The aftermath of Damian’s death in Batman Incorporated #8 will hit the Batman family in three big books this week. It will be hard to follow Batman and Robin #18. Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason created a masterpiece. This is the issue you show to non-comic book readers to explain the power of graphic storytelling.
Here are 3 Batman books to watch:
Catwoman #18 Bruce is on a dangerous rampage pushing himself beyond his limits in his war on crime. Batman and Selena Kyle have a showdown in a museum over stolen art! Is a catfight with Selena a way to work out his anger and guilt and could the love/hate relationship between Catwoman and Batman change forever?
Remember the movie poster for Tim Burton’s Batman Returns featuring The Bat, The Cat, The Penguin? Michelle Pfeiffer and Danny DeVito oozed hate, traded barbs and turned on each other in the 1992 film.
This June get ready for a comic book rematch as Selena Kyle and Oswald Cobblepot declare war on each other in Catwoman #21. Ann Nocenti and Rafa Sandoval bring you the battle Continue reading Catwoman vs. Penguin!
A brand new Justice League of America series by Geoff Johns (Justice League, Green Lantern) and David Finch (Batman: The Dark Knight) hits comic book shops this week!
Former Justice League liasion and Wonder Woman main squeeze Steve Trevor has recruited an eclectic team of heroes to fight the Secret Society of Super Villains. The roster includes classic heroes, rogues, New 52 creations like Simon Baz, Justice Society icons and a blast from the past maybe no one was expecting!
How did Martian Manhunter, Catwoman, Hawkman, Green Arrow, Stargirl, Vibe, Katana and the new Green Lantern come together? Geoff Johns told MTV Geek :
“The idea of why the JLA forms, and what it is, and what it’s in reaction to… It kind of spins out of Justice League #12; what happens in that, and then subsequent issues, because JLA comes out next year some time. But the book itself is a group of heroes that aren’t necessarily coming together because they want to be together… They’ve been selected specifically. They all want, or need something that Steve Trevor, and the other person behind the scenes that’s in charge of this team can provide.
The first arc is going to deal with something they learn is called The Secret Society of Super-Villains.”
Why is Batman’s femme fatale on the team?
“Catwoman is a very different perspective, and is brought in for a very different reason. She stays because they have something that she wants… And it’s not at all what you’d expect. It’s not a big diamond, it’s not a get out of jail free card, it’s something she’s been searching for that’s going to lead to a whole exploration of a side of Selina Kyle we haven’t yet seen.
But she is going to have a lot of fun on the team, she is going to be the Veronica to Stargirl’s Betty, if you will, and she has a new dynamic because we haven’t really seen her interact much with all these characters. Some of them not at all, like Vibe, and Stargirl… There’s not a lot of interaction between her and Martian Manhunter, and I don’t think she’s ever interacted with Steve Trevor that I can remember. Catwoman has a very different reason for being on the team.”
And then let’s talk about the surprise addition of Vibe – the Hispanic super hero from the Justice League Detroit era who hasn’t been heard from since that era! Not only will the sonic powered hero be part of the team but have his own spinoff series: Justice League of America: Vibe premiering the same week!
For more from Geoff Johns here’s the MTV Geek link.
Young Romance: A New 52 Special #1 courtesy DC Comics
Superman and Wonder Woman on a date in civilian clothes! Catwoman and Batman mixing crime and passion! Nightwing and Batgirl potentially hooking up…with other lovers? DC Comics’ hottest gay couple split on the most romantic holiday?
Fan favorite writers like Ann Nocenti, Andy Diggle and Kyle Higgins spin tales of love and intrigue in a big comic book perfect for the comic book lover this Valentine’s Day.
Young Romance: A New 52 Special #1 courtesy DC Comics
Young Romance: A New 52 Valentine’s Day Special #1 is out tomorrow. The big question: how does these six love stories fit into continuity or is this just a romantic diversion?
What super couple do you want to see hook up in the New 52?
Batman and is allies (if they survive) will face the fallout of the Joker’s manipulations in the Death of the Family. DC Comics shared previews and covers from Batman family books coming in March 2013.
In Batman #18 Bruce must deal with what DC is calling it an “unspeakable tragedy” and Bruce is “in danger of losing his humanity.” Harper Row returns. The fan favorite character may be the only hope of bringing Bruce back from the edge. Andy Kubert is the guest artist of Batman #18.
In Batgirl #18 Barbara faces her twisted brother – who sold her out ot the Joker. Ray Fawkes is the guest writer for the next two issues.
The femme fatale must survive the Joker’s madness because in Catwoman #18 Selina and Bruce fight it out in a museum!?
Will one of the “Robins” suffer the most at the hands of the Joker?
Nightwing #18 it appears Dick has lost hope until a chance for revenge presents itself. Will this hero be pushed to shatter his moral code for vegeance?
Red Hood and the Outlaws #18 courtesy DC Comics
Red Hood and the Outlaws #18 If anybody has a right to wipe out the Joker it’s Jason Todd. What happens to Jason in Death of the Family that makes him change the mission of his Outlaws?
By Editor
(Please note: DC Comics stated these are not the final covers)
The Dark Knight Rises one sheet courtesy Warner Brothers
It’s hard to believe the Christian Bale as Batman era is over. You can now watch The Dark Knight Rises in your own home. Christopher Nolan’s final chapter of his brooding Batman trilogy features a broken Bruce Wayne, a terrorist with ties to the first Batman film and a seductive cat burglar who inspires and betrays the Dark Knight. I would love to see Anne Hathaway and Michael Caine nominated for their amazing performances. Christopher Nolan and his entire team of artists deserve every accolade and award possible. No matter how award season turns out – he will have the eternal love of comic book fans.
The Dark Knight Trilogy collects Christopher Nolan’s entire epic: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. Superhero films will never be the same.
The Dark Knight Rises teaser poster courtesy Warner Brothers
If you want to read a compelling story that inspired The Dark Knight Rises then check out Batman: No Man’s Land.
In The Dark Knight Rises Gotham City is cut off from the rest of the world and under siege from criminal factions thanks to Bane. In the comic books an earthquake rocks Gotham City in Cataclysm. The governor declares the city uninhabitable and orders everyone to leave. Those left behind in No Man’s Land are caught in the turf war between Gotham’s biggest and new crime lords. Batman and his family (Catwoman, Robin, Batgirl, Nighwing) are the only protection for those stranded.
The big difference in the comic book storyline is Bane is on a mission for Superman villain Lex Luthor. The Joker plays a critical role in the finale of the crossover in a showdown that affects Commissioner Gordon. This storyline featured many top writers (Chuck Dixon, Greg Rucka, Dennis O’Neill) at the top of their game.
courtesy Warner Brothers
Anne Hathaway won huge praise from director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale for her performance as Selena Kyle in The Dark Knight Rises. Nolan even said Hathaway’s Selena Kyle deserved the opportunity to star in a Catwoman solo film. Bale reportedly said that Hathaway “has the toughest job on the film because the Catwoman role has been defined previously.”
Catwoman: Nine Lives of Femme Fatale Poster by Brian Bolland courtesy DC Comics
Catwoman is one of the most iconic female characters in comic book history. I was inspired to collect some of Catwoman’s greatest “cuts” as the world waits to see how Christopher Nolan and Anne Hathaway will portray her in The Dark Knight Rises.
Television: As a little kid I raced off the school bus so I didn’t miss a moment of the Batman television show. I loved Julie Newmar as Catwoman. The dramatic purrs on words were part of the show’s camp but Newmar embodied the conflicted bad girl you hope would change her ways for Batman. Eartha Kitt only played Catwoman three times but what an impression. Kitt played Catwoman with a harder, dangerous edge. That cat would do a lot worse than scratch!
Movies: Michelle Pfeifer’s Catwoman was a deadly kitten with a whip in Batman Returns. Tim Burton’s origin for Selina was very different from the comic books but Pfeiffer made it work. This secretary turned feminist avenger was a deadly mix of empowerment and sex appeal.
Comics: Bob Kane created The Cat as a socialite turned catburglar villain for Batman. Selina Kyle developed into an antihero with love/hate romantic relationship with Batman. In the 1990’s writers took Selina’s character into dark territory. Modern creators interpretted her disguise and life of crime as a response to a history of abuse. Selina became an avenger of women on the streets of Gotham City.
Catwoman: The Dark End of the Street courtesy DC Comics
The Dark End of the Street, Crooked Little Town, Relentless, and Wild Ride show Catwoman as a vigilante antihero in modern crime noir tales. During this era Selina takes in an ex-hooker and junkie as a protogee in her war on crime. The look in these collections are similar to the style Anne Hathaway has in photos on the set of The Dark Knight Rises.
Trail of the Catwoman marked Selina’s return to her infamous persona after a long absence with a new costume. Selina hunts a serial killer targetting the streetwalkers of Gotham City.
When in Rome is Catwoman versus the Falcone crime family. This is a sexier colorful tale of the cat burglar on a mysterious adventure in Italy.
Hush is one of my all time favorite Batman epics. The Dark Knight and Catwoman’s twisted relationship is at this most romantic and intense during this year long mystery in which a new villian uses Batman’s greatest enemies as pawns in a mind twisting game. Jim Lee’s Catwoman is perfect.
Cover Run: The DC Comics Art of Adam Hughes courtesy DC Comics
I have to give Adam Hughes praise for his portraits of Catwoman. Cover Run includes many of his iconic DC covers starring the femme fatale.
Now the wait begins for the actor who will portray Batman in a future Justice League film but no one will forget Christian Bale and the daring vision of Christopher Nolan.
Not even the rogues of Gotham City are safe from the Joker! The insane villain is going after Batman’s friends and allies in Death of the Family. The Joker plucked the Penguin in a back story in last week’s Batman #14. This week the joke is on Selina Kyle in Catwoman #14 by Ann Nocenti and Rafa Sandoval.
I can’t wait to see what the Joker orchestrates for Selina but she knows how to play cat and mouse perhaps better than anybody in Gotham!
Batgirl Annual #1 features a first time meeting and a deadly reunion for Barbara Gordon this week! Batgirl and Catwoman will cross paths for the first time in The New 52! Will Barbara and Selena Kyle connect or clash?
That’s not the only potential threat!
In Batgirl #9 Gail Simone wrote one of my favorite tie-ins to the Batman: Night of the Owls crossover. The Talon Barbara faced on the Night of the Owls is back with a vengeance in this issue too!
