Yarr, ye scavernous bilgerats.  Buckle yer swash and hoist the mainsail, prepare to weigh anchor and set course for adventure as All-Star Batman draws to a close. If you have any doubts about Snyder's sincerity with the pirate motif, just know that the very first page sees an airplane take off from a landmass with…

So the credits appear on the last page of the story, and while the image isn't a spoiler in itself, it might ruin the punchline that's set up.  Click the tags at your discretion. When we last left Batman and Alfred Pennyworth, they were caught inside a crumbling building.  Despite their best efforts (and some…

All-Star Batman can get ridiculous, often to its benefit, occasionally to its detriment.  There's a real sense of zaniness to the book that makes it really enjoyable to read, and you get the feeling that Scott Snyder's having a blast working without a net.  Usually, that translates to the page, and that's generally the case…

Let's talk about Alfred referring to Bruce as his "son."  Fitting, as it's literally the very first line of dialogue here.  I've seen a lot of complaints about it, saying that it's too one the nose and a case of bludgeoning the reader over the read with a point to drive it home.  I can…

Alfred Pennyworth.  He's the trusted confidante, the father figure we all look up to, and the dear and loving friend that Batman needs.  It almost comes as a shock when you remember that Alfred hasn't been part of the Batman story from the very beginning, debuting a full four years after Batman, but it's near…

And so Batman has encountered the ends of the earth.  Not the locations, though; the actual events that would lead to the world's end. A world that ends in disaster. A world that ends in sickness. A world that ends in materialism. None of these endings will do, though.  The only ending that fits, the…

Think of the last great Mad Hatter story you read.  When you do, let me know what it is. I don't say that to be snide, I'm genuinely curious what the great Jervis Tetch stories are.  Right now, I'm drawing a blank.  When I think of a good Hatter story, I think of "Perchance to…

Poison Ivy is an interesting character.  She's also likely an incredibly difficult character to write, because so many of her traits require a tricky balancing act: she's a sensual character, which can easily be presented as lewdly sexual; she's an ecologist, too often being depicted as simply an eco-terrorist; and she loves plant life, often…

A lone, dark figure begins to come into view, still largely shrouded by the thick snow. The blistering winds whip a long, black cape back and forth.  The frigid temperature, which is no doubt well below zero, likely feels even colder. This is not a place for man, this cold, dead place. Yet a man…

My relationship with this arc has been rather... strange.  Even though there were aspects of Scott Snyder's writing on Batman that I wasn't a huge fan of, I was still greatly looking forward to see what he would do with the character when he didn't have as much pressure on him.  As such, I was…

Let's talk about that cover for a second.  I mean, how great is it?  Say what you will about Romita's style (believe me, I have some things to say later), but that image definitely grabs your attention.  It's like those old Golden and Silver Age covers that had a million things going on that were…

Batman and Two-Face edge ever closer to their destination in All-Star Batman #3, while a deeper history between the two is revealed.  After the zig-zagging narrative and outright zaniness of the first two issues, it's nice to have a little breather. That's just what this issue is: it's slow.  It's pretty straightforward.  It's even a…

We're one month in with 288 miles to go, and I can confidently say that All-Star Batman is picking up steam. Last month's issue left me underwhelmed, as I found it to be a great concept that was dragged down by pacing issues and some questionable storytelling.  Some of those issues remain, but by and…

Writing a single character for over fifty issues is no small achievement.  In a time where a comic is lucky if it even makes it to fifty issues, seeing a mostly consistent creative time over that time is an even rarer occurrence.  From its inception in 2011 up until the recent Rebirth one-shot, Scott Snyder…