{"id":17681,"date":"2017-12-22T08:00:25","date_gmt":"2017-12-22T08:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=17681"},"modified":"2017-12-20T13:34:23","modified_gmt":"2017-12-20T13:34:23","slug":"batman-adventures-volume-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2017\/12\/22\/batman-adventures-volume-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Batman Adventures volume 4"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy Paul Dini<\/strong>, Bruce Timm<\/strong>, Kelley Puckett<\/strong>, Alan Grant<\/strong>, Dan Raspler<\/strong>, Ty Templeton<\/strong>, Ronnie Del Carmen<\/strong>, Mike Parobeck<\/strong>, Rick Burchett<\/strong>, Dev Madan<\/strong>, Glen Murakami<\/strong>, Dan Riba<\/strong>, Kevin<\/strong> Altieri<\/strong>, Butch Lukic<\/strong> & various (DC Comics)
\nISBN: 978-1-4012-6061-3<\/p>\n

Win’s Christmas Gift Recommendation: An Ideal Gift for Young, Old and Especially Yourself\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 10\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

The brainchild of Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, Batman: The Animated Series<\/strong> aired in the US from September 5th<\/sup> 1992 to September 15th<\/sup> 1995. The TV cartoon – ostensibly for kids – revolutionised everybody’s image of the Dark Knight and inevitably fed back into the printed iterations, leading to some of the absolute best comicbook tales in the hero’s many decades of existence.<\/p>\n

Employing a timeless visual style dubbed \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Dark Deco\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, the show mixed elements from all eras of the character and, without diluting the power, tone or mood of the premise, re-honed the grim avenger and his team into a wholly accessible, thematically memorable form.<\/p>\n

It entranced young fans whilst adding shades of exuberance and panache that only the most devout and obsessive Batmaniac could possibly object to.<\/p>\n

A faithful comicbook translation was prime material for collection in the newly-emergent trade paperback market but only the first year was ever released, plus miniseries such as Batman: Gotham Adventures<\/strong> and Batman Adventures: The Lost Years<\/strong>. Nowadays, however, we’re much more evolved and reprint collections have established a solid niche amongst the cognoscenti and younger readers\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

This fourth, final and Seasonally sensitive compendium gathers issues #28-36 of The Batman Adventures<\/strong> (originally published from January-October 1995) plus The<\/strong> Batman Adventures Holiday Special <\/strong>#1 and The<\/strong> Batman Adventures Annual <\/strong>#2: a scintillating, no-nonsense frenzy of family-friendly Fights ‘n’ Tights fantasy that celebrates traditional values such as gift-giving, crime-crushing, mistletoe-related smooching, world conquest, forgiveness, and all out action in uncanny and outlandish places\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

The merriment and mayhem open with the varied contents of The<\/strong> Batman Adventures Holiday Special <\/strong>#1: and a moody ‘Intro’<\/em> from Dini & Dan Riba before grossly uncivilised cop Harvey Bullock<\/em> and his so very long-suffering partner Renee Montoya<\/em> go undercover as Department Store Santa and Elf in ‘Jolly Old St. Nicholas’<\/em> (Dini & Timm).<\/p>\n

The apparently invisible thief plundering the store was expecting cops – but not Batgirl – but the assembled embarrassed heroes never contemplated having to battle a seriously-slumming super-villain exposed by the police action\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Next shiny bauble is ‘The Harley and the Ivy’<\/em> wherein Dini & Ronnie Del Carmen depict the larcenous ladies going on an illicit shopping spree after kidnapping Bruce Wayne, thanks to a dose of Ivy’s mind-warping kisses\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Slightly darker and far colder, ‘White Christmas’<\/em> by Dini & Glen Murakami then pits Batman against the increasing bereft and deranged Mr. Freeze who tries to turn Gotham City into a vast snow-globe as a tribute to his dead wife before The Joker <\/em>enquires ‘What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?’<\/em> (Dini & Timm, Kevin Altieri & Butch Lukic) whilst attempting to kill every reveller in Gotham Square at the stroke of midnight\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Having saved the city yet again old comrades Batman and Jim Gordon<\/em> then get together for a spot of breakfast and moment of quiet contemplation in ‘Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot’<\/em> (Dini & Riba) to wrap up this potent parcel of Christmas cheer.<\/p>\n

Like the show, most Batman Adventures <\/strong>stories were crafted as 3-act plays and the conceit resumes here with issue #28 (January 1995) as Kelly Puckett, Mike Parobeck & Rick Burchett celebrate the holidays with ‘Twelve Days of Madness’<\/em> It opens with ‘What Child is This?’<\/em> as escaped loon Harley Quinn misses her Mistah J<\/em> and drops him a note in Arkham Asylum.<\/p>\n

As a strange outbreak of lunacy suddenly grips the city, ‘God Rest Ye Psycho Councilmen’<\/em> finds esteemed psychologist Dr. Heimlich<\/em> visit the institution and recommending making the Joker direct a little Christmas theatre for the inmates\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Happily, the Dark Knight is on hand to expose shocking charlatanry and handle the ‘Asylum Fideles’<\/em> threatening to upset he mental applecart\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Batman Adventures <\/strong>#29 finds Bruce Wayne again hunting Ra’s Al Ghul as ‘Demonseed’<\/em> (Dev Madan & Burchett), opens with ‘Secret Hopes, Secret Fears’<\/em> and the in-mufti manhunter trailing a deadly Tesla Device aLl over the world, with former beloved Talia trying to kill him at every opportunity.<\/p>\n

‘Wayne: Bruce Wayne’<\/em> sees the ex-lovers reunited to stop a third party purloining the menacing mechanism before facing inevitable and ultimate betrayal in ‘Till Death Do You Part’<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

It’s a spotlight on bad guys as Puckett, Burchett & Murakami reveal the story of a ‘Natural Born Loser’<\/em> in #30.<\/p>\n

In-joke Triumvirate of Terror Mastermind<\/em>, Mr. Nice<\/em> and The Perfesser <\/em>(who bear litigiously remarkable resemblances to DC editors Mike Carlin, Archie Goodwin and Dennis O’Neil) return in a tryptic of origin tales beginning with ‘Waiting for the Dough’<\/em> as yet another criminal mastermind breaks into their prison in search of a treasure map.<\/p>\n

Sadly, those individual confrontations – continued in ‘The Dark Nice Returns’<\/em> and concluding with ‘It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Pearl’<\/em> – only prove that the top dog in Gotham is actually the Bat\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Alan Grant scripts #31 for Madan & Burchett to illustrate as youthful ideologue ‘Anarky’<\/em> convenes ‘The People’s Court’<\/em> to judge rich businessmen such as Bruce Wayne for their money-grubbing acts. With his mentor captured, teen wonder Robin becomes the key ‘Witness for the Defense’<\/em> and combines ‘The Gentle Art of Philosophy’<\/em> with his usual derring-do to win the argument and save the day<\/p>\n

Dan Raspler, Parobeck & Burchett reveal ‘A Soldier’s Story’<\/em> in #32 as ‘Into the Valley of Death’<\/em> sees criminals wage war in Gotham dressed as rival armies from history. Crazed rival millionaires playing games from their childhood have sponsored this chaotic ‘War and Remembrance’ <\/em>but it’s Batman who wins ‘The Last Battle’<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Batman Adventures<\/strong> #33 covers ‘Just Another Night’<\/em> (Ty Templeton, Madan & Burchett) as a movie night with single mum Veronica Thomas<\/em> and her son Justin<\/em> spirals into terror when they are mugged by a gunman on the way home. Paralysed by traumatic ‘Deja Vu’<\/em>, Bruce goes on a maddened rampage of childish revenge leading to a justice and a ‘Dark Victory’<\/em> of sorts, but ‘At What Cost\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6’<\/em>?<\/p>\n

The first volume of the series wraps up with a 3-issue epic starring one of the Dark Knight’s most insidious enemies. It begins with ‘In Memoriam’<\/em> (#34 by Puckett, Parobeck & Burchett) as deranged psychologist Hugo Strange<\/em> pays ‘Charons Fee’<\/em> to exact his vengeful schemes. Later, as Batman pursues super-thief Catwoman<\/em>, he realises some of his memories have been erased. However, by deductively ‘Filling in the Gaps’<\/em> the Caped Crimebuster only allows Strange ‘Total Recall’<\/em> to Bruce Wayne’s past\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

In #35 ‘The Book of Memory’<\/em> (Puckett, Templeton, Parobeck & Burchett) heralds ‘Strange Days’<\/em> as Catwoman turns a mindwiped Batman into her perfect acrobatic accomplice. With Gotham’s guardian missing Robin consults Commissioner Gordon and soon ‘The Trap is Set\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6’.<\/em><\/p>\n

Elsewhere, as Hugo Strange spirals into breakdown, ‘Uptown, Saturday Night’<\/em> reveals how Batman is captured and cured. Or so it seems\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

‘The Last Batman Adventure’<\/em> appears in #36 as Templeton, Parobeck & Burchett depict Robin and his junior partner, ‘Batman, The Boy Wonder’<\/em>, still searching for Bruce’s purloined past. Afflicted with the mentality of a child, the hero convinces Catwoman to help him ensure ‘Batman, The Dark Knight Returns’<\/em>, but they are almost too late to prevent ‘The Unusual Fate of Hugo Strange’<\/em> after the tragic madman goes after the true author of all his woes\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

This spectacular softcover selection (also available as an eBook) concludes with a high-octane occult romp by Dini, Murakami & Timm first published in The<\/strong> Batman Adventures Annual <\/strong>#2.<\/p>\n

‘Demons’<\/em> sees Ra’s Al Ghul blow up parts of Gotham to secure a long-lost mystic tablet and win a rare victory over the late-arriving Dark Knight. Overpowered and outgunned, Batman contacts consultant supernatural specialist Jason Blood<\/em> and discovers the demonologist and the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Demon’s Head\u00e2\u20ac\u009d are ancient adversaries\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Surviving drug-induced magical dreams, Batman realises that Al Ghul plans to invoke a demonic entity Haahk<\/em> in his city and scourge humanity from the Earth. Nevertheless, he heads for a showdown he knows he cannot win, but Blood has one more secret to reveal: his longevity is caused by a demon imprisoned in his body\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Etrigan<\/em> dwells inside Jason, lives to fight and is ferociously eager to settle score with Ra’s and Haahk\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Epic and electrifying, this rocket-paced tribute to Jack Kirby crackles with kinetic energy and moody menace: a perfect point to end on and one that promises more and greater thrills to come\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Breathtakingly written and iconically illustrated, these stripped-down rollercoaster-romps are pure, irresistible Bat-magic and this is a compendium every fan of any age and vintage will adore.
\n\u00c2\u00a9 1995, 2016 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Paul Dini, Bruce Timm, Kelley Puckett, Alan Grant, Dan Raspler, Ty Templeton, Ronnie Del Carmen, Mike Parobeck, Rick Burchett, Dev Madan, Glen Murakami, Dan Riba, Kevin Altieri, Butch Lukic & various (DC Comics) ISBN: 978-1-4012-6061-3 Win’s Christmas Gift Recommendation: An Ideal Gift for Young, Old and Especially Yourself\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 10\/10 The brainchild of Paul Dini … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Batman Adventures volume 4”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[92,10,76,97],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-batgirl","category-batman","category-dc-superhero","category-kids-all-ages"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-4Bb","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17681"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17681\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}