Author Archives: I.M. Baytor

Why Commissioner Gordon hates Mondays

Posted on March 27, 2017 by I.M. Baytor

The Phantom Stranger (v3) #1 Robin (v4) #8 Batman #443 Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special: Choices Batman #456 Batman #434 Bane NEXT: An iconic Batman artist.

Bernie Wrightson (1948-2017)

Posted on March 22, 2017 by I.M. Baytor

John Trumbull said it all. Hidden Treasures

Posted in ART OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Bernie Wrightson, horror | 2 Comments

Batman collections for casual readers

Posted on March 17, 2017 by I.M. Baytor

You know who Batman is. At least the gist of it. You’ve seen him in books or in films or on television, hopefully at his best. Probably, you’re even familiar with some of his supporting cast and rogues gallery, not … Continue reading →

Posted in BATMAN COMICS FOR BEGINNERS | Tagged Alan Grant, Archie Goodwin, Bob Haney, Brian Apthorp, Carlo Berberi, Carmine Infantino, Cary Bates, Chuck Dixon, Curt Swan, Dan Jurgens, David V. Reed, Denny O'Neil, Doug Moench, Eric Jones, Gardner Fox, Gerry Conway, J. Bone, J. Torres, Jack Abel, Jerry Serpe, Jim Aparo, Joe Giela, John Calnan, Kieron Dwyer, Landry Q. Walker, Len Wein, Linda Medley, Marshall Rogers, Mike Sekowsky, Neal Adams, Norm Breyfogle, Rich Buckler, Richmond Lewis, Stan Woch, Steve Englehart, Terry Austin, Tex Blaisdell, Tim Sale | 7 Comments

Classic hardboiled crime novels

Posted on March 9, 2017 by I.M. Baytor

If, like me, you dig pretty much everything noirish (even if it’s a highly derivative mash-up of familiar tropes, a weirdly pretentious cheapie about an incompetent hitman, a sleazy erotic thriller with contradictory gender politics, or a mystical, sluggishly paced … Continue reading →

Posted in HARDBOILED CRIME | Tagged books without pictures, noir | Leave a comment

12 trippy Batman covers

Posted on March 2, 2017 by I.M. Baytor

I’ve often pointed out in this blog that, during the Silver Age, many Batman covers achieved a level of psychedelia akin to a bad acid trip. However, this phenomenon isn’t exclusive to the 1950s and 1960s… Here are a dozen … Continue reading →

Posted in COVERS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Alex Ross, Alex Sinclair, Chris Burnham, covers, Dustin Nguyen, Ed Hannigan, Frank Quitely, Guillem March, Karl Kesel, Kelley Jones, Klaus Janson, Laura Allred, Michael Allred, Norm Breyfogle, Rich Buckler, Will Simpson | 1 Comment

Bruce Wayne, disco party animal

Posted on February 22, 2017 by I.M. Baytor

Chris McKay’s The Lego Batman Movie may be a genuinely funny absurdist comedy, an inventive visual delight with spot-on voice acting, a postmodern, good-natured spoof of superhero blockbusters as well as, at the same time, an action-packed mega-crossover adventure yarn … Continue reading →

Posted in GOTHAM CITIZENS | Tagged Batman's personality, movies | Leave a comment

Doug Moench’s over-the-top Batman

Posted on February 14, 2017 by I.M. Baytor

After an (unfortunately still) underappreciated run in Batman and Detective Comics in the mid-1980s, Doug Moench took a break for about five years before returning to Gotham City with a new attitude. If his earlier work had an emphasis on … Continue reading →

Posted in WRITERS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Dan Brown, Denny O'Neil, Doug Moench, espionage, Grant Morrison, horror, J.H. Williams III, John Beatty, Kelley Jones, Mick Gray, politics, Russ Heath | 1 Comment

Between Gotham City and Casablanca

Posted on February 7, 2017 by I.M. Baytor

I’m pretty sure I’m not breaking any new ground by stating that Casablanca is one of the most enjoyable films ever made. This 1942 classic about heartbreak and antifascism in a French colony bursting with contraband and political intrigue manages … Continue reading →

Posted in WEBS OF FICTION | Tagged Adrienne Roy, Al Vey, Bill Pearson, Casablanca, Chuck Dixon, Don Newton, espionage, Graham Nolan, Greg Rosewall, Howard Porter, Julianna Ferriter, Kelley Puckett, Mark Stegbauer, Martin Pasko, Mike Parobeck, movies, noir, Paul Kupperberg, Rick Burchett, Rick Magyar, Rick Taylor, Scott Hanna, Steve Erwin, Tatjana Wood, Tod Smith, Tom Yeates, World War II | Leave a comment

Have a Gotham 2017

Posted on January 1, 2017 by I.M. Baytor

Batman #247

Posted in GOTHAM INTERLUDES | Tagged Denny O'Neil, Dick Giordano, New Year | Leave a comment

Taking a break… (December 2016)

Posted on December 27, 2016 by I.M. Baytor

Vigilante #47

Posted in GOTHAM INTERLUDES | Tagged Albert T. DeGuzman, Liz Berube, Paul Kupperberg, Rick Burchett, Tod Smith | Leave a comment