Tag: Batman

More Framed Books

I recently got a great e-mail from Anthony James, who stumbled upon my ‘IKEA photo frames hack for comic books‘ post. In this e-mail he wrote:


I recently had a chance to meet Scott Snyder at the Midtown Comics in lower Manhattan for the launch of Batman 1. I bought a copy of Batman as well as Swamp Thing and had him sign both. I also bought a copy of American Vampire 1 signed by Scott on Ebay.

After getting home I realized I didn’t want them all sitting in a long box in the closet so I looked up framing solutions online. They had to look nice in order to get my girlfriend to approve hanging them in the hallway, so at first all I searched was Amazon. After giving up because I needed 3 frames which would be very costly, I searched Google and came across your site.

We went to Ikea in Brooklyn (just a short 15 minute drive so I can do this all the time!) and I picked up the frames. One thing your site doesn’t mention is that the store has different colors so I went with a white frame for American Vampire as it’s primarily a white cover. They have other colors as well but the black was the best fit for Batman and Swamp Thing.

One thing I did different was I used white card stock behind the comics to make them almost appear like they are floating. I also used foam mounting tape on the edges of the frame which keeps the flush with the wall. The comics don’t pinch at all in the frames which is great.

Again, thanks for the awesome tip. It saved a lot of money and left me with a nice exhibition in my hallway!

Thanks for writing and sharing your photos Anthony!

Christopher Nolan’s Joker

Heath Ledger as the Joker
Brad Dourif as Luther Lee Boggs

I know this post is coming out of left field, but this is  an idea I have had floating around in my head for a while. In the last Batman movie (Batman: The Dark Knight) the Joker lived. But the actor Heath Ledger past away. Now I highly doubt that the next Batman movie will have the Joker in it. Which is sad because the battle between batman and the joker has always been and on going one. But should they decide to bring  the character back in the next film  think the actor Brad Dourif is the best possible replacement. Brad played a character on the X-files once, named Luther Lee Boggs and I think based this roll proves he is the best replacement for Heath Ledger as the Joker.

That’s just my two cents from left field.

Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?

BatmanThe same NPR article that made me what to read “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” also had a link for an older NPR peace on “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?”.

Gotham City is plagued with crime and corruption in places high and low, but one man has taken a stand against evil of all forms: the dark avenger known as Batman. But now the Dark Knight is dead. “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader” is a captivating and mysterious tale, the likes of which Batman and friends have never experienced before. Delving into the realms of life, death and the afterlife, no stone is left unturned in this exploration of every facet and era of Bruce Wayne’s life. Neil Gaiman, the multiple award-winning author of “Sandman” and “Coraline”, is joined by legendary artist Andy Kubert (“Batman and Son”) for the ultimate Batman story!

The hardcover edition I picked up also came with other Gaiman stories from Secret Origins #36, Secret Origins Special #1, and Batman Black And White #2. I felt that some of these stories where on par, if not better then “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?”. One is a story on Poison Ivy which really lets you see her true side. A side I had never seen before.

Another story focused on the Riddler. I found this one very interesting because the Riddler is a character from the early days of Batman villains like King Tut, Book Worm, and Egg Head. The Riddle still exists today but (at least in my opinion) never really has found a nitch in the comics like the Joker, or Catwomen. In the comic it’s brought up by the Riddler and he comes off as depressed by it. It was just a good a good read.

Batman: Night Cries

Batman: Night Cries
Batman: Night Cries

I have just read a graphic novel called “Batman: Night Cries“. This DC Comc’s book that I found the other week at a local used book store was written by Archie Goodwin with art done by Scott Hampton. It uses the graphic book format to spread awareness of child abuse. I can’t help but feel like it falls short in it’s attempt.

The reality is that Batman fans know that he is not out fighting the Joker every night or trading battles of intellect with the Riddler. In between these epic battles, he is fighting everyday crime. Muggings, robberies, vandalism, to name a few.

Night Cries tries to show this with a  child abuse story, and falls short. It falls short because the story feels like it’s trying so hard to get the message out that child abuse is a bigger issue then we all realize. Because of this it takes away from this being batman story and ends up feeling more like a Public Service Announcement. In-fact, Scott Hampton’s art work was the only thing keeping me turning the page at one point.

The book also contains a subplot involving Commissioner Gordon having been abused himself as a child. This gave the book multiple child abuse stories and presented us with a different look at Commissioner Gordon that has never been told in past comics or since. It only adds to making the story that much harder to accept.

You can pass on this book.

Kingdom Come Review

This last weekend I finished reading “Kingdom Come“. Which is a comic book mini-series that takes place in the future with an aged Superman and Batman. The story is great and the art is nothing short of amazing. I have been reading a lot of these comic mini-series lately and so far have enjoyed them all.

Kingdom Come is a four-issue comic book mini-series published in 1996 by DC Comics. It was written by Mark Waid and painted by Alex Ross, who also developed the concept from an original idea. Set some 20 years into the future of the then-current DC Universe, it deals with a growing conflict between “traditional” superheroes, such as Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Justice League, and a growing population of largely amoral and dangerously irresponsible new vigilantes. Between these two groups is Batman and his assembled team, who attempt to contain the escalating disaster, foil the machinations of Lex Luthor, and prevent a world-ending superhuman war.

I think of this story as a big “What if” story. It’s wroth the time to pick it up and read it. I would like to talk about it in more detail. I am just worried about ruining it for people who have not read it yet. But it’s a good book and if you get the chance I hope everyone will read it.

The comic dose such a good job of letting the reader know each characters personality as well as their abilities. Even if you don’t the back story of each character, the book dose such a good job of making you feel like you do from page one.

Dear Michael Bay

Dear Michael Bay,

I would like to invite you to see Batman: The Dark Night which opened in theaters this last weekend. It will give you the chance to see what a good movie adaptation of a comic book looks like. I am hopping that if you can see this picture before it leaves theaters you might be able to save movie audiences from the cinematic abortion that will be Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen and maybe make a good movie instead. You know, one that is not an embarrassment to Transformers fans.

Respectfully,
Youseph Tanha