DCU : The Original Universe

Eternal Padawan · Post by **Eternal Padawan** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 6:27 am

A place to talk about all your fave DC monthlies.

[ bats ] Right now I'm only into the Lee/Loeb Batman story. It'd be cool to pick up all the Batman family titles, but I can't afford it. That's like 10 books a month right? Batman, 'Tec, Robin, Nightwing, Birds of Prey, Catwoman, Batgirl, Azrael, LOTDK, and a host of others that I've lost track of in the past decade.

I also picked up Teen Titans 1, since I was big into the New Titans back in the day. I need to round out me old New Titans run and Deathstroke as well. I quit collecting about a year before those series ended.

Stuff I used to get, but haven't bothered with in Comic Collecting ver.2.0: Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, all the Supes titles, Justice League.

Aquaman and Hawkman just aren't interesting enough to sustain monthlies. DC keeps trying , but they should just give it up.

Eternal Padawan · Post by **Eternal Padawan** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 12:24 pm

You know how after Loeb and Lee finish on Bats in a couple months and the 100 Bullets guys take over for a six issue run, then Loeb and Lee come back?

You think Loeb and Lee are just gonna cool their heels for six months? Nope.

They're heading over to Superman for six months. Then after they come back and do the second Batman run, they'll head back to Supes. DC is keen on getting these two to revitalize ALL their heroes.

You heard it here first.

jjreason · Post by **jjreason** » Mon Jul 28, 2003 8:50 pm

Sold. Loeb and Lee will be just fine on Superman as well, though I don't know exactly what they could do to make me really care about the character all that much. I'll pick them up to see.

Azarello will be no letdown on Batman, I'll wager. Sounds like he's got some violence planned.

I just won an ebay auction for the "Death in the Family" story, Batman 426-429. Can't waid to read it all, it's probably one of the most talked about instances in all of Bat-Lore - many new issues I've read mention it somewhere. The covers are just amazing on the 3 issues I got today, Mike Mignola is another genius.

Eternal Padawan · Post by **Eternal Padawan** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 2:40 pm

Yeah, Death in the Family was one of the first Batman stories I ever read. I picked up the TPB first. Then many years later, I got a hold of the issues. I still remember kids in junior high talking about the vote. I think I may have even cut out some news articles around the time talking about it. Where they are now though is anyones guess...

jjreason · Post by **jjreason** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 1:48 am

I wonder if all the Marvel Geeks heard about it and banded together to get the little geek whacked. Makes sense, Marvel Geeks are tougher, cooler, and more vindictive than those plebes who turn their brains to mush reading too many DC's each month..... :0

Eternal Padawan · Post by **Eternal Padawan** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 8:19 pm

Speaking of a Death in the Family....

SWEET FUCKING HELL, BATMAN 617 IS SO FUCKING COOL, I NEED TO PUNCH EVERY MEMBER OF CONGRESS IN THE BALLSACK!

THEN FLY TO L.A.(or Canada) AND PERSONALLY KICK YOUR ASS, I AM SO EXCITED!!

I only hope this isn't some ploy and he "dies" again at the end of the story. Having "R" as a Batman's new arch nemesis would kick balls!

HOW FUCKING SWEET IS THAT FINAL SPLASH PAGE?!?!

Post by **vynsane** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 10:26 pm

just read the most recent ish of the lee/loeb batman... HOLY SHIT i had no idea that was gonna happen!!!!!!!! they actually took me by surprise!!!

Eternal Padawan · Post by **Eternal Padawan** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 7:57 am

Anarky has been spouting that theory since like the third issue, but we were all skeptical about bringing back the Todd. But now it's real and glorious.

Seriously, I need to reread the issue AGAIN. it's like the fifth time I've read it in 24 hours!

anarky · Post by **anarky** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 10:31 am

This is the first issue of any comic in the last decade that's made me scream "Holy shit!" at the top of my lungs and do the happy dance. [bats]

Now the question of how and why pops up. Bats says the body was moved to this cemetery. So, he was dead. If a body was moved and this can be verified, the dude was dead. And yet he's fully grown now, and we know a Lazarus Pit was involved somehow--and recently. I hope the next two issues answer some questions.

It'd be fucking sweet if Batman refuses to fight Jason or is unable to because of the psychological trauma JT's being there causes, and Nightwing and Robin have to bring him down.

Or cooler still, Hush whips all of them and they have to bring in a certain wacked anarchist named Lonnie Machin to deal with Jason.

That "Evil Robin" costume is so damn sweet, I want Mattel to make a Hush figure!!

anarky · Post by **anarky** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 10:52 am

BTW, I always figured Death in the Family was sorta rigged. Not on purpose, but predestined to "kill" Jason.

Why? Because a year or two previously, Frank Miller's excellent Dark Knight Returns had come out and revitalized interest in the Bat. Although we know now that there's too many things that contradict the present for it to be a "canon" future tale, the revamping of Batman was, at that time, still new and not complete. So many fans took it as the set-in-stone future for Bruce and co.

I wonder if the results would've been different if a lot of people didn't have in mind future Bruce blaming himself for Jason's murder by the Joker?

Eternal Padawan · Post by **Eternal Padawan** » Sun Aug 03, 2003 2:13 pm

Ugh. Rereading the entire story from the beginning is leaving me with more head scratching than ever.

I shall share some of my musings with you...

I, unfortunately, think Jason Todd is a red herring of some kind. Why would Loeb blow his load two issues before the end with a grand reveal like this? And it doesn't add up. If they JUST ressurected him, how he is the size of a mack truck? That kind of bulk would need to be built up from years of intense training ( feuled by a burning hatred for the battyman).

Harvey Dent is wearing the Redwing costume ( at least, the bulky turtleneck part) So is Harvey Dent faking being Redwing? Was Redwing faking being Harvey Dent when he talked to Joker and Gordon? Is it a third master of disguise posing as both of them? In 609, the final page has HUSH ripping through the newspaper to reveal a face that looks not very bandages up at all.

How the fuck did Harvey Dent get Joker released? I mean, yeah, he didn't shoot Tommy, but HE'S AN HOMICIDAL LUNATIC WITH MULTIPLE ESCAPES UNDER HIS BELT. just because he was squeaky clean this time doesn't mean he's still wanted for all his other crimes/escapes. That is a major plot hole, Jeph.

Why does Bruce have a full head of hair after brain surgery?

Ivy gave HUSH half of the money from the kidnapping ransom. What was it for? Is this the same money the Huntress is referring to? And is it significant that the kidnap victim has ties to President Luthor?

And what happened to Gordon and "Dent"? They looked to forming some kind of alliance in 616, then nothing this issue.

Well, (sigh) I'll have to wait another month to find out...I have to say, I haven't been this excited month to month reading a series since the Titan Hunt storyline by Marv WolfMan and Tom Grummet back in New Titans 71-80. THAT was a page turner, and this one is topping it!!

Post by **vynsane** » Sun Aug 03, 2003 2:27 pm

i've started to re-read as well... one thing i noticed:

ish 610, third to last page, the first time batman notices the "hush" character, he's standing on top of a building next to a huge sign that reads (at least what we can see of it...) "ROBINS"! can't believe i didn't pick up on that the first time around... though your points are well thought out...

i guess we'll just have to wait and see. loeb isn't a sloppy writer, there's most likely a reason for everything. lee, however, hasn't been on a montly book in a long time, so that would explain the inconsistency of bruce having full hair after the brain surgery...

Eternal Padawan · Post by **Eternal Padawan** » Wed Aug 13, 2003 3:10 pm

Just picked up Teen Titans #2. Deathstroke is the baddest bad ass in the entire world! Kneecapping little Kid Flash pointblank with a shotgun? Sweet. Too bad about WIntergreen, though. What's that all about? DS didn't kill his best friend and mount his head did he? What for? I missed something...

Eternal Padawan · Post by **Eternal Padawan** » Thu Aug 14, 2003 11:37 am

My daughter gets to pick out one book a week and this week she picked out JLA 83. It was a thinly veiled criticism about our invasion of Iraq...and then I realized...DC is a bunch of pansie liberals. They made Lex Luthor president! Anyone see any parallels there? And their big "hero" is liberal media journalistic investigator Clark Kent.

Give me rich industrialist billionaire Bruce Wayne anyday. Clark's a big ferret.

jjreason · Post by **jjreason** » Fri Aug 22, 2003 6:55 am

Fuck DC. "Dumb Comics", I say. Except Batman. I finally got my 426 in the mail, and had a read. Right on the cover it says Robin's headed for death, like it was already predetermined or something. Another book that no one bothered to take out of the bag to grade, mind you, nice one inch fold on the back cover bottom open corner, with a smaller one to boot. Fucking ebay.