Tag: Batman

Posted in Bite-Sized Reviews, Book Reviews, DC comics, Graphic Novels

COMBO REVIEW: Comic Book Edition

Posted on by elishasbookreview

*No Major Spoilers*

Batman vs Bigby: A Wolf in Gotham by Bill Willingham

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

I like the video game, A Wolf Among Us and I think it was interesting to see two great detectives go head to head on a case. Small learning curve is involved because of the video game being mentioned, but I think the comic explains itself pretty well. There are a lot of literary references scattered throughout the story and I enjoyed the Easter Eggs.

The Death of Doctor Strange by Jed Mackay and Lee Garbett

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I like how the comics and movies aren’t carbon copies of each other. The comics and the movies are their own separate universes. But enough about that. I have read different eras of Doctor Strange and I loved the character before I saw Benedict Cumberbatch’s interpretation of the Sorcerer Supreme. After I finished the story, I watched a video that explains the story just to make sure I understood it. The narrator seemed ‘meh’ on the story, but I thought it was fantastic. Not too much of a learning curve if you have basic knowledge of Doctor Strange, and what I didn’t know about the character was explained well in the story itself.

Lady Mechanika Vol 1: The Mystery of the Mechanical Corpse by Joe Benitez

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

I received this comic from 2019’s Free Comic Friday, and I never got around to reading the issue at the time. I get easily distracted by other books, so it’s difficult for me to stick to a regiment of reading. Nonetheless, the world of Lady Mechanika is terrifying yet fascinating. In the story, there was a cirque visiting the outskirts of the town, and even though they were involved in the mystery, I would’ve like to see their show.

D.C. Bombshells Vol 1: Enlisted by Marguerite Bennett

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I liked having a women-driven story. Seeing Batwoman play baseball, and deal with haters makes it seem like not much has changed between WWII and today. Learning that in this story Batwoman is Jewish and part of the LGBT+ community made her a relatable character in my opinion. I like how no matter the story, Harley Quinn will always find Poison Ivy, just like how Harley always finds the Joker.

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Posted in Book Reviews, DC comics, Graphic Novels

REVIEW: Green Arrow: Quiver by Kevin Smith

Posted on by elishasbookreview
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Collection of Green Arrow (2001) #1-5

*No Major Spoilers*

The original Green Arrow, Oliver Queen, reemerges after years of being assumed dead. But many people, including Black Canary, his ex-lover, Arsenal, his ex-partner, Connor Hawke, his son and temporary successor and Batman, the Dark Knight Detective, want to know how Green Arrow survived the airplane explosion and where he has been.

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Superman and Batman having an intense discussion during Green Arrow: Quiver.

I love Green Arrow! Not the one that is on TV, the one(s) in the comic books are better. I was excited to find this graphic novel at my library, and I’m excited to share my thoughts with you today!

A lot of casual comic book fans like me, feel intimidated at times when selecting a graphic novel. Overarching stories, major events, and other things that cause comic books to become confusing can make selecting a stand-alone story to be difficult. However, I felt this graphic novel explains things that happened previously, in a nice way so I didn’t feel like I didn’t know what was going on throughout the story.

I felt the story was well written and well put together. Even though the story gets “trippy”  about midway through, I was still able to follow along and came out satisfied.

To elaborate on the “trippy” aspect of the story, it kind of reminded me of the Doctor Strange comics at times, with the likes of supernatural beings and realms it gave an interest to the story I didn’t really expect coming out of Green Arrow. Green Arrow is usually a traditional story without supernatural elements, but this one was a nice change of pace.

One downside I found is, there’s not much action, it’s more of deep thinking and philosophying with splashes of magic and kicking butt.

Overall, this book was a good read, the art style fit the moods really well when necessary, the story kept my interest, I would definitely recommend it for the casual Green Arrow fan as well as the comic book aficionado.

Posted in Book Reviews, DC comics, Graphic Novels

REVIEW: Batman: Gordon of Gotham by Chuck Dixon

Posted on by elishasbookreview
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*No Spoilers*

Collects BATMAN: GORDON OF GOTHAM #1-4, BATMAN: GCPD #1-4 and BATMAN: GORDON’S LAW #1-4.

Gotham City Police Commissioner Jim Gordon stars in this new collection of crime stories from the 1990s that stars the colorful, determined cops of Batman’s home town.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

The first story in this volume, Batman: Gordon’s Law, Commissioner Gordon has stumbled upon a coverup of a huge money laundering bust, the only trace is the few remaining $1,000 dollar bills.

However, Commissioner Gordon refuses Batman’s aide. Thus, he starts his mission to bust up the corruption within the Gotham Police Department.

I felt like this novel set the tone for the rest of this collection. It was gritty, rough, and brought Gordon into a light not many others get to see. He might be the commissioner of Gotham City, but he’s still a cop no matter what politics may dictate.

Seeing him take on this case without much of Batman’s aide, makes you truly see how rough and corrupt not only the Gotham Police Department is, but Gotham City as a whole. Gordon is just one man, but he’s doing his best to clean up the police corruption.

The second story, Batman: GCPD includes three stories from three of Gotham City’s finest detectives. I have read some of the comics surrounding the GCPD, and I have enjoyed them. It’s interesting to see an inside look into Gotham’s police department.

The story starts when Sargent Harvey Bullock beats up a costumed low-life and his partner goes to request a transfer. Commissioner Gordon grants her the transfer, and so he reassigns Bullock a new partner. All while Harvey is dealing with a rampant serial killer, Internal Affairs breathing down his neck, and his partner getting kidnapped on her new case. As well as another set of detectives on the hunt for a string of high-stakes thefts.

I found Sargent Bullock’s case the most interesting, someone in Gotham is going around killing seemingly random men and only leaving them with a teddy bear dressed up as their profession. The mystery was entertaining and intriguing.

Overall, I enjoyed this second story in this collection. I would say the writing was good, and the characters had interesting storylines and characteristics.

The final and main story: Batman: Gordon of Gotham is as fantastic as the other two stories in this epic volume. The story is about Gordon opening up to Batman about a time in his past when he was a beat cop in Chicago. He shares a story about an assassin who got away.

I love how Gordon is telling Batman a story about his past. Both are lonely characters and to see them bonding in this way makes me happy. I just figured the this was just Gordon getting something off of his chest. Boy, was I wrong!

After storytime is over, Batman tells Gordon something he already knew he had to do: go get sweet vengeance.

Overall these three stories, I enjoyed each of them for different reasons. I would highly recommend this collection for lovers of crime dramas, Commissioner James Gordon, and of course Batman. Even though Batman doesn’t have that much of a presence in this collection, it’s not Batman’s story, it’s the hard-working detectives at GCPD who make this collection worth reading.

Posted in Book Reviews, DC comics, Graphic Novels

REVIEW: The Joker: Endgame

Posted on by elishasbookreview
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*No Spoilers*

This horrific graphic novel follows Joker as he prepares for his final joke on Gotham. He is tired of the games and his “friendship” with Batman. So this is one last hoorah. This joke, however, might be the deadliest one yet!

This novel also follows Batman as he’s trying to figure out how to solve the Joker’s deadly endgame plans and save Gotham from total destruction; not only from Joker but from themselves. With the help of the Bat Family will they be successful?

Meanwhile, a small group of inmates from Arkham Manor abduct one of the doctors and take her to meet Joker. Each one tells her these delusions on what the Joker told them. Each wants their delusion of the Joker’s backstory to be true. But are they really correct?

What is the joke that Joker’s planning? Is Joker just a man who went mad, or his he something else entirely?

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This book left me befuddled, amazed and had to ruminate about. I was not expecting the way it ended! I know I continue saying that, but I only say it when the book leaves me not having an immediate response. That’s when you know it’s a good read!

I had to do a little research on YouTube from fellow comic book enthusiasts so I could make sure I understood this story to it’s fullest content. I might have been cheating by doing this, but it’s just a lot to take in and digest. I will link to the resource I used in case any of you are interested in hearing a summary of this epic novel.

Credit for the video

The video does contain spoilers of course. I would say that this is a must read for all comic fans. I would say light research might be needed to fully understand the plot, but I wouldn’t let that detour you from this graphic novel.

Posted in Book Reviews, DC comics, Graphic Novels

REVIEW: Batman, Vol. 4: The War of Jokes and Riddles

Posted on by elishasbookreview

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*No Major Spoilers*

This graphic novel follows the Joker, the Riddler, and Batman as a war breaks out between the two villains. The Joker can no longer laugh, and the Riddler wants to defeat the sullen Joker. Both want to defeat Batman. Other Gotham baddies are forced to pick sides and battle it out in the streets of Gotham for their leader’s supremacy.

This is all told from a flashback, as Bruce Wayne tries to explain to Selena Kyle what happened during the War of Jokes and Riddles. How many innocent lives this war took, and if she could forgive him for what he did.

This story also tells the beginning and end of an underrated hero called Kite-Man. As he’s part of the war he thinks about his son throughout. He debates within himself on whether he’s a loser or not. He fought valiantly and came to peace on the battle within himself.

This book was amazing! It was a fully fleshed out story, and the motives of everyone involved had their reasons for fighting in this war. This book had me glued to the pages wondering who was going to win.

The Joker was really scary in this book. It’s one thing to see the Joker laughing hysterically when he does something evil, but it’s a completely different story when he’s not laughing at all.

The Riddler was creepy as well, giving out his riddles. Being mysterious as he always is. I appreciated how they drew Riddler to look like an Irishman. I thought that those features suited the character well.

I sympathized with Batman/Bruce Wayne in this story. He was pushed so far, and the war took so many innocent lives. I can understand how he felt while he was telling Selena the story.

This is getting my Choice Award because this is one of the better comic books I’ve read in awhile. I would recommend this to anyone who loves Batman, Joker, Riddler, and stories that has “Civil War” vibes. This is a must-read for D.C. Comics fans, and for anyone who loves comics to begin with.