Two books released this week were utter 5 and 3 powerhouses. “Batman Black and White” issue 5 and “Detective Comics” issue 27 are Batman anthology comics. “Detective Comics” 27 has a main story by John Layman and Jason Fabok but most of the issue is a series of short stories. That means that this week was full of all-star Bat stories from all-star creators. In honor of Batman’s 75 years, and because there were so many great moments for The Batman this week in comics, here is a special Batman only 5 and 3! To change things up a bit though, I’ve picked 3 great covers and 5 moments from Bat family DC Comics.
First up is the stellar cover to “Detective Comics” #27 by Greg Capullo. The special oversized edition for $7.99 had plenty of Variant covers that were amazing representations of The Batman, but Greg’s work is my favorite of the bunch. Maybe it’s his history with comics, or his recent history with the character, but I think Capullo sets the perfect tone for Batman stories.
Darwyn Cooke is the artist I wish would draw every one of my comics. I know the reaction this will get because his style feels so classical; but, his finish is modern and it makes everything he draws uniquely Darwyn. There isn’t another artist like him currently working in comics. When he draws a book or a cover that’s outside of the box comics fans would like to put him in, the result is a real treat.
The last cover I chose this week was, to me, an obvious pick. Joshua Middleton’s cover to “Batman Black and White” issue 5 is a perfect reason to put Batman in contrast. The Dark Knight lives in the shadow with the creatures that are his name sake. Their form gives him form. That form of his is the one that lives as fear inside the hearts of criminals everywhere.
For the best Batman moments I tried to pick a few things outside of the Anthologies but the strength of the creators behind them was almost too much for the other Bat family books to cope with. In that spirit, let’s kick things off with a panel from “Batwoman” issue 27.
In this panel, Kate Kane’s familial connection to Bruce is as evident as Batwoman’s connection to Batman. They both leave a mess and don’t stop until only the good guys are left standing.
Javier Pulido’s Batman tale in “Batman Black and White” issue 5 was called “Cat and Mouse”. The story was great but the reason these panels made this special 5 and 3 is because of the way he placed the credits throughout the bar. My favorite is the bottle that looks like Hendricks Gin but is instead some editor called Mark Chiarello.
Scott Snyder is the mind behind the current run on Batman. Alongside Greg Capullo he has created stories that are already classics in Batman lore. Joining him on the short story “Twenty Seven” inside “Detective Comics” #27 is his partner on “The Wake”, Sean Murphy. In this set of panels we get a look at what’s in store for Batman this year with a future one armed Bruce Wayne that looks like a Samurai. He clearly has more experience than the next Batman of this odd future rumored to be canon.
In this panel I let the image speak for itself. Paulo Rivera’s pencils are pencils I have sorely missed. Having his dad’s inks over the top are only icing on the cake.
The last one for this special Batman 75 anniversary edition of 5 and 3 is a happy birthday to Bruce Wane, Commissioner Gordon and all the rest of the Bat family. Ian Bertram drew Peter J. Tomasi’s short story full of flavor with looks towards classic books like “The Dark Knight Returns”. Here Bertram’s aging bat family surrounds the patriarch and his butler as they cut the cake with a Batarang.
Thank you for tuning into this special edition of 5 and 3 in celebration of 75 years of The Batman. For more 5 and 3, check out the weekly column over here. Also, let me know about what you thought of this week’s Batman moments in the comments below or on Twitter. You can find me there @MarkAvo.