Tag Archives: Li’l Gotham

Batman Li’l Gotham Volume 2 Review

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Well, Batman’s back! I definitely didn’t care for the last volume all that much and I can’t say that things have improved here. It simply isn’t my style and the art certainly hurts its chances of ever joining the other DC elites. The series is over with this volume and its quick ending will likely tell you all that you need to know about this review. Still, at least I can add this series to my very short list of full comic series that I have read in their entirety. That list shall grow with the one shot Convergence titles as long as they all get separate trades!

There’s no plot of course as the volume is filled with various short stories. Each one sees a character try to do something only to find that they’re outclassed by Batman or that it is in their best interest to give up. One story that I remember vividly is about a carpenter who keeps getting calls from villains and it’s really bringing down morale. She finally gets Batman to give her a job by guilt tripping him. This story is certainly memorable because I had been reading it for three days before I was finally able to finish it. It is a short story, but it went on for quite a while. I think the problem with that one was that the gag gets old extremely quickly.

See, the joke is that she’s getting calls from villains and being very matter of fact about it. The problem is that you figure out this gag by the second call and then it continues and continues. There’s no real punchline moment at the end either so you’re really left hanging. That’s why my favorite stories are the ones where there is a lot of action and/or excitement. Like the team deciding that Alfred is evil and they have to stop him now! That’s the kind of story that I can certainly get behind and it was easily the best one of the batch. The ending is a little predictable, but there’s really nothing else that the writer could have done with the comic so we may as well end this way right?

Unfortunately, the art has not improved from the first volume. It’s still downright terrible at times and it’s the main area that holds the comic back. You can only get so far without good art after all. You can have the best writing in the world and an onslaught of cool characters, but if the art isn’t up to snuff…it’s game, set, and match! This style is simply too chaotic and undefined at times. I still believe that just about any teen who is into art could likely top this style or at least emulate it. I want streamlined epicness like X Sanction or Justice League. Upgrade this art into something like that and then we’ll talk!

As with the last volume, the other aspects of this comic are still good. The writing is on the level and we have a good cast of characters. It’s always fun to see the various Robins join in on the action. Jarvis is a likable supporting character as expected and Batman’s always a fun lead. The series certainly had some potential. Not a whole lot of course given its style, but with decent art I could see this matching up to the Tiny Titans. I wonder if this will ever get a sequel series. I really don’t see that happening, but you never know sometimes right? There’s always more time for Batman comedies.

I wonder how the series would have been if it had included more guest stars. I’m inclined to think that it would have at least helped the series out a little bit. Throwing in Superman and the rest of the Justice League for more than a few panels would have been fun. It may have distracted from the rest of the Bat Family, but it would also open the doors for a whole new array of jokes. That’s a lot of potential right there and Batman just didn’t tap into that power. This graphic novel was fairly short and without much of a plot to go on or characters to talk about, this review is fairly short as well. No worries, the next comic review is back to the norm of in depth comic reviewing! Get ready for Superman to return!

Overall, Batman Li’l Gotham is still not my cup of tea. If you’re looking for some light hearted Batman stories and don’t mind some pretty difficult art, then you should be okay. That being said, I really wouldn’t recommend it if you’re looking for a great Batman story. I actually haven’t read many good Batman comics, which is a little sad. I recommend Batman Chronicles or some Batman Archives, they collect stories from his golden years in the 40’s-60’s. If those are a little too old for you, then check out a volume in the Grant Morrison run of JLA. Batman definitely got his props there and Morrison gave him the correct balance of crazy and insanely brilliant.

Overall 5/10

Batman Li’l Gotham Volume 1 Review

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This series always looked intriguing from the cover. I’ve checked out a mini Hellboy series as well as Tiny Titans so it’s about time that I looked at the Batman series right? I’m not sure why they didn’t just call it Little Gotham, but maybe this way looks cooler. It certainly takes up less space on the title. If you’re into this kind of thing, then you’ll have a blast with it. The actual plots tend to be pretty fun and the writing is good. What holds it back is undoubtedly the art.

As you may have surmised, there isn’t much of an ongoing plot. There are 6 issues in this collection, but it is really difficult to tell when one ends and another begins because the issues have chapters in them and they never say when the issue is over. At least it makes the collection look like a made for trade paperback comic. The first chapters are all about the holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving. After the heroes have handled all of them, we get the day to day adventures that you may have been hoping for. One villain decides to frame everyone else with his green themed crimes. Batman does have a few green themed villains so at least you may have to really think this one through before you think about who is guilty.

We may as well get the main negative out of the way first and foremost. That is naturally the art, which is a contender for some of the worst art of all time. The comic is a comedy so they aren’t supposed to look very accurate to the traditional comics, but the characters can still be a little hard to look at. The artist is particularly bad at drawing skin it would seem as the costumes look good, but not the characters inside of them. It’s a style that has been used in many books in the past and the anime, Accel World, did some of this as well. It’s when the skin gets a red tint that makes it look like everyone is feeling a little sick. Beyond that, the pages can just be really chaotic so you are unsure of what is happening at times. Everything can just be a little too cluttered. So, I really didn’t like the art, which can naturally hurt the comic.

Aside from the art, the other areas of the comic were fairly solid. The jokes never go into crude humor land and it can be fun to see the whole bat family interact. The art sometimes stops you from knowing which character is actually talking, but you can typically figure it out. Batman has some pretty epic moments where he school the villains in a way that only Batman can accomplish. He walks into a diner and decides to pick up the bill for all of the villains, little did they know that he only did it to keep them there for the cops to pick up. It was pretty awesome and an epic twist as you are originally led to believe that Batman was going to let them go because it was a holiday. (I forgot which one)

The writing is fun and that’s always very important for a comic like this one. Even characters like Damian aren’t that bad here. He still talks tough for a kid who typically can’t back it up, but the author decides to use this to poke fun at the character. Every character has some trait that can be used for humor and the writer does a good job of showing them off.

There’s just not much to dislike. It can be fun to take a break from the serious situations that befall the heroes and just enjoy a happy story like this one. Everyone is out of character, but in a good way. They also do retain their personalities, they are simply taken to the extreme to help create the atmosphere that the writer is going for. It’s done in a much better way than we’ve seen in recent times. (Rock Lee spinoff manga, Teen Titans Go TV show, etc)

The comic also does a good job of adding a bunch of characters. If you can think of a Batman character, then they’re likely in it. It’s fun to see the various Robins team up and most of the villains get their time in the spotlight as well. It’s safe to say that Dick Grayson is still the best Robin, but it is sad that his costume apparently has no pockets. That sounds like a pretty big thing for Nightwing to simply overlook. Ah well, it gives the other Robins some bragging rights. We also find out why Batman can keep up with the Justice League. Hint, it involves good ole Monitor Duty!

Overall, Batman Li’l Gotham is a fun comic to read. If you enjoy this style, then you will definitely enjoy it a lot. I preferred Tiny Titans by a little (If my memory serves correctly anyway) but that’s mainly due to the issue with the art. You will need to make sure that you can get past that part, but otherwise you should have no problem here. I have the second volume here so you can expect a review for that one coming up. I anticipate that it will be on the same level as this one. One of the good things about this style is that it is typically consistent. Well, see you around til then!

Overall 6/10