With the beginning of our reading of Batman's stories underway I felt like we needed some humor to dissipate some of the more serious issues regarding the Caped Crusader. Enjoy! ^_^ (make sure volume is at reasonable setting- the sound makes all the difference).
Now on to some more serious matters: initial reactions to Batman Chronicles.
I found these early images of Batman to be disturbing. I do not, nor have I ever, read a Batman comic so if this observation applies to comics now then my argument still stands that Batman is creepy.
First is his Batplane: this can be seen well in No. 33. The plane has the face of a bat; not just the silhouette of a bat but what looks like a fully detailed depiction of a bat. I found this mildly disturbing only because I thought of how I would react if I looked up at night to see this giant bat flying over my head.
Secondly, Batman himself! He is given such a devilish look in No. 36, page 8, when Batman "hurtles through the air and strikes" the gangsters. His smile, dark face, and white eyes would be scary by themselves but then the artists add in the cape, curling up the edges as if he has devilish horns. This is not the Batman I grew up with, who was more cartoonish. He fits more with the recent renditions in the Dark Knight movies. I guess Batman has made a full circle, at least artistically.
First is his Batplane: this can be seen well in No. 33. The plane has the face of a bat; not just the silhouette of a bat but what looks like a fully detailed depiction of a bat. I found this mildly disturbing only because I thought of how I would react if I looked up at night to see this giant bat flying over my head.
Secondly, Batman himself! He is given such a devilish look in No. 36, page 8, when Batman "hurtles through the air and strikes" the gangsters. His smile, dark face, and white eyes would be scary by themselves but then the artists add in the cape, curling up the edges as if he has devilish horns. This is not the Batman I grew up with, who was more cartoonish. He fits more with the recent renditions in the Dark Knight movies. I guess Batman has made a full circle, at least artistically.
Another aspect of the artists choice I found interesting was the use of colors. In No. 28, when Batman is destroying something or hitting someone the background is red or bright orange, drawing the attention of the reader. This is not kept up through all of the comics in this volume, however, making it seem like a personal choice for who was drawing the comic. The colors later get used for explosions or to highlight the bad guys. Red comes back into play with action scenes, like Batman hitting things/people, in No. 36.
Then there is the use of purple to indicate moonlight. Interestingly, the most purple I found was when Batman was breaking into a house or climbing over a wall, as in No. 29 and 30. You see this use of purple for moonlight again when he jumps buildings or rescues people.
Looking through more recent comics, these color choices seem to stay the same, for the red and the purple uses.
Then there is the use of purple to indicate moonlight. Interestingly, the most purple I found was when Batman was breaking into a house or climbing over a wall, as in No. 29 and 30. You see this use of purple for moonlight again when he jumps buildings or rescues people.
Looking through more recent comics, these color choices seem to stay the same, for the red and the purple uses.