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Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? And Other Batman Tales
From the fertile imaginations of Neil Gaiman (Sandman) and Alan Moore (Watchmen) come four Batman stories that delve deep into the mythos of the Dark Knight. From the award-winning, elegiac 'Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?' to the warped but poignant 'Mortal Clay', Gaiman, Moore and their artistic collaborators - among them Andy Kubert (Flashpoint), Simon Bisley (Lobo), and Mark Buckingham (Fables) - explore themes as diverse as life, death, dreams, identity and obsession.
With a bonus feature examining Gaiman and Moore's relationships with Batman, plus an afterword by Gaiman, this volume brings together some of the best Batman stories from across three decades, written by two of comics' modern masters.
COLLECTS 'WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE CAPED CRUSADER?' FROM BATMAN #686 AND DECTECTIVE COMICS #853; 'A BLACK AND WHITE WORLD' FROM BATMAN: BLACK AND WHITE #2; 'PAVANE' FROM SECRET ORIGINS #36; SECRET ORIGINS SPECIAL #1; 'MORTAL CLAY' FROM BATMAN ANUAL #11.
*ISSN: 2634-0143 - DC Heroes & Villains Collection*
With a bonus feature examining Gaiman and Moore's relationships with Batman, plus an afterword by Gaiman, this volume brings together some of the best Batman stories from across three decades, written by two of comics' modern masters.
COLLECTS 'WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE CAPED CRUSADER?' FROM BATMAN #686 AND DECTECTIVE COMICS #853; 'A BLACK AND WHITE WORLD' FROM BATMAN: BLACK AND WHITE #2; 'PAVANE' FROM SECRET ORIGINS #36; SECRET ORIGINS SPECIAL #1; 'MORTAL CLAY' FROM BATMAN ANUAL #11.
*ISSN: 2634-0143 - DC Heroes & Villains Collection*
184 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 1, 2023
Tom 5 serii "Bohaterowie i Złoczyńcy" to powrót do postaci Batmana, głównie pod okiem Neila Gaimana. Większość opowiadań została stworzona właśnie przez wyżej wspomnianego autora, a pod koniec pojawiają się dodatkowo trzej inni scenarzyści.
Pierwsze opowiadanie związane z pogrzebem było bardzo zaskakujące i zakończyłam je z takim "woow", bo nie spodziewałam się, że całość zostanie tak wywinięta na drugą stronę. Jednak już następne opowiadania były w porządku, ale nic poza tym. Automatycznie zaczęłam porównywać ten tom do poprzedniego o Batmanie i przyznaję, że tamten bardziej przypadł mi do gustu niż obecny. "Gotham to ja" oceniłam wtedy na trzy gwiazdki, a ten tom ocenię podobnie. Pierwsze opowiadanie to taka perełka, która da to 2 + 0,5 więcej, tym samym podnosząc ocenę całości.
Brnę dalej w tę serię komiksów i jestem ciekawa czy w pewnym momencie powiem pas czy jednak dotrwam do końca. Jak wypożyczę kolejny, szósty, tom to przekonam się co będzie dalej i tym razem na jakiego bohatera natrafię.
Pierwsze opowiadanie związane z pogrzebem było bardzo zaskakujące i zakończyłam je z takim "woow", bo nie spodziewałam się, że całość zostanie tak wywinięta na drugą stronę. Jednak już następne opowiadania były w porządku, ale nic poza tym. Automatycznie zaczęłam porównywać ten tom do poprzedniego o Batmanie i przyznaję, że tamten bardziej przypadł mi do gustu niż obecny. "Gotham to ja" oceniłam wtedy na trzy gwiazdki, a ten tom ocenię podobnie. Pierwsze opowiadanie to taka perełka, która da to 2 + 0,5 więcej, tym samym podnosząc ocenę całości.
Brnę dalej w tę serię komiksów i jestem ciekawa czy w pewnym momencie powiem pas czy jednak dotrwam do końca. Jak wypożyczę kolejny, szósty, tom to przekonam się co będzie dalej i tym razem na jakiego bohatera natrafię.
February 9, 2021
Great start to a new collection (the first one though numbered 62 as these types of things are always released that way). Had not read any of the comics inside this other than the Batman B&W issue from Neil Gaiman. Anything from Neil Gaiman is worth reading once & reading again (& again) so no complaints there. They were all entertaining stories. All stand-alone also.
March 22, 2021
Whew....those last few pages......
February 16, 2021
I have an avowed distaste for superheroes in general (which confounds a lot of people when I tell them I love comics), but if I have a go-to in the capes-and-tights crowd it is definitely Batman. It may have something to do with his harsh backstory, the fact that he has no superpowers or even his utterly fantastic rogue's gallery, but he is the one superhero I return to over and over.
Add to all that the presence here of less-reprinted stories from Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore, and this is a natural collection to get my attention. The cornerstone titular story ran in a couple issues of the Batman comics and is by Gaiman. It is meant to be his last word on the character, and comes in the form of a funeral service for the Dark Knight, with villains and cohorts in attendance. This story came well after Gaiman's comics heyday in the 90s, and the writing is not as strong as him at his best. It's a nice story, but not the powerhouse that Moore's earlier similarly titled Superman piece was.
Gaiman's other work here includes a one-shot Poison Ivy story (included more for the Gaiman than for the Batman), his comedic piece with Simon Bisley from 'Batman: Black and White,' and his work in the Secret Origins Special (presented herein in its entirety, with other stories by Alan Grant and Mark Verheiden ). These other pieces are all from the midst of his heavier period in comics, and better than the title piece though still not great.
Oddly enough, the most striking story in here seems included as an afterthought: Moore's 'Mortal Clay,' featuring the less-loved Preston Payne Clayface in a tale of obsessive...love? Again, Batman is nearly peripheral to the story, but its inclusion as the final story here really makes this collection.
This is a serviceable collection of entertaining Batman (et al.) stories, but nothing the casual comics reader can't do without.
This hardcover Eaglemoss edition adds a brief introduction, creator biographies, original covers (plus an alternate) for the issues (sometimes sans titles), a brief essay by Nick Jones about Moore's and Gaiman's places in Batman history as well as each other's, and an afterword by Neil Gaiman (I think included with the original publication of the second half of the title story) which includes pencil sketches from Kubert. It has endsheets in black and blue from the Gaiman/Bisley story.
Add to all that the presence here of less-reprinted stories from Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore, and this is a natural collection to get my attention. The cornerstone titular story ran in a couple issues of the Batman comics and is by Gaiman. It is meant to be his last word on the character, and comes in the form of a funeral service for the Dark Knight, with villains and cohorts in attendance. This story came well after Gaiman's comics heyday in the 90s, and the writing is not as strong as him at his best. It's a nice story, but not the powerhouse that Moore's earlier similarly titled Superman piece was.
Gaiman's other work here includes a one-shot Poison Ivy story (included more for the Gaiman than for the Batman), his comedic piece with Simon Bisley from 'Batman: Black and White,' and his work in the Secret Origins Special (presented herein in its entirety, with other stories by Alan Grant and Mark Verheiden ). These other pieces are all from the midst of his heavier period in comics, and better than the title piece though still not great.
Oddly enough, the most striking story in here seems included as an afterthought: Moore's 'Mortal Clay,' featuring the less-loved Preston Payne Clayface in a tale of obsessive...love? Again, Batman is nearly peripheral to the story, but its inclusion as the final story here really makes this collection.
This is a serviceable collection of entertaining Batman (et al.) stories, but nothing the casual comics reader can't do without.
This hardcover Eaglemoss edition adds a brief introduction, creator biographies, original covers (plus an alternate) for the issues (sometimes sans titles), a brief essay by Nick Jones about Moore's and Gaiman's places in Batman history as well as each other's, and an afterword by Neil Gaiman (I think included with the original publication of the second half of the title story) which includes pencil sketches from Kubert. It has endsheets in black and blue from the Gaiman/Bisley story.
September 7, 2022
This collection of published material collects “some of the best Batman stories from across three decades” “that delve deep into the mythos of the Dark Knight.” The collected materials are:
The collection focuses on Neil Gaiman written stories with the one Alan Moore story (Mortal Clay) also thrown in, as well as the entire Secret Origins Special which Neil Gaiman only wrote part of.
For me this is all a bit of an introduction to the Batman stories having not read any before, and I enjoyed them very much. To start we have an end, the death of Batman in “Whatever happened to the caped crusader?” because “in 2009, DC Comics killed Batman… kind of”. I loved the story, how all the heroes and villains arrive for the funeral and how they all tell their separate stories of how Batman died. “They are telling each other stories about me. Poison Ivy. Commissioner Gordon. Kirk Langstrom. Each of them tells the story of a different life, a different death.”
The second story, “a black and white world” was great too, where Batman and Joker are portrayed (in black and white) “as actors in their own story”, like all the comic stories that had gone before had just been one big lie, one big act, and once the comic is drawn all they do is go home to their wives and families.
Then the secret origins stories, including “Pavane”, highlight some of the villains and how they started on their path to evil. These stories show how much the villains are a part of the Batman story, as much the man himself. “Batman and Robin were part of the fun – they were the straight men, but we [the villains] were the stars.”
Finally “Mortal Clay”, the Alan Moore story, is a more disturbing story perhaps, about Clayface and an obsession.
Overall I loved it. The stories are well-written and well-drawn.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🦇
* Introductions and creator bios
* “Whatever happened to the caped crusader?” from Batman #686 (April 2009) and Detective Comics #853 (June 2009)
* “A black and white world” from Batman: Black and White #2 (July 1996)
* “Pavane” from Secret Origins #36 (January 1989)
* The entire Secret Origins Special (October 1989)
* “Mortal Clay” from Batman Annual #11 (July 1987)
* Caped Crusaders (an essay on “Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore and Batman”)
* Afterword by Neil Gaiman (his original introduction to “Whatever happened to the caped crusader?”)
The collection focuses on Neil Gaiman written stories with the one Alan Moore story (Mortal Clay) also thrown in, as well as the entire Secret Origins Special which Neil Gaiman only wrote part of.
For me this is all a bit of an introduction to the Batman stories having not read any before, and I enjoyed them very much. To start we have an end, the death of Batman in “Whatever happened to the caped crusader?” because “in 2009, DC Comics killed Batman… kind of”. I loved the story, how all the heroes and villains arrive for the funeral and how they all tell their separate stories of how Batman died. “They are telling each other stories about me. Poison Ivy. Commissioner Gordon. Kirk Langstrom. Each of them tells the story of a different life, a different death.”
The second story, “a black and white world” was great too, where Batman and Joker are portrayed (in black and white) “as actors in their own story”, like all the comic stories that had gone before had just been one big lie, one big act, and once the comic is drawn all they do is go home to their wives and families.
Then the secret origins stories, including “Pavane”, highlight some of the villains and how they started on their path to evil. These stories show how much the villains are a part of the Batman story, as much the man himself. “Batman and Robin were part of the fun – they were the straight men, but we [the villains] were the stars.”
Finally “Mortal Clay”, the Alan Moore story, is a more disturbing story perhaps, about Clayface and an obsession.
Overall I loved it. The stories are well-written and well-drawn.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🦇
August 13, 2023
Part of the DC Heroes & Villains Collection, this is a collection of stories from some of the most influential comics writers, exploring the psychology of some of his greatest enemies as well as looking at the nature of Batman stories themselves.
I'd actually read most of what's on offer here before but it was nevertheless nice to revisit some of these stories, particularly those by Neil Gaiman (my favourite author, in case I hadn't mentioned it). Far more than having a plot, these are stories about the characters themselves and, in a very meta way, about how Batman stories have been told and where they fit into our culture.
If you're looking for a Batman book which just follows him beating up thugs and foiling a supervillain, this definitely isn't it. Gaiman's titular 'Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader?' in particular is a meditation on Batman more than anything else.
We also get some villains explored in a nice way too, with a media film crew doing a documentary in Gotham about supervillains who they barely even believe in. Here we get some interesting new takes on familiar faces like Penguin, Two-Face and Riddler.
The latter (once again by Gaiman) is particularly good in that it explores how the character reacts in-universe to the changing tone of Batman stories in the real world from the campy fun of the 50s and 60s to the grittier tales of the 70s and 80s; "No one ever really hurt anybody. Not really. Nobody died. You look around these days - it's all different. It's all changed. The Joker's killing people for God's sake! Did I miss something? Was I away when they changed the rules?".
Alan Moore's story was the only one here that was completely new to me and was therefore the highlight of the book. Here we get a story focusing on Clayface III (Preston Payne - the one whose body is corrosive goo and has to wear a containment suit), a much more tragic character than the more familiar incarnations of the villain. It's the story of his deranged love affair with a shop mannequin and how his paranoid mind interprets her silences, the way she stares away from him and the day he finds her in her underwear in the lingerie department.
It's a (predictably) brilliantly told story and highlights that even though Clayface is a murderous lunatic, even he has the capacity for great love and the painful tragedy that often goes hand in hand.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
I'd actually read most of what's on offer here before but it was nevertheless nice to revisit some of these stories, particularly those by Neil Gaiman (my favourite author, in case I hadn't mentioned it). Far more than having a plot, these are stories about the characters themselves and, in a very meta way, about how Batman stories have been told and where they fit into our culture.
If you're looking for a Batman book which just follows him beating up thugs and foiling a supervillain, this definitely isn't it. Gaiman's titular 'Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader?' in particular is a meditation on Batman more than anything else.
We also get some villains explored in a nice way too, with a media film crew doing a documentary in Gotham about supervillains who they barely even believe in. Here we get some interesting new takes on familiar faces like Penguin, Two-Face and Riddler.
The latter (once again by Gaiman) is particularly good in that it explores how the character reacts in-universe to the changing tone of Batman stories in the real world from the campy fun of the 50s and 60s to the grittier tales of the 70s and 80s; "No one ever really hurt anybody. Not really. Nobody died. You look around these days - it's all different. It's all changed. The Joker's killing people for God's sake! Did I miss something? Was I away when they changed the rules?".
Alan Moore's story was the only one here that was completely new to me and was therefore the highlight of the book. Here we get a story focusing on Clayface III (Preston Payne - the one whose body is corrosive goo and has to wear a containment suit), a much more tragic character than the more familiar incarnations of the villain. It's the story of his deranged love affair with a shop mannequin and how his paranoid mind interprets her silences, the way she stares away from him and the day he finds her in her underwear in the lingerie department.
It's a (predictably) brilliantly told story and highlights that even though Clayface is a murderous lunatic, even he has the capacity for great love and the painful tragedy that often goes hand in hand.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
March 25, 2021
Whatever Happened to the Caped crusader? And Other Batman Tales collects the stories 'Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?', 'A Black and White World', 'Pavane', Secret Origins Special #1, and 'Mortal Clay', all by various authors. The book starts off with a bang by presenting the title story which takes place at Batman's funeral. I'd seen panels of this before but never the full story, and it is a really interesting one as Batman finds himself watching his own funeral. It was different from the traditional Batman story and, unsurprisingly, a product of Neil Gaiman's imagination. 'A Black and White World', which presents Batman and the Joker as stars of their own series with a look behind the scenes as they read their scripts and wait to shoot their scenes, had a similar theme of breaking the fourth wall. These two worked really well together. However, after that, the stories went a little downhill. Pavane, a Poison Ivy story, seemed to come out of nowhere and was very typical of that character. Next came the Secret Origins Special, which has a fun concept, but it did not work as part of this collection and the only interesting part to me was the final few panels. This is quite a long section as there are at least three stories within the issue, and it halted the pacing of the collection. The final story, 'Mortal Clay' finally fed into the themes explored at the start of the collection, but by that point, I was just bored by the book as a whole. When you publish stories as a collection they really should connect in some way, but this feels like they had spaces to fill so they filled them with whatever they could get their hands on. As separate stories, it's perfectly fine, with the title story as the shining star, but as a collection, it did not work for me.
August 22, 2021
There are no words to describe how much I love Batman as a character, as a concept, as my very first crush when I was three or four years old.
...And then there is Neil Gaiman
Slowly I'm working my way through all of his books, seriously, Good Omens, Coraline, the freaking SANDMAN (AHHH there's going to be a Netflix adaptation, counting down the days) The Graveyard Book - seriously his talent (and narrations skills) are unparalleled.
...And this was a mix of both loves.
I immensely enjoyed reading this collection of Batman comics. Seriously if this is an indication of the DC Heroes & Villains Collection I will be absolutely delighted to have them in my home library.
...And then there is Neil Gaiman
Slowly I'm working my way through all of his books, seriously, Good Omens, Coraline, the freaking SANDMAN (AHHH there's going to be a Netflix adaptation, counting down the days) The Graveyard Book - seriously his talent (and narrations skills) are unparalleled.
...And this was a mix of both loves.
I immensely enjoyed reading this collection of Batman comics. Seriously if this is an indication of the DC Heroes & Villains Collection I will be absolutely delighted to have them in my home library.
April 16, 2021
Some good tales mostly by Gaiman with the title arc in which we look on a somber funeral of Batman and several people get up to speak about the man and what happened all while Batman himself seems to be looking on and trying to work out if he truly is gone.
Also we have a showcase of villain stories linked by a film crew wanting to document their stories
But my fave is the black and white shirt in which Batman and Joker are portrayed as characters of themselves rehearsing whilst waiting for their comic scenes.
Also we have a showcase of villain stories linked by a film crew wanting to document their stories
But my fave is the black and white shirt in which Batman and Joker are portrayed as characters of themselves rehearsing whilst waiting for their comic scenes.
February 19, 2021
A fantastic introduction to DC. I now feel like I have lived under a rock for the past 35 years. The stories are thought provoking in a way I did not expect from Batman Comics. A brilliant start to a collection!
March 23, 2021
i liked this book because its about dc\batman and i really like the way they have added different stories into one big book and on each one the amazing artistry.I would recommend this book because its such a fun read and puts a spin on batman.
September 20, 2021
A collection of short stories that plays as a love letter to the Dark Knight and the potential within his stories. As with all short story collections, some are better than others, but I was thoroughly entertained by this book. You can really feel Gaiman's love for Batman.
March 5, 2021
Brilliant read. A nice collection of different stories and artwork.
It’s nice to see how artwork has changed over the years and it’s put together in a nice book.
Good job!
It’s nice to see how artwork has changed over the years and it’s put together in a nice book.
Good job!
August 28, 2021
Gaiman's story was well worth a much higher rating. Unfortunately as with many of these collections the shorter tales at the end of the book were rather disappointing.
November 2, 2021
The Batman ending story by Gaiman shines, but rest of the issues feels rather boring.
April 23, 2022
Quality varies, but I enjoyed myself enough
March 10, 2021
First issue of the DC Heroes and Villains series, and it's the mighty Batman! My fave superhero since childhood. It's been a very long time since I've read a Batman graphic novel and I loved each story. Superb art and story telling within its pages. I subscribed to the collection after seeing just how good the first book was. Excellent!
November 24, 2019
Sans aucun doute le meilleur comics de Batman que j'ai lu à ce jour !
Ce récit signé par l'excellent Neil Gaiman offre une fin parfaite à Batman. La narration est soignée, avec une idée très originale, et un mix très équilibré entre la noirceur qu'on aime dans cet univers et la tendresse que les fans éprouvent pour ce personnage. Neil Gaiman a tout compris à Batman. En tout cas je retrouve dans cet album toutes les choses qui m'ont fait aimer ce personnage au départ. C'est une bonne histoire en plus d'être un bel hommage.
Ce récit signé par l'excellent Neil Gaiman offre une fin parfaite à Batman. La narration est soignée, avec une idée très originale, et un mix très équilibré entre la noirceur qu'on aime dans cet univers et la tendresse que les fans éprouvent pour ce personnage. Neil Gaiman a tout compris à Batman. En tout cas je retrouve dans cet album toutes les choses qui m'ont fait aimer ce personnage au départ. C'est une bonne histoire en plus d'être un bel hommage.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews