What’s a Batman comic without Batman? No, this isn’t one of the Riddler’s puzzles. It’s the latest episode of Batman Knightcast! Chris Franklin and Ryan Daly welcome special guest Sean Ross for a most unusual tale of the Dark Knight. Join the Trinamic Trio as they discuss the illustrated prose story “To See the Batman” from Batman Chronicles #10. After that, Chris and Ryan respond to listener feedback from the last four episodes.
Check out Sean’s Wonder Woman podcast, Peace Bound & Down, right here: https://fireandwaterpodcast.com/show/wonderwoman/
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Music: “The Batman Theme: Epic Version (feat. Mask of the Phantasm + Imperial March” arranged by Samuel Kim. Check it out on Youtube right here: https://youtu.be/m-AnLl9Vyb8?si=H5SsJPY_L8FMdtG5
Additional music: “The Hardest Part is the Night” by Bon Jovi
Thanks for listening!
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I heard Astro city . So I hoped on my samurai cycle
(A red white and blue painted scouter that has a special button on handle bars so it play an eight bit sega genesis version of just imagine.)
And I’m here if I may put in a plug I doubt you’ll read this on air I’m hoping next year to start a new show called from the files of Astro city and the first file will be steel jacket as issue by issue we will cover his two story arcs .thats a sneak pack for all Fire and Water fans .
Here’s my secret question if we took the protagonist of this text story and his girl and transfer them to a different universe, say Astro city and brought back the original writer
Where we put them and what kind of story do you think you’ll be done with them in the Astro City universe?
As a Batman fan of half-a-century, I really enjoy your show. Please tell me you guys were joking with Martin when you couldn’t recall The Batmobile of 1950. That broke my bat-heart! I’ll let Martin tell you what story he means, since he made the comment.
I read my comics for escapism, so this story was never really a favorite of mine. It was too realistic and Batman was only tangentially involved.
Hmmmm….My favorite Batman story that deals more with a fairly realistic character in Batman’s world and Batman only has a supporting role. Probably, “Die Small….Die Big” in Detective Comics 385, March 1969. It was a very early eBay purchase due to the Batgirl cover. (Sigh….Batgirl….Sigh). However, I don’t think I’ve ever found a comics character the I identified with more than the protagonist of this tale. He is someone that nobody notices, but he is a huge Batman fan. He gets his dream fulfilled when he helps Batman solve a case before his tragic end. Like many of Robert Kanigher’s stories, it is blatantly melodramatic and emotionally manipulative. I really shouldn’t like it. It was reprinted in Batman 257, a 100-page giant where several of the reprints outshined the main story.
BTW, am I the only non-podcaster that comments on the show? I’ve been told I sound like Gomer Pyle, so I obviously have no plans to pick up the podcast microphone any time soon.
I have to save our rep here. I haven’t had a chance to listen to the edited episode, but I don’t think Ryan or I ever said we didn’t know the Batmobile of 1950? It’s my favorite comic Batmobile. Big bubble dome, huge fin, designed by Dick Sprang? It’s a classic!!!
I’m pretty sure you didn’t say that… there’s no world in which you don’t know this amazing design, Chris (and Ryan). Still, thank you, Gothos, for the shoutout and for caring.
And why the heck haven’t you been on a podcast? If I get to join in with my accent and nonsense, why not you? This is such a welcoming network… only last week Paul over at DC SpecialCast was mentioning no one had volunteered for, I think it was, the Viking Prince issue. And Brett is alway inviting Fantastic Pour listeners to drop by and shake things up.
I never meant to cast any aspersions. Hey, I’m old and I get confused very easily!
Martin, if they cover Batmobile of 1950, they should ask you to help cover that one. It is a great story!
https://www.comics.org/issue/8101/
Oh, I wish, I’ve loved that story since I came across it as a kid in 100-Page Super Spectacular #DC-14, a Batman special.
Oh, Paul is also after people to cover DC Superstars of Space…
Thanks again for having me on the episode, guys. It was so much fun to talk about this interesting, offbeat story.
One final secret question: Since this is a prose version of a comic book, it brings to mind a question. What is one novel you would recommend to comic book fans?
I’ve got one tales of the red panda the crime cabal
By Gregg Taylor he’s essentially a 1940’s Canadian version of the green hornet with a female driver called the flying squirrel. There’s a modern day radio show on it called Decoder
theater. He even has his own version the Joker, who knows a secret identity referred to as the mad monkey.
So I would definitely check out the red pan and novels if you want something
with a 1940s green hornet flare .
But a s setting its own world
I Pitched a story one time about Electro being kidnaped by his dentist so he can figure out how the heck you get superpowers by getting shocked. If you were a normal person in Marvel verse would’nt you want powers?
ya know Batman prose stories and Batman stories with the phantom stranger have something in I DONT think there’s ever been a bad one.
Batman Chronicles was an occasional buy for me, so I didn’t read this one before. What a great story! And that cover is insane!
My favorite story from Chronicles featured Jim Gordon and Huntress Bertinelli, where we get the insight that both Jim and Batman see some of Barbara in Helena, which leads to some interesting thoughts on why Bats is harder on her than other heroes. That’s the best part, but having Jim and Huntress try to stop criminals on a moving train was also extremely cool.
As for slice-of-life stories, I immediately thought of a Spider-Man issue written by Paul Jenkins. It featured a young boy stuck in a bad home situation, and his only friend is Spider-Man, as well as secret superhero partner. At the end, the boy is about to move away with a new family and has to say goodbye to Spidey, who unmasks and is revealed to be a black man. So the “Spidey” who befriended the boy was imaginary all along. Such a powerful moment.
Tim – The Paul Jenkins/Mark Buckingham Spider-Man run is one of the great, under appreciated runs of the 2000s. Just packed with heartwarming stories.
I’ve seen this cover previously – wow – but never knew what was inside the book. I honestly don’t know what it is with me, I read a fair amount of novels but put great wodges of text in a funnybook and I just can’t be bothered. Conversely, stick a silent story in the pages and I really can’t be bothered. I want pictures and word balloons. The Bill Sienkiewicz art is great but there should’ve been at least a half-page spot illo on every spread. Glancing at the text I see what you mean by the Holden Caulfield of it all… maybe I’ll be in the mood one day to give it a go. Right now, I’m far too phony.
My favourite story in Detective by a film writer was the Bob (Back to the Future) Gale three-parter drawn by Denys Cowan and Dick Giordano from #598-600, stick it on yer list! Well, if it sounds worth a look.
Anton Furst’s remarkable design for Gotham City in the 1988 Batman film was mentioned this episode, or maybe it was just him… anyway, did you ever read the 1991 Destroyer storyline that gave comics Gotham a similar look. I have thoughts!
Anyway, great show.
Ok I figured I better put a more Batman themed
Secret question: it was inspired do to watching a mini marathon of the season 3 episodes of Batman 66 stating with the boxing episode. Now riddle me this ? Could a story like even be done in the 66 world where everyone knows Batman but where it’s a kid caught a pic of batgirl instead how would that change especially if it was during her England adventure. And how would you write this alternate version of the story ?
I remember getting this issue. Booo! Too many words and not enough pictures! I’m glad you guys covered it because I know I didn’t give it the time it deserved at the time. I agree it was a quest. In the end Josh realized it wasn’t about validation or photos… it was about boobs!
This Sean fella has some talent. He should do a podcast.