At the time Jason Todd wasn’t well liked by readers, but the vote to kill him was surprisingly close. From a total of 10,614 votes, fans decided that Jason should succumb to his injuries by a narrow 72-vote margin of 5,343 votes to 5,271. The story remains an important part of the Batman mythos to this day.  The “faux-simile” issue will hit comic shops on December 12! Put it on your pull list now! Robin Lives!

The post NYCC 2023: Robin Lives! appeared first on DC Comics News.

While this may be disappointing, the folks over at Rocksteady gave a good reason, saying, “More time is needed to bring players the best possible experience on Nintendo Switch. We apologize to fans who are excited to play this version of the trilogy. Thank you for your patience.”

pic.twitter.com/Pmjmkf5zA7

— Batman Arkham (@BatmanArkham) October 3, 2023

Needing more time to make this version of the game great is fine by me. The Grand Theft Auto Trilogy, when released on Switch, was buggy, and probably could’ve used more time as well, so I think this is a good move. Also, it’s only seven weeks, and will still be available for Christmas.

Batman: Arkham Trilogy will include the first three games — Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, & Arkham Knight — but does not include Arkham Origins, which was release by Warner Bros. Games Montreal, who also recently released Gotham Knights.

It promises to allow players to experience “the definitive versions of Rocksteady’s Arkham Trilogy games.” This trilogy also includes all post-launch content, including DLC expansions, suits, Batmobiles, and more. All three of these games have been available elsewhere for years but this trilogy marks the first time Switch players can play through all three games.

Pre-orders for Batman: Arkham Trilogy are open now, so be sure to order your copy today so you don’t miss out.

The post BATMAN: ARKHAM TRILOGY For Nintendo Switch Has Been Delayed appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Directors: Bruce Timm & Eric Radomski

Story: Alan Burnett

Screenplay: Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Martin Pasko, & Michael Reaves

Starring: Kevin Conroy, Dana Delany, Stacy Keach, Mark Hamill, Abe Vigoda, Hart Bochner, Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

Reviewed by: Joshua Raynor

Summary

Gotham City’s most feared gangsters are being systematically eliminated, and the assumed blame is falling on the Caped Crusader. But prowling the Gotham night is a shadowy new villain, the Phantasm, a sinister figure with some link to Batman’s past. Can the Dark Knight elude the police, capture the Phantasm and clear his own name? Unmasking the Phantasm is just one of the twists in this dazzling animated feature, which provides new revelations about Batman’s past, his archrival the Joker, and Batman’s most grueling battle ever — the choice between his love for a beautiful woman and his vow to be the defender of right.

Positives

There are so many great things to say about Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, so many that I’ll probably forget some. So, let’s start with the two things we get right off the bat (pun intended) — the score and the animation.

While the score for Batman: The Animated Series has always been top tier, composer Shirley Walker kicked it up a notch for this theatrical film by making it much more operatic. This gave the score a far more grandiose feel, which felt right at home on the big screen. It helped to create the dark and brooding atmosphere so well known with the Dark Knight, but in a bigger way.

Then there’s the animation. For those of you who know, Batman: The Animated Series was a unique case of animation style, where they painted their backgrounds on black paper to make the scenes darker, and that was carried forward into this film as well. Even though it’s 30 years old, the animation is simply incredible, and the new 4K version makes it all pop even more. It’s just stunning to look at.

Positives Cont’d

Alright, let’s get into the film itself now. Batman: The Animated Series, and therefore Mask of the Phantasm, is the greatest version of Batman ever put on screen. He embodies everything the comic book version of Batman has built, and did so right from the beginning. And in this film, we get to dive deeper into who this character really is and what motivates him.

We see Bruce’s early days as a budding vigilante, ten years prior to where we see him in the movie, wearing just an all-black outfit with a black coat and ski mask. He does, however, have one thing that has become a staple in Batman’s wardrobe — the utility belt. And we even get a glimpse of a young Bullock when he was still a patrol officer.

I loved getting to see the early side of Bruce, without getting the death of his parents, yet again. A large portion of this story is spent in the past, setting up Bruce’s relationship with Andrea Beaumont and what it meant to him, and for his future, to lose her the way he did. She was the one that got away. I’m sure many of you out there know just what that feels like, but for Bruce, it sent him on a path, a path toward being the vigilante hero we all know him to be.

He was completely ready to give up his quest for vengeance for a happy future with her, which is funny because he barely gave her the time of day at first. He showed no real interest in Andrea until she takes him down with a martial arts move. This is where he sees that there’s so much more to her than all these other women that surround him. She’s a strong, capable woman, and we all know that’s Bruce’s type — Selina Kyle, Talia al Ghul, even Wonder Woman occasionally. But when she leaves him, this pushes him deeper into the darkness, and he spends the next decade as Batman before he sees her again.

His willingness to give it all up shows how deeply he just wants to be loved and to love someone in return. We even get a heartbreaking scene where he begs his dead parents to let him break his promise to them so he can finally have some joy in his life. He’s been holding onto an incredible amount of guilt all these years, and his subconscious makes it very difficult for him to move forward in any way. This is one of the best displays I’ve ever seen for why he continues to do what he does, and why none of his relationships ever seem to work out.

Positives Cont’d

While I absolutely love the past storyline in this film, it’s the story structure that really makes it work. The cutting back and forth at key moments to give present day scenes more context was a perfect way to tell this story. One of my favorite moments to do this was toward the beginning of the film, where Bruce is at a party and a woman comes up to him and throws a drink in his face, saying that he essentially led her on and then ghosted her. This woman has red hair and blue eyes. Right after that scene, we are introduced to Andrea Beaumont in a past scene and we see that she too has red hair and blue eyes. This tells me that Bruce was attempting to recreate what he lost after she left, to no success. It’s a very small detail, but one that really fascinated me upon my rewatch of the film.

One other thing I love about Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is how the mob plays a major role in the story, something most on-screen Batman tales fail to utilize, though the recent Matt Reeves film, The Batman, did a great job with that. In this, Batman is being blamed for the mob murders perpetrated by The Phantasm, and we get a major tie-in with the mob, Andrea’s father, and even The Joker. We also get a small peek into Joker’s past because of this, and I thought that was really intriguing.

I would also be remiss if I failed to talk about the stellar voice acting throughout this film. Kevin Conroy shines as Batman/Bruce Wayne, as he always does. He will forever be the extremely high bar set for anyone else voicing the character. The way he is able to show such complex emotion just through his voice is simply incredible and shows how much art and skill there is in being a true voice-over artist. He is joined in this by Dana Delany as Andrea Beaumont and she does such a wonderful job, especially as she came into this never having done any voice-over work before. And, of course, Mark Hamill is superb as The Joker.

Negatives

I honestly have no real negatives about this movie. I love it so much. But if I had to list anything, I would say that the lack of resolution to what happens to The Joker would be one. We see Andrea take him in a cloud of mist to presumably kill him, and Batman doesn’t stop her. So she’s gone with Joker and we never know what happens to him, leaving the audience to assume she finished the job.

However, three years after the film, DC released the comic book issue Batman & Robin Adventures Annual #1, which explains what happens after she leaves with Joker. It’s a fascinating issue to read, and that part is just the beginning, so go check it out if you want more Phantasm.

Special Features

The 4K Blu-ray includes three special features: a 4×3 version of the film, the episode of Justice League Unlimited titled “Epilogue”, and the short documentary Kevin Conroy: I Am The Knight.

4×3 Version – It was really cool to see them include this version, as the series was all done in 4×3. You actually get to see more of the screen with this, as the widescreen just cuts the top and bottom off of this version. So, if you want to enjoy more of the amazing art that is the animation of this film, check out this version.

“Epilogue” from Justice League Unlimited – This is one of my favorite episodes of JLU, and for multiple reasons. This episode serves, as the name suggests, as an epilogue to both Batman Beyond and Mask of the Phantasm. The events that take place show that she still cares about him after all these years.

It also has one of the most heartbreaking moments in all of Batman history with Batman and Ten from the Royal Flush Gang. If you haven’t seen it, you need to watch it.

Kevin Conroy: I Am The Knight Documentary – This was an incredible tribute to the man who voiced Batman for three decades, the man who many of us still hear in our heads anytime we read a Batman comic, Kevin Conroy. The documentary included many great people who all praised Kevin’s work as the Dark Knight. And we even got some interview footage of Kevin himself, which was absolutely wonderful to see.

Verdict

For me personally, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is the best Batman film ever made. It is an absolute gem and a classic that everyone who is even slightly a fan of this character needs to watch. And with the documentary about Kevin Conroy included on the Blu-ray, this is a must buy for all fans. So, do yourself a favor and pick this up today!!

Score: 5/5

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The entire space from the outside was decorated like a beacon to Batman. It’s one part museum and one part interactive immersion space. The area downstairs is an atmospheric recreation of the Batcave where a mighty, eight-screen Batcomputer shows newsreels from when the Tumbler was in Trafalgar Square, and a glowing podium around rocky cave walls where one could imagine Batman standing, ready to go forth and dispense justice on Gotham City.

We also get that and the creepy insight into the Joker’s insanity in “The Joker Room”, which I’ll leave for you to discover on your own visit.

The majority of the Batman Unmasked venue serves as both a museum and a sale space. After the airy and welcoming cave, you’re greeted by the immense motorcycles used by two different Bat-men. Their costumes loom over you, tall and imposing, and their gadgets are laid out for all to see. These are not replicas. Each item has a card saying it was used or worn by the many actors who have played Batman, and in which film it featured.

The event showcased props from all the way back to Michael Keaton’s first legendary appearance in Batman ’89 to his action-packed return in The Flash in 2023. I do mean it when I say sale space. Each item is for sale, but unless you have a Clooney-esque Bat Credit Card, it’s out of the price range for many of us regular citizens.

After the truly terrifying Joker Room, you get the final main hall where the cowls of every Batman are on display, next to the costumes of multiple Jokers. Some of Lego’s finest stand side by side with Nintendo Switches loaded up with Arkham City.

The floor mural of a detailed map of Gotham City is almost lost in its crowning jewel, the Comic Book Library. The shelves are full of single issues, facsimiles, and trade paperbacks from across Batman’s history. Sealed issues of Batman: Fortnite are also there, next to this week’s release of Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham #1. Trades of Year One and The Long Halloween can be found alongside the Dan Jurgens’ run of Batman Beyond and the numerous crossovers with Scooby-Doo and the Ninja Turtles.

This library is the true, genius MVP of the event. Most of the general public will be lured in by the grand scope of the Batcave and Joker rooms, and gawk at the details of the costumes and gadgets. They’ll have their fun looking at the Lego or playing Arkham, but the fact the event ends with the comics is incredibly important.

Most people who love the movies will get to leave with new Batman reading material of their own, bringing fresh readers to the comics. At the same time, for an enfranchised fan such as myself, the very newest releases are right there among true Bat treasures.

Batman Unmasked is an event like no other. This is the first pop-up of its kind, and they’ve done everything to make sure it’s rightly unforgettable, starting with the magic of the movies and then leading us to the masterful comic-book storytelling that made it all possible. If it goes well this year, then it’ll come back bigger, better, and Battier.

Entry to Batman Unmasked is the hottest ticket in town and the show’s only on from September 15th-17th, so you need to check it out for yourself right here!

The post Event Spotlight – Batman Unmasked appeared first on DC Comics News.

Not much is known about the story, but, from the looks of the short teaser trailer, it seems that Harley Quinn and the Joker will be center stage in this new series. There looks to be a lot of action and mythological creatures, and we even get a quick shot of Amanda Waller.

You can check out the teaser trailer below:

Isekai is a genre of fiction that revolves around a person or people who are transported to and have to survive in another world, such as a fantasy world or parallel universe. This most likely means that Harley Quinn, Joker, and the rest of the Suicide Squad will find themselves in an unknown land full of these strange, mythological creatures we see in the trailer, and will probably have to fight to get back to their world. But that’s just my own speculation.

During their panel at Anime Expo 2023, the companies unveiled the teaser. Director Eri Osada is helming the project, together with Tappei Nagatsuki and Eiji Umehara as screenplay writers, Akira Amano working on the character design draft, Naoto Hosoda handling character design, and Kenichiro Suehiro composing the music.

“I am very happy to be working as a director on this all new anime series based an DC’s Suicide Squad characters.” Osada recently commented. “I can’t tell you which character yet, but the villain I wanted to have appears in this Suicide Squad ISEKAI, and I hope you will enjoy it too.”

There is no official release date yet for the anime series Suicide Squad ISEKAI. Be sure to keep an eye out right here on DC Comics News for more updates as they come out.

The post SUICIDE SQUAD ISEKAI Gives Joker & Harley Quinn The Anime Treatment appeared first on DC Comics News.

Check out all the details for this amazing game in the official press release below!

The Arkham Asylum Files: Panic in Gotham City,

A Groundbreaking Augmented Reality (AR) Gaming Experience

AVAILABLE NOW

The post ‘The Arkham Asylum Files: Panic In Gotham City’ Takes Gaming To A Whole New Level appeared first on DC Comics News.

When the Birds of Prey first appeared in Black Canary/ Oracle: Birds of Prey #1 (one-shot) in 1996, it was the beginning of a unique team concept.  Dinah Lance and Barbara Gordon (Black Canary and Oracle, respectively) are two of DC Comics most important female characters.  They are a natural pairing in that regard, Dinah is one the DC Universe’s most accomplished hand to hand fighters and Barbara in her days as Batgirl, was the first costumed Bat-family character outside the Dynamic Duo themselves to have a lasting impact.  Together, Babs and Dinah forged a friendship and a team unlike any other in the DC Universe.  

Last week, the line-up for a new Birds of Prey series was first teased and then revealed slowly on social media.  Each day, Kelly Thompson, writer of the series set to debut in September 2023, shared a drawing of each member of the team for her first story arc.  Thompson asked fans to guess the line up, which was essentially fans giving their hopes for who would be on the team.   Fan participation provided a few surprises for Thompson as well, before the final unveiling she shared that there were just as many responses against the inclusion of Harley Quinn as there were hoping for her inclusion.  The first to be revealed was Black Canary, followed by Cassandra Cain, Big Barda, Zealot and finally Harley Quinn.   

Thompson also admitted the support for traditional Bird of Prey, Helena Bertinelli (The Huntress) surprised her.  The reveal of Harley Quinn as the final member also prompted Thompson to share that she knew putting Harley on the team would be divisive.  I’ve already rallied against Harley Quinn being a part of the Birds of Prey when the 2020 movie was released.  Pondering the merits of the announced line up has taken me from why people don’t want Harley Quinn on the team to being able to pinpoint why Barbara Gordon is essential to the Birds of Prey.

Batgirl to Oracle

Barbara Gordon first appeared in Detective Comics # 359 (January 1967) when she debuted in her origin story as the new Batgirl.  Barbara was the daughter of Commissioner James Gordon and worked as a librarian in her day-to-day life.  Dressed up as a “female Batman” for a costume party she stumbled onto a kidnapping caper and went into action on the spot.   She found she liked it and began rigorous training which led to her permanently taking up the mantle of Batgirl.  Over the next two decades, Barbara would feature in stories with Batman and Robin as well as solo tales. The librarian even became a congresswoman in the ’70’s, however, she never carried her own ongoing title.  Everything changed in 1988 when The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland depicted the crippling of the character by the Clown Prince of Crime as part of an attempt to push the Batman beyond his limits.  

The seemingly impassable obstacle of paralysis was addressed by John Ostrander and Kim Yale in the pages of Suicide Squad #23 (January,1989).  Barbara makes her first appearance as Oracle, a technical advisor, computer expert/ hacker and information broker.  With Barbara redefining herself after the terrible events of The Killing Joke, she becomes something altogether unique and different.  She’s now a true handicapped hero.  Unlike Daredevil who isn’t bothered by his blindness because his other senses more than compensate, or Professor Xavier whose skill was always of the mind, Barbara Gordon found a new skillset to develop and use to fight the same criminals that she did as the acrobatic Batgirl.

Oracle to the Birds of Prey

After Ostrander and Yale revealed Oracle as Barbara Gordon in Suicide Squad #38, the character would continue to work with the Suicide Squad and other heroes, specifically Batman.  Eventually, Ostrander and Yale would reveal the details of Barbara’s journey from victim back to hero in “Oracle: Year One” from from The Batman Chronicles #5 (1996).  She doesn’t give up on her physical abilities.  She trains with Richard Dragon, and learns to use eskrima, though wheelchair bound.  While training physically, she continues to develop her computer network and information contacts.

It is finally in Black Canary/ Oracle: Birds of Prey #1 that we see Barbara reach out to another character to be her agent on the ground for a situation she’s uncovered that needs to be addressed.  In this first issue, we see the core of the Birds of Prey concept- Barbara Gordon works behind the computer running the mission remotely while her operative(s) have feet on the ground and execute the mission.  It’s a paradigm that will later be seen in television shows like Arrow and The Flash.  Oracle and the Birds of Prey were first!

The Birds of Prey would appear in more one-shots, a couple mini-series before earning their own ongoing series with Birds of Prey #1 (January 1999).  This series ran for 127 issues before being relaunched with volume 2 in 2010 as part of the “Brightest Day” publishing venture.  This volume was cancelled with the line-wide New 52 reboot in 2011.  The next volume as part of the New 52 ran for 36 issues.  The Birds of Prey would next appear in their own series in 2016 as part of the “Rebirth” initiative in Batgirl and the Birds of Prey which ran for 23 issues. 

Over the years, the core membership of the team has been Oracle, Black Canary and the Huntress.  This developed over the years chiefly under the pens of Chuck Dixon and Gail Simone.  Simone plays with the line up with guest stars and even adds fan favorite, Zinda Blake, Lady Blackhawk as the longest lived fourth member.  Through it all, Barbara, Dinah and Helena are the center of the book.  Even in the New 52 run that begins with Black Canary putting an entirely new team together, Barbara Gordon with a miracle cure of her spinal column shows up as Batgirl within a few issues and it’s not long before Dinah and Barbara are at the center of the book, again.  Batgirl and the Birds of Prey sees Barbara and Dinah welcome Helena to the team in the New 52 continuity.  Writers Julie and Shawna Benson find the spirit of the team as they integrate the New 52 version of Helena and capture the magic of the relationship between the three women that Gail Simone had developed in her time with the characters.

Who Are the Birds of Prey?

I have no problem saying that the Birds of Prey are Barbara, Dinah and Helena.  The core concept is rooted in the friendship and camaraderie between these three women.  Barbara as Oracle (and sometimes Batgirl) is almost always working the mission from behind the scenes while Dinah and Helena are the agents taking the physical fight to the bad guys.  It’s easy for me to die on this hill, but there have been other characters on the team- Poison Ivy, Starling, Big Barda, Strix, Hawk and Dove to name a few.  And, of course, in accordance with Birds of Prey, the misnamed Harley Quinn solo film, Harley was forced into two different comics that were released around the time of the film.  Like the movie, these comics (Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey, Birds of Prey (2020)) leave Barbara out, suggesting that she was not an integral part of the team, despite the fact the entire history of the comic demonstrates the exact opposite.  The Birds of Prey ARE Barbara’s team.  It was her idea to find a way to make a difference by recruiting agents to execute the missions she identified, planned, designed and ran behind the scenes as Oracle.  Taking Barbara off the team is the first step in rebranding the concept as simply a group of female heroes.  Interestingly, on more than one occasion the team has included men, but it’s always been Barbara’s team.

Upon reflection, there is something even deeper than the in story reasons that Barbara is important to the team.  As already mentioned, Barbara Gordon as Oracle is a handicapped hero.  It’s not simply representation, her journey after the events of The Killing Joke are an inspiring example of how to face adversity and overcome seemingly devastating personal obstacles.  Her depression is real at the beginning, but she perseveres and reinvents her identity and becomes even stronger.  The Birds of Prey, the team that Barbara founded and led are part of this journey.  In fact, the Birds of Prey are inextricably linked to Barbara’s journey because the Birds of Prey are the end result of Barbara moving beyond the assault by the Joker and subsequent physical, emotional and mental trauma.  The team is a symbolic manifestation of her healing and getting back into the world.  When Barbara is removed from the team it diminishes the significance of her healing journey.  When the team is no longer hers, it minimizes the journey her character has been through.  It takes all her hard work and effort away from her character and gives her success either to someone else or it simply eliminates her significance as a handicapped hero.

Barbara Gordon IS the Birds of Prey

I don’t think for one instant that either Kelly Thompson or DC Comics are doing this on purpose. But, often there are unintended consequences.  It’s difficult to imagine the Birds of Prey concept without Barbara as the leader of the team.  It even becomes difficult to consider this line up of characters as the Birds of Prey without Barbara.  The team IS Barbara’s, to see it as “just” a group of female characters demonstrates a real misunderstanding of the core concept of the Birds of Prey.  Would DC launch a title called Superman if it starred Martian Manhunter, Lois Lane, Snapper Carr and Lex Luthor?  Perhaps, the line up that Thompson has assembled would be a better fit for a different title, because without Barbara Gordon in her role behind the computer leading the team, the Birds of Prey concept ceases to be recognizable.  A group of canaries is an opera.  Perhaps, Black Canary’s Opera would be a more fitting title for the forthcoming comic.      

It didn’t take Barbara long to be included in the New 52 version of Birds of Prey.  She reclaimed her identity of Oracle in Batgirl and the Birds of Prey.  The two titles that tried to shoehorn Harley onto the team in lieu of Barbara didn’t go anywhere, and the movie that spearheaded the move failed to garner a sequel or develop the concept further in any other projects.  It’s not because Harley isn’t a popular character, there’s no doubt about that.  Does she sell comics?  That’s debatable.  She certainly doesn’t seem to sell movie tickets.  She also doesn’t inspire fans of the Birds of Prey.  That’s what Barbara Gordon does.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it here again, Barbara Gordon may be the iconic Batgirl, but Oracle is the iconic Barbara Gordon.  And, Barbara Gordon cannot be separated from the Birds of Prey because the team is the culmination of Barbara’s journey from crippling injury to heroic rebirth.  To take Barbara away from the Birds of Prey is tantamount to erasing Barbara’s entire courageous and inspiring triumph over the mental and physical injuries inflicted by the Joker in The Killing Joke.

The post Why Barbara Gordon is Essential to the Birds of Prey appeared first on DC Comics News.

Writer and Artist: Phil Jimenez
Co-Scripters: J.M DeMatteis, Joe Kelly
Co-Potters: George Pérez, Devin K. Grayson
Inkers: Andy Lanning, Cam Smith, George Pérez
Color Artists: Pam Rambo, Patricia Mulvihill, with Jamison and Heroic Age
Letterers: Comicraft, Ken Lopez

Reviewed by Steve J. Ray

Published by DC Comics – ISBN Published by DC Comics – ISBN 9781779524393

Available from Penguin Random House

Summary

This brand new edition of Wonder Woman: Paradise Lost is required reading for fans excited about the upcoming Warner Bros./DC Entertainment television series, also named Paradise Lost, as announced by James Gunn as part of the first “Gods and Monsters” chapter of the new DC Universe media slate!

This great new edition collects Wonder Woman #164-#170, “Who is Troia” from Wonder Woman: Secret Files #2 and all the original series covers, by Adam Hughes.

Featuring one of the greatest Wonder Woman/Batman team ups ever, we see the Amazon Warrior and the Dark Knight come together to face The Joker, Scarecrow and Poison Ivy. However, these aren’t the supervillains that we know and love to hate, as their bodies have been possessed by the evil Greek gods Deimos, Phobos, and Eris… the children of Ares!

Positives

Where do I even begin? A Wonder Woman/Batman team-up written and drawn by the incomparable Phil Jimenez, and co-plotted with the legendary George Pérez, alone is enough to get any comics fan excited! In fact, this book delivers vintage, classic superhero action of the highest quality. Oh, and of course it looks fantastic!

Add in appearances by Troia, Nightwing, Artemis, Cassie Sandsmark, Tim Drake, Huntress, and Harley Quinn, and what you get is a comic book blockbuster for the ages. Then getting to see Queen Hippolyta as Wonder Woman fighting alongside the Justice Society, in a second brilliant story featuring Amazons at war with each other, is a massive bonus. Seeing Jay Garrick’s Golden Age Flash and Black Canary always make this old fan very, very happy.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Phil Jimenez is one of the finest writer/artists working in comics. Just take a glance at the pages attached to this review as evidence. The fact that this huge talent is also a fan shines out of every panel. Clearly this is a writer/artist that knows and loves these characters as, just like his mentor George Pérez, Jimenez is one of the few artists who draws all of them perfectly. The best part is that he’s also someone whose style stands out and is instantly recognizable.

What I love about this book is the level of storytelling and artistry on show. Yeas, it’s action packed, but we also get a wonderful range of expression and emotion from every character, as well as fantastic levels of detail, realistic (if heightened) human anatomy, and backgrounds that are rich, and full of depth.

Some modern comics seem to only focus on the characters, this is not the case with this book. From the alleys of Gotham City, the fields of Themyscira, the heights of Olympus, to the depths of Hades, what we get in Wonder Woman: Paradise Lost is a fully realized and lived in universe.

Negatives

I would really, really struggle to find anything to complain about with this book. No, it’s not Shakespeare or Dickens, but it’s an incredible piece of entertainment. The one thing I will say is that it’s only half of the story. Don’t panic, though, Wonder Woman: Paradise Lost can be enjoyed as a standalone graphic novel. However, seeds are sown and the the final page alludes to the great action yet to come, in Wonder Woman: Paradise Found, another collection which has had a lovely refresh!

Verdict

This book is well written, and fast paced, yet still full of heart and character. This is the story to give a Batman fan who wants to read about other DC characters, or the perfect gift for someone who wants to catch up on Wonder Woman’s greatest hits. If you love superheroic thrills, incredible action, larger-than-life characters and a real sense of threat, then this book is definitely for you.

The fact that the final story in this volume also appears in 2021’s wonderful Wonder Woman: 80 Years of the Amazon Warrior as one of the greatest Wonder Woman stories of all time is also an indicator of the quality of this collection.

Pick up a copy now, wherever books and comics are sold.

Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment. Review copy courtesy of Penguin Random House.

The post Book Review: Wonder Woman: Paradise Lost (2023 Edition) appeared first on DC Comics News.

Welcome to another episode of I AM THE NIGHT, a podcast dedicated to breaking down every episode of Batman: The Animated Series. Each week, the wonderful Steve J Ray (reviewer at DC Comics News, as well as Editor-in-Chief of our sister site Dark Knight News) and a guest will sit down and dive cowl first into an episode of the greatest animated series of all time.

In this episode, Steve is joined by fellow DCN and DKN writer, and his offspring, Adam Ray, to talk about the season three episode of Batman: TAS (aka The New Batman Adventures), titled “Joker’s Millions“. So sit back, put on your cape and cowl, and prepare yourself for a journey into the darkness!

Episode Synopsis: Crime boss Edward “King” Barlowe dies and in his will leaves his archrival, the Joker, a large fortune of $250,000,000. The Joker immediately goes on a shopping spree, even searching for a replacement for Harley Quinn, but realizes too late that almost all of the money is fake as a joke of Barlowe’s to trick him.

Our “Joker’s Millions” episode is also available on YouTube:

Steve J Ray: www.twitter.com/el_steevo
Adam Ray: www.twitter.com/IzzetTinkerer

“I Am The Night” Theme by David B. (www.twitter.com/DavidBMusic21)

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The post Batman: The Animated Series 3×07 – “Joker’s Millions” REVIEW | I Am The Night #86 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Chip Zdarsky

Artists: Mike Hawthorne, Adriano Di Benedetto, Miguel Mendonca

Colours: Tomeu Morey, Roman Stevens

Letters: Clayton Cowles

Reviewed By: Derek McNeil

Summary

Batman #133: Everyone goes insane eventually. And then they belong to the terrifying Red Mask! But Gotham City has a new savior. He strikes from the shadows, exhumes the dead, and is known only as…the Batman. And in our backup story, Tim Drake’s search for Batman continues as he and Superman, Jon Kent, team up to stop the terror of the Toyman!

Positives

There is much that I enjoyed in Chip Zdarsky’s Batman #133, but my absolute favourite part is Bruce’s interaction with the Alfred Pennyworth of this parallel Earth. With Alfred having died in the main DCU, we only get to occasionally Bruce interact with him in flashbacks, hallucinations, or dreams. But this time, Bruce is interacting with a real live Alfred. It may not be the Alfred we know, but he appears to be the same character at heart.

Bruce tells this world’s Alfred,

…I’m from another universe. And the Alfred Pennyworth of my universe… was a kind man who stood up to evil. I’m here to do just that… I’ll do everything in my power to make things right… because an Alfred Pennyworth raised me.”

Something that is sometimes overlooked by many Batman writers is that Alfred was just as much of a father figure to Bruce as Thomas Wayne – if not more. It’s great to see that Zdarsky understands this crucial piece of the Batman mythos. And I like that Bruce gets the chance to express his love and appreciation to Alfred for this upbringing, even if it’s not his Alfred.

Another interesting facet of this story is seeing Bruce re-establishing himself as Batman, but without the benefit of Wayne Industries’ resources. It was somewhat teased that we would see Bruce operate without these resources in the wake of The Joker War. However, his career as Batman seems to have gone mostly unaffected, other than a change of residence.

But now we see that Bruce has had to cobble together a somewhat makeshift costume and weapons. Hawthorne and Di Benedetto have done a great job designing a lower tech Batsuit – possible too good. It looks good enough that it must have been somewhat expensive for Bruce to make. Not millions, but it must have cost at least several hundred at least. How did Bruce manage to accomplish this?

Positives Cont.

Bruce does make an interesting discovery. As far as this world is concerned, their Bruce Wayne was killed years ago. But Bruce discovers that the Bruce Wayne that died is from yet another parallel Earth. This raises some important questions. What universe is this Bruce Wayne from? And what happened to this world’s Bruce? Is he still on this Earth or on another, or is he also dead? Zdarsky has given Bruce quite the intriguing and off-beat mystery to solve.

Bruce’s encounters with the Riddler and Judge Dent show that Batman doesn’t need his fancy gadgets to be Batman. They’re tools that he makes uses of, but Bruce is every bit the badass as ever, even without them. And this world’s villains don’t stand a chance against him.

Batman #133’s backup story continues Tim Drake’s quest to find and bring Bruce back to the main DCU Earth. To this end, he has tracked down Toyman, who created the weapon that sent Bruce to another universe.

Toyman has fled to yet another universe, and Tim aims to bring him back to help figure out where in the Multiverse, Bruce was sent. Importantly, Tim also makes a point of bringing all the victims Toyman abducted to this parallel Earth. Tim’s ultimate aim is to get Bruce back, but helping others takes priority. Just as Bruce learned this from Alfred, Tim learned it from Bruce.

Negatives

I am a bit confused about one thing in the backup story. Tim wears an outfit designed for multiversal travel. It’s quite a striking design from Miguel Mendonca, but it looks nothing like a Robin costume in either design or colours. But Toyman recognizes him immediately on sight as being a Robin. I don’t see how he possibly could have done so.

The only hint of his Robin costume is his mask, which is barely visible under the shaded glass of the helmet’s faceplate. It’s conceivable, if unlikely, that a Batman villain might be familiar enough with Robin to recognize him. But Toyman is a Superman villain. If the story called for Toyman to recognize Tim as a Robin, then the uniform should have somehow marked him as Robin, like the R-symbol or the distinctive red/green/yellow colour scheme.

However, this is a minor issue, and doesn’t really detract from the story. So, I can easily overlook it.

Verdict

Zdarsky’s “The Bat-Man of Gotham City” is proving to be a very thought-provoking storyline. It’s an intriguing examination of how Bruce would fare in a very different version of Gotham. But, Zdarsky shows us that Bruce is up to the challenge. Because being Batman is Bruce’s destiny, regardless of which version of Gotham City he may find himself in.

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