Read But Not Forgotten – Graphic Novels

This week on the ‘stuff I read before I realised I could blab about them online’ series I’ve been doing is an old favourite of mine growing up: Graphic Novels.

As you’ll no doubt see from a couple of my entries, I am a huge Batman fan so most things I read growing up were Batman related. But I have done my absolute best to not flood this post with Batman, so I limited it to only three entries. Still, seeing as how there are only five entries that’s still more than half.

From the early days of Batman’s crimefighting career, this new edition of the classic mystery involves a killer who strikes only on holidays. Working with Harvey Dent and Lieutenant Gordon, Batman races to discover who Holiday is! Collected from the original 13-issue series!

The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale

My Thoughts:

I absolutely adored this. I remember hearing about it and just thinking ‘well, it hasn’t got a plot that features the Joker or any other of Gotham’s finest criminals so it can’t be that great.’ Turns out I was wrong. About as wrong as any man ever could be about a book. It features one of the lesser know villains in Gotham’s bottomless pit of super criminals. and reads more like a detective adventure than a smash and dash super hero comic. For that reason alone I think it’s one of the best going. Just keeps you engaged without all the over the top violence.

Can’t wait to get around to reading this again and seeing if my old love of it still holds true.

Presenting a new edition of the title collecting the adventures of the Victorian era Batman. This volume includes the breakthrough Elseworlds epics Gotham By Gaslight and Master of the Future, which pit the Dark Knight against Jack the Ripper and a death-dealer from the skies over Gotham.

Gotham By Gaslight by Brian Augustyn & Mike Mignola

My Thoughts:

I ordinarily hate Elseworlds tales and avoid them due to the fact that they don’t really offer anything in the way of cannon. But, when I heard Batman was having an outing in a Victorian-era Gotham and coming to blows with Jack the Ripper, I got excited. Thankfully, both the artwork and the story on offer were pretty damn good and I didn’t regret dipping my toes into the Elseworlds volumes this time.

The inmates of Arkham Asylum have broken free, and Batman must push himself to the limit to re -apprehend the Joker, Poison Ivy, the Riddler, Killer Croc, and more. Pushed to the limits, he comes face-to-face against the monstrosity known as Bane, who delivers a crippling blow destined to change the Caped Crusader forever!

Knightfall by Chuck Dixon

My Thoughts:

That time Bane broke Batman’s back is one of those things that, as a reader of Batman comics, you hear lots about. It even made it into the Christopher Nolan film featuring Bane. So, naturally, it’s one of those that every lover of Batman should seek out at some point.

I remember opening it and not being blown away by the art, but having it grow on me pretty quick. I have the complete collection and, because there is so much of it, it took me a long time to get through (I had to stop and start numerous times due to the sheer weight of material) but I ended up really enjoying it. Highly recommended for any Batman fan.

A hit HBO original series, Watchmen, the groundbreaking series from award-winning author Alan Moore, presents a world where the mere presence of American superheroes changed history–the U.S. won the Vietnam War, Nixon is still president, and the Cold War is in full effect.

Considered the greatest graphic novel in the history of the medium, the Hugo Award-winning story chronicles the fall from grace of a group of superheroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the superhero is dissected as an unknown assassin stalks the erstwhile heroes.

Watchmen by Alan Moore

My Thoughts:

I remember when I first got around to picking this up that I was mostly only reading Batman or some of the Spiderman comics. So the thought of picking something up that wasn’t one of the big heroes appearing on every kid’s tv was about as ludicrous as suggesting to a teenager that they go a day without their phone. Still, I decided that I should probably suffer through other comics just so I didn’t look like a typical fanboy.

There was no suffering. Not unless I thought to how my comic reading life would have been had I not read this. I absolutely loved it and thought it was, by far, one of the best graphic novels ever written. My only slight ‘meh’ moment was that I found Mr Manhattan a bit boring. Other than that, it has some of the finest characters ever penned in it and one heck of a storyline. I’m looking at it with longing eyes as I type this. May have to delve back into it for a winter comfort read.

Aquaman, King of the Seven Seas, is back with DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns and GREEN LANTERN artist Ivan Reis at the helm! Between proving himself to a world that sees him as a joke, Aquaman and his bride Mera face off against a long-buried terror from the depths of the ocean!

Aquaman: The New 52 issues 1-6

My Thoughts:

Everyone used to think Aquaman was a joke of a hero. I had never had too much to do with his comics and, upon seeing the New 52 had launched I decided to start at the beginning, as far as Aquaman was concerned, and loved every minute of it. It’s safe to say that even detractors of Aquaman couldn’t sit there, read this, and still claim he’s a joke. 

These issues comprise wonderful artwork with a dark, gripping story that made Aquaman one of my favourites from The New 52 series.