Saturday morning funnies

This is for Brian, who also has a problem with Christian Bale's "crushed-gravel, angry stage whisper."

Overwhelmed by THE DARK KNIGHT

I’ve really got very little unique to say about The Dark Knight. It’s all being said elsewhere. Deb and I saw it yesterday afternoon. Then I needed a long nap. It’s exhausting. It’s grim, it’s downbeat, it’s scary, it’s unpredictable. Two months ago, I wrote here that Iron Man is one of the best comic book superhero movies ever. I could probably say the same thing about The Dark Knight, except this is less a comic book superhero movie than it is a sweeping noir crime epic. It’s tragic on an operatic scale. There are layers and layers of things to peel away and discuss about The Dark Knight. Right now, I’m just not up to the challenge. I don’t think I can do the movie justice.

But I just knew I had to check in before people started asking me about it.

See the goddamn thing. Just see it.

If you can't get enough of the Dark Knight...

To coincide with The Dark Knight, which opens tomorrow, a lot of new Batman merchandise, both good and bad, has been released to stores over the past couple of weeks. Here’s what I think is the Good Stuff.

The first nine issues of Frank Miller’s All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder have been collected into a nice, hardcover “Volume 1.” This “monthly” comic launched in 2005 and has been plagued by constant delays (only a single issue was released in 2006) and miserable reviews. Just about everybody seems to hate it, complaining that Miller’s portrayal of Batman is too hard, unflattering, and inappropriate. Personally, I see the series as a natural fit with other entries in Miller’s alternative Dark Knight Universe (Batman: Year One, The Dark Knight Returns, and The Dark Knight Strikes Again). Sure, this comic is tough. It’s shocking. It’s uncomfortable. But I’ve never expected anything less from Frank Miller. And Jim Lee’s artwork is exquisite. I just hope another three years don’t pass before we see Volume 2.

On the DVD front, DC Comics’ third direct-to-DVD entry is Batman: Gotham Knight. It’s an interesting though very disjointed 75-minute, anime-style movie made up of six separate episodes by three screenwriters and a half-dozen Japanese animators. It’s supposed to fall into Christopher Nolan’s Batman movie universe, somewhere between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. But even with two viewings under my belt (admittedly, I was listening to the feature-length commentary when I watched it the second time), I don’t really “get it.” The six episodes are too loosely linked for my taste, and the film meanders in all directions. And none of this is helped by the fact that Batman and other recurring characters are drawn differently in each chapter. The only element that really ties everything together is Kevin Conroy, who reprises his voiceover role as Batman from the old Bruce Timm cartoon series. Despite all this, the movie looks cool, it’s never boring, and the two-disc DVD set includes a very nice, 45-minute documentary about Batman creator Bob Kane. Batman: Gotham Knight isn’t essential for fans, but it’s worth checking out if you’re among the hardest of hardcore Batman fanatics, like me.

Also available is the fifth complete season (13 episodes) of The Batman from the Kids’ WB. Again, this is something a lot of Batman fans seem to dislike. But I’ve enjoyed the series from its debut in 2004, even though it’s never reached the heights of Bruce Timm’s cartoons from the 1990s. Just as Batgirl was introduced in the third season and Robin in the fourth, this fifth bunch of shows is highlighted by the appearance of other DC heroes, including Superman, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Hawkman, and the Flash — in other words, the Justice League. My only reservation about this particular string of episodes is that Batman, notoriously the grim loner, is presented as the great team-builder. But that’s not too big a deal. This is a fun set of cartoons.

Finally, much to my delight, the WB’s short-lived revisionist TV take on the Batman mythos from 2002, Birds of Prey, has finally made it to DVD — all 13 episodes, plus the unaired pilot (really just another version of the first episode, with alternative footage and some different casting). This show was a wonderful bit of kickbutt superhero eye-candy, starring Ashley Scott (who later starred in the Jericho TV series), Dina Meyer (the best thing about the original Starship Troopers movie), and Rachel Skarsten. I was a diehard fan of this show when it first aired, and it’s terrific to be able to revisit it. My only disappointment with this DVD set is that a lot of the original music from the program has been replaced due to licensing problems. This includes Aimee Allen’s memorable title theme, “Revolution.” Regardless, I highly recommend Birds of Prey.

Summer Box Office Smackdown

My fevered anticipation mounts

Book review: TALES OF THE BATMAN

A lot of people think they’re unimaginative, but I love gift cards and gift certificates. Love ’em to death, whether I get them for birthdays or for Christmas. So I got one over the holidays, redeemable at my local comics retailer, and it was burning a hole in my pocket. And after scouring the shop for something “special,” I came up with this new collection of illustrator Tim Sale’s early Batman stuff, Tales of the Batman. Amazingly, until now, I’d never seen any of it — and me, a big fan of Sale's work on the Batman graphic novels The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, and even the things he’s done for the Heroes TV series.

There are five great stories in Tales of the Batman, three of them lengthy three-parters. The writers are Alan Grant, Kelley Puckett, Darwyn Cooke, and James Robinson. But even though I know deep down that the story should be more important than the artwork, it’s Tim Sale's artwork that really triumphs here. This is all dark, gorgeous stuff. And each story is prefaced with a few words from Sale himself — and, you know, I really like this fellow. He’s kinda humble and thankful for his success and all, and he spreads the credit around. He seems like a good guy.

If you’re a Tim Sale fan, buy the book. If you’re a Batmaniac, buy the book. It’s a real goodie.

Joker redux

My excitement for The Dark Knight movie continues to mount.

Monday morning update: You can watch and/or download the fantastic trailer right here.

Frank Miller's Joker still rules

Speaking of the Joker, which I was, my favorite interpretation of the character has always been that of Frank Miller, who killed off the homicidal monster in the middle of his epic The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel 21 years ago [see illustration]. Well, Miller's Joker is right now making a memorable and terrifying appearance in DC Comics' All Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder #8. This (undeservedly) much-maligned comic book series, written by Miller and illustrated by Jim Lee, is a kind of prequel to DKR (and a sequel to Miller's Batman: Year One). This eighth issue, friends, includes five pages that are what nightmares are made of. It literally breaks the rules of most superhero comics and shook me to my core. Batmaniacs, do not miss this.

The joke's on me

Like everyone else, I had my doubts about Heath Ledger portraying the Joker in next summer's Batman movie, The Dark Knight. But this guy's starting to really scare the crap outta me, just like the Joker was always meant to do.

Not your daddy's Joker, is he?

Heath Ledger plays the Joker next summer in The Dark Knight, the follow-up to 2005's Batman Begins. I'm already creeped out.

Review: DETECTIVE COMICS #826

I read a lot of comics. A lot of comics. And for some 40 years, I’ve become used to the serialized comic book story. Marvel may have been the first to regularly utilize the form when they started producing epics in the mid-’60s like the tale of the Master Planner (Amazing Spider-Man #31-33) or the original Galactus saga (Fantastic Four #48-50). Big stories needed more than a single issue. And pretty soon, every comics story was a Big Story. Anyway, my point is that for a very long time, standalone stories told in a single issue of a comic have been few and far between. So in this age of graphic novels, when I come across one — and a damn fine one at that — there’s reason to celebrate.

Thanks to a recent recommendation by Dr. Hook at the SciFiDig podcast, I finally caught up yesterday with Detective Comics #826, released last December. If you’ve forgotten how a terrific comics story can be told in just 22 pages, you’ve gotta pick up this issue, which may still be readily available at your local comics retailer (thankfully, it was at mine). The story is called “Slayride,” and it’s really a Robin yarn; Batman doesn’t make an appearance until, well, the last page. Featuring the Joker at his most terrifying, the tale is by turns amusing, nail-biting, and shockingly violent. And it’s a wonderfully satisfying bit of graphic storytelling. “Slayride” is written by Paul Dini, creator of Harley Quinn and a producer and writer for most of the great Warner Bros./DC Comics animated series. Don Kramer and Wayne Faucher provide the artwork. Being such a short piece, I won’t spoil it for you by revealing any of the plot. But I will say that it’s a holiday story you won’t soon forget.

Comic book fans, take note.