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A review by unladylike
Elseworlds: Batman, Volume 1 by
2.0
This was the first of seven large collections of old Elseworlds stories I checked out via Inter-Library Loan (meaning it took some time and effort, and with more strict due dates). By the time I finished this one and got a few issues in to Crisis on Infinite Earths: The Team-Ups (because I wanted to read some good Flash comics, if they exist - I really just wanted a collection of "Flash Facts" that I've heard people talk about), I was pretty burnt out on 70s/80s/90s DC comics.
I recorded my rating of each of the 8 stories within this collection that I read (I skipped pt. 2 of Robin 3000 because the first was so bad.), in case people want to cherry pick from these collections, or seek out other printings of particular stories. Like my ratings Elsewhere on Goodreads, these are out of 5 stars, with half-stars allowed.
Holy Terror: 4 stars
The Blue, Grey, and the Bat: 2.5 stars
Robin 3000 pt. 1: 2 stars
Dark Joker: 3 stars
Batman/Houdini - Devil's Workshop: 3 stars
Castle of the Bat: In Darkest Knight: 2 stars
In Darkest Knight: 2 stars
Dark Allegiances: 2.5 stars
I liked the truly unexpected setup of Holy Terror (not to be confused with Frank Miller's unholy abomination of the same name!) and the anti-state, anti-authoritarian vibes. Dark Joker was better than I expected, and the pairing of Batman with Houdini was smart. But other than those things, these Elseworlds comics are a lot of decent but half-cooked ideas. Reading these older Batman stories - all written by writers I've never heard of - really just makes me grateful for everything Batman+ comics have become since Grant Morrison's All-Star Batman [and Robin], continuing through Scott Snyder's lengthy run, and through to the most recent, fantastically conceived and executed stories by Tom King (I'm pissed at DC for firing him!). Honorable mention to James Tynion IV for having shadowed Scott Snyder and so quickly picked up various important duties in creating scripts for Gotham's rich cast of characters.
I'm mostly convinced that the old-timers (including some of my personal favorite writers) only cast so much praise at the feet of the silver and (bronze?) age of superhero comics out of nostalgia and brand loyalty for the sake of their careers.
If anyone reading this really loves some particular Batman or Justice League Elseworlds stories, leave them in the comments and I'll try to track them down again.
I recorded my rating of each of the 8 stories within this collection that I read (I skipped pt. 2 of Robin 3000 because the first was so bad.), in case people want to cherry pick from these collections, or seek out other printings of particular stories. Like my ratings Elsewhere on Goodreads, these are out of 5 stars, with half-stars allowed.
Holy Terror: 4 stars
The Blue, Grey, and the Bat: 2.5 stars
Robin 3000 pt. 1: 2 stars
Dark Joker: 3 stars
Batman/Houdini - Devil's Workshop: 3 stars
Castle of the Bat: In Darkest Knight: 2 stars
In Darkest Knight: 2 stars
Dark Allegiances: 2.5 stars
I liked the truly unexpected setup of Holy Terror (not to be confused with Frank Miller's unholy abomination of the same name!) and the anti-state, anti-authoritarian vibes. Dark Joker was better than I expected, and the pairing of Batman with Houdini was smart. But other than those things, these Elseworlds comics are a lot of decent but half-cooked ideas. Reading these older Batman stories - all written by writers I've never heard of - really just makes me grateful for everything Batman+ comics have become since Grant Morrison's All-Star Batman [and Robin], continuing through Scott Snyder's lengthy run, and through to the most recent, fantastically conceived and executed stories by Tom King (I'm pissed at DC for firing him!). Honorable mention to James Tynion IV for having shadowed Scott Snyder and so quickly picked up various important duties in creating scripts for Gotham's rich cast of characters.
I'm mostly convinced that the old-timers (including some of my personal favorite writers) only cast so much praise at the feet of the silver and (bronze?) age of superhero comics out of nostalgia and brand loyalty for the sake of their careers.
If anyone reading this really loves some particular Batman or Justice League Elseworlds stories, leave them in the comments and I'll try to track them down again.