To celebrate the release of The Dark Knight Rises, July is “Batman month” here at the m0vie blog. Check back daily for comics, movies and television reviews and discussion of the Caped Crusader.
The game was old and alluring… but when the Batman and his beautiful ally, Wonder Woman, buy into a sweep stakes of danger and double-cross, they learn too late that their tickets are punched…
– introduction to Play Now… Die Later!
I’ll freely concede that older comics are a mixed bag, and that they’re certainly an acquired taste. As much as I might recognise the importance of certain classic runs on iconic character, reading comics even a decade or two old is a strange experience for me. I can appreciate the care and craftsmanship going into them, but I’m frequently distracted by the redundant thought balloons, the bizarre logic and quaint characterisation. I know that’s my problem, and I freely concede that. Sometimes, however, I come across a piece of pure old-fashioned awesomeness that almost makes my feel that nostalgia many comic book readers recognise.
Legends of the Dark Knight: Jim Aparo, Volume 1 is such a book, collecting a portion of the iconic Brave and Bold run featuring art by Jim Aparo and scripts by Bob Haney. It is insane. It is awesome. It is fun. It is incredible. I was reluctant to put down these delightful unrestrained Batman stories, and I frequently found myself pumping my fist in the air with excitement and… well, awe. It’s never going to be considered high literature, but Jim Aparo and Bob Haney may have mastered the old-school “comic book” artform.
This isn’t even the craziest thing that happens this run…
Some of the more wonderful “comic book moments” captured here include:
- the Joker forcing Batman and a friend to fight to the death… or he’ll shoot a puppy!
- Batman accidentally selling his soul… to Hitler!
- the Atom climbing inside Batman’s skull… and operating his body like a JCB!
- Batman saving the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence… while tied to the cowcatcher on a train!
- Batman teaming up with Kamandi… in a future dominated by talking animals and modelled on Planet of the Apes!
If none of these produce even a hint of childish glee, I don’t know what to say to you.
Even this image cannot capture the awesomeness of this comic… They left out the bit where the Joker is coercing them to do this by threatening to shoot a puppy… that has life-saving anti-virals in its blood for a plague the Joker started… to kill off a henchman who might testify against him…
Note: the ever-wonderful Bat-guru Chris Sims has done a whole slew of posts about the awesomeness of this comic. Here, here and here are some highlights.
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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: Adolf Hitler, alfred, alfred pennyworth, anne hathaway, Aparo, arts, Atom, Bat, batman, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Bob Haney, Brave And The Bold, catwoman, dark knight, Dark Knight Rises, dc comics, Eddie Slovik, Enoch, gene colan, gordon, history, James Gordon (comics), Jim Aparo, joker, Marshall Rogers, Ted Grant, Television, The Brave and the Bold, wonder woman | 2 Comments »
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