Review: Batman: The Detective

Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading!  So here’s a Batman comic book review!   

 

Tom Taylor.  Batman: The Detective. Burbank, CA: DC Comics, February 15th 2022. 160 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

I have not read much of Batman comics from DC Comics that was published since 2020 since like many things with post 2020 things have gotten weird but I made an exception with this comic book and I’m glad I did read this one on Batman the detective with the story by Tom Taylor.  I enjoyed it since many Batman comics is heavily about fighting action rather than a “mystery” story, which is interesting since Batman is supposed to be a detective of sorts.  But this story here is a detective story where Batman is trying to solve a mystery of whose behind a certain rampage of crime and murder. 

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Review: Batman: The Adventures Continue Season Two

Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading!  So here’s a Batman comic book review!   

Paul Dini and Alan Burnett.  Batman: The Adventures Continue Season Two. Burbank, CA: DC Comics, June 14, 2022. 208 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Do you like the Batman Animated Series from the 90s?  If so this comic might be for you!  Earlier this year I read and reviewed Batman: The Adventures Continue Season One.   I enjoyed it a lot and I felt it was one of the better works published by DC Comics these days since sometimes new materials seems to be filler, too much backstory, it was too dark, the story was lame or the creative team was advancing socially divisive agenda.  I just want good story telling and both this one and the earlier volume delivered.  Plus this echoed the artwork and characters of Batman the animated series as a kid and I got nostalgic joy reading both books.  This trade paperback edition that collects the second year’s issues (season 2 issues 1 through 7).  They even had one of the screen writers from the Animated Series as one of the writers for this “Batman: The Adventures Continue” series.

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Review: Batman: The Adventures Continue Season One

Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading!  Haven’t done one of these for months, so here’s a Batman comic book review!  I actually read this back in January but forgot to write a review! 

 

Paul Dini and Alan Burnett.  Batman: The Adventures Continue Season One. Burbank, CA: DC Comics, June 1, 2021. 208 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Do you like the Batman Animated Series from the 90s?  If so this comic might be for you!  One of the screen writers for the Animated Series is one of the writers for this “Batman: The Adventures Continue” series and there’s a feel of the 90s Animated Batman: Its gritty but also not over the top or gory, it has stories that are interesting and other characters are explored including villains.  This trade paperback collects issues 1 through 8.   

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Review: Batman: Gothic

Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading!  So here’s a Batman comic book review!  After a long weekend of teaching youth group, teaching systematic theology on Saturday night and sermon prep, I need a break! I haven’t posted one of these once in a while!

 

Grant Morrison.  Batman: Gothic. New York, NY: DC Comics, January 1, 1986. 128 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Want to read a fun 1980s Batman adventure? If so this story might be for you.  I have to take a break from some of the newer Batman especially with DC Comics trying to bring in political agendas here and there mixed in with some issues that seems to be more fillers than anything worthwhile when all I wanted is just some good old fashion good story of a hero taking on a bad guy as a break from everything political around me.  So while I haven’t read as much comics this year nevertheless I’m glad there’s 80s Batman to enjoy. 

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Review: Batman: Gotham by Gaslight

Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading!  So here’s a Batman comic book review!

 

Brian Augustyn.  Batman: Gotham by Gaslight. New York, NY: DC Comics, March 12, 2013. 112 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Can you imagine Batman being a crime fighting superhero during the Victorian era of the late 1800s?  I think that would be a cool setting for Batman!  And this trade paperback edition definitely did not disappoint!  This is part of DC Comic’s alternative world series they called Elseworlds where they have various characters in different era. Previously I have read a story from the Elseworlds series titled Batman: The Blue, the Grey, and the Bat in which Batman is a hero during the era of the American Civil War.  I enjoyed that story enough that when I heard of this story (Batman: Gotham by Gaslight), I knew I had to read it!  As I researched more about this book I learned that this is the first volume in this series.  Although this Trade Paperback edition was published in 2013 originally the issues that’s collected in this volume was published in 1989.  I started being a fan of Batman comics relatively late compared to most fans (in my late 20s) and have found stories like this one from the 1980s were really enjoyable.

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Review: Batman: Gates of Gotham

A Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading!  So here’s a Batman comic book review!

Scott Snyder.  Batman: Gates of Gotham. New York, NY: DC Comics, February 7th 2012. 144 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

There is a rather different feel to this Batman story, in a refreshing kind of way!  Its part-mystery, part-Gothic, part-Steampunk and part-Noir.  And yet it does all that in a way that didn’t feel it was forced or trying to do everything but failing in doing anything.  I appreciate these dimensions to the story of this Batman graphic novel and felt the uniqueness kept me going in reading this (and I haven’t read much comics so far in 2021!).

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Review: Batman: Noël

A Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading!  So here’s a Batman comic book review!

Lee Bermejo. Batman: Noël. New York, NY: DC Comics, November 2nd 2011. 112 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

A Batman Christmas story?  Can it be?  Indeed!  I enjoyed this comic book that is a Batman’s version of Charles Dickens’ famous story A Christmas Carol, but modern and updated in the world of Gotham.  I enjoyed it perhaps more than some of the reviewers online and hope some of the people’s negative remark might not turn people away and perhaps my review can add some balance consideration!

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Review of Two Batman Comics Read in November 2020

A weekend leisure reading review…because sometimes Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading!  Finally a Batman review for some of you fans!  I haven’t read any comics for months but got to read this for this long holiday weekend, this has bee a busy season of ministry.

 

Tom King.  Batman, Volume 12: City of Bane Part 1. Burbank, CA: DC Comics, April 14th 2020. 144 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Looking for a Batman story to read as a fun read? This is worthwhile. Having been disappointed with some of the recent Batman volumes from the last two years which felt like fillers and the story is presented in a disjointed fashion in this particular volume it seems DC Comics picked up their game and gives us a good story. Here the writer Tom King did a good job with focusing on a plot and the artistic team also delivered. This volume collects Batman issues number 75-79.

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Review: Batman: Year Two 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition

A weekend leisure reading review…because sometimes Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading!  For more on blog on comments check out our “Collection of Posts: Superheroes, Comics and Worldview Series.”

 

Mike Barr.  Batman: Year Two 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition. Burbank, CA: DC Comics, November 28th 2017. 176 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Want to read some fun old school (late 80s/early 90s) Batman adventures?  This title volume might be for you!  Having read some of the recent volumes of Batman from the new Rebirth series I felt I needed a break from things “new” and maybe explore some just good old fashion Batman fight against crime and villain.  I’m happy to say this work delivered!

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Review of Two Batman Comics Read in September 2020

A weekend leisure reading review…because sometimes Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading!  Finally a Batman review for some of you fans!

I’m going to review volume 11 first before volume 10 since volume 11 is way better than volume 10.

(EDITED: If you want to read some old school Batman fun check out our recent review “Review: Batman: Year Two 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition.”

Tom King.  Batman, Volume 11: The Fall and the Fallen. Burbank, CA: DC Comics, January 14th 2020. 144 pp.

4 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

Here’s some more Batman adventures!  As I mentioned in my review of volume 10 the last volume felt like a dreamy filler but here in this volume it picks up from volume 8 after Batman was knocked out in a plot by Bane.  This volume collects Batman issues number 70-74 and Secret Files #2.

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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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