[World of Bats] Batman: Gotham Noir & Batman/Elmer Fudd Special

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Hello and welcome back to another installment of the World of Bats, the Batman Book Club!

This week we’re continuing our trek through the crime noir side of Batman with TWO excellent one-shots.

First off, we have DC Comics Presents: Batman – Gotham Noir, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips.

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Don’t miss this Elseworlds classic set in a stylish Gotham City straight out of classic mystery films, starring a down-on-his luck cop called Jim Gordon and the mysterious Bat! Plus, from BATMAN #604, The Dark Knight returns to Crime Alley for an encounter with Catwoman!

And after that, we have the Batman/Elmer Fudd Special, by Tom King and Lee Weeks.

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After a chance meeting with billionaire Bruce Wayne, Elmer Fudd’s obsession quickly escalates into stalking Batman through the dark alleys and high-class social settings of Gotham City. Welcome to Bat Season! And the bonus Looney Tunes backup story features DC characters written by Tom King and artwork by Byron Vaughns.

So whatever thoughts and/or film noir monologues you have, let us know!

If you want to know more about the World of Bats Book Club, as well as see what we’ve previously discussed, click HERE!

Want to join? Click right HERE! Remember, BYOC (Bring Your Own Candle).

If you have any questions, you can contact @Jay_Kay, @JeepersItsTheJamags, and @Aquamon.

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My feelings on these issues should come as no surprise. Brubaker’s Batman stories aren’t all that interesting to me, and I don’t really know what’s gained by telling a “noir story” when his typical fare is already noir stories. On the other hand, I love Tom King’s Batman, and I love Looney Tunes, so, you know…I loved that story.

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I’ve always wanted to read Batman Noir, I had no idea that DC Library has it, so I’ll read it later today. Thankyou so much for posting this. The Batman with Elmer Fudge was was really good. I enjoy any DC crossover with Looney Tunes.:slightly_smiling_face:

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The Batman/Looney Tunes story was entertaining and I enjoyed the artwork. It was pretty interesting to see the Looney Tunes reimagined as characters that fit in Batman’s world. Elmer Fudd as a hitman was a brilliant idea.

Probably the only part about it I didn’t like that much was Fudd’s narration; maybe it’s just me, I found it a little offputting replacing the Ls and Rs with Ws. That’s how Elmer Fudd talks, so I get why, but if it’s an internal dialogue would he still have the speech impediment?

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Yeah, half the fun was seeing all the Looney Tunes reinterpreted as human, Gotham crooks and lowlifes. :smiley:

What’s cool is that it’s not really a one-off – that bar shows up a couple times more during Tom King’s run.

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I have mixed feelings about the Batman Noir story. I liked that it made Gordon the main character and that the bad guys were old school gangsters and corrupt politicians. I also liked the way Gotham city was drawn.

However, the story itself felt kind of bland. In a month I might have forgotten I even read it. I’m not sure exactly why, maybe just because it took so long to get where it was going.

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That’s fair – I think for me it was more fun because of my affinity for these kind of stories, and Elseworlds are always fun for tweaking the characters for the environment while still feeling true to who they are at their core.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, @john.21795! :smiley:

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Made it just before the deadline LOL.
First time reading Gotham Noir. I liked it overall. Not sure how to describe the art but if felt off for the tone. Would have been nice if they kept that old pulp look like they did for the cover. I was on the fence with the first half but it got good once the journal gets thrown in the plot and things start to make sense. I did like the way they went about Jokers origins for this. This story has me on the hunt looking for other noir style batman stories. Good pick, will eventually get to the Loony Tunes one.

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