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Legends of the Dark Knight: Norm Breyfogle #1
Legends of the Dark Knight: Norm Breyfogle, Vol. 1
This volume of the Legends of the Dark Knight series focuses on the Detective Comics stories from acclaimed artist Norm Greyfogle and writer Alan Grant.
Batman Annual 11-12, Detective Comics 579, 582-594, 601-607
Batman Annual 11-12, Detective Comics 579, 582-594, 601-607
520 pages, Hardcover
First published July 7, 2015
16 people are currently reading
176 people want to read
About the author
Norm Breyfogle
384 books17 followersNorm Breyfogle was an American artist, best known for his comic book art on DC Comics' Batman franchise.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
August 24, 2015
So man, I have been waiting for this collection to exist for over 20 years. Batman #455 (which isn't collected here, but should be in subsequent volumes) was my first-ever Batman comic, and I reread it so many times in the intervening years I'm pretty sure I have it memorized. From that book forward, I was absolutely addicted to Norm Breyfogle's Batman -- the harsh angles, the incredible page layouts, the mix of narrative storytelling ability and an aggressive dynamism that I just don't even know how to describe. Breyfogle didn't just draw characters and settings -- he drew the idea of movement, a meshing of style and tone that ensured every single penstroke was building toward an aesthetic ideal that was more than just a rendering of objects in space.
There's nothing like a Breyfogle Batman page. You see one and you realize just how many artists out there are missing an entire half of their illustration toolbox, in which layout and content are brought together so completely and irrevocably that the page, the line, and the panel become a single unit. It's impossible, obviously, for me to talk about Norm Breyfogle without waxing poetic. But I'm telling you, man -- the dude understood how to find a page's sheer oneness in ways I've really never seen anywhere else.
Aside from a handful of issues, Breyfogle's daunting, nearly-unbroken 5-year run on DETECTIVE, BATMAN, and SHADOW OF THE BAT had never been collected before this year. I tracked down the single issues in my 20s, but this is the first time I'd seen his work on high-grade paper, without ads and lettercolumns. And I'll admit, my four-star review on this volume is wholly due to the intensity of my nostalgia. There was a pulpiness, a serial-of-the-week feel to Breyfogle's work with Alan Grant on these stories -- they understood how to make the monthly medium work, with single-issue tales that zinged and two or three-parters so dense with plot and character that just reading a few issues felt like a full meal. The stark simplicity of Breyfogle's inks were also uniquely suited to the terrible newsprint on which they were printed -- the striking blacks and bold shapes jumped off those yellowed pages.
There's something mildly less electric about seeing these incredible stories put together in a clean and perfect package. It doesn't help that Todd Klein's impeccable lettering clearly had to be re-traced for much of this volume, nor that some of Breyfogle's inks haven't reproduced as sharply and precisely as the originals. The book also suffers from a lack of any kind of introduction or backmatter, which should be standard for a retrospective like this.
But these are quibbles that other people who are not psycho for Breyfogle won't even pick up on. What you will find, instead, is the beginning of a seminal period of Batman comics. These aren't continuity-heavy stories in the larger sense, but within their own sandbox they lay the groundwork for an intricate cast of characters and criminals in a fully-realized Gotham that Breyfogle and Grant were able to explore to their heart's content during the late 80's and early 90's.
The volume begins with a collection of early Batman backup stories with a range of writers, several of which I've never even heard of before. Past these, the Grant/Breyfogle era hits the ground running, introducing villains, cops, informants, bums, addicts, grifters, and socialites that would resurface again and again in varying capacities throughout their run. Some characters, like Scarface and Ultimate Clayface, became major players throughout the Batman mythos. Other baddies, like the Ratcatcher, Kadaver, and the Corrosive Man, were minor nogoodniks that played to the angularity and supernatural-tinged drama of Breyfogle's art. These stories also have an overly-nuanced political stance that is unheard of in modern superhero comics -- from Batman learning about Western bigotry through fighting against Middle Eastern "terrorists," to lessons in colonialism through the characterization of an Aboriginal warrior bent on revenge.
But there is still a small-time, low-stakes feel here -- a naturalness and groundedness to Batman's day-to-day crimesolving that has little to do with epic storytelling, and more to do with satisfying storytelling. This sort of day-to-day adventuring humanizes Batman like nothing I've ever read. And while there's a somewhat preachy diatribe against drug use that hangs over these stories in an outdated way, this thread never gets in the way of the story.
Norm suffered a debilitating stroke this past year that left him unable to draw -- in fact, the stroke is the reason that DC saw fit to fast-track this retrospective (perhaps at the expense of some of the book's aesthetic details). Aside from buying this book because it's the right thing to do for your comic-lovin' heart, proceeds are going to Breyfogle's medical bills, which are sizeable.
So look -- do yourself a favor, and Norm a favor, by buying the crap out of this gorgeous thing.
There's nothing like a Breyfogle Batman page. You see one and you realize just how many artists out there are missing an entire half of their illustration toolbox, in which layout and content are brought together so completely and irrevocably that the page, the line, and the panel become a single unit. It's impossible, obviously, for me to talk about Norm Breyfogle without waxing poetic. But I'm telling you, man -- the dude understood how to find a page's sheer oneness in ways I've really never seen anywhere else.
Aside from a handful of issues, Breyfogle's daunting, nearly-unbroken 5-year run on DETECTIVE, BATMAN, and SHADOW OF THE BAT had never been collected before this year. I tracked down the single issues in my 20s, but this is the first time I'd seen his work on high-grade paper, without ads and lettercolumns. And I'll admit, my four-star review on this volume is wholly due to the intensity of my nostalgia. There was a pulpiness, a serial-of-the-week feel to Breyfogle's work with Alan Grant on these stories -- they understood how to make the monthly medium work, with single-issue tales that zinged and two or three-parters so dense with plot and character that just reading a few issues felt like a full meal. The stark simplicity of Breyfogle's inks were also uniquely suited to the terrible newsprint on which they were printed -- the striking blacks and bold shapes jumped off those yellowed pages.
There's something mildly less electric about seeing these incredible stories put together in a clean and perfect package. It doesn't help that Todd Klein's impeccable lettering clearly had to be re-traced for much of this volume, nor that some of Breyfogle's inks haven't reproduced as sharply and precisely as the originals. The book also suffers from a lack of any kind of introduction or backmatter, which should be standard for a retrospective like this.
But these are quibbles that other people who are not psycho for Breyfogle won't even pick up on. What you will find, instead, is the beginning of a seminal period of Batman comics. These aren't continuity-heavy stories in the larger sense, but within their own sandbox they lay the groundwork for an intricate cast of characters and criminals in a fully-realized Gotham that Breyfogle and Grant were able to explore to their heart's content during the late 80's and early 90's.
The volume begins with a collection of early Batman backup stories with a range of writers, several of which I've never even heard of before. Past these, the Grant/Breyfogle era hits the ground running, introducing villains, cops, informants, bums, addicts, grifters, and socialites that would resurface again and again in varying capacities throughout their run. Some characters, like Scarface and Ultimate Clayface, became major players throughout the Batman mythos. Other baddies, like the Ratcatcher, Kadaver, and the Corrosive Man, were minor nogoodniks that played to the angularity and supernatural-tinged drama of Breyfogle's art. These stories also have an overly-nuanced political stance that is unheard of in modern superhero comics -- from Batman learning about Western bigotry through fighting against Middle Eastern "terrorists," to lessons in colonialism through the characterization of an Aboriginal warrior bent on revenge.
But there is still a small-time, low-stakes feel here -- a naturalness and groundedness to Batman's day-to-day crimesolving that has little to do with epic storytelling, and more to do with satisfying storytelling. This sort of day-to-day adventuring humanizes Batman like nothing I've ever read. And while there's a somewhat preachy diatribe against drug use that hangs over these stories in an outdated way, this thread never gets in the way of the story.
Norm suffered a debilitating stroke this past year that left him unable to draw -- in fact, the stroke is the reason that DC saw fit to fast-track this retrospective (perhaps at the expense of some of the book's aesthetic details). Aside from buying this book because it's the right thing to do for your comic-lovin' heart, proceeds are going to Breyfogle's medical bills, which are sizeable.
So look -- do yourself a favor, and Norm a favor, by buying the crap out of this gorgeous thing.
December 28, 2015
A beautiful collection of Norm Breyfogle's early Batman work. The majority of the stories are his collaborations with Alan Grant, which is one of the greatest creative teams the character's ever had. It was great go back and read these classic tales after so many years. I can't wait for Volume Two!
April 3, 2019
Contains Detective Comics #579, #582-594, #601-607 and stories from Batman Annual #11-12 (credits to Wikipedia) which, in publication order, puts it roughly around Batman #420, about a year after Batman: Year One.
Chronologically, according to the same Wikipedia page (since edited to remove these artist-centric volumes from the chronology) between the Batman: Fortunate Son graphic novel and Batman: Second Chances (Batman #402-403, #408-416 and Batman Annual #11)
Chronologically, according to the same Wikipedia page (since edited to remove these artist-centric volumes from the chronology) between the Batman: Fortunate Son graphic novel and Batman: Second Chances (Batman #402-403, #408-416 and Batman Annual #11)
March 1, 2025
This is basically a collection of stories in Batman in which Norm Breyfogle was artist in . All in all these are some of your typical 80s comic book tales , ludicrous , over-the-top and campy . TBH for it's time the presented story arent that bad . Some are actually decent , like the penguin one and the clayface one and "fear" to name a few but other than that most feel like stories we have seen before . One credit to this book is the fact that this was the first time (probably) that scarface was introduced . In terms of Breyfogle's art ... I really dont know what the fuss was all about , the are is typical of it's time and tbh nothing to brag about , in fact , i have seen better art work from 80s artist so honestly i dont know why Breyfogle's art work warranted an exclusive volume . Either way , it's a whole lot of meh!
February 8, 2018
I'd knock off a star for the crap before Grant and Wagner become the writing team, but the stuff that follows when they do is so friggin' good, I've already forgotten that bullshit about the Manhunters and whatnot.
Pretty darn close to my ideal Batman right here, right down to Etrigan giving him a peck on the cheek!
Pretty darn close to my ideal Batman right here, right down to Etrigan giving him a peck on the cheek!
Read
September 20, 2019This one didn’t do much for me. It might be blasphemy, but I think Norm Breyfogle's interior art is ugly. Maybe the inking and coloring makes it look worse. Either way, his covers are far better, with some iconic ones reprinted here (Detective 587, 590, 603). But honestly, the interiors look rushed and lazy compared to the covers. That's par the course for comics during this time period.
The stories in this collection - from Breyfogle's late 80s/early 90s Detective Comics run, mostly written by Alan Grant - range from average to awful. Predictable crime fighting, dull dialogue, dumb over-the-top sequences. Batman has little personality here. I guess it was cool to see Ventriloquist’s first issue, and I liked the Etrigan cameo, but that’s about it. If you have a sentimental attachment to these stories or you’re a fan of Breyfogle’s interior art, you’ll certainly enjoy this collection more than I did.
The stories in this collection - from Breyfogle's late 80s/early 90s Detective Comics run, mostly written by Alan Grant - range from average to awful. Predictable crime fighting, dull dialogue, dumb over-the-top sequences. Batman has little personality here. I guess it was cool to see Ventriloquist’s first issue, and I liked the Etrigan cameo, but that’s about it. If you have a sentimental attachment to these stories or you’re a fan of Breyfogle’s interior art, you’ll certainly enjoy this collection more than I did.
Want to read
December 30, 2016Wow... thumbed through this last night. A total blind spot in my comics history. Never knew about this stuff. Think I'm really going to like this when I sit down to read it. Art looks really great - nice follow up to the Aparo era.
July 23, 2015
Wish this had an introduction, but the content is perfect.
December 3, 2020
This volume compiles the Detective comics run of artist Norm Breyfogle whose very dynamic style fits these stories perfectly. The stories focus on Batman's lesser-known villains but are very good nonetheless and it's a nice change of pace from the usual Joker and Riddler stories.
There is a dark strain going through this run with many tales focusing on madness, fear and nightmares, like the one that finishes the volume, the four-part The Mudpack which pits Batman against three of the four Clayfaces. Breyfogle´s art really shines and is a perfect fit for the character, his style is at times almost abstract but never going into the cartoony. Also, we get all solo Batman stories (this is after the death of Jason Todd) with no other bat family members (save Alfred) to clutter the stories. There are two distinguished guest stars in two arcs, The Demon and Looker (from The Outsiders) that makes those stories almost Brave and the Bold tales, and that's a good thing. Recommended.
There is a dark strain going through this run with many tales focusing on madness, fear and nightmares, like the one that finishes the volume, the four-part The Mudpack which pits Batman against three of the four Clayfaces. Breyfogle´s art really shines and is a perfect fit for the character, his style is at times almost abstract but never going into the cartoony. Also, we get all solo Batman stories (this is after the death of Jason Todd) with no other bat family members (save Alfred) to clutter the stories. There are two distinguished guest stars in two arcs, The Demon and Looker (from The Outsiders) that makes those stories almost Brave and the Bold tales, and that's a good thing. Recommended.
February 4, 2018
I own 4 of these collections including the Marshall Rogers, Len Wein, JH Williams and this Breyfogle one. Of all of those, this is the only one I can actually read from cover to cover (the Len Wein collection is just overwhelming).
No other Batman artist has the ability to elevate the story with their art the way Breyfogle does it. His huge page spreads create such an intense psychological tension that always reinforced to readers that Batman is human and very much vulnerable and has a lot of shit in his head that is pretty haunting.
I wont ruin the plotlines of any of the stories. But I will say that Breyfogle's best stories aren't even in this collection. His work on the Tim Drake Robin collection is probably my favorite of anything he did, and his work on Knightfall set the tone for the dark as fuck atmosphere of that trilogy. Best Batman artist evaaaaaah!
No other Batman artist has the ability to elevate the story with their art the way Breyfogle does it. His huge page spreads create such an intense psychological tension that always reinforced to readers that Batman is human and very much vulnerable and has a lot of shit in his head that is pretty haunting.
I wont ruin the plotlines of any of the stories. But I will say that Breyfogle's best stories aren't even in this collection. His work on the Tim Drake Robin collection is probably my favorite of anything he did, and his work on Knightfall set the tone for the dark as fuck atmosphere of that trilogy. Best Batman artist evaaaaaah!
March 13, 2019
This is my new favorite Batman collection. The brilliant mind of Norm Breyfogle. Many people may not know this, but Norm was Batman. Literally. He grappled with depression and loss in his life and absolutely channeled his existential crisis into The Dark Knight. In my opinion he breathed more life into Batman than any movie, or cartoon, or any other comic book creator before or after his epic run. He was taken from this world far too soon. I miss him so much!
Long live Norm Breyfogle: The Batman.
Long live Norm Breyfogle: The Batman.
February 26, 2022
Not every story in this collection is great. But as a spotlight on Breyfogle’s skill as a draftsman and storyteller, this is an excellent collection. A largely forgotten era of Batman but some gems in here. Breyfogle’s evocative style is stunning, Batman morphs between panels, sinking into shadow, his cape billowing wraithlike in the darkness. An essential and defining take on the character.
February 17, 2018
like Aparo, Breyfogle was a defining force for Batman comics - and this collection is just terrific. You can see Breyfogle's art improving with every issue (and often times rising above the writing he's been given).
October 23, 2018
Absolutely top notch
One of the best runs of Batman in the history of the character. Norm Breyfogle is probably one of the top five artists to ever tackle the character and is sorely missed. This volume is a fitting tribute and underscores just how much we lost with his passing.
One of the best runs of Batman in the history of the character. Norm Breyfogle is probably one of the top five artists to ever tackle the character and is sorely missed. This volume is a fitting tribute and underscores just how much we lost with his passing.
August 31, 2020
A collection of Norm Breyfolge's early work in Detective Comics. There are some fun stories, some darker ones, some that don't age as well. It's nice to see Breyfogle grow more comfortable and confident illustrating the Dark Knight.
March 29, 2022
Some insane stories in this some of which haven’t aged well, but Norm always draws Batman with a lot of fun expression. Favorite stories were The Penguin falling in love at the beginning of the volume and the four Clayface team up at the end.
July 6, 2017
Jim Aparo defined the look of the character, but Norm Breyfogle is "my" Batman artist. It was great to see his style evolve, even though these are not the best Batman stories of all time.
October 4, 2017
Stories are up and down, but the art is wonderful, especially if you're a fan of late 80's-early 90's DC like me.
December 9, 2017
Brought back a lot of good memories!
August 1, 2019
Breyfogle’s Batman is marvelous to behold. Working with Davis and Wagner doesn’t hurt.
June 24, 2020
El Batman de Breyfogle, una maravilla que no envejece...
September 1, 2020
Personally these stories didnt do it for me. But if you're a fan of this era of comics and Batman stories with his bottom tier villains than this is definitely for you.
September 13, 2025
Mud packi sevdim diğer hikayeleri çok hatırlamıyorum
December 30, 2020
Decent Batman stories from the 80s. Overall I love Breyfogle's illustrations but he definitely improves over time. Incredible action oriented visuals.
December 1, 2025
I'm probably pretty biased as this was my favorite Batman run during adolescence, the height of my comic book fandom. I loved the writing, though some of it is a bit dated by today's standards, and I especially loved the artwork, Norm Breyfogle's Batman is my personal favorite rendition and his art throughout this run is exceptional.
August 31, 2017
This standard sized hardcover collected the earliest work of Norm Breyfogle's Batman. included are Batman Annuals #11 and #12 and Detective Comics #579, #582-#594, #601-#607 (1987-1989).
Batman Annual #11 is actually only the second story, 'Love Bird' written by Max Allan Collins.
Batman Annual #12 is again only the second story, 'The Back-Up' written by Robert Greenberger.
Detective Comics #579 'The Crime Doctor's Crimson Clinic' written by Mike W. Barr.
Detective Comics #582 'Sole Survivor' written by Jo Duffy.
Detective Comics #583 'Fever' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #584 'Fever Break!' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #585 'The Ratcatcher' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #586 'Rat Trap' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #587 'Night People' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #588 'Night People Part 2: The Corrosive Man' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #589 'Night People: Part Three - The Burning Pit' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #590 'An American Batman in London' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #591 'Aborigine!' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #592 'The Fear Part One' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #593 'The Fear Part Two: Diary of a Madman' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #594 'Ecstasy' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #601 'Tulpa; Part One - Monster Maker' written by Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #602 'Tulpa; Part Two: Night Moves' written by Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #603 'Tulpa, Part 3: When Demons Clash!' written by Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #604 'The Mud Pack - Part One: Men of Clay' written by Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #605 'The Mud Pack - Part Two: Heart of Steel; Feet of Clay?' written by Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #606 'The Mud Pack - Part Three: Killer Clay!' written by Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #607 'The Mud Pack - Part Four: The China Clay Syndrome' written by Alan Grant.
When reading this I was most excited to read the legendary collaborations between Norm Breyfogle and Alan Grant, which do not start until #583 - part way through the book. Before this point, the stories are good, with some filler and one issue that is unfortunately completely out of context. I think it was part of a six issue miniseries? Only the one issue with pencils by Breyfogle are included in this book for obvious reasons.
From #583 'Fever' onwards though, you are in for a treat! 'Fever' famously features Scarface and the Ventriloquist, while 'The Ratcatcher' introduces the villain of the same name, 'Tulpa' features the first of many appearances of Jack Kirby's Jason Blood (Etrigan) written by Alan Grant, and 'The Mud Pack' gives us probably the best Clayface story ever written. 'Ecstacy' gives us a seemingly random standalone anti-drug issue which is actually an interesting read, and 'An American Batman in London' is a very fun read. Alan Grant, being British, clearly had a lot of fun with this story.
This book is ultimately a celebration of Breyfogle's work on Batman, collecting the first two years of his work. As I've already mentioned, some of this work doesn't really sit right and one story (Sole Survivor) is meant to be read with Batman 415, Captain Atom 11, Suicide Squad 9, Spectre 10 and the Millennium limited series, none of which are collected in this book. Not to say you should dismiss this issue, far from it. The art is fantastic and an early example of Breyfogle's genius. It is easy to see how the man went on to being one of the greatest (albeit underrated) Batman artists of all time. This book is designed for fans of Breyfogle, but can be enjoyed by plain old Batman fans too, particularly if they're interested in the period just after Batman Year One that often doesn't get much exposure. Fans of good Batman stories can definitely enjoy the latter two thirds of this book though! Once Alan Grant comes on board, the partnership that would last years starts with a bang!
Batman Annual #11 is actually only the second story, 'Love Bird' written by Max Allan Collins.
Batman Annual #12 is again only the second story, 'The Back-Up' written by Robert Greenberger.
Detective Comics #579 'The Crime Doctor's Crimson Clinic' written by Mike W. Barr.
Detective Comics #582 'Sole Survivor' written by Jo Duffy.
Detective Comics #583 'Fever' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #584 'Fever Break!' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #585 'The Ratcatcher' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #586 'Rat Trap' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #587 'Night People' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #588 'Night People Part 2: The Corrosive Man' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #589 'Night People: Part Three - The Burning Pit' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #590 'An American Batman in London' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #591 'Aborigine!' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #592 'The Fear Part One' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #593 'The Fear Part Two: Diary of a Madman' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #594 'Ecstasy' written by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #601 'Tulpa; Part One - Monster Maker' written by Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #602 'Tulpa; Part Two: Night Moves' written by Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #603 'Tulpa, Part 3: When Demons Clash!' written by Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #604 'The Mud Pack - Part One: Men of Clay' written by Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #605 'The Mud Pack - Part Two: Heart of Steel; Feet of Clay?' written by Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #606 'The Mud Pack - Part Three: Killer Clay!' written by Alan Grant.
Detective Comics #607 'The Mud Pack - Part Four: The China Clay Syndrome' written by Alan Grant.
When reading this I was most excited to read the legendary collaborations between Norm Breyfogle and Alan Grant, which do not start until #583 - part way through the book. Before this point, the stories are good, with some filler and one issue that is unfortunately completely out of context. I think it was part of a six issue miniseries? Only the one issue with pencils by Breyfogle are included in this book for obvious reasons.
From #583 'Fever' onwards though, you are in for a treat! 'Fever' famously features Scarface and the Ventriloquist, while 'The Ratcatcher' introduces the villain of the same name, 'Tulpa' features the first of many appearances of Jack Kirby's Jason Blood (Etrigan) written by Alan Grant, and 'The Mud Pack' gives us probably the best Clayface story ever written. 'Ecstacy' gives us a seemingly random standalone anti-drug issue which is actually an interesting read, and 'An American Batman in London' is a very fun read. Alan Grant, being British, clearly had a lot of fun with this story.
This book is ultimately a celebration of Breyfogle's work on Batman, collecting the first two years of his work. As I've already mentioned, some of this work doesn't really sit right and one story (Sole Survivor) is meant to be read with Batman 415, Captain Atom 11, Suicide Squad 9, Spectre 10 and the Millennium limited series, none of which are collected in this book. Not to say you should dismiss this issue, far from it. The art is fantastic and an early example of Breyfogle's genius. It is easy to see how the man went on to being one of the greatest (albeit underrated) Batman artists of all time. This book is designed for fans of Breyfogle, but can be enjoyed by plain old Batman fans too, particularly if they're interested in the period just after Batman Year One that often doesn't get much exposure. Fans of good Batman stories can definitely enjoy the latter two thirds of this book though! Once Alan Grant comes on board, the partnership that would last years starts with a bang!
January 15, 2018
Primer volumen recopilatorio de las historias de Batman de finales de los 80s, incluso antes de su etapa excelente con John Wagner y Alan Grant, las que comienzan con la dos partes de FEVER y la primerisima aparicion de SCARFACE y el Ventriloquista.De ahi pasamos a una historia de Tres partes que involucra los debut de KADAVER y EL HOMBRE CORROSIVO, en una trama que va ganando complejidad y el dibujo de Breyflogle va en ascenso. Se va notando la armonia entre el estilo de los guionistas y el dibujante. De ahi pasamos a in one shot, donde Batman viaja a Londres para enfrentarse a terroristas, donde se cuestiona la moralidad americana. En las siguientes historias, Batman se enfrenta al Aborigen, especie de justiciero australiano, y pasa a un dos-partes con la presentación del psicópata Cornelius Stirk con la habilidad de manipular mentes. Y tambien asistimos a una víctima de la droga Éxtasis, vendida por Scarface y el Ventriloquista. Ya en solitario, Alan Grant escribe un arco de tres partes con tintes sobrenaturales Tulpa, en la que interviene el demonio Etrigan. Breyflogle simplemente está en la cúspide de sus facultades artísticas. El tomo cierra con un arco clásico de 4 partes conocido como MUDPACK, donde Batman se enfrenta a la coalición de los villanos llamados CLAYFACE o Cara de Barro. Quizas lo mejor de esta publicación. En general, este tomo es muy disfrutable, aunque las historias han quedado algo ingenuas para gustos actuales, el arte es una de mis favoritas versiones del Caballero oscuro. Recomendable totalmente.
May 18, 2020
Of all the guys writing/drawing Batman in the 80s and 90s the Grant/Wagner/Breyfogle trio was my favorite. For me this is what Batman is supposed to be and look like. Just classic stuff, it pretty much defines the Dark Knight. Lots of fun!
April 17, 2017
Beginning with Carmine Infantino in the late sixties, but crystalizing with Neal Adams in the seventies, a new emphasis on "realism" -- with special attention to anatomical detail -- brought superheroes out of the campy, Comics Code–neutered epoch of the fifties and sixties (as detailed in The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How it Changed America), influencing an entire generation of artists (like Jim Aparo, George Pérez, and John Byrne) to become the preferred mode of comic-book illustration moving forward. There was perhaps no superhero better suited to this era-defining aesthetic than Batman, whose story had always been the wish-fulfillment fantasy of a man that achieved greatness through self-determination, rather than being the unwitting beneficiary of cosmic intervention or supernatural birthright. Batman, like Bond, was a true people's superhero, and artists like Adams and Aparo endowed him with a theretofore unprecedented verisimilitude.
Then came Norm Breyfogle in the late eighties. Breyfogle, like any young artist of his era, had clearly been influenced by the Neal Adams "school," with its premium on anatomical and environment detail, yet brought a dynamism to his layouts and renderings -- exaggerated poses and cape lengths, for instance -- that transcended realism to become, for lack of a better term, "magic realism." His sensibilities were a perfect match for scribe Alan Grant, his frequent collaborator, whose scripts deftly addressed topical social issues (like drug abuse and Middle Eastern terrorism) through narratives that incorporated elements of the occultic and metaphysical. (Grant also strived for a greater degree of emotional and/or philosophical depth in his stories, challenging the black-and-white/right-and-wrong/good-and-evil prescriptive ethos of superhero storytelling, preferring instead to raise questions for the reader to ponder rather than spoon-feeding answers.)
For those interested in further overview of Breyfogle's creative contributions to the Bat-mythos, I refer you to this blog post, which Breyfogle himself commented on. Needless to say, there's never been another Batman artist quite like him.
This collection is a worthy compendium of his early work -- his initial run on Detective Comics in the late eighties. It is a handsome hardcover edition with glossy, high-quality paper, though, despite the exemplary presentation and content, I've deducted a star for the lack of any supplementary materials, like a prologue or introduction that might've put Breyfogle's work in a cultural context and perhaps celebrated his great achievements through the lens of history, or script pages/thumbnail layouts, or an issue-by-issue commentary from (or transcribed conversation between) Grant and Breyfogle, giving them a chance to talk about their creative process, the development of their stories, their working relationship, and their unique interpretation of the Caped Crusader. These stories were published at an exciting time in the history of the character, what with Frank Miller's recently released Batman: The Dark Knight Returns redefining the medium, and Tim Burton's soon-to-be released feature film turning Batman into a legitimate cultural phenomenon. To have failed to address any of that through a foreword or interview seems like a needless oversight -- a missed opportunity -- for a "definitive" volume like this.
So I guess the work has to speak for itself, then. Here's what's included in Legends of the Dark Knight: Norm Breyfogle, Volume 1:
The collection opens with "The Crime Doctor's Crimson Clinic" from Detective Comics #579, with a script from Mike W. Barr. Even though superheroes were moving out of their final phase of innocence at this point in comic-book history (courtesy of projects like Watchmen, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, and Batman: The Killing Joke), this issue feels like it could be an extension of The New Adventures of Batman animated series (from the seventies) or even, to a degree, the old Adam West show: It features a villain named "the Crime Doctor," has Commissioner Gordon completely deferring to Batman's judgment in all matters of the investigation, and depicts a morally black-and-white characterization of Batman. (Plus, Batman refers to Robin as "chum" several times throughout the course of the story!) This issue is definitely meant to appeal to kids under twelve (the age I was when I first read it), but at least it tells a self-contained story, and Breyfogle's dynamic visualizations of Batman and Robin (in his original costume, no less) are a thrill to behold.
The second story, "Love Bird," is a short Penguin segment originally published in Batman Annual 1987: Villains in Love! (written by Max Allan Collins) that also appeared in the Batman: Second Chances collection from the same year as this compilation, albeit the newsprint from the original comic (and Second Chances) has been upgraded here to a glossy paper stock.
Up third: "Sole Survivor" from Detective Comics (1937-2011) #582 (written by Jo Duffy), an exposition-heavy and narratively jumbled tie-in to a mid-eighties crossover event called "Millennium." It starts as a Gordon story before abruptly shifting focus to Batman, and its sci-fi underpinnings seem out of place in the Bat-mythos. Even Breyfogle's art can't save this one, as this issue's inker, Pablo Marcos, doesn't adequately complement Norm's pencil work; Marcos strips it of its dynamism and renders it rather generic. I would have preferred Steve Mitchell handled inking duties... or, better yet, Breyfogle himself. Not a great addition to the compendium.
"The Back-Up," from Batman Annual (1940-) #12 (Batman (scripted by Robert Greenberger) puts the woefully underused Jason Todd in the spotlight for a school-based short story that's effective enough, even if it strains credibility a bit. It's nice, for a change, to see Norm's art serving a story that doesn't rely on superheroics.
The storytelling deepens considerably beginning with the two-part episode "Fever" from Detective Comics (1937-2011) #583 and Detective Comics (1937-2011) #584. This marks the start of Breyfogle's long association with writer Alan Grant, who had a singular knack for telling sophisticated, self-contained stories (of anywhere between one to four issues), usually with a powerful emotional payoff. (Imagine that -- Batman actually had an arc!) Grant's plotting is tighter, his dialogue less goofily self-serious (Batman doesn't have that Adam West–meets–Dirty Harry zero-tolerance policy for crime of any degree), and even "out there" villains like the Ventriloquist and Scarface are handled with a minimum of camp. "Fever" details Batman's attempt to bring down a drug ring poisoning the youth of Gotham. Steve Mitchell supplied the inking on the second part, "Fever Break!", and it's a special thrill to see Breyfogle's rendition of the Super Powers–era Batmobile (I keep one of the old Kenner toys on a shelf in my office.)
Issues #585 ("The Ratcatcher") and #586 ("Rat Trap") continue Grant's trend of featuring original and/or obscure antagonists over pre-established "rogues gallery" villains, with this particular two-part story arc split at the midpoint by a cliffhanger, Adam West–style! Ricardo Villagrán's inks in the first installment are so-so, but Breyfogle's talent is on full display in the concluding issue, which he both penciled and inked himself. Once again, Grant and Breyfogle strike just the right tonal balance, with a somewhat more mature criminal plot (though not nihilistic or inappropriate for children) that still features plenty of action and a suitably "comic-booky" villain.
The three-part "Night People" arc runs through issues #587 through #589, and despite a rather annoying narration by a disc jockey who insists on habitually addressing his listeners as "peoples," Breyfogle's monstrous rendition of the Corrosive Man (continuing Grant's proclivity for original villains over golden oldies) reminds you why comics were such essential vehicles for fantasy before anything an artist imagined could be conjured on-screen via CGI.
In addition to featuring one of Breyfogle's most memorably Gothic covers, "An American Batman in London" is a single-issue story from issue #590 that has Batman pursuing a Middle Eastern terrorist to Great Britain when the FBI finds its hands tied by diplomatic immunity. It's a good, action-packed story that ends on a morally ambiguous note, with Batman questioning the taken-for-granted ethical superiority of his own country, instead privately acknowledging the tyranny America has practiced in its foreign policy. Perhaps Grant, as a Brit himself (a Scotsman, to be precise), was able to step back and take a less jingoistic view of American Might Makes Right as it relates to terrorism -- and this was all the way back in 1988, no less -- and as is so often the case, his stories refuse to take the easy way out or offer black-and-white answers to complicated issues. This is what I mean when I say Grant understood that depth is different from nihilism -- that comic-book stories could be deep without being relentlessly grimdark (take note, Zack Snyder).
Detective #591, "Aborigine!," is, like the one before it, a single-issue story that features an original villain, the vengeful and violent Umbaluru, seeking to reclaim a cultural totem stolen from his people. Yet again, Grant's antagonist forces Batman to confront the grey-area complexities of issues like justice, especially as they pertain to notions like cultural crime (something the British, sadly, know a thing or two about). Grant's stories always went a little deeper, but retained a sense of comic-book exhilaration through Breyfogle's dramatic illustrations.
For the two-part "Fear" storyline from #592 and #593, Grant and Breyfogle conjure yet another new villain, Cornelius Stirk, who, like Scarecrow, employs fear as his weapon of choice... yet looks like he escaped from the pages of the old EC Tales from the Crypt comics! In addition to creating villains with real purpose -- not just ones bent on wholesale revenge -- Grant always does his research, grounding their powers/physical predicaments in a credible degree of science (or at least pseudoscience).
"Ecstasy," from issue #594, in an entertaining one-shot with an anti-drug agenda. This one showcases Grant's talent for telling standalone 22-page stories with a beginning, middle, end, and a takeaway moral.
The three-part "Tulpa" from #601 though #603 draws on Grant's fascination with the occult, as he resurrects the old Jack Kirby character Etrigan the Demon, wonderfully and expressively realized by Breyfogle.
The collection concludes with the four-part "Mud Pack" arc from #604 through #607. As well as serving as a clever story that teams up the four iterations of Clayface, the artwork firmly establishes Breyfogle as a master of his craft and a definitive Batman artist in his own right; his style is on full display now (one can trace its evolution across this collection), his confidence evident in each stroke of his pencil, and the Grant-Breyfogle-Mitchell troika would, over the next few years, bring Batman into a new era, with a new Robin at his side. Let's hope some of those stories are collected in a second volume, ideally with some supplemental insights and/or materials. (Side note: #604 was the first issue of Detective to be published after the release of Tim Burton's Batman, and it's worth noting that the cover price shot up from $.75 to $1.00, marking an unfortunate trend that would continue all throughout the nineties as the comics industry weathered seismic changes and setbacks, and never really returned to the cheap, kids-only entertainment it had been for the previous half-century.)
Then came Norm Breyfogle in the late eighties. Breyfogle, like any young artist of his era, had clearly been influenced by the Neal Adams "school," with its premium on anatomical and environment detail, yet brought a dynamism to his layouts and renderings -- exaggerated poses and cape lengths, for instance -- that transcended realism to become, for lack of a better term, "magic realism." His sensibilities were a perfect match for scribe Alan Grant, his frequent collaborator, whose scripts deftly addressed topical social issues (like drug abuse and Middle Eastern terrorism) through narratives that incorporated elements of the occultic and metaphysical. (Grant also strived for a greater degree of emotional and/or philosophical depth in his stories, challenging the black-and-white/right-and-wrong/good-and-evil prescriptive ethos of superhero storytelling, preferring instead to raise questions for the reader to ponder rather than spoon-feeding answers.)
For those interested in further overview of Breyfogle's creative contributions to the Bat-mythos, I refer you to this blog post, which Breyfogle himself commented on. Needless to say, there's never been another Batman artist quite like him.
This collection is a worthy compendium of his early work -- his initial run on Detective Comics in the late eighties. It is a handsome hardcover edition with glossy, high-quality paper, though, despite the exemplary presentation and content, I've deducted a star for the lack of any supplementary materials, like a prologue or introduction that might've put Breyfogle's work in a cultural context and perhaps celebrated his great achievements through the lens of history, or script pages/thumbnail layouts, or an issue-by-issue commentary from (or transcribed conversation between) Grant and Breyfogle, giving them a chance to talk about their creative process, the development of their stories, their working relationship, and their unique interpretation of the Caped Crusader. These stories were published at an exciting time in the history of the character, what with Frank Miller's recently released Batman: The Dark Knight Returns redefining the medium, and Tim Burton's soon-to-be released feature film turning Batman into a legitimate cultural phenomenon. To have failed to address any of that through a foreword or interview seems like a needless oversight -- a missed opportunity -- for a "definitive" volume like this.
So I guess the work has to speak for itself, then. Here's what's included in Legends of the Dark Knight: Norm Breyfogle, Volume 1:
The collection opens with "The Crime Doctor's Crimson Clinic" from Detective Comics #579, with a script from Mike W. Barr. Even though superheroes were moving out of their final phase of innocence at this point in comic-book history (courtesy of projects like Watchmen, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, and Batman: The Killing Joke), this issue feels like it could be an extension of The New Adventures of Batman animated series (from the seventies) or even, to a degree, the old Adam West show: It features a villain named "the Crime Doctor," has Commissioner Gordon completely deferring to Batman's judgment in all matters of the investigation, and depicts a morally black-and-white characterization of Batman. (Plus, Batman refers to Robin as "chum" several times throughout the course of the story!) This issue is definitely meant to appeal to kids under twelve (the age I was when I first read it), but at least it tells a self-contained story, and Breyfogle's dynamic visualizations of Batman and Robin (in his original costume, no less) are a thrill to behold.
The second story, "Love Bird," is a short Penguin segment originally published in Batman Annual 1987: Villains in Love! (written by Max Allan Collins) that also appeared in the Batman: Second Chances collection from the same year as this compilation, albeit the newsprint from the original comic (and Second Chances) has been upgraded here to a glossy paper stock.
Up third: "Sole Survivor" from Detective Comics (1937-2011) #582 (written by Jo Duffy), an exposition-heavy and narratively jumbled tie-in to a mid-eighties crossover event called "Millennium." It starts as a Gordon story before abruptly shifting focus to Batman, and its sci-fi underpinnings seem out of place in the Bat-mythos. Even Breyfogle's art can't save this one, as this issue's inker, Pablo Marcos, doesn't adequately complement Norm's pencil work; Marcos strips it of its dynamism and renders it rather generic. I would have preferred Steve Mitchell handled inking duties... or, better yet, Breyfogle himself. Not a great addition to the compendium.
"The Back-Up," from Batman Annual (1940-) #12 (Batman (scripted by Robert Greenberger) puts the woefully underused Jason Todd in the spotlight for a school-based short story that's effective enough, even if it strains credibility a bit. It's nice, for a change, to see Norm's art serving a story that doesn't rely on superheroics.
The storytelling deepens considerably beginning with the two-part episode "Fever" from Detective Comics (1937-2011) #583 and Detective Comics (1937-2011) #584. This marks the start of Breyfogle's long association with writer Alan Grant, who had a singular knack for telling sophisticated, self-contained stories (of anywhere between one to four issues), usually with a powerful emotional payoff. (Imagine that -- Batman actually had an arc!) Grant's plotting is tighter, his dialogue less goofily self-serious (Batman doesn't have that Adam West–meets–Dirty Harry zero-tolerance policy for crime of any degree), and even "out there" villains like the Ventriloquist and Scarface are handled with a minimum of camp. "Fever" details Batman's attempt to bring down a drug ring poisoning the youth of Gotham. Steve Mitchell supplied the inking on the second part, "Fever Break!", and it's a special thrill to see Breyfogle's rendition of the Super Powers–era Batmobile (I keep one of the old Kenner toys on a shelf in my office.)
Issues #585 ("The Ratcatcher") and #586 ("Rat Trap") continue Grant's trend of featuring original and/or obscure antagonists over pre-established "rogues gallery" villains, with this particular two-part story arc split at the midpoint by a cliffhanger, Adam West–style! Ricardo Villagrán's inks in the first installment are so-so, but Breyfogle's talent is on full display in the concluding issue, which he both penciled and inked himself. Once again, Grant and Breyfogle strike just the right tonal balance, with a somewhat more mature criminal plot (though not nihilistic or inappropriate for children) that still features plenty of action and a suitably "comic-booky" villain.
The three-part "Night People" arc runs through issues #587 through #589, and despite a rather annoying narration by a disc jockey who insists on habitually addressing his listeners as "peoples," Breyfogle's monstrous rendition of the Corrosive Man (continuing Grant's proclivity for original villains over golden oldies) reminds you why comics were such essential vehicles for fantasy before anything an artist imagined could be conjured on-screen via CGI.
In addition to featuring one of Breyfogle's most memorably Gothic covers, "An American Batman in London" is a single-issue story from issue #590 that has Batman pursuing a Middle Eastern terrorist to Great Britain when the FBI finds its hands tied by diplomatic immunity. It's a good, action-packed story that ends on a morally ambiguous note, with Batman questioning the taken-for-granted ethical superiority of his own country, instead privately acknowledging the tyranny America has practiced in its foreign policy. Perhaps Grant, as a Brit himself (a Scotsman, to be precise), was able to step back and take a less jingoistic view of American Might Makes Right as it relates to terrorism -- and this was all the way back in 1988, no less -- and as is so often the case, his stories refuse to take the easy way out or offer black-and-white answers to complicated issues. This is what I mean when I say Grant understood that depth is different from nihilism -- that comic-book stories could be deep without being relentlessly grimdark (take note, Zack Snyder).
Detective #591, "Aborigine!," is, like the one before it, a single-issue story that features an original villain, the vengeful and violent Umbaluru, seeking to reclaim a cultural totem stolen from his people. Yet again, Grant's antagonist forces Batman to confront the grey-area complexities of issues like justice, especially as they pertain to notions like cultural crime (something the British, sadly, know a thing or two about). Grant's stories always went a little deeper, but retained a sense of comic-book exhilaration through Breyfogle's dramatic illustrations.
For the two-part "Fear" storyline from #592 and #593, Grant and Breyfogle conjure yet another new villain, Cornelius Stirk, who, like Scarecrow, employs fear as his weapon of choice... yet looks like he escaped from the pages of the old EC Tales from the Crypt comics! In addition to creating villains with real purpose -- not just ones bent on wholesale revenge -- Grant always does his research, grounding their powers/physical predicaments in a credible degree of science (or at least pseudoscience).
"Ecstasy," from issue #594, in an entertaining one-shot with an anti-drug agenda. This one showcases Grant's talent for telling standalone 22-page stories with a beginning, middle, end, and a takeaway moral.
The three-part "Tulpa" from #601 though #603 draws on Grant's fascination with the occult, as he resurrects the old Jack Kirby character Etrigan the Demon, wonderfully and expressively realized by Breyfogle.
The collection concludes with the four-part "Mud Pack" arc from #604 through #607. As well as serving as a clever story that teams up the four iterations of Clayface, the artwork firmly establishes Breyfogle as a master of his craft and a definitive Batman artist in his own right; his style is on full display now (one can trace its evolution across this collection), his confidence evident in each stroke of his pencil, and the Grant-Breyfogle-Mitchell troika would, over the next few years, bring Batman into a new era, with a new Robin at his side. Let's hope some of those stories are collected in a second volume, ideally with some supplemental insights and/or materials. (Side note: #604 was the first issue of Detective to be published after the release of Tim Burton's Batman, and it's worth noting that the cover price shot up from $.75 to $1.00, marking an unfortunate trend that would continue all throughout the nineties as the comics industry weathered seismic changes and setbacks, and never really returned to the cheap, kids-only entertainment it had been for the previous half-century.)
February 8, 2019
Coming at a hefty five hundred pages, this is Norm Breyfogle's first foray into the DC comics and his art is now synonymous with the late 80s Batman. You can see how the art in the first issues is not yet polished but the talent already shows. There's no overarching metaplot that we are now used to, but the stories are all simple good fun and the last one is excellent. In this story arc contained in four issues different Clayfaces all work together to take Batman down and Looker from the Outsiders makes a cameo appearance. Basil Karlo is excellent as a Hollywood cinema villain. You can see how the artist starts to experiment with the panels in some pages, where the framing lines are not drawn but the individual pictures all merge together instead and it looks truly amazing. All action is great and dynamic, with a single picture often containing multiple hits, punches, dodges and maybe a line of dialogue here and there, all fitting into a neat progression when your brain unpacks it. The only thing that is missing for me is the coloring. It's still the simplistic coloring of the 80s, where the night sky is often light purple and walls are commonly yellow.
Take a look at this beauty (takes lower two thirds of a page). A woman (Looker) comes into the cinema theater where the Batman is sitting on a chair tied up and hypnotized. At first she hesitates but then puts a hand on his forehead and jumps into his mind to help him. What a masterful packing of the plot into the art!
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