Customer Reviews

Batman: Dark Detective

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

 

 

In DETECTIVE COMICS #469 - 479, the writer/artist team of Steve Englehart and Marshal Rogers (with inker Terry Austin) made a big impression with a handfull of Batman stories that were considered instant classics; indeed, those stories, collected in the trade paperback BATMAN: STRANGE APPARITIONS, are for many readers the definitve Batman. These creators obviously understood the classic appeal of Batman, redefining his style and look for the late '70s and returning him to his roots as the dark detective of Gotham City. The problem was, the team of Englehart & Rogers arrived with guns blazing, amazed everyone, and then bolted from the scene before many folks even knew what was going on! After those superb 11 issues, Batman just didn't seem as enjoyable anymore.

Well, 25 years later, and here they come again! BATMAN: DARK DETECTIVE reunites that amazing creative team, reprinting the 6-issue miniseries which features Batman battling the Joker, Two-Face, and Scarecrow, and all while having to deal with the return of his old flame Silver St. Cloud. Silver is now the fiancee of Evan Gregory, a US senator now compaigning for governor. But even though she once left Bruce, due to her not being able to handle his dual identity, the attraction is still there, and it gets her up to her neck in the Joker's deathtraps.

It's great to see that these guys are at the top of their game, maybe even better than they were on the original stories. Englehart's writing portrays Batman as an even-tempered super sleuth, instead of the arrogant, belligerent sociopath with whom we've had to suffer for the past 20-odd years. And his Joker is not just a deadly criminal, but a true madman - he's seldom written better. Rogers' art has become even better over the years, if that's possible: his masterful use of panel layouts, perspective, and action shots really help to convey exactly what the script called for. And with Austin's stellar inking, it is pure beauty. The only problem I can see with it is that the end is a bit of an abrupt letdown. Of course, those familiar with the history of Bruce and Silver likely know it can end no other way, but more would have been better. Still, no overt complaints here - buy this book!!!

As a huge fan of the original Rogers/Austin run, with its clean, meticulous detail and sophisticated style, I was shocked at the poor quality of the artwork in this collection. Hints of the old flair are very few and far between, and most of the book is simply unattractive. Additionally, the lettering is atrocious. Once the disappointment wears off, you've got a halfway decent story to enjoy.

There has been some criticism here about the storytelling here - that it's old school, etc. It's SUPPOSED to be that way. This is a sequel to Englehart and Rogers' classic run on DC's Detective Comics from the late '70s.

One criticism was that the lettering was done by hand. Well, back in those days, it was done that way. You could tell back then just by looking at a word balloon or caption who did the lettering. It was distinctive, unlike generic lettering done by computer.

If you liked the classic stories from the '70s, this is a fine reprise of that period's storytelling conventions (thought balloons, expository captions, etc). If you are looking for a modern approach to the Batman, there are several alternatives that can be found here.

Enjoy this story for what is - a fun, colorful revival of a great period in comics storytelling by the people who were there in the first place.

Batman: Dark Detective re-teams the trio of writer Steve Englehart, penciller Marshall Rogers, and inker Terry Austin on Batman where they made their mark with a memorable run on Detective Comics nearly 30 years ago (God! Has it been that long?) on issues 469 through 476. This trade paperback collects the 6 issue Dark Detective mini-series and shows just how good sequential comic book work can be if placed in the right hands. The first that stands out that there are honest to goodness panels of art. Not just two or three per page, but several. This is nearly a lost art with today's younger, splash page obsessed artists. What a concept! Englehart was always one of my favorite writers of the 70's and this book not only shows he can still tell a good story, but it's also a tribute to that era as Englehart drops several names throughout the story that old-timers will recognize like (Joe) Giella, (Irv)Novick, (Mike Friedrich) and (Frank) Robbins. Nice touch, Steve...

Dark Detective concerns the Joker's decision to run for Governor with a slogan of "Vote for me or I'll Kill You!" I'd say that was pretty convincing. Furthermore he makes his announcement at a fund raiser for another candidate, Evan Gregory, and demands one million dollars from the attendees. When a couple of them turn up very dead, we know the Joker is serious. Gregory's fiancée just happens to be Batman's old flame Silver St. Cloud and this event brings the two back together again.

Not everyone is happy about the Joker's campaign bid, however. Harvey Dent, AKA Two-Face, maintaining a strange sense of honor, thinks the Jokers bid is not a good idea and tells him so. Meanwhile, the Scarecrow is also running around loose and manages to plant one of his fear capsules on Batman, causing him to relive the night his parents were murdered. This brings a startling revelation of a memory that Batman had repressed for years but I won't spoil that for you. When the Joker kidnaps Silver, Batman has to traverse the Joker's murderous funhouse in order to rescue her.

This really does take you back to a time when a good story was every bit as important as good art as Englehart throws multiple plotlines at the reader and yet ties them all up at the end. The team of Rogers and Austin show they are still fantastic nearly three decades later and I would love to see more of them together. Rogers had an eye for detail that few artists of the 70's could match and Austin is one of the all-time great inkers. There is a pace and flow to their panels that is sorely missing in many comics today. Not only a great story with great art, but I love Englehart's nod to so many of his peers of the 1970's.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

In the late 1970s, Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers (and Terri Austin) collaborated on an outstanding, and iconic, Batman story. Why they felt they needed to try and recapture the magic over two decades later is beyond me. Quite simply, they failed.

Suffice it to say that Rogers' run on "Detective Comics" stands as one of the most beautiful examples of comic book art of its time (and, I would argue, of any time). Not only are his drawings first rate, but the use of color in those issues-- for which Rogers is also responsible-- is almost without peer. This book, on the other hand, deserves to go out of print and quickly so as not to tarnish the memory of this once great artist.

If you would like to catch a glimpse of Rogers'(and to a slightly lesser extent, Englehart's) work at its finest, pick up the original stories which are currently collected under the title of "Strange Apparitions." If, on the other hand, you would like to see why it's rarely a good idea to try-- years after the fact-- to revisit a story which is rightly considered a classic, then pick up this book (see also the "Star Wars" prequels).

In the story, Batman is reunited with possibly the closest he's ever had to a real girlfriend, Silver St. Cloud. She is engaged, however, to a candidate for governor who is campaigning in Gotham. However, a late write-in candidate threatens the man's campaign... the Joker! His slogan: "Vote for me or I'll kill you!" Batman must try and prevent the murder of many innocent people at the hands of the Joker.

I think this writing team has put forth some of the best Batman stories ever made. The 1970's was a good decade for the Batman character. Many of the writers had gotten sick of all the campiness of the TV Batman, and returned the character to his dark, mysterious, gothic roots.

This team also knows how to write a good Joker story. I believe these are the same guys that wrote "The Laughing Fish" story, an infamous Batman tale. The characters are all pretty accurately done, and the mysterious "Joker house" laden with death traps is a sinister twist at the end of the story. This is a good story.

I just happened to see this in a local bookstore while browsing the other day and my first thought was, when did this come out? At first I thought it was a collection of old books. I was pretty excited to see that it was new however. Like the other reviewers I was a fan of the Englehart/Rogers Batman and just a huge fan of Marshall Rogers period. I loved his deceptively simple, elegant artwork and it remains a pleasure to the eyes still. I am really happy to see Terry Austin return as well. He was one of the first inkers I really started to notice when I was a kid. As a young boy you tend to pay more attention to the artist than the inker but Terry always brought something extra to the titles he worked on. So it goes without saying, although I will that the art is satisfying on this title. It's a little uneven at times but it takes me back and has a classic feel to it. And it looks like Geoff Darrow may have been influenced a little by Marshall.

Where I have some trouble is the story. Steve Englehart was a writer I always enjoyed when I was younger but I also wasn't very discriminating as a child either. I was reading any comic I could get my hands on but I do remember his name being on several titles I liked back than. The story itself is a mixed bag I guess. I like the classic feel of Batman here. He's not as brooding as when he's at his grim worst. The theme seems to be more Batman: Year One then The Dark Knight Returns which I like. I don't think the story offers anything new however. We are presented with the same rouges gallery we always get. It seems like there are too many villains stuffed in here. It makes for a "classic" tale while at the same time giving us the same old thing. I got a chuckle out of some of the Joker's rants but at the same time felt some of the dialog was stilted and a little awkward.

I would say it's not as good as some of the best Batman trades out but it's better than the majority of stuff out.

Having read Detective Comics #471-479 in the 70s done by this same creative team, I picked this up, hoping for more of the same. What a let-down!

I have to ask - What Happened!?

The art on those erstwhile 70s issues was the finest, most detailed art I'd ever seen in a comic-book. I think that was due mostly to the inking of Terry Austin. When he was working on X-Men, he gave John Bryne's pencils that fine detail as well.

Has Austin done a 'Gil Kane' and given up his nib-and-ink to work with marker-pen? This Dark Detective series shows none of the fine-ness of his previous work. You only have to compare the 'flash-backs' of this series to the original Detective Comics issues to see that something is wrong.

Maybe Austin or Rogers are getting older, but the artwork is very basic, and lacks the sheen they used to produce. The art sometimes actually reminded me of Bob Kane's early work.

The story also is a little unbelievable. It portrays Bruce as a love-sick puppy and just doesn't ring true.

Also, the lettering is - well, it's been hand-done, by Rogers I surmise, and is quite uneven. It should have been done by computer.

I'm sorry - I SO wanted to like this, but it's nothing like the calibre of work that this creative team produced in their glory days of the 70s.

So here is the much-hyped reunion of Englehart & Rogers. Don't believe the hype. A lot of people look back fondly on their Bat-stuff from the 70's (collected in the Strange Apparations trade), but I'm not one of them. You can read my review of that book to find out why, but let me say that Strange Apparations - for all its (many) faults - is a lot more enjoyable than this dreck.

The story arc in Strange Apparitions at least had the great, iconic artwork by the late Marshall Rogers. I believe Dark Detective was his last project, and I'm sorry to say that this just wasn't up to par with his influential 70's work. More distressing, however, is Englehart's writing. It was the lousy writing, plotting and lack of belivability that sank Englehart's 70's writing for me, and it looks like he didn't get any better over the last three decades. His dialogue was, and still is, incredibly hokey.

Comics have come a long way, and so has Batman. Maybe I expect more after the greater sophistication that began with The Dark Knight Returns. Maybe others will enjoy this "old school" approach more than I did. Regardless, I didn't feel like there was any depth to this story or the characters. Silver St. Cloud comes and goes from Bruce Wayne's life yet again, and I'm left wondering what the point was. I also tired of watching the mighty Batman, expert martial artist that he is, get pummeled and knocked around by lesser opponents on page after page. Aside from some nice political humor early on, I can't think of a single thing I liked about this series.

I'm just grateful that the bookstore I bought this from was kind enough to let me return it. There are a lot of great Batman tales out there. Try something other than this one.