View Full Version : Where are all the origins?
Trying to figure out where all the character's "origin" stories are.
Batman is Batman Year One, mostly.
Joker is broken up into Killing Joke and Man Who Laughs.
Then you've got Batman & The Monster Men for Hugo Strange, Batman and the Mad Monk for the Monk...
Dini's "Batman: Mr Freeze" for Mr. Freeze...
Dini's Mad Love and Harley Quinn for... well, Harley Quinn...
Birth of the Demon for Ra's...
What are some other good ones? I know one of the Annuals has the origin of Two Face's coin (and was kinda poorly homaged in Long Halloween).
Gaspard
10-05-2006, 01:09 AM
Year One also tells the origins of Gordon and Catwoman. Two-Face was in The Long Halloween, Robin was in Dark Victory. I don't know too much.
the film freak
10-05-2006, 01:32 AM
Catwomans origin is in Year ONe (sorta).
Robin origin is also in Batman: Year Three which as far as I know hasn't been collected.
There's also that Secret Origins story "The Man Who Falls" that chronicles Bruces training. Batman Begins owes a lot to that story.
OverMaster
10-05-2006, 05:06 AM
The Scarecrow, Riddler, Poison Ivy and Man-Bat have their Modern Age origins all collected in the Batman: Four of a Kind TPB.
Of course, we also have Scarecrow: Year One, but being a Bruce Jones mini, we might have to disqualify it just on general principle. :D
Edit: I forgot the Batgirl Year One miniseries for Barbara Gordon.
karaokefanboy
10-05-2006, 07:40 AM
I actually prefer the Two-Face origin presented in Batman Annual #14, I think it is. Illustrated by Chris Sprouce, if I remember correctly, and the first time Harvey's father is introduced, I believe. It's an excellent legal drama, depicts the Batman/Gordon/Harvey triangle perfectly, and really explores Harvey's demons pre-acid splash. "The Long Halloween" simply couldn't exist without that story, and I've always been disappointed that it's been forgotten since then.
The Shadow
10-05-2006, 09:09 AM
Catwomans origin is in Year ONe (sorta).
It was touched on lightly in Year One but expanded on in the 1989 4 issue mini series titled Catwoman
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It's a fantastic series keeping in tone and look with Year One.
Mutate
10-05-2006, 09:33 AM
I actually prefer the Two-Face origin presented in Batman Annual #14, I think it is. Illustrated by Chris Sprouce, if I remember correctly, and the first time Harvey's father is introduced, I believe. It's an excellent legal drama, depicts the Batman/Gordon/Harvey triangle perfectly, and really explores Harvey's demons pre-acid splash. "The Long Halloween" simply couldn't exist without that story, and I've always been disappointed that it's been forgotten since then.
This is actually the story which is in continuity, not Halloween. I like it too.
Did we ever get an Ivy origin/Year One? I know her whole story, but I don't remember ever hearing about some specific story.
I actually prefer the Two-Face origin presented in Batman Annual #14, I think it is. Illustrated by Chris Sprouce, if I remember correctly, and the first time Harvey's father is introduced, I believe. It's an excellent legal drama, depicts the Batman/Gordon/Harvey triangle perfectly, and really explores Harvey's demons pre-acid splash. "The Long Halloween" simply couldn't exist without that story, and I've always been disappointed that it's been forgotten since then.
That's the one I was thinking of. Long Halloween may have had its moments, but comparing it to Annual #14 "Eye of the Beholder" is like comparing chocolate and mud. The Annual was a far far stronger origin.
It was touched on lightly in Year One but expanded on in the 1989 4 issue mini series titled Catwoman
It's a fantastic series keeping in tone and look with Year One.
We'll have to agree to disagree with that one strongly. I have nothing but contempt for the decision to take the most well known woman in comics, one of only 4 or so female characters you might expect a potential young girl reader to know, and make her origin into "she was a prostitute, and then..." There might be good stories you can tell with a character like that, but applying it to pretty much the best known female character in comics sends a very bad message in my opinion. I have seen people get turned off to mainline comics (although I couldn't say for certain how interested they were in the first place) simply because of how "we" decided to handle her.
Even forgetting that thoguh, I thought the mini series pretty much completely failed to give a logical explanation as to why the "Selina Kyle" it gave us became the cat burgler we all knew about. There was a good reason for her to leave her old life behind, but no real drive for her to pick that particular new life.
OverMaster
10-05-2006, 10:53 AM
Did we ever get an Ivy origin/Year One? I know her whole story, but I don't remember ever hearing about some specific story.
Like I said, check the Four of a Kind TPB. It has an Ivy Year One story reprinting an Alan Grant-written Shadow of the Bat Annual.
mattx110
10-05-2006, 11:57 AM
dennis o'neil wrote a short story version of freeze's origin and a creepy ivy story. but i didn't like it, made victor so evil to begin with that you don't mind him getting turned into a monster, he kinda already was one.
The Shadow
10-05-2006, 12:56 PM
but applying it to pretty much the best known female character in comics
That woould be Wonder Woman.
Even forgetting that thoguh, I thought the mini series pretty much completely failed to give a logical explanation as to why the "Selina Kyle" it gave us became the cat burgler we all knew about. There was a good reason for her to leave her old life behind, but no real drive for her to pick that particular new life.
I'll be honest, I haven't read the series in YEARS and I can't get at it as my 22,000 comics are 3000 miles away... but I do remember liking it and liking that it tied into, and expanded, on Catwoman in Year One.
Penguin? Anyone?
That woould be Wonder Woman.
I really don't think so. I don't have anything to back that up with, there's really no way of proving it. But WW's media presence has been falling ever since the Lynda Carter series, wheras Catwoman's media presence has been rising. WW's show never had the ratings that Batman's show. Batman TAS has been seen by more people than Justice League. Add in the fact that she was in two movies, one a blockbuster and one a fairly well known bomb, and I strongly suspect she's better known, at least to the younger generation.
As for the story, yes, it fit to Catwoman's scenes in Batman Year One. It just never, IMHO, did a very good job of giving her a drive to be the world's best catburgler and wear a cat costume while doing it. Sure there's money, but there's money from lot's of other things, why that in particular?
Joe Acro
10-05-2006, 01:18 PM
Joker is broken up into Killing Joke and Man Who Laughs.
Joker is going to have his origin retold in the back of an upcoming 52 comic, so we can learn what it is Post-IC.
Lorendiac
10-05-2006, 03:39 PM
I actually prefer the Two-Face origin presented in Batman Annual #14, I think it is. Illustrated by Chris Sprouce, if I remember correctly, and the first time Harvey's father is introduced, I believe. It's an excellent legal drama, depicts the Batman/Gordon/Harvey triangle perfectly, and really explores Harvey's demons pre-acid splash. "The Long Halloween" simply couldn't exist without that story, and I've always been disappointed that it's been forgotten since then.
I read that one when it first came out. Sure, the writing was good, but I thought the art was lousy. I just plain didn't like the way the penciler drew human faces in that story. So I haven't forgotten it yet, but it would be something of a blessing if I could!
Choppa
10-05-2006, 04:46 PM
Are you asking about canon origins or any in general? I know that LOTDK #50 tells the story of Batman's first meeting with Joker.
In general. Although honestly these days I wonder if DC's policy about "canon" isn't the same as The Joker's...
"If I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!"
OverMaster
10-06-2006, 05:41 AM
Penguin? Anyone?
For Penguin, it's the Secret Origins special, also reprinted in the Two-Face and Riddler TPB. Written, again, by Alan Grant with Sam Keith art.
Choppa
10-06-2006, 06:24 AM
Well Azrael's origin is told in "Sword of Azrael," and that's pretty much canon for him (that is, IMO, until Knightfall rolled around)
And NML tells Cassie/Batgirl's origin.
But you prolly already knew about those two.
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