Batman #667 (SPOILERS)

[Jack Zodiac]

J. H. Williams III teams up with Grant Morrison again for one of the sweetest lookin' comics of the year, "The Island of Mister Mayhew."

First and foremost, the art in this book was damn good. Willaims has always had incredible panelwork, using the entire page to tell the story instead of just each panel. The very first page sets the dark tone of the murder mystery story as the page slowly gives way to a cloud of bats. And the title page frames the tense flight towards Mayhew's island with Batman's cowl and the title spread out on the wings. Even the next eight pages, which are all just a standard two by three paneling, continue writing the story between the panels fluidly. And then on page twelve, Batman appears to the Club of Heroes, framing the rest of the cast of the book.

On pages fourteen and fifteen, the murder mystery begins, as the pages and panels slowly reveal that their host, Jonathan Mayhew, is the first victim of The Black Glove. And then on pages sixteen and seventeen, The Black Glove strikes against the Batmen, destroying their only way off the island. There's another impressive splash across pages twenty and twenty-one as The Black Glove claims his second victim in a fittingly ironic fashion, because Morrison loves his literary and historical allusions.

And on that note, to the writing. Grant sets up a perfect "whodunnit" with a cast almost certainly containing our murderer. Some are given more motive than others, but all of them live in the shadow of The Batman because all of them are cheesy Fifties multi-national Batman homages created by Edmond Hamilton (except Man of Bats and his sidekick, I don't recognize them). A fun cast of characters from a rather goofy era of Batbooks, Grant takes them seriously enough to spin a dark story of murder and mystery around them while retaining the odd whimsy of their origins.

Throughout the story, I think Grant drops a couple clues and hints either to mislead or to make the story more fun. One of the most enjoyable parts of a murder mystery is trying to solve it yourself, before the players involved, and from the point of view he's telling this story in, we don't already know who's responsible, but we have plenty of suspects. Three issue murder mystery? I'm gonna' be counting the days between the next couples issues of Batman.

[Cayman]

This was excellent, one of the best issues so far in Grant's run. Perfect art and the return of the fabulous Squire. Great stuff.

[Captain Jim]

(except Man of Bats and his sidekick, I don't recognize them).

I remember a Man of Bats story in an old Batman Annual (top center).

http://image.milehighcomics.com/istore/images/large/07358763540.2.D.STEPHENS.gif

[ultramandingo]

....... that was crazy good . love seeing the squier again. check the "black glove " movie poster! - i bet the killer is some washed up actor, type casted cus of of some campy super hero show he did in the 60s

[Jack Zodiac]

I remember a Man of Bats story in an old Batman Annual (top center).

http://image.milehighcomics.com/istore/images/large/07358763540.2.D.STEPHENS.gif

Was his name Bat-chief? What an awesome cover.

....... that was crazy good . love seeing the squier again. check the "black glove " movie poster! - i bet the killer is some washed up actor, type casted cus of of some campy super hero show he did in the 60s

I saw the "The Black Glove." movie poster, but I'm thinking it's a red herring. Classic "whodunnit," drop clues to mislead the reader, a couple that could go unnoticed but actually are relevant, and unless there's a butler, the culprit is almost always one of the main characters.

[Captain Jim]

Was his name Bat-chief? What an awesome cover.

I thought his name was Man of the Bats. But I'm relying on a very old memory here.

[Jeff F]

Thank GOD for Williams. That was a really unexpected surprise and I really want to look at more of his pictures.

My only problem with this issue is my problem with monthly comic books in general. I don't really dig only a piece of a story being told. It's why I tend to stick to trades.

By far my favorite issue of Morrison's run.

Isn't it interesting that just about every issue has been about Batman fighting Batmen? I'm actually interested in rereading the first bunch to see if I can find anything I might have missed.

[Lance]

Thank GOD for Williams. That was a really unexpected surprise and I really want to look at more of his pictures.

If you haven't read anything else with him, check out the first arc of Desolation Jones or Promethea.

He also did Seven Soldiers 0 & 1 the bookends of the series. Seeing him change his style like that, every few pages, was impressive.

JHWIII is truly great. It's nice to see him doing interior art.

I wish his arc was longer than three issues.

[jadrax]

Good issue. In fact probably the best issue so far of this run.

My only gripe is I'm pretty sure Knight should have been carrying a proper football, not an American one. ;o)

[Jamie]

Good issue. In fact probably the best issue so far of this run.

My only gripe is I'm pretty sure Knight should have been carrying a proper football, not an American one. ;o)

But carrying a proper football is against the rules, innit? Unless he was a goalkeeper. :)

[wulfstone]

it might have been a rugby ball, it fits with the upper-class persona

[CYOTI]

My only gripe is I'm pretty sure Knight should have been carrying a proper football, not an American one. ;o) Do you people really hate football that much?

[Jack Zodiac]

It was a clue!

[The Xenos]

Wow. I want to say that was one of the best Batman tales I've seen in years. The superposition of old campy 50s Batman characters with a modern murder mystery was well done. Plus, it just felt like an amazing and timeless Batman. I just want to go to random people on the street and tell them to buy this issue. I loved it.

[Jeff F]

If you haven't read anything else with him, check out the first arc of Desolation Jones or Promethea.

He also did Seven Soldiers 0 & 1 the bookends of the series. Seeing him change his style like that every few pages was impressive.

JHWIII is truly great. It's nice to see him doing interior art.

I wish his arc was longer than three issues.

Oh wow, I did love the art in Desolation Jones. I'm still getting ready to read Seven Soldiers and Promethea, they're on my back log.

It was a clue!

The football was the bomb!

[Jamie]

The football was the bomb!

Dag, yo!

Oh, you mean an actual bomb. :o

That's possible; however, the Knight (and Squire) are really the only characters that have had any substantial screen time in recent years -- mostly written by GM himself, IIRC -- and I can't think of anything that would make them murderous short of drain bamage.

Of course, the villain could very well be the dead host, in a page right out of Murder by Death -- he fakes his own death and matches wits with the "greatest detectives" on the Earth.

[Brack360]

I thought this issue was great. I love J.H. Williams III’s artwork and would love to see him on a Batman book for the long term. Morrison brings a fresh and innovative approach rather than a simple rehash of everything that has come before.

[shaxper]

Morrison is full blown gonzo.

Were any other writer doing this story, I might be intrigued. But what I see Grant doing is creating all of these different, jarring Batman snap-shots within his run on Batman that, when push comes to shove, will never come together in a coherant way in the end. It's tempting to wonder how Grant is going to relate Batman's son, his future incarnation, the Bat-Doubles, the Joker, and this Black Hand thing into one unifying plot, but I'm strongly suspicious that even Morrison doesn't have an answer to that one. This feels too much like Seven Soldiers to me. It's a great f'ed up mystery until you get to the end and find no substantial answers.

[Jack Zodiac]

Y'know, there was a time when writers wrote stories that were entertaining just for the sake of entertaining readers. The same writer would write a book for years and years without having all of, most of, or even some of their work being part of a larger, unifying plot. And those writers wrote some of the most classic, memorable stories in comic book history. And they didn't suck.

You're using the term "gonzo" wrong unless you think "gonzo" means "!@#$ing awesome."

[shaxper]

Y'know, there was a time when writers wrote stories that were entertaining just for the sake of entertaining readers. The same writer would write a book for years and years without having all of, most of, or even some of their work being part of a larger, unifying plot. And those writers wrote some of the most classic, memorable stories in comic book history. And they didn't suck.


I had a feeling someone would reply with this counterpoint. Normally, I'd agree, but Morrison is leaving these other stories highly unfinished (especially #666). In this day and age, we know that new creative teams NEVER pick up on old plot threads unless it's editorially mandated. Based on what I know of Gonzo Grant (my definition of Gonzo. Not yours), he's seeing all of these different unfinished stories as part of a larger puzzle that he'll never end up fleshing out to our satisfaction.

Of course, if he's just planning to leave each of them separate and half-finished, well isn't that even worse?

[Jack Zodiac]

Not at all. I'd rather he run roughshod through Batman telling two-fisted tales of murder, mystery, crime and suspense and create opportunites for future writers to use his characters and plots than have him force some craptastically modern, and all-too-frequent, made-for-trade grand scheme.

[shaxper]

Not at all. I'd rather he run roughshod through Batman telling two-fisted tales of murder, mystery, crime and suspense and create opportunites for future writers to use his characters and plots

No, you're thinking of Paul Dini.


than have him force some craptastically modern, and all-too-frequent, made-for-trade grand scheme.

No, you're thinking of Grant Morrison (or at least what he attempted to accomplish in Seven Soldiers).

[Jack Zodiac]

Ah, gotcha'. You hate good comics. Nevermind then.

[shaxper]

Ah, gotcha'. You hate good comics. Nevermind then.

How did you know?

[Jack Zodiac]

I post on and off at the City of Heroes message board, and they say the same thing. :p

[ultramandingo]

.......for all the fans of carved in stone bat man "continuity " and by the book non gonzo story telling , theres all ways "all star" , ynow - rat eating , flying bat mobiles and walking sperm banks - plus jim lee draws pretty

[Jeff F]

Dag, yo!

Oh, you mean an actual bomb. :o

That's possible; however, the Knight (and Squire) are really the only characters that have had any substantial screen time in recent years -- mostly written by GM himself, IIRC -- and I can't think of anything that would make them murderous short of drain bamage.

Of course, the villain could very well be the dead host, in a page right out of Murder by Death -- he fakes his own death and matches wits with the "greatest detectives" on the Earth.

I'm mostly joking.

BUT! There is that one panel where the football hits the batplanes. That panel doesn't seem to have much of a purpose. Makes sense if it is foreshadowing.

Also makes sense for it to be a red herring.

I can't think of anytime Knight and Squire haven't been written by GM. Granted, the only time I've read them was in JLA Unclassified (I think that's what it was anyhow).

I'd rather non of the Batmen be the murderer. I'd also rather Batman Italy was still alive. He was a cool character. Though I imagine the fact that he was given more development than the others was a foreshadowing that something was going to happen to him. In this case his death.

I do agree with Shax in that I think this is all going somewhere. There's too much Batman stuff in his GM's run on the title for it all to be coincidence. And really, I get the impression Morrison likes his long story arcs. Hey, I do too, they tend to resound more with me. I'm not going to say that I don't like the ending though. I haven't read the ending yet.

I will say that this issue (and to a lesser extent #666) have been the only issues of Grant's run that I've really dug.

[Mysterio's Helmet]

Morrison is full blown gonzo.

Were any other writer doing this story, I might be intrigued. But what I see Grant doing is creating all of these different, jarring Batman snap-shots within his run on Batman that, when push comes to shove, will never come together in a coherant way in the end. It's tempting to wonder how Grant is going to relate Batman's son, his future incarnation, the Bat-Doubles, the Joker, and this Black Hand thing into one unifying plot, but I'm strongly suspicious that even Morrison doesn't have an answer to that one. This feels too much like Seven Soldiers to me. It's a great f'ed up mystery until you get to the end and find no substantial answers.

I actually find this way of thinking pretty disturbing. Why can't there be separate stories???? Does everything have to lead to the next???? Man, it's like we've all been conditioned by all these super expansive crossovers and epic, never-ending storylines that run into one another.

It's a separate story. I'm reading it that way and I find it refreshing having not to read anything related to Amazons, 52, Crisis, or Countdown. Best issue I've read in quite a while.

[shaxper]

I actually find this way of thinking pretty disturbing. Why can't there be separate stories???? Does everything have to lead to the next???? Man, it's like we've all been conditioned by all these super expansive crossovers and epic, never-ending storylines that run into one another.

It's a separate story. I'm reading it that way and I find it refreshing having not to read anything related to Amazons, 52, Crisis, or Countdown. Best issue I've read in quite a while.


So that I don't have to repeat myself...

I had a feeling someone would reply with this counterpoint. Normally, I'd agree, but Morrison is leaving these other stories highly unfinished (especially #666). In this day and age, we know that new creative teams NEVER pick up on old plot threads unless it's editorially mandated. Based on what I know of Gonzo Grant (my definition of Gonzo. Not yours), he's seeing all of these different unfinished stories as part of a larger puzzle that he'll never end up fleshing out to our satisfaction.

Of course, if he's just planning to leave each of them separate and half-finished, well isn't that even worse?

[QuietRiver]

Did this issue remind anyone of Cluedo? I couldn't help but chuckle while reading.

'Twas Colonel Mustard with the knife in the ballroom!

[Mysterio's Helmet]

So that I don't have to repeat myself...

Sorry about that. I never read too much of a thread. :D

[Jack Zodiac]

I remember this one game of Clue we played where Mrs. White cut Ms. Peacock's face off in the conservatory with a pocket knife and wore it around the rest of the game. Awesome.

[shaxper]

Sorry about that. I never read too much of a thread. :D

No problem.

[Jamie]

I remember this one game of Clue we played where Mrs. White cut Ms. Peacock's face off in the conservatory with a pocket knife and wore it around the rest of the game. Awesome.

Call of Cluethulhu?

Judging by the "find that room!" bit, it seems all of the Batmen think that the killer was broadcasting to them live, rather than via a recording. If he was, then none of them could be the murderer, because they were all present (weren't they?)

If it was a recording, it could be anyone. The general build eliminates the Legionary (as does the fact that he was just murdered.) And he was a man, or at least mannish, so that eliminates the Squire.

[shaxper]

Call of Cluethulhu?

If it was a recording, it could be anyone. The general build eliminates the Legionary (as does the fact that he was just murdered.) And he was a man, or at least mannish, so that eliminates the Squire.

Videos can be digitally altered. For all we know, it was the Squire.

[Jack Zodiac]

I think Legionary was the first to go because he was most obviously not the killer. Eliminate the least likely suspect and you still have a bunch of other even more likely suspects. And from that and the previous scene, we have our first suspect. The only one of the Batmen who wasn't outside with the others was Wingman. And earlier, he's apparently displeased with the fact that everyone idolizes Batman, so there's motivation.

But he's also the most likely of the bunch, so it's almost definitely not him.

[Captain Jim]

I dropped Batman after Morrison's inital Batman & Son arc (which I didn't care for). I'm wondering if this is the time to give it another shot. Opinions?

[shaxper]

I dropped Batman after Morrison's inital Batman & Son arc (which I didn't care for). I'm wondering if this is the time to give it another shot. Opinions?

I was furious at Morrison after that arc, and would have dropped it if it hadn't been, well, you know, "Batman." In my opinion #666 was Morrison's first really good issue, but it totally dropped off, unfinished, after that. The new story arc is semi-compelling, the art is decent (and artistically interesting), and the coloring is outstanding.

In short, I'm still not sure what to say about this arc. My experience with Morrison is that the full picture is usually disappointing, but there are flashes of brilliance throughout. This run on Batman feels no different to me.

[The Shadow]

Question:

Does anyone know who all the Batmen and their sidekicks are and when and where they appeared?

Are they all pre-existing characters or were some created for this issue??

Love the art and i thought it was the best Morrison issue yet!!!

[Jack Zodiac]

They're the Batmen of Many Nations who appeared back in the mid-Fifties during Edmond Hamilton's run on Detective Comics and again in one of his World's Finest. Except for the Native American characters. They came in a later story I never read.

[Ryan Day]

I dropped Batman after Morrison's inital Batman & Son arc (which I didn't care for). I'm wondering if this is the time to give it another shot. Opinions?


I read about two issues of the initial arc before dropping it. But I came back for this - mostly for JH Williams, who I think is probably the best artist in comics. (I don't care for Kubert's work at all, as it reminds me too much of the nineties...)

But the story is quite good, too. Nice little murder mystery with some fun characters. It's more restrained Morrison than Crazy Ideas Morrison, though it's certainly eccentric.

And man, it's gorgeous.

[Jack Zodiac]

It's true. J. H. Williams is easily one of the best artists in comics today.

[The Shadow]

They're the Batmen of Many Nations who appeared back in the mid-Fifties during Edmond Hamilton's run on Detective Comics and again in one of his World's Finest. Except for the Native American characters. They came in a later story I never read.

Thanks!

I did a quick Wikipedia search and found this article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batmen_of_All_Nations) that should help people like me out!

[Jack Zodiac]

Aye, but the way Morrison introduces them, you get all the backstory you need. In a simpler time, these guys took a cue from Batman and became self-made heroes in their own lands. Now they're all "modernized."

[CYOTI]

I dropped Batman after Morrison's inital Batman & Son arc (which I didn't care for). I'm wondering if this is the time to give it another shot. Opinions? Probably not your cup of tea, the characters have all been deconstructed and changed to the point that they are nothing like the originals.

Flip through the trade when it comes out is a better idea.

[The Shadow]

the characters have all been deconstructed and changed to the point that they are nothing like the originals.
That happens whenever a new writer comes onboard.

And different from the originals? Do you mean the Batman that killed and used a gun? Then you're right, this one is different from the original. ;)

[CYOTI]

And different from the originals? Do you mean the Batman that killed and used a gun? Then you're right, this one is different from the original. ;)
My point exactly. They are the Club of Heroes in name only. They are too radically different from their original appearances.

[Jack Zodiac]

Not so radically different. The Knight and Squire are still almost exactly the same, save for that they're different characters. The rest are different, not deconstructed or changed, but progressed and developed. Most of these characters haven't been used much, or at all, in decades.

Legionary's an overweight slob, Man-of-Bats is an alcoholic (though I don't even remember the original character), The Musketeer's a retired author, and Wingman's a jealous dick. The rest of the character changes are supeficial. El Gaucho changed his costume and The Ranger changed his name and costume.

[The Shadow]

My point exactly. They are the Club of Heroes in name only. They are too radically different from their original appearances.

So you want them to be EXACTLY the same as they were 30 years ago?

[CYOTI]

No I want them to show us how the present version came about. It's been probably at least 50 or so years since they were last seen. For them to magically re-appear so different demands explaination, lots of explaination not just a few blurbs of text.

[Jack Zodiac]

I found the writing between the panels to be enough. Legionary got lazy, The Musketeer was thrown in an asylum, which is exactly what would happen to Batman if he were arrested for and convicted of murder, and Wingman got petty after years of not being recognized as a hero. I don't think these incredibly minor characters really need that much time devoted to their progression.

They've been Z-list characters for decades. I think that's all the explanation you really need.

[Captain Jim]

I dunno; I typically don't care much for Morrison's writing. But I find this arc strangely compelling.

[The Shadow]

No I want them to show us how the present version came about. It's been probably at least 50 or so years since they were last seen. For them to magically re-appear so different demands explaination, lots of explaination not just a few blurbs of text.

But this is only one issue in! And in comic time how many years have passed? Also, Jack summed up my thoughts as well. Had they been huge stars a few decades ago that faded, yeah. But really, they aren't that important in the grand scheme of things.

[The Xenos]

I dunno; I typically don't care much for Morrison's writing. But I find this arc strangely compelling.

I usually like or even love his writing and I find this one even more compelling than usual. It's really a neat little set up and story.

[HotRod_Tim]

So far, with this first chapter of the murder mystery, my suspicion's lay with the Dark Ranger. There's just something about him....

[Bashbash]

Hi everyone.. just wondering if anyone recognizes the "painting" depicted in the background of the video the killer makes (it also shows up on one of the video screens in the room the Centurion finds)... it reminds me a little of work by Hieronymus Bosch but maybe not, I'm no art expert :P Thought maybe it was a clue of some kind perhaps. On the other hand i wouldn't put it past JH Williams to have created it himself, he's certainly talented enough. Thoughts?

[Bashbash]

D'oh! never mind, the painting is The Triumph of Death, by Pieter Breughel the Elder... here's the wiki article for anyone interested...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Triumph_of_Death

hmm not sure if it really represents a clue or not. cool painting though

[Jamie]

hmm not sure if it really represents a clue or not. cool painting though

Well, if nothing else it shows that the Black Glove has a grasp of symbolism; what better painting for an aspiring mass murderer to use as his backdrop than one entitled "The Triumph of Death"?

[Pyro]

I bought this for JH William's art. I'll be a little unhappy if he manages to do more than one issue for Batman, when he was supposed to be the main penciller on Detective, as I prefer that title. I just don't get Grant Morrison's stuff. No matter what book of his I try to read, the story beats just don't make sense to me. This issue wasn't any different. I get the gist, but it's such a strange setup, it just doesn't appeal to me. And JHW's art was very good, but I'm not sure it was worth picking up the book for.

[IamtheRock3]

question did the roman guy have a sidekick. He was screaming eagle name. The killer stab him while a couple of outside


Which makes couple of things clear

1) The killers a guy
2) The killer is white by the looks of it
3) Who ever with batman at the time not a killer, unless the guy really fast or they pulling a scream where it 2 killers

[Jack Zodiac]

On (3), those two scenes don't necessarily have to be happening simultaneously. In the end scene, Batman is alone watching the burning boat. The murder could've happened any time between the group leaving to see their exits destroyed, and the end of the book.

And no, Legionary never had a sidekick. That's his battlecry.

[IamtheRock3]

though he wasnt really alones. Just the artist decided to zoom in on him

[Jack Zodiac]

Well, him and Robin. The only other two people in the story besides the last victim who can't be the suspect.

[sramsey]

Hey, new here and just wanted to say, this was without a doubt the best issue in Morrison's run. I am a die hard Morrison guy, but even I realize he is either brilliant or completely off of it. This issue was a showcase for one of his greatest strengths: His set-ups. I can't wait for the next issue. It reminds me of JLA #16. And while the payoff is usually disappointing, at least he tries, and you can feel his enthusiasm for the material. Can't wait for #668!

[MartianBlonde]

Did this issue remind anyone of Cluedo? I couldn't help but chuckle while reading.

'Twas Colonel Mustard with the knife in the ballroom!

I seem to remember Morrison wrote a "Cluedo" issue for New X-Men once as well. The issue where Beast is investigating Emma Frost's murder.

[Aaron King]

Is it just me, or was each hero drawn in a different style? The Argentinian looked like he was drawn in Chaykin's style, another looked a little Kubert-y, and so on.

[QuietRiver]

I seem to remember Morrison wrote a "Cluedo" issue for New X-Men once as well. The issue where Beast is investigating Emma Frost's murder.

I remember that. Ah Emma, to be shot with a diamond bullet by your own psycho clone/daughter-thingy.

I was wondering, could someone post a brief who's who of the characters that show up in this issue? I only know The Knight and Squire from JLA Classified, but no clue on who the others are.

[BooCoo]

Maybe I'm thick, but...what happened with Jezebel Jet and Bruce? For that matter, the other storyline? These batman books are all over the place. :confused:

[literally exaggerated]

Fantastic issue. An old-fashioned, clue-type murder mystery that combines the twisted torture porn of Hostel with the campiest set of superheroes imaginable, with the Dark Knight playing Hercule Poirot.

Its a mishmash only Morrison could pull off, and he does, with considerable help from the inspired J.H. Williams.

[Jamie]

Is it just me, or was each hero drawn in a different style? The Argentinian looked like he was drawn in Chaykin's style, another looked a little Kubert-y, and so on.


JH Williams said over on Barbelith that he did in fact draw every character in a different style, and I believe he even went so far as to lay out who was in which style. I think it was to give them different feels.

I believe he's the same artist who did Seven Soldiers #1, which shows a similar stylistic versatility.

[Jack Zodiac]

Not just versatility. He mimicked seven different artists, or more, actually, to make each of the seven stories stand out like their original teams. One of the greatest comics ever for the art alone.

[Captain Jim]

Hey, new here and just wanted to say, this was without a doubt the best issue in Morrison's run. I am a die hard Morrison guy, but even I realize he is either brilliant or completely off of it. This issue was a showcase for one of his greatest strengths: His set-ups. I can't wait for the next issue. It reminds me of JLA #16. And while the payoff is usually disappointing, at least he tries, and you can feel his enthusiasm for the material. Can't wait for #668!

Welcome to CBR! :)

[Aaron King]

Thanks for pointing out the Barbelith post, Jamie. Here's a portion of it:


okay here is run of style influnces for these characters and the reasons why. all of these choices were made with one sketch and feelings as i drew them for the first time...

cheif man of bats-- sort of a steve rude influence. i wanted something clean and a little goofy retro in this idea and thats what came out first shot. rude's stuff always has this sort of 50's 60's nostalgic feeling to me and i wanted that for this character. but he needed to feel like the feelings you get when you look at those old silver age comics. charming in ways but also a little silly.

raven red-- a very loose influence of basic 70's early 80's superhro comics with an almost generic quality to the costume. cheesy amd redundent. been there done that sort of feeling when you look at him.

gaucho-- chaykin. for that rough around the edges feel and machismo that all of his characters have. his outfit is definitely not based on traditional gaucho clothing. instead i went for the el mariachi desperado films look. again to enhance his macho attiude.

wingman-- very loosely based on gibbons from watchmen era. i wanted the costume to look as if this character could've existed in the watchman reality. it fits well with his attitude and feelings of being original but not really. sort of an interesting comment since watchmen was a very groundbreaking and original concept but used characters that had existed in a different form previously. make sense?

musketeer-- is influenced by mid to late 80's superhero ideas. maybe a little bit alan davis in there too. hence the simple color techniques with smooth grads for a sense of rendering.

legionary-- i wanted to convey the sort of humorous but cynical qualities of some of the comics of the early 90's. with maybe a little hint of kelly jones exaggeration in the mix. particularly with his death scene.

knight and squire-- mcguinness influence. just because i loved the way he handled them previously and i wanted them to sync up to that.

dark ranger-- definitely sprouse. i think that influence came out of the early sketch because the character really needed to feel vastly updated and different from his past appearance. and so he needed to feel really modern.

batman and robin-- no influence here just me.

the only other thing that was necessary for this story was that all of the club characters needed to feel off as well. as if they reached for these ideals that are present in the influences but fall a little short. none of them are quite up to snuff and they know it deep inside and thats why they still are awed by batman. he surpasses them on every level, hence him and robin's more rendered and dimensional quality, deeper. this was taken into consideration as well when i did the first sketches of them.

the whole idea here was to convey characters that have had real history that we haven't been privy to. they were seen a very long time ago and that was pretty much it really. and grant wrote them as if they've been having lives and adventures all along and i wanted to see if i could make them seem as if they had stepped out of their own comics and into this one. so i imagined what those comics might currently look like but none of us have seen or read them. comics from another world? these clubbers needed to have distinct character traits immediately understandable becasue of the way the story moves with them. so i thought it would be an intersting challenge to see what affect 'styles" would have on their personalities as i drew them. a nice experiment i think, which has produced interesting results. as i drew them i felt as if they were fully realized right away. they came alive.

[The Xenos]

Is it just me, or was each hero drawn in a different style? The Argentinian looked like he was drawn in Chaykin's style, another looked a little Kubert-y, and so on.

Ha. Glad I wasn't the only who oddly thought it looks like Hoaward Chaykin art.