CSBG Archive
A Year of Cool Comics – Day 203
Here is the latest in our year-long look at one cool comic (whether it be a self-contained work, an ongoing comic or a run on a long-running title that featured multiple creative teams on it over the years) a day (in no particular order whatsoever)! Here‘s the archive of the moments posted so far!
Today we look at the amazing meeting between Batman and the Planetary team in Planetary/Batman: Night on Earth.
Enjoy!
First off, how bold is it to put Planetary’s name first in the title? I like it.
In any event, this one-shot crossover issue was done by the regular Planetary creative team of Warren Ellis and John Cassaday.
Planetary are effectively inter-dimensional archeologists. They are the ones who get called it when really weird stuff goes down (and pretty much always, the “weird stuff” will parallel an actual pop culture character, like Lone Ranger, Doc Savage, John Constantine, etc.).
So in this story, they’re called to Gotham City to investigate a superpowered fellow who is causing some damage – he is messing with reality itself.
Elijah Snow (a guy who can make things cold and one of the three members of Planetary – the other two are the enhanced strength Jakita Wagner and the reality “tuner,” the Drummer) recognizes the effect – it’s something he saw in 1986 – realities collapsing on each other…
Of course, he’s making reference to the Crisis on Infinite Earths, which ended with Earths “combining.”
So they track the guy, John Black, down. He’s pretty messed up (drugs and childhood trauma), so he’s been altering reality almost without knowing. And when they find him, he alters reality and suddenly they’re not in THEIR Gotham City, they are now in you-know-who’s Gotham City…
And he, naturally, wants the suspect himself. Jakita goes to deal with him, but she is surprised to learn that, well, this is Batman she’s talking trash to…
After an elaborate and awesome fight, Black changes reality once again…
After some more amusing changes, Black makes what seems to be a fatal move – changing Batman to old school “shoot to kill” Batman…
And what happens next, well, you should go pick up the book, people! It’s collected into a trade with all the other Planetary crossover issues (including the particularly awesome JLA one)!!! Go get it!
24 Comments
Thok
July 23, 2010 at 6:48 am
As an aside, the comic book speculation market of the early 1990s has totally ruined the number 201 for me
And apparently it has continued to bother you through number 203 as well.
Todd
July 23, 2010 at 8:03 am
whoa…i think Thok just got shifted a day into the future…stay calm…
Brian Cronin
July 23, 2010 at 8:21 am
Ha! How come no one noticed it on yesterday’s piece?
Thok
July 23, 2010 at 8:24 am
Ha! How come no one noticed it on yesterday’s piece?
Obviously, everybody was so enthused by Beta Ray Bill that they didn’t read the intro.
chad
July 23, 2010 at 8:31 am
i liked how the crossover showed that there are some characters who do not buy batman menacing personality. plus love the scene where jacusta is dealing with the adam west version from the tv show and gets hit by the bat repellant.
Luc
July 23, 2010 at 8:53 am
Actually, i noticed. I just never comment.
Luc
July 23, 2010 at 8:53 am
And, yes, i see the irony in taking credit after teh fact.
Michael P
July 23, 2010 at 9:07 am
Best Batman story of the decade?
Yep.
Jeff Ryan
July 23, 2010 at 9:11 am
“Partial multiverse collapse” may be my favorite three words I’ve ever read in any comic. It explains just about anything.
Chris McAree
July 23, 2010 at 10:59 am
After reading this I really, really wanted Ellis and Cassaday to do a run on Batman. I read recently the issue got a lot of online criticism at the time, but it’s maybe my favourite single issue from the last ten years.
Brian Cronin
July 23, 2010 at 11:12 am
I don’t recall it getting a lot of criticism.
What’s the criticism?
Chris McAree
July 23, 2010 at 11:25 am
I don’t either, but I didn’t read it at the time so I figured I just hadn’t noticed. Here’s the link I was reading last night: http://home.earthlink.net/~rkkman/frames/summaries/SPB.htm
Just after the “Analysis,” is the relevant portion.
T.
July 23, 2010 at 11:36 am
Great scene. Surprised Cassaday forgot to put the oval on the Adam West Batman since the rest of the West Batman seemed so accurately rendered but that’s a minor nitpick.
I’m also curious, what criticism? I remember it being universally liked when it was released…
Diggity
July 23, 2010 at 11:37 am
If I’m remembering correctly, editorial made them color in the Adam West Batman’s eyes and remove the yellow oval from his chest symbol. That always stuck out and annoyed me (especially the eyes) but other than that, this was a really fun read.
T.
July 23, 2010 at 11:41 am
Diggity:
Wow, horrible choices there by editorial. Glad to know it wasn’t Cassaday’s doing at least.
Graeme Burk
July 23, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Indeed you can see Cassaday’s original here:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/preview.php?image=litg/cassaday_batman.jpg
I suspect more than just editorial, someone in legal took exception to it using both Adam West’s likeness and a Batman costume design belonging to a TV show that has been in a legal quagmire for ages.
Brian Cronin
July 23, 2010 at 1:23 pm
True, Graeme – in fact, as soon as I saw T’s post I thought, “Oooh…good idea for a legend!”
T.
July 23, 2010 at 1:58 pm
Not going to ask you to spill the beans and tell us the answer beforehand, but can you at least tell us if it’s something you already know the answer to or are you going to have to do further research on it?
Pete Woodhouse
July 23, 2010 at 2:10 pm
OK so in the above sequence, Batman #2 was Adam West, #3 was Miller /DKR, #4 was the original Kane Batman, so is #1 the modern version? (I haven’t read the issue)
Brian Cronin
July 23, 2010 at 2:21 pm
The former, T.
Brian Cronin
July 23, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Yes.
Among the Batmen I didn’t show you were also the O’Neil/Adams Batman plus Ellis/Cassaday’s take on what the “ultimate” Batman would look like.
Isabelle
July 25, 2010 at 10:31 pm
…awesome. There’s really nothing else to say.
Link & Panels: Planetary/Batman: Night on Earth
August 1, 2010 at 6:59 am
[...] it out here app, dc, link, panel, [...]
VinTheComicGuy
September 18, 2010 at 8:33 pm
Just another superb issue of Planetary by Warren, John and Laura.
“Please tell me you’re single.”
It really doesn’t get much better than that.