Author Archives: I.M. Baytor

10 villainous covers with Batman’s reflection

Posted on January 26, 2016 by I.M. Baytor

A year ago, when I did a couple of posts about covers where it looks like Batman is about to get shot, I spotlighted a few cool ones that worked the Dark Knight’s reflection into close-ups of his villains… Besides … Continue reading →

Posted in COVERS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged covers | Leave a comment

6 villains you definitely won’t find in Batman v Superman

Posted on January 19, 2016 by I.M. Baytor

This is Gotham Calling’s 100th post, so I’m celebrating by focusing on one of my favorite aspects of Batman lore, namely the unbelievable amount of obscure, silly villains the Caped Crusader has faced over the years. In Gotham City, it … Continue reading →

Posted in GOTHAM CITIZENS | Tagged Bill Finger, Carmine Infantino, Charles Paris, David Vern, Denny O'Neil, Dick Giordano, Eric Jones, Gardner Fox, Joe Giella, Landry Q. Walker, Michael Gilbert, Neal Adams, Sheldon Moldoff, villains | Leave a comment

Comics for Tarantino fans – part 2

Posted on January 12, 2016 by I.M. Baytor

If you read the last post, you know what’s going on. Here are more comic suggestions for fans of Quentin Tarantino’s films: After the subdued crime drama Jackie Brown, Tarantino abandoned all pretenses of realism and embarked on … Continue reading →

Posted in WEBS OF FICTION | Tagged Chuck Dixon, espionage, Esteve Polls, Fabien Vehlmann, Frank Miller, Geof Darrow, Giulia Brusco, Grant Morrison, Jack Kirby, Kathryn Immonen, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Kyle Baker, Lee Loughridge, Matt Wagner, movies, Quentin Tarantino, R.M. Guéra, Rafael Grampá, Rick Remender, Sean Phillips, Sergio Cariello, Stuart Immonen, Valentine de Landro, Wesley Craig, western, World War II | Leave a comment

Comics for Tarantino fans – part 1

Posted on January 5, 2016 by I.M. Baytor

Hitman #1 It makes sense that Garth Ennis chose to put this amusing riff on Reservoir Dogs’ opening lines in the very first issue of Hitman. Ennis shares with Quentin Tarantino a penchant for dark humor, graphic dismemberment, and lengthy … Continue reading →

Posted in WEBS OF FICTION | Tagged Brian Michael Bendis, Brüno, Darwyn Cooke, David Lapham, Ed Brubaker, Erik Skillman, Fabien Nury, Gabriel Andrade, Garth Ennis, Hermann, horror, Jorge Coelho, Kevin Smith, Kyle Baker, Laurence Croix, Marley Zarcone, movies, Nick Spencer, noir, Paul Azaceta, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Kirkman, Scott Forbes, Sean Phillips, Steve Dillon, Yves H. | Leave a comment

Have a Gotham 2016

Posted on December 31, 2015 by I.M. Baytor

The Long Halloween #4

Posted in GOTHAM INTERLUDES | Tagged New Year, Tim Sale | Leave a comment

5 kickass Jason Todd moments

Posted on December 28, 2015 by I.M. Baytor

The world of superheroes can sometimes be seriously dark and sick (as anyone who watched the first season of Jessica Jones can attest). A couple of months ago, I mentioned how the version of Jason Todd, the second Robin, introduced … Continue reading →

Posted in GOTHAM CITIZENS | Tagged Jason Todd, Jim Starlin, Robin | 2 Comments

Batman’s X-mas spirit

Posted on December 22, 2015 by I.M. Baytor

By all accounts, the Dark Knight should seriously hate Christmas. It’s bad enough having to put up with that annoying alternative version of ‘Jingle Bells,’ but the worse part is that, as eccentric as Gotham City’s criminals tend to be, … Continue reading →

Posted in GOTHAM CITIZENS | Tagged Batman's personality, Christmas, Gotham City | Leave a comment

More over-the-top adventure comics

Posted on December 16, 2015 by I.M. Baytor

Given how bombastic and out-of-control the Batman series has become of late, I figure the time is right to revisit the concept of comics as manic, trippy escapades. When I suggested a bunch of Non-Batman balls-to-the-wall adventure comics earlier this … Continue reading →

Posted in FANTASTIC ADVENTURES | Tagged Bill Sienkiewicz, Bryan Talbot, Chuck Austen, Cold War, Dan Didio, Del Close, Elektra, espionage, Flint Henry, Frank Miller, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Grimjack, Ian Edginton, Invisibles, Jack Kirby, Jill Thompson, John Byrne, John Ostrander, Keith Giffen, Luther Arkwright, Mike Del Mundo, Mike Gold, OMAC, Peter Milligan, Phil Jimenez, Philip Bond, Robert Rodi, science fiction, Scott Morse, Sean Chen, space opera, sword & sorcery, Timothy Truman, Tom Mandrake, Warren Ellis | Leave a comment

10 Silver Age Batman covers

Posted on December 8, 2015 by I.M. Baytor

The so-called Silver Age of Comic Books, starting in the mid-1950s and lasting until around 1970, was a deliriously fun era. It produced plenty of odd, colorful stories with simplistic yet creative visuals just begging to become pop art fodder. … Continue reading →

Posted in COVERS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged covers, Rian Hughes, science fiction, Silver Age | Leave a comment

Batman, the urban legend?

Posted on December 1, 2015 by I.M. Baytor

There have been many wrongheaded decisions in the history of Batman comics (often involving the use of guns). A particularly puzzling one was the notion, in vogue in the late 1990s and early 2000s, that the Dark Knight is perceived … Continue reading →

Posted in GOTHAM CITIZENS | Tagged Batman's personality, Charles Paris, David Vern, Dick Sprang, Ed Brubaker, Gotham City | 2 Comments