Batman: The Long Halloween

Title: Batman: The Long Halloween

ISBN: 9781563894695

Price: $19.99

Publisher/Year: DC, 1998

Artist: Tim Sale

Writer: Jeph Loeb

Collects: Batman: The Long Halloween #1-13

Rating: 4/5

There are a handful of iconic Batman stories, and The Long Halloween is counted proudly among them. This landmark tale written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Tim Sale captures a side of Gotham that no other story has accomplished.

Taking its lead from Frank Miller's classic Year One story (which, while never so dramatic as The Dark Knight Returns, has far more staying power), The Long Halloween revolves around the untouchable Falcone crime family and the efforts of Gotham's justice triumvirate -- police Capt. James Gordon, crusading district attorney Harvey Dent and, of course, the Batman -- to bring crime lord Carmine "The Roman" Falcone to justice. Their task is hampered by the appearance of a serial killer, dubbed "Holiday" by the media for his propensity for killing on, you guessed it, holidays, who systematically takes apart the Falcone empire.

This dark and noirish story avoids the gimmicks employed by so many Batman writers, instead concentrating on the grim and often frustrating task of following leads, searching for clues and, at times, suspecting friends of terrible crimes. Besides a crackerjack murder-mystery, Loeb has written an exemplary Batman and has set a new high in his characterization of Gotham's peculiar population. Interactions between Batman, Gordon and Dent, as well as his trusty butler Alfred and a colorful array of villains from the Joker, Riddler and Scarecrow to Poison Ivy, Mad Hatter and Solomon Grundy, simply spark with energy and highly believable dialogue. Batman's relationship with Catwoman -- as well as Bruce Wayne's relationship with Selina Kyle -- are particularly well handled with a one-two combination of sensuality and menace.

Sale's art is sometimes not to my taste, and yet for this story it is dark and twisted perfection. (OK, I'm not sure what he's doing with the Joker's teeth, but I suppose he can slide on that one artistic quirk.)

Mystery lovers may squawk because the reader is never actually given enough clues to solve the crime, and the final twist seems to come out of nowhere. Still, The Long Halloween is a classic story that belongs in the permanent collection of every Batman fanatic and deserves to be read by anyone with even a passing interest in the Bat.

My current "To Review" list

Though I'm nowhere near behind on having reviews ready... at the time of writing this, I have reviews scheduled to post at my regular Sunday timing up to June 15th... but I have a sizable stack of trades that I've read but haven't written the review for yet. I thought that if I had a list of what is in that stack, it might help to motivate me to get to work on them.

So, without further ado... the list (listed in the order they are stacked):

• Ghost World
• Fairest: The Hidden Kingdom
• Venom vs. Carnage
• Hellboy: The Midnight Circus
• Azrael: Angel in the Dark
• Harbor Moon
• Ghost: Painful Music
• Dark Reign: Accept Change
• Dark Avengers: The End is the Beginning
• Marvel Mangaverse Vol. 3: Spider-Man - Legends of the Spider-Clan
• Wolverine: The Brotherhood
• Spawn Origins Collection Vol. 1 & 2
• Ghost/Batgirl: The Resurrection Engine
• Cobra: Son of the Snake
• Spider-Man's Tangled Web Vol. 4
• Star Wars: General Grievous
• Spider-Man vs. Venom
• John Constantine, Hellblazer: Black Flowers
• John Constantine, Hellblazer: Chas - The Knowledge
• Constantine: The Hellblazer Collection
• Classic G.I. Joe Vol. 15
• G.I. Joe: The Best of Snake Eyes
• G.I. Joe Vol. 4 & 5
• G.I. Joe: Origins Vol. 3 & 4
• G.I. Joe Dreadnoks: Declassified
• G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Vol. 2
• G.I. Joe: Special Missions Vol. 3
• G.I. Joe: Cobra Vol. 1-3
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 Volume 1: Freefall
• Lady Death: The Reckoning
• Lady Death: Origins Vol. 1
• Witchblade Deluxe Collected Edition
• Clerks
• Spike Vol. 1: All Together Now

Mind you, this is only the list of the trade's I've already read. I still have a larger stack of those I have yet to read. Obviously, I'm going to have plenty of work ahead of me and I'm going to have this blog going for another year plus.

Zanziber's outlook for 2014

Here we are, coming to the end of another year. 2013 has been a huge year from me personally, with the addition of Twitter and the Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer (#CBC4C) project. Here's the outlook on the comic con's for 2014 thus far:

January 24-26

I submitted an application for a fan table to help promote Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer at Wizard World Portland. Due to my current funding capabilities, if I am denied for the table, I may only be able to attend for a single day. I already have a room booked, so now I play the waiting game. Last year, I was able to attend a single day because Groupon came through with a great deal. Either way, I'm looking forward to the chance of attending and connecting with some additional artists for CBC4C.

Nothing has been announced for this years Stumptown, but I wouldn't mind attending again. Hopefully I'll be able to fair better than this in 2013. Next time around, I'm going to be more open-minded about supporting the indie comic scene.

March 28-30

I already have my room booked and my train tickets purchased. I'm going to have to wait until after the holidays to buy my ticket. I missed Emerald City Comic Con 2013, but I don't want to miss 2014. Because of baggage restrictions, I'm debating about if I should bring blanks along for artist to help with CBC4C, but I'll have business cards and (hopefully) flyers/brochures.

May 10-11

2014 will bring a new convention into the Pacific Northwest in the form of Cherry City Comic Con right in my own back yard. I'm going to give as much support to this con as I can, though I won't have a table. I've already purchased my ticket for the weekend, and I'm looking forward to seeing what's going to be put on. With any luck, we can help make this as much of a success as 2012's inaugural Rose City Comic Con. Buy your tickets now!

September 20-21

I intend on attending Rose City Comic Con again in 2014. I wouldn't miss it for the world. I'm hoping that I'll also be able to get a fan table to help promote CBC4C. Even if I'm not able to get a table, I'll have business cards and flyers/brochures.

All year long!

I know it's not a comic con, but I thought I'd add a little something about the Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer project. As you can probably tell from above, I intend on promoting CBC4C wherever I go. I'm looking forward to making new connections with artists who can help support the cause, and I'd love to be able to meet some of the current artists face-to-face. I appreciate everyone who has helped this project become successful. What I'd like to ask from each person who reads this is to like our Facebook page if you haven't already and share it with at least 1 person.

To any vendors who will be attending any or all of these conventions, I have a simple request...

Bring lots of different TPB's and GN's and give us a good discount and you'll have my attention and my patronage.

Joker

Title: Joker

ISBN: 9781401215811

Price: $19.99

Publisher/Year: DC, 2008

Artist: Lee Bermejo

Writer: Brian Azzarello

Rating: 3.5/5

Every superhero needs a nemesis and The Joker has served Batman well over the years. His white face, green hair, psychotic grin and manic laugh have remained something of a constant, making his visage almost as iconic as Batman’s cape and cowl. But he’s also prone to reinvention, with each generation making a darker, more disturbing Joker. Alan Moore’s crippling rapist in 1988′s The Killing Joke became a low water mark in his evil career though. And while Azzerello and Bermejo provide him with a nasty looking carved-in grin, and paint him as a murderous, psychotic bully, he doesn’t quite stoop so low in this violent reworking.

He is, however, a ruthless gangster. Finding himself freed from Arkham Asylum on the grounds that he’s cured (and thus falling into one of superhero comics’ eternal problems – why aren’t these guys just sent straight to the chair?), The Joker returns to Gotham to retake his position as king of crime. In his absence, characters like The Penguin and Two-Face have muscled in on his territory – foolish mistakes they’ll live to regret, as The Joker re-takes his slice of the action, along with a bit more for his trouble. In other words, The Joker isn’t cured – he’s as bad as ever. Now there’s a surprise. Someone at Arkham’s going to lose their job.

All this is seen through the perspective of one of The Joker’s henchmen, Jonny Frost, who quickly rises into position as his right-hand man, second only to silent and undoubtedly deeply disturbed lap-dancing girlfriend Harley Quinn. It’s Jonny’s voice we hear throughout the book, as he learns the ropes of dealing with The Joker and boasts that, through his close bond with the master criminal, he has finally become someone of note.

Azzerello’s take on The Joker deals far more with the politics of crime than we’re used to seeing. We see how he deals with his rivals and why there could never really be a collective union of super-villains, with so little honor amongst these thieves. Bermejo’s darker, grittier take on this pantheon of villains is a stunning job, taking the characteristics that make them who they are and grounding them with contemporary fashions and henchmen. His Gotham is dark, brooding and lawless.

The story is flawed only by its eventual and begrudgingly necessary adherence to the cycle of the superhero story which, while tempered with a different perspective, is necessarily still locked into this three act piece. If you can cope with this, however, we’re sure you’ll agree that the voice Azzerello gives The Joker is a definitive fit we’re likely to hear again. At least until the next time the character goes through a reinvention.

Sandman: The Dream Hunters

Title: Sandman: The Dream Hunters

ISBN: 156389629X

Price: $19.95

Publisher/Year: Vertigo, 1999

Artist: Yoshitaka Amano

Writer: Neil Gaiman

Rating: 3/5

This book is not a graphic novel. Rather, The Dream Hunters is a beautifully illustrated and exquisitely written story of ancient Japan involving magic, love, sacrifices and, of course, dreams. Taken from an ancient myth, this magical retelling is both a Sandman story and a freestanding work all its own, without needing reference or background in the Sandman universe.

The story begins, as so many stories do, with a wager. A badger and a fox wager that whoever can roust a pious young monk from his temple shall have the temple for a home. Despite their efforts, the monk is not fooled, and eventually the wager is called off. The fox goes to the monk and apologizes, an unprecedented move for the fox. The monk is accepting, and the two become friends.

The fox learns of danger to her new friend, the monk, and is determined to save him from almost certain death. Indeed, she travels to far inner spaces, and manages to save the monk from the subtle spell that has been cast upon him. However, the monk is as stubborn as the fox and his own efforts to save her are as just as strong. He travels to the dreamlands in order to bargain for her life, and is beset by dangers of all sorts, without losing his resolve. The ending is unexpected, bittersweet and revealing all at once.

Yoshitaka Amano's illustrations are a variety of media, ranging from etching on gold, to watercolors, oils and pencil sketches. Each illustration is a marvel to be admired on its own as well as adding to the story. I was lucky enough to view his exhibit, which included original paintings for this book, and they are incredibly magical works on their own.

Neil Gaiman's wordsmithing whisks the reader off to a completely different milieu, without leaving us floundering for some sort of context. I especially enjoyed a cameo of two characters from The Dreaming comic book series, and was thrilled to learn that they were actually part of the original myth that this story was based upon.

In all, the experience of reading this book left me trembling on the knife-edge of tears and laughter. I found it to be an emotionally moving experience and highly recommend this book to everyone whether they have previously enjoyed Gaiman's Sandman stories or have never read anything by him at all. Reading The Dream Hunters was a magical experience to be savored.

Batman: Cacophony

Title: Batman: Cacophony

ISBN: 9781401224189

Price: $19.99

Publisher/Year: DC, 2009

Artist: Walt Flanagan

Writer: Kevin Smith

Collects: Batman: Cacophony #1-3

Rating: 3.5/5

When the Joker is sprung from Arkham Asylum and left to run murderous riot in Gotham City, it seems like the Clown Prince of Crime is up to his usual tricks. But what Batman assumes to be an accomplice turns into something altogether more sinister – a new villain on the scene who seems intent on using Batman and The Joker’s inevitable tussles as an opportunity to trap Batman.

The key element of interest here is that the story is written by Kevin Smith and is his first stab at taking on DC Comics’ iconographic Dark Knight. The Joker is a good match for his talents, as Smith has The Joker unleash a barrage of snappy one-liners that veer towards Smith’s traditionally ultra-crude cannon without being wholly consumed by it. He also manages to provide the character a malicious, nasty streak without going too far into nitty-gritty details of his crimes.

Smith writes the mysterious third man as a near silent mute, mirroring his films’ Silent Bob character. This helps maintain the mystery of the character above and beyond his place in the plot – even by the end of the book we know virtually nothing about him.

However, Smith is surprisingly reverential to the Batman mythos, portraying the hero as a calm, measured man with a mission to keep the impossibly imbalanced Gotham on as even a keel as possible, using violence where necessary but clearly not relishing that aspect of his persona. You might have expected Smith to take this further – to out violence Christian Bale, to take The Joker’s madness further than Heath Ledger, or to try and go darker than Christopher Nolan. Perhaps it’s Smith’s own hardcore comic fan status that keeps him on this more subtle, less cinematic path, but it’s a welcome refrain. The violence is bone-crunchingly modern but it’s kept to the main characters, at least in terms of what is shown rather than what happens off-panel.

Despite all this Cacophony isn’t a great Batman story. Perhaps it’s because Smith himself argues in his introduction that he’s already writing something better. Perhaps it’s because it’s only a collection of three issues and it feels like there’s much more story to tell. Or perhaps it’s because it seems like Smith hasn’t finished with his silent villain quite yet. Whatever it is, Smith’s first Batman story isn’t going to go down in history alongside the greats, but I remain intrigued to see where he might take the Caped Crusader from here.

#CBC4C needs your help!

I want to thank every artist who has already donated work to our project as well as those who are currently working on their donations. Also, a big thank you to those who have place bids on our auctions to help raise money for cancer research. Without each and every one of you, this project would not have gotten this far.

The next stage of our project is to broaden the exposure of our cause. I've been promoting #CBC4C on Twitter, Facebook and several comic book message boards, but I feel that the message can be spread further.

To that end, I have already submitted an application for a fan group table for Wizard World Portland (January 24-26, 2014). In anticipation of being accepted as well as continuing this at future comic cons (namely Rose City Comic Con, Stumptown and the new Cherry City Comic Con), I need help with funding this stage of the project, and you can help.

To date, this project has primarily (95%) been funded out of my own pocket. I need help with signage for the table/booth area as well as brochures and informational flyers. The goal will also go towards expenses like transportation. Any excess will go straight into the donations to the American Cancer Society.

I have a GoFundMe campaign already started where you can donate to help us out. Here's the link:

http://www.gofundme.com/3xwpio

Any help is greatly appreciated. If you cannot donate, please spread the word.