Yes, I said it!

I finally saw the Dark Knight. Don’t get me wrong–it was awesome! But after reading so many rave reviews, I really thought it was going to de-throne Burton’s Batman, and it didn’t do that for me.

First, though, let’s start off with some things the movie does well. Christian Bale makes a good Bruce Wayne, and Alfred and Lucius Fox were great additions to the cast. Gary Oldman made a perfect young Jim Gordon was awesome, and I loved the scenes where Batman disappeared in the middle of a conversation, true to the comics. The story was good for a comic book movie, and I do like the different treatment they gave the joker. He is way better than Caesar Romero, and also better than the bizarre Matsuda version from the newer “The Batman” cartoons.

I guess I’ll always be a product of the 80’s and 90’s though. I’m reminded of this every time I turn on the radio and have to switch it back off immediately. I’m also reminded of it when I watch The Dark Knight. It’s just not the definitive Batman movie for me. Burton’s Batman is still that movie. Here are some reasons why:

• In TDK, Gotham is too real. One of the distinctions of DC Comics is that they don’t try to be too real. I prefer the stylized and anarchronistic Gotham that Burton imagined to the streets of Chicago.
• The new Bat-vehicles are too over-the-top and futuristic. Burton’s batmobile is a classic. I even prefer the vehicles from the Adam West show. And what a shame that the motorcycle made it onto the DVD cover!
• Somebody should have let Lando Calrissian become Two-Face. He and I are both still pissed about that one.
• And finally, the main subject of this post–the Joker! Everybody’s raving about how Ledger’s version of the joker is the perfect crazy homicidal maniac. They’re probably right, but he’s too much “homicidal” and not enough “crazy.” Nicholson understood this. The TDK crew was too busy trying to be dark and missed the boat on the humor and unpredictability of the character.

I know I’m in the minority here, but it had to be said. Recognize!

Thought I would share my recent finds from Half Price Books. This place never lets me down. Check it:

• 9 old-school Dragonlance books
• 4 David Finch issues of Moon Knight
• Fathom back issue
• X-cutioner’s Song Parts 1 and 11 (unopened)
• Danger Girl Back in Black #3
• Hellblazer Annual #1
• 2 funky tiki-style Batman books
• JLA 2006 #2 with a Mike Turner cover
• And the crown jewel of this stash: Captain N the Game Master!

All for $20. Fact of the matter is that most comics aren’t really worth anything in money once you bring them home from the shop. The value is in the eyes of the owner, and to me, this collection was a steal!

If you’ve ever seen the submission guidelines for the major comic publishers (and this even includes independent labels like image), they read like the sign at the beginning of a pirate ride at an amusement park–”abandon all hope ye who enter here!”

Guidelines are rigid and limited to doing things exactly as they’ve always been done. They’re also flat out rude–saying things like, “We will never return (and maybe never look at) your art,” and “Just because your mom thinks you can draw doesn’t mean we do.”

I say that stinks. It’s completely discouraging to kids and aspiring artists, and it really doesn’t leave the door open for creativity.

That’s where the web comes in. Andrew and I, and many others like us, can publish our own comics however we like. Thanks to sites like Renderosity, we can form communities to encourage each other and offer advice.

DC, Marvel, Image–I reject your submission rules. I’m having a lot more fun doing it my way.