DC NEW 52 SUPERMAN is OLD SCHOOL COMIC BOOK MAGIC!

I reviewed both Bat Man books so far (Detective Comics and Bat Man titles) but only one of the Superman titles...Action Comics. It is now time for me to explore the conundrum known as Superman...the flagship title of DC Comics and also the seeming impetus of this entire company wide overhaul. I won't go into my obvious love of the character...I have already spoken at great length about my fascination with this character. When I learned that George Perez was writing the NEW DC 52 incarnation of Superman, I had some slight concerns. I'm an old school fan of good comics. George Perez has been involved with some of the best comic books ever created (Crisis on Infinite Earths, Wonder Woman and New Teen Titans)...however I was not convinced he had the literary pedigree to take the reins on the world's greatest comic book superhero. With Grant Morrison completely owning Action Comics and re-defining Superman for a whole new generation...Perez's take was sure to underwhelm and come across as dated. Superman Issue 1 in the DCnU was exactly what I thought it would be. Not as interesting or as engaging as Action Comics. There appeared to be way too many caption boxes and maybe it was too wordy for its own good. I was quickly turned off by the story which was so heavy on characterization concerning the supporting cast that Superman was almost a non-entity. The story really is trying to signal the end of an era and it does so symbolically with the demolishing of the old Daily Planet building. Of course The Daily Planet is now being positioned as the new one stop shopping alternative for news (PGN or The Planet Global Network) and this is being spearheaded by Morgan Edge. Lois Lane in her new continuity incarnation is the executive vice president of new media; Jimmy Olsen is still the pavement beating, on the run and gun photographer and Clark Kent writes articles more focused on the social issues plaguing Metropolis not stories about his Kryptonian alter ego. The Planet Global Network is the nice, shiny phoenix that has risen from the ashes of the Daily Planet and Superman/Clark Kent is not happy with this change. It seems to signal a sinister, more opportunistic brand of journalism that he in no way endorses. When I first read this issue I was bored to tears by this storyline but now that I have had the chance to think about it, I find it intriguing and refreshing. Leave it to George Perez, a throwback artist and writer from the seventies and eighties, to include insightful and social commentary in a Superman book. Superman is then attacked by some kind of flame creature and afterward forced to meet Lois's new boy toy in an awkward late night visit. Some of these elements seem bland and disconcerting. If your are a Superman fan then you know that integrity is the name of the game. Some of Supes dialog did not ring true for me...nor did Lois's having a male visitor at her apartment after hours laying in her bed...I know this is a new, updated Superman but certain things make SUPERMAN....super. That being said...the writing was decent and enough to make me curious about issue two. I think it's important to mention here that after the release of the first issue it was announced that a new creative team would be taking over the Superman title after the seventh issue. I was mildly relieved. Most reviewers and fanboys on the net had universally panned Superman Issue 1 and declared it D.O.A. Keith Giffen and Dan Jurgens would be the new guys at the helm after issue 7. This did not thrill me because I am left to wonder why Ivan Reis is drawing Aqua Man while Dan Jurgens will soon be replacing Jesus Merino to illustrate Superman. That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to me. Wouldn't it seem logical to put your best artist and writer on your most popular and pivotal character? Anyway...behold...Superman Issue 2. The day it was released I began to feel the excitement that fanboys feel on Wednesdays when the new books hit the shelves. Although I had been so disappointed in issue 1, I desperately wanted to enjoy Superman...so I bought Issue 2 as soon as I got off work and read it cover to cover. And you know what? I'm sold on George Perez and Jesus Merino. From a writing standpoint...I see now that George was setting up the playing field so that the story could breathe and run...this is what experienced old school writers do so that the story is tight and consistent going forward. As a consequence of the sometimes slow and plodding first issue...the elements that Perez establishes are the same plot points that I sought out issue 2 for. This is classic comic book writing. Now...as far as the art...I was not turned off by the art in issue one but it just didn't pop the way I wanted it to...perhaps I was still imagining someone like Quietly at the helm or Gary Frank. But Issue 2's gorgeous depictions of Superman battling an invisible foe were invigorating...using Perez's layouts, Merino finds ways to make Superman look brand new...the new costume is beginning to grow on me primarily because I like the way Merino is drawing it. This book feels like an old school joint that I used to pick up at the local drug store as a young chap...you know the kind before comics became so pretentious. There are some very cool scenes in issue two; one involves a conversation with Lois's father, General Lane. I read a few reviews saying that General Lane came off like Commissioner Gordon...but on the real tip, he reminds me of Thunderbolt Ross from The Incredible Hulk. General Lane does not like Superman and he's not shy about expressing his disdain. Superman is fully aware that this guy hates his guts and you can tell that it bothers Supes. I like that storyline, and I love the scene in issue 2 between these two. This will be a major source of my interest as I continue to pick up the Perez/Merino run. There is another scene between Clark and Lois that is also pretty interesting and begins to foreshadow their relationship dynamics. Clearly there's nothing romantic jumping off between Clark and Lois...and there have been small hints dropped that her and Supes have been messing around, but it seems all new and re-shuffled...I'm interested. The other high point that has me intrigued is we get to see a shot of Superman in his Fortress of Solitude. It's only a fleeting glimpse...but it's enough to spark my curiosity to keep reading this thing. And girls and boys...that's what comic books are all about. Superman is getting better all the time...and it's slowly but surely becoming my favorite read out of the entire NEW 52.

Superman Issue 1;   Writing- B      Art- B

Superman Issue 2;   Writing- A      Art- A

DC NEW 52 PART DEUX...Should I stay or should I go/ Swamp Thing and BATMAN

What's good people? I tell you what's good...the surge of vitality that DC COMICS has brought to comic book shops in the past four weeks. If you are a novice and need some lessons in what being a comic book fan/ writer/ artist or all around aficionado is all about then please check this link to another article I wrote for the Examiner. Com . If you are following the current events unfolding in the comic book industry right now, you will know that DC Comics has damn near done the unthinkable and rebooted their entire universe of characters. I am so blown away by the audacity and out and out reckless abandon of this move that I had to dedicate a series of articles to this historic and balls out undertaking by a company that's always carried the unofficial title of " Your Dad's Comics." If you haven't read my reviews for Action Comics # 1 and Detective Comics # 1...have at it...http://luciushammer.blogspot.com/2011/10/dcs-new-52should-i-stay-or-should-i-go.html. SWAMP THING # 1 and 2...I am a long time Swamp Thing fan. Came across my first issue of Swampy at a garage sale and have been an off and on fan ever since. I will say that my first exposure to the shambling, monster of muck and mire was under the creative direction of comic maestros Len Wein and Berni Wrightson. Swamp Thing started out as a one off, Tales from the Crypt type story that morphed into a full blown sci-fi, gothic anti-hero soap opera that kind of borrowed elements from both Marvel's The Thing and The Incredible HULK in the tragic, monster turned hero department. Swamp Thing was a regular man trapped in a monstrously deformed figure composed of soil, vegetation and swamp muck. Of course he began his exploits as a scientist who invents a bio-restorative whatsamajigger that can resuscitate plant life. Somewhere along the way...the scientist whose name is Alec Holland runs afoul of some thug types who want the formula for themselves and their greedy boss man and the rest is history. The thugs ransack Dr. Holland's swamp laboratory, destroying it and setting him ablaze as he carries the formula to his bitter end....descending into the bowels of some forgotten bayou. Of course he rises as the Swamp Thing and lives on to battle his arch enemy and naked, creepy scientist...Arcane. He battles a creature who looks a lot like Frankenstein's Monster. Another who resembles a wolf-man like Lon Chaney Jr. and he even meets Batman. Swamp Thing was on some crazy, high concept horror shit! And it worked. Later on after it was revamped in the eighties by comic book demi-god, Alan Moore...Swamp Thing not only got much more deeper into psychological horror but became more high minded in terms of what the creature actually was. The conceit that Moore craftily and eerily alludes to in his classic run on Swamp Thing (MUST BUY READING...BOTH THE MOORE RUN and the WEIN and WRIGHTSON stuff) is that Alec Holland died as a result of the laboratory explosion and as his corpse sinks into the fetid murk of the swamp...the combination of the bio-restorative formula and the ever resilient powers of the life force present in the swamp attempt to reinvent Alec Holland and spat forth the elemental entity we all know and love as Swamp Thing. Alan Moore turned Swamp Thing into this kind of eco-connected super-hero monster that was a weird reinterpretation of man from the point of view of a plant. He even created a collection of creatures that are vaguely reminiscent of the Ents in Lord of the Rings called The Parliament of Trees. Deep heady stuff. And that brings me to my review of Swamp Thing 1 and 2. I love Alan Moore's stuff. I sincerely do. But it was Alan Moore. Only Alan Moore can be Alan Moore. The guy currently writing Swamp Thing in the NEW DC 52 is Scott Snyder and so far he strikes me as channeling the deep philosophical ideas Moore once mined for this title. But whereas Moore came off as brilliant and cerebral....Snyder seems to be trying to hard to tell an intellectual horror story. In his newly revamped take on the character...somehow Alec Holland has returned to his human form (BOOOO!) and there is a bunch of pretentious mumbling about ecosystem life webs called The Green and The Red which I must admit sound cool...but I'd much rather see Swamp Thing shambling through the swamp fighting zombies and chained to some ancient pillar in a mad scientist's castle. My point is...this stuff doesn't always have to be so overwrought and complicated. Sometimes, simple and straightforward is much better. I'm not saying that I won't eventually come to dig Scott Snyder's take on Swampy; he is a good writer who is competent and could be on his way to being great...my only thing is...borrow from Wrightson and Wein's original incarnation more than you do from Alan Moore's. Why? Because Moore is a master and we have already been down the dark psychological path with this character. Let's get back to his origins from the original guys that created the comic. In other words...Let's have some fun. Yannick Paquette is the artist on this book and his work is nothing short of brilliant. He draws a powerful, primal Swamp Thing and every page is an epic and lush representation of this new universe we are in. The art is so good that I am praying that Snyder can rise up to bring a great story to match these amazing pencils. Paquette evokes Wrightson and Alan Moore collaborator Stephen Bissette; I get goosebumps thinking of what this guy could do with Arcane and the rogues gallery of beasties that usually populate Swamp Thing comics. And that's my whole point...THIS IS A MONSTER COMIC. MAKE IT ABOUT MONSTERS. SWAMP THING ISSUE 1 WRITING: B- ART: A+ SWAMP THING ISSUE 2 WRITING: B- ART: A+ This review sends me careening into the first two slickly produced issues of Bat Man, also written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Greg Capullo. Bat Man is what I would call a full course meal as opposed to some of the other disappointing titles that leave your stomach growling and wanting for more. Scott Snyder has warmed up for his fresh run on Bat Man by writing the excellent Detective Comics run before the relaunch and then the mini-series Gates of Gotham. Snyder is obsessed it would seem with Gotham City and is determined to create a mysterious yet potential laden mythos that will provide Bat readers with generations of new stories regarding Bat Man's home turf. As a fellow writer I must admit the book is eloquently written. Snyder immediately lets us know that Bat Man is a detective and this book comes across like an action packed, hard boiled crime novel that happens to be about a costumed vigilante. There are great scenes involving the Bat Cave and bat tech; Arkham is used in issue one sparingly but beautifully to remind us we're in the House of the Bat and everything is not well. I enjoyed the new character Lincoln March...although he looks a little bit too much like Bruce Wayne so it is difficult to distinguish between the two when they are in the same scene. I also got a kick out of all the "ROBINS" getting together for a benefit that Bruce is attending. It appears to me that Snyder knows all the cool toys he has to play with in this sandbox and he knows just where to set them up for maximum entertainment value. Issue 2 was not as entertaining to me as number one but still a good read. I had some real problems following the visual action scene Capullo draws of Bat Man taking on some thugs in a helicopter while he's riding his motorcycle on the overhead train tracks of Gotham. Normally I have no problem suspending disbelief but when Bat Man defies gravity and other known laws of science...it's distracting. At the end of issue 2 he falls from the top of Wayne Tower in his civilian clothes and lands on a gargoyle outcropping...saving him from becoming street pizza....but wouldn't he have probably also been killed by landing on this stone monument without any protective body armor or anything to cushion the impact? These are things that irritate me in my own stories so I sure as hell don't let other writers get away with it. Bat Man/ Bruce Wayne is flesh and blood. Write him as such. Other than the implausibility of some scenes...Capullo is handling his business with this book. Bat Man is fun to look at and watch. There's a sly animated swagger to Capullo's pencils that give Bat Man a sort of freedom he's not had since Mcfarlane was drawing him in the eighties. The other thing I like is that Bat Man is not some huge, lumbering, steroid pumped hulk like Frank Miller or Jim Lee are fond of drawing. He looks like an athletic dude with some muscle definition...and that's how it should be. I'm digging this book so far...but don't get too

serious about making Gotham its own entity...and let's see Bat Man act more like a superhero and fight villains suited to his style of crime-fighting. Also...Bat Man is just a human being dude...if he falls off a building with no batarangs or grappling hooks...he's ass out. Sorry. BATMAN ISSUE 1 WRITING: A ART: A+ BATMAN ISSUE 2 WRITING: A- ART: A+

RAVENHAMMER HORROR LINE PREPARES TO LAUNCH PARANORMAL ACTIONER....RAVEN'S HOLLOW

Since the inception of Ravenhammer Comics...two creations have been front and center for both myself and my co-creator Christian Colbert. One of them is obviously Lucius Hammer. The other one is a horror action title called Raven's Hollow and we are pretty certain that it's completely different than anything you have ever read. Here are some notes I created during the very early creative process of Raven's Hollow and some artwork. All of the concepts and ideas here are copyrighted and property of Ravenhammer Comics. Raven’s Hollow was a northern Ohio town that was known for being a vital checkpoint in the labyrinthine network of the Underground Railroad. In 1860, a violent faction of abolitionists engaged in a fiery conflagration with slave catchers in the heart of this rustic river town. The battle in the town would have been legendary but the current administration at the time (Lincoln and Co.) sent the military and special agents to put down the insurrection and smooth out the ripples this controversial struggle may cause. Basically they covered up the incident. The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 had been violated more times than could be counted in this settlement. The slave catchers that came to Raven’s Hollow this particular time brought with them unconventional means of winning back their human chattel and destroying this major hub of the Underground Railroad. Unfortunately for those southern mercenaries, the natives of Raven’s Hollow had their own unconventional weapon that made their town special and damn near immune to violent raids and attacks. American Mythology comes into play here. My idea is, America is a pastiche of many different cultures that have brought along with them the varied legends and folklores birthed in their motherlands. What if during a power struggle for domination of a new country, the quest for freedom and forming a new government there was a mystical battle between the different cultures. A war that brought about new myths and legends, an American Mythology that was a potpourri of those commingled immigrants. The Europeans would be responsible for incorporating elements of Celtic/Teutonic Witchcraft…Freemasonry, Druids, Wiccans…etc,etc. The Africans have contributed the awesome and mysterious religion of Vodun and have basically used its magical properties to insulate them against the oppression of the slave catchers and the plantation system. The Native Americans are also involved in this struggle; the strange forces that they have set in motion are referred to as the Ghost Dance and have become a national phenomenon. So in essence we have a full scale war, a secret war, a magic war. This mystical battle comes to a head in the little town of Raven’s Hollow. Abraham Lincoln, easily our most controversial, creepy and spiritual president ever has commissioned a new department of agents nicknamed The Clergy. They are responsible for the investigation of all things paranormal that may represent a threat to the Union. This is a special concern of his, and the town of Raven’s Hollow is a hot topic in the Oval office. . Raven’s Hollow was determined to be a power spot by The Clergy. A power spot is a supernaturally charged tract of land or geography that causes interdimensional rifts and anomalous abilities in the inhabitants of that general area. After the Magic War came the Civil War and then the US government usurped the town of Raven’s Hollow for 5 years…conducting tests and examining past residents of the area. Mysteriously after the death of President Lincoln, every member of the Clergy disappeared and the closely guarded operation concerning Raven’s Hollow was eliminated. People were free to settle their once again and Lincoln’s program was regarded as self indulgent and esoteric. For more information about Raven's Hollow, stay tuned to this blog and our website...www.ravenhammercomics.com.

DC's NEW 52...Should I stay or should I go?

Last week on this blog...I, the fearless writer and creator of Lucius Hammer...tried my hand at writing honest and hard hitting reviews of the new DC Comics re-launch. My reviews I thought were insightful, thought provoking and truthful...but I was very liberal and scathing with regards to the adjectives I used when a book was supremely disappointing to me and my partner and co-host here at Ravenhammer Headquarters, Christian Colbert, sent me a nice e-mail saying that I should pull the blog post out of respect to the creators that I ravaged. His point was..."You never know if we might have to deal with these people in the future. You'd be surprised how quick things get around on the web." Well...he was right. I pulled down my passionate yet acerbic rants because I also know what it feels like to be raked over the coals of a critic. But my internal argument to this point is that bad is bad. I will hopefully never release a comic book that is knowingly garbage in my lifetime, but if this were to happen...I would want someone to tell me so that mistake would never be made again. I decided to revisit some of those DC 52 books again this week with reduced vitriol but with the same opinion and something extra that I didn't include on the last go round...HOW I WOULD RE-LAUNCH THE DC 52 including what titles I would have chosen and omitted compared to the ones they are actually publishing....so....let's try this again. Action Comics # 1 in terms of its significance is most likely the most important book in this overhaul of the very established yet stodgy DC Comics Universe. We will discuss why DC Comics is "stodgy" a little later but I must admit that going into Action # 1, I was already a bit biased. Grant Morrison is the writer of this brand new take on everyone's favorite Kryptonian and if you know me.. you know that I was insanely satisfied by his modern masterpiece of superhero literature, ALL STAR SUPERMAN and that I consider it canonical SUPERMAN text. It explains SUPERMAN in a nutshell to the unwashed masses and restores the impossible wonder that often lies dormant in SUPERMAN comics written by lesser scribes. When I first read ALL STAR SUPERMAN...I was hooked from page one. ACTION COMICS # 1 has that same jaw dropping thrill surging through it. Rags Morales is the illustrator and he is extremely competent in depicting Metropolis as a classic city going through some growing pains. This is not the pristine Metropolis of old...this is a real city or being treated like one. We get our first glimpse of Superman as he is administering some tough love justice to a banker who is taking advantage of the common man in his capacity as a trusted public figure. Superman is not happy with this cat and he demonstrates his disappointment by dangling him over the side of skyscraper balcony. I have heard many complaints from fanboys and comic shop nerds that this not their daddy's Superman. Whatever...if you are a true and die-hard Supes fan then you know in the original first issue of Action Comics, Superman was a no holds barred, pimp slapping, door busting, brawling bruiser who would pull your card in a minute. In fact the notion of Superman being an overgrown boy scout doesn't really take hold until a handful of issues later. Morrison, once again in his efforts to reflect what is so amazing about these characters and their literary DNA, resurrects the notion of SUPERMAN the SOCIAL ACTIVIST/ENFORCER. This is exciting to me because it's a seldom explored nuance of Superman's character that separates him from the others in the DC Pantheon. You have this all powerful twenty something running around a big city with a blue t-shirt, a red cape and construction boots taking the law into his own hands...this sets the tone for DC's explanation of the first superhero...and I found it very compelling. Some complaints because in the end...it's not yet as good as ALL STAR SUPERMAN...the art was uneven in places. And sometimes the younger version of Clark Kent comes across as a variant of Peter Parker. In fact ...in a lot of ways, this whole re-vamp smells like the Marvelization of DC Comics. But I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. ACTION COMICS is full of action and it delivers. Story Grade; A- Art Grade- B+ Next up is Detective Comics # 1...which is, as we all know the showcase for Batman. I am a huge Batman fan. Isn't everybody? As a kid, I was probably a bigger Spiderman and Superman fan but as I got older...Batman crept up on me. I grew up reading Denny O'neill's atmospheric, pulpy and dark Batman adventures. Neal Adams and Jim Aparo helped paint the picture of what The Dark Knight should look like during the seventies. Then something happened when I graduated from high school...Frank Miller released his graphic novel magnum opus...The Dark Knight Returns. When this happened...Batman was incontrovertibly changed forever and thus giving birth to a whole slew of misguided, overly violent, nihilistic superhero comics that have culminated in what we have here with Detective # 1. Tony Daniel is the artist and the writer, and while I applaud his efforts as a fellow creator...I can't help but point out that this book is not Batman to me. This book is tonally more at home with Red Dragon or Kiss The Girls (you know...those serial killer novels)...Batman is his usual hellbent, shadowy sentinel of Gotham..."I am the night." is something he utters throughout the course of this book and I get it...he's a bad mo fo and all that jazz but it's getting kind of tiresome. And catch phrases like "I am the night." if not paired with the right scenario or accompanied by an awe inspiring piece of art can be so terribly cliched or "nineties". The artwork was not up to par for me...Batman seems to be out of proportion in some panels...and in other he looks decent...but nothing special or ominous which is how I like my Dark Knight. The Joker in his most recent incarnation is obviously about as crazy and violent as Freddy Krueger, Jason Vorhees and Hannibal Lecter. Within the first two or three pages of the story we see him wielding a butcher knife that would make Michael Meyers blush with shame. Once again, I feel this portrayal is a bit off key and does a little bit of pandering to the recent takes on the Joker's multi-faceted persona. The Joker is a maniac; a homicidal one at that...but he is subtle and is an artisan of murder. He is not an over the top...blood soaked...corpse bludgeoning ghoul. This is how he is written in Detective # 1...a rabid, bloodthirsty beast who is wildly flailing about with a steak knife. If you like darkness and the whole grim and gritty scene just for the sake of grim and gritty...this may temporarily satisfy your appetite but as far as Batman goes...in my opinion this book is closer to Silence of the Lambs than the Caped Crusader. Story Grade; D Art Grade; D Now...the fun part! How would I have treated these same books had I been given the carte blanche to re-launch and redirect. ACTION COMICS was good but not great and I think it wasn't great because it was missing a few things. I think Rags Morales is a great pick as artist...even if he showed some really rough spots here and there in his panel work. I however might have been tempted to secure someone like Bryan Hitch...or Frank Quietly. Superman is an EPIC comic book and that epic atmosphere must permeate the art and writing. These guys hit home runs every time they step up to the plate. As far as plot changes...I believe I would have included at least one transition scene from Smallville to the Metropolis contrasting the two key locations in this hero's journey and play up the country mouse/ city mouse paradigm. I also would have waited to introduce Lex Luthor much later in the story...right now I feel like they are trying to shoe horn him in and it feels kind of awkward. To me, Lex Luthor has always been one of the greatest comic book villains right up there with The Joker and Dr. Doom. I would take the time in a re-launch and set him up as someone whom Superman despises...a guy who has no powers per se but always makes Superman lose his cool and act outside of his character which is what all good antagonists do. I didn't see much that excited me about Lois Lane or Jimmy Olsen either. Both of these characters are kind of hit or miss for me...Olsen will eventually become Superman's "pal" and Lois Lane his girlfriend...I think there could be some interesting storylines within that little triangle. I also think that Jimmy's fascination with Superman is a rational explanation for him getting involved with different aspects of the superhero community as Jack Kirby suggested years ago when he was working for DC. But this book should be about country alien boy comes to the big city...city tries to eat boy...but boy becomes Superman. That's the formula...now in addition to Lex Luthor...there's Braniac...a classic and ingenious idea...sort of a HAL 9000 in humanoid form from Krypton. There's also prisoners of the Phantom Zone. Zod, Ursa and Non? I would definitely play up the whole lost survivors of Krypton thing with Supergirl, Kandor, and Mon-El. There's so much to play with in the Superman universe it's ridiculous. As for Detective Comics...I would definitely have used Ivan Reis or Eddy Barrows for the art chores. Ivan Reis is blowing it up on Aquaman and Eddy Barrows has Nightwing looking like a classic run in the making. Right now...I feel that Batman needs a facelift. His adventures are dark and dour...most of his exploits revolve around murderers and psychopaths, and while that can be fun in an escapist sense I believe Batman needs some light and maybe more adventure and intrigue than the grim and gritty. I would love to see a well illustrated run chronicling Batman's adventures with the League of Shadows and more definitive encounters with Ra's Al Ghul as the mastermind of some overarching year long plot. Clayface and Killer Croc would also be Rogue's Gallery members I would consider for possible revamps and incorporate in more stories. Cat Woman, to me, has lost her bite in terms of being a dangerous and engaging villain for Bats. I would nix their romantic connection and perhaps make their relationship more toxic. She would definitely become Bat-Man's fatale attraction. The Joker has been all over the map...but is my favorite super-villain of all time. I would definitely take cues from Chris Nolan and Heath Ledger's Joker and turn him into that chaotic terrorist who's motivation is to promote disorder. Arkham Asylum is a great fixture in Bat Man's universe...but I would make the Joker this mysterious, uncontrollable force of nature that continues to be a pain in the ass to Batman, and to be problematic to Bat Man he has to be on the loose. He has to be threatening to the point where Gotham is constantly worried about this dude and when he's going to rear his ugly head. Last but not least...Commissioner Gordon would become a major character through which we can see the dilemma of working with Bat Man, needing Bat Man, but also being leery of him because he is a vigilante. If it were up to me I would go for a mixture of Gary Oldman's cerebral, understated Jim Gordon and the righteous, two fisted Commish from Batman Year One. Another thing I would strive for above everything else is to make Bruce Wayne as interesting as Bat Man. I am captivated by Christian Bale's portrayal of Bruce Wayne. He's got this slow burn kind of obsession thing going on that you can see right below the indifferent rich guy facade that is fascinating. I think Bruce Wayne has to be interesting for us to dig Bat Man. Anyway...that's it for now. When I review the DC New 52 again...we'll take a look at Swamp Thing and Animal Man.