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DKSA also suffers from the fact that 9/11 happened when Miller was writing it, and that's generally agreed to be what sent ol' Frank into his current state of loony-tunes, Ultimate Warrior-style insanity.

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i only buy two print books every month: Nightwing and Batgirl.i also am absolutely in LOVE with Batman '66. last year, i started reading the batman comics from the beginning. i must say, when they finally introduced the "New Look" Batman in 1964, it was amazing. and having read the O'Neal/Adams stuff for the last month or two, this is by far the best Batman to date. so many awesome ideas/characters/everything else that they added.

I've been doing the exact same thing in reading Batman from the beginning (along with Flash and GL) and I must say the New Look Batman run has been miles better than the 50s run. I'm on 1966 now and I was wondering if I should slide Batman '66 in my chronological list or wait until I'm done catching up on Batman.
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The thing about BATMAN '66* is, its tone is more equivalent to 50s and early 60s pre-New Look Batman than anything else.

*The TV show that is, the comic is a hollow aping of the style that grate after a while. /curmudgeon

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I'm not making a new post for this, but I am trying to get back in the comics game.  I really fell in like, 2006 after Infinite Crisis.  Guys, tell me what the vital DC reading is, and in what order, please.  Watching the animated Flashpoint film has inspired me to try to catch up.

 

Marvel comics.

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Just finished Frank Miller's "Dark Knight Strikes Again".  Wow.  i must not have been reading comics when this was released because I've never read it before and didn't remember it even was a thing until last week.  I didn't quite hate it, but it's definitely not good either.  I fairly enjoyed books 1 and 2, but, taken as a whole, it reads like Miller plotted it as he wrote the scripts.  I really didn't get a sense of the world beyond Miller telling us it's a dystopia.  Too many events happen without any buildup or explanation why they're happening, and a lot of plot elements seem thrown in because Miller wanted to write a scene a certain way or needed something to advance the plot in a certain direction. 

 

my dad got DKSA for me quite a while ago, probably when it was first released in trade. the artwork is atrocious and the storyline isn't even existant. after reading this, i waited years before i would even attempt DKR. polar opposites, there.

 

and Outsider, Batman '66 doesn't fit anywhere. i'd say pre-New Look would be the best place for it, but since it's just started, you may as well wait on it. the actual comics from '66 get pretty serious pretty quick. i think '68 is when it really turns the corner, so the '66 book would feel out of place real fast.

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I kind of appreciate the ambition of DKSA but it doesn't all work. Miller's vision of superheroes-as-sexed-up-pop-culture without any teeth worked for me and I loved the gaudy colours that went with it. I think I liked the ideas more than anything in the actual script, and yeah...the Dick Grayson stuff was just weird. Still, up until Chris Sims recontextualized DKR with one of his columns, I probably preferred Strikes Again.

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Read Ex Machina vol 1. It didn't grab me the same way Y or Saga did, but I'm digging it a pretty decent amount so far. I like the realistic approach to Hundred playing superhero with the damage caused pissing off so many people. The characters are pretty interesting as well, and I'm liking the political side of things. I especially dug the story on the Lincoln painting. Looking forward to checking more of this out.

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Finished up Ostrander's Suicide Squad run. Dug the smaller stories on Dr. Light's return and Deadshot vs. Floyd Lawton. The whole weapon's smuggling deal was good fun with Manhunter and Katana getting in on the action. Wasn't expecting poor Waller to be shot up though. It was nice however seeing Barbara as a result get to take control of the Squad for a big mission. I really liked the mystery of Ray Palmer's death and the new Atom. I was actually warming up to Cray a decent amount though so it was a tad disappointing to see him die the way he did.The whole story behind the Cabal was actually pretty interesting stuff, and I liked where Ostrander took it at the end. Its only disappointing that it didn't get a bit more fleshed out and built due to the cancellation. Loved seeing things tied up though for Ben and Floyd by the end with both finding a place inside them to accept who they were. The jungle scene where it happened was particularly nice as it also fed back into Waller commenting about the deaths of all who died for Squad weighing on her. I did like the idea of the Cabal using their own Suicide Squad/Task Force X. It was a direct slap in the face of Waller and did well into building one of the many reasons why Waller shuts the Squad down in the end. I did find it disappointing that they never really show any members of the Cabal outside of Eiling though. Not sure as to why on that one. Anyways this was all a good read on the whole. Ostrander and Yale took the characters to many interesting places mentally and story wise. Really makes me wish Ostrander was writing something in the new 52.

 

Also read the Batman Annual #2 and Animal Man Annual #2. Lemire is out to make me cry and the bastard keeps edging closer and closer to pulling it off. Loved Animal Man Annual #2. Its a great look into Buddy's past relationship with Cliff before he died, and the present day stuff (including the ending) taking place only a week after the funeral is heart wrenching. Batman Annual #2 introduced a new writer in Marguerite Bennett (Snyder student) and a new (old) Arkham inmate in the Anchoress. I dug the story a good deal. It took an interesting look into the Anchoress's past and psyche while questioning Batman's affect on Arkham Asylum. The Anchoress was a decent character if a bit repetitive at times with her commentary. Don't know if i can see her being used again though. I thought the highly positive and hopeful new orderly was an interesting character as well. I hope this isn't the last time he used as his outlook on Arkham was interesting and wildly different one from the usual. Bennett is a solid writer and I'm interested in seeing what she does next in DC. Good read.

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Sorta. I got the even bigger one volume DC Comics: 75 Years edition that was like...$225 and the size of a damned briefcase. It's a neat coffee table book with lots of great, high quality art reproductions. The actual story stuff was largely fluff from what I've read, but not bad. I haven't exactly gone in-depth with it though.

 

Pretty sure those are just reproducing that content at a more affordable price point/size.

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Caught up to my monthly DC reads from the last two weeks.Thought Detective Comics Annual #2 was solid and gave a nice focus on Bullock. Superman Annual #2 was good with Lois actually leading the issue. First time I can recall so much focus on her character in the New 52. It was good, and I liked the set up it did for the upcoming Psi-War storyline Lobdell is doing in Action and Superman. It also continued the back-up from Action focusing on Clark's parents fighting Zod. That particular story has been interesting, but month long wait makes it harder to stick in the mind since its a such small part showing each issue. Also read JLD, Constantine, and Pandora which all play a part in Trinity War be it big or small All were at least decent though none of the stories were particularly strong. I actually think the main story plays a bit fast with so much musical chairs going on with the various teams. I can see why things are likely to be different line-up wise when Forever Evil is done.

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Read Ex Machina Volumes 2-5. Hundred remains a fascinating character with his political views and how he handles the various situations that pop big or small. I actually like that he really does want to focus on the truly important things rather than screw around and do nothing about any of the major issues in his city. I was surprised when they killed off one of his staff. It was a bit disappointing as I liked the character, but I generally liked the story behind it. I find the Great Machine side of the series is probably the least interesting, but at the same time the way the effects  Hundred's current life and made him the man he is during his time in office is pretty interesting. I'm really digging this series.

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