Batman/ Doc Savage

[Captain Jim]

I'm surprised there's no thread about this. I didn't pick it up, but surely someone did?

[neogod557]

Yeah it wasn't amazing, but it was an entertaining read. I really liked the film noir style and I'm looking forward to some other First Wave

[DubipR]

I enjoyed it. It wasn't mindblowingly amazing but Azzarello got the characteristics of Doc Savage down to the pulp basics. I might be in the minority here, but I loved seeing Batman portrayed as the inferior; the rookie making mistakes. For the timeframe it's supposed to be, it makes sense that Bruce's inexperiences were shown. Worked for me just fine. Phil Noto doing some of the most breathtaking artwork of his career here as well. The back-up pages explaining First Wave got me more into what is in store; I'm actually excited for this series.

[neogod557]

Totally agreed. I love Morrison's Bat-God, but it is nice to see a more human Batman who struggles more.

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

I wanted to get it, because I love Azzarello and Noto, but Noto's art just didn't seem to gel with the story, so at $4.99 I decided to wait till it's in trade.

[Desaad]

Batman/Doc Savage 1 – Full disclosure – I’m a big fan of Azz’s superhero work, even his much maligned Superman story. The opinions of this review do not necessarily reflect the opinions of an Azz hater.

So, with that said…wonderful. In a single issue, Azzarello has created a world from whole cloth, laid out numerous characters with numerous complexities, introduced a mystery and given us plenty of entertaining character interaction, physically and verbally. It’s large accomplishment, to do something so expansive in such a short period of time, but the real strength of the series is just how vivid the characters are, and the way that the period in which they exist becomes a character in and of itself. And part of the success of this series hinges on the strength of Azz’s command of language – Batman’s opening monologue is powerful in a way that I won’t even attempt to describe here. It’s dripping in pathos, but it’s clever, and it’s meaning is just ambiguous enough to get your mind racing.

Azzarello is haunted in ways that modern continuity Batman simply can’t be. We’re all so familiar with his origin, it’s so classic, and his morals are so stalwart that there are limits to what you can really do with him, I think. Morrison has done probably the best Batman since Frank Miller, for me, and he had to make Batman this over-the-top god with backups for everything and psychosis so deep and deadly that even the gods tried to use it, and then tried to destroy it. He almost necessitates that over the top characterization now. Azzarello’s Batman is much more human. It’s obvious that he’s damaged, but it may be that he’s so damaged that even he isn’t aware of it. It’s obvious that he’s carrying a great weight on his shoulders, and it doesn’t ALL come from his family history…having participated in the war (whatever war it may have been) gives his damaged persona a weight that isn’t there with ‘traditional’ Batman.

The Batman of this world is, in a lot of ways, similar to his mainstream counterpart. But where even at Year One Bruce had allowed the darkness to weigh heavy on him, crush down any humor or pleasure he might take out of life, this Bruce is less singleminded in his insanity. He may be showing classic signs of clinical depression, his outlook on the world is undoubtedly dark, he sees death and lies and corruption everywhere…but he’s capable of bringing levity to it, too. It’s a sort of desperate, gallows humor, but it’s there nonetheless. He’s fallible, but that’s hardly anything new – you can see that in any number of his early-year stories. I think maybe the most notable difference is that the Bruce Wayne here might not be a complete mask. In the mainstream DCU, I don’t think there can be any doubt that Bruce Wayne, the Bruce Wayne he shows to the world, is little more than a fiction. But here, the line bleeds. He’s obviously not a lush, MUCH of what he DOES as Bruce Wayne is an act, but the cock sure alpha male personality he effects carries over to the Batman persona. My guess is that this Batman will also be a bit more in line with the animated DCU’s Batman, or the film version – capable, but not necessarily unassailable by normal thugs physically, and not nearly the genius that someone like Doc Savage is. He demonstrates his tactical intelligence, and his insight, but I suspect he won’t be very adept at the sciences. And that’s because Azzarello’s Batman is a real person which is probably the most clear distinction I can make between this portrayal and the DCU version of the character.

This is my first exposure to Doc Savage, and I gotta say – I like him. I see, of course, a lot of well worn characteristics of characters that were spawned from him (Superman, Reed Richards, Tom Strong), and seeing him next to Batman only heightens a lot of those natural comparisons. There is a weight to every scene he appears in, almost as if he has an aura of austerity and respect that he characters with him. It’s an impressive effect. He’s a man of few words; his positions are morally unassailable, his conclusions are unerringly correct. He really is “The Ultimate Man”. And even so, he’s just a man. He is, in his own way, broken. He’s profoundly disconnected from the rest of humanity, not just by natural gifts but by the circumstances of his childhood. He doesn’t so much seem to feel emotions as realize that he SHOULD feel some emotion, and he’s troubled by his inability to do so.

The art, by Phil Noto, is pitch perfect. His work has always had an art-deco influence, to me, and that is in full force here as he effortlessly renders anachronistic cityscapes and a 20s/50s mishmash of clothing styles and body types. It’s all lavishly watercolored, with a sort of washed out look that feels oddly appropriate…as if the whole thing is told in flashback, or on old film. As much as I love Rags Morales, Phil Noto is just perfectly suited to this world and I hope to hell he gets to do more in it. All of his character designs are just spot on.
8.5/10

[gorosaurus]

Beautiful art and good story, though it seemed to end a bit abruptly. Nice characterization of Batman and Doc Savage. I'm really looking forward to the first wave Universe. Is this the same world that was shown briefly in FC with Doc Fate and Lady Blackhawk? I'd love it if DC could use the Shadow again, plus a slightly altered original Seven Soldiers (only the horse has powers-that could be changed easily enough). There's lot of potential there.

[Bevbos]

Very disappointed. The characters read as very flat to me, and frankly, I wanted to see a lot more of Doc Savage and a lot less of Batman. I'll perhaps give it one more shot, but I was quite let down at what read like a very 2-dimensional and shallow approach to this "world".

[jsf]

Originally Posted by Bevbos

Very disappointed. The characters read as very flat to me, and frankly, I wanted to see a lot more of Doc Savage and a lot less of Batman. I'll perhaps give it one more shot, but I was quite let down at what read like a very 2-dimensional and shallow approach to this "world".

My thoughts too.

[matt levin]

ummm, I too, ended feeling it was too much $ for too little personal involvement: I like Batman, I like Doc Savage, I shrugged this issue off; too bad, just didn't stir me.

[Global Honored]

I picked it up. It was a good kick off and Az plays off the Batman-Doc contrast very well. It's the Batman we kind of expect which is good as it works well in the Pulp 30s tone. Bruce is new to the game and makes some mistakes but it shows how he overcomes the odds and plays a little dirty to get what he's after. That's how Bat should be. Doc maybe a bit goody here but that is also what is needed. He's the boyscout of this universe. It's an introductory story and shows how Batman operates compared to Doc, allows them to meet and kind of state their mission and form a bond. Not a whole lot to it. They talk about corruption, etc but it's basically any era Gotham. I hope they go deeper into the seediness of the time, Gangsters, labor strikes, depression, prohibition, conflict in Europe etc etc as the First Wave universe expands. It's worth picking up. The art is decent here, not sure it fits if Az goes darker into the Pulp world...noir like...but it works for Doc Savage at least.... but the real treasure is at the end when we get a preview of what is to come, Az shows us other characters to expect such as the Avenger, the Blackhawks (some new airmen and women) the Spirit with a brand new Ebony, etc etc....with Rags' sketches and character designs....so the future of first wave looks bright...or dark I guess considering the mood of the comics. It's a world with heroes and vilIains (which Az tells us may have new twists to old names) but no super powers...an even playing field if you will. I am looking forward to April. Check it out if you get a chance.

[DetectiveDupin]

I didn't pick it up because I really know nothing of Doc Savage.

[berk]

Call me if they ever decide to do an actual Doc Savage comic instead of yet another bloody variation on Batman, with co-stars.

[Gitaroo_Dude]

The $5 question is:

Was the book worth the $5?

[Global Honored]

You could get a footlong from subway and enjoy it for 10 minutes or so....OR...purchase the Doc Savage/Bats one shot and enjoy it for....10 minutes or so. That is a toss up. I guess the question would be...is a Subway 12" sub worth $5?....If so...then yes...I guess.