The Right Way to Draw Batman (1978)

The Right Way to Draw Batman (1978)
"... The Face of the Grim Reaper!"
By Sheldon Mayer
Overseen by Paul Levitz

How's this for a weird one?  Over the next three days I'm going to be on vacation... so, I decided it might be fun to cover some "un-normal" bits for the blog.

In 2009 DC Comics released The Batman Vault... a "Museum in a Book" that collected a whole bunch of cool ephemera from the Dark Knight's history... in the comics, and on the big and small screens.

Included among the goodies is... this strange little booklet by Sheldon Mayer.  Story goes, when Paul Levitz came on as editor for the Bat-Books, he wanted their to be a clear continuity between all of the titles.  Even though Mayer wasn't completely "on board" with this idea... he still produced this "how to" instructional booklet.

Let's take a look!

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We open with Batman on a rooftop as a woman in an alley below is attacked.  He springs into action... and kayos the baddies, only to be taken unawares by the "victim" herself who wallops him in the back of the head with her loaded pocketbook!

The baddies then decide they're going to unmask the Batman in order to snap a very valuable picture.  However... as they approach the prone crusader, he begins to vanish?!  The freaked geeks run off... and as Batman comes to, he meets a new friend... in the nebulous little imp who calls herself Marvelous Miranda.

She informs him that she just saved his life... but he's too confused to really process what he's seeing.  All he sees is a little girl who's out way too late.  She then vanishes right before his eyes.

Batman rushes home to read every book he has on magic to try and explain what he'd just seen.  Alfred helps him sift through his vast library... while expressing concern that perhaps Master Bruce just imagined the whole thing.

We shift scenes to... the Joker, who is throwing darts at an over-sized poster of Batman.  He's working with a little fella... and their main goal on this day is finding out who's face is behind Batman's mask...

... Which is why he hired those geeks from earlier to snap a pic!  Speaking of the geeks, the lady, Lil, has an idea on how they can get the dosh that the Joker promised them... without even getting the picture.  Ya see, she sewed together a cape and cowl... and took a picture of it on a Manikin... after which, they'll... er, use whatever the 1978 approximation of Photoshop is to superimpose a rando's face onto it.  The face they pick... a de-mustachioed Alfred Pennyworth!

They then deliver the "evidence" to the Joker, and collect their loot.  Fearing the Joker will double-cross them with an acid-spewing flower gimmick, Lil grabs the bud off his chest while holding him at gun-point.  Lemme tell ya, there are dumb moves... then there's this.  Remember that little fella from before?  Well, he's been hiding in the Joker's hat with a gun of his own!  He mows down the geeks before they even know what hit 'em.

Then, the Joker's goons head up to the top of the GCPD station (which seems like a risky play) in order to commandeer the Bat-Signal.  They include a message to be at the Pier... which, I mean... c'mon.  Is Batman really this gullible?  Does he think the police are just going to announce where to go where everyone in the city can see it?

Well... I guess he really is that gullible, because he heads over to Pier 3.  At that same time, a tank busts through the wall at a baseball game... and with a Silver-Age as hell vacuum, steals all of the money and jewelry from the crowd.  The tank driver then pops his head out to reveal himself to be... a de-mustachioed Alfred Pennyworth?!

Meanwhile, at the pier... Batman is ambushed... duh.  He's hit by a paralyzing paper airplane... however, before he can be taken out... Marvelous Miranda makes her shocking return!  Lucky for Batman she brought her... uh, anti-paralyzing beam with her.  He beats up the baddies... and Miranda, once again... vanishes.

Then... the Bat-Signal... again!  This time, Batman reports straight to Commissioner Gordon's office to ask "what the hell?".  Gordon tells him that this is the first time they'd summoned him all night... which only tells me that Batman didn't realize... even after the ambush... that he was set up the first time around.  I know I've given a fair amount of guff to the super-smart "Bat-God", but c'mon... is he really this ditsy?

Gordon shows him the tape of the "Grim Reaper's" caper at the ball-park... then marches in their top suspect, Alfred Pennyworth!  They used some flesh-colored makeup to block out his mustache... which manages to, well... trick Batman somewhat.  Alfred doesn't say anything.

As Batman leaves, he notices a strange officer enter the Police Department... but he pays him no mind.  Seriously...

Turns out this "officer" is actually the Joker.  Duh.  He grabs Alfred... thinking that he's really the Batman (uh huh)... and threatens to kill him.  At the very same time, Batman discovers another officer tied up in an alley.  It's only now that he puts two and two together... and rushes back inside.

The Joker is surprised to see Batman... because, ya know... he thinks the frail 80-year old man he's holding hostage is really the Batman.  As he (the Joker) tries to make his escape... somebody kicks him!  From here, it's academic... Batman wipes the floor with him.

We wrap up with Batman realizing that "phantom kicker" must've been Marvelous Miranda!

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Well...

That was, uh... interesting.  Definitely cool as a novelty... so, it's got that going for it!  I doubt it was ever supposed to be some grand story... so, it'd be silly of me to come down on it for not being one.

My pre-Crisis Bat-Game is pretty lacking... but, I was surprised to see him so goofily flawed here.  I mean, he comes across as a real dummy a few times here.  While I'm tired to death of the super-genius version of the character... this felt like such a massive swing in the other direction, it actually took me out of it for a bit.

I gotta say, I thought Marvelous Miranda was a pretty cool touch, in a thorn-in-the-side sort of spot... that might otherwise be occupied by Bat-Mite.  I've tried to do some digging... and it doesn't look like this character has ever popped up again, which is both unfortunate... and surprising!  I'd figure somebody out there would've wanted to show off their Batnerd-cred by having her appear.  Hey, maybe she was Fifty-Sue from Future's End?!  That actually makes almost too much sense.

The art here... I mean, the title of this project is "The Right Way to Draw Batman"... and it doesn't even seem like Mayer can get it straight.  Certain panels and pages seem rushed... and the quality is kinda all over the place.  It's hard to look at this as a definitive character bible... when it can't maintain its own consistency!

Overall... this is probably something you don't need to read... but one of those things it's fun to have read.  I'd most definitely recommend The Batman Vault, if you can get it at a discount... with all of its "pieces"... and since this is one of those "pieces", I guess I'd recommend this as well.  As a novelty... and a period piece, this is worth a look.

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Et-Cetera:

What the booklet looks like.

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Titans #28 (2001)

Titans #28 (June, 2001)
"The All-Nighter"
Writer - Jay Faerber
Penciller - Paul Pelletier
Inker - Bud LaRosa
Letterer - John Costanza
Colorist - Gregory Wright
Separations - Heroic Age
Assistant Editor - Harvey Richards
Editor - Andrew Helfer
Cover Price: $2.50

Continuing our impromptu Titans revisit... and, ya know... I've mentioned the "D.E.O. Kids" a time or two... so what say we finally get around to meeting them?

By the by, this cover scares the bejeezus out of me... I'm almost afraid to snap a picture of it!

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We open with Nightwing fielding an urgent call from Tempest while he swings through the Bludhaven skies.  Garth insists he get to the tower PDQ... because, ya see... the Titans have guests.  The geeks in the jumpsuits are the oft-mentioned (by me) D.E.O. Kids.

And, they have names!

Donna tries to get to the bottom of the situation... but, the kids ain't really keen on sharing much... not even how they got on the island.  Jesse Quick decides to take a lap around the island to see if she can find a raft or boat or something.  The kids seem tickled with her speed equation... and attempt to recite it.  Only Nikki the "shy one" is able to recall the entire thing.  Oh, and there's no sign of how the kids got there.

We shift scenes over to The Slab, where Roy is visiting, who else... Cheshire.  Before he leaves, hes chatted up by D.E.O. Special Agent Dakota Jamison regarding the Titans helping Epsilon escape.  The scene ends with Roy's Native American "heritage" being called into question... just so he can put this lady in her place.

Back at the Tower... Dick takes in the situation.  The kids seem healthy, happy, and unabused.  Epsilon saunters over to introduce himself... and accidentally knocks Dick's coffee cup from his hands.  Luckily, D.E.O. tot Grace and her quick reflexes stop him from losing a single drop.  Then Jesse bursts in to tell them about some trouble at S.T.A.R. Labs.

Dick sends Tempest, Jesse, Argent, and... Epsilon to deal with the situation.  It's here we can see just how terrible a superhero Epsilon really is.  I mean, the dude is pretty hopeless.  The Titans distract the beast long enough for a Dr. Rivera to fire an antidote into its hide.  As the dust settles, Argent sidles up to the newbie... and it's pretty clear she's "interested".  The Epsilon dealie will be cleared up later... and it'll be kinda icky.

Back at the Tower, Dick and Donna tend to the tots.  Nightwing tries getting some fingerprints... but Nikki ain't having it.  Grace calms her down... and explains that she doesn't like getting her fingers dirty.  They're clearly headed for an Autism explanation... which, being that this is a comic from 2001, it almost feels ahead of its time.

Once he gets 'em, Dick sends the prints over to Oracle... and Donna overhears some of their flirting.  This is a pretty big deal... nobody outside of the Bat-Family really seems to know that Dick and Oracle are an "item".  Dick tries to excuse his way out of it... but quickly realizes the futility of lying to one of his oldest and closest friends.

The next morning Nightwing holds court, and announces that the Titans will be turning the D.E.O. Kids over to Children's Services.  Epsilon pipes up to dissent... which causes the actual Titans to kinda raise an eyebrow... but not not much more.

Dick then breaks the news to the Kids... which, doesn't go over all that well.  The Kids are then loaded onto the T-Jet and flown into the city.  Dick's feeling guilty, so he makes sure to take the "scenic route".

At Children's Services, Donna turns the tots over to... I thought for a second that was Amanda Waller... but it's just Mrs. Brookstead.  While Donna and Brookstead chat, the D.E.O. Kids huddle up.  When Donna goes to say goodbye... she's surprised to find that they're all in scarily high spirits.

On the way back to the Tower, Donna drops Dick off in Bludhaven.  We wrap up with Donna heading into Lian's room to check on her... only to find...

--

Well, those were the D.E.O. Kids... adorable, right?

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, I wanted to share part of an interview conducted with Jay Faerber from TwoMorrows Publishing's Titans Companion, Volume Two, wherein he talks about the drastic shift in focus this book took when Eddie Berganza was replaced as editor by Andy Helfer.

Check out the rest of this interview at Titans Tower

So, there ya have it.  We can't blame Faerber for this... poor guy was just trying to "make chicken salad".

Was he successful?  Well... if we put this issue in a vacuum... kinda?  I mean, this wasn't a bad issue.  The kids are pretty dull, but... whattaya expect from some mostly-interchangeable kids in jumpsuits?  At first glace, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the brats "grew up" to become the Lab Rats or something.

Keeping with the Faerber interview... he mentions how much he wants to write the "core characters", and boy does that show!  And, boy... does he deliver!  For me, the highlight of this issue is that single page where Donna realizes that there's a romance between Dick and Oracle.  In that one page... this actually felt like a "Titans book".  From Dick's sheepish denial... to Donna's pure joy at his happiness... these are the characters I want to read about.

The Arsenal scene at The Slab?  Ehh... feels like the whole thing was wedged in just so he could tell that D.E.O. Agent off.  Didn't seem worth the panel space.  Though, I suppose it does give us a pretty decent segue to discuss... Epsilon.

Epsilon is pretty lame... and if I'm remembering right, all of this buildup is for a reveal that kinda falls flat.  It also makes Argent's flirtations with him a bit gross.  Again, that is, if I'm remembering right.  I did appreciate that he was depicted as being almost a liability on the battlefield... that much was really well done.

Quick mention... Nikki's Autism.  It's hinted at, but we're not really beaten over the head with it.  This was also nearly two decades ago when I feel like we were all less educated on what Autism is... and how to identify signs of it.  This is another thing that feels like "real Titans".  Being ahead of the curve on issues such as this feels right at home among these characters.

Overall... as a curiosity, I'd tell ya to give this a look.  Paul Pelletier delivers some wonderful work... and the concept of the D.E.O. Orphans is still fresh enough here to make me not immediately roll my eyes.  Worth a gander... but, man... that cover.  I'm afraid I've cursed you all to having Donna Troy crawl out of your comic in seven days or something!

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871

Titans #13 (2000)

Titans #13 (March, 2000)
"Fallout"
Story - Jay Faerber & Devin Grayson
Penciller - Patrick Zircher
Inkers - Andrew Robinson & Mark Propst
Colorist - Pam Rambo
Letters - Comicraft
Associate Editor - Maureen McTigue
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.50

Sticking with the Titans for another day... and, wouldja lookit that... it's one'a those covers.  What's that thing I was saying yesterday about Titans books "running in place"?

Times like this I feel like we need a "greatest hits" line of comics, so the ongoing books can actually... ya know, go-on.

--

We open in the Titans rarely-used conference room, wherein Nightwing is raking the team over the coals for their poor showing against the H.I.V.E. and... Tartarus.  Tartarus, if you're unaware, is like the anti-Titans.  Every member has a correlating baddie.  Starfire takes exception to Dick's outburst... and has one of her own.  The rest of the Titans just sit and wait for it all to be over.  Well, Roy has somewhere he'd rather be... and that's at the bedside of his... not gonna say "baby-mama"... Cheshire.  To which, Tempest mutters about having his own wife to return to.

At this point, Dick... really acts his name, and goes off on "marriages of convenience"... which, as you might imagine, triggers Starfire something good.  Can't really argue though, it seems like every time the Titans go "off planet" Starfire winds up with another husband.

The rest of the Titans kinda clutch their pearls... as if they'd never seen teammates fight before.  Vic, for no other reason than to remind us what happened nearly twenty-years earlier, mentions Terra... then, he quits the team.  Not so fact, kemosabe... it's not just that you shouldn't quit... it's that you're not allowed to!

Ya see, the whole mishagoss that started this volume of Titans was the JLA/Titans: Technis Imperative miniseries... in which, Vic was the main antagonist!  When the dust settled, the JLA wanted to send Vic to S.T.A.R. Labs... however, Nightwing was able to convince him them (okay okay, it was Batman) to release Cyborg to the Titans.

Amid the tension, Flash runs off to attend a JLA meeting.  This Flash... may or may not be Wally West... or, maybe it's just not "our" Wally West.  Either way, he jets.  Dick asks Jesse Quick to drag his speedster-ass back right away... so he can fire him from the team.

Nightwing then turns his attention to the rest of the group... and suggests they do a little soul-searching.  All of the "established" members walk out.

We pop over to S.T.A.R. Labs where Vic is looking for some answers... hell, at this point, he might be looking for the questions as well!  Either way, he's here to chat up his old friend Sarah (not from the Special School).  Unbeknownst to him, Gar tagged along for the trip... and to try and talk his golden pal off the precipice.

Back at the Tower... Donna Troy's room is bombarded with advice-seeking Titans... which causes her to lash out.  Remember, over the past few years, Donna's lost her fair share of things too.  Her son, her identity... her memories... and now, perhaps her boyfriend Roy.  She boots her teammates out, and suggests they find another listening ear to talk into.

Over at Manhattan General, Roy attempts to sneak in to have a look at Cheshire.  He gets the ol' heavy-ho.  His tagger-alonger is Damage, who witnesses the whole thing.

Then, over to the Titans Island docks... where Tempest sulks.  He is approached by his tagger-alonger, Argent... who tells him there's more than one brunette on the island he can talk to.

Inside the Tower, Nightwing works out his aggression on a heavy bag.  His tagger-alonger is Jesse Quick who... quits the team!  She ain't buyin' all the "we're a family" shim-sham, especially since she doesn't even know Nightwing's civilian identity... nor has she ever seen his face without the mask.

Back in the city, Roy fires an arrow into Cheshire's hospital room... with a note proclaiming his love for her.  That's kinda weird... I didn't think they were ever "in love".  Oh well.

Next stop, the Dockside Diner... where putting the team back together kinda went down.  Argent and Tempest are having some coffee... and are soon joined by Starfire and Donna.  Starfire insists that she brought Donna out to listen to her troubles, but I'm not buyin' it.

They are then joined by Roy and Damage... and they awkwardly sit in silence... until Donna asks where the rest of the team might be.

We close out by finding out where the rest of the team are... and a cry for help from our old friend Lilith Clay!

--

Now, I give this book a hard time every now and again... but, I gotta admit... I'm a sucker for this inter-titans drama.  Of course, much of this will be blamed on the freaking Gargoyle... but, at least for this issue, I think we can just try and enjoy it for what it is.

There's definitely a feeling of "been there, done that" to this book... which, by the second year into a run, should be over with.  I get "playing the hits" when a new volume is starting out... that's the honeymoon period... we want to see "the hits".  But, a riff on New Teen Titans #39... with barely a year's worth of stories under your belt?  I'm sorry... I just don't think this book "earned" that.

The more I revisit some of the post-Marv Titans, the more I see that... while a lotta folks love this property... and a lot of creators want to work on this property... once they've got it, they don't seem to know what to do with it.  And so, we get the "greatest hits".  Don't know what to do?  Break 'em up!  What next?  Throw a "traitor" on the team!

It feels like another property I love, the Fantastic Four.  The past several volumes of that series has been... break 'em up, spend a year bringing them back together... then, cancel the book and start all over again!  I'm not looking for anyone to reinvent the wheel... I mean, we saw whatever the hell the New-52! volume was... but, instead of just rehashing and reheating the past, maybe use the past to build the future.  That's not what we get here.

That said though... I didn't dislike this book one bit.  I felt that the characterization, while extreme in places, really worked.  There is a real feeling of frustration bubbling up here... and it makes your mind wander with all of the possibilities... that is, if you don't know about the Gargoyle.

And, while I still don't feel like this volume "earned" the Perez homage... this team definitely did need a "culling" of sorts.  There were definitely too many Titans... a cast this unwieldy lends to having half the team only appear in the background.  Trimming the fat is a good thing for this book.

I think my only real "ehh" bits here is Roy's devotion to Cheshire.  That doesn't quite sit right with me... also, Vic losing his cool.  I always see Vic as being hot-but-level headed.  I'd figure he'd understand what Dick had done for him... and appreciated it, at least on the level that he's not living the rest of his life hooked up to machines at S.T.A.R. Labs.

The art here is from another of my favorite guys, Patrick Zircher.  While I'm a big fan of Mark Buckingham (whose art opened this volume), I feel like Zircher is a much better fit.  There's really not a bad looking page in this book.

Overall... if you're a sucker for Titanic drama (like I am), you're probably going to dig this.  If you're tired of all'a that... you might wanna give this a pass with the knowledge that "the Gargoyle did it".

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Next Planet Over would only last about another year... news of their shutdown was reported in April, 2001 

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