Weekend Review: Gotham Central, Book 4: Corrigan

Haven’t done a comic review in a while!  A weekend light reading review…because Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading.

Greg Rucka.  Gotham Central, Book 4: Corrigan. Burbank, CA: DC Comics, March 15th 2011. 224 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Are you into Batman enough that you are interested in the world of Batman and also its peripheral characters?  Batman of course lives in Gotham City, a city that resembles a lot to New York City.  In this graphic novel (comic) volume Batman moves away from center stage so Gotham City’s police department’s Major Crimes Unit can take the limelight and focus for the readers.  DC Comics got a good team of artists and writers for this Gotham Central series and book four is no different.

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Review: Batman, Volume 9: The Tyrant Wing

A weekend leisure reading review…because sometimes Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading!

 

Tom King.  Batman, Volume 9: The Tyrant Wing. Burbank, CA: DC Comics, March 26th 2019. 152 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Ready for another adventure with Batman?  This title collects Batman comic issue 58 through 60 and also Batman Annual 3 and Batman Secret files 1. While the cover says this is written by Tom King in actually he was the writer for issues 58 to 60 and the rest was written by various other writers.

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Review: Batman/Deathblow: After the Fire

A weekend leisure reading review…because sometimes Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading!  So here’s my first comic book of the year!

Mark Waid.  Batman/Deathblow: After the Fire. New York, NY: DC Comics, May 1st 2003. 160 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

I picked this up because of the cover.  Yes I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but it seems pretty cool.  But I also decided to read this book because who authored it (Brian Azzarello); previously I have read comics that he wrote the story for and I enjoyed them.  I also thought this was worth reading because it introduces to me a character that is new to me: Deathblow.  What did I think of it?

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Review of Two Batman Comics Read in Fall 2019

A weekend leisure reading review…because sometimes Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading!  Thought I post on comics after Tom’s recent post on DC comics.

Mark Waid.  Batman in Barcelona: Dragon’s Knight. New York, NY: DC Comics, July 1^st, 2009. 48 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Usually we read of Batman doing his mission in his beloved city of Gotham.  But what is it like if Batman went to another city to fight one of his villains?  In this one shot story Batman goes to Spain to the city of Barcelona to fight the Killer Croc.  I love the premise that Batman is in Barcelona in another city and where the police doesn’t recognize who Batman is!

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Review: Batman: 100 Greatest Moments

A weekend leisure reading review…because sometimes Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading!  Also I haven’t read Batman in a while (February 2019?)!

 

Robert Greenberger.  Batman: 100 Greatest Moments: Highlights from the History of The Dark Knight.  New York, NY: Chartwell Books, October 1st 2019. 303 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Are you a fan of Batman and you want to read more of Batman but also wonder if you might be missing any big stories about Batman over the years?  This book by Robert Greenberger looks at the hundred greatest moments in comics concerning Batman both past and present.  With a character that has been around for 80 years a book on the top one hundred moments seems helpful and exciting for old and new fans alike!

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Review: Batman: Private Casebook

A weekend leisure reading review…because sometimes Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading!

Paul Dini.  Batman: Private Casebook. New York, NY: DC Comics, December 23rd 2008. 160 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

This is another comic book on Batman.  This particular title is a collection of seven short stories or mini-chapters of short stories.  The writer Paul Dini was the producer and screen writer for Batman: The Animated Series and if you enjoyed those cartoons in the 90s you will also enjoy the same feel of short episodes in this book, though the illustrators did vary from story to story.  Overall it was a fun read.

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Review: Batman: The Dark Prince Charming Book One

The last five nights and days has been long so I’m getting a little breather today from the ministry.  Here’s a fun read review as a mental break.

Enrico Marini.  Batman: The Dark Prince Charming Book One. Burbank, CA: DC Comics, November 6, 2018. 144 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

This is a comic book written and illustrated by a European artist name Enrico Marini.  It is an exciting take on Batman versus Joker from the perspective of an European artist.  I thought Marini did a good job telling this story.

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Review: Batman: White Knight

A weekend leisure reading review…because sometimes Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading!

Sean Murphy.  Batman: White Knight. Burbank, CA: DC Comics, October 9th 2018. 232 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

I have been anticipating this story ever since I made my first or second visit to the comic bookstore and I overheard the clerk tell someone about this.  And it did not disappoint!  Which is why I gave this a five out of five.  This volume marks the debut of the publisher DC Comics’s new Black Label imprint which feature well known characters in DC universe in new stand-alone stories without necessarily continuity that affect the stories being told in the regular comics.  I love the originality of Batman: White Knight.  This work collects an eight issue miniseries in which the writer and artist Sean Murphy presents us a scenario of what would happen if the Joker goes sane.  But it was also so much more than that!

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Review: Batman Volume 8: Cold Days

This book comes out today!  Thanks to DC Comics for the advance review copy.

Tom King.  Batman Volume 8: Cold Days. Burbank, CA: DC Comics, December 24th 2018. 176 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

The adventure with Batman continues!  This eighth volume of Batman collects Batman issues # 51-57 in DC’s Rebirth era.  Being released in December there is a winter theme to the stories collected in this comic book.

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Review: Batman Volume 7: The Wedding

A weekend review of a light-hearted reading, because sometimes Pastors needs a break from heavy theological reading.

Tom King.  Batman: Detective Comics, Volume 7: The Wedding. Burbank, CA: DC Comics, October 30th 2018. 176 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

This is volume seven of Batman in DC’s Rebirth era.  The volume collects Batman issues # 45-50.

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Review: Batman Volume 6: Bride or Burglar

A weekend comic book review, because sometimes even Pastors need a break from heavy theological reading.

Tom King.  Batman Volume 6: Bride or Burglar. Burbank, CA: DC Comics, December 19th 2017. 168 pp.

3 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

This is the sixth trade paperback volume in the DC Comics’ Rebirth reboot series on Batman.  The book collects issues #38-43.  This particular volume gives us three stories that feature Batman but also Catwoman by his side, whether in a small role or a larger role.

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Review: Batman: Blink

This is my fun read while on Vacation.  Because sometimes Pastors also need a break from heavy reading…

Dwayne McDuffie.  Batman: Blink. New York, NY: DC Comics, February 24th 2015. 168 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

This volume is a reprint of some older Batman issues (the original work was not in 2015).  This book collecting Legends of the Dark Knight issues 156-158 and Action Comics 847 and presents two story concerning a blind character name Lee Hyland.  Originally I wasn’t going to read this book since it looks like “90s stuff” but it turned out to be better than I anticipated.

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Review: Batman: The Court of Owls Saga (DC Essential Edition)

A weekend leisure reading review…because Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading!

Scott Snyder.  Batman: The Court of Owls Saga (DC Essential Edition). Burbank, CA: DC Comics, September 11th 2018. 320 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

A few years ago when I first started reading comics again it was Batman’s The Court of Owls Saga that got me into reading the newer Batman stories and Batman in general.  When the Court of Owls kicked off DC Comic’s “New 52” reboot of their superhero universe Batman gets a new and original story of a secret society that existed all the time in Gotham City under the radar of Batman’s eyes and ears.  I am glad that the saga now is collected all in one volume as a “DC Essential Edition.”  I think this is an essential edition for Batman fans and those who want to try out reading the better materials on Batman.

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Review: Batman and the Signal

In light of this long “weekend” I thought I share this leisure reading review…because Pastors sometimes need a break from heavy theological reading too!

Scott Snyder.  Batman & the Signal. Burbank, CA: DC Comics, August 28th 2018. 168 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

This was more about the new DC Comic hero “the Signal” than it was about Batman although Batman played a big part in this book and it was Batman who trained the Signal into his role of being a crime fighting hero.  This book collects various issues of Batman and tells us different stories about Duke Thomas who later became known as “the Signal” in the second half of the book.  One of the thing that I like about the character Duke is that it breaks out of the mold that Batman’s partner has to be another “Robin.”  Instead in the collected stories of Duke Thomas both in this book and elsewhere we see Batman’s deliberate attempt to raise Duke up to be more than just a “sidekick” but for him to be his own person.  I really appreciate the writer Scott Snyder exploring a deeper and more maturing view of human nature and longings and desires.

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Review: Batman Volume 4: The War of Jokes and Riddles

We haven’t reviewed comics here for our weekend leisure reading review in a while so here’s one.  Why a weekend review?  Because Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading.

Tom King.  Batman Volume 4: The War of Jokes and Riddles. Burbank, CA: DC Comics, December 19th 2017. 200 pp.

3 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

This is the fourth trade paperback volume in DC Comics’ Rebirth’s series on Batman.  The book collects issues #25-32.  This particular volume tells the story of the war between Batman’s two super-villains: The Joker and the Riddler.

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