Tag Archives: Mike W. Barr

Spotlight on Slam Bradley

Posted on January 25, 2024 by I.M. Baytor

The Dark Knight isn’t the only detective in Batman comics. In fact, having finally read last year’s six-part mini-series Gotham City: Year One, my mind has been on the astounding significance gained by one of the oldest detectives around: Slam … Continue reading →

Posted in GOTHAM CITIZENS | Tagged Adam Hughes, Clayton Cowles, Darwyn Cooke, Ed Brubaker, Eric Gapstur, Gotham City, Greg Capullo, Howard Sherman, Jerry Siege, Jim Aparo, Joe Shuster, Jordie Bellaire, Len Wein, Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, Mike W. Barr, noir, Paul Gulacy, Phil Hester, politics, Scott Snyder, Slam Bradley, Tom King | 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

Spotlight on The Unknown Soldier, 1980-1982

Posted on April 15, 2021 by I.M. Baytor

This is the final installment in my overview of Bob Haney’s neglected run on The Unknown Soldier, which ended with a bang. By 1980, this World War II-set comic had turned into a fairly mechanic, well-oiled enterprise. Haney churned out … Continue reading →

Posted in SPYCRAFT & WARFARE | Tagged Adolf Hitler, Bob Haney, Bob LeRose, Dick Ayers, Elizabeth Breitweiser, espionage, Garth Ennis, Gerry Talaoc, Jerry Serpe, Joe Kubert, Len Wein, Mike W. Barr, Paul Levitz, politics, Rick Veitch, Steve Epting, Unknown Soldier, World War II | Leave a comment

1990s’ Batman comics reading guide – part 2

Posted on June 4, 2020 by I.M. Baytor

Batman #440 As promised a couple of weeks ago, here is the second installment of my recommended reading order for the various Gotham City-based comics of the 1990s, which tended to play particularly well off each other. What follows is … Continue reading →

Posted in BATMAN COMICS FOR BEGINNERS | Tagged Alan Grant, Anton Furst, Batman's personality, Cam Kennedy, Chuck Dixon, Cold War, Dave Gibbons, Denny O'Neil, Denys Cowan, Doug Moench, Dwayne McDuffie, Elaine Lee, Flint Henry, Gabriel Morrissette, Jim Aparo, Jim Fern, John Ostrander, John Wagner, Keith Giffen, Kelley Puckett, Louise Simonson, Luke McDonnell, Marv Wolfman, Matt Wagner, Mike Baron, Mike Grell, Mike McKone, Mike W. Barr, Norm Breyfogle, Pat Broderick, Peter Milligan, reading order, Rich Hedden, Steve Rude, Tim Drake, Tom Grindberg, Tom Lyle, Val Semeiks | 8 Comments

On giant cash registers

Posted on April 16, 2019 by I.M. Baytor

To celebrate eighty years of stories featuring the Caped Crusader, each day of this week I’ll be highlighting something I find especially neat about Batman comics. Today, let’s look at over-the-top action scenes set among giant props. Batman #185 Batman … Continue reading →

Posted in GOTHAM CITIZENS | Tagged Alan Davis, Brent Anderson, Dave Cockrum, Dick Sprang, Ed Brubaker, Gotham City, Jim Mooney, Joe Giella, Lew Schwarz, Max Allan Collins, Mike W. Barr, Rick Burchett, Sheldon Moldoff, Sholly Fisch, Silver Age, Will Pfeifer | Leave a comment

My ideal deluxe omnibus volume – part 2

Posted on November 21, 2018 by I.M. Baytor

If you read the last post, you know what’s going on. Here are another ten stories that would definitely be included if I had a chance to put together a giant Batman omnibus collecting personal favorites: ‘The Underworld Olympics ‘76!’ … Continue reading →

Posted in BATMAN COMICS FOR BEGINNERS | Tagged Adrienne Roy, Alan Brennert, Alan Grant, Andrew Helfer, Ben Oda, Bill Finger, Chris Sprouse, Chuck Dixon, Dave Gibbons, David V. Reed, Dick Giordano, Dick Sprang, Doug Moench, Ernie Chua, Frank McLaughlin, Gary Martin, Gaspar Saladino, Jim Aparo, John Costanza, John Wagner, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Kelley Puckett, Kim DeMulder, Michael Golden, Mike DeCarlo, Mike Parobeck, Mike W. Barr, Norm Breyfogle, Paul Gulacy, Peter Milligan, Rick Burchett, Rick Taylor, Scott Hanna, Steve Leialoha, Steve Mitchell, Tex Blaisdell, Tim Harkins, Todd Klein, Tom Lyle | Leave a comment

Spotlight on Batman’s Z-list villains

Posted on April 18, 2018 by I.M. Baytor

Welcome to Gotham Calling’s 200th post! Solo #7 Back when we reached the first hundred posts, Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was about to come out and I wrote about a handful of oddball villains whom I … Continue reading →

Posted in GOTHAM CITIZENS | Tagged Alan Grant, Alex Sinclair, Archie Goodwin, Bill Finger, Bob Rozakis, Charles Paris, Chuck Dixon, Dave Taylor, Denny O'Neil, Frank McLaughlin, Glen Murakami, Joe Giela, José Garcia-López, Karl Kesel, Kelley Puckett, Mike Carlin, Mike Parobeck, Mike W. Barr, Norm Breyfogle, Rick Burchett, Rick Taylor, Robert Campanella, Robert Kanigher, Roy Thomas, Sheldon Moldoff, Sholly Fisch, Tom Lyle, villains, Vince Giarrano | 4 Comments

Elseworlds tales of sword & sorcery

Posted on September 5, 2017 by I.M. Baytor

After another season of Game of Thrones, my mind has been on sword and sorcery. I still think the series’ most engaging contributions to this genre take place on the edges of the adventure stuff, as the characters count the … Continue reading →

Posted in WEBS OF FICTION | Tagged Alan Grant, Barry Kitson, Bob Layton, Brian Apthorp, Christopher Priest, Denny O'Neil, Dick Giordano, Doug Moench, Jim Murray, John Beatty, Kelley Jones, Les Dorscheid, Mike W. Barr, Scott Hampton, Stan Woch, sword & sorcery, Vince Giarrano | 2 Comments

Scars of Vietnam in Gotham City

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

As an embodiment of changing fads and obsessions of US pop culture, Batman’s adventures could hardly stay immune to the social impact of the Vietnam War. And while the Caped Crusader’s TV incarnation could initially be seen advertising war bonds, … Continue reading →

Posted in POLITICS OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Alan Grant, Cold War, Dave Hornung, Dick Giordano, Elaine Lee, Frank Robbins, Gabriel Morrissette, Garth Ennis, Gotham City, Jim Aparo, Keith Giffen, Mike Friedrich, Mike Vosburg, Mike W. Barr, Neal Adams, Norm Breyfogle, politics, Robert Loren Fleming, Ron McCain, Vietnam | Leave a comment

Jim Aparo’s schlocky Batman

Posted on April 4, 2017 by I.M. Baytor

Batman #415 For some, it may sound odd to describe Jim Aparo’s Batman comics as ‘schlocky,’ given that not too long ago Aparo came in second at CBR’s poll of greatest Batman artists, right after the immensely talented Neal Adams. … Continue reading →

Posted in ART OF BATMAN COMICS | Tagged Alan Grant, Bill Sienkiewicz, Bob Haney, Christopher Priest, Flint Henry, James Sinclair, Jim Aparo, Jim Starlin, John Byrne, John Cebollero, Mark Buckingham, Mike W. Barr, Neal Adams, Peter Milligan | 11 Comments