Jimmy Attempts To Read All Of Secret Wars 53 (What Year Is It? Edition)

Most alternate realities that make up the multiverse at both Marvel and DC Comics are variations on a theme.  There are some completely originally universes, but most are inhabited by Elseworlds and What If? stories that take our familiar heroes and villains and apply a twist.  Maybe the hero and villain have changed roles.  Or our hero was raised in Russia instead of on a farm in the middle of the US.

A common twist is to time displace characters.  For example, what if Batman was around in the days of Jack The Ripper?  In 2003, writer Neil Gaiman transplanted the Marvel Universe to the Elizabethan Era in the hit 1602.  Not surprisingly, a domain of Battleworld gets dedicated to this time period in 1602 Witch Hunger Angela.  Unfortunately, while the original series was a huge success, this Secret Wars version is quite poor.  But to fulfill my contract here at Gabbing Geek, I still need to cover the last two issues after the break.

In much the same vein, the Secret Wars series 1872 takes the Marvel Universe and places it in the old West.  So after the break I’ll also be cluing up the final 3 issues of that series…for better or worse.  (For worse if you ask Ryan.)

The New Batman: A (Mostly) Spoiler Free First Impression Of Batman #41

While DC Free Comic Book Day offering Divergence actually gave us our first taste of the new Batman, this weeks Batman #41 gives us the first full blown appearance.  As I’ve mentioned on the site and in the Gabbing Geek editorial meetings, I’m very skeptical about the direction that DC is headed.  I don’t care how much you want to try to humanize him, putting Superman in a t-shirt and jeans is just dumb.  Granted, some might be fine with that, or the new “Canon over continuity” approach DC is taking with their books.  But I’ve mostly heard negative press about the new Robobat, Chappie-bat, Batman.

I’ll admit, if it wasn’t for writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo, Batman would be another in a long list of DC books that I won’t be picking up post-Convergence.  But the duo has been rocking since the New 52 launched.  And Snyder has been one of my favorite writers since his excellent “Black Mirror” run on Detective Comics just prior to the New 52.  It features Dick Grayson as Batman and is well worth tracking down the trade paperback.

But back to this issue, after the break, my initial thoughts on this new approach to my second favorite character ever.  (Very minor spoilers inside.)