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A review by dantastic
Batman by Neal Adams Book One by Neal Adams
4.0
Batman by Neal Adams Book One contains World's Finest Comics #175-176 and The Brave and The Bold #79-85. On the heels of Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, I was jonesing for more Neal Adams and picked this up.
Neal Adams changed comics forever, ushering in a new age of illustration-based artwork rather than cartoon-based. He was also instrumental in ending the campy, fun Batman inspired by the TV show to the Dark Knight Detective. The stories in this book are his earliest experiences with Batman.
The two World's Finest issues were kind of a bizarre, juxtaposing the funny Batman of the 1960s with more realistic art. Two Batman-Superman team-ups, two cheesefests. I do like that Robin and Jimmy Olsen were so chummy that they had their own headquarters independent of Batman and Superman.
The issues of The Brave and the Bold are another animal entirely. Gone are most of the quips as Batman becomes an avenger of the night, battling street crime in Gotham City with the likes of Deadman, The Creeper, The Flash, Aquaman, The Teen Titans, Sgt. Rock, and Green Arrow. At one point, the main Batman books caught heat because fans said the real Batman was in The Brave and the Bold. I'm inclined to agree.
The stories in the Brave and the Bold seem like fairly typical Batman fare of the late 1970s with other heroes bolted on but they were ground-breaking tales from almost a decade earlier. Green Arrow's iconic costume was also introduced in these pages. Even at 40+ years old, Neal Adams' pencils still look contemporary. The man is that damn good, especially with Dick Giordano on inks. His realistic artwork is still influential decades later.
Batman by Neal Adams Book One showcases the artwork that would change Batman and comics in general for decades to come. Four out of five stars.
Neal Adams changed comics forever, ushering in a new age of illustration-based artwork rather than cartoon-based. He was also instrumental in ending the campy, fun Batman inspired by the TV show to the Dark Knight Detective. The stories in this book are his earliest experiences with Batman.
The two World's Finest issues were kind of a bizarre, juxtaposing the funny Batman of the 1960s with more realistic art. Two Batman-Superman team-ups, two cheesefests. I do like that Robin and Jimmy Olsen were so chummy that they had their own headquarters independent of Batman and Superman.
The issues of The Brave and the Bold are another animal entirely. Gone are most of the quips as Batman becomes an avenger of the night, battling street crime in Gotham City with the likes of Deadman, The Creeper, The Flash, Aquaman, The Teen Titans, Sgt. Rock, and Green Arrow. At one point, the main Batman books caught heat because fans said the real Batman was in The Brave and the Bold. I'm inclined to agree.
The stories in the Brave and the Bold seem like fairly typical Batman fare of the late 1970s with other heroes bolted on but they were ground-breaking tales from almost a decade earlier. Green Arrow's iconic costume was also introduced in these pages. Even at 40+ years old, Neal Adams' pencils still look contemporary. The man is that damn good, especially with Dick Giordano on inks. His realistic artwork is still influential decades later.
Batman by Neal Adams Book One showcases the artwork that would change Batman and comics in general for decades to come. Four out of five stars.