm pumped and ready for this one.

Birds of Prey #19 does not look like much of an improvement over the regular Birds fair. Personally, I am ready to see this series canceled because it sucks. I might be jumping the gun a little because new writer Christy Marx (former writer of Epic's The Sisterhood of Steel and current writer of Birds of Prey and Sword of Sorcery) has only had one issue to turn it around, but the preview for this current issue does not make me think she is doing much better than the previous writer. In terms of plot, we have the Birds battling Mr. Freeze, and though Kate Kane and Hawkfire, two powerless heroines, were able to drop Freeze in a few pages last month, it will apparently take the Birds' combined efforts and at least two issues for Black Canary's team of superheroes to put Victor in his place. The gatefold reveals that Starling is a traitor which was made explicitly clear two issues ago, so what's the big deal?

In first time to print releases, we have Batman Beyond Unlimited #15. I can't say anything for the other series collected in this volume, but Batman Beyond has been consistently high quality.

In trades, Batman: Year 100 is being re released. This is a story set in an alternate future written and illustrated by Paul Pope, (former artist for Catwoman and writer and artist for Wednesday Comics and current writer and artist for Boom!'s Adventure Time) and I can't say much more about it because I've never read it, but the fact that it has been released multiple times indicates that it is good.

Bat Polls

Before we get to this week's polls, let's take a quick look at last week's.

Who Is More Evil, Joker or Lex Luthor?

I thought this was a pretty interesting question with a lot of variables and issues to weigh, but the BatWatch community felt pretty strongly on the issue with 85% saying that Joker was the more evil of the two.

In my mind, they are pretty much equally evil. I do not think there is a single horror Joker would commit that Lex Luthor would not also do if he saw a profit in it. However, if forced to choose between the two, I would also go for Joker. Luthor's evil is a means to an end. He does evil to gain power, yet Joker seems to see evil as an end in and of itself. He commits atrocities just for the fun of “watching the world burn.” I'm not sure if that truly makes him more evil, but it certainly makes him seem more evil.

Perhaps a good follow up question for another day is, “Who is more dangerous?” or “Who does more harm?” That might get a different answer.

If you could only buy one of the top selling Batman comics for the next year, (Batman, Batman and Robin, Detective Comics, The Dark Knight, or Batgirl) which would it be?

BatWatchers chose Scott Snyder's (former writer for Detective Comics and current writer of Batman, Talon, Vertigo's American Vampire, and Swamp Thing) Batman as their #1 pick which is no real surprise, but I was a little surprised it was not by a larger margin. Only 48% chose Batman. In second place, Batman and... took 33% of the vote. That's a major feather in the cap of Tomasi (former editor of Hitman and current writer for Batman and... and Green Lantern Corps) at least among the BatWatch community especially considering the series is now missing its starring character. None of the other options gained many votes.

This would be a hard one for me. Batman has been great in parts, but it's also had some rough patches. Batman and... has pumped out some of the most gripping, heart-wrenching stories of the past year, but I have not forgotten the horrible quality of Batman and Robin #13-14, so I'm not sure if we can continue to expect great things. Detective Comics has been great consistently high quality under Layman's (current writer of Image's Chew and Detective Comics) pen, but it has never reached the highs that Batman and Batman and... have provided. Batgirl and The Dark Knight are just not on the same level, sadly, as the other three.

Put a gun to my head, and I guess I'd go with Batman and... because Tomasi has done some amazing stories, and there is a very good chance that he will introduce a new Robin in the next year, so I would hate to miss that, and I'm very curious about what he has up his sleeve.

You Are Stuck on an Island, and You Have To Bring a Member of the Bat Family Along. No Romance or Gadgets. Who Do You Bring?

Bruce Wayne won by a landslide with 45% of the vote. Nobody else is even really worth mentioning. I wanted to see which character you would actually want to be with for social reasons, but I think everybody probably chose Batman because he would provide the best chance of survival and he would probably figure a way off the island within twenty minutes. Now that I think about it, I would choose him too for those very reasons. I'll have to rebuild this question and bring it back some time.

Babbles of an Exhausted Mind

Hey Bat Fans,

I did not get much done on BatWatch yesterday, sadly. I've been busy on personal business, and since this is taking away from BatWatch, I'll give you an update on the specifics at some point when I am less exhausted. Suffice to say that I spent a lot of yesterday on a road trip whereupon I learned an important life lesson; police officers do not appreciate it when you speed through their small towns at fifteen over with old insurance papers, an out of date driver's license and expired tags. Whoops. Methinks I must needs work on my organization skills.

I only added two things to BatWatch yesterday. The first was a commentary article, "Can We Stop with the 'Batman and Robin Are Gay' Jokes?" and on that, I would ask that you examine my words carefully for at least two people seemed to think I meant some things in that article which I in no way said, and if you want clarification on that, you can read my responses to their comments. I also added one news article on what DC titles might be canceled in the next wave, but I accidentally posted it on the home page instead of the news page, so you can just scroll down to see that.

I'll have to do both On Deck and Bat Polls Wednesday, so I'll catch you guys then. I'm sure I'll be adding news articles sometime today. Thanks, as always, for sharing your love of the Bat Family with me.

Which DCNU Titles Are Getting the Ax Next?

We still have not seen the unveiling of the latest wave, and people are already speculating on what will be pruned from the DCNU next. According to WhatCultuer, there is a good chance Batwing will be on the cutting room floor. It's an interesting article if you, like me, always want to know what's coming next.

Click Here To Read the Article

Commentary: Can We Stop with the "Batman and Robin Are Gay," Jokes?

Hey guys,

I think I should finally be able to review Batwing and Legends of the Dark Knight tomorrow, so fingers crossed. I added a dozen or so articles over the weekend, so make sure to check out the News Section to keep up with the latest.

Please Stop...

A couple weeks ago, I saw a tweet from Judd Winick (former writer of Batman, Batwing and Green Arrow) that said, “The Dynamic Duo” with an image attached. Following the link, I found a picture of a building with graffiti art of Batman and Robin making out with each other. Way to keep things classy there, Judd.

I do not have a lot of time tonight. In fact, I should be in bed in thirteen minutes, but I'll stay up a little longer to give a few thoughts on this because it annoys me. I've seen these kinds of pictures on comic book forums and across the web, (many being more sexually explicit) and they bug me as does one similar incident which is more extreme that I will describe later. I'll start with my minor complaints and work my way towards my more serious concerns on this issue.

1. It's Just Bad Taste

To Read the Rest of the Article, Click Here.