 "Such a Visual Treat" | 2009-10-12 |
| - Reviewed By Tyler from Brentwood, CA United States |
So I wanted to go back to the first Batman comic and read all of the historical adventures one by one. DC made that possible for me with the chronicles. For any Batman fan out there, this is a must read. It was so much fun to read the early days of Batman, and see what made him and what stays with him. Suprisingly you'll see that a lot of the traditional Batman themes were created very early on. From the very beginning we are introduced to the Joker and Robin. The 40s style, sometimes laughable, is so entertaining with Batman in it. It was definately one of the most rewarding trades I've bought this year.
I disagree with others and say that I think the presentation is awesome. Full color, covers, and no lengthy forewards and afterwords. If you want nothing but every comic in Batman's history, I suggest you join me and start buying the chronicles. |
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| "Cost-effective classics for budget-conscious comic aficionados" | 2009-09-23 |
| - Reviewed By Z. Shinder from Cerritos, CA, USA |
WARNING: SOME SPOILERS THROUGHOUT!!!
"Batman Chronicles, Vol. 1" is the first in what is currently (that I own/know of) a seven part collector's series that compiles "... every 'Batman' story in exact chronological order" (taken from the black bar at the top of the front cover). Inside are comics, which in their original trade paperback (TPB) form, are worth on the order of some $100,000 or more (together and stand-alone); among which are:
Detective Comics #27: The Case of the Chemical Syndicate (this comic marks the first ever appearance of 'The Batman'! as he attempts to solve the mystery of several murders linked to a major chemical corporation)
Detective Comics #28: Frenchy Blake's Jewel Gang (a pretty unspectacular story has Batman trying to shut down a syndicate of jewel thieves)
Detective Comics #29: The Batman Meets Doctor Death (Batman pursues one of his earliest foes to make the now infamous Rogues Gallery, a nutcase intent to kill anyone who doesn't pay him tribute; SPOILER: Batman may just break his #1 rule!)
Detective Comics #30: The Return of Doctor Death (Batman protects the life and jewels of the widow of one of Dr. Death's victims now being threatened by a seemingly new enemy)
Detective Comics #31: Batman Versus the Vampire, Part One (this comics and the one following it mark the first ever appearance of the villain know here as `the Monk', later known as the Mad Monk in the 2006 update of this story Batman and the Mad Monk. (Also, Bruce Wayne is revealed to have a fiancée named Julie Madison.))
Detective Comics #32: Batman Versus the Vampire, Part Two (Batman pursues the Monk and Julie to a Hungarian castle wherein the two are faced with a hoard of vampires bent on their destruction)
Detective Comics #33: The Batman Wars Against the Dirigible of Doom (Batman battles a lunatic with a Napoleon complex bend on the aerial destruction of the city - opens with a two page long introduction to how Batman came to be, which is repeated in the reprint of Batman #1 to follow)
Detective Comics #34: Peril in Paris (Batman travels overseas to help a man without a face (perhaps the inspiration for Vic Sage/the Question) protect his sister and their family fortune from a mad scientist)
Detective Comics #35: The Case of the Ruby Idol (Batman protects an archeologist from a cult threatening to kill him for "stealing" an idol of their god)
Detective Comics #36: Professor Hugo Strange (this comic marks the first ever appearance of Dr. Hugo Strange as a criminal mastermind who uses a weather machine to create `pea-soup-thick' fog so he can rob all the city's banks)
Detective Comics #37: The Spies (Batman gets involved in a covert operation of foreign operatives trying to blow up an American ship so as to start an international conflict)
Detective Comics #38: Introducing Robin, The Boy Wonder (this title speaks for itself; interestingly enough, Tony Zucco is a crime lord akin to an early draft of Rupert Thorne and didn't personally kill Dick's parents, a nameless thug in his protection racket did the deed)
Also included is Batman #1 and five stories that appeared within:
The Legend of the Batman - Who He Is and How He Came to Be! (this title speaks for itself, see above)
The Joker* (this comic marks the first ever appearance of 'The Joker'!; arguably the greatest arch-nemesis of all time. Here, the Joker is introduced as a homicidal maniac who announces his intent to murder several high-society individuals for apparently no reason whatsoever; the idea of a motiveless crime in those days being scarily unimaginable. This story was given a 2006 update in the graphic novel Batman: The Man Who Laughs)
Professor Hugo Strange and the Monsters (Dr. Strange returns and is back to robbing banks, but now he has kidnapped inmates of the city loony-bin and turned them into hulking monstrosities to distract the police and the Batman and Robin while he pursues grand larceny. This story was given a 2006 update in the graphic novel Batman and the Monster Men)
The Cat* (this comic marks the first ever appearance of 'Catwoman'!; interestingly her role is quite small, but the implications of mutual attraction between her and Batman are already apparent. Batman and Robin stowaway aboard a luxury yacht to protect the guest's valuables from thieves)
The Joker Returns (The Joker is back and after escaping from prison, he goes back to murdering rich socialites, but now rips off their valuables as well, again without any apparent reason; FYI, the Joker was originally intendent by his creators and DC Comics to make a couple of appearances and then be killed off (forget the history for a moment and just enjoy this story.))
***(The stories with an asterisk were originally untitled, but are give titles in the table of contents for reader convenience.)***
Every one of the stories contained within this tome are "priceless" classics, though it should be noted that these were NOT written for 21st Century readers and may get the occasional "eye-roll" or "exasperated sigh" (REMEMBER!: these are not "Batman: Year One", "Batman: The Long Halloween", or "Batman: Hush". These stories and their styles need to be taken at face-value and appreciated for what they are and for the times they were written in). That aside, if you are a fan, don't pass up this highly affordable opportunity own a piece comic-book history. You won't regret it! |
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 "Great Stories--Horribly Cheap Presentation!" | 2009-08-01 |
| - Reviewed By William Drogo from Tempe, AZ United States |
| Batman=Awesome. There is no disputing that. And these early stories from the 40's are awesome. No doubting that, I give it 5 stars. What really SUCKS about this edition is how awful the presentation is--the worst part being the coloring. I know that comics are colored on computer now, but this thing literally looks like it was colored with Microsoft Paint!! There are pixelated edges where colors run together and there is one especially crappy looking panel with Bruce Wayne wearing a blue pin-stripe coat. It looks like they used the "line" tool to color the stripes onto the coat, it's so bad! In the "Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told" collection, there is a reprinting of the Evil Monk story, and you can see how much nicer of a color job they did there compared to this crap. Also, the format is so low-budget that when I tossed this book down on my bed, all the pages popped out from the cover! RRRggh. I love the stories, but this book is worth $1. |
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 "Essential Reading! The seeds of great things to come." | 2008-08-26 |
| - Reviewed By Parker from At Large |
I give this book 4 stars, but not because of the quality of the stories themselves. The artwork is crude and the writting is some times a little off, but the sheer imagination and strength of the characters intorduced here merit an audience's attention after more than sixty years. So be warned that this is not the Batman of today, and some of the work is not easy on the eye and may require patience from the reader.
That being stated, Bill Finger, Bob Kane and friends introduce cultural icons Batman, Robin, the Joker, and Catwoman all in the span of one year. Not only that, but obscure Batman villains Clayface, Hugo Strange, Dr. Death and the mad Monk also appear. It says something about the strength of Batman's rogues gallery that the latter characters are considered throwaway, but they count among my favorites, and after you read these stories, I am sure they will be among your favorites too.
DC has done a great thing with this series. Not only is this volume affordable, it also has a beautifully designed cover, far better than the expensive hardcover archive volumes published by DC. The other improvement from those hardcovers is that this series collect the stories in chronological order, reprinting work from Batman, Detective Comics and World's Finest Comics in the order they were published, allowing readers to see the development of the characters. The hardcover volumes are divided into collections of Detective Comics only, Batman Comics only, etc.
Readers will also notice the very dark tone of the series. This changes in subsequent volumes, particularly with the introduction of Robin, but Batman never fully shakes of his intiall rawness.
An essential piece of any Batman Library.
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| "The Dark, Pre-Robin Batman Collection!" | 2008-01-18 |
| - Reviewed By Jimmy L. from USA |
All that good-timey old comic feel mixed with pulp noir!
This book collects the first dozen or so Batman stories EVER PUBLISHED. The stories are printed in FULL COLOR and were originally published from 1939 to 1940. This is pure, unadulterated Batman, straight from the original creators!
Reading these stories is like going back in time to the 1930s. The stories are very much rooted in the noir style of the time. Gangsters in long coats, wielding tommy guns. Bruce Wayne in an over coat and a fedora.
This book is great as a sort of historical source material. Whether you're a big comic book fan or not, this book is worthwhile just to educate yourself on the history of the popular character. I'm not an avid comic book reader, but I grew up with the Batman cartoon series. It's interesting to see the humble beginnings of the character and to watch how his costume evolves over the first year of his publication. This book is great even as a reference book for the days of Batman's infancy.
Batman was darker then. A mysterious vigilante, using stealth and strategy as well as fear in his quest to rid the city of crime. He's a brawler, but he's half-detective. And he sometimes holds his cape in front of him like a vampire or something, creeping in the shadows. This is my favorite Batman.
Robin is introduced late in this book and changes the whole feel of Batman. Robin was added to lighten the comic up or to appeal to a younger audience or something, but I prefer the dark Batman who worked alone.
DC Comics has done a nice job with this series, using full color and showing the cover art of the various comic books from which these stories were taken. The book is a nice paperback, about the size of a comic book.
Hardcore comic historians or Batman fans will want to continue on with this Chronicles series, but in my opinion this volume is the most important one of all, showing the earliest incarnation of the Dark Knight. |
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| "A darker, scarier Batman and a nice format" | 2008-01-14 |
| - Reviewed By James S. Hicks (AKA Karl Stern) from Alabama, USA |
When I ordered this book I expected it to be black and white along the lines of Marvel's Essential's collection. I was pleasantly surprised to get a nice, full color, well formated graphic novel. Thumbs up to DC for the format.
The first several Batman stories portray a dark Batman who actually kills and uses a gun (albeit against a Vampire). It didn't take long before things started getting a little campy. As soon as Robin was introduced it began being aimed straight at kids instead of crime drama readers.
The early look of the Batman costume remains my favorite, I hated to see it was changed rather quickly. Also, it should be noted there is a coloring flaw in this book. In his first appearance the Batman's gloves should be purple, but they have been recolored blue here. It's a minor thing, and my only complaint about an otherwise excellent publication. |
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