Whats everyone reading?

[Colin YNWA]

Can I just read 'Batman' or do I need to read all the other comics with 'Bat' in the title to avoid story gaps?! Hopefully not!

Yeah I got the first 30 odd issues of this run and it starts out well... Batman is the lead title so you shouldn't have any real problem just getting that. There is the odd thing that spins out but these tag to the Batman story rather than Batman tagging onto something else.

That said as Hawkmonger said there is better Bats out there. Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle's run on Detective then Batman is my personal fav and you shouldn't have any problems picking those issues up, though not yet in trade unbelievably. GMozz stuff is also excellent, but a little divisive.

[Hawkmumbler]

That said as Hawkmonger said there is better Bats out there. Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle's run on Detective then Batman is my personal fav and you shouldn't have any problems picking those issues up, though not yet in trade unbelievably.

Soon, my friend, soon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1401258980?keywords=batman%20alan%20grant&qid=1437500212&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1

[Colin YNWA]

Still not sure what's in that. Given that its vol. 1 you kinda hope they have gone for their run from the start? Actually surely that's been out in the solicitations?

Edited to add: It is all his 'Tect issues - brilliant comics. and of course sending money to Norm (i'd hope) at a time he'll really need it.

[Hawkmumbler]

Yeah, according to Forbidden Planet...

In these tales from Batman Annual #11 and 12 and Detective Comics issues #579, #582 to 594 and #601 through 607, all featuring the art of Norm Breyfogle, the Dark Knight faces the evil of the Ventriloquist and Scarface, the Crime Doctor, the Demon, a horde of Clayfaces and more! Written by 2000 AD veterans John Wagner, Alan Grant and others, with artwork by Norm Breyfogle and others, featuring cover artwork by Norm Breyfogle

DC, hardback, 520 pages, published July 2015

[Fungus]

You don't need me to chip in that Breyfogle's Batman as scripted by Wagner/Grant is gloriously good, but I just have, so there it is. Have at least most of Norm's input (output?) but that collection is very tempting.

[Keef Monkey]

Thanks for the suggestions, I started on the New 52 book last night (the Owl storyline) and so far am really enjoying it. Think I'll keep going with this series and intermittently fill some of the gaps with the ones mentioned here.

[Link Prime]

Thanks for the suggestions, I started on the New 52 book last night (the Owl storyline) and so far am really enjoying it. Think I'll keep going with this series and intermittently fill some of the gaps with the ones mentioned here.

The Nu 52 Batman run by Snyder & Capullo is indeed a good place to reacquaint oneself with the Caped Crusader.
As Colin mentioned, the quality does dip later on (in particular during the 'Zero Year' prequel arc), but has improved immensely since (the "final confrontation" with The Joker took place during the recent 'Endgame' arc- really gripping stuff).
Although there have been some cross-over story lines, adjectiveless 'Batman' is clearly the flagship title, and any ancillary titles (e.g. during the 'Death of the Family' arc) are, in my opinion, quite superfluous.
Snyder & Capullo are in fact still continuing their run on this title, and I expect it will last until at least issue 50.

I really liked Grant Morrison's recent-ish run too, but keep in mind that it is quite lengthy, occasionally overly complex, and spans multiple series. Some previous comment on it here; http://forums.2000adonline.com/index.php/topic,42081.msg877260.html#msg877260

For me, the best 'modern' Batman comics were produced directly before the Nu 52 reboot, during an arc called 'Black Mirror'. It's by Snyder, Jock and Francesco Francavilla.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Batman-Black-Mirror-TP-Comics/dp/1401232078/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1437559407&sr=1-1&keywords=batman+black+mirror

It's genuinely up there with the best of Batman comics, wholeheartedly recommended.

[Dandontdare]

As for what I'm reading, I just picked up the first volume of the Batman refresh thing (the new 52 series?). I've always been really into Batman but it struck me that my interest in the movies, shows and games has never actually extended to picking up the comics apart from the odd collection I inherited from other people (and none of those were actually the 'big' stories).

When I saw they'd reset to issue one relatively recently I figured it's a good chance to jump on board! Although since I bought it I've now realized there are about half a dozen Batman titles a month or something, which is reminding me why I don't really touch DC and Marvel. Can I just read 'Batman' or do I need to read all the other comics with 'Bat' in the title to avoid story gaps?! Hopefully not!

Ironically, I have found the New 52 to be a perfect opportunity to ditch DC. Instead of fretting about missing major story arcs or crossovers, or catching up with what's happening to characters I like, I don't regard any of the new output to be "my" Batman or Superman that I've followed for many years, so I'm not going to invest any time in them and get hooked all over again - It's been fantastically liberating, but probably not what the marketing bods intended! Ive read a few of the new 52 trades from the library and I haven't been too impressed

[Theblazeuk]

Likewise, sadly.

Never felt like I was missing anything when I didn't pick up all the tie-in and multiple 'family' books back in the day, at least not as long as I got Detective Comics as well as Batman.

[Colin YNWA]

For me, the best 'modern' Batman comics were produced directly before the Nu 52 reboot, during an arc called 'Black Mirror'. It's by Snyder, Jock and Francesco Francavilla.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Batman-Black-Mirror-TP-Comics/dp/1401232078/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1437559407&sr=1-1&keywords=batman+black+mirror

It's genuinely up there with the best of Batman comics, wholeheartedly recommended.

Not wrong there at all, great comics. Worth mentioning though that this features Dick Grayson as Batman, not Bruce, coming out of GMozz's run when Bruce was cast through time by Darkseid's Omega Beam... honestly its not as bad as it sounds, in fact it was very, very good! Anyway yeah it great Batman, just not ya Poppa's Batman.

[Colin YNWA]

Count me in on the Nu52 marking the end of my DC days (by and large, never say never and I am getting three of the new titles as it goes so...) took me a lot longer, I was gushing with excitement when the whole thing started. As time went on and a moved more and more to independent comics, I found I cared less and less, as I dropped title after title and nothing came in to fill the gap. Without really trying, at the end of Brian Azzarello's Wonder Woman run, I found I had no DC left in my pull list. I'd stopped getting The Flash for the first time in years (well I was always a Wally man anyway!) and was surprised that titles that should have been right up my street, just didn't interest me anymore.

[Hawkmumbler]

The GMOZZ run on Batman Inc. is worth it solely for the return of Lord Death Man. i.e. The greatest villein from any incarnation of Batman EVER!

[Keef Monkey]

There's a villain called Lord Death Man?

Sold.

[J.Smith]

Finished 2013's Progs after skipping a bunch of shit. That went from really great - that starting line-up to the year I mentioned in my last post - to a rather mixed bag and from that to the pretty terrible, really.

For a while there was Dandridge and Zombo to keep me going and throughout the year Dredd stories of infrequent quality (the brief follow-up to Trifecta and the Carroll droid kicking ass are the biggest stand-outs personally) to keep me from giving up in despair (would have liked to have added Sinister Dexter with John Burns to that short list but alas, though the art was gorgeous, the script was as repetitive as ever and oh look, Holy Moses is still around, kids, yaaaay) and I rather liked the 3thriller Gunheadz; but everything else would either be skipped or begrudgingly read for the sake of it being part of a series - see: Defoe, Stickleback and Age of the Wolf: Book 3 - or because I liked the art.

Things really went to hell for me when Judge Dredd: Bender, Defoe: The Damned, the last series of The Ten-Seconders and Age of the Wolf and Slaine: Book of Scars were running simultaneously. Of those Dredd was the least bad, although I really didn't think it was one of Wagner's best stories, and not being a fan of Willsher, his art did nothing but confuse me at times. The Mills stories I read simply because they're part of his longer series' - which have a habit of being really good or terrible or a combination of both - but neither were very good at all and for The Ten-Seconders and Age of the Wolf, well, I lost the plot completely for those and no longer cared what happened by the time I reached their conclusions.

A short series of Aquila rather made up for this, as did Damnation Station and its mostly great ending (it felt rushed in some respects, particularly concerning Joe Nowhere and The Enemy's back stories, but it was all rather satisfying in the end and the final episode suitably in line with previous story arcs). Really enjoyed the change of artists in both of those series', not that there was anything wrong with previous ones - Leigh Gallagher, Boo Cook and Simon Davis. Was already a fan of Patrick Goddard from Savage and I'd seen what his work looked like coloured by Chris Blythe but Gary Caldwell made Aquila look rather lovely for a strip so bloody. And Mark Harrison was bit of revelation, really. Think the last time I saw his art was back on the first series of The Ten-Seconders, which I did love too - but this was even better than that and somewhat reminded me of Jason Brubaker's style in how it used digital effects, such as depth of field and lens flare, effectively in a comic strip. Although I've hated what I've read of Grey Area so far and haven't enjoyed Karl Richardson or Lee Carter's art on that series, I'll be looking forward to seeing what he brings to that if he sticks to this style, though if the script is going to be as bad as ever then he should really be put to better use in my opinion.

Of course, with the good you have the terrible, which was most of the Dredd stories running at this time, what I think is the weakest of the three Brass Sun series' so far and Flesh. As far as Brass Sun's concerned, it's Culbard's art on that that I'm really fond of (though it appears to me to be much better when he's working on his own script, such as for Celeste, his Lovecraft adaptations and recent The King In Yellow adaptation), and the story just sorta makes me shrug. The concept's great though and I at least enjoyed the previous and third series quite a bit, so I'm hoping it'll be rather amazing overall. The latter-most of those three on the other hand was insufferable. Endured it I did for the sake of Mills to beat the series to death in the future but fucking hell, that was bad. Hard to believe that Book 8 of Savage was so great but Defoe sadly turned out to be the weakest in the series and then this just sort of happened or something. Terrible, terrible script and James McKay's art was really not that good compared to previous runs.

About the only positive thought I have at this point is that I have only the first quarter of 2014's Prog's to read - which at least has Rob Williams and Henry Flint on Dredd, Strontium Dogs and The A.B.C. Warriors - and then I can skip the stuff I didn't like throughout the year (even though I see that Outlier indeed get a sequel for some fucking reason there's no way I'm reading the first series again) to pick up where I began by rereading all these Prog's I bought in the first place, with the issue that had the change in logo late that year, and hopefully enjoy it after all that. If I had been a subscriber at the time, however, then 2013 would have totally put me off after what was initially such a strong line-up.

[Dog Deever]

Picked up a copy of Turf (Jonathan Ross & Tommy Lee Edwards). I read the first few episodes in CLINT before I suddenly couldn't get it any more, so I'm really pleased I found it as I was enjoying the story. The art is brilliant throughout.

Hard back, reasonable page count, plenty of art extras at the back- good value, I thought.