Cyberspace Comics market report, reviews and more

April 16, 2010

Retro-Read #2 Spaceknights

Filed under: Retro-Read — Doorman @ 8:33 am

With years spent reading single issues here and there, juggling storylines of dozens of titles, I decided it was time to find a better way to read comics. So, it was off to the back issue bins armed with the longest want list you’ve ever seen! Putting together series after series and reading them in their complete goodness, I was reborn as the Retro-Reader!

Publisher: Marvel Comics
Number of Issues: 5
First Issue: October 2000 ($2.99)
Last Issue: February 2001 ($2.99)
Writer: Jim Starlin
Artist: Chris Batista

*Warning! Plot Spoilers Below*

Following the events of Rom #75, Rom and Brandy led the people of Galador to a new rebirth. Years later, the wreckage of Rom’s ship, the GMV Praxis Six, is discovered with only one survivor … and it’s not Rom. With Rom presumed dead, leadership of Galador is presumed to go to his oldest son, Balin. However, Axadar (Rom’s neutralizer), does not accept Balin as leader and refuses to fuse with him.

Meanwhile, utilizing their WraithKnights, the Dire Wraiths have attacked Galador’s neighboring planets to frame the Spaceknights. Facing the Dire Wraiths and fleets of aliens seeking retribution, the Spaceknights have to fend off the attacks and prove their innocence. Fortunately, Axadar later bonds with Prince Tristan, Rom’s younger son, giving the Spaceknights the advantage they’ll need! However, it’s sure to drive a wedge between the two princes…

The Bad: The series only has five issues to juggle a cast of ten Spaceknights, four alien races, and the Galadorian politicians. That’s a lot of characters sharing the limelight and doesn’t really establish enough characterization for me to care what happens to any of them.

the Good: Jim Starlin was a good choice to helm this cosmic saga and he certainly did his research. This saga draws heavily on what has gone before while moving the story of Galador ahead. Chris Batista‘s redesigns of the Spaceknight armor are well-detailed and still draw strong influences from their previous incarnations. And, continuity-freaks like myself will appreciate the fact that all of the Spaceknights are taken from existing Galadorians seen in the pages of Rom.

The Verdict: This is an adventurous, quick read with nice art but it doesn’t do much to concern you with these characters’ fates. It draws upon the Rom mythos but doesn’t do anything with that specific character (except for labeling him as M.I.A.). So, while it’s somewhat of a sequel to his solo series, anyone looking for Rom action will have to look elsewhere.

On Ebay: Rom | Spaceknights | Jim Starlin | Chris Batista

April 15, 2010

Famous Fan Mail #2 Evan Dorkin

Filed under: Famous Fanmail — Doorman @ 8:05 am

You may not be surprised to learn that most people in the comic business grew up reading comic books. However, you might be interested in knowing what comics they were reading. Here’s a look at “Famous Fanmail”!

Evan Dorkin, the creator of those dairy products gone bad, Milk & Cheese, is a comics writer and artist known for his quirky, indy work. He was the creative force behind Marvel ComicsBill & Ted ongoing series from the early 1990s and was one of the writers on the TV show Space Ghost: Coast to Coast! Before all that, though, his imagination was captured by Rom, a comic book title published by Marvel Comics based on a robotic toy made by Parker Brothers. He got a letter published in Rom #41 (cover date – April 1983), which you can read below.

Rom letters page with Evan Dorkin

I think my favorite part is the use of the word “furshlugginer“.

On Ebay: Evan Dorkin | Milk & Cheese | Rom

April 14, 2010

Before They Were Stars #2 Mark Millar

Filed under: Before They Were (Comic Book) Stars — Doorman @ 10:13 am

Not every comic writer or artist starts at the top, working on books like Batman or X-Men. In fact, most don’t even start at Marvel or DC. Here’s a look at some work by comic book creators … before they were stars.

Saviour #1 by Mark MillarIn recent years, Mark Millar has gained prominence in the comics industry. His credits include launching the Ultimates and Ultimate X-Men for Marvel Comics as well as writing one of the best-selling comics of the decade, Civil War. His creator-owned title, Wanted, was turned into a big-screen movie starring Angelina Jolie and his next comic-turned-movie, Kick-Ass, hits theaters this Friday.

Years prior to this, before he even turned 21, he wrote a series called Saviour which was published by Trident Comics and lasted for six issues. As is common with his creator-owned work, it’s a curious mix of religion, politics and superheroics. As an interesting note, even as a young writer, it appears his work was something to watch for since Saviour was the longest-lasting, non-anthology title that Trident published.

On Ebay: Mark Millar

April 13, 2010

Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed #2

Filed under: Swiped: Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed! — Doorman @ 8:34 am

After looking at hundreds of comic book covers, it becomes quickly apparent that not every cover is 100% original. Whether done intentionally or even underhandedly, there’s something about uncovering these “swipes” that adds a new element of fun to reading and collecting comics.

1979 saw the release of Francis Ford Coppola‘s Vietnam War film, Apocalypse Now, starring Marlon Brando and a host of other movie stars. After the success of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, many “rip-offs” began to crop up in the mid 1980s. The most successful of these imitation books was the Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters. Spinning out of their main title, came the two issue mini series Clint. Both issues featured a “swipe” cover, the second one biting off Apocalypse Now. And, In 2002, continuing with his experimental art style, Kaare Andrews payed tribute to the film with his cover to the Incredible Hulk vol. II #46.


Apocalypse Now
1979


Clint #2
January 1987
Ken Meyer

the Incredible Hulk vol. II #46
December 2002
Kaare Andrews

On Ebay: Hulk | Kaare Andrews | Black Belt Hamsters

April 12, 2010

One-Shot At Greatness #2 Mythos: Spider-Man

Filed under: One-Shot At Greatness — Doorman @ 7:44 am

Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in this ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!

Mythos: Spider-Man by Paul Jenkins and Paolo RiveraPublisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Date: August 2007
Cover Price: $3.99
Writer: Paul Jenkins
Artist: Paolo Rivera

This is the fourth book in Marvel’s Mythos series, allowing Paul Jenkins and Paolo Rivera an opportunity to retell the origin stories of some of the most famous characters in the Marvel Universe.

*Warning! Plot Spoilers Below*

If you’ve seen the movies or read the comics, I’m sure you’re familiar with the origin of Spider-Man. But, for those of you not in the know, Peter Parker (a nerdy teenager) gets bit by a radioactive spider which causes him to develop super-powers. Hoping to cash in on these newfound super-powers, he devises a costume and web-shooters and pursues fame. Caught up in his self-importance, he allows a thief to escape right in front of him. Arriving home later that night, he finds out that the uncle who’s raised him has been killed! When he hunts down the killer, he discovers it’s the very same burglar he let go earlier. From then on he swears to use his powers to fight crime and adopts the motto his Uncle Ben taught him: “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility”.

Paul Jenkins’ script doesn’t add anything new to the story (aside from replacing the wrestling bit with an appearance on Conan O’Brien‘s Late Show) but it certainly captures all the important parts. I don’t think comic fans are ever in need of yet another re-telling of Spider-Man’s origin. After all, it’s been retold hundreds of times in countless comics, cartoons and movies. But, if one must recount it yet again, they could do much worse than to experience it as told through Paolo Rivera’s luscious paintings.

On Ebay: Spider-Man | Paul Jenkins | Paolo Rivera | Mythos

April 9, 2010

Retro-Read #1 Rom Spaceknight

Filed under: Retro-Read — Doorman @ 10:53 am

With years spent reading single issues here and there, juggling storylines of dozens of titles, I decided it was time to find a better way to read comics. So, it was off to the back issue bins armed with the longest want list you’ve ever seen! Putting together series after series and reading them in their complete goodness, I was reborn as the Retro-Reader!

Publisher: Marvel Comics
Number of Issues: 75 (and four annuals)
First Issue: December 1979 (40¢)
Last Issue: February 1986 (75¢)
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Artist: Sal Buscema, Steve Ditko

*Warning! Plot Spoilers Below*

Parker Brothers has manufactured the most popular and enduring board games of your childhood including Monopoly, Clue, Risk and Sorry! Attempting to explore the toy and action figure market in the late 1970s, Parker Brothers manufactured Rom, a silver action figure with light-up eyes. After experiencing success with other licensed properties (Star Wars, Godzilla, Shogun Warriors, and Micronauts) Marvel Comics acquired the license for Rom and began publishing an ongoing series in December of 1979. The series far outlasted the action figure’s popularity as it continued on for 75 issues, all of which were written by Bill Mantlo. The first 58 issues were illustrated by Sal Buscema (aside from #56 by M.D. Bright) and most of the others were pencilled by legendary artist and co-creator of the Amazing Spider-Man, Steve Ditko. The entire storyline is easily broken into five distinguishable acts.

Act One – Prologue

Over two centuries ago, a race of sorcerous shape-shifters (later revealed to be a descendent of the Skrulls) known as the Dire Wraiths emerged from their Wraithworld in the Dark Nebula to expand their influence to the world of peaceful Galador. Galador’s ruler issued a call to arms to the planet’s youth … merging their humanoid forms with cyborg technology, they were reborn as Spaceknights and endowed with unique abilities. Newly empowered, Galador’s youth were able to defeat the Dire Wraiths and send them packing. However, instead of retreating to their home planet, the Dire Wraiths dispersed themselves across the cosmos hoping to conquer other worlds. With their planet saved, it would have been easy for the Spaceknights to return to Galador, undergoing the process to restore their humanity. But, the noble Spaceknights charged themselves to defeat the villainy of Wraithkind on every world! Only after their goal was achieved would they return to Galador to reclaim their humanity. Rom, greatest of the Spaceknights, was dispatched to Earth to eliminate the Dire Wraith threat.

Act Two (Rom #1-23)

Finally landing on Earth, Rom finds himself in the small-town of Clairton, West Virginia. He begins his hunt there, summoning forth his energy analyzer to detect the Dire Wraiths who have hidden themselves in human disguises. After discovering some wraiths in Clairton, Rom uses his neutralizer on them, banishing them to Limbo and leaving behind a pile of ashes. Unfortunately for Rom, to the human population there, it appears as if an alien robot has come to town and fried some of their neighbors! Unable to speak English, Rom cannot explain to them that he has eliminated an evil alien presence from among them. Utilizing his universal translator, Rom is able to learn the language and explain his case to the nearby populace but they are still not too quick to believe his story. As the story continues, Rom draws close to Brandy Clark and her fiance Steve Jackson, as they are exposed to situations that lead them to believe in Rom’s mission. And, eventually the entire town comes to believe in Rom as he finally rids their community of every Dire Wraith infiltrator. Not an easy thing to do, though, as humans are unable to perceive the Wraiths as anything but the form they’ve disguised themselves in! Eventually, Rom appoints Brock Jones (the Torpedo – previously seen in Daredevil and Marvel Premiere) as a deputy-of-sorts to watch over the town of Clairton as Rom travels back to Galador to ensure that his home planet is still free from Wraith attack.

Act Three (Rom #24-46)

Rom arrives back on Galador just in time to stave off a small Wraith invasion! With barely any time to breath free, Galactus shows up to feast upon the gleaming world of Galador. However, Rom is able to convince Galactus not to eat his planet by offering up another one to the world-eater. One guess as to what planet Rom’s going to lead him to …. you got it! Wraithworld! Incredibly enough, though, Wraithworld’s polluted and dangerous landscape is able enough to fend off an attack from even the mighty Galactus. As punishment for his “trickery”, Galactus moves the entire world of Galador to an unknown location where the Spaceknights will never find it and banishes Rom back to Earth. After ensuring Clairton is still Wraith-free and safe in the hands of the Torpedo, Rom departs to continue his Wraith-cleansing goal across the planet Earth. He ventures to all sorts of new locales and begins to interact with other super-beings including Namor the Sub-Mariner, the “Missing Link”, Shang-Chi the Master of Kung Fu, Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme, the Metal Master, the Soviet Super Soldiers, Quasimodo, and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Awareness of the Dire Wraiths’ presence on Earth continues to increase with each new encounter! And, in a daring move, Brandy Clark merges with the dead body of Starshine (the golden, female Spackenight) to join Rom in his quest to rid the world of Wraithkind.

Act Four (Rom #47-66)

After nearly four years’ worth of publishing, the true form of the Dire Wraiths is finally revealed in issue #47. This issue marks the escalation of the Wraiths’ mission to conquer Earth. Not only do they intend to overcome the planet and its inhabitants … but, they intend to replace Earth’s place in our solar system with their very own Wraithworld! With the Wraiths stepping up their game, Rom and humanity must do the same. In an unprecendented move, President Ronald Reagan and every other world leader of Earth make a pact to set aside their differences in an effort to combine their forces against this threat to all of humanity. As Wraithworld draws nearer to the Earth, global catastrophes of all sorts strike the planet, throwing the population into panick. Earth’s only hope lies with Rom utilizing his neutralizer as it is amplified by an orbital device created by Forge (from the pages of the then-current Uncanny X-Men). Earth’s mightiest heroes (the X-Men, Avengers and many more) unite to hold off Wraithkind, buying Rom and Forge enough time to put their plan in motion. Turning the neutralizer beam on Wraithworld itself, Rom destroys the dangerous planet, forever ridding the Dire Wraiths of the source of their sorcerous powers. Now posing very little threat at all, Rom banishes the remaining Wraiths to Limbo … finally accomplishing his goal.

Act Five (Rom #67-75)

His mission finally accomplished, Rom departs for the void of space, tracking down the energy signatures of his fellow Spaceknights and searching for his home planet of Galador. When he finally finds Galador, Rom discovers that it’s been overtaken by a second generation of Spaceknights that were originally created to protect the planet while the first generation was off fighting the Dire Wraiths on other planets. So, Rom and the Spaceknights he’s picked up along the way, battle alongside the humanoid Galadorian resistance against these new Spaceknights! Despite casualties, Rom is victorious and is finally able to reclaim his own humanity. His mission accomplished, our hero is now able to enjoy the paradise of Galador with his love, Brandy.

The Bad: The strange dialogue in each issue makes reading this almost seem like a chore. Naturally, being alien to our planet, Rom may have a different style of speaking. And, he does. It’s certainly very formal and respectful. That part was fine but, the dialogue the humans speak throughout this series is near-painful on many occassions. It’s heavily expository and seems very odd. People wouldn’t talk like this in real life. Every issue takes a few pages to recap who Rom is, what his mission is and what’s happened previously. Every issue. There are even whole issues that are almost entirely a synopsis of past events. It’s more suited to a monthly read (where new readers – at that time – might pick up an issue midway through the run) but, it gets really old chugging through this on a daily basis.

The Good: Sal Buscema‘s art didn’t really grab me, at first, but once he was smoothed over with other inkers, the look of the series took a big climb in quality. Later on, even Steve Ditko‘s “bubbly” style was turned into nicer-looking work by inkers such as Peter Craig Russell and John Byrne. The series even managed to pick up a semi-regular cover artist with the very talented (and very stylish), Bill Sienkiewicz.

Bill Mantlo‘s plotting and characterization was the real treat of this series. He showed that an alien like Rom (and even a rogue Dire Wraith) could display the best attributes of humanity. He also displayed the depths we could sink to when acting without compassion (Brandy – reborn as a Spaceknight – was ruthless!). The romance between Rom and Brandy was also another highlight of Mantlo’s characterization. Brandy was engaged to Steve Jackson but, when Rom came to town, it was clear that she was smitten with him. Many writers would take the easy way out and kill off the other guy. Or, at least make him out to be a bad guy. But, not Mantlo. Steve Jackson was a great guy who befriended Rom and aided him in his crusade against the Dire Wraith invasion. Sure, he displayed some jealousy here and there but, he never took it out on Brandy, Rom or anyone else. Eventually, Brandy made the choice to desert her fiance and become a Spaceknight. Kudos to Mantlo for not making this an easy choice for her … or for forcing us to empathize with her. In fact, after reading the entire series, I’m not a big fan of Brandy’s. Even though Rom is quite taken with her, I find way more faults with her (lack of loyalty and, later on, compassion) than positive aspects.

Unlike Rom’s bold first appearance, the true form of the Dire Wraiths was not revealed, initially. Parker Brothers, who designed the look of Rom, were initially going to design the look of Rom’s enemy but, I suppose that when the Rom toy didn’t sell well enough, it didn’t make sense to follow it up with yet another toy that could sell even worse. In the meantime, a curiousity built over what the Dire Wraiths looked like. It certainly created a nice draw to continue reading … “would this be the issue they were revealed?” Finally, after nearly four years of publishing, the true form of the Dire Wraiths was revealed in Rom #47!

When Bill Mantlo took Rom on adventures around the world, throughout Act Three, it ended up being a real treat for continuity-freaks like myself. He followed up on the stories of a lot of characters, mostly seen in the Incredible Hulk series including the Soviet Super Soldiers, Quasimodo and the Metal Master. But, not only did he have them appear … he moved their stories along, as well. He often teased that the Hulk might meet up with Rom at some point but, unfortunately, this never came to be. Nevertheless, his progression of other characters (most notably the Torpedo) was a nice bonus!

The Verdict: While it’s unlikely that’ll I’ll ever read this entire series all the way through again, I’m glad I’ve read through the whole thing. Sure, it could have easily been condensed into a much quicker read but, I’m assuming that good sales kept them from wanting to resolve the war against the Wraiths all too quickly. However, as was warned by other readers in the letters pages, once the Dire Wraiths were defeated, the book just couldn’t keep its following. It was ended soon after, and Rom’s story came to a “happy ending”. The guest-stars and their stories kept the series from stagnating while we waited for the plot to be resolved and the unrevealed true forms of the Dire Wraiths certainly kept a mystique to the book. Also, the artwork, while outdistanced by today’s standards of form and coloring still looks good and serves the plot well without detracting from it. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend reading the entire series, especially since every issue recaps what has happened before but, it would be enjoyable to read through most of Acts Three and Four again.

On Ebay: Rom | Bill Mantlo | Sal Buscema | Steve Ditko

April 8, 2010

Famous Fan Mail #1 Gordon Purcell

Filed under: Famous Fanmail — Doorman @ 9:15 pm

You may not be surprised to learn that most people in the comic business grew up reading comic books. However, you might be interested in knowing what comics they were reading. Here’s a look at “Famous Fanmail”!

Gordon Purcell is an artist who’s done a lot of work in comics, specifically with licensed boks like Star Trek, X-Files and Indiana Jones. Before all that, though, his imagination was captured by Rom, a comic book title published by Marvel Comics based on a robotic toy made by Parker Brothers. He got a letter published in Rom #48 (cover date – November 1983), which you can read below.

Rom letters page with Gordon Purcell

On Ebay: Gordon Purcell | Rom

April 7, 2010

Before They Were Stars #1 Jim Lee

Filed under: Before They Were (Comic Book) Stars — Doorman @ 2:49 pm

Not every comic writer or artist starts at the top, working on books like Batman or X-Men. In fact, most don’t even start at Marvel or DC. Here’s a look at some work by comic book creators … before they were stars.

Solson Christmas Special #1 Jim LeeAfter more than twenty years in the business, the name Jim Lee is sure to conjure up many different thoughts, depending on who you are. His credits include pencilling and co-writing 1991’s X-Men vol. II #1, launching Image Comics with several other creators, creating the Wildstorm Universe and most recently he was named co-publisher of DC Comics.

In the 1980s, during the indy comic boom, Solson Publications put out a strange variety of titles including Reagan’s Raiders (yep. Ronald Reagan), the How to Draw Comics Comic, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Martial Arts Guide, and a book called Samurai Funnies that put a samurai slant on horror movies. In a similar vein, they produced the Solson Christmas Special starring Samurai Santa in 1986. This comic is Jim Lee‘s first published work, as he shares the art chores with Don Secrease. The inside front cover even has a mini-bio on Lee. Who would have imagined that five years later, he would have been part of the best selling comic of all time (X-Men vol. II #1)?

On Ebay: Jim Lee | Solson

April 6, 2010

Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed #1 Hulk Annual

Filed under: Swiped: Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed! — Doorman @ 4:31 pm

After looking at hundreds of comic book covers, it becomes quickly apparent that not every cover is 100% original. In fact, some of them look exactly like a cover from the past! Now, calling it a swipe might make it sound almost malicious but, most of these are done in homage to the original source. Whether done intentionally or even underhandedly, there’s something about uncovering these “swipes” that adds a new element of fun to reading and collecting comics.

In the 1960s, having an annual was a “big” deal. Much bigger than it seems to be in today’s market. Back then, an annual was an opportunity to present a story so grand that it needed extra pages to contain it! Such was the case with Incredible Hulk Annual #1. The very cover boasts a “King-Size Special” with “Twice As Many Pages!” and “Twice As Many Thrills!” They chose not to mention twice as much to pay for it as the normal 12 cent price tag was more than doubled to one quarter. But, I digress.

The story at hand (by Gary Friedrich and Marie Severin) was indeed a grand opportunity as it pitted the Incredible Hulk against the Inhumans! In the 1960s, encountering this reclusive race was a rare sight to be seen and to celebrate this special, Marvel hired Jim Steranko to produce a cover to appropriately enclose this gem.

In the early 2000s, after the departure of the mega-popular Hulk-scribe, Peter David, the Hulk title lost a lot of steam. And, after floundering around for about three years with no well-regarded driving plot, Marvel turned control of the book over to Bruce Jones and John Romita, Jr. To celebrate this new change in direction (and it was certainly a big change!), the cover artist, Kaare Andrews, payed homage to another Hulk story of grand design, the Incredible Hulk Annual #1. Naturally, other books throughout the years have tipped their hat towards this classic cover, as well.


the Incredible Hulk Annual #1
Jim Steranko
October 1968

the Incredible Hulk vol. II #34
Kaare Andrews
January 2002

the Incredible Hulk vol. II #112
Art Adams
January 2008

Cable vol. II #9
Ariel Olivetti
February 2009

On Ebay: Hulk | Jim Steranko | Kaare Andrews

April 5, 2010

One-Shot At Greatness #1 Batman: the Killing Joke

Filed under: One-Shot At Greatness — Doorman @ 2:49 pm

Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in these ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!

Batman the Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian BollandPublisher: DC Comics
Cover Date: July 1988
Cover Price: $3.50
Writer: Alan Moore
Artist: Brian Bolland

What better place to start this article than with Batman: the Killing Joke? Originally published by DC Comics in 1988, this one-shot comic united writer, Alan Moore, with artist, Brian Bolland, and has undergone multiple reprintings ever since.

*Warning! Plot Spoilers Below*

This story is a mix between current events and a flashback to a potential origin of the Joker. After all, being insane, the Joker wants to keep his origin a matter of multiple choice instead of certainty. In the past, an unsuccessful comedian joins some unlawful fellows to make ends meet. They dress him up as the Red Hood to commit a crime which is thwarted by Batman. Fleeing the crime, the comedian falls into a vat of toxic chemicals and comes out with white skin and green hair … not to mention a case of incurable madness.

In the present, the Joker sets out to show the world that one bad day can drive the best of us to insanity. To prove this point, he enters Jim Gordon‘s apartment, shoots his daughter, Barbara, and kidnaps him. Stripped naked and chained to a carnival ride, Gordon is exposed to photos the Joker took of his daughter, naked and terribly wounded. Now faced with the worst day of his life, Gordon manages to keep his wits about him with enough time for Batman to track them down and rescue him. After freeing Gordon, Batman hunts the Joker in yet another one of their cat-and-mouse games. Having done this dozens (hundreds?) of times before, the caped crusader wonders how their feud will come to a close. Will it end in death or rehabilitation? When he finally catches the villain, he presents the same question to him along with an offer of help. The Joker’s response leads to an extremely rare reaction from Batman … and you gotta see it to believe it!

Portending the importance of this comic, DC Comics published it in a prestige format (with a thicker cover and squarebound spine) and even added a minor cover enhancement by slightly embossing the title and credits. This ground-breaking one-shot took the threat of the Joker to an all-new level and revealed Batman’s self-cognizance of his never-ending battle. Shooting (and paralyzing) Barbara Gordon set the bar even higher for any future consideration of the danger the clown prince of crime presents. Paralyzation is such a major change to a character, that, previously, it would have taken place in the pages of the ongoing title. Allowing Alan Moore to do it (in continuity!) in this one-shot book changed the game for the comic publishing world and paved the way for the character to evolve into the character now known as Oracle.

Highly Recommended

On Ebay: Batman | Alan Moore | Brian Bolland

« Newer Posts

Powered by WordPress