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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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4.5 out of 5 stars (23 customer reviews)
101 of 105 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Much Better Format Than the Archives, April 20 2005
By Pops Gustav - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Batman Chronicles vol 1 (Paperback)
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.
31 of 31 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
"I'm Batman"??? No, THIS is Batman!, Jun 6 2005
By Babytoxie - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Batman Chronicles vol 1 (Paperback)
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?).
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally, Affordable Golden Age Reprints, April 24 2005
By John W. Leys "Graduate Student: Hebrew Bible/... - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Batman Chronicles vol 1 (Paperback)
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.
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