And Catwoman #1. Yes, there are SPOILERS. Batman #50 is finally out and, even though it was (mostly) spoiled in The New York Times on Sunday, I’ve chosen to wait until the appointed time to address it. Seems only fair. It went on sale at midnight and is now widely available, so here are 13 QUICK THOUGHTS about the issue and its immediate follow-up, Catwoman #1. If you don’t want to be spoiled, you still have a chance to turn back now because I’m getting into the nitty-gritty right underneath this main cover by Mikel Janin: — 1. So they didn’t get hitched. I’m not all that surprised. I figured it was a 50-50 venture anyway. I am, however, disappointed because I think reading an ongoing run about a married Batman would be fascinating. 2. That’s not to give short shrift to Catwoman, though. She’s one of my absolute favorites and I think she’s been wonderfully written by Tom King. She’s been an equal partner in all this but Batman is the marquee character in this equation. 3. I was, however, genuinely taken aback by the gut-punch ending, which revealed the story’s real twist – that this was all manipulated by Bane, in concert with the Joker and the rest of the villains you see on the final page. — 4. Including Holly. Oh, boy, when Selina finds out… 5. The other thing that occurred to me is that there’s nothing to prevent Bruce and Selina from getting married down the line. He never gets a chance to plead his case with her, y’know? And King and co. did give us a glimpse into their potential future in Batman Annual #2, which, by the way, will be included in all sorts of Greatest Batman Stories collections as the years go on. — 6. King himself pointed out on Twitter this week that we’re only at halftime: Batman 50 is not the end. This is a 100 issue story documenting and celebrating the love of Batman and Catwoman. Whatever happens, whatever anyone says, nothing’s going to spoil that. pic.twitter.com/Crm5t0CKcI — Tom King (@TomKingTK) July 2, 2018 — 7. So, how was the actual story? It was very good, though a little heavy-handed at times. As I’ve noted a number of times now, King has a remarkable grasp on how Bruce...
13 QUICK THOUGHTS on the new Walmart exclusives… In case you’ve missed the news – and I don’t see how you could have – DC and Walmart have teamed up for a new line of 100-page comics that feature new stories and reprints that go back about 10-15 years or so. (Click here for the details.) I’ve gotten my hands on a couple of them – and here are my 13 QUICK THOUGHTS: — 1. The two I have are Superman Giant #1 and Justice League of America Giant #1. (I still have to track down the Batman and Teen Titans issues.) Overall, these are a fascinating look at how DC is trying to reach readers who don’t necessarily venture into comics shops. The new lead stories are very basic and not at all continuity dependent, and the reprint back-ups – culled from both the New 52 era and before – are basically introductions to those characters. All four first issues are out now. Starting in August, Superman and JLA will be out the first week of the month and Batman and Teen Titans will be out the third week of the month. — 2. It’s almost incidental to review the lead stories because this whole initiative is really about the packaging and the distribution. And that’s the prism through which I judge the stories. That said, the Superman lead story by Jimmy Palmiotti, Tom Derenick and co. is a very basic Man of Steel vs. the elements tale that could have been published in 1978. As a Bronze Age kid, that’s a real compliment. The set-up is simple, the art is pleasing – with shades of Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez – and anyone can read it and know exactly what’s going on. — 3. Justice League of America’s lead story is a Wonder Woman solo tale by Tim Seeley with line art by Rick Leonardi. It’s a bit more challenging, violent and politically loaded than the Superman piece. That’s perfectly fine, obviously, but it seems to be aimed at a different audience than the Superman story. — 4. DC – and, by extension, Walmart – is trying to reach people who know these characters more through movies, TV and video games. It’s interesting to me, then, that Wonder Woman, whose movie was so immensely popular, does not have her...
13 QUICK THOUGHTS on the new Walmart exclusives…
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