Blogathon 28: Put on Your Tights and Give Them Hell Part Seven

[Concluding my discussion of The Dark Knight Strikes Again.]

Why The Dark Knight Strikes Again is awesome:

Superman fucks Wonder Woman so hard the Earth literally moves. Batman gets together his old buddies so they can fuck some shit up with the kids. Green Arrow's cybernetic arm. Giant frog Brainiac. The callback to Superman's beatdown from The Dark Knight Returns. The Elongated Man advertising Gingold as a sexual stimulant drug. Barry Allen's short shorts and black Flash costume. How ridiculous Catgirl looks. Carving a zed on Lex Luthor's face. Steve Ditko's Question. The many costumes of Dick Grayson. "I'm done talking. Get out of my cave." The grizzled, cracking look of the Martian Manhunter. The giant SHAZAM! Captain Marvel's final speech. The way Wonder Woman just looks strong and proud. Hawk and Dove in their costumes. The Hawk-kids. Hal Jordan's otherworld family life. The Batman TV show climbing up a building page with the insane inmates of Arkham. The way that Batman loves his life in a way that he never does in other comics. That first shot of Superman in space. Creepy fat thug Lex Luthor. Computer colours that also uses solid colours sometimes. Dick Grayson catching his own head. Batman rallying the youth to rise up and fuck shit up. Catgirl swallowing the Atom. Bizarrobot. More visual references than you can shake a stick at. The giant eye of Batman on the cover of the trade. Beaten to a pulp Superman. The way his S symbol looks different when he and Wonder Woman are about to have sex and from that point on. Mini-Kryptonians and their harsh justice. Green Arrow 'debating' the Question. The Batboys. The grief-stricken Wonder Woman after Captain Marvel sacrifices himself. Superman's locket. The 34-panel page. How Plastic Man and the Elongated Man hate one another. Big green gloves. Virtual president. The commands to blow up the Batcave and disarm the self-destruct sequence. The way that Batman doesn't give a fuck what Superman thinks. Wonder Woman throws lightning while riding a pegasus. Superman and his daughter. Hologram Batman looking straight out of The Dark Knight Returns. Crashing the flying Batcar through hired goons. Taking a beating just for the hell of it and following it up with some tea. Pages I could stare at for days (and probably have by this point). The excitement I can't help but feel at the end of the first and second issues. The final panel.

In 30 minutes, I'll begin discussing Omega the Unknown.

[Don't forget to donate what you can to the Hero Initiative! (Details in this post.) After you do, let me know via comment or e-mail (found at the righthand side) so I can keep track of donations -- and who to thank.]

Blogathon 27: Put on Your Tights and Give Them Hell Part Six

[Continuing my thoughts on The Dark Knight Strikes Again.]

The way the media is depicted in The Dark Knight Strikes Again is a radical shift from how it's shown in The Dark Knight Returns. Part of that is the change in the art from the grid to the loose pages. But, even with that, Miller's loose ADD-esque pages reflect modern media better. It's a channel-flipping style of depicting the media. With 24-hour news channels, it's become standard to flip back and forth, see who has the best coverage, the latest scoops, the most interesting news. Don't stay anywhere too long. Back in the '80s, you stuck with it, you watched these debates play out between pundits. The content itself hasn't changed much, just the time spent with it and how quickly it goes from zero to a hundred. In DKR, there was build-up to someone losing their cool; here, that's how they begin. I don't know how exaggerated the media representation is in DKR (if at all), but even if it was exaggerated, the contrast is striking. At least, there, there was some semblance of an attempt to inform people and have an intelligent discussion. It eventually broke down, but the intent was there. Or, at worst, the lipe service to the intent was there. Here, it's just noise. There's no questioning, no thought, just apes shouting and grunting in an effort to get the most attention.

The discourse in DKR, while satirising the media, had some merit to it. The idea put forth had some germ of an idea in them that you could think about. What effect would a person like Batman have on a city? Would he attract the mentally unstable and his presence influence them to engage him? The debate eventually became nonsense, but those ideas... they're part of what give DKR depth. There are no such ideas in DKSA. No one talks long enough on TV to present a fraction of that sort of depth. No one listens, no one thinks, everyone sinks to the easiest argument to bring in the viewers.

Each book is a comment on their time, but, fuck, DKSA is meaner and... more accurate. Its disjointed narrative and approach to the media is entirely appropriate for 2001. Hell, it's still appropriate for 2011. But, I remember those days post-Bush's 'election' and the sense of outrage in young people. And I live in fucking Canada. The media becoming a fucking joke in the wake of the 2000 election (it was already a joke, but people stopped laughing then, I think). I don't know. More than any other comic, this reminds me of my final two years of high school. Of my early days on the internet. Of being an angry young man. Of being a stupid young man. Try telling that guy that this comic is anything but awesome. You won't be able to, because it's pure fucking awesome.

And, in 30 minutes, I'll tell you why to finish off the discussion of this comic.

Also, we're up to $225! Keep those donations coming!

[Don't forget to donate what you can to the Hero Initiative! (Details in this post.) After you do, let me know via comment or e-mail (found at the righthand side) so I can keep track of donations -- and who to thank.]

Blogathon 26: Put on Your Tights and Give Them Hell Part Five

[Continuing my discussion of The Dark Knight Strikes Again.]

Seeing where The Dark Knight Strikes Again differs from The Dark Knight Returns brings to mind the influence of the series on All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder. How does one reconcile the role of Dick Grayson in the two? Or even Hal Jordan? What's funny is seeing how Miller's take on the other heroes' reactions to Batman when they first learn about him to how they all follow his lead in the future. It's a shift from Superman and Wonder Woman to Batman. They begin by following raw power and, eventually, follow brains and skill. Or, at least, that's the way that Miller sees it.

The Dick Grayson question is harder to pin down, because we haven't seen where All-Star Batman ends. (Will it ever end?) He follows up a book where Dick Grayson is a grotesque Joker-looking unkillable man that slaughters his way through heroes to get at Catgirl and Batman with a book exploring Batman rescuing and adopting Dick Grayson? Anyone who wondered about Frank Miller's sense of humour look no further than that juxtaposition. More than that, he insisted that the title not just be All-Star Batman but All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder. That could point to the Dick Grayson in DKSA being the biggest middle finger of the book. More than Superman getting beaten down in the exact same way, more than the art or utter willingness to 'spit on the grave' of DKR. He fucked up Dick Grayson for a laugh. Hell, he fucked up Dick Grayson for a gay joke. In DKR, the Joker was hinted to be in love with Batman, so, in DKSA, the same is implied with Dick through the Joker look and the way he attacks Catgirl and speaks to Batman. But, Miller being Miller, takes that Batman/Robin gay thing and twists it by having Batman basically shout "I ain't no queer, faggot!" (pardon the language) and kill him. The ultimate declaration of his masculinity. He wasn't creepy for keeping a young boy in tights in a cave; he was just a misunderstood good guy who is too damn sexy to resist. Does one read All-Star Batman and think of DKSA? Do you see that little boy as a twisted freak falling into a pit of lava?

The jump from the Hal Jordan of All-Star Batman to the one of DKSA is dramatic. It's almost like All-Star Batman #9 is the beginning of the reeducation of Hal Jordan where he sees just how good Batman is and starts to listen and learn. After all, in DKSA he's practically a god that leaves his home just to do Batman a favour. That's a far cry from the idiot that got beat up by a little kid.

Of course, there's the idea that these books don't exist in a continuum. I think that's hard to argue given the depictions of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Those are very consistent. They're the only characters (aside from Plastic Man, I guess) who don't change. They are who they are. The only sense of change you get is Superman towards the end of DKSA when he finally begins to embrace his potential and differences. I was always curious about Miller's promised/mentioned Superman project, but no more so than after that final shot of him with his daughter, wondering what to do with their planet.

In 30 minutes, I'll possibly finish off my thoughts on The Dark Knight Strikes Again, but who knows.

[Don't forget to donate what you can to the Hero Initiative! (Details in this post.) After you do, let me know via comment or e-mail (found at the righthand side) so I can keep track of donations -- and who to thank.]

Blogathon 25: Put on Your Tights and Give Them Hell Part Four

[Continuing my discussion of The Dark Knight Strikes Again.]

I get the feeling that Kingdom Come is an induction speech to a Hall of Fame or for a Lifetime Achievement Award, while The Dark Knight Strikes Again is a roast. Both tributes that show affection and love, but do so in different ways.

Take the use of Captain Marvel. In DKSA, he's a little goofy and old fashioned -- then again, that's who Captain Marvel is. He's always been a little goofy and old fashioned. Here, he has a wisp of grey hair and wears little reading glasses. He eventually sacrifices his life and it's a truly heroic moment. He gets a similar moment in Kingdom Come, but, before that, he's treated like an evil Superman almost. A manipulated, drugged manchild that's struggling with what's right and able to stand toe to toe with Superman. Both treat him with respect; one pokes fun and the other takes him seriously. Neither is right or wrong.

The biggest difference is the fundamentally different views on Batman. That goes beyond the jokey/serious differences of the two books. In both, Batman doesn't necessarily trust the guys with superpowers, he thinks himself better and more capable than them. But, that's a universal aspect to Batman. Where they differ is their willingness to take control and change things. That's his main issue with Superman in Kingdom Come: the unwillingness to change things. He doesn't like the idea of Superman and the Justice League rounding up bad guys and won't join up. He's content to sit in Gotham and have robots police the streets. He's a fucking old man that's become set in his ways and is afraid to go outside almost. When he does go out, it's in big battle armour that makes him feel tough and scary. No one noticed the irony of that being a book attacking the '90s and their Batman wore fucking armour.

Frank Miller's Batman can't just sit at home. He has his soldiers, but he likes to get his hands dirty. He's the one to organise people and start fucking things up. And it doesn't take a big inciting event. It just takes him looking out his window and noticing a corrupt world that needs fixing. Then again, The Dark Knight Returns covered the whole 'coming out of retirement' bit that Superman goes through in Kingdom Come. Would a more accurate comparison be DKSA and The Kingdom? Ha, oh god, that would awesome. Someone get on that.

The kiss between Superman and Wonder Woman in Kingdom Come seems like a Frank Miller moment. But, Batman bossing around their kid in DKSA is funnier and more entertaining then the three adults sitting in a restaurant and talking like boring folks.

In 30 minutes, I'll continue this, I imagine.

[Don't forget to donate what you can to the Hero Initiative! (Details in this post.) After you do, let me know via comment or e-mail (found at the righthand side) so I can keep track of donations -- and who to thank.]

Blogathon 24: Put on Your Tights and Give Them Hell Part Three

[Continuing my discussion of The Dark Knight Strikes Again.]

While there are some obvious points of compare/contrast with The Dark Knight Returns, I've always felt the more natural comic to look to was Kingdom Come. I don't know if Frank Miller ever read it; I don't care. Both are books that take place in the DCU's future and offer a big battle ground for heroes, particularly ones with a Silver Age feel. Where Kingdom Come put the emphasis on Superman and Wonder Woman with Batman a secondary player of sorts, DKSA puts Batman front and centre with Superman and Wonder Woman as secondary players. That simple inversion presents an entirely different sort of story, especially when you consider the radically different take on Batman Miller has from... well, pretty much everyone. His Batman is a guy who loves being Batman. That's what the Goddamn Batman really is. That's why I like Miller's take so much. He gets how much fun it would be to be Batman and how Batman would go for bigger and bigger thrills, especially as he got older. Superman is almost reluctant to come back in Kingdom Come. And his return is a limited sort, one focused mostly on making heroes 'respectable.' Batman wants to tear shit up.

It's their approach to nostalgia that I find particularly illuminating. Kingdom Come was about the '90s and the types of heroes that had become popular, about emphasising a more traditional heroism. "Back in my day, superheroes wore tights and fought bad guys and drank milk and never swore and..." It's a 'I wish things were like they used to be' nostalgia. DKSA is the sort of nostalgia that makes a guy take all of the characters he loved as a kid and tosses them into an insane situation where they get to rile up young people and attack the status quo. It's the nostalgia of being young, of wanting that feeling back instead of wanting things to be like they were. Hell, I get that nostalgia and I'm only 28. It's applying the idea of taking on the world to old men. Of giving those characters another chance to shine, albeit in a different way.

It's easy to see why Kingdom Come is more revered. It's notalgia is the popular one with the comics set. It's iconic nostalgia. These characters are icons and must be treated seriously and with respect and never mocked even though they're pretty fucking silly. Miller gets that they're silly and loves them all the more. He doesn't take them seriously. Why would he?

What's especially telling: in Kingdom Come, the 'villain' is the future. The new kids are brats and they must be taught respect. Eventually, better villains emerge; still, it's not traditional. Miller is much more traditional. His bad guys are bad guys and the kids are alright. Miller's mockering is gentle, while Kingdom Come seems to look around and declare everything shit.

I used to like Kingdom Come, but, man, it's hard to sometimes. There are moments of beauty and poetry in it. Some moments that really sing for me. Not like The Dark Knight Strikes Again, which is only, what, five years later and feels like it comes from an entirely different generation.

I just get the impression that Kingdom Come is for kids and men in their thirties, while The Dark Knight Strikes Again is for teens and people in their twenties.

In 30 minutes, we reach the halfway mark of the Blogathon and I continue my ramblings on The Dark Knight Strikes Again.

[Don't forget to donate what you can to the Hero Initiative! (Details in this post.) After you do, let me know via comment or e-mail (found at the righthand side) so I can keep track of donations -- and who to thank.]

Blogathon 23: Put on Your Tights and Give Them Hell Part Two

[Continuing my discussion of The Dark Knight Strikes Again.]

The most immediate difference between The Dark Knight Strikes Again and The Dark Knight Returns is the art. In DKR, Miller based his page layouts on a 16-panel grid, four by four. While he didn't always (or often) draw all 16 panels, that was the basis. It's a dense layout and made for a dense, slow read. Here, there's no set layout. This is completely freestyle all over the place. The first page seems like a statement of intent when it comes to page layouts with eight small panels just tossed onto the lower half of the page over a full page shot of Batman's silhouette. There will be no neat order, no grids, just whatever the hell Miller feels like doing. There's no even a tier structure like he used in Sin City books. He literally seems to approach each page with the idea of doing what feels right and what he feels like drawing. Putting the two books next to one another is jarring in a way. You can see similarities, but they're so different visually that it's hard to believe that one is meant to follow the other. Three years have passed in the books' time, but 15 have passed in the real world.

The darker paints of DKR compared to the bright computer colours of DKSA are another big difference. What they add to tone is so obvious. If you ever want to see what colours can do to change a book's tone, take a look at these two books. I wonder if we would have taken DKR as seriously if it was coloured like DKSA... Then again, I'm not sure how DKR would even look that way. I'm surprised we haven't seen someone try to replicate that -- or the other way around. Would DKSA be taken more seriously if it had the painted colours of DKR? The colours add so much to the feel of the books. The paints of DKR capture the depressing doomsday feeling of the mid-'80s, while the bright and shiny bubblegum pop nature of DKSA is splashed across every page with weird computer effects and bright colours.

My favourite DKR callback in DKSA is the end of the first issue where Miller delivers his biggest insult to Superman: the beatdown that Batman and company lay down on him is basically the exact same one that Batman laid down in DKR. He bombs him, attacks his equilibrium, nails him with a version of Kryptonite, and lays a giant beatdown with his fists. Some other bits are thrown in, but it's almost exactly what happened the first time they fought. Superman is so dumb that the same tricks worked twice on him.

DKR was a Batman story, while DKSA is more of a DCU story. Batman is the central figure that the story pivots around, but so much of the book is spent examining other characters, showing us what this future has done to these characters. Last time, we saw some Bat-villains, Superman, and Green Arrow. This time, it's everyone pretty much. In that way, this one seems less like a statement about a character like DKR was and more like a wacky fan letter to a whole host of characters and comics that Miller loved. He ignores everything that happened since he read comics as a young man it seems. Everything calls back to the Silver Age, maybe the beginnings of the Bronze/Dark Age.

He was sentamental back when he was old...

In 30 minutes, I may talk a bit more about the two books, but I'll also throw in some Kingdom Come.

[Don't forget to donate what you can to the Hero Initiative! (Details in this post.) After you do, let me know via comment or e-mail (found at the righthand side) so I can keep track of donations -- and who to thank.]

Blogathon 22: Put on Your Tights and Give Them Hell Part One

[Beginning my discussion of The Dark Knight Strikes Again.]

I wonder how many people who claim now to have loved The Dark Knight Strikes Again when it came out actually did. This book went from hated on release to slowly loved. There are still detractors but seem more rare than fans by this point. Of course, saying that, I immediately call into question my love for the book when it was being released. But, it's true. What wasn't to love? It was loud and crude and fun and funny and had a completely insane badass Batman breaking superheroes out of weird jails before they all ganged up on Superman and kicked his ass. What 18-year old wouldn't love that?

Miller's art is almost grotesque here and that only adds to the book. He's got that grotesque beauty thing down pat. It's messy and cartoony. Like a twisted animated series look at times. Like someone who does the DC TV shows got drunk one night and just went at it. Okay, maybe not. But, the dynamic nature of the characters -- Catgirl basically flies off the page! And she went from Robin to Catgirl! That's so insanely dumb! His page layouts are insane, just tossing panels wherever he wants before going to these wide open pages. It's a comic meant to be read quick and it speeds you along.

Superman goes from pawn of Reagan to pawn of Luthor and Brainiac. Or was that always the case? Being a Batman fan, I always liked the way Miller slapped Superman around a bit. The most pure so easily corrupted? Before, it was a sacrifice to save his fellow heroes; here, to save Kandor. The answer was always obvious: stand up and be a man about it, and actually save people instead of surrendering. Superman jumps to play the martyr almost.

The stuff with Robin made the choice of All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder an odd one in a way. Though, I still say that that book is to Year One what this is to The Dark Knight Returns with Spawn/Batman as the middle ground. Everything turns on that axis. My favourite Joker Robin costume gag is when he kills the Creeper dressed as Spider-Man right before the Question gets into an argument with the Martian Manhunter.

This book is so steeped in love of superhero comics and celebrating their brash stupidity. Miller loves them, but doesn't take them seriously. You can do both. The computer colouring is meant to be a little garish and ugly, a little overwhelming. Four colour adventures gone digital is the name of the game!

It's loose and fast and so full of energy. Maybe The Dark Knight returns is better technically, but this is the one that I'm more likely to grab and flip through.

In 30 minutes, I get my shit together a bit and begin talking about how this book relates to The Dark Knight Returns.

[Don't forget to donate what you can to the Hero Initiative! (Details in this post.) After you do, let me know via comment or e-mail (found at the righthand side) so I can keep track of donations -- and who to thank.]