I have to say that I'm interested to see what Peter and Max will be like; the idea of a Fables prose novel intrigues me.
If you don't really want to pick up the Fables reissue, there's a preview of Peter and Max at that link above in PDF format. The look reminds me of an L. Frank Baum book, which is just one more reason to be excited.
As an aside, why hyperlink to tags for things where the only result for the tag is the one story it appears in?
@tk.: Thanks for the link! I have to say, I am VERY impressed by how many good stories Bill Willingham's come up with so far, and he certainly doesn't seem to be drying up yet. I never would've guessed I would become such a huge fan of his based on his pre-Fables work.
@van_line: It's a fun idea with some real talent behind it. I thought all the stories were good and the layout was cool. However, the $4 price tag, especially for a newspaper, is not going to bring in any new readers. It might even scare away a bunch.
So will I buy it? Sure, I liked it a lot. I just think it'd of been better served being a supplemental in USA today or whatever. Something to promote how comics aren't "BiFF ZAP", which we all know haven't been for years, but the mass population doesn't. Show the real talent behind these characters.
In my opinion, Wednesday Comics could be for new fans what the Ultimate Universe did for Spiderman around the time of the first movie. It could have been that catalyst, but as it is, it's a $4 newspaper with some serious talent on it.
@edosan: I really love "The Jungle Line," too. Rick Veitch is a hugely underrated artist and his team-ups with Moore are to die for. And it's a great tie-in to Moore's amazing "Swamp Thing" stories, which I sometimes think are still the best work he ever did.
I'll go on a limb and say that DC is handling/ using the Death of Batman 100X better than most other comic book death, and about 1000x better than the death of his counterpart, Superman, a decade ago.
This is because the Death of Batman was not an ends to itself. With the way things are unfolding, we can tell they didn't kill Bruce (which was a relatively more understated than Sups and Caps deaths) just to whip up a shitload of publicity and a new mini-series event that will have absolutely no effect on the status quo.
Instead, this 'death' is simply a means to an end. They're using it as an opportunity to explore what happens to the Batfamily when they have to pick up the slack, and step up to the void that he left behind. So basically we get to flesh out the peripheral Bat universe as it were, and more extreme character development.
By the time Bruce does return, I think we'll have a better appreciation for what it means to be Batman, and these characters will be much more interesting and have garnered some new fans.
Am I alone in really liking the Gaiman story? True, it doesn't fit well into any sort of story continuity...but for me it fleshed out the mythos of Batman/Bruce Wayne.
Having lost a parent when I was only a child, the story got to me. I cried at the end of it, and I was shocked at how an event in my life from so long ago still has the power to bring me to tears...and that it was a comic book story that triggered it. For me, it was a touch of humanity from a character we all know to be outwardly chilly and distant.
Does it relate to Batman RIP or Final Crisis? Doesn't seem to, but I still thought it was a good story.
@Islandkiwi: I found it a moving meditation, myself. There's no way Gaiman could've done what Moore did - Batman wasn't calling out for that kind of story, and Morrison did pretty much that Alan Moore kind of Silver Age revamping in his run. I thought Gaiman's send-off was quietly compelling.
@Islandkiwi: No, you're not at all alone. I liked all of it, even the "Goodnight, Moon" ending. The many deaths are wonderful, and Batman's undiminished detective skills were a total treat to observe. It's a good story. It's not as good a story as "A Black and White World," I don't think, but it's still terrific.
I know it's going to be said, probably at least thirty times on this thread alone, but I could be bothered a lot more to care about the 'End of Batman and Superman!' if I wasn't nearly 100% positive that they'll be back, probably by the end of the year.
That said, I'm surprised and a little disappointed Gaiman mishandled his send-off too badly, as I usually really dig the guy's stuff. I might give Whatever happened to a glance thanks to the article though, so, at least there's that.
If Gaiman ripped off anyone, it was himself... there was a similar rebirth storyline in A Season of Mists. I won't say more to avoid spoilers, but if you've read it you know what i'm talking about.
I find Mrs. Wayne's "Hello Bruce. Hello" kinda silly. I've heard that it's a reference to the Bizarro line in Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow. Even so, i think her saying it is kind of awkward.
@Oz Mendoza: Actually, on the previous panels, Mrs. Wayne was reading her son a variation of Goodnight Moon, and then Batman begins to say goodnight to the Batmobile, Batcave, Giant Penny, Joker, Batsignal, etc...
If I didn't know they were just going to bring him back 6 months from now after exploiting some Omega Sanction time travel loophole bullshit, I'd almost be touched...
I recall Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix having a similar scene. This must have been used by many writers and artists. The "Goodnight Bat-signal" and transform is pretty sweet though.
Not so much art panels as idea and tone, this brought to mind an unlikely source: Lynn Johnston's reboot of For Better or For Worse. "Looking back looks wonderful!"
07/14/09
If you don't really want to pick up the Fables reissue, there's a preview of Peter and Max at that link above in PDF format. The look reminds me of an L. Frank Baum book, which is just one more reason to be excited.
As an aside, why hyperlink to tags for things where the only result for the tag is the one story it appears in?
07/14/09
07/14/09
07/14/09
07/14/09
07/14/09
So will I buy it? Sure, I liked it a lot. I just think it'd of been better served being a supplemental in USA today or whatever. Something to promote how comics aren't "BiFF ZAP", which we all know haven't been for years, but the mass population doesn't. Show the real talent behind these characters.
In my opinion, Wednesday Comics could be for new fans what the Ultimate Universe did for Spiderman around the time of the first movie. It could have been that catalyst, but as it is, it's a $4 newspaper with some serious talent on it.
07/14/09
07/13/09
07/13/09
07/13/09
This is because the Death of Batman was not an ends to itself. With the way things are unfolding, we can tell they didn't kill Bruce (which was a relatively more understated than Sups and Caps deaths) just to whip up a shitload of publicity and a new mini-series event that will have absolutely no effect on the status quo.
Instead, this 'death' is simply a means to an end. They're using it as an opportunity to explore what happens to the Batfamily when they have to pick up the slack, and step up to the void that he left behind. So basically we get to flesh out the peripheral Bat universe as it were, and more extreme character development.
By the time Bruce does return, I think we'll have a better appreciation for what it means to be Batman, and these characters will be much more interesting and have garnered some new fans.
07/12/09
Having lost a parent when I was only a child, the story got to me. I cried at the end of it, and I was shocked at how an event in my life from so long ago still has the power to bring me to tears...and that it was a comic book story that triggered it. For me, it was a touch of humanity from a character we all know to be outwardly chilly and distant.
Does it relate to Batman RIP or Final Crisis? Doesn't seem to, but I still thought it was a good story.
07/13/09
07/13/09
07/12/09
07/12/09
07/12/09
That said, I'm surprised and a little disappointed Gaiman mishandled his send-off too badly, as I usually really dig the guy's stuff. I might give Whatever happened to a glance thanks to the article though, so, at least there's that.
07/10/09
I need a cigarette.
04/26/09
I find Mrs. Wayne's "Hello Bruce. Hello" kinda silly. I've heard that it's a reference to the Bizarro line in Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow. Even so, i think her saying it is kind of awkward.
04/26/09
If I didn't know they were just going to bring him back 6 months from now after exploiting some Omega Sanction time travel loophole bullshit, I'd almost be touched...
04/26/09
04/26/09
04/26/09
04/26/09
04/26/09
I liked the Bat-hands transition.
04/26/09
It's in the same vein as "Whatever happened to superman?"
04/26/09
04/26/09