Happenstance Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 I think that Marvel have got it right with their universe, just having it as one complete timeline and occassionally pushes the dates of stuff forward. I found when I first started that I could jump right in. DC however with their constant changing of universes made it all the more complicated. Histories that you think you know about characters are suddenly completely wrong etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paj! Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 That said, it's much easier to go to Waterstones and pick up a random Batman or Superman TPB, and have it generally make a lot of sense/be self-contained. Or at least when I was younger, that's what I did. (Though I did have a fair knowledge of Batman history, like who the characters were etc) Marvel tend to be more all linked together and read as one long story rather than be as self-contained. (In my experience) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daft Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 Yeah, just read Hush and it brings you bang up to date (as far as I can tell). I don't even know where to start with Marvel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan_Dare Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 You could say the same for Invincible Iron Man though, especially the first arc. Marvel tends to work in 'volumes' in that every now and again there will be a major departure or change in the story and in the next volume everything will be self contained. You only need to know a fiarly recent amount of history, relatively speaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happenstance Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 Im pretty sure Hush isnt up to date actually, it was done before Infinite Crisis so there have been changes since then. Thats my point. I dont agree Paj with your view on Marvel trades, sure its true for some but that can be said for some DC ones. Ive got loads of Marvel trades which I could just give to someone to jump right in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daft Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 Im pretty sure Hush isnt up to date actually, it was done before Infinite Crisis so there have been changes since then. Thats my point. Like what? Isn't everything essentially the same still? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happenstance Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 His real name is Rolph McManus and he faked his death and changed his name to Bruce Wayne to take over the identity of the real Bruce who died with his parents. He also has some bat DNA in him as hes now a distant relative to Drakula. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan_Dare Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 What the fuck? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daft Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 Seconded. What the fuck? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happenstance Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 Ok maybe my imagination got away with me there. I think the main change was that his parents killer was captured and yet he still became Batman, some fans dont like this as they see his search for the killer should have been one of his main driving forces. Also: The Jason Todd Robin that you see in Hush that later turns out to be clayface is actually Jason Todd for the fight, then apparently switches out with Clayface before Batman catches up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paj! Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 I've never understood why Hush gets people so excited. Never bothered to read any of the sequel storylines (heard they're shite though so yeah). Changes since Hush: And yeah, Batman has a son now, who's Robin, he's "dead"/trapped in time, and Dick Grayson is now Batman (has been for over a year). Catwoman, Harley, Poison Ivy and I think The Riddler are all "good" now, or at least they work together. I haven't actually read Gotham Sirens, but from what I gather, Harley finally leaves Joker after he goes through his most recent (BRILLIANT) change in the Batman comics and is all cold, and Catwoman is keeping them straight. Tim Drake's now Red Robin, off doing his own thing. Etc. I know I just countered my own point. But regardless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happenstance Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 Yeah if someone wanted to get into current Batman at the moment with just general knowledge, maybe from the movies then they'd be mighty confused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dante Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 This is the main Hush history now. But the hinted info on Simon Hurt is the craziest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daft Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 I've never understood why Hush gets people so excited. Never bothered to read any of the sequel storylines (heard they're shite though so yeah). Changes since Hush: And yeah, Batman has a son now, who's Robin, he's "dead"/trapped in time, and Dick Grayson is now Batman (has been for over a year). Catwoman, Harley, Poison Ivy and I think The Riddler are all "good" now, or at least they work together. I haven't actually read Gotham Sirens, but from what I gather, Harley finally leaves Joker after he goes through his most recent (BRILLIANT) change in the Batman comics and is all cold, and Catwoman is keeping them straight. Tim Drake's now Red Robin, off doing his own thing. Etc. I know I just countered my own point. But regardless. Yeah, but to be honest, those are pretty small details considering the general level of information someone would have coming into Batman - Gotham City, Arkham Asylum, the Batcave, the constant reoccurring bad guys. Lex Luther being President of the USA is probably the biggest weird out. With X-men, for example, I know the basic team and Magneto is the bad guy. And the whole Phoenix shabang. Otherwise, no idea. Question, does Bruce Wayne own The Daily Planet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReZourceman Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 Magneto is the bad guy. Ah...erm...yeah...you see about that....oh god, this is awkward.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daft Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 I knew that was coming. Paj said he was getting off with Rouge, or something. I refuse to believe this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paj! Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 Didn't it say in Hush he owned it or something? It's one of those things that mean nothing, he owns everything. -- Well anyway. Batman atm is not new-ready friendly, it's nearing the culmination of a 4 year run by Grant Morrison (<3), who has weaved one of the best, most interesting and challening Batman runs I've ever read, but has completely upset the status quo and it refers a lot to things that have gone in that run, and lots of stories from "Pre-Crisis" (a term used for the insane shit from the 50's and things generally before a story called "Crisis on Infinite Earths" cleaned up the continuity in the mid-80's and relaunched everything as we know it to be now). It's brill. But then I've read loads of his more cerebral/all over the place concept-wise stuff like Doom Patrol/Flex Mentallo/the Filth/Invisibles (mid-way through), so coming back to anything by him, I can kinda see and understand what he tries to do if he does something a bit odd, or unusual. Or at least appreciate and try and understand if I'm not sure. I knew that was coming. Paj said he was getting off with Rouge, or something. I refuse to believe this. Magneto's a brilliant villain because he's not a walking caricature like Dr. Doom (who everyone worships?!). He's never explicitly hated the X-Men, they've just always been in the way of his ideals and goals (and not always, many have defected to him). He's not insane (really) etc. He and Rogue hit it off years ago IIRC, it's been a dangling plot for years, whenever he's calmed down a bit, but they've never got very far. Now he's in the X-Men, or at least helping them, he's offered to join her in teaching the students. She's a bit wary, but has kissed him in a telepathic accident thing. But yeah. It's not as random as it sounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daft Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 It says it in Hush but I was just wondering if it was an established thing. It just seems with Batman there are clear stories to read with Batman. Start with 'Year One', then 'The Long Halloween', then 'Dark Knight', 'Death in the Family' and then 'Hush' - you've got a pretty solid run that you can pepper with shit like 'The Killing Joke' (read before Hush) and Arkham Asylum. The lead in is pretty gentle since all those are completely self contained, too. Can't say the same about X-men. I might be wrong. It doesn't help there are so many characters. Is Morrison's run coming to an end? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan_Dare Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 X-Men is a weird one- you could read Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-men and never step outside of it for a full and comprehensive story, but the same couldn't be said for Uncanny X-Men, which has just come to the end of a 5 year story spanning three or four books in full. pretty heavy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paj! Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 I think so yeah. And anyway, what you just wrote was my point earlier. I can't even remember why I was going off about something else. :p That's why I have so many Batman TPB's, because before my recent sudden realisation I should be buying more trades, when I was younger and I was allowed to get one/had saved up, I always bought Batman, except in rare situations. I mean, I got into the main X-Men comics straight from the cartoons at a young age, because I wanted to. And could be bothered. In the comic I posted a page back, my first one, it introduced me to Boom-Boom (never seen), who seemed to have some sort of relationship to Sabretooth (only brief knowledge of), and then Psylocke came in, fought, and died (never met before either). Anyway. I do agree that X-Men is probably the most intimidating, but it's not as bad as you'd think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan_Dare Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 The issue after that with the original X-Men hunting Creed in New York is easily one of my favorite ever. It's so, so good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daft Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 I do want to get into X-men eventually. Also I was thinking of picking up Vol 1 of Judge Dredd. Anyone read this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paj! Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 The issue after that with the original X-Men hunting Creed in New York is easily one of my favorite ever. It's so, so good. I know. A one-shot stunner, with great art. The bit where he slashes Warren's wings. Considering it was my first comic (same reprint issue as the Psylocke vs. Sabre one). Felt so risque and too old for me. And I like how he's credibly a threat to them (even though technically they should waste him). But in the city he's too great. Might dig that out again. I loved the UK cover too, since it was a nod to X-Men 1: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munch Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 (edited) X-Men felt simpler to me when I got told that X-Men, New X-Men and X-Men Legacy were all the same book. Also the Rogue/Magneto thing has been going on for time because in AoA they are together. Edited August 8, 2010 by Munch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dante Posted August 9, 2010 Share Posted August 9, 2010 Question, does Bruce Wayne own The Daily Planet? Yes and he also owns Superman's and Lois home. Is Morrison's run coming to an end? He will move on to his new batman comic called Batman Inc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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