i guess a general vertigo question...batman related

[drinkblatzbeer]

so, i've been a fan of some vertigo stuff for a long time, have most of sandman, preacher runs in some form or another....

have read some hellblazer, the dreaming, testament, swamp thing, started now with fables...etc...

in alot of cases, it's provides a very enjoyable, macabre maybe is the word i'm looking for, type of comic form...

which is why i'm wondering, wy hasn't there been a batman title, seperate from the regular DC-U, that takes place under the vertigo banner...

i know the point is to try and stay away from the typical superhero fare, but the ever present darkness of that book, and i guess they've pushed a bit into some of the darker subjects in crime, would point to it being able to really be expressed fully concept-wise, as a adult oriented title...

basically, i'm pretty sure a vertigo batman book could really kick alot of ass...

then again, i do understand how saturated the market is with batman related material already, but i guess i'm just seeing the possibilities...

anyone else think this could work?

[Matthew K.]

I see what you're saying, and I agree a dark, strange book like that could work very well for Bruce Wayne (similar to Marvel's MAX titles), but the Vertigo imprint may throw off (or really confuse/enrage) some fans/casual readers as to what was going on (Batman sold to Vertigo? What's canon? Is it Zero Hour?!)...so that's a likely barrier.

If it were to be done, it may fare better with an adult DC imprint or rating on it...I'm not sure, just thoughts on it.

[Joey Deadcat]

Probably the closest you'll get is (though not a Vertigo title) the Elseworlds Batman:Nosferatu. Kinda Vertigo-style, no?

[Ryan Day]

Does Batman really need a Vertigo title to get darker? Didn't they torture a teenage girl with power tools in one of the main books?

[Netley]

Does Batman really need a Vertigo title to get darker? Didn't they torture a teenage girl with power tools in one of the main books?

What really? That's very un-Batman. Shame on you Bruce.

For some great (but old school) Vertigo Batman, there's a story Alan Moore wrote in Swamp Thing where he takes over Gotham and battles Batman. I think it's around issue 50, and I'm pretty sure it's in trade form. Haven't read it for a long time, but I remember liking it a lot. Technically it's not Vertigo, but it would have been had the imprint been around (in fact I think the title played a large role in the creation of Vertigo).

[dancj]

If all you want is a "mature readers" Batman then they don't need to go to Vertigo. The Jamie Delano + John Bolton Manbat miniseries was mature readers.

[Joey Deadcat]

Oh yeah, and how could I (or anyone else) forget Grant Morrison and Dave McKean's Arkham Asylum story?

[drinkblatzbeer]

Oh yeah, and how could I (or anyone else) forget Grant Morrison and Dave McKean's Arkham Asylum story?

that i think could fit under the banner...

i think a regular monthly in that vein would be awesome...

[Shellhead]

What really? That's very un-Batman. Shame on you Bruce.

For some great (but old school) Vertigo Batman, there's a story Alan Moore wrote in Swamp Thing where he takes over Gotham and battles Batman. I think it's around issue 50, and I'm pretty sure it's in trade form. Haven't read it for a long time, but I remember liking it a lot. Technically it's not Vertigo, but it would have been had the imprint been around (in fact I think the title played a large role in the creation of Vertigo).

There was another very good issue of Swamp Thing during the Rick Veitch run, maybe two years later, where Constatine is at Arkham Asylum and Batman and Killer Croc show up. It was intentionally hilarious, but also pretty dark.

[Mladen]

I always thought Legends of the Dark Knight kind of lent in that direction. Don't know why they cancelled it, it was a great book for new readers to get a fresh taste of the character.
Either way, I go to Vertigo when I DONT want to read a superhero story. Superheroes are something like 90% of the content out there, I personally don't need any more.

[filthysize]

I wouldn't mind a Batman book with gore, nudity and swearing and whatnot... but yeah, having it under Vertigo would be a misuse of the banner.

Wildstorm is the one to go to when you want to publish mature superhero stuff.

[mauisunset]

The one thing that's not specifically being mentioned is that DC has a vested interest in protecting the Batman property and keeping it (at least partially) kid-friendly.

The last thing they need is Batman in the news like rawhide kid or something. That's not to say that some adult-themed stuff like Arkham Asylum haven't been released, but I was just reading that Morrison's stuff was edited in that.

They could care less about making artful comics or even good comics in the face of risking franchises like the Justice League or Batman cartoon series.

[Immortal]

Does Batman really need a Vertigo title to get darker? Didn't they torture a teenage girl with power tools in one of the main books?

Yes, Batman War Games: Act Two. Black Mask captures and tortures The Spoiler a.k.a Stephanie Brown with a power drill.

Most of the really dark Batman stories are usually one-shots. Such as Frank Miller's The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Strikes Again, Year One, Alan Moore's The Killing Joke, Grant Morrison's Arkham Asylum.

Batman was also in an issue of Hitman which was a pretty mature series.

[mauisunset]

Don't mean to be picky, but Miller's Dark Knight and Strikes Again were both collected from 3 deluxe issue minis.

I get your point, though.

[rassmguy]

Batman appeared in several issues of Swamp Thing, during both the first and second series. In addition, Vertigo has already done a Batman story of sorts--Brian Azzarello did a send-up to Bruce Wayne in Hellblazer with his [badly written] storyline about S.W. Manor ("Stately Wayne Manor"), presenting Bruce Wayne as a disturbed gay villain. It was...well...pointless, and it didn't go over well with fans, which is one of the many reasons the Azzarello run isn't that well regarded.

[mauisunset]

Batman appeared in several issues of Swamp Thing, during both the first and second series. In addition, Vertigo has already done a Batman story of sorts--Brian Azzarello did a send-up to Bruce Wayne in Hellblazer with his [badly written] storyline about S.W. Manor ("Stately Wayne Manor"), presenting Bruce Wayne as a disturbed gay villain. It was...well...pointless, and it didn't go over well with fans, which is one of the many reasons the Azzarello run isn't that well regarded.

Sorry to be the slow kid...

Was that really supposed to be bruce wayne in hellblazer?

I know he's rich (was he an orphan?), but that and the "Stately Wayne Manor" seem to be pretty flimsy... not saying your wrong, but has it been verified?