Chaotek Thoughts

I’ve never been a DC comics fan, and have primarily been drawn towards the traditional Marvel Knights. Last year I read the Batman War Games trade paperbacks and became interested in the Batman family. This was good timing, as the death of Batman gave me an opportunity to start fresh with the Batman Reborn line of comics. Since I have very little exposure to Batman’s universe, this gave me an opportunity to start reading the comics without the overhead of decades of lore.

The two Batman titled comics I am reading are Batman and Batman & Robin. The main stories in both leave something to be desired, especially in Batman & Robin. While I don’t really like the plot in the comics, it’s the side-plots that I really like. The  relationships between the Batman family are what attracts me, as you now have a happier Batman and a dark Robin. Damien is hilarious, even though that is not the character’s intent. I especially loved the crossover of Robin in the Batgirl comic.

By far, my favorite comic in the line (and perhaps favorite comic overall right now) is Batgirl. I liked Stephanie Brown as Robin, and it was a shame that her stint as Robin was just used as a premise to kick off the War Games story. So it’s good to see her in a new comic as Batgirl. The comic is still dark, but at the same time is very witty and fun. In many ways, she reminds me of Spiderman, where nothing seems to go her way but she is able to push through anyways. Especially good is the relationship between Batgirl, Oracle, Batman and Robin; where she is very much treated the outcast but she manages to keep mostly upbeat about it.

I hope that when Bruce Wayne shows back up to be Batman once again, Stephanie doesn’t get sidelined again.