Comments on: Happy anniversary, you old bat

By: Mark D. White

Mark D. White — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:24:37 +0000

10. “But Bork Can Hurt You,” The Brave and the Bold #81 (December 1968-January 1969), by Bob Haney, Neal Adams, and Vince Colletta. Another Batman-vs.-beefy-hulk story, this one guest-starring the Flash.

And I imagine Ronald Dworkin read that a lot.

(Sorry, Tom, couldn’t resist.)

By: ejulp (john)

ejulp (john) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:17:42 +0000

Haha, I just remembered, my birthday is on Saturday…I never realized we had the same birth date, as I always thought this was a May comic!

By: Tom Bondurant

Tom Bondurant — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:50:55 +0000

Martin: That was a good era, and I liked the inter-title continuity. I thought about including “A Town On The Night,” a Batman/Catwoman team-up by Moench and Tom Mandrake, or perhaps the extended remake of “Batman Versus The Vampire” from earlier in the ’80s.

I do like that Shaggy Man story, though….

By: Wraith

Wraith — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:22:40 +0000

Thanks gang! Peace.

By: Martin Gray

Martin Gray — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:52:20 +0000

Excellent list, though I was surprised not to see anything from the Conway/Moench/Colan/Newton run on Batman/Detective – several years’ worth of topnotch stsuff. I’d throw out some of the Justice League stuff to make room for Detective 526, at the very least (the costumed debut of the real Jason Todd, if memory serves).

By: Blackjak

Blackjak — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:24:19 +0000

Heh. Loved the Bialya storyline from JLI. Particularly how he convinces the others that he’s disguised as Bruce Wayne (and later Max Lord) because his real face “is just a horrible mess of scar tissue”…

By: Johanne

Johanne — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 04:02:23 +0000

Classic list. I am an avid Batman (BAT MAN for purists) fan and I feel that I must mention Christopher Nolan on the Bat’s anniversary. He did resurrect a dead movie franchise into new heights of success. I wish Bob Kane was able to see his character rejuvenated more so than ever before.

By: Ninjagodzilla

Ninjagodzilla — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:41:22 +0000

Thanks for the great lists.
I remember the JRJR drawn batman punisher crossover being good but I dont know if it would hold up today…

By: Tom Bondurant

Tom Bondurant — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 01:57:40 +0000

Yeah, I was trying to stay with the monthly books and the occasional one-shot. Death and the Maidens isn’t on there either. (However, both Paul Pope and Greg Rucka are represented.)

Give me another week and I’ll probably have a different 70.

By: ejulp (John)

ejulp (John) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 01:41:56 +0000

Good list…but no Batman Year 100?!

By: Tom Bondurant

Tom Bondurant — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 01:31:08 +0000

Wraith: Also check out the Batman In The … series (40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s). They may be out of print. DC will be reprinting the old Batman Annuals in a hardcover later on this year, but over the years they have reprinted single issues.

Shaun: I think it’s actually easier for me to suspend disbelief in a super-powered hero because the powers give him/her a certain wiggle room. It’s hard to object to Superman by saying “yellow sun radiation doesn’t work that way on Kryptonians.” Well, who knows how Kryptonians, or Oan power rings, or divinely-animated clay babies would “really” work? It’s easier to object to Batman by saying “his cape would get caught on things,” or “he’d be shot dead his first night out,” because he doesn’t have the excuse of super-powers.

And hey, DC, what’s holding back that Untold Legend hardcover…?

By: Shaun

Shaun — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:40:56 +0000

Tom, I have to ask… Why do you consider Batman “hard to take seriously” and having a “preposterous premise”? I mean, as opposed to people who can fly, run at near-light speed, have a ring that can create anything your mind can imagine (but is powerless against yellow), communicate with fish, stretch their bodies to ridiculous lengths and shapes, or block bullets with just a pair of bracelets?

I didn’t mean to rant, I just think suspension of disbelief for Batman is a lot easier than it is for the things I’ve described above. I mean, isn’t that one of the aspects fof Batman’s appeal? The darker, grittier, more realistic (in comic book terms, I mean) hero? While highly unlikely, it’s theoretically possible for someone to become Batman. I doubt anyone on Earth’s ever going to be able to fly on their own or acquire a power ring.

Oh, and some of us like our Batman “grim & gritty.” I also think the 1-900 vote was a fine idea (or at least the end result was). The bad part was taking an unpopular character that few, if anyone, wanted back and reviving him from the dead.

Well, at least we agree that Untold Legend of the Batman (I still have my original issues) and Faces were great stories.

By: julius brown

julius brown — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:38:27 +0000

Wraith: M many of these stories can be found in about four places. Check out Batman 30′s to the 70′s , The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told vol 1, The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told and Strange Deaths of Batman TPB. All of the Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told volumes are worth having. Batman 30′s to the 70′s is probably out of print but a must for any serious Batfan to track down it reprints a ton of great Batman stories and is probably the single best reprint volume of Batman comics available. Good luck and enjoy!

By: julius brown

julius brown — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:34:30 +0000

A good list overall. I would have included “Where Were You on the Night Batman Was Killed” Batman 291-294 by David Reed John Calnan and Tex Blaisdell recently and finally reprinted in The Strange Deaths of Batman TPB. The Ted McKeever “Perpetual Mourning” from Batman Black & White #1. Batman #73′s “The Joker’s Utility Belt.” by David Vern, Dick Sprang and Charles Paris. I lalso love the three oddball team-ups in Brave & Bold #93 “Red Water, Crimson Death” by O’Neil & Adams featuring Batman and Cain from the House of Mystery and Brave & Bold #108 Batman and Sgt. Rock take on Satan/Hitler in “The Night Batman Sold His Soul” by Haney and Aparo and Brave & Bold# 184 Batman and Huntress in a special Christmas issue by Mike Barr and Jim Aparo. Lastly, Matt Wagner’s Batman/Grendel because Batman vs Hunter Rose is really hard to beat.

And lest we forget Batman Year One by Miller and Mazzuchelli and The Dark Knight Returns by Miller and Janson and Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeff Loeb & Tim Sale are all great despite everyone always saying they are great.

I think my favorite Batman stories of all time though are the Joker story from Batman#1 and the Red Hood story; Bill Finger was just the bomb when it came to writing Batman.

By: Wraith

Wraith — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:17:19 +0000

Hey, grumpy guy. These are great lists! I will certainly try to find some of these (I have one or two already).

Has DC produced any single-issue reprints, as opposed to larger collected editions?