Realistically,we should expect these Earth-One OGNs to be something the Ultimate line's intent-- the thematically definitive versions of characters without decades of continuity.
I just wish something would happen with the Multiverse. Morrison is still doing that, right?
You open the book to the first page of Earth-One Batman and BAM, Batman shooting a dude in the head, with Geoff Darrow levels of gore and viscera.
Turns out that Earth-One Batman is actually pulp Batman!
Speaking of, it'd be just as interesting if the alternate take on Superman drew from the alternate origin where he was sent back from a doomed future Earth rather than a doomed planet. Astro City's Samaritan already did something similar, though Samaritan's mission to change the past and the implications of temporal colonialism were never examined in depth.
Red Son already did that.
Red Son used the concept of predestination, though. An actual story about Superman as a real Man of Tomorrow would obviously have to forego that if his actions in service of some mission were to have any value.
Then...shouldnt you just read about the current one and not care about the alternate universe reimagined version? Or do you just like the design and not the character personality/direction currently?
She'll still have a heart of gold though, right? Like Joe from Facts of Life?
jkylefulton on
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Bloods EndBlade of TyshallePunch dimensionRegistered Userregular
edited December 2009
Nrama: We've seen how you and Geoff have handled the in-continuity story of Superman's origin. Is this story of Batman being handled similarly? Will the same types of emotional beats be tackled in a similar way?
Frank: I think it's going to be just as character-driven as the Superman stuff but there are less constraints. Everyone knows where Superman is going in Superman: Secret Origin, but the Batman book could go anywhere. Gordon could get killed on page three. Bruce could change his mind about crime-fighting and decide to open a petshop. If the petshop only sold bats we could even make the books name continue to be appropriate.
I know nothing about Secret Origin to answer that. I decided to trade-wait that one. I already get 3 Superman books a month. Didn't really feel like adding another, especially when the new one is a limited series that's just set-up for an event sometime next year.
What really interests me is the move to OGN format. I'm waiting to see how they distribute these.
The stories themselves however, don't hold my attention, as the recent work of both writers have put me off, and from what I can see, there's no real hook to either.
He has most of the book drawn and he's only finished 40 pages? Sounds more like an over-sized one-shot instead of an actual OGN.
Later on down the page he says he's actually on page 80.
The funny thing about the interview is Davis says DC had all these notes that wanted it to steer closer to DC canon ("Smallville letter jacket!" and "Jimmy Olsen, Superman's Pal!") and Davis/JMS ignore them.
They're actually going to air drop them into third world countries along with propaganda pamphlets and rations, creating a rare and valuable collectible that only real fans will be able to procure.
I dont find these necessary, but dc obviously feels that it needs something to compete with marvel's ultimate universe. I love JMS and johns, so im just excited for that. Another reason is that i find B and R unreadable because the art is sloppy and i hate hate hate grant morrison, and the straight batman book is very uneven in terms of quality because the writer changes every two issues. The supes continuity is dumb too; i dropped action and superman because i just dont care about those characters (and no one cares about supergirl), and WoNK is treading water to me.
It doesn't make sense to create this new continuity considering john's has secret origins going on, but I think both of the lines would be confusing to new readers. I'm not one and i can barely make heads or tails of B and R, but I've made my morrison gripe already, so I'll leave it at that.
You know what, give grant morrison his own universe and let him play around in it. He can do whatever he wants with whatever characters he wants, the fan-boys will eat it up, and he'll no longer destroy my favorite characters! (I couldn't help it). But honestly, I think morrison lovers and haters alike would agree that he should just do his own thing, away from big properties like batman.
But honestly, I think morrison lovers and haters alike would agree that he should just do his own thing, away from big properties like batman.
You kidding? Why take the best thing about the current Batman books out of the current Batman books?
the best thing about the batman books right now is waiting to see what obnoxious character grant morrison will introduce next issue, only to under-utilize them and eventually throw them away, all with the knowledge that no future writer will touch the senseless characters he created because they're ridiculous and add nothing to the host of bat-villains that already exist.
MastaP, you only fuel my morrison burning fire. But seriously, i think he would do well with an alternate universe where he can do his crazy things without having to worry about screwing up other writers' continuity (not that he already doesnt do that...)
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I think in regards to Morrison's Batman & Robin, you are in the minority, SecretSeventh. Most people around here tend to really like that book.
Sure, Philip Tan's art was pretty crappy in the last arc, but you can't hold bad art against the writer.
I also strongly disagree with your final statement:
But honestly, I think morrison lovers and haters alike would agree that he should just do his own thing, away from big properties like batman.
Morrison's All-Star Superman is probably the best stand-alone Superman story that has been written in the past 20 years. You won't find a better tale of Superman, in continuity or out, except for maybe Red Son, that matches the sheer genius of All-Star.
And Morrison's run on Batman was also very good. His earlier stories, Batman and Son, and the League of Heroes were very solid entries in the Bat canon. Even RIP wasn't bad. It just suffered from over-hype and unrealistic expectations.
Lucascraft on
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FencingsaxIt is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understandingGNU Terry PratchettRegistered Userregular
edited December 2009
Meh, I'm just waiting for Morrison to start actually writing Batman again. The only person in the cast I can really stand right now is Alfred, so while I acknowledge that other people like the book, it's just not something I'm interested in.
Fencingsax on
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Garlic Breadi'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm aRegistered User, Disagreeableregular
edited December 2009
The first arc of Batman & Robin was pure fun, which a lot had to do with Frank Quitely's storytelling.
The second was still an okay story but Philip Tan isn't as good an artist as the rest of the line-up for the book
they're ridiculous and add nothing to the host of bat-villains that already exist.
Except new blood.
Shy of dying or killing Alfred, there's not much more ground to cover with the Joker. He's got a body count over 4,000 at this point. I am interested to see what Morrison does with the Joker and how Dick Grayson will deal with him....but there's only so many times Killer Croc can throw a rock or Penguin can shoot a uzi-umbrella.
Above all, Morrison doesn't believe in stagnation and I can't read a lot of comics anymore because he has raised the bar for what I expect.
Back to topic...I really have no idea what to expect with the Riddler in Earth One Batman. Lee Bermejo's "crippled gangtsa" design from the Joker GN seems too unattractive. Johns said "grounded" was the pivotal term for the comic, so I keep thinking of that picture of Frank Gorshin as the Riddler in a suit and bowler hat with a gun. :winky:
they're ridiculous and add nothing to the host of bat-villains that already exist.
Except new blood.
Shy of dying or killing Alfred, there's not much more ground to cover with the Joker. He's got a body count over 4,000 at this point. I am interested to see what Morrison does with the Joker and how Dick Grayson will deal with him....but there's only so many times Killer Croc can throw a rock or Penguin can shoot a uzi-umbrella.
Above all, Morrison doesn't believe in stagnation and I can't read a lot of comics anymore because he has raised the bar for what I expect.
Back to topic...I really have no idea what to expect with the Riddler in Earth One Batman. Lee Bermejo's "crippled gangtsa" design from the Joker GN seems too unattractive. Johns said "grounded" was the pivotal term for the comic, so I keep thinking of that picture of Frank Gorshin as the Riddler in a suit and bowler hat with a gun. :winky:
Matthew Lesko falls into a piece of industrial machinery, and comes out severely crippled and in the general shape of a question mark.
My Batman would be a more practical/less comic-book sort of fellow with a team of Night Wings with different specialties (one a thief, one a detective, one a fighter, one a catch-all) with more of a focus on organized crime than random crazies. I would totally dial back the triple digit body counts of the rogues gallery and move towards having Bruce as well as Batman being a focus of lowering crime rates in Gotham... before moving to other cities and setting up franchises =-)
My Superman would be more concerned with disaster refief than stopping crime and be more of a world leader than a force for the status quo. He'd be a flying Nelson Mandella/Ghandi figure who would interact with Lois as her basically following his 'beat' rather than having them be co-workers. Lex would be in his business role and modify Kyrptonian tech to be a dick and turn a profitt.
If I were going to retell or reboot the Batman mythos, one thing I would probably do is try to keep him as secret and reclusive as possible. Batman is at his best when he is in the shadows and scaring the shit out of criminals.
All the press exposure that he gets being a member of the JLA and various other team-ups is bad for his urban legend status. My version of Batman would not be a member of any teams or organizations, nor would he have a sidekick. It would just be him and Alfred, much like in the Dark Knight movies.
Robin, for as cool as the character is, is a polar opposite to what Batman represents. Batman is dark and cloaked in mystery and shadows. Robin is red and green and yellow and flashy. It has always struck me as very uncharacteristic of Batman to allow his sidekick to dress like that. Even the more "toned down" and mellow Tim Drake Robin outfit is still way more flashy than Bruce would ever allow. If anything, Bruce would make his side-kick wear an outfit more closely resembling the current Nightwing outfit.
Lucascrafts' sentiments are part of why I regret so much the fate of Cassandra Cain. She was the only member of the Bat family other than Bats himself that could do scary.
the best thing about the batman books right now is waiting to see what obnoxious character grant morrison will introduce next issue, only to under-utilize them and eventually throw them away, all with the knowledge that no future writer will touch the senseless characters he created because they're ridiculous and add nothing to the host of bat-villains that already exist.
So a madman in a pig mask, a group of villainous carnies, and a hero-turned-villain with a bird motif are ridiculous?
In comparison to who exactly? The killer clown, the alligator man in the sewers, a midget with a Lewis Carroll fixation, another midget who fights with umbrellas, the guy dressed as a scarecrow, or the guy who uses condiments for weapons?
The Batman mythos is sort of built on kooky characters. If there's one thing I could say Morrison's absolutely done right with his run, it's that he's invented some characters that fit really well within Batman's universe.
You're probably right about no future writers touching the characters he created though. It's sort of a recurrent theme with his work.
Ultimate Marvel = "Fuck yeah! I'm gonna buy this! It's 'Ultimate!' It must be good!"
Earth-One DC= "... Earth ... One? Huh? I don't get it. Must be something you gotta be a comic book nerd to get. Whatever."
Typical reactions I can see coming from Joe Schmo as he browses the shelves.
Joe schmo doesn't browse the shelves.
This is kind of a good point. I would imagine a good portion of the trade-only market would be our friends and siblings who only pick up trades occasionally, and so it's partially reliant on us to spread the word.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I think in regards to Morrison's Batman & Robin, you are in the minority, SecretSeventh. Most people around here tend to really like that book.
Sure, Philip Tan's art was pretty crappy in the last arc, but you can't hold bad art against the writer.
I also strongly disagree with your final statement:
But honestly, I think morrison lovers and haters alike would agree that he should just do his own thing, away from big properties like batman.
Morrison's All-Star Superman is probably the best stand-alone Superman story that has been written in the past 20 years. You won't find a better tale of Superman, in continuity or out, except for maybe Red Son, that matches the sheer genius of All-Star.
And Morrison's run on Batman was also very good. His earlier stories, Batman and Son, and the League of Heroes were very solid entries in the Bat canon. Even RIP wasn't bad. It just suffered from over-hype and unrealistic expectations.
i still say that anyone who doesn't "get" RIP is being willfully misunderstanding. it's not complicated. it's not like morrison's asking you to read it in sanskrit or something.
also, red son was actually an idea that grant morrison gave to mark millar, so his fingerprints are even on that!
anyway, sidetracked.
earth-1 sounds like an interesting idea that they're really dropping the ball on. i mean, i guess that USM and UXM and those also kind of started with same-ish origin stories for a lot of the characters as well. i just hope the earth-1 stuff develops in as many divergent ways as ultimate marvel.
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I just wish something would happen with the Multiverse. Morrison is still doing that, right?
Red Son used the concept of predestination, though. An actual story about Superman as a real Man of Tomorrow would obviously have to forego that if his actions in service of some mission were to have any value.
https://twitter.com/Hooraydiation
Nope!
The current Catwoman design is the best one.
Or she will be revived by cats and have 9 lives.
https://twitter.com/Hooraydiation
Frank: I think it's going to be just as character-driven as the Superman stuff but there are less constraints. Everyone knows where Superman is going in Superman: Secret Origin, but the Batman book could go anywhere. Gordon could get killed on page three. Bruce could change his mind about crime-fighting and decide to open a petshop. If the petshop only sold bats we could even make the books name continue to be appropriate.
Yess
And then Bruce Wayne will save her from her life of hookery, and he will carry her down the fire-escape.
I wonder if Gary Frank has finished Superman: Secret Origin and is already into this project?
All I know is DC has had Frank's work come out on time so far, so they are doing something right.
Am I the only one who think Shane's Superman looks like James Franco?
o_O Now that I see it I can't unsee it.
The stories themselves however, don't hold my attention, as the recent work of both writers have put me off, and from what I can see, there's no real hook to either.
I'm guessing they will distribute them to bookstores, comic stores and the internet, like any other graphic novel.
Later on down the page he says he's actually on page 80.
The funny thing about the interview is Davis says DC had all these notes that wanted it to steer closer to DC canon ("Smallville letter jacket!" and "Jimmy Olsen, Superman's Pal!") and Davis/JMS ignore them.
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It doesn't make sense to create this new continuity considering john's has secret origins going on, but I think both of the lines would be confusing to new readers. I'm not one and i can barely make heads or tails of B and R, but I've made my morrison gripe already, so I'll leave it at that.
You know what, give grant morrison his own universe and let him play around in it. He can do whatever he wants with whatever characters he wants, the fan-boys will eat it up, and he'll no longer destroy my favorite characters! (I couldn't help it). But honestly, I think morrison lovers and haters alike would agree that he should just do his own thing, away from big properties like batman.
XBL: MightyManotaur
PA: TheSecretSeventh
wait....
You kidding? Why take the best thing about the current Batman books out of the current Batman books?
the best thing about the batman books right now is waiting to see what obnoxious character grant morrison will introduce next issue, only to under-utilize them and eventually throw them away, all with the knowledge that no future writer will touch the senseless characters he created because they're ridiculous and add nothing to the host of bat-villains that already exist.
MastaP, you only fuel my morrison burning fire. But seriously, i think he would do well with an alternate universe where he can do his crazy things without having to worry about screwing up other writers' continuity (not that he already doesnt do that...)
XBL: MightyManotaur
PA: TheSecretSeventh
wait....
Sure, Philip Tan's art was pretty crappy in the last arc, but you can't hold bad art against the writer.
I also strongly disagree with your final statement:
Morrison's All-Star Superman is probably the best stand-alone Superman story that has been written in the past 20 years. You won't find a better tale of Superman, in continuity or out, except for maybe Red Son, that matches the sheer genius of All-Star.
And Morrison's run on Batman was also very good. His earlier stories, Batman and Son, and the League of Heroes were very solid entries in the Bat canon. Even RIP wasn't bad. It just suffered from over-hype and unrealistic expectations.
The second was still an okay story but Philip Tan isn't as good an artist as the rest of the line-up for the book
Except new blood.
Shy of dying or killing Alfred, there's not much more ground to cover with the Joker. He's got a body count over 4,000 at this point. I am interested to see what Morrison does with the Joker and how Dick Grayson will deal with him....but there's only so many times Killer Croc can throw a rock or Penguin can shoot a uzi-umbrella.
Above all, Morrison doesn't believe in stagnation and I can't read a lot of comics anymore because he has raised the bar for what I expect.
Back to topic...I really have no idea what to expect with the Riddler in Earth One Batman. Lee Bermejo's "crippled gangtsa" design from the Joker GN seems too unattractive. Johns said "grounded" was the pivotal term for the comic, so I keep thinking of that picture of Frank Gorshin as the Riddler in a suit and bowler hat with a gun. :winky:
Matthew Lesko falls into a piece of industrial machinery, and comes out severely crippled and in the general shape of a question mark.
AND WITH A MIND JUST AS CROOKED!
Ultimate Marvel = "Fuck yeah! I'm gonna buy this! It's 'Ultimate!' It must be good!"
Earth-One DC= "... Earth ... One? Huh? I don't get it. Must be something you gotta be a comic book nerd to get. Whatever."
Typical reactions I can see coming from Joe Schmo as he browses the shelves.
My Superman would be more concerned with disaster refief than stopping crime and be more of a world leader than a force for the status quo. He'd be a flying Nelson Mandella/Ghandi figure who would interact with Lois as her basically following his 'beat' rather than having them be co-workers. Lex would be in his business role and modify Kyrptonian tech to be a dick and turn a profitt.
But no one cares.
Tan can be a good artist. His FC Revelations was excellent. I'm not sure what happened with his Green Lantern and now Batman and Robin.
All the press exposure that he gets being a member of the JLA and various other team-ups is bad for his urban legend status. My version of Batman would not be a member of any teams or organizations, nor would he have a sidekick. It would just be him and Alfred, much like in the Dark Knight movies.
Robin, for as cool as the character is, is a polar opposite to what Batman represents. Batman is dark and cloaked in mystery and shadows. Robin is red and green and yellow and flashy. It has always struck me as very uncharacteristic of Batman to allow his sidekick to dress like that. Even the more "toned down" and mellow Tim Drake Robin outfit is still way more flashy than Bruce would ever allow. If anything, Bruce would make his side-kick wear an outfit more closely resembling the current Nightwing outfit.
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ANd then she could rip out your throat with two fingers.
So a madman in a pig mask, a group of villainous carnies, and a hero-turned-villain with a bird motif are ridiculous?
In comparison to who exactly? The killer clown, the alligator man in the sewers, a midget with a Lewis Carroll fixation, another midget who fights with umbrellas, the guy dressed as a scarecrow, or the guy who uses condiments for weapons?
The Batman mythos is sort of built on kooky characters. If there's one thing I could say Morrison's absolutely done right with his run, it's that he's invented some characters that fit really well within Batman's universe.
You're probably right about no future writers touching the characters he created though. It's sort of a recurrent theme with his work.
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There's Animal/elemental themed villains, Catwoman, Croc, Penguin, etc or Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, and Clayface, etc.
There's trick/clue gimmick villains like Joker, Riddler, Calnderman, etc
And then there's face villains like Two-Face, Hush, Black Mask, etc.
Joe schmo doesn't browse the shelves.
This is kind of a good point. I would imagine a good portion of the trade-only market would be our friends and siblings who only pick up trades occasionally, and so it's partially reliant on us to spread the word.
i still say that anyone who doesn't "get" RIP is being willfully misunderstanding. it's not complicated. it's not like morrison's asking you to read it in sanskrit or something.
also, red son was actually an idea that grant morrison gave to mark millar, so his fingerprints are even on that!
anyway, sidetracked.
earth-1 sounds like an interesting idea that they're really dropping the ball on. i mean, i guess that USM and UXM and those also kind of started with same-ish origin stories for a lot of the characters as well. i just hope the earth-1 stuff develops in as many divergent ways as ultimate marvel.