Customer Reviews

Batman Chronicles, Vol. 1

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Finally, DC is presenting an alternative to the overpriced, overblown and overproduced Archives Series. While there's still a flood of those books coming, it does appear as if DC is starting to rethink how it's handling its vast library.

The Batman Chronicles Volume One represents a big step in the right direction. This 192 page paperback begins the mammoth undertaking of chronologically reprinting every Batman tale from every comic in which he starred, beginning with "the Case of the Chemical Syndicate" from Detective Comics #27 (dated May, 1939).

The Good: The paper is cheap (a traditionalist, I prefer my comics on matte paper and with gutters!), the price is low and the quality is good. The design of the book is nice and the reproduction is pretty crisp.

The Bad: The physical size of the book is (like the Archives) disproportionate to the original comics, leaving huge margins at the top and bottom of the page while forcing the art too close to the spine. The art is still being recolored and worst of all, there's a distinct absence of historical perspective; The Batman Chronicles lacks even a cursory introduction. The book opens with a table of contents (that thankfully gives writer and artist credits), and does reprint the covers along with the stories, but some more context would be appreciated.

No doubt, DC is trying to squeeze as many stories as possible into each volume to make the books economically feasible to the fanboys (especially the obsessive ones who already own the Archives... yes, there are some who will buy both). But I'd still love some additional material such as editorial comment on the tales, reprints of advertising (and the "full page autographed picture, suitable for framing" from the back cover of Batman no. 1) and biographies of the creators (which DC almost always includes in its collections).

It would seem that if a little more effort were put into discussing WHY these stories are so important in the history of comics, what their contemporaries and competition were, what the country was going through at the time, the books might appeal to a wider audience than the already oversaturated fan market.

After all, this was the darkest Batman of all (at least before Frank Miller got his hands on him)... he used a gun, he killed his enemies, he was wanted by the police, he was a loner.... until the introduction of Robin, the Boy Wonder in the 12th story herein. The tone lightened a bit, but the Joker was still terrifying instead of funny and the stories retained a noir feel that would alter dramatically as the forties rolled on.

Whether this series is successful or not depends on how regularly DC releases them and if they take the time to try to appeal to more than just the obsessed fanboys. Here's hoping this is just the beginning.

Batman Chronicles Volume 1 begins an ambitious task: the complete color reprinting of every Batman story in chronological order. I say bring it on, and please don't spare other long-standing Golden Age characters, such as Superman, Wonder Woman, Dr. Fate, Hawkman, etc. True, DC also gives us the Archives series, but they are far too expensive for me, and they really are too "clean" - seeing Detective Comics #27 reproduced on bright white archival paper just doesn't have the same appeal as the newsprint used for BC Volume 1. I can only hope that the publishing schedule is fairly quick; otherwise, I'll still be reading this series in the retirement home (or maybe having the nurse read it to me).

Prior to this, I had never read any Golden Age Batman beyond the brief, frequently reprinted origin story. Finishing this book, which collects DETECTIVE COMICS #27-37 and BATMAN #1, I realized a few things: first, the Batman of the Golden Age is a very different character from what we know today. Second, while many fans bemoan the campy Silver Age stories and TV show that turned the caped crusader into a joke, the first few Golden Age stories were just as crazy. Consider that, in the first half of this book, Batman:

- kills several criminals (even snapping one's neck with a kick)
- fights a giant gorilla
- travels to eastern Europe in the Bat-Gyro (Wow, that's > 10 hours, even in a jet! How does he relieve himself? Pitch it over the side?)
- fends off werewolves
- is strapped to a giant millstone that spins at crushing speeds
- is immobilized by the "irresistible power" of hypnosis
- encounters talking flowers (with human faces = disturbing!) that assist him in escaping a trap

Completely random. Totally ridiculous. But taken in context, immensely entertaining. The second half of the book shows Batman approaching what we know today, with more direction and the introductions of Hugo Strange, the Joker, and of course, Robin the Boy Wonder. For fifteen bucks retail, this is a steal. I must also give approval to the design of the book - nice eye-catching cover, the style of which I hope will remain for the duration of the series.

One last thing: there are two oddly interesting, and surely unintended, nods to future DC characters in this book. In one story, Bruce Wayne uses the alias of "John Jones" (Martian Manhunter). In another, Batman meets a character with no face who dresses in an overcoat and hat (the Question?).

While I am a huge fan of the Golden Age Batman comics I have put off buying the HC "Archive" series because each volume is way too expensive for my budget. The Chronicles series is not only more affordable, but improves on the Archive format by focusing on the character rather than the title. That is, instead of only collecting the complete run of Batman stories in Detective Comics or Batman it collects all of Batman's appearances in both titles and presents them in chronological order. Some sort of introductory material might have been nice, but I much prefer saving all the pages for the reprints.

Batman's first adventures were chronicled when the "film noir" style of movies was big. Dark, urban corners and psychological suspense powered forward the new film genre. The earliest Batman stories were much like this type of film. The mood and environment were dark, the villains more ruthless and sinister, and the unexpected became expected.

This may be the only time in his career when Batman actually killed people. In one scene he is fighting jewel thieves and throws one over a ledge to his death. The earliest Batman was a dark and menacing figure more so than ever before or since.

The stories are very varied. Everything from killing giant monsters to fighting an army of killer blimps with death rays finds its ways into these pages. What these early writers lacked in materials and resources they had in ingenuity.

If you dislike the thought of Batman killing someone, or are a stickler for art, this may not be for you. It is the writing and storytelling that make this volume exceptional.

When I ordered this book I expected it to be black and white along the lines of Marvel's Essential's collection. I was pleasantly surprised to get a nice, full color, well formated graphic novel. Thumbs up to DC for the format.

The first several Batman stories portray a dark Batman who actually kills and uses a gun (albeit against a Vampire). It didn't take long before things started getting a little campy. As soon as Robin was introduced it began being aimed straight at kids instead of crime drama readers.

The early look of the Batman costume remains my favorite, I hated to see it was changed rather quickly. Also, it should be noted there is a coloring flaw in this book. In his first appearance the Batman's gloves should be purple, but they have been recolored blue here. It's a minor thing, and my only complaint about an otherwise excellent publication.

Batman=Awesome. There is no disputing that. And these early stories from the 40's are awesome. No doubting that, I give it 5 stars. What really SUCKS about this edition is how awful the presentation is--the worst part being the coloring. I know that comics are colored on computer now, but this thing literally looks like it was colored with Microsoft Paint!! There are pixelated edges where colors run together and there is one especially crappy looking panel with Bruce Wayne wearing a blue pin-stripe coat. It looks like they used the "line" tool to color the stripes onto the coat, it's so bad! In the "Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told" collection, there is a reprinting of the Evil Monk story, and you can see how much nicer of a color job they did there compared to this crap. Also, the format is so low-budget that when I tossed this book down on my bed, all the pages popped out from the cover! RRRggh. I love the stories, but this book is worth $1.

All that good-timey old comic feel mixed with pulp noir!

This book collects the first dozen or so Batman stories EVER PUBLISHED. The stories are printed in FULL COLOR and were originally published from 1939 to 1940. This is pure, unadulterated Batman, straight from the original creators!

Reading these stories is like going back in time to the 1930s. The stories are very much rooted in the noir style of the time. Gangsters in long coats, wielding tommy guns. Bruce Wayne in an over coat and a fedora.

This book is great as a sort of historical source material. Whether you're a big comic book fan or not, this book is worthwhile just to educate yourself on the history of the popular character. I'm not an avid comic book reader, but I grew up with the Batman cartoon series. It's interesting to see the humble beginnings of the character and to watch how his costume evolves over the first year of his publication. This book is great even as a reference book for the days of Batman's infancy.

Batman was darker then. A mysterious vigilante, using stealth and strategy as well as fear in his quest to rid the city of crime. He's a brawler, but he's half-detective. And he sometimes holds his cape in front of him like a vampire or something, creeping in the shadows. This is my favorite Batman.

Robin is introduced late in this book and changes the whole feel of Batman. Robin was added to lighten the comic up or to appeal to a younger audience or something, but I prefer the dark Batman who worked alone.

DC Comics has done a nice job with this series, using full color and showing the cover art of the various comic books from which these stories were taken. The book is a nice paperback, about the size of a comic book.

Hardcore comic historians or Batman fans will want to continue on with this Chronicles series, but in my opinion this volume is the most important one of all, showing the earliest incarnation of the Dark Knight.

First off, I must say I purchased this book when my friend Anthony Tollin mentioned that the first ever Batman story was a retooled story from "The Shadow." So, I had to see how much the original Batman mirrored the Shadow. Well, after reading "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate" (Batman) and then reading "The Partners of Peril" (The Shadow), I have to agree with him. Bill Finger (the original writer for Batman, Kane was the artist) used the Shadow's story as the script for his first Batman adventure. Check out the new reprint of The Shadow #9 for more details on The Shadow's original story.Lingo And Partners of Peril: Two Classic Adventures Of The Shadow

Ever since, I have been able to spot the Shadow story elements and influences in many other stories. Instead of taking away from Batman, it adds to the fun by allowing me to enjoy one of the first superheroes as well as imaghine how the story would have been if the hero were the Shadow instead. Sort of a "Two-for-one" special. Almost every story in this first archive could have been Grade-A pulp novel and been just as great as it was a comic.

Overall, a great chance to see the first year of Batman stories in the correct chronalogical order and see his evolution from a gun-toting fighter into the superb detective.

This is a realy great collection because it has the first 11 batman stories ever written and in chronialogical order. I will keeping buying this sereies as more volumes come out but I think dc should do what marvel did for spider-man and release a cd or dvd-rom collection of all comics batman has been in because it will take awhile to realese every comic in book format.

The Batman Chronicles seems so obvious an idea that I'm amazed DC didn't think of it earlier: reprint every Batman story in order of appearance, merging Detective Comics, World's Finest and the solo Batman title into a single series of trade paperbacks.

The first volume collects a brief but special time in Batman's history: his days as a dangerous (and clearly insane) vigilante. There are few superhero fetishes present in the stories during Batman's real "Year One." He keeps his bat costume in a steamer trunk, drives around is a red sports car and kills without a second thought (or even a first thought, for that.)

This is the Batman that inspired Frank Miller's tales, the violent vigilante more interested in stomping criminals than stomping crime. When the villains of these early tales land in jail it's usually by mistake. This version of Batman would just as soon break your neck than turn you over to the cops.

The artwork in this first volume carries a lot of weight, with each panel having to convey more than modern readers might be used to. In The Dirigible of Doom, a blimp lays waste to the as-yet unnamed Gotham City, toppling skyscrapers with some sort of energy cannon. It's one of the most powerful images of these early stories and Bruce Wayne is even shown -- for all of a single panel -- helping to pull survivors out of the wreckage. These old stories cover a lot of ground in just a little space, so a little more care and attention is needed to fully savor them.

The Dirigible of Doom also illustrates some of the problems with these old stories. As impressive as the threat is, the badguys are sometimes a little goofy. The man revealed to be behind the killer blimp is some dumpy guy with a "Napoleon Complex" (having him dress as Napoleon is an incredibly literal -- if stupid -- way of interpreting that particular mental disorder.)

These early stories also tend to rush their endings, as though Bill Finger or Bob Kane realized late in the day that they're running out of room. It's common to see a story rocket along, only to tie up as many threads as quickly as possible in the final page.

Some of the earlier villains still interest me, though. Dr. Death, the Mad Monk and Hugo Strange are as creepy as ever, though few writers have ever been able to bring these characters part-and-parcel into modern settings. These characters would be right at home in Sandman Mystery Theater and are strangely perverse, sadistic figures.

Batman is also shown frequently carrying a gun in these Pre-Robin stories, though he rarely uses it. Some of this "gun art" looks to be cribbed from art in The Shadow pulps. Given Bob Kane's contributions to history's "swipe files" this seems pretty likely. In fact, there is little to no difference between Bruce Wayne and Lamont Cranston in Batman's early days. His villains eventually set the two characters apart.

The first volume also features the brilliant first appearances of Robin and The Joker, as well as Catwoman's barely recognizable debut. Those have been written about at length elsewhere so I won't drone on about those famous stories too much. They still hold up tremendously well, though. And it's impressive how much The Joker's first two appearances contributed to his interpretation in The Dark Knight film.

(From www.geek-for-life.com)