Scott-Snyder

American Vampire has always been more about America than vampires. Because America has always been portrayed as a land of opportunity, it has always attracted those most desperate for that opportunity. That has often led to the exploitation of those least able to defend themselves. Yet, unlike many countries, throughout a good chunk of America’s history, it has been one of the easiest countries to move up the social ladder. For some that meant running away from debts to start anew in America. For others, it was getting free, large tracts of land out west from the American government. From the industrial revolution forward, a good idea and a bit of luck could propel one to the highest heights. A great deal of fiction has explored what happens once someone catapults out of their poorer circumstances - sometimes up just one level and sometimes from poor to rich. Do they now treat their former peers with the same contempt they once received? Or do they remember where they came from and remain respectful of those in poorer circumstances?

I read Wytches back in September before Baltimore Comic-Con because I wanted to be able to talk to Scott Snyder about how it was a personal meditation on what it means to be a parent. Snyder being as popular as he is, I was unable to get a solo interview with him this time, but I did get to ask a question about Wytches during his panel. During the panel we learned that fatherhood has been on Scott Snyder’s mind quite a bit recently. His recent Batman arcs have explored that relationship between Bruce and Alfred. He also mentioned that he doesn’t do Bruce and Damien stories because it’s too real for him with a son around Damien’s age. I’ve also been thinking about fatherhood quite a bit. When I Wytches I had a 3 year old. But I knew my wife was pregnant with twins. Part of the reason this article is late is because they were born early and part of it is because I knew they were coming so I was trying to jam in every activity I knew would have to leave behind for a while when they arrived.

The biggest takeaway I got from Scott Snyder’s panel at Baltimore Comic-Con was that Scott has a thesis for each story arc he does on Batman. Each is him exploring a new idea with Batman - including recently the father/son relationship he has with Alfred. He also mentions his time on Batman may be coming to a close, but that he’s working on a Batman graphic novel. https://youtu.be/frs7I1nrufg

We don’t often consider single issues here at Comic POW! We prefer to look at story arcs and completed series to get a better feel for what the author and artist were trying to accomplish. However, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at some comics’ first issues to predict where we think it might be going and see how that compares with where the series actually goes. This new series is called “At the Beginning” and it’ll usually be for series right as they are starting up. It appears that Scott Snyder was not content to have one of the best works of fiction about vampires, he wanted to continue working the horror pantheon. He couldn’t have selected a better partner in this enterprise. I fell in love with the Snyder/Jock team when they were working together on Detective Comics Vol 1 on the Black Mirror arc. Jock can quite easily go from horribly disturbing artwork to regular artwork that nevertheless excels at facial expressions. This contrast can easily be seen when comparing the first few pages with the pages that follow it.

Continuing from a few weeks ago, here are a slew of comics Image Comics will be releasing in 2014. Nameless Nameless All Image released was the above image and that it will be written by Grant Morrison with art by Chris Burnham. However, I loved their work on Batman Incorporated, so I look forward to this. Nailbiter Nailbiter This series is neither my cup of tea nor do I recognize the creators, so I’m going to go with Image’s press release: ...

I’m just going to jump out in front of this and call it a rant. It’s inspired by Kari’s entry last week: So What’s With Batwoman?: Why This Is Important . I’d passively read about the Batwoman controversy and shook my head. Batwoman was the subject of a few early articles here at Comic POW! ( Dan’s 2012 DC Runner Up, vs Wolverine and the X-Men, and vs SHIELD) and we’ve always praised the art and the storytelling that set it apart from the rest of the Bat Family. However, being apart from the Bat Family was a double-edged sword. When financial constraints hit, Batwoman hit the chomping block for me. I always intended to collect it as an omnibus trade but I didn’t bother supporting it monthly since it didn’t fit in with the other comics I was reading. Since I didn’t read it monthly, I only followed the departure of JH Williams III from the periphery. At first I thought it was an anti-gay stance which I thought was weird after the whole Alan Scott thing. But when Kari brought word that it was an anti-marriage stance coming from Dan Didio himself, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me. ...

Batman Annual Vol 2 #2 tackles two very interesting and interrelated topics concerning the DC Universe. The main premise of the issue is that Batman is testing security at Arkham Asylum, a Cardboard Prison. I understand the problem the writers of the many Batman books have. On the one hand, they need Batman to succeed in stopping the criminals. Given how amazing Batman is supposed to be in both mental and physical abilities no one would believe that the criminals would always get away - Batman would plan for that eventuality after the first of such encounters. So the villains need to be able to break out of Arkham or else the Batman writers would constantly need to create new enemies for Batman. The most acceptable method, and one that has, therefore, seen a lot more use in recent times involves the inmates bribing or corrupting the guards. This method would not, of course, be caught by the incredible anti-escape measures put in place in the wing Batman is testing. Just as in Jurassic Park, an insider threat is almost impossible to counter. Additionally, one must consider the way in which Harley Quinn became an enemy: Joker’s cunninMany of the the villains at Arkham have incredible mental faculties including Joker, The Mad Hatter, and The Riddler. Any one of them (and possibly others) could trick the guards into putting them into an escapable situation. Also, many of the female villains have used their bodies to give them an edge to escape. Regardless, it would be irresponsible of the asylum not to have safeguards against their escape and it would also be irresponsible not to have Batman test them. At the very least it would imply a seal of approval. ...

It used to be the case that there were eight page Batman stories and one issue would contain a few stories. Marvel was the pioneer of having long story arcs. But for a few decades now both DC and Marvel have been story-telling via decompressed story arcs. (Best illustrated by Brian Michael Bendis stretching the Spider-Man origin story in Ultimate Spider-Man from 11 pages into 180 pages over seven issues) For those who have followed my thoughts here, on Comic Vine, or when I wrote for Player Affinity - it’s no secret that the one DC Comics title I have stuck with in the New 52. Scott Snyder has been knocking it out of the park pretty consistently on Batman Vol 2. Twenty issues in we’ve only really had four stories. ...

Hey, Comic POW! readers! I’m Kari, and I’m thrilled to be joining the team here. Check out the “About the Writers” page to get to know me a little better. One thing that you should know about me right off the – heh – bat: I love Batman. I’ve read a lot of Batman comics. I won’t claim to have all of them, or even most – that’s a lot of comics, and I’m working my way through them – but I’ve read enough to have more than a passing familiarity with the different men who have filled the Bat-suit over the years. I’ve been thinking about Batmen recently, and after rewatching The Dark Knight, was really struck by the line used in the title of the article. If you need a refresher, it’s part of a line that then-Lieutenant James Gordon delivers; when asked by his young son why Batman is running away, Gordon replies, “Because he’s the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now.” ...

http://youtu.be/FjSVJ72uUDA My apologies for the echo - it was an oversight on my part. Next time around I need to make sure the guest is wearing headphones. Luckily Christy Blanch does nearly all the talking so you don’t have to worry about hearing too much echo. My 2012 Baltimore Comic-Con Inverview: http://www.entertainmentfuse.com/comics/comic-features/baltimore-comic-con-2012-interview-with-thrillbent-s-christy-blanch.html The Course Christy Blanch is Teaching: https://www.canvas.net/courses/gender-through-comic-books Thillbent Comics: http://www.thrillbent.com/