Sep 082011
 

scan_pic0026Ok, after so much waiting, I finally got my first stash of the new 52’s number 1 issues this week.  I’m sorry for the DC editors,but I’m selective so I got a hold of only the ones I wanted. First obiously was the BATGIRL #1, GREEN ARROW #1, JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL#1, BATWING #1,  ACTION COMICS #1 and lastly DETECTIVE COMICS #1.  I immediately digged into DETECTIVE since it had Joker in the cover and started reading.  WOW!  This is really a new reinterpretation. Not completely sure if its one I’d like, but I can tell you that the storyline is more modern, and much more bloody than I remember.  Forget the Batman from the 1940’s, forget the Batman from RIP ‘Cause this is someting new and refreshing. And the ending….OMG! That is what I call a cliffhanger. (Though I was expected a little more realism and I don’t think anyone could survive to a mutilation like that, but heck, there is DC C0mics for you and that means suspended disbelief).  Literally I would like to see that next issue like…I don’t know…right now?  But I guess I’ll have to wait 30 days…

*breathes in *

I’m ready to wait (and hope the wait is worth it),  but in the meantime I would like to share a small sneak peak from those first pages and want you guys to tell me what to think. 

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Sep 042011
 

WORLD EXCLUSIVE HANDS ON!  KNIGHT MOVES

Original Article by Corey Cohen appeared in Xbox Magazine July 2011. Pictures are not part of this article but are added as illustration.

The new flight controls for gliding allow for much more control than they did in ARKHAM ASYLUM, being able not only to glide to the street below, but maneuver the glide to increase your reach for hundreds of feet over the city streets. A visit to Crime Alley will land you close to where Bruce’s parents were murdered and you can either leave flowers (accompanied by stirring score) or pick up an audio diary Hugo Strange left your Batman in an effort to mess with his mind.

A new improvement to the Batman’s arsenal will be the range of the GRAPPLE GUN that now allows you to latch to objects more than 150 ft away. The grapple will not only allow you to latch to buildings but if you get tired of gliding around the city you can always grapple onto the skids of a Tyger police chopper and use it like a public bus to take you around.

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Sep 042011
 

Full Report originally appeared in PlayStation the Magazine Issue 50, October 2011.  Author: Matt Cabral.

It’s only one a little over a month for the release of Arkham Asylum’s sequel video game (Arkham City) all ready from the marketing to the preview playable demos available out there it promises to be another hit just like its predecessor.  The scale is just…unfathomable.  This time is not just a lunatic asylum but a whole city that is populated by the worst of the worst of the Batman rogue Gallery.  You not only will see Joker, but also Penguin, Two Face, and Riddler playing along with the Bat, to gain supremacy in the food chain of the criminal world.

The October issue of the Playstation Magazine offers an interesting view of what the new with the game.  Here is an excerpt of the whole article by Matt Cabral

                With so many baddies involved in this new chapter of the Batman saga, we have reassurance from Dax Ginn, Marketing Manager for Rocksteady, that it will not affect the atmospheric immersion we are used to from Arkham Asylum and we will not have lame characters with stupid lines or plots that do not relate to the whole development of the story.

                “Every aspect of the game is character driven.  It was critical during the development of the whole 40 hours of content…Characters, especially villains, need time to breathe; you really need to be able to plumb the  depths of the things that make them interesting.”

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Aug 252011
 

I was just prancing in the forests of cyberspace when I found this and could not stop replaying it.  To me it is a great piece of work. Very well portrayed by both voice actors (Joker gave me the chills along the spine).  Not many people liked this comic series, but though this is definitely not the Killing Joke (or your average comic book), I personally loved both the art (Jim Lee) and the characterization (Frank Miller) which I found refreshing.

  • Excerpt from Batman and Robin: Boy Wonder # 8 (Motion Comic)
  • Joker voiced by LordJazor

Aug 212011
 
As the date approaches, more details are leakinng out as to what the contents of the new ARKHAM CITY DELUXE ED.   Here is a preview of the PS3 (and XBox) deluxe edtition.

Photo Courtesy of BOF and DC Store

The Set includes:

  • Custom Batman statue [produced by renowed art seal KOTOBUKIYA
  • Collectible Art Book from the Game
  • Early Access to the Iceberg Lounge Challenge Map and Batman: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS Skin
  • Batman Arkham City Album from WaterTower Music including songs by hit artists, available via digital redemption
  • Bonus DC Universe animated movie:  BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHT
  • Four Collectible cards

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Aug 182011
 

CBR announced the cover for the HC prestige format BATMAN EARTH  1 ( hopefully to follow in the successful steps of its sister publication this year SUPERMAN EARTH ONE by Michael Straczynski and Shane Davis that made record sales)  Here is the info:

  • Title: BATMAN EARTH ONE
  • Publish date:  May 8, 2012
  • Writer: Geoff Johns
  • Artist:  Gary Frank

[Johns and Fran unite to] create this original graphic novel that gives new insight into Bruce Wayne’s transformation into Batman and his first year as The Dark Knight.

Batman: Earth One takes Bruce Wayne back to Crime Alley, where tragedy set him on the path to become the world’s greatest detective.

 

Read original article at CBR HERE! 

 

 

 

Aug 182011
 

I was reading my DC comics this week and found something interesting:  You can access special previews of the new 52 by scanning the barcode (yeah like they do at the supermarket) .  The only thing you need is an app in your phone that is able to read barcodes (and most phones come already equipped with them, like my android), scan the barcode and you’ll be linked to the previews page. I found this very neat (since I come from a time where smartphones were only a science fiction gadget). See if you can scan this month’s codes. Just click if you need to enlarge the picture:

actioncomics01  Preview from ACTION COMICS #01

batman01  Preview from BATMAN #01

detective01  Preview from DETECTIVE COMICS #01

glcorps01  Preview from GREEN LANTERN CORPS #01

wonderwoman01  Preview from WONDERWOMAN #01

Aug 182011
 

 

  • “The Secret, Pt 3 of 3”
  • Joshua Hale Fialkov (writer), Tomas Giorello (artist)
  • Summary:  Ok, there has been mysterious murders in Metropolis, and behind the strange plot is the Clown Prince of Crime and Joker comes into the scene ready to make the headlines with Clark Kent.
  • Jokerlady’s opinion: I love the way Kent rationalizes his moves as he fights Joker in an effort to not fully reveal who he really is.  It’s curious to see him plea, beg, bargain with the mandman when he really knows that the outcome is the same.  Joker wants him dead no matter what .  Joker here is particularly funny, have to admit that more than one of the one liners made me smile, and Joker’s psychotic natures has been handled quite well.  One of my favorite lines:  “Mr. Kent! I ask you to please keep still while I kill you!” followed by ” Who’s shooting at me??… (Batman faces Joker, pulling an arm back for a punch)…”Oh. You. Again…Lame”. 
  • Please enjoy this small sneak peek

 

Aug 082011
 

Hello Jokerholics,

I have the great pleasure to announce you that I received communication from DAN WALLACE, the writer of the upcoming book JOKER: A VISUAL HISTORY OF THE CLOWN PRINCE OF CRIME with important information. 

First, he brought to my attention that the entry from PREVIEWS didn’t list his name, and as I transcribed the information  to the post I missed it too but that has been fixed.  Sorry for the inconveniences, Dan. I will be complaining to Previews for their innacuracies.

Anyways, Dan was also very pleased about his book being promoted here (the pleasure has been all mine Dan)  and was kind enough to include a link to the final cover to delight our eyes and spoke about the book:

“Hi — thanks so much for spotlighting the upcoming Joker book!…we were lucky enough to get an introduction for the book from Mark Hamill. The cover has also been updated I have an advance copy and it’s gorgeous! It’s scheduled to hit stores in October.” 

HERE IS THAT AMAZING FINAL COVER

 

jokerrizzolicover

YOU CAN PRE ORDER FROM YOUR LOCAL COMIC BOOK STORE, OR AMAZON, OR BARNES & NOBLE

Aug 072011
 

Next week, the last issue of Flashpoint’s BATMAN DARK KNIGHT OF VENGEANCE goes on sale and I found this quick review from a post in NEWSARAMA, by The Best Shot Team, Your Host DAVID PEPOSE.  Here’s the LINK.

Flashpoint – Batman: Knight of Vengeance #3 (Published by DC Comics; Review by Aaron Duran): After the multiple bombshells dropped in issue #2, Batman: Knight of Vengeance #3 has a daunting task: wrapping the whole thing up and maintaining the emotional tension of the previous issues. Not only do writer Brian Azzarello and artist Eduardo Risso succeed in the task, they excel. Delving deeper into the tragic history of Thomas and Martha Wayne, Azzarello deftly weaves a story of loss, regret, love, and hate that has more in common with a classic Greek tragedy than modern superhero comics. This isn’t some simple DC event tie-in, this is Azzarello telling one of the best Batman stories ever. Without giving any spoilers, when Thomas Wayne says he can help bring about a world in which Bruce doesn’t die, it hurts. Eduardo Russo continues his heavy use of shadows to pencil a world where regret and pain are the dominant force. The multiple flashbacks within the issue follow the same black, white, and red color style as The Killing Joke. Whether this was by design or not, the color choice helps the reader make a quick connection to the world of Flashpoint. This is a world we know, but it’s a world that shouldn’t be. Batman Knight of Vengeance does what so very few event tie-in books are able to do. It rises to and wholly outshines the very event it’s meant to support. In 3 short issues, Azzarello and Risso create one of the best Batman stories ever. Not a bad way to say goodbye to the old DC Universe.

 

Another Amazing Review of this week’s Batman Knight of Vengeance #3  by Dough Zawisa can be read at CBR.  Here is an excerpt:

“Flashpoint” might not be everyone’s cup of tea. With that in mind and the looming relaunch of the entire DC Universe coming up less than thirty days from now, many fans have avoided reading the “Flashpoint” stories.

There’s the problem though. “Flashpoint” is changing the world — nay, the Universe — as DC Universe readers know it. “Flashpoint” is also a larger story that has some worthwhile tales nestled inside. Some of those stories just seem like misplaced or recently rediscovered “Elseworlds” tales, but that doesn’t make them any less enjoyable.

Such is the case with Brian Azzarello’s and Eduardo Risso’s Batman Knight of Vengeance.” This single issue, taken all by itself, out of context of “Flashpoint” or even forsaking the pair of issues that preceded this, is a solid and rewarding read all by itself.

It’s a different spin on the legacy of Batman, with Thomas Wayne wearing the cowl in his quest to stomp out the scum that claimed the life of his beloved son, Bruce. Naturally, wherever there’s a Batman, there has to be a Joker. Put the two of them together in the final issue of a story that can truly be finalized and someone’s not walking out of it….

I have to say, so far the story has managed to surprise me at every turn ( I mean, Martha Wayne as the Joker?  Come on…it can’t get any better than that!), and I expect no less of the last chapter.  The whole concept was totally unexpected and well handed, and the writing has been strong and enticing from issue one.  I might even miss this Joker story after Flaspoint is history.  I can’t wait to read my copy….