Posted on: April 29th, 2009 Comic Quick Picks – April 28th
It’s Graphic Novel week here on the Comic Quick Picks, and boy do we have some great ones to take a look at. We’ll pose some big time questions as we try to dive deep into the psyche of Gotham’s Clown Prince of Crime, and then we’ll get drunk on a visit to the Planet of Beer! Beer and comics? Welcome to my world! Let’s take a closer look at our picks this week, Batman: Going Sane and Planet of Beer
Batman: Going Sane
DC Comics
Written by J.M. DeMatteis, Eddie Campell and Daren White. Art by Joe Staton, Bart Sears and Steve Mitchell. Cover by Staton and Mitchell
“Discover whether The Joker would become sane if Batman disappeared in this thriller collecting Legends of the Dark Knight #65-68 and #100! After a life-and-death struggle, The Joker seemingly kills Batman. Faced with the loss of his nemesis, the insane Joker can only retreat…into sanity.”
The Joker isn’t just Batman’s arch-nemesis. He isn’t just the “yin to Batman’s yang.” The Joker is the greatest comic book villain ever created. That’s right. When the depths of Joker’s insanity are even touched upon, it becomes clear that there just aren’t many super-villains out there that come anywhere near the complexity of the Clown Prince of Crime. But for the Joker to work, you need to have his opposite. He just wouldn’t be any fun without Batman there to counter-balance all the insanity. In Batman: Going Sane you’ll get a glimpse into a world “without Batman.” What would the Joker do without Batman? If you’ve never trusted me on anything before, please trust me on this: this TP is required reading for all fans of the Joker. The story is masterfully crafted and it boasts some fine artwork. Staton, Sears and Mitchell take the best parts of the many different “looks” of the Joker, and combine them into a classic look; not too crazy, not too goofy. PICK THIS ONE UP!!! You’ll love it. Seriously. Hero Haven Comics has it for $11.99, and I can honestly say that it’s worth every penny.
Planet of Beer
Dark Horse
A “passion project” that is the sole work of Brian Sendelbach
“Dark Horse is proud to present . . . actually, make that giggling manically as we present one of the silliest-yet most subversive and darkly funny-collections of comics you’ll see this year. Planet of Beer selects the best and weirdest comic strips from the popular underground weekly comic Smell of Steve in one gloriously colored, landscape-format book. Join creator Brian Sendelbach’s all-misfit cast of underloved underwater superheroes, space-faring former U.S. presidents, soul-sucking alien DJs, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and other insane characters as they work together to find the elusive and legendary Planet of Beer. Actually, that’s way more of a sensible plot than you’ll actually find in this book, but if you like your comics absurd, awesome, and maybe just a tiny bit disturbing and wrong, we’re pretty sure you’re going to love this book.”
I have never seen a more bizarre, off the wall, and original book in my life. I loved every page! The description above is pretty spot on; this book is full of ridiculous characters and a convoluted plot that even I had a hard time following during the first reading. But let me give you a little piece of advice to keep in mind before you read this one. Something I didn’t realize until about a week after picking this up. Planet of Beer is a whole lot more fun, and easier to understand, when you have downed a couple of brews yourself. That’s right. Go on a magical journey right along with all the bizarre characters in a hunt for the mythical Planet of Beer, a place that I plan on visiting as soon as space travel is a little accessible for drunks. It all makes sense when you are a little buzzed. Buzzed, drunk, or completely sober, this is a truly unique comic book experience. It was pure fun. Buyer beware, this is not for everyone. If you can’t handle a convoluted and complex “plot” or a wide array of off-the-wall characters, you may want to steer clear. For everyone else, including all you beer drinkers out there, you’ll want to find yourself a copy of this. You may even want to find a sober buddy to read it to you, especially if you are like me when drunk. Sucks having to do complicated things when you’ve been drinking… Hero Haven Comics has this one for $11.96
Let me be the first to raise my Miller High Life in cheers to all you comic fanatics! Or a Labatt Blue for my Canadian friends? Anyway, a toast is truly in order here. Two classic trade paperbacks that are completely worthy of the slightly higher price tag. What would happen to the Joker if the Batman was dead? What would happen if an actual Planet of Beer was discovered, and more importantly, how long would it take us to figure out a way to tap this amazing resource? Go out and pick up Batman: Going Sane and Planet of Beer for your collection. Just make sure you do it before you crack open your beer, okay???