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fandom4ever's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was looking to read the story ‘Interlude on Earth-Two’ when I picked up the collection Tales of the Batman: Alan Brennert. I had no idea who Brennert was or that he favored Earth-Two and Elseworlds stories, so I went into the nine stories collected here fresh. While mostly all Batman stories, there was also a Deadman issue (‘Should Auld Acquaintances Be Forgot’) and a Black Canary issue (‘Unfinished Business’) which contained amazing character history and depth. In addition to ‘Interlude on Earth-Two, I also greatly enjoyed ‘The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne which paired nicely with Interlude and ‘To Kill a Legend’, in which our Earth’s Batman and Robin are pulled to another Earth to hopefully stop the death of Bruce’s parents. The idea of an Earth with no heroes and thus posing the question of whether it’s right to save Bruce’s parents at the cost of Earth not getting a hero in Batman either, was powerful and I loved it. And lastly, the Elseworlds story ‘Holy Terror’ was an unexpected pleasure. Here was a dark tale where America and England are a theocracy and corrupt to the core. I found the way that heroes were introduced was well-done in an uncomfortable sort of way.
There is an introduction done by Alan Brennert that gives you a further look into his history, both in and out of comics. The art in this collection was also great. I’m always one to enjoy well-done what-if stories and this collection hit the spot. If you want some stories not set on our Earth, that really speak to the humanity of these superhero characters, then I would recommend this collection.
dantastic's review against another edition
5.0
Tales of the Batman: Alan Brennert contains the nine tales Alan Brennert wrote for DC Comics, the majority of them featuring Batman.
I was not quite five when my mom bought me a comic featuring Batman and an adult Robin. It wasn't until this year that I was able to identify it as The Brave and the Bold #182, written by none other than Alan Brennert. When I found out Alan Brennert wrote a comic that is one of my earliest memories, I decided to see keep an eye out for this. Fortunately, my wife got it for me for Father's Day.
While there's a Christmas story featuring Deadman and Supergirl and an issue of Secret Origins featuring Black Canary saying goodbye to her mother, most of the stories feature Batman. With the first story, To Kill a Legend, I was struck at how human Brennert makes Batman seem. That thread continues throughout.
The tales make heavy use of parallel worlds. Batman and Robin travel to another Earth to stop that Bruce Wayne's parents from being murdered. The Earth-1 Batman travels to Earth-2 to team with an adult Robin against Hugo Strange. The Earth-2 Batman finds love in the arms of Catwoman. Another Batman lives in a world ruled by a Puritanical regime. Even the stories not featuring parallel universes have the heroes showing that they're quite human underneath.
The art is also great. You get Jim Aparo, Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, Joe Staton, Dick Giordano, and others. I loved Joe Staton's square-jawed Earth-2 Batman almost as much as Jim Aparo's Dark Knight Detective.
For a guy with only nine DC comics to his name, Alan Brennert sure knows his way around a utility belt. I only wish he had more output in comics over the years. No one makes Batman seem more human than Alan Brennert. 5 out of 5 Batarangs.
I was not quite five when my mom bought me a comic featuring Batman and an adult Robin. It wasn't until this year that I was able to identify it as The Brave and the Bold #182, written by none other than Alan Brennert. When I found out Alan Brennert wrote a comic that is one of my earliest memories, I decided to see keep an eye out for this. Fortunately, my wife got it for me for Father's Day.
While there's a Christmas story featuring Deadman and Supergirl and an issue of Secret Origins featuring Black Canary saying goodbye to her mother, most of the stories feature Batman. With the first story, To Kill a Legend, I was struck at how human Brennert makes Batman seem. That thread continues throughout.
The tales make heavy use of parallel worlds. Batman and Robin travel to another Earth to stop that Bruce Wayne's parents from being murdered. The Earth-1 Batman travels to Earth-2 to team with an adult Robin against Hugo Strange. The Earth-2 Batman finds love in the arms of Catwoman. Another Batman lives in a world ruled by a Puritanical regime. Even the stories not featuring parallel universes have the heroes showing that they're quite human underneath.
The art is also great. You get Jim Aparo, Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, Joe Staton, Dick Giordano, and others. I loved Joe Staton's square-jawed Earth-2 Batman almost as much as Jim Aparo's Dark Knight Detective.
For a guy with only nine DC comics to his name, Alan Brennert sure knows his way around a utility belt. I only wish he had more output in comics over the years. No one makes Batman seem more human than Alan Brennert. 5 out of 5 Batarangs.
gabopagan's review
5.0
Brennert wrote so few stories but when he came in he just went right to writing classics
verkisto's review
3.0
I'm a huge fan of Alan Brennert, and I was surprised to find out he had written some Batman comics over the years. Luckily, most (all? I'm still not clear on it from the foreword) of those stories are reprinted here, and I was happy to sit down over a few days with this volume to see what he could do with the character.
The good news is all of Brennert's major themes -- redemption, second chances, and sacrifice -- appear in these stories, so readers familiar with his gentle style of storytelling will find a familiarity to them. The bad news is the stories still feel terribly dated. For me, continuity and canon among all titles in comics restricts the storytelling, and there are some examples of that kind of thing here. The other good news is that Brennert was far more interested in telling stories set outside of that canon (the stories are part of "What If?" titles, or set on alternate Earths), and what he chooses to do with those settings and characters in intriguing.
The highlight of the collection is "Holy Terror", a story set in a near-future totalitarian state run by the church, and where superheroism is a rare thing. Brennert retells Batman's origin, and it's a fascinating retelling of the Batman mythology, on par with the best Alan Moore can do. The rest of the stories are intriguing in retrospect, but aren't the most gripping comics I've read. Still, fans of Brennert who are curious to know what he could do in the field of comics would find it worthwhile to track down this collection.
The good news is all of Brennert's major themes -- redemption, second chances, and sacrifice -- appear in these stories, so readers familiar with his gentle style of storytelling will find a familiarity to them. The bad news is the stories still feel terribly dated. For me, continuity and canon among all titles in comics restricts the storytelling, and there are some examples of that kind of thing here. The other good news is that Brennert was far more interested in telling stories set outside of that canon (the stories are part of "What If?" titles, or set on alternate Earths), and what he chooses to do with those settings and characters in intriguing.
The highlight of the collection is "Holy Terror", a story set in a near-future totalitarian state run by the church, and where superheroism is a rare thing. Brennert retells Batman's origin, and it's a fascinating retelling of the Batman mythology, on par with the best Alan Moore can do. The rest of the stories are intriguing in retrospect, but aren't the most gripping comics I've read. Still, fans of Brennert who are curious to know what he could do in the field of comics would find it worthwhile to track down this collection.
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