Essential Batman Reading

Very soon we shall all be under the Bat fervour as Chris Nolan's 3rd & final film in the Batman trilogy 'The Dark Knight Rises' nears release. The trilogy, which is undoubtedly the most 'faithful' & gritty portrayal of the Batman universe owes a lot to the comic books that it originated from & in hindsight is really an amalgamation of all the elements that have eternalized the Batman mythos over the years.

Here then are my picks for what I believe are the definitive Batman comic books that've helped create & seamlessly imprint the gothic, gloomy, beastly & yet all the more heroic image of the Dark Knight in our minds & imaginations for a lifetime. These are books that I believe even a non-comic book or a non-superhero fan should read because simply put they're storytelling at its purest. I've given them numbers just for the sake of chronology, all the five books listed here can in my opinion vie for the 'Best Batman Comic' title.

1. The Long Halloween

Writer: Jeph Loeb

Art: Tim Sale

Personally my favourite Batman comic book of all time, The Long Halloween is equal parts murder mystery & intense mob drama (It takes a lot of cues & pays equal number of homages to The Godfather). Setting up the gang war between the two crime families of Sal Maroni & Carmine Falcone as the backdrop, it deals with a mysterious serial killer who seems to have invaded Gotham city & leaves the caped crusader to get to the bottom of it.

Brilliantly paced & magnificently drawn (the comic maintains an eery dark feel with occasional bursts of colour) TLH is full of enchanting twists & turns including a final clincher which fanboys debate about till today.

TLH also serves as an origin story for Two-Face & is notable for exploring themes about family, loneliness & the trustworthy relationship that Batman forms with Commissioner Gordon & Harvey Dent.

[Also check out other Loeb/Sale collaborations 'Batman: Dark Victory' which is a direct sequel to TLH & 'Batman: Haunted Knight']

2. Year One

Writer: Frank Miller
Art: David Mazzucchelli

If there's one book that can be accredited for giving Batman the tenebrous image that he maintains today it has to be Frank Miller's Year One. The revamped Batman origin story that delved into the emotional innards of Bruce Wayne & made the Batman story more 'real'. This authenticity is achieved by portraying a loathsome picture of Gotham city whose streets are overflowing with crime, filth & corruption. One instantly feels while reading that if there's one city which needs a hero to clean it up, it's this one.

Of course a city so far deep in muck does not need a goody-two shoes hero to bring the guilty to justice, it needs a hero who shall strike fear in the hearts of criminals & Miller builds an audacious masterpiece to give Batman the story he deserves.




3. The Killing Joke

Writer: Alan Moore
Art: Brian Bollard

Written by the "God of comic book writers" Alan Moore, The Killing Joke takes the madness & chaos of Batman's greatest foe The Joker to a whole new level. No other comic book has probably taken his lunacy to such extremes. In TKJ the Joker is depicted as a killer, a sick tormentor & a possible child molester. This sociopathic behaviour is contrasted by giving us glimpses from his (possible) tragic backstory.

TKJ digs into the constant tug-of-war between "sanity" & "insanity" of the good guys & bad guys & tosses up the question of whether the two would interchange places if given just the right push?

The Killing Joke is the Joker at his psychopathic best. No wonder it served as an inspiration for Heath Ledger to base his on screen Joker upon for The Dark Knight.




4. The Dark Knight Returns

Story & Art: Frank Miller

Often considered as the best comic book ever written, this is Frank Miller's pièce de rèsistance. Set in a dystopian future 10 years since Batman retired, we meet a Bruce Wayne who's pushing 50. The state of affairs of the already corrupt & notorious Gotham city are multiplied 5-folds in this bleak future. The inherent cacophony & pandemonium forces Bruce to don the costume one more time. This time though the stakes are much much higher & he faces more than what he bargained for.

Incorporating path breaking, unique methods of story telling Miller weaves a tale unlike any other, with layers upon layers of subtext & an unforgettable ending (yup, a Batman vs. Superman bout).

Keeping all the fantastical elements of a superhero story intact Miller infuses them with dirty politics & an ominous atmosphere which makes for a deadly cocktail giving birth to phenomenal fiction. 

[At least the first half of  'The Dark Knight Rises' will be heavily inspired by this book as it deals with Batman coming out of an 8 year hiatus & the trailers also show a few sequences directly taken from the book]

5. Arkham Asylum

Writer: Grant Morrison
Art: Dave McKean

Just like Moore anything written by Grant Morrison in the comics medium is also pure gold, & this one especially is right up there among his best works. The inmates of Arkham have taken over the facility & threaten to kill the staff until Batman agrees to meet with them. Arkham Asylum features the who's who of Batman villains & takes you through the minds of each of these criminally insane.

Among all the Batman graphic novels this is probably the most "psychological" & mind bending. Do not expect a 'good-will-triumph-over-evil' feel good story when you pick this one up. 

The real hero of this book though is undoubtedly artist Dave Mckean. One can feel the scruffy walls of Arkham on their fingertips as clearly as you can see the raw scars on the Joker's face. Each panel can be framed & displayed as brilliant work of abstract art.

Also worth Reading :-

Knightfall:- One of the more famous story arcs in the mainstream Batman continuity, the first half of Knightfall deals with the ferocious Bane wreaking havoc on Gotham & breaking Batman's back as well as his spirit, It is highly expected that TDKR will be heavily influenced by this book.

Hush:- Known primarily for the uber cool artwork by Jim Lee, this nifty little comic book is a joyride. It's everything you'd expect from a big budget blockbuster captured within the panels of a comic book. There's a LOT happening in each issue with a bevy of Batman villains showing up & making him confront his past. Oh yeah, & there's also the smokin' siren Catwoman heating up the proceedings.

Gotham Central:- This is a slightly different comic book as compared to other Batman comics as in it almost relegates the Bat to a secondary character status. GC is a first rate police procedural series but sadly it's also criminally underrated & does not have a huge fan following. I though, very very highly recommend it. It takes a look at Gotham city's crimes & misdemeanors from a side of the law we're not very used to seeing it from. The side of the cops.





Of course these are all my choices. There are plenty more Batman comics that are absolutely magnificent. Do leave a comment & tell me what according to you are the best Batman comics of all time. Till then, happy reading.

My Oscar predictions for 2011

[My apologies for the font irregularities.]

So it’s that time of the year again when the Academy of motion picture arts & sciences will be handing out the bald, golden, naked man with a staff (that probably came out wrong *wink*) to the best of the best in the year gone by. Well, judging by the nominations they seem to have gotten most of the stuff in the right place. But then again like always there are epic UFO sized blunders too.

So, I decided to throw my 5 rupees into the ring & make predictions as to who might win, who might upset & while I’m at it also hand out a few Oscars of my own to the underdogs :) (You are free to suggest what my version of the Oscars should be called in the comments section because I’m just too lazy to think of a cool/lousy name). So here goes…

(Of course I’m wasted & jobless but even then I don’t have the time to predict the winners from ALL the Oscar categories, so I have just listed the major ones)

1. BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Who will win :- Colin Firth for ‘the King’s Speech’. This smart Britisher is the frontrunner having already bagged a BAFTA, & a Golden Globe for his performance as the stuttering King George VI in a film that’s been giving film critics around the world intense orgasms (94% on Rotten Tomatoes!). He was being touted for a Best Actor Oscar even before the film released. Looking forward to Colin’s…um…speech.

Who might upset:- Jesse Eisenberg for ‘The Social Network’. Although the chances of this happening are 1567894 : 1 you never know when the Academy springs up an unpleasant surprise. Eisenberg scores points for playing the fidgety facebook founder to perfection, making geekiness cool & making Zuckerberg who is already a pop culture icon, into an even bigger pop culture icon.

Who I give it to:- James Franco for ‘127 hours’. The movie would have fallen flat on its face if it wasn’t for Franco’s spirited performance. Despite just being a guy trapped by a boulder in a canyon Franco shows a terrific range throughout.

2. BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Who will win:- Natalie Portman for ‘The Black Swan’. The pretty young (& heavily pregnant) actress is almost certain to bag her 2^nd Oscar for portraying the Ballet dancer Nina in Aronofsky’s thriller. I just hope she doesn’t deliver a baby on stage while accepting her award.

Who might upset:- Annette Benning for ‘The Kids are alright’. The Oscars love to award actors who portray homosexuals, and Benning’s performance has been much loved & lauded in this tale of 2 lesbians who are out to seek the biological father of their teenage children.

Who I give it to:- Nicole Kidman for ‘Rabbit Hole’. Throughout most of the film it’s Kidman’s eyes & body language that do the talking & deliver the pain of a young mother who has lost a child. It’s a restrained performance, one of Kidman’s best in her entire career & this underrated actress should actually get her due.

Blunder:- No Julianne Moore for ‘The Kids are alright’. *throws tomato at the frailest looking academy member*

3. BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (MALE)

Who will win:- Christian Bale for ‘The Fighter’. The actor who is looking rather Jesus Christ-y nowadays what with the long hair & the beard etc. will most probably score a win on the night for the gritty portrayal of the once promising & later drug addict boxer Dicky Ecklund.

Who might upset:- Geoffery Rush for ‘The King’s Speech’. Rush, who plays a speech therapist to the King in the film, is an acting veteran, someone who has been at it for years & the academy might just tilt this into Rush’s favour as they often give an upper hand to experienced cadres.

Who I give it to:- Jeremy Renner for ‘The Town’. Renner was a powerhouse in Affleck’s heist movie with his aggression really coming forth. It was Jem's uneasiness & rebellion that kept the tension in the film alive.

Blunder:- Andrew Garfield not nominated for his portrayal of Eduardo Saverin in ‘The Social Network’. Boo!

4. BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (FEMALE)

Who will win:- Mellisa Leo for ‘The Fighter’. 'The Fighter' basically sails through on the basis of its acting performances so it's not surprising that it gets nominations in all 4 acting categories. Mellisa Leo is the favourite to win here for playing the chain smoking, brash mother cum manager of Dicky Ecklund & Micky Ward.

Who might upset:- Helena Bonham Carter for ‘The King’s Speech’. Carter who plays queen to Firth’s King George has surprisingly not scored any major win this season despite the film being a darling at most award ceremonies & her performance being lauded. But, for some reason I get the feeling that her performance might charm the pants of the Oscar jury. Plus she’s really hot in a weird kinda way. Just saying.

Who I give it to:- Hailee Steinfeild for ‘True Grit’. Because it would be a lot fun to see a kid to shove dirt in the faces of such stalwarts & well, a Coen brothers film HAS to win something at the Oscars.

5. BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Who will win:- Aaron Sorkin for ‘The Social Network’. Aaron Sorkin deserves as much credit for the success of TSN as director David Fincher. Adapted from the book ‘The accidental billionaires’ by Ben Mezrich, Sorkin, served up a screenplay that was racy, energetic & terrific. Employing a non-linear pattern & keeping the story tight almost making it unfold like a thriller. Well, no complaints here. The man deserves it if he wins.

Who might upset:- Simon Boufay for ‘127 hours’. By no means an easy story to make into a movie, Danny Boyle’s long time collaborator Boufay once again spun his web post ‘Slumdog’ & wrote an excellent screenplay that takes us on a rollercoaster ride. Although even here the chances of an upset are very very less.

Who I give it to:- I’d also give it to Aaron Sorkin :) simply put, there was no one better than him this year.

6. BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Who will win:- ‘The King’s speech’. Yet to see the film so can’t really elaborate on how good the screenplay is, but considering the amount of praise the film has garnered it’s bound to be one of a kind. One more jewel in the King’s crown (Am I going overboard with the royal puns?)

Who might upset:- ‘Inception’. Christopher Nolan being the genius that he is served us with a legendary screenplay that turned the viewer into a participant. The meticulous mind-bender won a hell of a lot of acclaim apart from being a box office bonanza & Nolan might just clinch this one. Too bad this is the only category he has been nominated for. Fingers crossed.

Who I give it to:- ‘The Kids are alright’. It would be really nice to see a moderate budget-indie flick to walk away with such a major award, because the chances of ‘kids’ winning any award apart from the acting categories are slim.

7. BEST DIRECTOR

Remember that epic UFO sized blunder I talked about up there? Well that was actually a gross understatement, because the blunder done in this category is way beyond. If a UFO was crossed with Noah’s ark & the result was then crossed over with a Tyrannosaurus Rex, then we'd roughly have an idea of the size of the blunder.

I mean no Christopher Nolan? WHAT THE F***K?

The man who directed a film that pushed the boundaries & brought about this avalanche all through the online forums/ social networks gets snubbed? SHAME!

As a Chris Nolan loyalist I boycott this category this year. I don’t care who wins but most probably it’ll be David Fincher. Sorry Academy, but screw you. You’ve committed the biggest Oscar blunder since 1990 when you gave ‘Dances with the wolves’ best Picture instead of ‘Goodfellas’. Had Nolan been nominated it would’ve been a really close fight, but the fact that he wasn’t clearly makes him the winner.

8. BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Who will win:- Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross for ‘The Social Network’. The dynamic duo literally pump life into the movie with their eclectic mix of electronica & industrial rock tunes. A very different & ‘avant garde’ soundtrack but mind blowing none the less.

Who might upset:- Alexandre Desplat for ‘The King’s Speech’. Desplat is an upcoming French composer whose works have been very impressive. Apart from ‘King’ he also displayed his ahem…wizardry for ‘Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows pt. 1’ this year & will be returning for Pt.2. And surprise surprise, the man also scored for ‘Twilight: New Moon’ becoming probably the only person on the planet equally loved by twi-hards & Pottermaniacs. He’s already won the BAFTA & if the Academy opt to give the prize for a taditional orchestral score, then Desplat has it.

Who I give it to:- Need I say it? Of course A.R.Rahman for ‘127 hours’. Well, not just because of the pariotic fervour, but because I genuinely feel that that movie was really a difficult one to score considering most of the action takes place in silence & involves very little dialogue. Though I think Rahman has a sure shot chance to win for the ‘Original Song’ category, its tough to clinch this one. Any which way it’ll be a treat to see Rahman perform at the ceremony.

…and finally

9. BEST PICTURE

Who will win:- ‘The Social Network’. Yes the facebook fable is going to go home victorious that night. At least that’s what I believe. A well made film that got everyone’s attention regardless of whether they were facebookers or not. A coming out party for talented actors we’ve not seen much on screen but will definitely see a lot in the future. And a legendary director at the forefront to pull it all through. The Social Network was the movie to beat this year & so it will be at the Oscars.

Who might upset:- ‘The King’s Speech’. If there is any film that can spoil the fun for Fincher & co. then it is only Tom Hooper’s period drama. It has the momentum going for it, & in the last few months has been winning dollops of awards one after the other. It’s a close call that’s for sure. But I still think Zuckerberg will Poke King George out ;)

Who I give it to:- ‘Inception’. For all the reasons I mentioned above & also because it’s sad that despite making such a good film, the makers will unfortunately go back empty handed save for the technical awards. :(

So that was that, let's see how many I get right. For once I'm excited about a monday morning :)

And here is my personal list of the 10 best films of 2010

Respect Christopher Nolan because Christopher Nolan respects you.

Right at the beginning of Christopher Nolan's 2006 mystery film 'The Prestige' we see an assortment of magician hats lying on the ground followed by Christian Bale's voice over asking us "Are you watching closely?". Then the screen goes blank & the story unfolds. This voice over should probably be played before each & every Chris Nolan film, for in his films if you take your eyes off the screen for 3 seconds, you'll spend the next 3 minutes wondering what the hell is going on? His latest film Inception is no different. The master filmmaker who gave us the mind bending 'Memento' decides to bend our minds a little further this time by presenting us a cinematic Rubik's cube.

Inception brought about a hail storm among movie watchers around the globe rarely seen in today's time (well...previously seen at the end of last year actually when James Cameron made a film about blue aliens), making fanboys, film enthusiasts & social networks go into a tizzy, making words like 'totem' & 'limbo' a part of everyday terminology. A facebook page called 'team topples' was set up hours after the film hit theatres for people who beleive Cobb's totem eventually toppled (owing to the now famous ambiguous last sequence of the film), & I am positive another one negating it must surely be there too. Discussions ranged from "Why did Ariadne (Ellen Page's perspicacious character) share her name with a greek goddess", to "Was it raining in the 1st Fischer dream sequence because (Dileep Rao's character) Yusuf's bladder was full?", to an analysis of scenes in which DiCaprio's character is wearing a wedding band. And yet I am still to find a guy who has unraveled 100% of the film. But everybody was enchanted right down to the bone.






And all this was possible thanks to the ambitious no-holds-barred approach of director Christopher Nolan. Imagine pitching the idea to someone in theory. It sounds bizarre :-

Nolan :- A film where a man extracts memories otherwise inaccessible by invading the person's dream but that's not what our film's about, in our film he does the opposite, "Inception" instead of "Extraction"

Warner Bros. studio executive :- IN-whatnow? anyways how does he do it?

Nolan:- he puts together a team of intelligent individuals who speak excellent scientific boohaki, go into the subjects dream, within a dream, within a dream,within a dream, within...er...no...then into a limbo, then back again racing against time. Oh & this central character's got marital problems, his gorgeous-as-hell dead wife keeps showing up & ruining stuff for him & his team, & then we show equally confusing flashbacks to determine why exactly the wife died...or did she?? & then we give an ending that's actually not an ending. You followin' me?? Hey chief??

(Fortunately Nolan took this Warner Bros. exec's shell shocked blank eyed expression as a 'Yes' & went ahead with the project)





Jokes apart though, the single most crucial quality that sets Nolan apart from his contemporaries is that he trusts the audience, the movie goer, us. His most characteristic quality is the use of a non-linear story telling method where scenes are shown out of chronological order. He scatters the jigsaw puzzle pieces in front of us & then challenges us to put them together. But it gets better- in some cases, the picture that finally comes up after putting all the pieces together maybe different for each movie goer. Such is the brilliance of the man who might be one of the most important film directors of the past decade.

The first Nolan film i saw was 'Batman begins', previous Batman film adaptations included 2 Tim Burton blockbusters that were more style over substance, & 2 Joel Schumacher films that seemed more like Batman spoofs than actual Batman films. One wondered what different approach would this British filmmaker bring to the much loved caped crusader of Gotham city? But Nolan defied all odds by giving us style and substance in a tremendous amalgamation & delivering a Batman movie that was many notches above its predecessors.

In a 2 hour film called BATMAN begins, the first real glimpse we see of Batman in a complete batsuit is around the 1hr 1 min mark. Nolan trusts the audience to sit through the 1st hour of the movie, making us familiar first with Bruce Wayne, his motivations, constraints & compulsions before unleashing an all out bat-fest.



Another fine example of Nolan's skill, finesse & entrusting the audience is of course the cult 2000 hit 'Memento'. Here he dealt with a central character Leonard who suffers from anterograde amnesia or short term memory loss, & using his intense system of notes, Polaroid photos, & tattoos is out to track down his wife's killer, or so he thinks. Nolan adapted a prodigious screenplay which went in the reverse order therein making the viewer as unaware, clueless & confused as Leonard, pertaining to what events took place prior to what they were witnessing.



The 2002 film 'Insomnia' which followed Memento took a slightly different turn. Starring Al Pacino & Robin Williams it dealt with LAPD detective Will Dormer who is sent up to Alaska (where it is daytime 24 hours) to solve the rape & murder of a teenage girl. Now, instead of making the film a typical whodunnit (which it seems for most of the 1st half) Nolan brings a twist wherein we identify the culprit halfway through. The film then becomes an intense tale of guilt, dark secrets, penitence & to some extent even redemption. The photography makes the weather into a character too, setting the somber mood of the film.


2006's 'The Prestige' starring Hugh Jackman & Christian Bale in lead roles, set in the London of the late 1800's is a tale of two rival magician's who are in a constant battle of one-upmanship owing to a freak accident that took the life of one of the magician's wife. Both are obsessed with finding the 'ultimate magic trick', and yes they do discover this ultimate magic trick. What it is, how it works & most importantly how it changes the outcome of the story is what the rest of the film is about. All through the film the audience is kept guessing which of the two rivals will have the last laugh, until the final twist is revealed. (Personally though i thought that the build up to the suspense was better than the final 'reveal', but that's just my opinion)




And what do I say about 'The Dark Knight' that hasn't already been said? Simply put it's the best super hero film ever, in fact one of the best films ever. Period. That's what made Nolan a household name. That's what gave kids nightmares about the Joker. How did Nolan trust the audience here? He made us line up to watch a sequel, ensuring that a 2nd movie will mean twice the fun. He brought us the dark, gothic feel of the comic books, the intensity of the animated series & the stunt set pieces of an all out actioner.



But I was most enchanted by Nolan's very first film, the 1998 neo-noir low-budget british film 'Following' about how a young man's obsession with following people leads him into a dark underworld. Despite being a short, with a running time of just 64 minutes, it's as mind boggling, mystifying, puzzling & baffling as 'Inception' or 'Memento'. Shot in stark black & white, it'll keep you at the edge of the seat until the final scene which will make you go 'F**K'!. These were the humble beginnings of what was to come. Interestingly, the film features a secondary character named "Cobb", which also happens to be the name of the main protagonist's character in 'Inception'. The Cobb of Following is a burglar, but he ain't no ordinary burglar, he breaks into people's houses & instead of stealing valuables goes for boxes with personal items of the individuals. So in theory both the Cobb's of Inception & Following are stealing memories. (: Another interesting fact in Following is- in one scene the house that Jeremy & Cobb decide to burgle has a Bat symbol on it's door.




In today's times where most of the big budget hollywood films are either remakes/rehashes (Karate Kid, The A-team) or blatant displays of CGI & special effects (Transformers, Harry Potter, Clash of the titans, Twilight & yes even Avatar) Nolan in a rare sight brings out unbelievable computer wizardry only when required. Hence, we are in awe in sequences like the one where Ariadne makes a Paris city street literally roll back on itself in Inception.

In Roger Ebert's review of Inception, he concludes it perfectly when he says- "I think when Nolan left the labyrinth, he threw away the map". Within 8 months of it's release every major hollywood studio has aped Avatar trying to advertise their films by bringing forth it's "Avatar-like" qualities- 3D, epic fantasy setting- even if they had none (Clash of the titans, Last Airbender), whereas i doubt if anyone can ape the phenomenal success of Inception that easily because the subject matter is intense, casting & performances pitch perfect, & direction & screenplay near flawless. It's not everybody's cup of tea to turn the viewer of a film into a participant, & keep you on your toes. The day I figure out exactly why Saito is an old man, & Dom Cobb a young man in the opening scenes of Inception, I will pump my fist in the air & shout 'Eureka!'. Now how many other films give you that opportunity?


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I came across this interesting piece where 6, yes that's right 6 interpretations of the film have been presented.

Actor Dileep Rao from the film answers some FAQ's about Inception.

Another nice article about Inception & Christopher Nolan.