Worst Batman graphic novels

[elliszeroed]

Neal Adams - Batman Odyssey and Batman Vs. Ra's Al Ghul. Utterly incomphrehensible.





Edit: Already mentioned.

But the Ra's Al Ghul one is just as... ... batshit.

[Deskbound Cunt]

Neal Adams - Batman Odyssey and Batman Vs. Ra's Al Ghul. Utterly incomphrehensible.



Edit: Already mentioned.

But the Ra's Al Ghul one is just as... ... batshit.

That pterodactyl doesn't look too happy.

[Fambo Number Mive]

I wouldn't call Batman: The Man Who Laughs bad but I mention it here as I found it somewhat hard to follow what was going on. Although I found the Grim Knight's universe interesting.

I do wonder how people don't run out of ideas for Batman graphic novels. Arkham seemingly being easier to escape than an open prison is relied on a lot as it is, but even then there must be a finite number of new Batman ideas.

[13 schoolyards]

I had a look under "Batman" at the local remaindered book chain and there were pages full of graphic novels I'd never heard of. I'm assuming a lot of them are just collected editions of runs of the comic, but DC must be churning them out at a rapid rate for pretty much anyone (Batman / Fortnite: Zero Point? Batman: Chalice? Batman: Europa? And the never-popular Batman: Earth One)

[Mister Six]

got arkham asylum after the videogame and i thought it would be exciting adventures of hte World's Murder Detective dealing with his colourful rogues gallery in a creepy lovecraftian asylum setting. i was imagining something like a more gothic version of that Animated series ep where they're all talking about how they nearly killed the Batman

i thought it was SHIT. i prefer Frank Miller where he's just dirty harry but with dementia

I don't hate Arkham Asylum, but I think it is very overrated. These days, Morrison can write something that's offbeat and high concept and experimental but still has a strong emotional element and feels organic and natural. But this is early weird Morrison (see also: Kid Eternity, The Mystery Play) where you can just feel him trying so bloody hard, and hear the intellectual gears turning while the actual story aspect of the comic remains inert. "Look! Clayface represents AIDS! The Joker represents, uh, gender fluidity or something! Do you see!?"

I think his Doom Patrol would have gone a similar way (down a shot whenever he does some automatic writing that includes the word "Bishop"), except he wrote that with a sense of playfulness and fun that made it more palatable and feel less pretentious. It helps to have Cliff going "What the fuck, I don't understand this," and punching whatever's in front of him. It's not as fun when every character is swept up in the lit-student melodrama.

[Small Man Big Horse]

I had a look under "Batman" at the local remaindered book chain and there were pages full of graphic novels I'd never heard of. I'm assuming a lot of them are just collected editions of runs of the comic, but DC must be churning them out at a rapid rate for pretty much anyone (Batman / Fortnite: Zero Point? Batman: Chalice? Batman: Europa? And the never-popular Batman: Earth One)

From what I gather Batman is the only title that DC have that consistently sells in high numbers, hence all of the different titles and random graphic novels. I picked up The Chalice from a charity shop and it is very daft stuff, even if it does take itself very seriously, here's the short review I posted a while back:

Batman: The Chalice by Chuck Dixon and John van Fleet - A very silly story involving Bruce Wayne being asked to look after the Holy Grail, and lots of people then try to kill him. It's mostly po-face stuff with only the occasional bit of humour (Alfred and Catwoman teaming up to kill a whole bunch of fuckers being the main source of that), but the art is really lovely and despite it being a bit ridiculous I did find myself thoroughly entertained. 3.25/5

[This isnt witty sorry]

Three Jokers for a more modern pick. There's a sort of interesting idea in there with how Batman/Jason/Barbara have been effected by their encounters with a Joker but that's about it. The Jokers' scheme is basic, Batman shrugs and goes "oh well" to a murderer and it ends with a couple of needless retcons to The Killing Joke. Though I did chuckle at one of the obvious "resetting to the status quo" bits so three stars some funny bits.

[Deskbound Cunt]

Neal Adams - Batman Odyssey and Batman Vs. Ra's Al Ghul. Utterly incomphrehensible.

Hold on. Isn't that a "homage" to this?

[madhair60]

I don't hate Arkham Asylum, but I think it is very overrated. These days, Morrison can write something that's offbeat and high concept and experimental but still has a strong emotional element and feels organic and natural. But this is early weird Morrison (see also: Kid Eternity, The Mystery Play) where you can just feel him trying so bloody hard, and hear the intellectual gears turning while the actual story aspect of the comic remains inert. "Look! Clayface represents AIDS! The Joker represents, uh, gender fluidity or something! Do you see!?"

i think AA has its moments (as you imply), there's some effective horror in there but it's mostly in the art. i'd take his later run (R.I.P et al) any day, as that's some of the best comics ever to come out of DC

[Mister Six]

Yeah, I think there's stuff to admire about AA, but the story itself doesn't do a lot for me - I find it emotionally hollow and genuinely pretentious (which isn't a word I like to use much, especially about Morrison).

I love all of his more recent DC superhero stuff, though I've still not read Wonder Woman, Green Lantern or that Action Comics run he did. Must correct that.

[13 schoolyards]

I'll be interested to hear your verdict on the Action run. It started out as something I really wanted to read, but kinda hoped someone else would write - a grounded, almost street-level Superman tackling the kind of real-world problems the character did back when he was invented, which seemed the opposite of Morrison's interest in the character.

And it was, because by the end it was back to full on cosmic adventures, which were a lot of fun. So basically I liked the whole thing, but for different reasons from start to finish

[Glebe]

Hush is a little silly in places but it's entertaining enough. Dave McKean's work on Arkham Asylum is impressive but it's not what Grant Morrison originally intended.

[Magnum Valentino]

McKean got an art credit on My Dying Bride's first demo as they used a detail from one of his unused (at that time) Arkham Asylum pieces.



He later did some original pieces for them.

[Boycey]

Given that I am a Batman fan, I currently have around 150 graphic novels of Ol' Pointy Ears and yes there is some dreck (which I will collect anyway, because you know...) Odyssey is rightly pointed out as a complete mess of insane ideas and just bad narrative but it's one of those that becomes such a gargantuan mess that you almost can't help but admire it's ridiculousness (and it's really hard to hate Neal Adams).

I quite like Hush, but if you want bad try Hush Returns. A complete mess that - long before Three Jokers - brings Joker's side of The Killing Joke into canon. There's a moment when The Joker blithely relates his origin story to The Penguin, which is just totally wrong for the character, and he;s just a trumped up mob boss lost among a sea of continuity and fan wank. Hated it. Got it cheap though, so there we go...

 

[Magnum Valentino]

I have no problems hating Neal Adams to be honest. His original famous work doesn't impress me as much as stuff by Jim Aparo (for one example) and his revisions and insistence that the original work not be reprinted as-was over the years has really soured me on him personally too.