Batman: The Unseen #1 Previews and Discussions (SPOILERS)

[SpideyZERO]

The fan-favorite Bat-team of Doug Moench and Kelley Jones reunite to introduce the newest member of Batman’s rogues gallery in this twice-monthly, 5-issue miniseries! Horrible and unexplained murders have Gotham City held captive. Bizarre deaths have been occurring throughout the city, but the perpetrator is unknown. Even when the crimes have been committed in view of witnesses, all that is seen is a glimpse of a weird, skinless “meat-man” who seems to fade away after the crimes. Gotham’s only hope is their Dark Knight Detective, but how can Batman find and fight an Invisible Man?

The first issue hits stands on Wednesday.

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2009/10/05/5085/

Preview looks good and I enjoy Kelley Jones's art. I will like it

[DetectiveDupin]

it's great to see these guys back on a Bat-book, so I very much look forward to this.

[JohnNevets]

Looks like another tale with Bruce as Bats. Good news for those Jonesing (Kelley) for it.

[Sean Walsh]

I've always questioned why certain miniseries can't just be part of the multi-arc series (like BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL and LOTDK) - hopefully then raising sales on those series - and then be released as their own TPBs with their own seperate titles & identities.....

[nepenthes]

this looks much better than Gotham at Midnight. I still love these guys for their 90's work but they've had their shockers in the past as well. Jokers Wild and Haunted Gotham?

I wonder why all their work out of canon these days as well. kind of a shame.

imagine if they'd been given the main Batman title right now

[SpideyZERO]

Anyone read this? Quite a solid issue. Batman is facing troubles as more and more criminals are no longer affected by his 'fear'. Black Mask is plotting something and recruits a mad scientist. Said mad scientist is onto his invisible man formula and slowly perfecting his formula. But it seems to have affect his mind and goes crazy murdering people for food.

The writings was good and Kelley Jones' art fit the story perfectly. It feels like an old style horror story about the invisible man.

Worth a read

[Vidocq]

Anyone read this? Quite a solid issue. Batman is facing troubles as more and more criminals are no longer affected by his 'fear'. Black Mask is plotting something and recruits a mad scientist. Said mad scientist is onto his invisible man formula and slowly perfecting his formula. But it seems to have affect his mind and goes crazy murdering people for food.


I was planning on getting it but haven't been able to check my LCS yet, But that sounds like a great Idea for a Batman story.

[jacob_b]

I picked it up cause I loved the drawings. Real Batman feel to it. I hope to get to read it today or tomorrow.

[Volvic]

Looks interesting. Might have to pick this one up.

[catsmeow]

Waiting for the trade. I just got Gotham After Midnight in trade, and Kelley Jones' art work seems much nicer without being interrupted by ads.

Can't wait!

[catsmeow]

I wonder why all their work out of canon these days as well. kind of a shame.


Isn't this series just set in the past rather than non-canon?

[nepenthes]

^ yeah i guess you could say that. but I meant more in terms of it occuring in isolation. It won't reference any other books or fit into any other period or have any consequence outside its own pages. Those to me are are non-continuity books. They could be canon, but it won't make any difference if they're not.

This was the case with their older books Haunted Gotham etc and I think their most recent Gotham at Midnight (havn't read the whole thing). Their 90's run though was the goods and that happened in the main book.

Anyone read this? Quite a solid issue. Batman is facing troubles as more and more criminals are no longer affected by his 'fear'. Black Mask is plotting something and recruits a mad scientist. Said mad scientist is onto his invisible man formula and slowly perfecting his formula. But it seems to have affect his mind and goes crazy murdering people for food.



The writings was good and Kelley Jones' art fit the story perfectly. It feels like an old style horror story about the invisible man.Worth a read

[catsmeow]

Well, why does it have to affect anything else? Why can't a book just stand on its own merits? Self-contained stories are our friends.

[nepenthes]

Well, why does it have to affect anything else? Why can't a book just stand on its own merits? Self-contained stories are our friends.

I defintly agree, they're very easy to get along with. It's just that all of their books are self contained now and I'm a big fan of moench and jones (both individually and as a team) and i wish they had the reins over some of the mainline as well. instead of people like what, Judd Winick and Tony Daniels. that and i'm also tiring of the spooky horror stuff, this will be like their fourth story in that vein. imagine them doing stories with the modern incarnations of the characters

[Ben Reilly#6]

Friggin' awesome. I'm going to have to pick this up as soon as I can. I like the retro horror comic cover, and the dialogue and all...it's just classic Batman. it's like Moench and Jones never left. Also interesting to see we have a sub-plot that sort of mirrors current continuity (Alright, so Batman loosing his impact is regulated mostly to just common thugs here, but you see what I mean), considering this obviously takes place before Knightfall and the whole "return to darkness" schtick. I'll be sure to see how this whole miniseries plays out.

that and i'm also tiring of the spooky horror stuff, this will be like their fourth story in that vein. imagine them doing stories with the modern incarnations of the characters

Well you have to remember, even their run in the main Batman comics had that horror touch to it. Pretty much everything after their first arc, and event tie-ins, had some form of horror in it. I guess it's Moench's way of playing to Jones' strengths, but I agree would be nice for them to do something different.

Man, imagine something as bizarre as Gotham at Midnight with a bit of Silver Age Sci-Fi (more than it already had), but with a more modern edge. I'm sure it'd blow the Stained-Glass Batcomputer and Bat Unicycle out of the water.

[The Batman]

I'd been looking forward to this one for a while as I love Jones's Batman and I love the idea of the Dark Knight Detective facing off against the Invisible Man.

So guess which book my LCS forgot to put in my file this week?

Ain't that always the way?

[Mat001]

Isn't this series just set in the past rather than non-canon?

It's set in the past based on the yellow oval on the suit. Let's just say that this is before "Cataclysim", even though the costume is blue and gray and not darker from that time period.

[Sn4tcH]

I would say just after No Man's Land, as Black Skull still had some skin on his face during NML, and he was a part of some cult or something...

I really need to get around to reading NML one day.

[Ginkasa]

I hated this book. Hated it. I have no prior experience with this artist or writer. I've seen the same stylized Batman on a couple of covers while browsing, but that is it. Their other works from the past might be excellent. They could be iconic collaborators. I don't know (except for some vague references to awesome within this thread). All I know is I disliked every minute I spent reading this book.

The artwork was bad. I could see this Batman looking cool if used right, but here he just looks hilarious. He strikes up insane poses for no reason. These poses are not scary or cool or reflect any natural reaction Batman might have in a conversation. My favorite is when he's talking to Gordon and Batman says, "That weird," and has some odd claw grip or something. Its like he's trying to physically manifest how weird a walking meat-man must be. When's he's not striking poses, Batman looks odd and misshapen. I just can't but it.

The writing is almost worse. The scientist was developed almost not at all. He monologues for no reason and is insane for even less reason. I mean, I get the invisible serum was supposed to be affecting him, but if that's the only cause they went too far to fast. We didn't get to see him sane before he went invisible. And the whole food scene is just laughable. Pretty much everything involving this guy was horrible, and since he's the "unseen" in the title it doesn't bode well for the rest of the series.

To be fair, there is a tiny bit of positive. Batman did look cool in a couple of panels. I'm thinking of right after the fight in the beginning when he's standing in the middle of the fallen combatants; too bad its ruined by the melting chin a couple of panels away. And I do like the whole "not scared of Batman" plot, but its just not enough to cover up for the silly poses or hilarious-in-a-bad-way monologues.

I'll probably by the next one since these guys are supposed to be good, but I don't have my hopes up.

[Lupek]

I liked this quite a bit. It was almost like a German expressionist film in a comic book.

I'd wait for the trade but I could use a monthly Bat-fix.

[catsmeow]

I would say just after No Man's Land, as Black Skull still had some skin on his face during NML, and he was a part of some cult or something...

I really need to get around to reading NML one day.

It can't be post NML because Bruce was firmly back in the oval-less outfit at that point.

[Sn4tcH]

It can't be post NML because Bruce was firmly back in the oval-less outfit at that point.

The only problem with that is that this is what Black Mask looked like in NML:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a365/Sn4tcH/BlackMask.jpg

Also, at the beginning of that issue, it shows him burning his gangster suits.

We could just say that this happens at the end of NML but before the the following arcs...

or it could just be out of continuity...

[MattyB]

I hated this book. Hated it. I have no prior experience with this artist or writer. I've seen the same stylized Batman on a couple of covers while browsing, but that is it. Their other works from the past might be excellent. They could be iconic collaborators. I don't know (except for some vague references to awesome within this thread). All I know is I disliked every minute I spent reading this book.

The artwork was bad. I could see this Batman looking cool if used right, but here he just looks hilarious. He strikes up insane poses for no reason. These poses are not scary or cool or reflect any natural reaction Batman might have in a conversation. My favorite is when he's talking to Gordon and Batman says, "That weird," and has some odd claw grip or something. Its like he's trying to physically manifest how weird a walking meat-man must be. When's he's not striking poses, Batman looks odd and misshapen. I just can't but it.

The writing is almost worse. The scientist was developed almost not at all. He monologues for no reason and is insane for even less reason. I mean, I get the invisible serum was supposed to be affecting him, but if that's the only cause they went too far to fast. We didn't get to see him sane before he went invisible. And the whole food scene is just laughable. Pretty much everything involving this guy was horrible, and since he's the "unseen" in the title it doesn't bode well for the rest of the series.

To be fair, there is a tiny bit of positive. Batman did look cool in a couple of panels. I'm thinking of right after the fight in the beginning when he's standing in the middle of the fallen combatants; too bad its ruined by the melting chin a couple of panels away. And I do like the whole "not scared of Batman" plot, but its just not enough to cover up for the silly poses or hilarious-in-a-bad-way monologues.

I'll probably by the next one since these guys are supposed to be good, but I don't have my hopes up.

I don't think I could disagree more, especially when it came to the art. I am confident though it would pick up in the second issue though.

[catsmeow]

The only problem with that is that this is what Black Mask looked like in NML:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a365/Sn4tcH/BlackMask.jpg

Also, at the beginning of that issue, it shows him burning his gangster suits.

We could just say that this happens at the end of NML but before the the following arcs...

or it could just be out of continuity...

Can't it take place just before NML?

[Sn4tcH]

Can't it take place just before NML?

Before NML, Black Mask was wearing a mask, then the mask burnt permanently onto his face. That picture up there is what happened once he took off the mask, he still has skin on his face and it's even tatooed. Eventually, his skin was removed off of his face so he looked as he does (did?).

So, in Unseen Black Mask is shown with the full black skull which is what leads me to believe it has to happen after Mosaic in NML, but before he removed the yellow bat symbol. It makes even more sense to happen after NML, if you consider Black Mask is even talking about making his gang powerful again.

Or again, not in continuity.

[Bookem Danno]

I am thinking more of Mr. Bones from Infinity Inc than this story itself. Black Mask looks cool but looks like him here.

Has there ever been a DC story that had Mr. Bones dealing with the power of absolute invisibility? Has Mr. Bones been in any story working with Bruce Wayne ever?

It is also driving me crazy trying to remember that last TV series dealing with an Invisible Man working for a government agency to compare to. Melanic masking and plasmic bleaching sounds sort of neat here.

[Batman Fan 31593]

Post-NML, pre-Officer Down seems to be the most logical time for this story to take place. Bullock is refered to as a Lt. in this issue, which was actually his rank at that time, IIRC. The yellow oval can be easily explained, I'm sure Bruce keeps his old customes around, what's to stop him from wearing one every so often if he feels like it?

Also, since no one else has mentioned it, one of the things I enjoy most about Doug Moench's writing is his creative use of onomatopoeia. Those of you who were around during Doug's run on Batman in the 1990s might recall him revealing in the letters column that he writes his own sound effects. He hasn't lost his touch. A couple of my favorites from Batman: Unseen are:

KRSH KRNSCH KRSH as the invisible man chomps down on some food
KUH-KRATCH as Batman kicks thru a door

[DrewC]

I've pretty much loved everything Moench has ever done (particularly his Moon Knight, Werewolf By Night and Batman), so I was very pleased to grab this book.

I enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next issue.

[OverMaster]

The artwork was bad. I could see this Batman looking cool if used right, but here he just looks hilarious. He strikes up insane poses for no reason. These poses are not scary or cool or reflect any natural reaction Batman might have in a conversation. My favorite is when he's talking to Gordon and Batman says, "That weird," and has some odd claw grip or something. Its like he's trying to physically manifest how weird a walking meat-man must be. When's he's not striking poses, Batman looks odd and misshapen. I just can't but it.


Kelley Jones' artwork is pretty much love it or hate it. Don't expect it to change in following issues; you either grow fond of it or not. It's like Bill Sienkiewicz's to some degree in that regard.

It helps if you think of all those bizarre poses and visual gimmicks as symbolism of the darkness of the story itself.