Comic Review #54: Batman Annual #18 (1994)

 

I think the freedom of the Comic Review is what I like the most. I am completely free to discuss anything and everything under the banner of comics. It could be a comic strip. from a different country. made for the internet. Super indepentant or mainstream. Whatever the hell tickles my fancy. There are even some blogs where people talk about just one character and I don't work like that. I like to jump around all over the place and talk about comic books. I can go back as far as I want or talk about stuff coming out this week. Whatever pleases me at the moment of discussion is what I can and will talk about. I do have a list of characters from Marvel and DC that I would like to get too, among the other non-superhero comics they used to produce. I mean everyone's waiting for me to discuss Weird War Tales and Jonah Hex and House of Mystery and I promise you I will get to them unless I get to depressed to discuss anything.

Anyway with that messy pile of shit that I will generously call a introduction to Comic Review #54 over with I think we shall discuss is an Elseworlds tale that took place in all of the Annuals of every comic DC was producing I think in the year of our lord 1994. I liked that DC tried stuff like that in the Annuals of the 1990s. One year was Elseworlds, another year was YEAR ONE stories, another year was Legends of Pulp Heroes in which the stories were written like a pulp story of the 1920s and 1930s. Another year was Legends of Dead Earth which took place thousands of years after the earth died. I wasn't planning on it but I think that I will look at each and every one of these years by talking about at least one comic from them. I think that will be fun and I hope you all join me.

As I said the year of 1994 was Elseworlds themed. Elseworlds are pretty much DC Comic's What If. I had an on going article series before the Comic Review where I would just talk about Elseworlds and What Ifs. I've talked about several of them but I honestly believe they deserve a re-review in my longer more thoughtful style. Like put a bit more than a paragraph out there to discuss these comics. Most of the ones I read I had fun reading even if there were some flaws. Most of the time DC comics Elseworlds were like What if Character X was THIS? like What if Batman was Elliott Ness of the Untouchables. I'm honestly not sure what I like more What If or Elseworlds. I genuninely think both are pretty fun reads for the most part so I guess you'll see more discussion of Elseworlds along with the other many things I've promised. I need to keep a report of the things I say I'll get too.

Batman Annual #18 was written by Doug Moench. Doug wrote horror stories for Warren Magazines. You know Creepy and Eerie in the 1970s. Then he got a job at Marvel writing Shang Chi, Werewolf By Night, Moon Knight (which he co-created with Don Perlin) and he wrote many Batman comics. He was the main writer of Batman AND Detective Comics for a good part of the 1980s. I want to say from 1982 to at least 1986. He also came BACK to write the main Batman series for a good chunk of the 1990s. I want to say from like 1993 to 1997. I really enjoy Doug's stories so you'll see me discuss a good amount of them. The artist of this issue was Frederico Cueva and I'm very dissapointed in the internet nerds because they haven't found every issue he's drawn and every bit of information that you can find about him because I love this guys art. I cannot wait to see if I come across more of this. The main cover was done by Mike Mignola and his art is very unique but I like it. He's probably most well known for creating Hellboy, so he's doing good for himself.

Batman Annual #18 is TWO stories in one. Both alternating from each other in chapter form. The first chapter takes place during the days of Leonardo Di Vinci and people who would pay him for arts and stuff. They have a son and you can easily tell where this story is going if you know a single thing about Batman. This kids parents are fucked and well they get stabbed (remember this is like 1482 or some shit) by a crazy looking bastard. We then go to the present where Batman and Comminisher Gordon are talking to each other about the theft of the painting of Mona Lisa. Batman tells the Comminisher to tell the guy whos working for the Louvre to expect a meeting in an hour. We then go back to the past to see the original real deal Mona Lisa is being painted. Well what happens is that she gets kidnapped. So It's up to the kid from the beginning named Tomas to become the Batman of 1503. He uses Leonardo Di Vinci's specs to become the Batman!

In the present the Batman has figured out that it was an inside job and the criminal doesn't know anything about it. He does find out there's something covering a part of the painting after making sure it wasn't a fake. It was covered up in something called Pimento. I don't know about you but that sounds like a killer name for a Italian meat sauce. 1503 Batman needs wings to get to the tower that Mona Lisa's being held in. I love how the art just feels right for both of these stories. I hope to find more of this guys stuff. Anyway the 1503 Batman saves the day just as today's Batman is getting ready to beat ass. Which he does without breaking a sweat. He brings the painting to Comminisher Gordon and mentions about the Pimento  that was put on the painting. They figure the Louvre won't mess with the Mona Lisa no matter what.

We go back to 1503 again to find out that Mona Lisa was smiling about the baby she's gonna have. The baby she made with LEONARDO DI VINCI. Man Leonardo is big pimpin in this story. I wonder if there's any historical fact here or is it just Moench having fun. I dunno. I'm too lazy to look that up. We also find out that Tomas had covered up the 1503 Batman from the painting. Which makes the painting much less cool in my mind but works better for serious art. I guess. I'd have Batman in all of those paintings in the Louvre. or any art museum.

FINAL VERDICT: I enjoyed this story. It was action packed, the characters were fun. Great art. Just a really fun story. I always enjoyed the back and forth thing many comic stories do. It's not one of the greatest Elseworlds stories but it's still worth the $3 you'll find it for at the comic store and I do say you should pick it up. Next time we will talk about one of the Year One Annuals. I don't know what character but I'll make sure it's someone other than Batman. Let's make it someone different for the next four reviews!