Comics Fans — Page 24

Originally posted by: Han Solo VS Indiana Jones
So who would you rather be - Batman or Superman?

I like 'em both, but as much as I like Batman, I'd rather be Superman, Kryptonite or no Kryptonite. Supes comes with built in powers, so he doesn't need a large bank account to provide for gadgets, he isn't a traumatized 8 year old trapped in a man's body, and he has a more upbeat outlook on life.

Originally posted by: theredbaron
Read a lot of comics yesterday, by the way.

Superman All-Stars #1 & 2, The Dark Knight Returns, Hush: Vol. 1, and Batman: Gothic to be exact.

Dark Knight Returns was "Holy Crap!" kind of excitement for me. I got so excited and jittery in front of all of my friends that it was embarrassing. A very fanboy moment. I just couldn't believe what was happening...

Hush was a little strange, but very brave nonetheless. Can somebody explain the Oracle to me? Is it a computer in Batman's suit? I loved how Loeb took a lame villain like Killer Croc, and made him cool.

Gothic was very, very dark, and I loved it.

The Superman All-Stars series is very fun and very adventurous. I hope it continues to be this good.

Originally posted by: JediSage
I've always felt that Miller just knew how Bats spoke and would act, and his interpretation has always been definitive for me.

Originally posted by: Darth Chaltab


This is no longer true, though! Do not under any circumstances, Red Baron, read All Star Batman. It might as well be Marv from Sin City under that cowl.

Originally posted by: JediSage


Oracle is Barbara Gordon on a communicator. She was shot and crippled by Joker (during the No Man's Land arc, I think), so now she fights crime by being Batman's eyes and ears in the computer world and assists in coordinating people for backup, etc. She's also in charge of the Birds of Prey group.

Glad you enjoyed DKR. It's absolutely my fav of all time, and is responsible for getting me into comics in the first place. I've always felt that Miller just knew how Bats spoke and would act, and his interpretation has always been definitive for me.

Gothic...meh. Dark, brutal, etc. Slightly above average, IMO.

Originally posted by: theredbaron


Barbara gets shot and hospitalised (and photographed!) in The Killing Joke as well, but that story seems to be pre-Batgirl. Her being Oracle makes a lot of sense. And this Huntress character, is she part of the Birds of Prey? Hush brought in a lot of characters I've never seen in a Batman story before...

I feel the same way about Miller. It's a shame about Strikes Again, though.

I loved Gothic, all the supernatural themes and history running through it. I think Batman is right at home with this kind of stuff.

Originally posted by: Darth Chaltab
Pre Crisis Huntress was Helena Wayne, son of Earth-2 Batman and Catwoman. After the Crisis, since Batman was no longer an eligible bachelor, Huntress was retconned to Helena Bertinelli, the daughter of a crime family whose parents were murdered in front of her by a rival family. WHen she grew up she became basically a more violent female version of Batman.

But in "Infinite Crisis" Alex Luthor said that Helena Bertinelli would have eventually come from Earth-8 anyway, and One Year Later, Selina Kyle gives birth to a girl named Helena, who may be the New Earth incarnation of Earth-2's Huntress

Originally posted by: theredbaron


Well, that's complicated now, isn't it? Thanks for the explanation.

Originally posted by: Darth Chaltab
Yeah, Warb's right. Knghtfall is well before No Man's Land. Barbara was shot in Alan Moore's The Killing Joke which was published in 1988.

As much as I love both characters (I go back and forth as to which one's my favourite), I would much rather be Batman. As haunted and psychologically unstable as he is, Bruce Wayne has the satisfaction of having built Batman from the ground up. All of his skills, all of his strength, all of his knowledge, is nothing but his own. Striking fear into the hearts of criminals - having felons flee from you - being the Dark Prince of the Night, how can you beat that? Superman, to put it in crude terms, won the genetic lottery......

Originally posted by: Yoda Is Your Father
Batman's intelligence and, in some ways, wealth, were both handed to him by the 'genetic lottery'.

But both these characters chose how they would use their gifts.

Originally posted by: JediSage
Anyone reading JSA Classified?

Originally posted by: theredbaron
Apparently all five Hellboy trades are worth getting, so I guess you should get them all in order. Though I hear that Right Hand of Doom is the best one. There's also the Hellboy Junior trade, which I guess would be chronologically first, and is supposed to be a real fun read. All hearsay from me, though, I've never read a Hellboy comic in my life...

Originally posted by: Han Solo VS Indiana Jones


I'll keep that in mind.