Quick review: Batman Chronicles-The Gauntlet

Batman Chronicles: The Gauntlet

By Bruce Canwell and Lee Weeks
I’ve been going through a Batman phase lately, grabbing DVDs of cartoons, purchasing rare collectibles and reading lots of material as well. There’s such a wealth of Batman material that it’s easy to miss out on something very special which is exactly what we have here in the Gauntlet.

The plot of the Gauntlet is relatively simple; a young Dick Grayson has been training secretly under Batman’s tutelage but before he can join the dark knight as his partner, he must undergo a test of skill. Alfred deposits Robin (in costume) in a random Gotham City location and it is Robin’s task to avoid Batman until sunrise. Since Batman knows the city inside and out this is no easy task, but the cocksure boy wonder feels he is up to the task. Unfortunately, he stumbles upon a mob killing and gets involved in a caper that soon sets the entire criminal underworld after him.

Boston native Bruce Canwell may seem like a strange name to some but for fans of Terry and the Pirates and other comic strips he is a legend for his editorial essays on the medium (as associate editor and lead writer for IDW Publishing’s Library of American Comics he has played an important role in the re-issues of several classic comic strip releases). A deft hand at plotting and action lends a higher than usual quality to this yarn that makes it feel timeless and classic all at once. A newcomer of sorts to the world of Batman, Canwell eases himself into the Bat Cave with ease, making all of the familiar trapping work splendidly without feeling contrived or post-modern as they often do.

I am a big fan of Lee Weeks, one of the finest of the modern comic book artists who has graced the Punisher, Daredevil, the Incredible Hulk and the astounding Cap Lives! with his line work. His skill at page layout and character design is fantastic and his cartooning ability is so amazing that one would think he was far older than he actually is (go seek out his work noted below).

Batman has been trying to bring down local crimeboss Joe Minett, but cannot connect him directly to any of his several criminal activities. When a GPD policeman is exposed as an undercover spy in their midst, Robin stumbles upon the gang’s attempt to silence him. Too late to save the cop’s life, he does manage to pick up a vital piece of evidence intended for Jim Gordan, a pack of erotic playing cards. Unknown to Robin, a hidden microdot has been secreted into the deck with enough information to put Minett away for a long time. Thinking little of it, Robin continues to evade Batman, leaving a trail of brilliant clues behind him in a playful game of cat and mouse. As Robin becomes the target of the mob, Batman is both frustrated and in awe at his protege’s ability to avoid his hunt. But the game becomes a brutal crossfire of death as dawn approaches and Robin discovers that this is no game at all but a gauntlet of survival.

A rare gem of Batman lore, the Gauntlet is a clever tale with plenty of moments of brilliance showing off Batman’s keen detective skills and of course a healthy dose of crime noir-style drama with real dyed in the wool gangster-types. It also shows off the character of the classic Robin as an intelligent crime fighter with his joyful take on crime-fighting juxtaposing the grim Batman’s attitude toward his never-ending war.

Make sure to bookmark Canwell’s blog as well as he is an authority on the comics scene and has many insightful posts on classic material.

Thanks must also go out to my good friend Greg Moutafis for suggesting this book to me.

Batman: The Gauntlet

Daredevil: The Fall of the Kingpin

Captain America, Vol. 4: Cap Lives

Secret Invasion: Captain Marvel

Dennis Culver’s Batman Family

One of the longest running superheroes in comic books, Batman is headed toward an entirely new direction with Grant Morrison’s Batman Inc. Reshuffling the deck, as it were, gives the opportunity to revise the entire concept of the Batverse both intellectually and visually.

Chris Sims at Comics Alliance has shed some light on a possible inspiration through the artwork of Dennis Culver, artist of True Tales of Rollerderby and The Odd Squad, published by Oni Press.

Back in January, I threw the spotlight on a few of the incredible Batman, Inc.-themed redesigns artist Dennis Culver did as part of his daily sketchblog, but they were only the tip of the iceberg. Today, Culver has finally finished the project and released a massive piece of art detailing all 45 characters for his ideal version of Batman’s worldwide anti-crime army, and it is awesome.

According to Culver, the whole project started from a desire to refine the costumes of Red Robin (who he rightly points out would be better if he was called Rad Robin) and Batgirl, but it clearly didn’t stop there. And as for the larger piece, instead of just putting them all in one big group, Culver has divided the characters thematically into rows.

Row 1: The Core Batman Family.

Starting at left, we have former Batgirl Cassandra Cain, who in Culver’s ideal world would take on the identity of Nightwing now that Dick Grayson’s not using it and finally ditch her full-face mask.

Next is Red Robin, whose redesign ditches the hood Tim Drake’s been wearing since Final Crisis for something that fits his character a little better, and underscores the idea that while he might not be Robin, he’s still Bruce Wayne’s junior partner.

At center, we have Batman, who at this point really needs no introduction, but it’s worth noting that Culver drew him with the electro-knuckles he sported in Batman Inc. #1.

Moving to the right is the current Batgirl, Stephanie Brown, who used to be Spoiler and was Robin for a hot minute. With his redesign of her costume, Culver has ditched the one thing that holds me back from reading her comics: thigh pouches. According to Culver, “Making the sides of her costume with lots of lines instead of big panels just looks sleeker to me. Sort of shades of Frank Quitely’s New X-Men.”

And at right, the Batman and Robin of Gotham City, Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne.

See more of Culver’s amazing artwork and a full cast of characters here.

There’s a lot of free-wheeling inspiration here and while some of the ideas I’m not 100% keen on, I do quite like Tawky Tawny The Batcat of Fawcett City.

If anything, Culver’s drawing embrace the manic nature of Morrison’s International Club of Heroes introduced back in the early days of his run.

From what I’ve overheard at my local comic shop, DC Comics seems to be attempting to carve its way out of the grim reality that it has become embedded in for ages. I’ve always felt that the DC Universe holds a special part as a fantastical realm of superheroes, mystics, talking apes and space men. It strikes me as a superb idea to utilize that unique quality of the fantastic in re-branding their comics.

Why not start with Batman Inc?

Thoughts?

(note: please visit Dennis Culver’s site for more of his outstanding artwork and of course Comics Alliance for more comics news and opinion articles)

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