{"id":30504,"date":"2024-09-10T08:00:56","date_gmt":"2024-09-10T08:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=30504"},"modified":"2024-09-09T17:43:41","modified_gmt":"2024-09-09T17:43:41","slug":"the-batman-adventures-volume-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2024\/09\/10\/the-batman-adventures-volume-3\/","title":{"rendered":"The Batman Adventures volume 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy Kelley Puckett<\/strong>, Paul Dini<\/strong>, Mike Parobeck<\/strong> & Rick Burchett<\/strong>, Michael Reaves<\/strong>, Bruce Timm<\/strong>, Matt Wagner<\/strong>, Klaus Janson<\/strong>, Dan DeCarlo<\/strong>, John Byrne<\/strong> & various (DC Comics)
\nISBN: 978-1-4012-5872-6 (TPB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

With Batman: Caped Crusader<\/strong> storming the air waves in this anniversary year and making old farts like me tremble all over again, let\u2019s take a peek back at the bonanza of great comics that came out of the last animated noir fest courtesy of Bruce Timm & Co…<\/em><\/p>\n

The brainchild of Bruce Timm, Eric Radomski & Paul Dini, Batman: The Animated Series<\/strong> aired in the US from September 5th<\/sup> 1992 to September 15th<\/sup> 1995. Ostensibly for kids the TV cartoon revolutionised everybody<\/em>\u2019s image of the Dark Knight and inevitably fed back into print iterations, leading to some of the absolute best comic book tales in the hero\u2019s many decades of existence. And it\u2019s still true today…<\/p>\n

Employing a timeless visual style dubbed \u201cDark Deco\u201d, 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 Bat 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. A faithful comic book 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\u2019re much more evolved and reprint collections have established a solid niche amongst cognoscenti and young readers.<\/p>\n

This third inclusive compendium gathers issues #21-27 of The Batman Adventures<\/strong>, originally published between June to December 1994 \u00a0plus that year\u2019s Batman Adventures Annual<\/strong>: a scintillating, no-nonsense frenzy of family-friendly Fights \u2018n\u2019 Tights fantasy from Kelly Puckett, Mike Parobeck & Rick Burchett and a few fellow-pros-turned-fans…<\/p>\n

Puckett is a writer who truly grasps the visual nature of the medium and his stories are always fast-paced, action packed and stripped down to the barest of essential dialogue. This skill has never been better exploited than by Parobeck who was at that time a rising star, especially when graced by Burchett\u2019s slick, clean inking.<\/p>\n

Although his professional career was tragically short (1989 to 1996 when he died, aged 31, from complications of Type 1 Diabetes) Parobeck\u2019s gracefully fluid, exuberantly kinetic, frenetically fun-fuelled, animation-inspired style revolutionised superhero action drawing and sparked a renaissance in kid-friendly material and merchandise at DC – and everywhere else in the comics publishing business.<\/p>\n

The wall to wall wonderment begins with the compulsive contents of Batman Adventures Annual <\/strong>#1: a giant-sized gathering of industry stars illustrating Paul Dini\u2019s episodic, interlinked saga \u2018Going Straight\u2019<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Illustrators Timm & Burchett set the ball rolling as jet-propelled bandit Roxy Rocket<\/em> is released from prison, prompting Batman and faithful retainer Alfred<\/em> to discuss whether any villains ever reform.<\/p>\n

Apparently one who almost made it is Arnold Wesker<\/em>, who played mute Ventriloquist<\/em> to his malign dummy Scarface<\/em>. Tragically in \u2018Puppet Show\u2019<\/em> (art by Parobeck & Matt Wagner) we see how even a good job and the best of intentions are no defence when Arnold\u2019s new boss wants to exploit his criminal past…<\/p>\n

Harley Quinn<\/strong> is insanely devoted to killer clown The Joker<\/strong> as Dan DeCarlo & Timm wordlessly expose her profound weakness for that bad boy as she\u2019s released from Arkham Asylum<\/em>, only to be seduced back into committing crazy crimes in just \u201924 Hours\u2019<\/em>…
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\nThe Scarecrow<\/em>\u2019s return to terrorising the helpless resulted from his genuine desire to help a girl assaulted by her would-be boyfriend in the chilling, poignant \u2018Study Hall\u2019<\/em> (with art by Klaus Janson), after which \u2018Going Straight\u2019<\/em> concludes with Timm detailing how Roxy Rocket is framed by Catwoman<\/em>, and Batman has to separate the warring female furies…<\/p>\n

The melange of mayhem even came with its own enthralling encore with The Joker solo-starring in \u2018Laughter After Midnight\u2019<\/em> as the Mountebank of Mirth goes on a spree in Gotham, courtesy of artists John Byrne & Burchett…<\/p>\n

The Batman Adventures<\/strong> #21 then saw Michael Reaves join Puckett to script tense thriller \u2018House of Dorian\u2019<\/em> for Parobeck & Burchett as deranged geneticist Emile Dorian<\/em> escapes from Arkham and immediately turns Kirk Langstrom<\/em> back into the marauding Man-Bat<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Moreover, although the Mad Doctor\u2019s freedom is bad news for Gotham, Langstrom and Dorian\u2019s previous beast-man Tygrus<\/em>; for a desperate fugitive afflicted with lycanthropy, the insane physician is his last chance at a cure for his curse…<\/p>\n

Dorian couldn\u2019t care less. All he wants is revenge on Batman and Selina Kyle<\/em>…<\/p>\n

Like the show, most stories were crafted as a 3-act plays and the conceit resumes with #22 as Puckett, Parobeck & Burchett settle in for the long haul. \u2018Good Face Bad Face\u2019<\/em> sees Two-Face<\/em> return; also busting out of Arkham in \u2018Harvey Doesn\u2019t Live Here Anymore\u2019<\/em> set to settle scores with Gotham\u2019s top mobster Rupert Thorne<\/em>. His first move is to free his gang in \u2018Nor Iron Bars a Cage\u2019<\/em>, but this time Batman is waiting…<\/p>\n

Poison Ivy<\/em> is back in #23, spreading \u2018Toxic Shock\u2019<\/em> and teaming up with the Dark Knight in \u2018Strange Bedfellows\u2019<\/em> to save a famed botanist\/ecologist dying from a mystery toxin. \u2018Fighting Poison with Poison\u2019<\/em>, she and Batman hunt for a cure, forcing the mystery assassin into more prosaic methods in \u2018How Deadly Was my Valley\u2019<\/em>…<\/p>\n

\u2018Grave Obligations\u2019<\/em> sees the Gotham Guardian\u2019s past come back to haunt him when a ninja clan invade the city. They seem more concerned with fighting each other in \u2018Brother\u2019s Keeper\u2019<\/em> but a little digging reveals how one has come \u2018From Tokyo, With Death\u2019<\/em> in mind for Batman, and it takes a much higher authority to halt the chaos in \u2018Cancelled Debts\u2019<\/em>…<\/p>\n

An inevitable team-up graces Batman Adventures<\/strong> #25 as Puckett, Parobeck & Burchett reintroduce legendary \u2018Super Friends\u2019<\/em>. With Lex Luthor<\/em> in town and bidding against Waynetech for a military contract, a mystery bombing campaign begins in \u2018Tik, Tik, Tik…<\/em>\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Even as unwelcome guest Superman<\/strong> horns in, Batman realises his old foe Maxie Zeus<\/em> might be taking the credit but is certainly not to blame for the \u2018Sinners in the Hands of an Angry Zeus!\u2019 <\/em>A little deduction and a grudging alliance with the Caped Kryptonian results in the true scheme unravelling in \u2018The Gods Must be Crazy\u2019<\/em> with Batman rejoicing in having made a powerful friend and a remorseless and resourceful new enemy…<\/p>\n

\u2018Tree of Knowledge\u2019<\/em> focuses on college students Dick Grayson<\/em> and Babs Gordon<\/em> as they score top marks in a criminology course. \u2018Pop Gun Quiz\u2019<\/em> sees them singled out for special study by impressed Professor Morton<\/em> and on hand in \u2018Careful What You Wish For\u2019<\/em> to experience an impossible crime in the University Library. Despite all their investigations, it\u2019s only as Robin<\/strong> and Batgirl<\/strong> that a devilish plot is exposed and crucial \u2018Lessons Learned\u2019<\/em>…<\/p>\n

The last tale in this terrific tome revisits the tragedy of Batman\u2019s origins as \u2018Survivor Syndrome\u2019<\/em> sees an impostor risking his life on Gotham\u2019s streets in search of justice or possibly his own death.
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\n\u2018Brother, Brother\u2019<\/em> reveals how athlete Tom Dalton<\/em>\u2019s wife was murdered and how he surrenders to a \u2018Call to Vengeance\u2019<\/em>. Everything changes once the real Dark Knight takes charge of Tom and trains him to regain \u2018The Upper Hand\u2019<\/em>…<\/p>\n

With a full complement of covers by Timm, Parobeck & Burchett, plus a \u2018Pin-Up Gallery\u2019<\/em> with stunning images by Alex Toth, Dave Gibbons, Kelley Jones, Kevin Nowlan, Mark Chiarello, Mike Mignola, Matt Wagner, Chuck Dixon & Burchett – all coloured by the astounding Rick Taylor – this is another stunning treat for superhero lovers of every age and vintage.
\n\u00a9 1994, 2015 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Kelley Puckett, Paul Dini, Mike Parobeck & Rick Burchett, Michael Reaves, Bruce Timm, Matt Wagner, Klaus Janson, Dan DeCarlo, John Byrne & various (DC Comics) ISBN: 978-1-4012-5872-6 (TPB\/Digital edition) With Batman: Caped Crusader storming the air waves in this anniversary year and making old farts like me tremble all over again, let\u2019s take a … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “The Batman Adventures volume 3”<\/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":[191,92,10,33,75,76,286,125,97,172,9,325],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure","category-batgirl","category-batman","category-catwomman","category-crime-comics","category-dc-superhero","category-harley-quinn","category-humour","category-kids-all-ages","category-robin","category-superman","category-the-joker"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-7W0","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30504","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=30504"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30509,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30504\/revisions\/30509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}