Batman/Spirit

[matt levin]

Well, for a start-out comicbook it did pretty well.
I especially liked the rational lead-in to the buildings all looking like letters (here the pieces of signage) that spell out s-p-i-r-i-t; set the tone well right at the outset.

Didn't, don't ever, like the Batman referring to himself without the article, capital-letter-T "The Batman".

The meeting of policemen Dolan and Gordon seemed natural and the gathering of villians as hokey as it all but has to be. The story moves well, and characters speak their lines gracefully, and over-all, I was pretty well entertained.

My concern is that if this's to've been an introduction to the Spirit, it was rather bland, second-banana stuff rather than introducing this "new," vital non-super super hero.

It's a graceful cross-over, a kind of "DC Presents" for the new century. Worth a look for Spirit fans, Batman fans, and all of us who hoped we might, someday, see such a team-up.

Matt

[batturtle]

I noticed no 'Elseworlds' stamp on the cover.

Didn't effect my enjoyment of the book at all, thought it was very well written and looked great...but am just a bit curious as to the Elseworlds policy for these kindah' things.

[dancj]

I haven't read the book so I don't know whether it's officially in or out of continuity, but if it is out of continuity, that doesn't necessarily make it an Elseworlds. Elseworlds means more than just out of continuity

Dan

[Sir Tim Drake]

I read a friend's copy, and I thought it was just brilliant. Darwyn Cooke is a demon (in a good way).

[Jack Zodiac]

Yessir, I think Cooke should get a crack at every single hero in the DCU. He'd breathe some much-needed life into a lot of them.

[sgt pepper]

This is a joyful comic and the best Cooke art I've seen. Did Cooke just draw this or did he co-write it?

I also love the way "Pier Sixteen" falls apart to spell "Spirit." Nice homage.

Batman tells Robin to take the wheel of the batmobile while it's attached by a cable to an airlplane in flight. Ha! What could the wheel do for them, then? And Robin expresses conern that he's not old enough to drive! Classic.

When Joker's fishing, we see smoke coming from his hand. What is supposed to be going on there? Is he holding something (a joy buzzer?) thatwas supposed to have electrocuted the fish? Is there supposed to be a gun in his hand?

[Jack Zodiac]

I think he was dropping grenades in there. Or, actually, he might've been poisoning them with his laughing nerve gas, because we see the fish a couple pages later, and they have the Joker smile on 'em.

And yeah, Cooke co-wrote it with Loeb. And the sign/title was awesome, and hopefully Cooke's idea, meaning we'll see more Eisner homages in the book when it starts next month.

[The Shadow]

Yessir, I think Cooke should get a crack at every single hero in the DCU. He'd breathe some much-needed life into a lot of them.

While I thought it was a great read... what "much-needed life" did he breath into anyone? Dini is already doing that on Detective.

I like the retro feel of the comic but don't think I would get a book like this on a regular basis. I prefer other versions of the Batman and I'm just not a fan of Cooke's art... again, short term is fine but not for too long.

[Jack Zodiac]

The Spirit, not Batman (although this and Dini's are two of the best-written Batman works this year). I don't think anyone's as well-suited to revive the character as Cooke is.

[sgt pepper]

and they have the Joker smile on 'em.
.

I didn't notice that. Funny, and you must be right.

[areacode212]

what "much-needed life" did he breath into anyone?

Catwoman, for one. Sure, Brubaker was the writer, but Cooke's style was a very big part of the book's appeal in the beginning.

Despite my general dislike for Loeb's writing, I liked the book a lot, though I thought the story started falling apart towards the end. But Cooke always brings a lot of charm to his work, and his art can make up for a lot, in my book. I'd like to see him do more work for Marvel--I really enjoyed the stuff he did over there (Tangled Web, X-Force/X-Statix).

[Corrina]

Cooke also wrote and handled most of the art chores on "Selina's Big Score."

And someone needs to snag him to write both the Martian Manhunter and the Hal Jordan Green Lantern books. Particularly Manhunter. And give him the classic Suicide Squad too.

[Mia]

I don't get what the big deal was about this. Sure I liked the artwork. But I found the vampish women and the over the top curtain chewing villains a bit much.

[Jack Zodiac]

I don't get what the big deal was about this.

It's a fun, Silver Age "flashback" for a lot of us. It's not for everyone, but for those who enjoy those hammy villains and Coke bottle dames, it was great.

[aukevin]

I enjoyed this comic enough to add the ongoing to my pull list.

[Lex]

I enjoyed this books a lot. I've been looking forward to Cooke's Spirit since it was first announced, so I thought this was a great teaser for the ongoing.

I have very little knowledge of Spirit and his cast, but I didn't feel very lost while reading. Spirit's cast seemed to match well with Batman's cast. I especially liked the interaction between Dolan and Gordon. It definately got me excited to learn more about the Spirit and these other characters.

Fun story + classic characters + amazing art = a really good comic.