Each week, hosts Matt Lazorwitz and Will Nevin look at three Batman stories, discuss them and put them on a list that will encompass all Batman stories. Some are great, some are not, but we hope you enjoy them all!
…
continue reading
Welcome to the world of tomorrow! Like, way tomorrow. Matt McThorn is back, and we are talking about the 853rd century and Grant Morrison's first DC crossover, DC One Million. It's a wild, sci-fi epic, which we all know if completely Will's jam. But you might be surprised as we talk about the core mini-series, as well as the arc of Bruce Wayne in t…
…
continue reading
I have heard it said that every writer has a Batman story they want to tell. Only a few get to tell them. And sadly not all of them are great. This week we're reading three stories from writers not usually associated with Batman, Harlan Ellison, Eddie Campbell and David Lapham. And, well, none of these really are going down as central to the canon.…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 147: A Better Name Than Bat-verine
1:10:47
1:10:47
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:10:47
For the first time in a very long time, this week was supposed to see the publication of a collection of Marvel and DC collaborations, so Will and I decided that this would be a good time to read some of that. But these are big omnibuses, so as is often the case, they have been delayed. But we here at BatChat aren't following suit. We planned this …
…
continue reading
Gotham is a city of shadows. A city where good and evil blend together. It's a city made for Noir storytelling. And while some Batman stories have some elements of a Noir, most are very much superhero stories. But to tie-in with the 40s themed animated series, Batman: The Caped Crusader, debuting this week, and because Will has wanted to do this ep…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 145: The Nicest Guy In Comics Remembered
1:01:32
1:01:32
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:01:32
Over his thirty plus year career in comics, Archie Goodwin racked up a lot of accomplishments. He wrote horror stories for lots of Warren Publishing's anthologies. At DC, he wrote Detective Comics, Manhunter (more on both of those later), and was the editor behind Batman: Black and White, the early issues of Legends of the Dark Knight and James Rob…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 144: Will's Bookcase Picks Vol.1
1:19:01
1:19:01
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:19:01
Generally speaking, the episodes we do here are carefully curated. We try to take a theme, a character, and thoroughly dig through the 85 years of Batman stories to find the ones that best fit that theme. But then there are the weeks where Will just picks three random books off his bookshelf and wants to cover them, and Matt just says sure.Batman '…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 143: Does Batman Diversify? (w/ Abigale Heartblam)
1:14:52
1:14:52
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:14:52
We've all seen the memes and the jokes: Batman's real super power is his wallet. Batman has, historically, been from the moneyed class, and that's how he gets all those wonderful toys. But what happens when Batman doesn't have all that cash? That's what friend of the show, Patreon backer, and financial adviser Abigale Heartbalm wanted to look into …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 142: Subtle As a Bag of Hammers
1:12:47
1:12:47
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:12:47
Batman works outside the law pretty much all the time. And while he often runs afoul of civic authorities in Gotham City, it's surprising how rarely he winds up in the crosshairs of the feds (well, we're just starting Absolute Power in the main line, but again, exception that proves the rule). But it has happened a few times, and since this episode…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 141: *Cough, Cough* (w/John Wickham)
1:24:52
1:24:52
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:24:52
There are some stories that read a very different ways after certain events. Who would have thought that these innocent little stories about Batman involved with plagues would read so differently after a global pandemic. Patreon backer and friend of the show John Wickham joins us to talk about the 90s crossover "Contagion," a fun little 80s one off…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 140: If He Can Fight Like a Man, He Can Write Like a Man (w/ Josh Weil)
1:24:32
1:24:32
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:24:32
Friend of the show and Patreon backer Josh Weil decided to take up a challenge: come up with three stories that he thought could make the top 50 of the Big Board. And gotta, say, with no spoilers, he did a pretty good job. We see Bruce Wayne mourning the loss of his son, Batman and Catwoman taking a post-engagement trip and Nightwing taking fight.U…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 139: Pride in the Name of Gotham (w/ The Gotham Outsiders)
1:39:37
1:39:37
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:39:37
We’re in the heart of June, which is Pride Month, so BatChat is joined by the hosts of the Gotham Outsiders podcast to talk about three stories featuring the queer residents of Gotham. Kate Kane’s origin is revealed, Tim Drake comes out, and animated Harley and Ivy go on a road trip. Oh, and towards the end, Will does his Matt impression, something…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 138: Black Label Batman (w/ Matt McThorn)
1:22:00
1:22:00
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:22:00
We're joined this week by our newest Dick Grayson tier backer, Matt McThorn, who wanted to talk about series released under DC's mature readers (mostly) super-hero imprint, Black Label. We have the infamous debit book of the line, where Batman goes full frontal, a story of the Joker driving his therapist insane (not that therapist, another one), an…
…
continue reading
I was going to try to come up with something funny and misleading to make it seem like we were talking about the Marvel character Venom for this intro, but my brain isn't coming up with anything. This week's episode is about Bane, the man who broke the Bat, and does indeed spend a lot of time interrogating his relationship with the drug that powere…
…
continue reading
The Joker has wreaked unspeakable trauma on Batman over the years of their rivalry. But there is one man who he has possibly hurt as much, if not more: Jim Gordon. The Joker and Gordon's relationship goes back as far and Joker and Batman's, and Joker has often focused on Gordon. This week, we look at three of the encounters between Gotham's top cop…
…
continue reading
For those of you out there who back the BatChat Patreon, you have heard Matt & will talk about all manner of Batman media: movies, episodes of animated series and live action TV, narrative podcasts. And this week, we're taking that energy, but swapping it around so we can talk about the comic adaptations of three of the highest ranked stories on th…
…
continue reading
Matt here, and I am going to be writing in the first person for this one. When I started this podcast, I don't know what I was expecting. Will and I had been writing the BatChat column for a while. Dan Grote and I had been recording the ComicsXF Interview Podcast (then WMQ&A) for quite a bit longer. I just wanted to talk Batman some more. I didn't …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 133: Who Spoils the Spoiler?
1:02:15
1:02:15
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:02:15
Having multiple heroic identities is not something unique in the Bat family. Pretty much everyone has had more than one except for, well, Bruce Wayne. But Stephanie Brown has had three very distinct identities that all very much signify different things about the character. And as we have covered some of the worst stories about her, we only thought…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 132: Batman is the Kwizatz Haderach (w/ Dan Grote)
1:16:11
1:16:11
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:16:11
It's time to celebrate! Matt's other show, The ComicsXF Interview Podcast, reached episode 300 this week. And so for that celebration, that show's co-host, the first ever BatChat guest, Matt's best friend of over 30 years, ComicsXF editor-in-chief Dan Grote is joining BatChat again. We are talking stories from three creators who have been interview…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 131: Happy Birthday, John Ostrander
1:11:49
1:11:49
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:11:49
This week, one of the defining writers of DC Comics in the 80s and early 90s will turn 75 years old. John Ostrander has a storied career over more than 40 years. He created an indy hit with his creator owned mercenary, Grimjack, and wrote some of the best received Star Wars comics ever. His work at DC includes The Suicide Squad, the Spectre, Martia…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 130: Jason Todd- Red Headed Stranger
1:23:27
1:23:27
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:23:27
It's been a while, but we're back reading the three series/runs that we have been following (mostly) in order. In No Man's Land, both Batman and Jim Gordon make some choices that definitely won't come back to bite them on the butt. In the Morrison run, they investigate ethics in vigilantism and Jason Todd's hair color. And in Injustice, well, thing…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 129: Batman Meets Superman for the First Time! Again. (w/ John Wickham)
1:06:23
1:06:23
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:06:23
The law of diminishing returns is often true. It's like that movie with Michael Keaton, Multiplicity (see, already brought it around to Batman!), the more times you tell a story, the more diluted or off it becomes. We have seen this proven wrong a few times: the newest versions of the Monk, the Monster Men, and the first Batman/Joker confrontation …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 128: Matt Will Finally Know Peace (w/Josh Weil)
1:22:20
1:22:20
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:22:20
Josh Weil is back, and he's bringing his favorite character with him. It's time for Batman to team up again with Ollie Queen, Green Arrow. We're reading the classic Haney/Adams story where Ollie grows his signature facial hair, a team up that also includes the Question, and some questionable content involving Poison Ivy.And just to be clear, the pr…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 127: Classic Covers- Perfect for an Audio Medium
1:15:52
1:15:52
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:15:52
Comic books are, by their very nature, a blended medium. They are a synthesis of words and pictures, and the best ones exist in a space where the two are speaking the same language. Podcasting is an aural medium, told entirely through words and sounds. That is all to say that it's not always easy to blend the more visual nature of comics with podca…
…
continue reading
We've read a lot of great comics for this podcast. Tonight? We are not doing that. Tonight we are reading three stories that were on the document of possible episode topics marked as "Three Stories that Matt Remembers Hating." And Matt's taste has apparently has not changed much since he first read these, because this is, far and away, the lowest r…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 125: Inside Under the Red Hood
1:21:36
1:21:36
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:21:36
"Jason Todd was dead. There is no doubt whatever about that." Sorry, now that I have used that expensive English degree to paraphrase Dickens, we can get on with this intro. This week, we're returning to stories featuring Jason Todd, including one of the biggest Batman stories that we haven't covered yet. See Post-Crisis Jason meet Dick Grayson for…
…
continue reading
It's winter here in the US, and it is cold (well, it should be anyway. Damn climate change). And who is colder than Victor Fries, the villain known as Dr. Freeze. Wait, it's Mr. Freeze? Isn't he at least a Ph.D if not an MD? So Dr. Doom can call himself a doctor with his honorary degree from Latveria U, but Freeze is just a mister? Well, that's som…
…
continue reading
Of all of Jack Kirby's creations at DC, the Fourth World is probably the most well known, the most expansive, and the most ill used by other creators over the years. Some really get the wild cosmic and Shakespearean vibe the King of Comics was putting down. Some don't and just try to make the New Gods just any other team of super heroes. And becaus…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 122: Grayson & Friends (w/ Tony Thornley)
1:12:50
1:12:50
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:12:50
It's Valentine's Day week, and I may or may not have forgotten about that when I was scheduling episodes this year. Fortunately, ComicsXF writer and friend of the show Tony Thornley picked some stories that work pretty well for Valentine's Day. You see, these are all about love: brotherly love, romantic love, and the love between best friends. We'r…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 121: On the Trail of Darwyn Cooke
1:14:12
1:14:12
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:14:12
There are those creators you just come back to, whose work never ceases to amaze. Darwyn Cooke is one of those creators. Passing on too young, Cooke still left an impressive body of work, a lot of which was Batman or Batman adjacent. We're returning to his work this week with two intertwined tales of Catwoman and a one shot that follows up on New F…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 120: The Wedding That Didn't Happen (w/ Abigale Heartbalm)
1:22:23
1:22:23
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:22:23
At 120 episodes, we've covered a lot of Batman comics. A lot. But I think few have been more contentious, both in the fandom and on this podcast, as the ones this week. Because this week we're talking about the Tom King run, the creator with possibly the biggest gaps in his work on The Big Board, and specifically the stories around the not-wedding …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 119: Rowing the Amazon in a Cadillac
1:18:20
1:18:20
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:18:20
Ah, my sweet summer children, let me tell you of a time called the early 90s. It was a time of hope. It was a time of questionable fashion. And it was a time when there were only three monthly Batman family titles, and one of them very rarely interacted with the others. This week, we're going back to those times long ago and reading three small int…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 118: SuperBat Rises (w/ Josh Weil)
1:15:39
1:15:39
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:15:39
Will is so very tried. Three weeks in a row of big superhero stories. Not a single mobster or Year One era, bare bones Batman story to be found. Because this week, Dick Grayson tier Patreon backer Josh Weil is back, and we're talking Batman getting super powers! We get a Freaky Friday with the Justice League, a messy alien invasion and a Geoff John…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 117: Batman the Jobber (w/ John Wickham)
1:26:18
1:26:18
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:26:18
Last week, we talked about the Justice League International. This week, Dick Grayson Tier Patreon backer John Wickham joins us to talk about the other late 80s DC team that spun out of the Legends event, the Suicide Squad. And while the Justice League was mostly comedy, the Squad is not. We read three very different versions of the Squad in a story…
…
continue reading
The Justice League International era of the mid-to-late 80s was a sea change for the Justice League franchise. While there were still superheroics, the book became grounded in character based humor; the series was basically a workplace sitcom. And early in the run, Batman was a regular member, basically the grouchy boss who couldn't put up with all…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 115: New Year, New Batman Golden Age Edition
1:20:01
1:20:01
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:20:01
It's the New Year, and so here at BatChat we like to look at different versions of Batman at this time, so we're going back into Elseworlds territory. But this year, it's a very specific type of Elseworld: the historical Elseworld, ones transplanting DC heroes and concepts into bygone days. And specifically we're looking at three stories from the e…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 114: It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Batman
1:27:11
1:27:11
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:27:11
Merry Bats-Mas to one and all! We're getting near Christmas, and so it's time to go back to the holiday stories in Gotham well (and if you think we might run out any time soon, have no fears, we've got stories for years). This year, we're reading the first Batman Christmas story, which features some weird not-really tie ins to A Christmas Carol, an…
…
continue reading
I was going to start this with the Court of Owls nursery rhyme, but I believe I did that when we actually covered the original Snyder Court of Owls story, so instead you're just going to get my usual ramble. This week, Patreon backer Matt McThorn has a request, and it's stories of the Court of Owls and the sensational character find of 2012, Calvin…
…
continue reading
Originally introduced in the 1950s, Batwoman has gone from a forgotten character to one who is a queer icon and headlined her own TV series. Kate and Kathy Kane are very distinct characters, and this week, we'll be reading stories featuring them both, thanks to a request from Sam Hopper. We see Kathy meet Bat-Mite, Kate's first solo outing and Jame…
…
continue reading
The beauty of a Patreon request is you never know what you're going to get. And bless Dan Grote, co-host of WMQ&A and BatChat's first patron and guest, for coming at us with a request nobody expected. This week, we're reading three stories featuring Joe Potato, a Gotham PI who we read one story with a while back, and now we're covering all three of…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 110: A Wayne Family Thanksgiving
1:08:15
1:08:15
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:08:15
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! As is our custom here at BatChat (and this is the third time we've done it, so that qualifies as a custom now), the Thanksgiving episode features three all ages Batman stories, and as I have pointed out in the past, for a character who is so often associated with grim stories, there are a lot of all ages Batman stories…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 109: X Marks the Bat (w/ Adam Reck)
1:22:55
1:22:55
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:22:55
We're comics fans, so we all love a crossover, right? So why shouldn't that expand to our podcasts? It's ComicsXF podcast crossover week, so Matt is joined by Battle of the Atom host Adam Reck to talk about three Batman stories from creators whose work are favorites on BotA. John Francis Moore moves out of 2099 to Gotham in the 90s, Chris Bachalo d…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 108: Gatman Vs. Scarface, Ya Gums!
1:08:44
1:08:44
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:08:44
While a lot of Batman's best known rogues date back to his earliest days, the 80s spawned a handful of memorable nemeses, and none moreso than Scarface, the evil dummy, and his henchman, the Ventriloquist. This week, we're reading three stories featuring Scarface, including his first appearance, his origin and the first appearance of his second han…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 107: Kevin Smith's On His Best Behavior
1:11:29
1:11:29
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:11:29
Spooky season is over, and so now it's time for some wholesome fun! We covered three of the six mini-series where Batman '66 teams up with other properties a ways back, and now we're returning to cover the other three. We have Kevin Smith writing about the team-up of Batman and the Green Hornet is possibly the most all agers thing he has ever writt…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 106: All Rhyming! (Not Really)
1:17:18
1:17:18
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:17:18
It's spooky time, and so this week we're covering three stories where Batman teams up with his most diabolical frenemy, the Demon Etrigan. There's lots of rhyming, most of it not very good. Be grateful I didn't try to do it for this introduction. These three stories include some charming Bob Haney nonsense, Joker deciding that sorcery and alchemy a…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 105: Stop Trying to Make Geo-Force Happen (w/ Austin Gorton)
1:26:31
1:26:31
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:26:31
Over his 85+ years, Batman has been a member of lots of different teams. This week, fellow ComicsXF writer Austin Gorton stops by to talk about three different teams Batman has been a member of. We fill in another gap in Will's knowledge of the roots of the Morrison run, Snapper Carr is kind of the worst and once again Mike W. Barr shows his versio…
…
continue reading
Everyone knows that Batman is also billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne. But what most people outside of Batman comics fans don't know is that Batman has another alter ego: two-bit mobster Matches Malone, an identity Batman uses to infiltrate the mob. This week, we're reading three stories where Batman uses the Matches identity: an arc that brings a cha…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 103: Conceived Behind a Dumpster
1:20:17
1:20:17
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:20:17
Big Two superhero comics are an iterative process. What was conceived in the 1930s and 40s has evolved and changed over the intervening three quarters of a century. Usually? That's for the better. Characters get deeper and develop more of an internal life. Plots become more mature. Art becomes more realistic, or more stylized. And then there are th…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 102: Is Penguin a Good Trump Analogue? (w/ John Wickham)
1:04:33
1:04:33
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:04:33
Batman is a creature of shadow who usually eschews the light. But even the Dark Knight can be touched by that darkest of human endeavors that lives in the brightest of spotlights: politics. Dick Grayson Tier Patreon backer John Wickham joins us to talk about a very of its moment story of Catwoman getting involved with Gotham's mayoral race, Bruce W…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 101: The Two Faces of James Robinson (w/ Josh Weil)
1:25:42
1:25:42
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:25:42
James Robinson might be best known for writing the 90s classic, Starman, but he's written a bunch of Batman too. And this week, Josh Weil stops by to talk about three of Robinson's stories. We have a Pulp Heroes annual, and two tales of Two-Face. There are some unfortunate sexy corpses, questionable editing and the question of when a story really d…
…
continue reading
I kind of can't believe we made it this far, but here it is: episode 100! And for that, we're hitting one of the last legendary Batman stories we haven't touched, and one we've slowly been building towards for many of these 100 episodes, the culmination of the first act of Grant Morrison's epic run: Batman R.I.P. We're also including a couple Golde…
…
continue reading