The Outhouse - The Greatest Comic Book Forum

[GLX]

Since I'm in one of those moods (vague, no?), I decided to go ahead and make this week's thread. Read if you dare!

Batman #0

Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Backup story written by SCOTT SNYDER and JAMES TYNION IV
Art by GREG CAPULLO and JONATHAN GLAPION
Backup story art by ANDY CLARKE
Cover by GREG CAPULLO
Variant cover by ANDY CLARKE
1:100 B&W Variant cover by GREG CAPULLO
“We Can Be Heroes” Blank variant cover available
On sale SEPTEMBER 12 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 US
Retailers: This issue will ship with four covers. Please see the order form for more information.
• Bruce Wayne has returned from his worldwide quest to take the law into his own hands!
• This issue reveals the early steps of building everything that surrounds Batman – the costume, the cave, the car, the gadgets!
This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.

(Digital copy link to be added, tomorrow)

Ze rules:

Review as often or as little as you like. Once you've posted 5 reviews, you will be awarded 1 pick. You can post 5 reviews, right? That's a totally achievable goal and with day and date digital releases becoming the standard, it shouldn't matter if your shop ordered enough copies of this weeks comic or not.

When multiple Review Groupers have posted 5 (or more) qualifying reviews, they will be awarded their pick in the order that they qualified. What constitutes a qualifying review? Any review posted (with a score on a scale from 0-10, that's right 0!) within 1 calendar month of the thread going live. Reviews are to be at least 5 sentences long. It shows that a) you have at least read this week's pick and b) you have some unique insight into the comic.

Reviews posted while waiting in line for your pick will be applied to your next pick.

I'll be keeping track of everyone's progress with the newly christened Spreadsheet of Fantastic (RIP, Spreadsheet of Doom) and reporting the results in the Current Members list in the weekly OP. When it's your turn to make a pick, I will PM you. If you do not respond to me by Midnight EST the following Sunday, you will lose your pick and I will start a poll to determine that week's selection.

Any week in which we do not have a Review Grouper with 5 qualifying picks, we will determine the week's comic via poll.

If it's your week to pick, remember to keep it under $3.99.

Naturally, this new system is new and it may be necessary to make changes as we go.

I've got next week's pick. Expect it to be revealed within 24 hours. Ginchy, no?

Suggestions welcome.

5 Reviews Posted
GLX

4 Reviews Posted
@dace1314
Eli Katz
guitarsmashley
Jude Terror


3 Reviews Posted
Amoebas
bkthompson
BlueStreak
Ntikrst
Victorian Squid

2 Reviews Posted
doombug
Stephen Day


1 Review Posted
Amlah
ElijahSnowFan
john lewis hawk
Midas
Sakie
SilverPhoenix

[GLX]

[Reveal] Spoiler: Click to Expand

001. Daredevil #82 - 8.13
002. Exiles #77 - 6.29
003. Jonah Hex #5 - 6.26
004. American Virgin #1 - 7.7
005. Birds of Prey #92 - 6.41
006. Squadron Supreme #1 - 7.66
007. Blue Beetle #1 - 5.95
008. Aquaman: SoA #41 - 6.67
009. DMZ #6 - 7.65
010. Captain America #17 - 7.43
011. Thing #6 - 7.03
012. Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #8 - 7.68
013. Cable & Deadpool #28 - 7.45
014. Fell #5 - 8.81
015. X-Factor #7 - 7.84
016. My Inner Bimbo #1 - 6.38
017. Wonder Woman #1 - 7.3
018. Green Lantern Corps #1 - 5.65
019. Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1 - 5.38
020. New Avengers #21 - 6.12
021. Detective Comics #821 - 8.05
022. Ultimate Spider-Man #97 - 7.86
023. Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #1 - 4.17
024. Batman #655 - 7.69
025. Usagi Yojimbo #95 - 6.41
026. Sonic the Hedgehog #165 - 6.5
027. The Boys #1 - 7.3
028. Heroes for Hire #1 - 6.25
029. Ultimate Fantastic Four #33 - 5.75
030. Local #6 - 9.1
031. Thunderbolts #106 - 6.14
032. Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. #8 - 8.34
033. True Story, Swear to God #1 - 7.69
034. Criminal #1 - 7.63
035. Fables #1/#54 - 8.83
036. WildCats #1 - 6.51
037. Action Comics #844 - 7.22
038. Incredible Hulk #100 - 7.5
039. Franklin Richards, Son of a Genius: Happy Franksgiving - 4.32
040. Texas Chainsaw Massacre #1 - 4.34
041. Punisher War Journal #1 - 6.54
042. Immortal Iron Fist #1 - 7.35
043. Spider-Man: Reign #1 - 4.79
044. The Spirit #1 - 7.67
045. New Avengers: Illuminati #1 - 7.33
046. Winter Soldier: Winter Kills - 8.27
047. Amazing Spider-Man #537 - 6.94
048. Thunderbolts #110 - 6.75
049. Red Menace #3 - 7.43
050. Moon Knight #7 - 5.86
051. Ultimate Civil War Spider-Ham Crisis #1 - 6.21
052. Action Comics Annual #10 - 7.87
052. All New Atom #8 - 6.98
052. Dark Tower #1 - 8.61
052. Fantastic Four: The End #5 - 8.55
052. Fell #7 - 9.03
052. newuniversal #3 - 8.13
052. Pirates of Coney Island #4 - 7.93
052. Ultimate Spider-Man #105 - 7.7
052. Uncanny X-Men #483 - 6.47
053. Batman #663 - 3.83
054. Civil War #7 - 7.2
055. Runaways #24 - 9.01
056. Punisher MAX #45 - 7.47
057. Blade #7 - 6.08
058. Army@Love #1 - 6.38
059. Blue Beetle #13 - 6.4
060. Avengers: The Initiative #1 - 7.27
061. Nova #1 - 6.92
062. Cable & Deadpool #39 - 5.92
063. Catwoman #66 - 7.06
064. 52 Week Fifty-Two - 7.15
065. Countdown #51 - 6.8
066. Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #12 - 6.31
067. Captain America #26 - 8.28
068. Witchblade #106 - 5.81
069. Invincible #42 - 8.35
070. Sub-Mariner #1 - 5.54
071. Highwaymen #1 - 7.87
072. Superman/Batman #37 - 4.6
073. Dynamo 5 #5 - 6.28
074. Annihilation: Conquest - Wraith #1 - 6.63
075. Lone Ranger #7 - 7.54
076. X-Men #201 - 4.76
077. Metal Men #1 - 6.18
078. Green Lantern #22 - 7.85
079. Pilot Season: Ripclaw - 5.89
080. X-Men: First Class #3 - 7.53
081. Teen Titans #50 - 8.02
082. Buffy the Vampire Slayer #6 - 6.96
083. Punisher War Journal #11 - 5.22
084. World War Hulk #4 - 6.96
085. All-Star Batman & Robin #7 - 6.43
086. Vinyl Underground #1 - 5.73
087. Green Arrow & Black Canary #1 - 8.27
088. The Sword #1 - 6.89
089. She-Hulk #22 - 7.38
090. Tales of the Fear Agent: Twelve Steps in One - 6.18
091. Annihilation: Conquest #1 - 6.93
092. Batman and the Outsiders #1 - 6.87
093. Flash #234 - 5.72
094. Gotham Underground #2 - 5.52
095. Ultimates 3 #1 - 4.8
096. Amazing Spider-Girl #15 - 6
097. Birds of Prey #113 - 7.16
098. Pax Romana #1 - 8.59
099. Hack/Slash #7 - 6.97
100. HULK #1 - 7.19
101. Booster Gold #6 - 7.68
102. Order #7 - 6.97
103. Narcopolis #1 - 5.37
104. Reviewer's Choice -
105. Tiny Titans #1 - 6.81
106. Loaded Bible 3: Communion - 8.68
107. Project Superpowers #1 - 5.93
108. Echo #1 - 8.34
109. Mighty Avengers #10 - 7.12
110. Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. #27 - 7.73
111. Proof #6 - 8.48
112. Secret Invasion #1 - 7.95
113. Titans #1 - 6
114. Noble Causes #32 - 7.26
115. Hulk vs. Hercules: When Titans Collide - 7.39
116. DC Universe 0 - 4.94
117. House of Mystery #1 - 7.77
118. Captain Britain and MI:13 #1 - 7.36
119. Checkmate #26 - 4.09
120. Final Crisis #1 - 6.91
121. The Boys #19 - 8.3
122. Skaar: Son of Hulk #1 - 5.53
123. Transformers Spotlight: Cyclonus - 5.92
124. Trinity #4 - 5.15
125. Jonah Hex #33 - 8.7
126. I Kill Giants #1 - 7.55
127. Batgirl #1 - 5.23
128. Uncanny X-Men #500 - 6.22
129. Wildcats #1 - 7.33
130. Venom: Dark Origin #1 - 7.16
131. Astonishing X-Men #26 - 5.12
132. Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #1 - 7.67
133. Runaways #1 - 7.34
134. Marvel Apes #1 - 6.15
135. Star Wars: The Clone Wars #1 - 6.22
136. Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. #33 - 7.25
137. Back to Brooklyn #1 - 5.58
138. Four Eyes #1 - 9.26
139. Green Lantern Corps #29 - 6.16
140. Ghost Rider #28 - 7.44
141. Unknown Soldier #1 - 8.66
142. Amazing Spider-Man #575 - 6.98
143. Final Crisis: Resist - 6.44
144. Batman: Cacophony #1 - 7.37
145. Deadpool #4 - 6.57
146. Ms. Marvel #33 - 5.97
147. Secret Invasion #8 - 7.15
148. Punisher: War Zone #1 - 7.17
149. Ex Machina #40 - 8.11
150. Immortal Iron Fist #21 - 8.21
151. Incognito #1 - 8.65
152. Punisher #1 - 6.25
153. G.I. Joe #1 - 6.68
154. Hellblazer #251 - 6.94
155. Justice Society of America #23 - 6.53
156. Watchmen - 9.88
157. Batman #686 - 8.84
158. Amber Atoms #1 - 4.25
159. Runaways #7 - 5.25
160. Superman: World of New Krypton #1 - 6.68
161. Guardians of the Galaxy #11 - 6.41
162. Invincible #60 - 7.08
163. Muppet Show #1 - 6.66
164. Flash: Rebirth #1 - 6.93
165. Wolverine: Weapon X #1 - 6.52
166. The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft #1 - 7.82
167. Ghost Rider #34 - 8.82
168. Phonogram: The Singles Club #2 - 6.33
169. Final Crisis Aftermath: Run! #1 - 7
170. Unwritten #1 - 8.53
171. The Boys: Herogasm #1 - 7.09
172. Last Days of Animal Man #1 - 6.23
173. Batman and Robin #1 - 8.01
174. Amazing Spider-Man #597 - 7.19
175. Transformers Spotlight: Cliffjumper - 7
176. Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia - 6.62
177. Justice League: Cry for Justice #1 - 6.71
178. Wednesday Comics #1 - 7.84
179. Blackest Night #1 - 8.87
180. Immortal Weapons #1 - 7.17
181. Mice Templar: Destiny #1 - 7.81
182. Doom Patrol #1 - 5.12
183. Ultimate Comics Avengers #1 - 7.14
184. Daredevil #500 - 8.62
185. Fantastic Four #570 - 6.9
186. Sweet Tooth #1 - 8.1
187. Dark Reign: The List - Avengers - 5.95
188. Beasts of Burden #1 - 8.73
189. Wolverine: Giant Size Old Man Logan - 7.95
190. Teen Titans #75 - 4.67
191. Haunt #1 - 6.6
192. Unwritten #6 - 7.41
193. Azrael #1 - 4.11
194. Dark Avengers: Ares #1 - 6.79
195. Deadpool Team-Up #899 - 5.24
196. Locke & Key: Crown of Shadows #1 - 6.96
197. Punisher #11 - 7.39
198. Image United #1 - 3.53
199. Jonah Hex #50 - 9.23
200. Invincible Iron Man #21 - 7.45
201. Walt Disney Comics & Stories #701 - 5.85
202. Hellboy: The Bride of Hell - 7.32
203. Webcomics Week -
204. Siege #1 - 7.84
205. Amazing Spider-Man #617 - 8.39
206. Joe the Barbarian #1 - 7.97
207. Robocop #1 - 3.59
208. FREE4ALL -
209. Choker #1 - 6.17
209. Tails of the Pet Avengers - 7.04
210. Supergirl #50 - 5.34
211. X-Men Forever #18 - 5.35
212. First Wave #1 - 6.98
213. Daytripper #4 - 7.19
214. Irredeemable #12 - 6.28
215. Amazing Spider-Man #626 - 5.18
216. Blackest Night #8 - 6.41
217. S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 - 9.23
218. Kill Shakespeare #1 - 5.36
219. X-Men Forever Annual #1 - 6.41
220. Siege: Secret Warriors - 6.53
221. I, Zombie #1 - 8.22
222. Heroic Age: Prince of Power #1 - 7.25
223. Avengers #1 - 7.51
224. Gotham City Sirens #12 - 4.39
225. Red Hood: The Lost Days #1 - 6.71
226. S.H.I.E.L.D. #2 - 7.57
227. New Avengers #1 - 6.15
228. Bullet to the Head #1 - 4.5
229. Deadpool: Wade Wilson's War #2 - 4.2
230. Batman & Robin #13 - 6.24
231. Gorilla-Man #1 - 4.81
232. Time Masters: Vanishing Point #1 - 4.79
233. Justice League: Generation Lost #6 - 7.39
234. Baltimore: The Plague Ships #1 - 6.46
235. Thor: The Mighty Avenger #3 - 6.21
236. Tiny Titans #31 - 5.17
236. New Avengers #3 - 4.88
237. Garrison #5 - 4.71
238. 1 Month 2 Live #1 - 6.02
239. Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities and the Ghastly Fiend of London #1 - 7.82
240. Steve Rogers: Super Soldier #3 - 7.73
241. Nemesis #3 - 5.17
242. Franken-Castle #21 - 6.14
243. Ultimate Comics Thor #1 - 5.88
244. Victorian Undead Special - 6.25
245. Kick Ass 2 #1 - 6.58
246. Incognito: Bad Influences #1 - 8.05
247. Superboy #1 - 6.81
248. American Vampire #8 - 8.17
249. Hellboy: Double Feature of Evil - 8.5
250. Batwoman #0 - 8.04
251. Daredevil #512 - 5.87
252. Booster Gold #32 - 7
253. Suicide Forest #1 - 8.16
254. Larfleeze Christmas Special - 4.89
255. Action Comics #896 - 6.92
256. Weird Worlds #1 - 2.02
257. Casanova: Gula #1 - 8.53
258. The Spirit #10 - 6.72
259. Fantastic Four #587 - 5.1
260. Week 260 -
261. Heroes for Hire #3 - 7.24
262. Hellblazer #276 - 5.28
263. Avengers #10 - 4.16
264. Secret Warriors #25 - 6.61
265. Ultimate Spider-Man #155 - 6.68
266. Morning Glories #8 - 7.5
267. Lorna: Relic Wrangler #1 - 3.46
268. Butcher Baker: The Righteous Maker #1 - 7.09
269. Brightest Day #23 - 4.38
270. Uncanny X-Men #535 - 7.5
271. Thunderbolts #156 - 5.92
272. Walking Dead #84 - 7.3
273. Avengers Academy #13 - 6.42
274. Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt #1 - 5.4
275. Hawkeye: Blindspot #4 - 5.5
276. Iron Man 2.0 #5 - 5.57
276. Secret Avengers #13 - 4.49
277. S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 - 5.67
278. Flashpoint: Emperor Aquaman #1 - 5.48
279. Northlanders #41 - 6.83
280. All Nighter #1 - 6.36
281. THUNDER Agents #8 - 7.95
282. Jonah Hex #69 - 8.84
283. Red Wing #1 - 6.1
284. Daredevil #1 - 7.92
285. Amazing Spider-Man #666 - 6.15
286. Severed #1 - 8.26
287. Detective Comics #881 - 8.81
288. Damaged #1 - 7.31
289. Ultimate Comics Ultimates #1 - 5.41
290. Uncanny X-Force #14 - 8.11
291. Static Shock #1 - 6
292. Criminal: The Last of the Innocent #4 - 6.5
293. Batman #1 - 6.98
294. Aquaman #1 - 5.87
295. Animal Man #2 - 8.04
296. Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #3 - 5.1
297. HP Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror #1 - 3.67
298. Wolverine and the X-Men #1 - 8.09
299. Six Guns #1 - 7.6
300. Unwritten #31 - 7.8
301. Avengers #19 - 5.5
302. Infinite #4 - 3.5
303. Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist #1 - 5.58
304. Defenders #1 - 8.55
305. Black Panther: The Most Dangerous Man Alive #526 - 4.19
306. Amazing Spider-Man #676 - 4.19
307. American Vampire #22 - 9
308. Fatale #1 - 7.8
309. Severed #6 - 8.5
310. Hellblazer #287 - 9
311. Secret Avengers #21.1 - 6.06
312. Winter Soldier #1 - 8.88
313. Batwoman #6 - 3.88
314. Daredevil #9 - 7.33
315. The Sixth Gun #19 - 8
316. Moon Knight #10 - 6.75
317. Hulk #49 - 7.5
318. The Shade #6 - 7.13
319. Amazing Spider-Man #682 - 7.13
320. Avengers vs. X-Men #0 - 5
321. Swamp Thing #8 - 7.88
322. America's Got Powers #1 - 5.5
323. Reset #1 - 8
324. The Goon #39 - 7
325. Dial H #1 - 4.45
326. Dan the Unharmable #1 - 7.5
327. Dancer #1 - 6.58
328. Batman Incorportated #1 - 7.14
328. Youngblood #71 - 4.17
329. Star Trek The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation #1 - 6.21
330. Insufferable Weeks 1-6 - 7.71
331. The Massive #1 - 6.92
332. Baltimore: Dr. Leskovar's Remedy #1 - 8.6
333. Hit Girl #1 - 6 (Only one review was in.....seriously)
334. Infernal Man-Thing #1 - 7.25
335. Punk Rock Jesus #1 - 6.38
336. Captain Marvel #1 - 4 (Only one review in)
336. Avengers vs. X-Men #8 - 7 (Only one review in)
337. Debris #1 - 5.5
338. X-Men #33 - 4.4
339. Gambit #1 - 7 (Only one review in)
340. Before Watchmen: Rorschach #1 - 7.5
341. Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom #1 - 7.5
342. Uncanny X-Force #30 - 8.8
343. Action Comics #0 - 3.8

[GiveWarAChance]

I would consider writing some reviews if I didn't get my comic books in once a month. I guess I could buy them digital if something looked interesting and wasn't already coming in. I'm kind of surprised that not many people here participate in the reviews.

[GLX]

Next week's pick:

The Unwritten #41

Written by MIKE CAREY
Art by PETER GROSS
Cover by YUKO SHIMIZU
On sale SEPTEMBER 19 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS
“What Fell Between.” Let’s take a step back here and find out exactly how Tom and Richie – not to mention the world – got into the mess they’re in right now. The tumultuous events of the missing year, complete with ghosts, vampires and a surprise visit from Madame Rausch, are finally revealed...

[GLX]

Thursday bump.

[GLX]

Saturday bump.

[Punchy]

I’m not sure how I feel about this issue. I mean, it was good, as is every other Snyder Batman story, but it did feel really unnecessary to me. What does this story tell us about Batman’s early years that we don’t already know? It seemed like Snyder was so desperate to avoid stepping on Year One’s toes that he found an area that was rightly left unexplored. Set after Bruce Wayne’s return to Gotham but before he becomes Batman (aka the ‘Put on a Balaclava and get your ass kicked’ period), we see Bruce attempting to fight crime before his inspiration smashes through his window. It was all stuff we’ve seen before in 2 pages, but stretched out to 20. I will say there were some cool ideas here, like the idea of Bruce living in Crime Alley, and it’s always fun to see the Joker before he became the Joker, but this is not a story about Batman’s past that needs to be told. This is the equivalent of the Green Lantern Corps Cafeteria, we don’t need to see it. And plus, the issue ends on a cliffhanger! When are we going to see the conclusion to this story? In a year’s time for #0.5 or whatever? Or will this stuff be shown in the Joker story? Hmmmm. The back-up story was pretty cool though, showing how Batman’s first appearances inspired all of his main sidekicks (the first 3 Robins and Batgirl), but I’m sure this caused some continuity conniptions for some people, how did he get through so many sidekicks in only 6 years, and how come they all seem to be the same age?

6/10

[Amoebas]

I just don't get Punchy - he loved the awful Action #0 from last week and then goes a different direction for the vastly superior Batman #0.

First - the art. From Quasar to Batman, the guy draws a great Batman comic. (Wish he didn't disappear for the decades inbetween). The work is crisp and flows with the narrative easily. Great stuff.

Second - the story. Yes we've all seen the 'get beat up' Bruce Wayne ever since Miller introduced him way back when, but there's plenty more for this time in Bruce's life to explore and Snyder does - namely the first meeting between Bruce and (assumedly) the Joker. Bruce tries to wiseguy his way into the Red Hood's gang (only to get caught as well as failing to save any of the hostages (which were killed in a wickedly sinister (and delicious) way)).

If Snyder failed anywhere it was with the whole boomerang countdown scene. Since we know one of the principals players there doesn't know what we know in the present day, the suspense was lacking. Still, as #0 issues go, this was one of the better ones so far.

The back-up was pretty darn good too. I liked the way Tynon gave us mini origins for Dick, Jason, Tim & Barbara; and Andy Clarke on art? He was great on REBELS a couple years ago, and in that time he only got better!

Based off my opening comment about Punchy's review, I can't stop comparing Batman #0 to Action #0. And every way I look at it's night and day in terms of plot, writing and art.

Story - 8
Art - 9
Overall 8.5