[Movie Review] Batman: Under The Red Hood

First of all, I’m a comic fan from back in the golden age of comics. No, I don’t mean the 50’s and 60’s. I’m talking about the 90’s, the span of time in which comics really grew into their own and started becoming a mainstream and respected medium. A time when Marvel and DC started taking chances with their golden characters, and upstart companies like Dark Horse and Image, independent publishers both, gave the big two runs for their money by publishing books that were risky, adult and contemporary.

Since that time, Marvel and DC grew up drastically, telling stories like The Death of Superman and The Age of Apocalypse, where beloved characters, staples of the their respective universes died, tragically and heartbreakingly.

Even though I was always a marvel fanboy (DC characters were too flawless, too perfect), around that same time, Tim Burton directed the legendary Batman movie, starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson. This led to Batman: The Animated Series, a series, though produced certainly for children, had very adult themes, artwork and sensibilities. From this point, DC seemed to take a great deal of pride in its animated works, producing the amazing Adventures of Superman, The Adventures of Batman and Robin, Justice League and Justice League: Unlimited. That tradition is continued in DC’s latest feature-length animated batman movie, Batman: Under the Red Hood.

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[Book News] DC to Publish Weekly Series of Superhero Comic Strips

dccomicswednesdaycomicsDC Comics has announced they will be publishing a new weekly series called the Wednesday Comics, which will be delivered to comic shops every Wednesday for a period of 12 weeks on a newsprint format. Each publication contains multiple strips of famous DC comics such as Superman, Batman, The Green Lantern and many more, telling 15 stories in total.

When asked about the temporary return to the newspaper format, DC Art Director Mark Chiarello said “There’s a certain romance to the history of the big old Sunday funnies that I wanted to try to recapture in Wednesday Comics, why not dust off the format and have a little fun?”

The weekly series kicks off July 8 at $3.99 for each publication. If you are only interested in the Superman strip and are afraid of inky fingers, USA Today will publish all 12 Superman strips online for your viewing pleasure.

source and image: USAToday

Review: Batman: The Killing Joke

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Special thanks to World 1-1′s Kyle for sending in this review. It’s his second guest review, his first was for Batman: Year One. The opinions expressed in this review and the work itself belong to Kyle Hogg.

Overview:

Writer: Alan Moore
Artist:
Brian Bolland
Publisher:
DC Comics

Alan Moore is known as one of the best comic book writers in the world. He’s written critically acclaimed greats like V for Vendetta, From Hell, and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Not to mention he was also behind the single greatest comic in all of history: Watchmen. He also wrote a smaller, one-shot Batman title, The Killing Joke, which was a Joker centric title. But how good of a read is it really? And how does the artwork look in this day and age?

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Review: Batman: Year One

Special thanks to World 1-1‘s Kyle for sending in our first guest review. He’s got 2 more on the way and if you enjoyed this you should check out his site either via the link here or on the blogroll to the right of the page. The opinion’s expressed here and this entire review is the work of Kyle Hogg.

Batman Year OneOverview:

Writer: Frank Miller

Artist: David Mazzucchelli

Publisher: DC Comics

After writing one of the best comic book stories and (arguably) the best Batman book ever, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Frank Miller turned the tables and write Batman: Year One. Year One is practically the opposite of The Dark Knight Returns. While in TDKR, Bruce Wayne has retired the mantle of Batman and is in his final days, Batman: Year One takes us all the way back to the beginning in Frank Miller’s retelling of the Batman origin. How does it stack up to other Batman books? And does it live up to Frank Miller’s legendary legacy?

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