boyajian@akov68.DEC (JERRY BOYAJIAN) (03/15/86)
Reviewed this time around: BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS [BOOK ONE] THE SHADOW #1-2 Ratings for the comics reviewed are as according to the new, improved, lemon- freshened Mad Armenian Scale. "For a critic, it's better to have wrong standards than none at all." -- Elmer Allyn Craft ******************************************************************************** |>A< Nirvana. As R. Fiore (COMICS JOURNAL) would say, "Don't hold your breath."| |>B< Sex is still #1, but sliced bread is definitely in trouble. | |>C< Now, *that's* entertainment! | |>D< Better than being poked in the eye with a sharp stick. | |>F< Please pass the sharp stick. | |>Z< Better dead than read. | ******************************************************************************** Before I get into the actual reviews, I want to deliver an editorial of sorts. The particular comics I'm looking at this time are among those that try a reviewer's soul. Here we have two comics that have been eagerly antic- ipated by many comics fans for quite some time, comics that have been hyped here and there throughout the comics press. When faced with this sort of comic, it's easy to give a glowing review, but one always has a nagging doubt somewhere in the back of the mind. "If I like it," the little voice asks, "Is it because it's *really* good, or because I'm just seeing the Emperor's new clothes along with everyone else? Or have I somehow *convinced* myself that I like it because I don't want to look foolish? Or yet worse, have I decided subconsciously that, dammit, I'm going to like this if it kills me?" All I can do is attempt to be honest with myself. I do know that on occasion, I find myself writing something different than what I intended to write. Often, writing these reviews is an educational look at myself. Now, on with the show--- BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS [BOOK ONE] [DC, mini-series, $2.95] A- As is evident from previous reviews of mine, it is my considered opinion that Alan Moore sits at the Right Hand of God. I will have to add to that by saying that Frank Miller sits at the Left Hand of God. Years back, Miller took the comic world by storm as he transformed DAREDEVIL into the best book in the Marvel corner (and one of the best comics of the time, period). Unfortunately, he slipped from grace in the eyes of comics fandom when he tried a more experimental style for RONIN, which to my mind was a vastly underrated book. Somehow, though, he's managed to maintain some of his reputation, as rumors of his projects-in-the-works continues to elicit excitement. Once again, Miller took DAREDEVIL from the depths to which it slid and made it into a jaw-dropper of a book. It's a rare comic about which I have caught myself thinking, "This is probably even better than SWAMP THING at the moment!" And to further prove that Miller walks with the gods, he gives us THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS. From the silhouette of Batman against a lightning bolt on the front cover through the last page, I was virtually struck dumb. Miller's storytelling sense is in full form here. He makes the rather trite gimmick of tv news broadcasts to explicate matters feels fresh. As does the also rather trite use of a major thunderstorm to add to the menacing atmosphere. Even the somewhat overused cinematic flashback of young Bruce seeing his parents killed still works well. What struck me most about this comic was the feeling I had inside about it, a feeling that reminded me of seeing SUPERMAN--THE MOVIE for the first time. The sequences of Batman appearing here and there throughout Gotham dropping criminals in their tracks like a one man crimefighting blitz, stunning citizens in the bargain, was just a darker version of Superman's first night from the movie. And it elicited that same sense of excitement as the Superman movie did in that respect. It's interesting to note that Batman as such doesn't really show up in full figure until page 26, and by that we are primed for it. Miller milks it for all it's worth. He had me in his pocket the whole time, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Since others have brought this up, I suppose I should say something about Miller's using the name "Mutants" for the gang that's terrorizing Gotham. I suspect that it's Miller having a very subtle laugh at Marvel's "overuse" of mutants these days. Right now, I will unequivocally say that this is *the* best Batman story I have ever seen, topping even that set of Englehart/Rogers/Austin stories recently reprinted in SHADOW OF THE BATMAN. If the other three issues are as good as this one, I've no doubt what I'm going to vote for next year as best comic of this year. It's easily worth the $2.95 cover price. THE SHADOW #1-2 [DC, mini-series, $1.50] #1 - B #2 - C+ Aside from the problems mentioned above, there's another couple of problems in dealing with this comic. First, it's hard not to compare it to the original pulp series. Secondly, it's hard not to compare it to the DC SHADOW comic of the early 1970's. Unfortunately, Chaykin's SHADOW doesn't quite measure up. The pulp character was dark, moody, and mysterious, featured in stories that fairly dripped with menace. DC's earlier comic series did quite a good job of capturing this atmosphere, mostly due to Mike Kaluta's outstanding artwork on the first half-dozen issues. And even while I had some quibbles with O'Neil's scripts, his stories had the right Shadowy feel to them. Chaykin gives us a violent, gritty, hardboiled crime comic. It's a marvelous piece of work, but it just ain't the Shadow. Well, not quite. What we have here seems to owe more to Chaykin's 1975 Atlas Comics homage to the Shadow -- the Scorpion (and to *that* character's literary descen- dent Dominic Fortune, which Chaykin did for Marvel) -- than it does to the original Weird Avenger of Crime. This is especially true with the second issue, in which Chaykin describes an "origin" to the Shadow that goes off in a totally separate direction from anything in the pulp series, and even violates certain "facts" related in the pulps. Still, the comic is terrific, well worth your time and money. Just don't expect the *real* Shadow. --- jayembee (Jerry Boyajian, DEC, Acton-Nagog, MA) UUCP: {decvax|ihnp4|allegra|ucbvax|...} !decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-akov68!boyajian ARPA: boyajian%akov68.DEC@DECWRL.DEC.COM