The Bat-Pod
A Batman Comic Book discussion podcast featuring older comic books, hosted by Bill & David and new releases with Gotham Currents, hosted by Bill & John
The Bat-Pod
ep #189 Gotham Currents: Absolute Batman's 1st Arc Finale & Hu2h Begins!
Bill and John discuss Absolute Batman #6, Detective Comics #1095 , Batman #158, Nightwing #124, Batman and Robin Year One #6
this is the bat pod the bat pod presents gotham currents, a podcast about current releases of batman comics.
Speaker 2:Welcome to this episode of Gotham Currents. My name is Bill Beer and, joining me, as always, john Coos. Absolute Robin, absolute Robin, absolute Robin is coming. What do you think Absolute Robin's going to be?
Speaker 1:The red-headed girl from Dark Knight Returns. You know already, huh.
Speaker 2:No, I have no idea. I have no idea. Decrease it, I would assume, I would assume. So tonight we are back to another episode of Gotham Parents. We got a little Absolute Batman number six. Detective Comics 1095. Batman 158. We're headed into hush 2, nightwing 124, and batman and robin you're one number six. So if you'd like to join the conversation or email us the podcast at the batpodcom, we are on blue sky threads, facebook, just Facebook. Just search the Batpod Podcast. The Batpod is a spoiler podcast. Please read the comics we're reviewing so you can enjoy the show. So our first book tonight is going to be Absolute Batman number six.
Speaker 1:All right cool.
Speaker 2:And we get a cover here. Six Alright cool. And we get a cover here. You got a Batman. Looks like he's falling out of from a building in flames.
Speaker 1:Yes, it does.
Speaker 2:Which we saw at last issue. What did you think of that cover?
Speaker 1:It's a downward shot. He looks in peril a little bit. It's a cool cover, though I'm glad there's not a lot of white.
Speaker 2:No, no, that's nice to see.
Speaker 2:So, your writers Scott Snyder, art and Cover Nick Gergata, colorist Frank Martin, letter Clayton Cowles and Editor Katie Kubert. And in this issue, black Mask has made his move and has supplied the citizens of gotham with weapons to join his party animals. Waylon jones is ready with a bat in his hand, just waiting for somebody to bust in his gym for a fight, and finds that a beat-up bruce has wandered in. Bruce tells waylon that he's batman and he needs help. Flash Flashback to Bruce waking up from a nightmare after his father had been shot and he goes to his mother to be consoled.
Speaker 2:In the present, gordon and Martha find a crate of masks as they are being surrounded. Martha puts on one of the masks which has a heads-up display and lets the wearer know how much money they'll make for certain crops. Next we see batman being berated by ozzy, as his whole friend group knows he's batman. Ozzy is flying in a plane as batman has to leap onto a boat that black mask is currently using with his servers for his network. Batman leaps and we get a panel of absolute. Batman gets Dark Knight Returns moment with lightning in the background. Batman lands takes out the Black Masked Men as a thug's son tries to stab Batman, batman becomes a punter and boots the kid off the boat. The mom sees Batman then leaps off the boat. Batman tosses her a life preserver.
Speaker 2:Martha and Gordon are trying to talk down some thugs from playing Black Mask's game, but the party animals see that they are worth a million dollars if they are killed. Batman and Black Mask meet on the boat. Batman hands Black Mask a beating but quickly gets the tables turned on him. Black mask has a wire wrapped around batman's neck. Batman then has his ears on his cowl adjust to where he can stab through black mass helmet, taking out his eyes.
Speaker 2:Martha and gordon are still in a standoff as Batman destroys Black Mask's boat and cuts down the power to the party animal's mask, where now they think they will get no money for killing Martha. Martha punches them as she and Gordon embrace. Alfred, saves Batman from drowning and starts to patch him up, and the issue ends where we see roman sinus, mysterious benefactor says get ready for bane. So a lot going on in this issue. Oh yeah, there's a lot going on. I love this issue, this, this actually I know part five initially was supposed to wrap up this arc, but uh, they said they extended it to issue six this is my favorite issue of the series so far oh, absolutely not taking anything away from the other issues, but this was great.
Speaker 1:I mean from top to bottom, I mean it was great yeah, yeah, it was fantastic.
Speaker 1:I guess I want to start at the beginning. You know the big reveal to Waylon. For those of you who don't know who Waylon is, he's in I guess you'd call it Killer Croc Normal universes. He's Killer Croc and that tips off. You know that pretty much sets off everybody in his friend group knowing he's Batman, which is different obviously, and this is a different universe and stuff.
Speaker 1:But I don't know, I could just go on. I mean I could go page by page. I mean you covered this, we don't have to redo all that. But I love that the Sianis or Black Mask was just basically dropping crates of these masks and setting these prices on different people's heads and and different crimes as well robbery, 50 grand arson, 100 grand murder of 250, and then certain people like the deputy mayor and the mayor, a million each, and you know the average thug is with the weapons and the price tags. What do you think is going to happen? Right, yeah, yeah, it was pretty cool. I don't know, I could literally just and that whole Aussie thing has Oswald Cobblepot ever been called Aussie before? I know it's a weird question.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm not sure. It's pretty cool, I guess it's possible.
Speaker 1:It makes perfect sense, though, right? Yeah, and he and the art of his face looks like he is totally not down with no, he's not too happy at all.
Speaker 2:And they, they, they go through all the friends and it's like nobody. Nobody knew it says eddie guessed it. He guessed it weeks ago.
Speaker 1:Yeah and one thing I was cool I don't know if it was questionable yet or not we could talk about it whether or not this Batman in this universe was adhering to the no killing policy. I think we've kind of established that. Yeah, I think he has the code. Well, he definitely. Well, he went out of his way here to like put the life preservers on these people but maiming and injuring and breaking bones, yeah, that doesn't count chopping off arms, right.
Speaker 1:Everything else right. Um, and you know, it's funny like you texted me like a week ago or whatever. It was about the drop kick of the. I mean, it's what is that? The child looks so small. What is he like? A toddler, I don't know.
Speaker 2:He's enough to hold a yeah, he's enough to hold a knife. And it's like, once he thinks he's in trouble, he's like what are you doing? Stop, I'm just a kid. And he just decides to punt the kid, kick the kid.
Speaker 1:I would love to ask Scott Snyder and the artist about these black mask masks not the ones that they give others with the scully. One Like this is like a such, it's such a. It's like this weird glass orb thing. It's so weird, looking Almost like a bowling ball yeah, it's really strange. And does it have like functionality? Does it have computer sort of virtual reality stuff in there too?
Speaker 2:I'm sure, I'm sure it does yeah I find it amusing that, you know, at one point some bowling balls get knocked over and batman picks up and starts beating him with a bowling ball it was crazy.
Speaker 1:But yeah, well, yeah, the bowling balls. But you think you think that black mask is hopped up because he he's not skinny in the sense that he's not muscular, he's. He's sort of like a like flea from red hot chili pepper, skinny kind of like. Uh, like really skinny, but kind of ripped at the same time. But how could he go toe-to-toe with with Batman unless he was like on some drugs or something? I don't know it. Just what do you think about?
Speaker 2:that it could be possible. I mean, he, he's definitely in shape, that's for sure. He's not this scrawny little little dude. But he only gets upper hand on him when he gets that rope and puts it around his neck, that's true.
Speaker 1:And then that scene at where it's a full page. It's a full page right, where, where, where, uh, batman puts his ears, I guess, into the mask, right, right. When I first saw that I go oh shoot, he just had to have killed him right there, but I guess it just probably punctured his eyes out right, yeah, I would assume.
Speaker 2:I mean his ears are pretty big in this, so, uh, it almost looks like he goes and into his brain. But but I guess, I guess it's just yeah, he just blinded him I wasn't expecting that at all. That was that a shock.
Speaker 1:So what do you think? What's your take on? You know, alfred got really mad at him for what he did in the previous episode Was it the previous issue? And Alfred basically just kind of wrote him off.
Speaker 2:Right, he wrote him off, but I think him going after his daughter and he was going to try to force her to leave.
Speaker 1:And she said no.
Speaker 2:And she said no, and that if you do this, that she'll disown him. And he just sort of came to his senses and it's like, yeah, I need to help him on his mission. So he did a big turn here, which you knew that was gonna happen.
Speaker 1:They weren't gonna I didn't think it would happen in one issue, though, or two issues, but that's fine, I'm glad we're up to six.
Speaker 2:So that was, yeah, I'm glad yeah, and this joker.
Speaker 1:I mean, we don't have the panels up, but what do you make of his? What's going on with his?
Speaker 2:body to describe him. It looks like he's on some kind of drug and there's something in his veins. But he has this it looks like he has baby's heads all over. I don't know if that's something he's wearing, I don't know it's for what it is it's? It's pretty messed up yeah, it's pretty gross.
Speaker 1:So so um you being, I mean, have you already read the new one on the stairs?
Speaker 2:No, I always wait till we do the one before to read the next.
Speaker 1:So this is going to. That was kind of formally the end of an arc, right? Yep, black Mask done, Gang blown up whatever. And so we're going into.
Speaker 2:I don't think his network is done, I don't think that. I think this arc M is going to be, you know, in a future issues.
Speaker 1:Okay, Well, we'll see, I wonder. I mean, is the next one going to be about? It's probably about Bane, obviously, because it says get Bane. Obviously because it says get Bane.
Speaker 2:I'm not 100% sure if a win Bane shows up, but I know. Next issue, issue number seven, we get a different rogue show up that we have not seen.
Speaker 1:Well, among the friend group. Let's close this out real quick. Let's just recap for everybody who's in the friend group You've got Killer Croc, you got Catwoman. Recap for everybody who's in the friend group you got killer croc, you got cat woman, you got riddler penguin and harvey dent two-face yeah so that leaves us with the scarecrow. For sure, bane um, maybe raj, maybe not. We'll see raj al ghul, but you think it's going to be a big one like a scarecrow or something like that, oh uh, you want me to tell you.
Speaker 2:I know who it's going to be a big one, like a scarecrow or something like that oh, you want me to tell you, I know who it's going to be, yeah sure, right, it's mr freeze, oh mr freeze, okay, oh, that could be cool. It's a very different take from what the the images that I've seen?
Speaker 1:so okay, good, all right, that'll be fun something to look forward to. All right, what's the next up on our docket here?
Speaker 2:so next we're gonna have a little, uh, detective comics yeah.
Speaker 1:so I was gonna ask you, uh, before we get into this, so this episode we're covering basically the batman, the three big batman books on the stands, and so if you got your stack, I always ask and all three of them were laid out in front of you and you had to pick one and not read another one for a whole day which one of Batman, detective and Absolute Batman would you have read in that condition?
Speaker 2:It would be Absolute Batman number one.
Speaker 1:All right, that's fine.
Speaker 2:Detective would be number two.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, I'd be Detective one and then probably Absolute number two. Come, I'd be detective one and then probably absent number two. Come on, robin, to the bat cave. We haven't one moment to lose, okay. So we've got detective 1095. Mercy of the father. Part six, we got writer tom taylor, art mikhail janine inks, norm rapman colors, alex Mean Inks, norm Ratman Colors, alex Guimaraes Letters, wes the Wordsmith Abbott and editor Ben Mears. Let's go over this cover, bill. What did you think of this one?
Speaker 2:I like this a lot. He's standing on a gargoyle on top of a building and you see the vantage point from looking up and you got the moon and bats in the background. I really enjoyed this cover a lot. I did too.
Speaker 1:It'd be like if it didn't have the dc bullet and the all-in, and it'd be a good poster, oh yeah, a good batman poster. So it's cool. So, all right, moving into this, this great story, we can't speak well enough. That how Tom Taylor's doing on this. So in the depths of the Batcave, bruce Wayne hides, shrouded in darkness, his spirit crushed by devastating news. Oracle's digital pleas and Clark Kent's words of encouragement fall on deaf ears. But the gentle touch of Dr Leslie Tompkins, a family friend, cracks open the door to his battered soul. With tender words she coaxes Bruce to confront the shadows of his past.
Speaker 1:A long buried connection between Thomas and Martha Wayne's murderer, joe Chill, and the man himself sends Bruce down a rabbit hole of conspiracy and doubt. Hole of conspiracy and doubt. Leslie's urging ignites a fire with him and as batman he sets out to confront chill. The air thickens with tension as batman stands face to face with the man who destroyed his childhood. Chills pistol glints transporting batman back to that fateful night. But the dark night quickly regains his footing, pinning Chill to the wall.
Speaker 1:Batman's interrogation reveals a decades-old car accident and a mysterious woman and child who vanished into thin air. Convinced, chill's words hold truth. Batman spares his life and joins Leslie in the Batmobile. The mystery deepens as they discuss the cryptic envelope left by Asima, the masked killer, infused with Martha Wayne's perfume. As Batman and Leslie depart, asima strikes shrouding Chill's fate in darkness. Meanwhile, commissioner Vandal Savage unleashes a phalanx of GCPD officers on the Iceberg Lounge. His warning to Penguin a veiled threat. Later, superman meets Batman, tasked with publishing explosive evidence that the Theramise Health Clinic's illicit procedures. The issue culminates in a shocking explosion as batman bursts into scartlet scott's office for protestations of innocence, lost amidst the chaos. So that was a pretty cool story, bill, what you think of it.
Speaker 2:I like this a lot. Uh, we're finally getting to the part you know, almost to the part we saw in the first issue of this arc where joe chill has been taken and batman's given option to kill him. But you know, continuing from last issue, we he finally got the truth about joe chill and, and, uh, scarlet martha scott and he's really having issues. He's really having issues If Joe Chill the biggest issue is if Joe Chill knew that what Martha Wayne did to get his wife and child away from him and that him killing them was revenge basically.
Speaker 2:Right, which would have changed a lot in continuity. So I'm sort of glad that didn't come to be. But I enjoyed seeing this play out, seeing it play out, and we even get Superman coming to check on him. Mm-hmm, I always love that, yeah, I like Leslie Tompkins and the role she played. And then it cultivates with him meeting up with chill and I tom taylor gets his character. I do have to say that he gets his character.
Speaker 1:Oh, I yeah. And the art just, it's no, it's great. Um well, are you you fear? You thought for sure that scarlet was a seEMA. Are you convinced otherwise?
Speaker 2:yet? No, I'm not. I have a theory of who it might be.
Speaker 1:I thought, you thought she was her for sure before.
Speaker 2:I did my mind changed a little with this issue. Okay, just from her actions and what she says and the look on her face, because when she's on the, I guess she is talking to him you know, facetime or whatever you call it on video, so, and then when she's there in person, she acts like you know this isn't. Could this possibly be? She said her mother died. Could this possibly be her mother?
Speaker 1:oh, that's a good theory. That's not out of line. Yeah, that's okay. Huh, one thing I really liked with the superman interaction wasn't just the fact that I love seeing cameos of people like superman in batman books. I do. I do admit I'm a sucker for that.
Speaker 1:But I loved this page where you know bat Batman probably just you know used his signal watch or whistled or something. Superman shows up and Batman presents him with this evidence that this Theoremies organization is basically sucking the blood out of orphans and troubled youth and Superman. There's a panel where superman is reading what batman wrote and it says this is monstrous. And then he says you can contribute the story to the to batman, so clark kent's gonna. So I I don't know if I've ever seen I love being surprised. You know we talk about how there's been thousands of stories about batman and superman stuff. I don't remember. I'm sure there's somebody out there that would if it ever happened before, with Batman using Clark Kent as a journalist to report and get something out there, so his fingers aren't all over it or something, or you know. I'm saying like, have you ever seen? I don't think that's why I love tom taylor. He comes up with this stuff. It's. It's not a huge thing, but it's like different.
Speaker 2:It's nice to see that. I mean, for those of you that haven't been reading this book or haven't ever experienced tom taylor before, I'm just gonna give you my favorite page in this book, in this book, and it's when he confronts chill and chill holds a gun to him and he says what the heck do you want? And the middle panel says, for a moment I'm 18 years old, again, frozen, powerless to stop a bullet. But the moment passes quickly. It's just he gets this character right.
Speaker 1:Yeah for sure that that was a. That was a great page. I'm looking at it right.
Speaker 2:There's a lot of batman writers but never not everybody gets who he is, and I feel like he gets this character pretty well.
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, because Batman doesn't flinch.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 1:But if he's going to look into the face of the guy who killed his parents, he might just go back to the alley go back to crime alley, you know and then snap out of it because he's Batman. I love that. You were right. That is a great page.
Speaker 2:Right. So I think what we haven't seen until this issue we have. You know, at the end there we get that big explosion and it's Elixir and we get a little bit of who these people are. You know, with Oswald Cobblepot, the Penguin is asked not to pursue. Don't ask questions about this murder or anything like that. Um, I think that might be your overarching story this company and what they're trying to do. I'm really uh, the only thing that I would raise an eyebrow at in this issue is this all was just a blood transfusion where he felt better. Would that really give you In the real world? If I got a blood transfusion by somebody younger, would it make me feel younger or do you think it's more to it than that?
Speaker 1:It's going to make me think about the real world when reading superhero books, yeah, books probably not a good idea, but uh, I see your point. So let's get back to what you just brought up, though real quick, about the um, about vandal. Savage is is it's like he tells penguin to kind of lay off the kid thing. Is that what you're?
Speaker 2:saying, yeah, well, he. He tells him that you know. He says he has this gentleman with him, but he doesn't really. He said you've been asking some questions about a killer and he's like yeah, I wanted some answers. And he says you were given a name for this killer by a man who will never speak again. And he mentions Asima. And he says I've known these people for a long time, even by my standards. You stop asking questions and continue living your life and enjoying your position. And then the gentleman speaks up. He almost looks like wesley snipe from late. He said we could destroy your city tomorrow. Gotham is clearly sick and we have burned plague cities in the past. And then he he tells oswald uh, savage, does we both have ambitions for gotham, oswald?
Speaker 1:all of it could end if you poke at this further yeah, so vandals tied to a sema and and the whole operation I don't know if he's tied to it, but he has some connection yeah, he's got some connection.
Speaker 1:Well, I don't want to. I I don't want to belabor the point about the chill and batman um interaction, but I will for a second, because there's another, not so much the panels, it's just the stories. Like, if you're Batman, you've been living all your life, your parents got blown away in front of you. You shortly thereafter find out there was this Joe Chill guy. Now Tom Taylor introduces this flashback sequence where Joe Chill's wife has a baby. She needs to escape them, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And then joe's chill um. I mean then bet, then joe chill, then okay, well, then joe chill kills the waynes.
Speaker 1:Well, batman batman wants to find out if joe chill killed the waynes for revenge. And then he finds out, as you covered, as he finds out that no, it's coincidental that chill killed the waynes, probably randomly, nothing to do with that. I just thought that was a real. If we talked about this before, like you know, in terms of continuity and our artists being too cute and trying to change history, that whole story's told without really changing any of the history of the killing in the alley you know like and, and so we have a couple issues where it could be thinking it could have, that joe chill could have killed them out of revenge. And then tom taylor pulls back and says, nope, he didn't, and I really respect that.
Speaker 2:He created a great story around a familiar tale but resisted the urge to change continuity yeah, but I think the story you know that he was telling, I think it was a very good story as far as I know, I agree.
Speaker 2:That's why I love it so one more panel I want to bring up to you. Sure is when, after batman leaves joe chill, sema enters Yep and the first thing she says to him he's like what do you want to hit me again? And she says so much more than that, joseph. That's why I think it might be the mother, because she's calling him Joseph.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I can see that I also. Now I feel like I go back to the first book of this arc and see if she referred to him as joseph or not. I love it. You might be onto something here and scarlet is acting funky and scared over the last few issues, and if it's her mother who's doing this, she's torn, and who is this woman with the mask? Is that her?
Speaker 2:now I have no idea. I don't have an idea well, to be continued and why is she wearing a mask?
Speaker 1:I don't know, maybe she's got covid or something. I don't know why she's I guess that's possible is she ever scarred?
Speaker 2:I don't know. I don't even know who this lady. They haven't given her a name that I know of well, it seems like scarlet is intimidated by her.
Speaker 1:For sure, right?
Speaker 2:something's going on. They have some kind of yeah, all right, it'll be interesting so what are we hitting up next? I'm gonna guess we're gonna do a little batman 158. Two, who is this guy? I'm Batman. I'm Batman. Listen, I'm Batman. Oof you even sound like a bad guy.
Speaker 1:I swear, I am a good guy.
Speaker 2:Okay, mr Batman, batman, batman, that's what I said Batman Okay. Mr.
Speaker 1:Batman, batman, batman.
Speaker 2:That's what I said, batman. No, you're saying Batman, listen, I'm Batman, I'm Batman.
Speaker 1:I want you to tell all your friends about me. What are you? I'm Batman.
Speaker 2:Hush 2. Everybody's excited for Hush 2. What was your excitement level when, uh, you found out there was going to be a hush too? Were you right there? It's like, uh, no, not really. Yeah, I was sort of the same way. I was scratching my head a little bit because I realized that hush won what, what it is and what it was it was basically awesome art yeah and a tour around Gotham city to see all the different characters.
Speaker 2:I think it was a little lacking on story, but overall it did what it was supposed to do. I don't know, for at the point that I'm wishing there was a second one, but I agree.
Speaker 1:I agree. Actually, Um, I was kind of considered that a sort a one-and-done thing, but that's never the case. Eventually they'll come back around Batman 158, Hush 2, Part 1.
Speaker 2:We get a cover here, Jim Lee cover. You got Hush 2 on there and Batman just flying holding his cape. What did you think of this cover? I?
Speaker 1:liked it. Actually it's nothing, you know. At first glance it's nothing really special, but it's a nice cover.
Speaker 2:And you know, I really like how Jim Lee draws Batman. I do too. I love it. I mean, you can say what you want about it, but it's different than anything else and I really enjoy it for what it is.
Speaker 1:I do too I, I, I think jim lee's great. The only problem is that sometimes when he's on books they get delayed right, well.
Speaker 2:Well, here's the thing with this book. If, uh, before I get into it, hush two is gonna be six parts, okay, then there's gonna be a break and then there's gonna be six parts Okay. Then there's going to be a break, and then there's going to be six more, okay, which I don't know. I don't know.
Speaker 1:There's going to be like a one-issue break or like a six-issue break.
Speaker 2:No, because you know they're starting a new creative team. Yeah, a new creative team here in I think it's September, August, October, September, October and I would think they would do. I don't know, it's hard to say.
Speaker 1:All right.
Speaker 2:So we'll jump into this. Your writers Jeff Loeb, Pencils, Jim Lee, Inks, Scott Williams, Colors, Alex Sinclair, Letters Richard Starkling and editor Rob Levin. And in this issue the Joker's on the loose again, using some of his old tricks like poisoning Gotham's reservoir and filling it with laughing fish. After a short fight with the Joker, the Joker kicks Batman into the Gotham River. Batman activates his cow, electrifying fail safe, which I thought he activated his cow. We'll get into more of that later. He kills the laughing fish and he's also kind of electrocuted, also in the water. He is saved by Talia Al Ghul.
Speaker 2:The Joker is taken by a hawking figure named Silence. As him and Hush kidnap the Joker, Hush tortures him by placing a nightmarish device in his mouth and strapping him to a spinning wheel of death and throwing scalpels at him like a pincushion. Back in the cave, Batman discovers his suit circuitry was compromised and the Bat family's communication signal has been jammed. As he tells Nightwing and Batgirl Barbara Gordon, before cutting contact, Batman tracks him to the old amusement park we have seen before. There he finds the Joker still tied to the wheel, surrounded by television screens showing his past crimes. As Batman finds the Joker, he discovers Hush has returned.
Speaker 2:So this first part here. I mean, I don't know what to think of this. I enjoyed what they're going for in this first issue by taking the Joker, you know, bringing up all these past, I guess, failures of Batman and basically Hush is just shoving it in his face and giving him a chance not to kill the Joker but to kill the joker, but not doing anything because the joker's dying and he gives him a chance. He knows he knows what he's gonna do, but what did you think overall about this?
Speaker 1:well, I love the art. Let's start in the positive. I think all throughout it's fantastic. Um what I was a little surprised about if this is like in continuity, like right after chip sadarsky's run seemed like it was too soon for the joker. But I know they're selling this more as a future graphic novel big seller kind of thing so maybe they're not that concerned about the ongoing reader going. Wait a minute, we just saw the joker like three months ago right.
Speaker 2:I don't know how close in continuity this is actually gonna I I think it's gonna be in continuity, but it could be placed but not like chronological, to like what's going it's possible yeah, yeah, whatever, fine, fine, fine.
Speaker 1:But um, I loved, uh, I don't know, this silence character is. I guess he's hush's minion or something, something like that. But but, um, uh, you know, this scene with that girl and nightwing's cool, he's flipping around doing goofy stuff, whatever. But to see what talia I thought was I hate to say the word sexy, I mean she looks amazing and it's like it made me wonder, like why don't you know they got a kid together, why, why don't they just stay together? I mean, look at her. But but yeah, but she, it was cool how she said look, I need you to live because you're raising my son, kind of like. I thought that was kind of cool, you know, it makes sense and the other thing that she says.
Speaker 2:He says you almost died tonight. I cannot have that. There's a great number of people that believe in you and the more there are to be disappointed in you when you fail.
Speaker 1:Basically, yeah, it was really cool. Now, this whole thing about I mean, why is Hush torturing?
Speaker 2:Joker. That's a good question. What is the reason that he's doing all this? Is to get at bruce sure yeah I don't know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but you know, there's a couple things I want to point out that I thought was a little bit of um a reach. I mean this is almost like oh, I see it, you might as well hit me over the head with this is from the killing. I mean it's almost a little too much. Then they go in the funhouse thing, and how the heck would hush of Gordon being in a gimp suit and naked and Barbara Gordon debt shot her spine through the floor, I mean through her. You know, how would he have any of these pictures? How would he have pictures of Joker beating Jason with a crowbar? I mean, was that, was that a little over the top for you? I thought it was.
Speaker 2:As I said, this is being written, I believe, for not necessarily all the batman fans.
Speaker 2:this is being written for fans, that of the casual readers this is being written for people who read the killing joke and hush the first one yeah, yeah, that's what it feels like and they know all the major events and it's oh, I would love to see the script to this that shows these three images, because how were these three? How was video taken? I know there were pictures unless these are just images, because I know there were pictures taken of Barbara Gordon being shot.
Speaker 1:There was pictures taken of her and there was pictures taken of Barbara Gordon being shot. There was pictures taken of her and there was pictures taken of Jim Gordon. I don't think there was any pictures in that clip I wouldn't think so when Jason got beat with a crowbar though. So, yeah, okay. So it's for those who read Killing Joke and Death in the Family and Hush.
Speaker 2:That's what it feels like. Joke and death in the family. That's that's what it feels like, because I didn't go into the. Well, I wasn't really necessarily looking that forward to this. Yeah, I would like to see hush character show up in a good story, but this feels a very eventy because they made like 25 to 30 different covers for this on release, sure, and I went to the comic shop and they had tons of issues like more issues for than a batman usually has like they thought everybody was going to be picking this up well, I'd like to check out some of those variant covers are probably some of our period, probably pretty beautiful, but yeah, I liked he put on the bet the yellow oval bat suit.
Speaker 2:I like seeing that I don't know where this is going, or.
Speaker 1:Oh, cause he? Cause the other one got so messed up. Is that why he did it, or is because it was?
Speaker 2:compromised basically. And well, that's the kind of suit he wears in the killing joke and in death. Yeah, if I want to see a couple things out of this, I want to get into more of the, the backstory of who hush is, and a little bit more of. I know we know some of it, but his motivations I'm just not gonna get get you know. Yeah, he was, remember Hush One. He was, you know, friend of Bruce Wayne and he's jealous of him and that sort of thing. That's why he does what he does. But that doesn't always make a good story. I want some good characterization of where we are now. So I don't know how this is going to be, but I wouldn't say this was my favorite issue. I enjoyed it overall, but not like you know, all the reviewers out there are going to give this a 10 and say this is the best issue of batman in years I see your point, um yeah, but I'll remain open-minded.
Speaker 1:I've just never been, except for the fact that Jim Lee drew it and Jeff Lowe wrote it and all this other stuff, I never saw. What was the giant deal about Hush to begin with?
Speaker 2:I guess the biggest thing about Hush was is for a moment there we thought it was Jason Todd and it was said that jason todd actually switched places with hush and then clay face got thrown in there.
Speaker 2:if you remember that scene from the first but jason todd hadn't been resurrected yet no, he hadn't been resurrected yet, but they wanted to make you think that you know he was. It was already, I'm sure it was already in the works and it was sort of like a tease. So I know we're going to get Red Hood in here, so it will be interesting to see.
Speaker 1:Um, yeah, the next part. I mean it'll be interesting, so cool. All right, so I'm assuming we're doing Nightwing next.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a little Nightwing.
Speaker 1:Nightwing the Batmobile, let's go.
Speaker 2:Atomic batteries to power. Turbine to clean.
Speaker 1:You're ready to move us? Nightwing 124, on with the show finale. Ringmaster writer Dan Waters. Wing 124 on with the show finale. Ringmaster writer dan waters. Artist dexter soy colors, veronica gandini. Letters west, the word smith abbott and uh editor jessica burby uh pretty, uh, you know all right cover right, I mean that's cool.
Speaker 2:What kind of?
Speaker 1:cover got a lot of movement. Cool is he dragging his?
Speaker 2:his screamer sticks on the pavement it looks like it you're doing that for just to have an effect they could draw.
Speaker 1:I don't know all right, let me get into this. So night wings desperate bid to save the dying mutated members of the fly boys gang pushes him to the brink of death. Donating a staggering six pints of blood to the gang members in a bid to dilute the deadly mutagen coursing through their veins, nightwing's own life hangs in the balance. As he peters on the edge of collapse, the dark and sinister figure of the zanny emerges, taunting Nightwing with his own darkest fears. The stakes are high and the outcome is far from certain. Two of the Flyboys succumb to their fate, they die, but one life is saved thanks to Nightwing's transfusions.
Speaker 1:Meanwhile, the tension between the Teddies and the Flyboys simmers, only to be diffused by the youngest Teddy's intervention, showcasing a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos. As Nightwing struggles to regain his footing, he's confronted with the harsh reality of his half-sister's decision to unleash robotic terror upon the streets of Bloodhaven, his half-sister being a mayor. The revelation that Olivia, the head of Sp spheric, is secretly a member of the mysterious and sinister cirque du sin adds another layer of complexity to this unfolding drama. With night wings world spinning out of control, a young teddy boy steps up with a shirt emblazoned with the nightwing symbol, a beacon of hope in a city torn apart. So we've gone high and low on this story. So we were kind of high on some of the stuff that nightwing's doing and some kind of low on this, trying to figure out if the zany is in people's heads or if it's real. What's where you stand on this arc right now?
Speaker 2:I'm like I'm enjoying it overall. I have no clue. I guess here's the thing when supernatural elements head into gotham and blood haven here, it kind of it doesn't make sense to me all that much, because they're not heroes that battle the supernatural that much, and this seems like a supernatural villain of some sort. I mean, it's so bizarre a page turning and weird stuff yeah, I mean he's basically seeing a vision.
Speaker 2:Uh, the Dick Grayson who's doing this transfusion sees the Zanny. As the Zanny pulls up you know, the panel to show you Dick Grayson. He's like pulling it up like a cover or something and he's like you've seen me for the second time ever and I mentioned I don't know if you uh looked earlier today I I sent you this uh link about this article because he says we're children of worth them and worth them was a psychiatrist that deemed in the 30s there were social activists and different things. Current concern the risk that comics book pose for youth, and he was the doctor he was a forensic psychiatrist that that deemed these, these works of art, you know, a danger to children. I just found that a little interesting. It had no nothing that told me who this character is or what this character is. Do you have any thoughts about who or what this thing is?
Speaker 1:no, I don't. It's just like the other goofy supernatural whatever dude from, from batman and robin the um the memento mori guy. It's the same kind of thing I got. I agree with you. You said before it's like supernatural in the sort of that verse is kind of mid to me, kind of like leave that to the specter and dead man is a tana now if you're going to cross over one of those characters into the book.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a different story, but we got dick grayson here yeah columbina, yeah, or whatever you want to call her. She kind of we don't even get a reveal here. She kind of peels her face off and oh, do you have any idea what she's supposed to look like? Or what you know? The sister, dick grayson's sister, is like what's wrong with your face? Oh no, I don't know does she look like the zany, you think, or would that even make sense?
Speaker 1:no, it doesn't make sense. But I mean, look, it's not bad, it's not, no, it's uh. But at times it's kind of like are they trying to do too much with all these layers of? You got the fly boys and the? There is a lot of layers to this there gangs and you got he's trying to save all these gangs and and there's this crime wave and there's a sis, the sister, and they're they're hiring robocop out of Detroit Animals controlling these, you know, robots and that sort of thing, what seems very familiar to me.
Speaker 2:If you're reading Batman and Robin and Nightwing, the themes are very close because Nightwing is seeing visions of things that aren't there, that are related to this Zanny, as Batman is seeing seeing, you know to mori, right?
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah, it's like it's funny. Well, we talked about that before. It seems like are they? Did they? Did they map this stuff out as well as they could, where you got a couple books going on at the same time that are both exploring this weird notion that Batman's putting children in danger, didn't I just read that in another book, just like two weeks ago? But, like it's, it is kind of there's a lot of parallels here. Maybe it's just accidental, you know, um, but yeah, we'll just see where it goes, um yeah, I don't have any idea, I don't have any thoughts of yeah, I mean I'm not even like in suspense of what's going to happen in this book, like whatever, let's get to the next arc.
Speaker 1:I'm kind of done with these gangs and and the spheric thing and the yeah, I think the gang thing has has, you know, uh played out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think uh it's sort of run his run its course I think what could be interesting is a build-up between him and his sister. Um, uh, we'll see. I mean, obviously she's armed the police department to the teeth and he's not happy with that. Is there going to be any interpersonal sort of fallout over that whole thing? I'm kind of interested in that, I suppose. Um, but why is it? But like, why isn't she talking to him more? I mean, if you're talking about they, she you know, she trusts him, and all of a sudden she seems like under the spell of this columbina guy or whatever her name is. Um, she almost seems like dumb, like, okay, I'll just hire more tanks or buy more tanks from you. I don't know, doesn't seem like she's got a lot of depth right now? The mayor yeah, I'll just hire more tanks or buy more tanks from you. I don't know, doesn't seem like she's got a lot of depth?
Speaker 2:right now the mayor yeah, not making good decisions. And then she sees that she fell into a trap and she's trying to stop. And then the lady basically takes her. Olivia takes her face off.
Speaker 1:Sure, why not? Well, I should add some more weirdness.
Speaker 2:I don't know.
Speaker 1:All right. Okay, I think we're done with that and let's end on one of our favorites You're going to cover.
Speaker 2:A little Batman and Robin. Year one.
Speaker 1:Love this book.
Speaker 2:And we get a cover here. We have Robin on a tightrope walking, keeping his balance. He's on top of the city. What did you think of this cover?
Speaker 1:Well, it's cool because on the left side he's in the circus and you see Bruce in the audience and on the right side you see Bruce on a wall and Dick has been kind of walking a tightrope. Dick slash Robin in the series of reconciling what just happened to his parents, trying to figure out where he fits in with Wayne, manor and Bruce and all that. I think it's symbolic and I think it's super cool. I dig it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I like this a lot. These have been fun covers here with Robin and we actually see part of this happen in know in the book, so that's kind of cool your writer is mark wade, co-plot is mark wade, chris samney, artist chris samney, colorist matthias lopes, letter clayton cowell with chris samney and editor rob levin.
Speaker 2:And in this issue, robin has been captured by general gamaldi and his men, held captive in his office. Batman tracks down Robin's abandoned Batcycle, but he knows where Grimaldi's headquarters actually is. Distracting the top entrances with a remote-controlled Batkite, batman circles around to the back to discover a hidden laboratory with a man being experimented on and transformed into a deformed hawk-like creature. The experiment goes wrong and a fire breaks out. Grimaldi and his goons abandon the building while Robin escapes using a makeshift tightrope across the adjacent skyscraper before Batman finds him Back at the Batcave. Bruce scolds Dick for running out on his own, accusing him of not taking their mission seriously. Dick maintains that he's been in training since the age of three to become the world's greatest aerialist and that he maintains a vow to protect the people of Gotham from criminals like Zuko. Relieved at the similarity to himself, bruce admits that they can help each other. Her issue ends in an abandoned storage facility. Two-face has found Grimaldi and offers him the stolen files from Commissioner Gordon's office, which includes suspects on the identity of the Batman. So issue number six.
Speaker 2:This series continues on. It's pretty, I don't know it's. It's, it's pretty great. If you're not reading this, why aren't you?
Speaker 1:if it exactly and there's certain books that I buy, non-comic book fans that that are like these kinds of things, like new frontier or some other you know, self-contained books that you don't you know you don't have to like read 150 issues, like when this comes out on graphic novel. I'll probably give this as gifts, to be honest with you people oh yeah this is a good one.
Speaker 1:Casual comic people or just people that I think would be interested in reading or playing on a business trip or something like I. This screams gift to me. It's a great book, I love it. I just have, I don't have. I don't want to quibble with it. What did you think of the part about like like they're not going to take his mask off? Did you buy the explanation from grimaldi?
Speaker 2:like he doesn't really care because yeah, I don't know if I totally bought that just because, okay, if you take it off, he'll just be some unrecognizable kid, right? The batman is the one that we want to get well yeah, I suppose, but I can't.
Speaker 1:In this story it's in classic batman stories. Um, there's been times where there's been news articles about bruce wayne and his ward, dick grayson, and and people know that dick grayson's parents died in the circus and yada yada. So I don't know if that's part of this, but it just it felt a little whimsy that just one of those guys in the transport or something would have just taken it off. I don't know, maybe I'm just being too cynical. You would have thought I didn off.
Speaker 2:I don't know, maybe I'm just being too cynical. You would have thought I didn't really think too much into it.
Speaker 1:I'm not trying to find stuff or anything. But it's just, I found it a little kind of funny, kind of convenient, or maybe you know, I don't know, but the art is still superb throughout, like it's always, these, sometimes these little facial expressions, especially of Robin.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:That are just so priceless.
Speaker 2:I mean when he gets out of the ropes. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:I'm looking at it right now.
Speaker 2:And he's like you morons, you call these knots.
Speaker 1:And then he does this little thing with his hand Like ta-da, and it's pretty cool, da-da-da, like da-da, and it's pretty cool. But then focusing more on the Batman or the Dick and Batman Robin, whatever their relationship we've been talking about. Oh, it's kind of funny too. I just noticed it. This is very real. They would have taken his utility belt and he doesn't have it anymore, which I think is kind of unique. You notice that when he's like, yeah, it doesn't have his utility though, but like when, um, they're talking in the bat cave, this is a pivotal scene. This is a pivotal scene. He doesn't have it in the back game either.
Speaker 1:I think there's a pivotal scene, a turning point in the story with respect to their relationship, which we've talked extensively about on previous episodes, and batman's really challenging him, kind of lecturing him, and then robin or dick basically turns the tables. It has this one look, but you know, after batman says this isn't a show. If you're not going to take this job seriously, maybe I made a mistake and you taking, taking you in, and then there's one panel of just dick with a glare and he yells at him I do take it seriously, and then so on and so forth, and then they're kind of like that man's shocked, he likes the fact that dick stood up to him and they kind of are now in a new place. Did you, did you after you know? Because they've been feeling each other out for the last few weeks and I I feel like this is a turning point no, I, I agree, I, I, I like that a lot.
Speaker 2:You know, he and I didn't expect that from bruce actually to say oh, we can help each other, it makes total sense but oh, the batman, not being a warm and fuzzy guy, or something yeah he probably.
Speaker 1:I think it makes sense. I think if he was a cold hard jerk all the time, why would these kids hang with him? Just over the vengeance stuff? I don't know, I I think it, I liked it, I liked it. So, um, and then this two-faced stuff is kind of interesting. Um, I'm not. Does he, is he being paid? Is two-faced being paid? Or is he just? Does he want to get the batman so he sees that grimaldi might be able to help him get the batman yeah, he wants something out of this, yeah I don't know.
Speaker 1:But anyway, and this was what, this was six, or is this seven? This is six. Okay, so we're half done now yeah, I would think so.
Speaker 2:all it's either a 10 or 12 issue miniseries. Okay cool.
Speaker 1:All right, then we just nailed five issues.
Speaker 2:Yeah, not too bad. Some good issues there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure, All right man. Well, same bad time, same bad channel, all that stuff.
Speaker 2:Basically, and we will see you later. Go in the night, go in the moonshine and breathe in the night.
