| Title | : | Batman: Gotham Underground |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1401219284 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781401219284 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 224 |
| Publication | : | First published November 18, 2008 |
Batman: Gotham Underground Reviews
-
It's another strong premise with a weak execution. There's very little Batman content despite being in the title, and it relies heavily on the rest of the Batfam, secret identities, and faces that are familiar with Arkham to carry the narrative. With a mixture of good, tolerable and filler pages, it's a shame to feature such a diverse roster alongside a plot that struggles to find its footing.
-
Somewhat underwhelming, but not terrible. The story revolves around attempts to fill the power vacuum in Gotham's organized crime scene. There are many contenders, but it comes down to a standoff between Tobias Whale (not familiar with him) and "legitimate businessman" Penguin. Personally, I like seeing Penguin in his Iceberg Lounge. I think it suits his character better than attempting to steal bird-themed items. I also liked the few scenes with the reformed Riddler. Both of these guys are smart enough to realize that in Gotham, crime doesn't pay, but merchandise does. There's a subplot about the Suicide Squad taking supercriminals out of Gotham, but that's really just a lead in for the JLA storyline, Salvation Run. Luckily, that's next on my list. The art is good enough that I can't really complain. Still not a great book, but it's decent.
-
I thought this was a pretty decent story starring a lot of the Batman villains and Batman Family. It all involves a turf war going on in Gotham, when Tobias Whale from Metropolis, and famed Black Lightning adversary, tries to move in. The Penguin is at the heart of this story, and it's difficult to tell what's going on with him here. Is he straight, playing the game, or what? I'd be willing to bet that regular readers of Batman during the time this miniseries came out probably knew the answer, but it's not told here, for some reason.
The art is so-so. Fairly generic. I read this in digital format and the colors were very bright, almost too bright.
This is pre-New 52 Batman, so we see Tim Drake/Robin, Oracle, and Cassandra Cain/Batgirl. There's one surprising sequence between Nightwing and the Riddler, and I'd like to know if anything ever came of it.
None of this is canon any more, I don't think, but it's a good read if you have some time to kill. -
the best thing about this nine-issue miniseries was the covers that make up one giant poster. otherwise i feel like i missed some vital piece of information before coming into this.
most crucially: it doesn't feel like a standalone story. and because i couldn't quite place it within the continuity, i felt lost most of the time. to add to the disorientation there's a lengthy set of backtracking episodes where it's explained how we got to the media res opening, but without any real context. the worst sin of this, however, is that almost nothing gets resolved.
given a better story (and actual conclusion) this could have been entertaining; the artwork is nothing special, but watching bruce play matches malone through most of it was fun. the silliness of penguin's "mask" gang nearly undid it all, however, and the unanswered question of where all the big-time baddies went (to another planet?), the curious high-tech weaponry, and what became of the suicide squad is unforgivable. as was taking out the joker "off-screen" so to speak. if he's inconvenient to the storyline, just stick him in arkham for a stint. lame. and spoiler...huh?
so yeah, big disappointment. seemed like nothing more than an excuse to get the b (and d) team together for a big noisy brawl. -
Fair warning - the title should be reversed, as the the 'underground' characters pretty much run the show. Got a problem with that ? 'Handsome' Johnny Denetto will lend you an ear . . .
Nitpicking aside, this was one comically violent (Tarantino-inspired, I'd say, with the flowing blood, severed limbs and gunshot wounds aplenty) pulpy crime saga with a huge cast of characters. Hell, even until chapter 8 in a 9-chapter story. With a handful of exceptions, it seems like nearly every 'usual suspect' makes some sort of appearance, along with most of the regular supporting cast.
What else needs to be said? Well, warring factions of criminal organizations scheme and battle for control of Gotham. Our Bat 'family' (some of whom are working under deep cover) try to get in the middle of it. Some nice backstory on the 'Gangs of Gotham' was included, too. -
3.5 Stars
This comic series was basically a huge gang war in Gotham with The Penguin, Riddler, Intergang, Tobias Whale, Vigilante, The Suicide Squard, and, of course, Batman and his crew all involved. Things end in a strange way, but overall this wasn't bad. It probably could have just as easily been told in six issues rather than nine as it did drag in places, but I liked it well enough. -
There is not a lot to recommend this comic (the plot is only half-thought out and requires you to follow that era's big DC event (Countdown to Infinite Crisis, if memory serves), and the art is not very good, especially as relates to the characters' anatomy.
However, the idea behind the plot is not bad: Gotham's rogue gallery (especially the usual residents of Arkham) vanishing one by one (sent to another planet, something never quite clarified in this series, but in Salvation Run), creating a power vacuum that precipitates a gang war for turf control, as well as a confrontation with criminal elements from Metropolis. Furthermore, there is a level of gratuitous violence and gore seldom seen in a DC comic outside of Vertigo (like the creation of Johnny Stitches), that makes for an unusual, and therefore interesting read.
Still, when it all ends up relating to Intergang, the equivalent of Apokolips Mafia, eh the whole thing grows silly and stale pretty fast. Intergang was a stupid idea in its inception, and has remained so.
Worth a read as a curiosity, if nothing else. -
Artwork-Very nice. Story -Not as good. seemed rushed and adding Vigilante to it did not help. The story lacked and adding Vigilante was a waste of time and ability, because Batman kicked his ass. He did not get a lick in.
-
A little underwhelming but it was entertaining! Penguin was the best part I like seeing him on the iceberg lounge and his friendship with The Riddler.
I liked the ending but I feel like there's going to be more added to the story when is not going to happen -
Não vou negar, antes de iniciar a leitura tive a impressão de que seria uma grande pilha de estrume, mas me surpreendi. Não que seja algo excepcional, mas é ok.
Obs. Neste ponto da história Stephanie Brown estava morta, provavelmente retornou por causa dos efeitos da recém Crise Infinita. -
Duddee, la historia es muy buena, te presentan a un amplio catálogo de los villanos más iconicos de Batman, ame la mayor parte
Simplemente no me gustó el final, ni el cierre de la historia, por que fueron desarrollando una historia de poca madre, pero dejaron un final bastante abierto. -
Some plotlines weren't resolved very well (most notably the Vigilante one), but other than that, it was very solid.
-
Damn, I really enjoyed this. Yes, there were times it got confusing but what a tale!
-
2.75/5
there are like 10 pages of this that i loved, the rest was bullshit
ozzie and eddie ily <3333333 -
Are you a Batman fan of any kind? I am and this is just the graphic novel for any size Batman fan: passive /aggressive or in the middle. Frank Tieri along with J. Calafiore as Penciller and Jack Purcell/ Inker make an amazzing team (this is so good I had to use two z’s).You want villains: Biff, Pow, Wham, you have almost all of them in these pages.
I give no spoilers but here is the synopsis from the back page: ”Gotham City may be under Batman’s protection, but what if the Dark Knight detective wasn’t there when his city needed him? With an underworld power vacuum caused by the death of Black Mask, Gotham’s gangs are running riot in the streets. A war is brewing between the masked super-villains and the anti-mask mobsters, led by Tobias Whale and the Penguin who supposedly went legit months ago. To confront the growing crisis, Bruce Wayne goes undercover as his gangster alter ego, Matches Malone…and ends up incarcerated in Blackgate Prison with a price on his head and no means of escape. With almost all of Batman’s Rogues Gallery caught up in the gang war, it will take Robin, Nightwing, Oracle, and the rest of the extended Bat-family to prevent Gotham from falling into utter chaos. If they fail, the next person to wind up underground in Gotham could be Batman himself.”
I enjoyed Tieri’s work on Batman and the Outsiders; he has the Dark Knight down pat. The dialogue is crisp and the banter fresh and exciting. The number of villains is too much to keep up with in just one reading. The penciling and ink by the team of Calafiore & Purcell really brings the story to life and adds a totally new dimension to the graphic novel. The action is intense; the pages turn quickly the first time around. These are the many faces of Batman and his Bat Family versus just about everybody. This is a great read; add it to your reading list and enjoy it.
***HEADS UP. I have a bit of news and a contest to for you. It involves Speed Racer and it is an art competition. Here is the link: Go to it and see if you want to enter -
http://www.maximilliangallery.com/spe...
And don’t miss out on the Book and Author festival in Idaho October 22 & 23. Here is the link for that:
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%...
What are you reading today? Check us out and become our friend on Facebook & Linkedin. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. You can also follow us on Twitter, and the Gelati’s Scoop Facebook Fan Page. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Gelati’s Store Tab on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. -
The other day, this kid, a friend of my son's, asked me if I ever watched "Gilligan's Island". Sure, I replied with not a little trepidation. As the kid went on, telling me about how his parents owned several discs worth of episodes I was torn: should I call child protective services or not? I quickly decided I should when said kid started discussing the episode where the mad scientist on a neighboring island switches all the castaways minds and bodies. Ginger talked like Gilligan, Mary Ann sounded like the professor and so on. I vaguely remember this episode (Season 2, Episode 2, originally aired April 7th, 1966, titled 'The Friendly Physician', this episode guest-starred famed second-string actor Vito Scotti as the mad scientist. GET THIS: Scotti portrayed one of the Penguin's (!) henchmen, Matey Dee, in the episode of the 1960s Batman show. This episode, entitled 'The Penguin's Nest' was Season 2, Episode 7. Ha! See? That's three 2s and one 7. 3x7=21 and 2x1=2 which is the number of stars I gave this crappy Batman entry!) as being one of the most ceaselessly fucking episodes of any television show ever. But I didn't have the heart to tell the kid that. Instead, I thought, lemme tuck this away until I get to write a review of something terrible I recently read. Which I just did.
-
A host of heroes and villains are given the spotlight in this miniseries from writer Frank Tieri and artist Jim Calafiore. Undercover in his Matches Malone guise, Batman is attempting to gain intel on the power vacuum left by Black Mask's death. While Penguin secretly partners with the Suicide Squad to ship Arkham villains off-world, the gangster Tobias Whale arrives in Gotham to usurp control of the underworld. As Whale's gangsters go to war with Penguin's armored criminal knockoffs, the Bat-family must locate a missing Batman and restore order in a city being torn apart. A convoluted attempt to help bridge the gap between the Batman titles and the Salvation Run story arc, the book feels more like a forceful attempt to squeeze in as many famous faces as possible. Calafiore does a fine job of sketching in the numerous criminals he is tasked with including, even adding in new baddie Johnny Stitches into the mix. Sadly, Tieri does not impress with his appearance-heavy story that becomes drowned out in guest appearances. Unless one is a fan of seeing every character in the Bat-verse crammed into a book, let this title rest underground in peace.
-
I wasn`t a fan of this volume. Nothing really happens. Villains are being kidnapped by someone. There is a power vacuum now that Black Mask is gone. Not much else.
There is a lot of set-up going on in this volume, not a lot of pay-offs. They manage to shove in as many characters as they physically can, without giving any of the good stuff.
best part was the Penguin`s sympathetic speech before he is about to have his final battle.
Definite turn-offs was Scarecrow not turning into the Scarebeast when threatened, not telling us what happens to Peyton Riley, Spoiler being just a tease, Intergang not doing much, Johnny Stiches not doing much, as well as many other plot lines that go nowhere.
Read it if you must, but it doesn`t impact the Dc universe a lot and its mostly a set up for JLA: Salvation Run -
Criminals in Gotham City are disappearing in alarming numbers. At the same time Intergang, from Metropolis, is working their way into town. Somehow, the Penguin is involved with both events. And Batman is nowhere to be found.
Aptly titled, the book was little-noticed when it came out. And for good reason. Frank Tieri has no grasp on most of the characters. (The noticeable exception being Robin.) Adding insult to injury, the book ties in with one of DC Comics worst ideas ever -- Salvation Run. (Sick of them breaking out of prison over and over, the government has sent the villains of the DCU to another planet. Only things don't quite work out the way they were planned.)
Nice artwork, but the story is bad. Painfully bad, at times. -
Frank Tieri, who has always been hit or miss with me, missed here. The idea of a gang war in Gotham is decent while not at all original. In this collection it seems that either editorial or the writer himself was challenged to include as many Bat-centric characters as possible. That was not a good idea. Almost no characters got enough page time to flesh them out because there were so many then you add in new or newer characters and they seem like they were directly ripped off from bigger better Marvel characters. The art by Jim Calafiore was good when characters were in costume but when he has to draw faces everyone looks the same and have a weird smirk on their faces. Overall, this was more like a jam page of Who's Who pages rather than a complete story.
-
This book was a starpacked feast for Bat-fans. It as filled with almost every villain or hero who has ever been in Batman. Unfortunately, that's about all it has. I felt like the story was too straight forward, more surface plot and not enough character development, if any. I prefer my Batman written by Tony Daniels.
-
The foreign section in the Qingdao Library isn't as large as one would've liked, which is a damn shame because as good as this comic is, it's clearly just the beginning of a bigger story (and if the hints of Apokalips being involved is true, possibly a Justice League story), and this is about the only DC comic book I can find. 3.5 stars out of 5 from me.
-
If you absolutely have to read a Batman graphic novel one, and this one and you are in the same place at the same time for an hour, you could read it. That's probably the only circumstances under which you should, however.
-
Nothing spectacular. Story was decent but I was left wondering where they hell they transported all the missing villains. They said it was to another planet but they never expanded on it. The art was pretty at least.
-
It's not absolute crap, but I wasn't nearly impressed. It was trying to do what The Long Halloween or Hush did by have an exhibition of every single Batman villain in one book, but it doesn't realize that it isn't The Long Halloween or Hush. It wasn't even fun. I don't regret reading it, though.
-
I was quite confused with the story couple of times, but that's only because I did not understand everything I read.
But the art was truly brilliant.
Timo -
Decent Batman story with lots of crossovers w/chunks of the DC universe... since I don't read all those comics anymore, it was, at times, a little tough to follow.
-
This was purely fun. Kind of a throw back to the old gangster movies in a quirky way that only the ridiculous DC created villains could do.
-
(Batman: Gotham Underground 1-9)
