Category Archives: POLITICS OF BATMAN COMICS

Political thrillers in Gotham City

Posted on September 7, 2023 by I.M. Baytor

Detective Comics #801 Political thrillers are one of my favorite genres. I crave witty, cunning characters and intricate plots that combine micro and macro scales while turning the political process into thrilling suspense and clever maneuvers, both because it’s a … Continue reading →

Posted in POLITICS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Abel Lanzac, Alan Moore, Brian K. Vaughan, Bronwyn Carlton, Christophe Blain, Chuck Dixon, Cold War, Denny O'Neil, Doug Moench, Ed Brubaker, Fabien Nury, Frank Miller, Gotham City, Greg Rucka, Jim Aparo, movies, politics, Shawn Martinbrough, Thierry Robin, Ty Templeton | Leave a comment

On Santa Prisca

Posted on January 5, 2023 by I.M. Baytor

I’ve long been obsessed with the DCU’s fictitious geography and the way it condenses, combines, and caricatures cultural stereotypes – just like Gotham does for New York and other urban centers of the USA (over time, the city has become … Continue reading →

Posted in POLITICS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Bane, Christopher Priest, Chuck Dixon, Cold War, Denny O'Neil, Gail Simone, Graham Nolan, James Owsley, James Tynion IV, Jo Duffy, politics, Santa Prisca, Tatjana Wood, Tom King | 1 Comment

On Batman’s sexuality

Posted on September 2, 2021 by I.M. Baytor

The announcement, last month, that Robin (or at least one of several Robins, Tim Drake) is bisexual predictably revived old discussions about the Dynamic Duo’s sexuality, so I figured I’d put together a few loose thoughts to add … Continue reading →

Posted in POLITICS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Alfred Pennyworth, Batman's personality, Chuck Dixon, David V. Reed, David Vern, Grant Morrison, James Bond, Julius Schwartz, politics, Robin, Will Pfeifer | Leave a comment

Gotham City’s sex workers – part 2

Posted on July 1, 2021 by I.M. Baytor

If you read last week’s post (or just this post’s title, really), you know I’ve been looking at some of the many, many depictions of sex workers in Batman comics. This week, let’s focus on the sinuous paths of two … Continue reading →

Posted in POLITICS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Catwoman, Darwyn Cooke, Doug Moench, Ed Brubaker, Frank Miller, Holly Robinson, Jordan B. Gorfinkel, Mindy Newell, politics, sex workers | Leave a comment

Gotham City’s sex workers – part 1

Posted on June 24, 2021 by I.M. Baytor

Detective Comics #464 While City on a Hill has been doing its damned finest to emulate The Wire (albeit in Boston), in recent years the show that came the closest to recapturing that kind of TV magic was The Deuce, … Continue reading →

Posted in POLITICS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Alan Davis, Batman's personality, Catwoman, David Mazzucchelli, Frank Miller, Gotham City, J.J. Birch, Jason Todd, Jim Starlin, Mike W. Barr, Mindy Newell, politics, sex workers | Leave a comment

Batman comics and gun control

Posted on February 20, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

The Batman Adventures #28 While gun control has certainly been a running theme in Batman comics throughout the ages, their relationship with this issue is not as straightforward as some seem to think. I don’t mean Batman’s relationship with gun … Continue reading →

Posted in POLITICS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Ann Nocenti, Batman's personality, Brian Bolland, Chuck Dixon, Darwyn Cooke, Devin Grayson, Doug Moench, Ed Brubaker, Ethan van Sciver, Frank Miller, Geoff Johns, guns, John Floyd, John Ostrander, Kim Yale, Norm Breyfogle, politics, Roger Robinson, Scott McDaniel, Ty Templeton, Vince Giarrano | Leave a comment

Batman comics on drugs – part 2

Posted on June 18, 2019 by I.M. Baytor

If you read the last post, you know I’ve been looking at Batman comics about drugs. Today I want to briefly discuss two stories from the early 1990s that approached this topic in extreme ways. In his many adventures, the … Continue reading →

Posted in POLITICS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Adrienne Roy, Alan Grant, Batman's personality, Denny O'Neil, drugs, Ernie Chua, Gerry Conway, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Norm Breyfogle, politics, Russel Braun, Steve Oliff, Todd Klein, Trevor von Eeden | Leave a comment

Batman comics on drugs – part 1

Posted on June 11, 2019 by I.M. Baytor

Drugs have traditionally played a substantial role in Batman comics (hell, in the whole medium). The Dark Knight has put away his share of drug dealers – from run-of-the-mill villains (your prototypical crime fiction trope) to the kind of outlandish … Continue reading →

Posted in POLITICS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Adrienne Roy, Alan Grant, Batman's personality, Bob Smith, Dave Taylor, Doug Moench, drugs, Gene Colan, Pamela Rambo, politics, Ricardo Villagran, Robin, Stan Woch | Leave a comment

Anatomy of Batman #372 and Detective Comics #539

Posted on June 19, 2018 by I.M. Baytor

Back when I discussed Doug Moench’s 1980s Batman run, I singled out as its most striking features Moench’s literary emphasis on symbolism, characterization, politics, and intertextuality. This week, I’ll zoom in on one story in particular which powerfully combines all … Continue reading →

Posted in POLITICS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Adrienne Roy, Alfredo Alcala, Bob Smith, boxing, Don Newton, Doug Moench, noir, politics | Leave a comment

Anatomy of Batman #285

Posted on December 20, 2017 by I.M. Baytor

When it comes to twisted-yet-amusing Christmas tales, forget Gremlins and Rare Exports or even Krampus. I cannot think of many examples that are as fascinating as ‘The Mystery of Christmas Lost!’ (Batman #285, cover-dated March 1977, but, according to Mike’s … Continue reading →

Posted in POLITICS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Christmas, David V. Reed, David Vern, Frank Springer, Gotham City, Julius Schwartz, politics, Romeo Tanghal | Leave a comment