Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes Crisis

[Pinderpanda 600]

Oh that's tops. The Ellis one is spot on.

[Nekotalim_II]

Sorce

Today on Newsarama:

Proposals for Martian Manhunter's return.

My personal favorite:

Quote:

JENNIFER JONES, MARTIAN MANSLAYER by Joss Whedon
“Uh… can we make him a sixteen year old girl?”

Truly the line between madness and genius is fine..and on closer examination dotted.
Doesn't beat Morrison's "Hallucinatory Cookies" though.

[Bushido Star]

I am about to go on a rampage about the new Batman R.I.P. that came out. All I have to say is WHAT IN THE WORLD! Are they really going to do this to Batman. This whole Zur En Arr crap is the craziest Idea I have ever seen. Why are they putting this an a event that is supposed to be a defining moment for Batman. I have a feeling that lot's of Batfans are confused and angry right now.

[BlackMarket123]

Trust in Morrison.

[Pinderpanda 600]

Zanse

I am about to go on a rampage about the new Batman R.I.P. that came out. All I have to say is WHAT IN THE WORLD! Are they really going to do this to Batman. This whole Zur En Arr crap is the craziest Idea I have ever seen. Why are they putting this an a event that is supposed to be a defining moment for Batman. I have a feeling that lot's of Batfans are confused and angry right now.

Good to have you on board! We need a good rampage now and again.

Are they really going to do what, though? We don't know and that's as how it should be. Confused is not a bad thing to be feeling halfway through a mystery story. Confused is how you're meant to be feeling halfway through a mystery story. Shame about the angry though. sad

The reason this crazy crap's in the middle of a defining story (it's not really an Event, that's just more misapplied marketing) is because that crazy crap is part of Batman's life and this particular writer would like to define the series in such a way that it includes all that again, rather than pushing it all to one side and fashioning the Batman mythos into the solemn one-note "Would you like some Grim with your Gritty, sir?" affair that people have been pretending it is since the 80s.

This has been poorly handled in that it's been marketed as a summer cross-over Event when it isn't one - it's just the last six issues of the extended storyline that's been spelled out slowly in Batman over two years, and its writer doesn't even know what editorial have stuffed into the tie-in issues. And I'm livid that they haven't put out an 80-page Giant reprinting the original stories everyone needs to fully engage with it, to the extent that everyone here is bored of me saying so.

But taken for what it is, the last six issues of a 23 issue-long storyline, this is mindblowing good stuff.

[Bushido Star]

Look at it from the stand point of someone like me who hasn't been reading comic books that long and doesn't know Morrison is connecting this concept to a past issue. When they read this issue and see on the last page Batman dressed in a pink costume with a purple mask and a little man man dressed in batmans old costume hovering beside him, they cant help but say wtf.

[Pinderpanda 600]

Oh absolutely, I've the utmost sympathy with anyone in your shoes.

By no means should DC have suggested that this is a good 'jumping on point' for anyone. This is the complicated finale to a complicated story and you're well entitled to your WTF?

If I were you I'd stop buying the comic at once and, if you're still interested in the story, go back and read the Batman and Son trade and, when it comes out in September, the Black Glove trade. Then you'll be up to date for RIP.

Should DC publish stories this complicated? Yes. Yes they should. Readers like me thrive on complicated and go into a massive sulk if we don't get it. Comics are only a handful of pages each, y'know? Everytime I buy one I don't have to reread then, as far as I'm concerned, I've been ripped off.

But there's ways that DC could still have allowed Morrison to tell this exact same story without pissing off readers like your good self. The Black Glove trade, as I said, is out in September. September! Why September, when new readers need those stories to follow what's happening now? You can't imagine Marvel, with thier lightening-quick trade program, throwing away goodwill and accessability in this manner.

DC have fired Chuck Dixon, a fan-favourite and very skilled Bat-writer, over a dispute seemingly surrounding his books being given over to meaningless Batman RIP tie-ins (though he's on record as liking the content of the main story) . Why not, if you'd like more Batman RIP books on the shelves, just reprint the old issues readers need? That way you don't have to fork out money to create anything new, you don't have to fire anyone popular and you make lots more money without doing any more work?

Complex, extended, crazy. WTF stories have thier place in comics. Because if they didn't then readers like me wouldn't have much of a place in comics, and readers like me are lovely. But there's so much more publishers could be doing to ensure that we all get to have fun.

[Lord Fates]

Sorce

Today on Newsarama:

Proposals for Martian Manhunter's return.

My personal favorite:

Quote:

JENNIFER JONES, MARTIAN MANSLAYER by Joss Whedon
“Uh… can we make him a sixteen year old girl?”

Is there something wrong with me when Joss Whedon's is the only idea on that page that got the "Damn it, I would SO read that!" reaction?

[Donald Blake]

pinderpanda

...has two eyes. Unlike Jackson, who's just got one lens in his glasses.
Any signifigance to them both having the names of Presidents, do you think?

Between wise street presidents and subway pirate kings, Morrison seems to put a lot of glamour in being a homeless of the DCU.
wink

Also, Honor Jackson appears in the first R.I.P issue while Batman and Robin catch on the Greensomething after the batmobile persecution. And maybe we even get an explanation of how Honor made himself the proud owner of hundreds of dollars.

[ValeMacabre]

I suppose following the last few posts would be a good place to figure this out. Is there a single batman title that can be jumped right into at this point or i suppose with just a few back issues would be alright that doesn't require picking up three or four (i forget how many were on that RIP checklist) different crossover titles?

Also, I didn't realize that graph connected the seven sons to the endless until it was quoted and I looked at it again. It made me laugh (in the good way)

[Nekotalim_II]

Zanse

Look at it from the stand point of someone like me who hasn't been reading comic books that long and doesn't know Morrison is connecting this concept to a past issue. When they read this issue and see on the last page Batman dressed in a pink costume with a purple mask and a little man man dressed in batmans old costume hovering beside him, they cant help but say wtf.

If after reading any of his works you think something along those lines, he's done his job and will fly away on his invisible puce space gryphon until next issue.

[BlackMarket123]

Wish Morrison, Johns, and Gaiman could see the SSov/Emotional Spectrum/Endless diagram. I'm inclined to think they'd smile at their indirectly interlocking brilliance. (meh for Johns)

[Bushido Star]

Nekotalim_II

Zanse

Look at it from the stand point of someone like me who hasn't been reading comic books that long and doesn't know Morrison is connecting this concept to a past issue. When they read this issue and see on the last page Batman dressed in a pink costume with a purple mask and a little man man dressed in batmans old costume hovering beside him, they cant help but say wtf.

If after reading any of his works you think something along those lines, he's done his job and will fly away on his invisible puce space gryphon until next issue.

Thats pretty funny. I'm probably not going to go and read the past back issues right now. I know this is probably dumb but I've spent my money buying the first three issues so I'm not going to waste my money on something I'm not going to enjoy like the back issues. I'll figure out what is going on by reading you people posts.

[Pinderpanda 600]

ValeMacabre

I suppose following the last few posts would be a good place to figure this out. Is there a single batman title that can be jumped right into at this point or i suppose with just a few back issues would be alright that doesn't require picking up three or four (i forget how many were on that RIP checklist) different crossover titles?

None of those titles on that checklist are really part of RIP except the Batman book itself.

DC just noticed that comic shops were pre-ordering loads of Batman, so decided at the last minute to 'brand' the other titles with RIP, but they contribute nothing to the story since Morrison (who's writing Batman RIP) doesn't even know what editorial have put in them.

DC does this sort of thing to scare off new readers and to piss off existing readers by ruining ongoing stories. Nobody knows why. I think they're all drunk and find it funny.

Detective Comics is a special case though. Its new five issue arc which start next week is branded as part of RIP, but is set before that story and (according to its writer) has no direct connection to the events of RIP! It'd probably be your best bet for an immediately accessable and good quality Batman ongoing right now.

Lord Fates

Is there something wrong with me when Joss Whedon's is the only idea on that page that got the "Damn it, I would SO read that!" reaction?

Wouldn't it just be a Miss Martian series though?
Not that that's a bad idea. She's due a mini I reckon.

Donald Blake

Between wise street presidents and subway pirate kings, Morrison seems to put a lot of glamour in being a homeless of the DCU.
wink

There's the Good Fallen New Gods from Mister Miracle too. And, outside the DCU, there's Tom O'Bedlam from Invisibles - the greatest magician of the age and a big ol' smelly tramp.

I suppose part of it's about his interest in showing the same conflicts playing out at different levels... big political power blocks and the schoolkids in the classroom enacting the same dramas in New X-Men and so forth. And it also fits with his recent project from Seven Soldiers and 52 of asking, "What's going on in the bits of the DCU we don't look at?"

Mostly though I reckon he's just really interested in the idea of 'falling from grace' at the moment.

Donald Blake

Also, Honor Jackson appears in the first R.I.P issue while Batman and Robin catch on the Greensomething after the batmobile persecution. And maybe we even get an explanation of how Honor made himself the proud owner of hundreds of dollars.

*looks*
So we do!
And look! It even sets up Jackson remembering Bruce's face by showing him taking notice of how kind he looks (and isn't the inappropriacy of someone finding Batman's face 'kind' just so sweet and sad?).

Right, right...so what does this mean? It seems that Jackson does (or did) have a life outside of Bruce's mind. So what are we seeing in this issue?

Did Bat-Mite give Jackson an extra day of life in which to do one unselfish thing? Like he spoke about at the river? If so, that's quite touching in a Hollywood way, and explains why he's talking to Bat-Mite at the start about breaking the rules of Earthly existence. But... it would also mean that the Bat-Mite we're seeing in this story exists outside of Bruce's mind and I'm going to take a bit of convincing of that.

Zanse

Thats pretty funny. I'm probably not going to go and read the past back issues right now. I know this is probably dumb but I've spent my money buying the first three issues so I'm not going to waste my money on something I'm not going to enjoy like the back issues. I'll figure out what is going on by reading you people posts.

Good plan. The world's got no shortage of Batman stories. If you're not enjoying this one, best spend your money finding one whose flavour better suits your palate. 3nodding

Good to know we can be of help. Do feel free to chirp up with any questions. smile

[Cissy-Chan]

Okay going back to Batman/Superman.

Remember when the Joker and Mxy were playing cosmic chess? Bat-Mite popped out of Joker and interacted with everybody right? Meaning that he has to exist outside of Brucies brain (unless R.I.P.'s Mite is a unique mental construct, and with the parasite on his back he might be) because Superman, The Joker and Mxy all acknowledged him. Mxy also conversed with DarkSeid on Crisis stuff (which I think is attached to Final Crisis and not Infinite Crisis).

I'm just brain storming really. I've gone back to Hush and reread what I could forward (moving, most of my Trades are in storage) and I'm still confused. I wish DC would publish some old Bat-Mite just for the heck of it (those DC Universe specials are random but kinda fun), I loved PinderPanda's article by the way. Wish DC would publish that Kinda thing in their DC Nation instead of Ambush bug (although the jibe at Didio was lovely).