I can't believe those are real. Are they really real? I cannot believe it. Those are Photoshopped, right? Really well?

Well, I don't know about the others but I have read that first one with the bubble-car. I can believe that they're real.

If I wanted to start him on Batman comics, which would be a good one? Are they too dark for a 9 year old? Are there current (i.e. not old collector's issues) series that might be good for him to read?

As noted above, The Batman Strikes is the current "all-ages" Batman title and ties into the current The Batman cartoon. However, the two previous "all-ages" Batman titles, Batman: Gotham Adventures and Batman Adventures, tied into the earlier Batman cartoon and is, IMHO, the superior title. There are many trades collecting the series.

Bruce Wayne's parents were shot when he was eight years old, in a street alley, while he watched. In the movie it was the man who would eventually become the Joker. In the comic book, it wasn't the Joker, it was just some random mugger.

Interesting note: The Batman: Gotham Adventures/Adventures series I mentioned above used the Joe Chill character as the one who killed the Waynes, but Batman never caught him. In the last issue of the series, though, there was an interesting, bittersweet coda to that story.

However, Bruce Wayne is just pretending to be a pampered, billionaire playboy. Bruce Wayne is the disguise, while Batman is the real person.

I recently read an interview, I think it was of Scott McDaniel, where he noted that Chuck Dixon once told him that the real person was the one who was in the Batcave, with the costume on, but with the cowl off.

Red Son = I didn't have the last-page OMG reaction that you did, but still -- that is a *seriously* good comic.

Another curious note: the ending came from an idea that Grant Morrison gave to Mark Millar.

the real person was the one who was in the Batcave, with the costume on, but with the cowl off.

That's it for me. I like that idea best.

That's it for me. I like that idea best.

It's a appealing in its resistance to binary thinking.

Indeed. My women's studies training cheers.

Pleides! Action Comics #827!!!

New Astounishing tomorrow?

I have many comics to pick up -- what with begin too broke and too far away from the shop to pick up my comics last week.

Astounishing #8 is due tomorrow.

The big news for me is that Promethea #32 comes out tomorrow - the blurb is the only way to adequately describe it:

In a series that pushed the boundaries of mainstream comics to the edge, this unbelievable final issue goes a little bit further! Alan Moore and J.H. Williams III deliver the most gloriously experimental issue of PROMETHEA yet, in which the reader takes an incredible trip through the magical cosmos with Promethea as a guide.

But there's more! While other comics allow the reader only one way to read a book, this issue gives you several options — one of which is assembling its 32 pages into a giant double-sided poster. Once the poster has been assembled, the pages form two lovely images (one on each side) that are only discernible as a complete entity! Final issue.

Of course, anyone new to the series would be totally lost. I picked up issue #16 as the first comic I ever bought purely for the art on the cover. At the time, I was such a novice that I was barely aware who Alan Moore was. I quickly learned, and Promethea became the first title I actively sought back issues. Issue #12 probably took over 4 hours to read - something I never experienced in a single-issue comic before.

I only hope that my shop actually ordered the comic. Things haven't been running smoothly lately. I did order the issue online, but it won't get to me until next week.

Astounishing #8 is due tomorrow.

WHEEE!!!

I've got the first volume of Prometha, and some random issues from what made up the second. I really need to get around to that some day.

But there's more! While other comics allow the reader only one way to read a book, this issue gives you several options — one of which is assembling its 32 pages into a giant double-sided poster. Once the poster has been assembled, the pages form two lovely images (one on each side) that are only discernible as a complete entity! Final issue.

Flaming hell. I'm going to have to tell Pete to buy two copies, aren't I?

Apparantly, Astonishing is out in TPB format. Issues 1-6, anyway.