Jyger’s Favourite 5 – 5 Favourite Moments From Scott Snyder’s Batman

Well, I’ve recently read the last issue of Scott Snyder’s Batman that I’ll be reading for a while, so now’s as good a time as any to look back on some of my favourite moments from this 40+ issue run (including annuals and whatnot). As always, these are in no particular listing of best to worst, and just like with my Favourite 5 for Superman Unchained, only one entry per issue, unless there’s a tie for which moment I liked best, in which case, they both share the same entry. So, let’s go ahead and start with…

#1 – The Burning Horse from Batman #16

This was probably the first time I actually had to physically ask the question “Scott…….what the hell is wrong with you?” XD I think what I love most about it is how it just comes outta nowhere, right as Batman is trying to size himself up for this confrontation with the Joker. Just imagine yourself being like “Okay, you got this, no matter what he throws at ya, you can’t let anythi-WHAT THE FUCK?!” And that’s not even the only horse to die horribly in this series. Hell, another one gets frozen and smashed IN THIS ISSUE! Seriously, Mr. Snyder, between this and your love of harming Alfred, were you assaulted as a child by an Englishman riding a horse or something?

#2 – Pretty Much ALL of Batman #5

As you know, I’m a big fan of the original Court of Owls story arc. Without a doubt, though, the highlight of that arc had to be Batman #5, as it’s probably the single creepiest comic I’ve ever read that isn’t explicitly supposed to be a horror comic (though with Scott Snyder, it’s hard to tell sometimes, lol). It’s not overly gross, it’s not filled with jump scares, it’s just this slow build of terror as we watch Bruce slowly but surely fall into madness. And even the hater of turning books on their side, Linkara, has gone on record as saying he approves this issue not only eventually turning on its side, but then turning upside down, as it’s symbolic of Bruce’s fractured mind becoming more-so as he goes crazier and crazier. I won’t spoil the whole thing, though. With that said, it’s a must read, especially if you love scary stories, which usually I’m not that big a fan of, but here, I LOVE it.

#3 – The Joker’s Reveal in Batman #36

While I think this ultimately takes a close second in terms of overall creep factor to Batman #5, this is nonetheless a terrifying moment as it’s revealed that Eric Border was actually The Joker in disguise all along. Looking back on it, yes, the clues were all there, but so subtly that, much like Batman, you didn’t realize it until it was far too late, and the way the scene builds up to the point where Joker is revealed is very much a scene filled with dread as the truth slowly dawns on you, that the man you thought was the ally was the greatest enemy. It’s gripping, it’s terrifying, it’s, for better or worse, the modern-day Joker.

#4 – Batman and Robin in Batman #17

You all know I like Damian, right? Good. Now, in Death of the Family, Joker had knocked out and captured Batman’s allies one by one, sat them around a table with their faces covered in bloody bandages, and presented them dinner platters with their faces staring up at them. So after Batman forces Joker into retreat and tends to them, he goes to Damian first. Now, most comic fans, when they’re reading a comic, will hear the character’s voice speaking in their head. As such, in this scene, you can hear Damian trying desperately to sound like the cocky little bastard he usually is, trying to be brave as his father removes the bandages, when the fact is, he’s a 10-year-old boy who believes he’s had his face surgically removed. And the relief that it was just a facsimile and that he was just fine under the bandages, followed by the hug between father and son, brings the emotional moment full circle. Plus, there’s the fact that this was just before he died in Batman Incorporated, so the emotion is made even more-so in hindsight. Scott, you might not have the best grip on Damian’s character, but you managed to come through just fine on the father-son dynamic here.

#5 – Detective Comics #27 Cover Recreation from Batman #24

…Yeah, you knew this was gonna make it on here. lol What can I say? It’s an AWESOME recreation of the cover art where the world first laid eyes on The Dark Knight and said “Wow, that looks cool”. EVERYTHING about this two page spread is frakking perfect. If I could, I’d blow it up and put it on my wall…and then I’d put Wonder Woman on her pegasus in Batman/Superman on another wall. XD Zero Year, you may have taken FOREVER to get finished, but my God, did you leave the most epic of moments for us to remember you by.

And those are my 5 Favourite Scott Snyder’s Batman Moments……….Now for the honourable mentions! 😀 Oh, and no rulings with these ones, so anything goes.

Batman Plays Chopper vs Chopper in Batman #2

There’s just something about that grin of his as he’s about to launch the Batpod off the train at these poor bastards that makes me go “FUCK YEAH!”

Batman and Bane’s Fastball Special from Batman #40

I find it simultaneously amusing and awesome that Bane has gone from the man who broke the bat to being the Colossus to his Wolverine.

“I AM IRON BAT” from Batman #8

…Admit it, you thought it too. lol

Bruce and Dick in Batman #2

I just think this scene is too cute. “Come on, Dick, you know me better than nearly anyone. We’ve been through so much together……Of course I checked the cameras to make sure you weren’t a horrible murderer. What the fuck is wrong with you?” XD

Stephanie Brown Reveal in Batman #28

The moment where I realized that not only was Stephanie Brown going to be back in Batman Eternal, but she was going to play a big role…..ish. Well, okay, that’s a debate for another time.

Alfred’s Monologue in Batman #24

Yeah, Snyder’s definitely taken a cue from the version of Alfred from the Dark Knight trilogy when it comes to Alfred’s speeches, but regardless, this is a good one, where he sums up exactly why people have rarely managed to tie Batman and Bruce Wayne as being the same person.

Batman vs Joker in Batman #40

What could very well prove to be the final battle between Batman and Joker. Just a warning, though: It’s not for the faint of heart.

The Goddamn Batman from Batman #29

That moment where I just laughed, shook my head, and said “Scott, you just couldn’t resist, could you?” XD

Anyway, I think that’s enough for now. Got one that’s not on here? Lemme know what your favourite moments of this series were in the comments below. Ja né, and long live the Dark Knight!

Thoughts On Batman #38 – What Is The Joker?

Well, I ended up getting my copy of Batman #38 late, due to the roads being kinda icky last night (although that didn’t stop me from reading spoilers, because dammit, after last issue, the hell if I was gonna wait any longer than I had to in order to find out what the hell is going on). Since its release yesterday, Scott Snyder has clarified a few details for the sake of those wondering.

1. This is NOT a dream, illusion, or hallucination. What Batman is going through is 100% REAL, so theories that this is another worst case scenario brought on by the Scarecrow’s fear toxins are incorrect, though it’s likely that the payoff for that is that Batman goes through the horrid nightmares of his end, but is able to cheat death where it counts most.
2. The Joker DOES know now that Batman is Bruce Wayne. There’re no more implications, suggestions, doubts, or theories, HE KNOWS. As such, all bets are off regarding what Joker can and will do to Batman now.

So, let’s get down to the question at the core of everything going on in this story: What is the Joker? Is he human, or some kind of monster? Is he mortal, or immortal? Well, before we get to that, I can clear this much up: Regardless of what he is, there IS something in his bloodstream that has a regenerative factor to it. He was shot through the chest and didn’t die. Ergo, whether or not he’s always had it, the fact is, Joker cannot be killed right now, so even if Batman was finally willing to cross that line, the end result is that he cannot kill him.

…That, right there, is where Grayson should realize just how boned they are: BATMAN does not have a plan.

Regarding whether or not Joker could possibly be an immortal that’s been haunting Gotham City for at least a hundred years. Well, here was the argument that kept getting in the way of that for me: “How can Joker be immortal, have been seen in Gotham for at least a hundred years, and have that same pale face to boot throughout that time, when he only got it when he fell into the chemical bath?” And we HAVE established that this part of his history is still canon, having occurred during the Zero Year story-arc. However, here’s the counter-argument I eventually came to: “How do you know he got that face from the chemical bath? The only proof you have are flashbacks provided by Joker’s own narration, and his tales of his past have proven he’s either a liar or doesn’t remember his own past. In fact, how did he even survive the fall to begin with? Furthermore, how did he manage to survive everything he has, from falls off cliffs to escaping deadly explosions to even surviving the process of having his face cut off?” I’ll admit, at that point, I was kinda stumped to come up with a logical explanation for all of that, especially since so much of who Joker is and his past is kept a mystery. Remember, Zero Year suggested that he WASN’T the leader of the Red Hood Gang, but an impostor that had taken his place after the real one died. And then there’s the cave he had of other Harley Quinns he’d supposedly created prior to turning Harleen Quinzel to his side, all dead. Now, one could assume he was just messing with Harley, and in fact, he very well may have, but what if he wasn’t? What if they were all allies of his throughout his years of tormenting Gotham? Finally, how can someone trump Batman at his own game as often as he has, putting the opponent at a sheer disadvantage due to prior preparation, unless he’s been playing this game far longer than him?

This narration has been brought to you by Crazy Quilt, who got a MUCH appreciated revamp for this story.

 

So, here’s what I’m thinking has happened: Either Scott Snyder has finally explained how it’s possible for Joker to have survived all he has in his career as a Batman villain, OR has created a reasonable enough conclusion for people to come to before throwing the rug out from under them. Either way, though, when I realized he’d done one of these two things, I was torn between my admiration of his brilliance and my need to punch the beautiful bastard. lol And for that matter, I love what else he’s done, in involving Bruce’s uncle’s associates, having this story be a sequel to Death of the Family, and having Bruce finally decide to get his answers on whether Joker is immortal or not from, of all people, the Court of Owls. This is taking everything he and Greg Capullo have done in their time on the book and bringing it all together for one big climax. And the bizarre thing is, it’s not even the end! They’re still on-board for the book post-Convergence, which I keep hearing is supposed to get insane with how things change for Batman afterward. If THIS isn’t the part where things get crazy, then I gotta see what the hell those evil geniuses have in mind for post-Convergence.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on Batman #38. Lemme know your own theories on what’s happening with Joker in the comments below, and we’ll see how things turn out as Endgame winds down to a close over the next couple of months. Ja né!

What I Bought Today – Nightwing #16, Batgirl #17, and Batman & Robin #17 (WARNING – SPOILERS)

Yep, time for even more of…

So, let’s not waste any time and kick off with the book I ordered from last month, Nightwing #16.

So yeah, while Batman escapes Death of the Family with none of the members of his family dying, Nightwing can’t exactly make the same claim as it relates to the folk at Haly’s Circus. To put it bluntly…

So yeah, Haly’s Circus was blown up, all the circus performers were infected with Joker Toxin and probably died, I think the only person close to Dick who’s not a Bat Family member who didn’t die is Sonia Branch. So basically, Nightwing has had to watch as everything he’s been working toward in the past 16 issues went up in a flash. Where the hell does he go from here? I have no idea, and I can’t wait until next week to find out, but I still got two more comics to talk about.

Batgirl…This felt weird for me. Not just because Gail Simone is tagging out for Ray Fawkes for the next two months, but because Ed Benes is tagging out as penciller for Daniel Sampere. Good news is we don’t have the artist from the Valentine’s Day special here, and while it feels odd having a completely different writing and drawing team for this issue, Ray Fawkes is still pretty good. This issue shows Barbara healing from the events of Death of the Family, trying to bring down Joker’s accomplices as well as track down her psychotic brother, James Gordon Jr.  She also comes face to face with a villain named Firebug, who is apparently a pre-existing supervillain whose identity has been taken up by three different people over the years. Hopefully we get some goodness outta this guy.

Batman & Robin was frigging bizarre. Reason being, it’s all about Bruce, Damian, and Alfred going through horrific nightmares in the wake of Death of the Family. I will note some confusion regarding this issue as it was originally slated to have something to do with the 300th Anniversary of Gotham City. My guess is that was the original idea for this issue, but it was scrapped in favour of this. Not really sure what happened there, but this does result in some seriously frakked up imagery. Damian has nightmares of his Wayne and al Ghul sides arguing it out, Alfred dreams of blowing the Joker’s head off with a shotgun, and Batman dreams of making a little kid boat with his parents that his rogues gallery tries to take out. I could analyse this stuff way more in-depth, but really, I look at this and I feel sad since all the signs are pointing to this being one of if not the last time we see Damian in Batman & Robin.

Well, that’s all for this week. Next week, after I get my filling at the dentist’s office (my first cavity at age 27, I think I’m doing pretty good ^_^), we check out how Dick is trying to recover from the events of Death of the Family and get our first look at the new big team on the block, the Justice League of America…So where the hell is my Justice League of Canada? I’ve already got three members picked out: Let’s Player ProtonJon, Internet Reviewer Phelous, and WWE Hall Of Famer Edge. 😀 Ja né!

What I Bought Today – Batman #16, Batgirl #16, Batman and Robin #16 (WARNING – SPOILERS)

Oh look, it’s Wednesday again! That means it’s time to take a look at…

We got three comics that are leading into the conclusion of Death of the Family, so let’s start off with Batman #16.

I love this cover so much. It’s like they were saying to themselves “Hmm, how can we make that scene from The Dark Knight Returns where he’s riding that horse into battle any more badass?” and then some wonderful, brilliant man said “Well why don’t we just light it on fire?” XD

Lemme just give a hint to people that plan to wait until the trade comes out to buy Death of the Family: Whenever you think you know what the Joker is planning, slap yourself in the face and say “No, you don’t”. I almost feel like Scott Snyder is trolling me in that sense sometimes. Now, at this point, the Joker’s master plan appears to be slowly but surely unveiling itself for what it truly is, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m actually way off on what the end result of this story is. If I have one complaint about this book, though, it’s that there’s a short montage of sorts where Batman fights through several of his rogues gallery to get to the Joker in Arkham Asylum, but he makes each fight quick and relatively easy looking. And these aren’t second stringers either. Frigging Mr. Freeze is in there. It just seems too easy for him, the way he breezes past them. Also, horse lovers might not exactly like this book all that much, since there are two horse fatalities in it. Still, this comic continues to keep me on the edge of my seat, and I’m somewhat mortified by something that happens at the very end, and we’ll get to that later.

Madness? THIS IS GOTHAM!!! 😛

Batman & Robin #16 was…well, here’s the thing. I felt none of the emotional tension they were trying to convey in this story whatsoever as Robin was fighting ‘Batman’ because I frigging KNEW that wasn’t really Batman. I’m sorry, but I could just smell the fake-out coming from the instant I was done reading last month’s issue. That was the inherent problem with this particular tie-in: I knew the real Batman couldn’t really be there. It’s also part of the problem with this being a Batman & Robin book instead of a Robin book: Batman HAD to be there. Seriously, this book needs to drop Batman as a main protagonist and just be a Robin comic. Heck, it technically already is, just not in name.

Okay, how freaky would THIS be: If Gail Simone did herself up to look like this for Twitter? XD

Batgirl #16 is wonderful and creepy, as the whole series has been. I’m gonna miss Gail Simone…for the two months she’s off. lol Long story short for this issue, Joker tries to wed Batgirl, James Gordon Jr. gets involved, massive fight breaks out, ends with a destroyed church…Well THAT’S not gonna go over well. To those who were actually wondering if they were going to pull this, no. Batgirl does NOT get married to Joker. Duh. However, we get a scare at the very end that’s quite similar to what we see at the end of Batman and Batman & Robin, which means it’s finally time to talk about this.

Joker has a dinner tray. Well, I think it’s one dinner platter, it looks a little different in each book. I’m going to assume either they’re different platters or nobody kept it clear what it was supposed to look like. Anyway, point is he has a platter, and the contents are covered up. We don’t know what’s in it for certain. However, I do recall Batman #14 wherein the Joker said he kidnapped Alfred to prepare for some type of celebration…and the platter has what appears to be blood on it in Batgirl #16…If that platter has what I think it has inside, I think I’m gonna be sick. :O

…So yeah, that was all for this week. Check in next week when the Joker continues to give us nightmare fuel in Nightwing #16. And I think come this time next month, I’m gonna want a few barf bags ready. Ja né.

What I Bought Today – Batman #15, Batgirl #15, Batman and Robin #15 (WARNING – SPOILERS)

Happy Humpday, everybody! XD Time to take a look at what I bought today, and let’s start off with Batman #15.

Batman #15

Y’know, I’m thinking that once Death of the Family is done, I’m gonna do a retrospect on the storylines for Scott Snyder‘s Batman, starting with Court of Owls. I just adore these stories so much, even though it’s pretty clear Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo are out to creep the hell outta me with them. Speaking of which, it’s become clear that Joker’s fixation with Batman has grown even more disturbing than we fans have ever thought. I don’t wanna spoil anything, but let’s just put it this way: Slashficcers are gonna have fun with this story. Also, it seems as though Joker may or may not actually know the identities of Batman and his allies, it’s hard to say for sure. Batman seems sure he’s just messing with them, but then again, last year Batman was sure there was no such thing as the Court of Owls. In the meantime, he’s found where Joker is holding up. Once again, don’t wanna spoil anything, but it seems clear that this will be quite similar to a certain Rocksteady video game. Also, Riddler appears in the back-up story that is co-written by James Tynion IV, and thank God they have done away with the question mark mohawk looking thing he had back in Batman #1. lol

Batgirl #15

I’m gonna miss Gail Simone on this book so much. She has been so wonderful. The only thing I don’t like about this issue is that at one point Batgirl seems determined to shoot Joker, to do to him exactly what he did to her, and take the consequences for it because it would be worth it to put him away. Again, I do not like seeing my DC Superheroes, especially ones with the word Bat in their title, looking to shoot and/or kill people. However, this is at least understandable given the angle they’ve been doing with Barbara for a while now, that since becoming Batgirl again she’s been dealing with post traumatic stress, so clearly she’s not thinking straight. Also, it helps that we can pretty much gather that she’s not going to do it. Otherwise, this issue is a great read, and I suspect the next issue of Batgirl will sell like MAD, given the circumstances.

Batman & Robin #15

Something’s been baffling me regarding Batman & Robin lately, and I just figured out what it is: The title. Throughout most of these stories, we’re following Damian WAY more than Bruce. So why is it called Batman & Robin? Why not just make it Robin, thus giving us a Robin solo title for the first time since early 2009 (This is of course depending on whether or not you count Red Robin as a Robin title). Anyway, this issue is…okay. There’s not really much that goes on. It’s mostly just Robin going looking for Alfred, getting captured by Joker, having to listen to him talk and talk and talk about the nature of robins and how Batman’s allies are making him weak, and we get some gross-out visuals here and there too, and finally we see that Joker has some sort of Batman replica standing by for Damian to fight. Oh, and Damian threatened to kill Joker, but that’s not a big deal. It’s only a big deal when he says he WON’T kill, because that’s when he’s usually about five minutes or so away from killing something.

So that’s it for this week. Next week, we check in on our old buddy Nightwing, and if previews for future titles are any kind of giveaway, I think it’s clear this could be one of the most horrible ordeals of Dick Grayson‘s life, and considering the life he’s led thus far…well, pray for this man and his sanity, people. Ja né.

Nightwing #15

What I Bought Today – Batman #14, Batgirl #14, Batman and Robin #14 (WARNING – SPOILERS)

So, went to the comic book shop today…Actually, I went twice, since the first time I went they didn’t have the new comics since Monday was a holiday and thus they hadn’t been delivered yet. So I went back later that day and picked up my comics for today. So let’s start off with Batman #14.

I’ll admit, after last month’s cliffhanger, a weekend of trolling from Scott Snyder (https://twitter.com/Ssnyder1835/status/267290321484922880), and a few preview images to pop up recently, I was scared to open this one. Why? Because I was horrified that Mr. Snyder planned to have Alfred murdered by the Joker. Good news, he’s alive. He’s been kidnapped and had his eyes burned with ammonia, but he’s alive. And as if that weren’t bad enough, Joker also manages to put Jim Gordon in a hospital bed and kill several MORE people before dropping a bombshell on the Bat Family: He knows who they all are, and he’s coming to kill them one by one, feeling they make Batman too soft. The stage is set as Joker begins his plot, and it honestly looks like not a single member of the team is even remotely safe.

Scotty, I gotta ask. Why do you seemingly have this insatiable desire to make your readers piss themselves in fear? lol Also, major props to Greg Capullo as always for taking this dark and gritty story and giving it just the right artwork for it.

Batman and Robin was alright. I like that it’s not JUST glorified filler, and that Joker does have a role in it, in that he was responsible for setting the villains of this book on Gotham. The problem is, I have no idea who or what these people are. This is becoming a problem with Batman and Robin, as ever since the initial arc ran up, it’s been small angles in between crossover events. They aren’t really bad, they just aren’t interesting enough to leave an impact. Damian isn’t really that much of a dick in this issue, thank goodness, and it is good to see them continuing to work with the family dynamic between Bruce and Damian. Still, we gotta have something more soon.

Batgirl. Okay, let me just get this out of the way first: They need to let Admira Wijaya do this series, not just the annual. I ADORED the artwork for Batgirl Annual #1, and while this issue doesn’t have bad artwork in any way, shape, or form, I still feel Admira’s was better. Just saying.

Anyway, as far as the story goes, HOLY FUCKING SHIT, this is creepy! Batgirl finds herself having to leave her new home and room-mate after Joker’s men attack her in a new spin on what happened to her years ago, all the while receiving sick, demented calls and tips from the Joker. However, after finding Joker and her mother at the roller rink with Joker whizzing around on roller blades (just because that’s the most fucked up yet funny thing he could be doing right now, lol), it seems she’s been had. It turns out her VERY fucked up in the head brother is the one on the phone with her, having led her right into Joker’s trap. However, it seems that death isn’t quite what’s on Joker’s mind for Batgirl. What does he really want with her? Well, lemme put it to ya this way: Check out next month’s cover…

Harley’s gonna go ballistic. O_O

…Get the idea? Anyway, that’s all for this week. Next week, I’ll look at Nightwing and Catwoman, and here’s hoping that they’re better than they were last month. Ja né!