The Black Bat by Fabio Alves

The image below, of the Dynamite Entertainment version of the Black Bat was included along with several others in a Facebook post by artist Fabio Alves. Alves was displaying his considerable skills in a group designed to help comic book creators connect.

I am always surprised when I see artists take a stab at the Dynamite Bat. His series from a few years back was not particularly popular, to my knowledge, and he has made very few appearances since. Yet that version of the character is still the model for some people.

Fortunately, Alves also graced us with a take much closer to the original version.

That's some good stuff, Fabio!

Let's Look In On Miss Fury

This blog initially split its attention between the Black Bat and Miss Fury around the time that Dynamite Entertainment was preparing to release series about each character. When news and material involving Miss Fury dried up, the blog was made Black Bat-specific.

Perhaps it was inevitable that the situation would one day reverse itself. While there are a few projects involving the Black Bat on the horizon, we're pretty much in a holding pattern for the time being. Miss Fury is recapturing some of her spotlight, however.

Dynamite Entertainment announced in July that they will be publishing a third volume featuring the character. The first issue should be available on October 3rd.

The debut issue marking the return of one of the most influential characters in Comics History comes this October with "Miss Fury - Joy Division."  

Multi-Eisner nominee Billy Tucci (Shi, Sgt. Rock) and rising star Emma Kubert recapture the legend of the original "Cat Woman" Marla Drake and her army of "Black Furies" that take readers from the warring skies above NYC and into the heart of Hitler's Third Reich in spirit of an all-female "Inglourious Basterds."

The above cover is by Ken Lashley is one of several variants, in standard Dynamite fashion.

I may be more interested in a smaller publisher's offering, mind you. Miss Fury will appear in a book called Sleuth Comics by Atomic Pulp. The series will focus (at least initially) on another public domain character named The Black Owl.

Ooh, so close...Miss Fury will show up at least in the second issue. She shared the "regular" cover with the lead character but a variant was revealed on which she is the main focus.

Ain't that pretty?

I actually hadn't realized that Atomic Pulp had already published a couple of books. I thought they were strictly webcomics at this point with plans to kickstart their way into publishing in the future.

As a (small, granted) gesture of support today, I purchased digital copies of two of their titles; Perils On Planet X and Femme Noir.

Looks like something I can get into...As for Sleuth Comics, I believe the plan is for that title to appear some time next year so hopefully Dynamite satisfies our Miss Fury appetite in the meantime. Here's a  glimpse at what else Atomic pulp has in store for us for 2019.

Get your Atomic Pulp news here while we wait. 

The Black Bat by Rod Reis

Let's start the year off with a little art. The eye-popper below is the work Rod Reis.

I've struggled to locate any information about it. I assume it was commission work done right around the time of the Dynamite 12-issue series since that's obviously that publisher's version of the character.

I'd initially hoped it might be a teaser for a new book but sadly, that seems unlikely to happen.

Some Black Bat Art by Eder Messias and John Castelhano

I'm struggling to find details about the page below. It is referred to as a "page test" by Brazil's Eder Messias on his deviantart page so perhaps the point was to use it as submission material.

That is the Dynamite Comics version of The Black Bat, published in 2014, if I recall correctly. I've only seen two other pages by Messias, including the one below, inked by John Castelhano.

I could have sworn that was a re-creation of a cover from that 12-issue series but damned if I can find it now, so perhaps it isn't. Even if it is, it's a good one.

See more of John Castelhano ink work in this particular photo folder on his Facebook page. It includes several other classic characters such as Red Sonja, Vampirella and Miss Fury.

Hey, Look Who's Back!

For the first time in quite a while, Dynamite Entertainment solicitations actually look like the Dynamite Entertainment that I enjoyed so much a few years ago. No knock on whomever happens to enjoy books about Grumpy Cat and Bob's Burgers but it ain't my deal and it certainly is not what I'd grown to expect from Dynamite.

Today felt more like "old times" though when I stumbled into the following among Dynamite's upcoming books for April:

MISS FURY VOL. 2 #1 (OF 6)
(W) Corinna Bechko (A) Jonathan Lau
(CA) Tula Lotay, Jonathan Lau 

The Golden Age heroine returns! New York during the Second World War is a place of mystery and intrigue, but with all our boys fighting in Europe, who will stand up to the forces of darkness at home? 

Miss Fury is ready to step into the breach, but even she doesn’t understand the shadow she carries within herself. Is it a force of good or of evil? And can she learn to control it in time to stop the deadly attack that threatens to destroy the Big Apple?

I didn't expect to see this blog's former co-star any time soon, unless it was in a team-up book similar to Noir or Masks. It raises hope that Dynamite may, one day, give The Black Bat another try. 

Alternate Cover for Masks 2 #6

I didn't see this cover art when artist Colton Worley posted it on his Twitter account in October and it isn't displayed among the variant covers on dynamite.com, either.

Even though the Black Bat didn't play a huge part in the Masks 2 mini series, I hope this image finds its way into the Masks 2 trade paperback because it's quite striking.

Masks 2, Issue 8 solicitation

I can't say that this series has blown my mind, but the final line of this solicitation is intriguing.

MASKS 2 #8 (OF 8)  

Writer: Cullen Bunn
Art: Eman Casallos 

FINAL ISSUE! 

The masked heroes have been cast through time and twisted into strange versions of themselves. Now, they make one last attempt to set things right... without damaging the time stream any more than they already have. The final confrontation with the Red Death will lead to the emergence of a new masked hero! 

Full color, 32 pages, $3.99

Masks 2, Issue 7 Solicitation

Coming in October:

Writer: Cullen Bunn
Art: Eman Casallos 

In this issue, the machinations of the Red Death have scattered the masked heroes of three eras into the time stream. Now, wildly altered versions of the heroes have reunited for one last campaign to defeat the Red Death and save all of reality.

More "alternate versions" of these characters, including a cyborg Shadow, apparently, judging from the above cover.

Have you heard of "event fatigue"? It's the term used to refer to being punch-drunk from all the line-wide storylines that the comic companies have going, such as DC's recent Convergence books and Marvel's Secret War nonsense.

I believe I have some sort of "alternate version fatigue". While I try to be open-minded to that approach from publishers, there's just a point where you want to read about the character that drew your attention and captured your imagination in the first place. Dynamite seemed poised to provide exactly that in the first volume of Masks, but have since gotten further and further from it (whereas Moonstone is doing the exact opposite, to their credit)

Of course, it may be that writer Cullen Bunn will come up with something clever for his version of The Black Bat. But his treatment of the character so far does not inspire confidence, sorry to say.

Masks 2, Issue 6 solicitation

Writer: Cullen Bunn
Art: Eman Casallos 

Cast though the time stream, the masked heroes of three different eras find themselves face to face with the sinister forces that spawned the Red Death… the menace who has laid waste to the world! 

But wild adventures through time have brought about amazing… and sometimes horrific… changes in the Shadow, Green Hornet, Black Sparrow, and the others. In order to set things right, the league of heroes–(as) you’ve NEVER seen them before–must band together in hopes of saving all of reality.

Quick Look at the Legenderry Black Bat

Bah. Dynamite so often displays potential only to bungle it.

I will forever defend the modern day Black Bat series that Dynamite released last year. I have no problem with publishers attempting to modernize certain properties. There were certain aspects I didn't care for, mostly surrounded the handling of The Black Bat's usual supporting cast, but the story itself was good and well-delivered, in my opinion.

The mention of a Black Bat in the steampunk-styled Legenderry:Vampirella book was intriguing. Dynamite seemed to have done a nice job with Red Sonja, Green Hornet, The Phantom and a few others, so what would they do with The Black Bat?

This (as displayed on bleedingcool):

Meh. Instead of getting a character often incorrectly accused of being a Batman ripoff, Dynamite delivers what appears to be a Man-Bat ripoff.

I'll get the book (digitally) at some point, but where some characters seem to have potential right from their first appearance on the page, this one is the exact opposite. I don't want to judge the character on one image alone, but it doesn't really excite the imagination. I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised.

Black Bat gets in on the action in Masks 2

The third issue of Masks 2 was released today, and The Black Bat makes his grand appearance in the series.

I don't think this falls under the spoiler category. We knew we were getting the modern day version of The Black Bat. We knew that Masks 2 would span three eras. We knew the first two issues of the series focused on the 40's and the 70's. Therefore it stood to reason that Bat would show up in this issue.

Long story short: Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt is fighting a huge bastard on a ship. After Cannon's best shot doesn't seem to be particularly effective, The Black Bat enters the fray:

As has been the case for a while with Dynamite books, this appearance seems to disregard the character's previous material in his own book. They handle(d) The Green Hornet this way. GH's presence in some other Dynamite books (such as Dark Nights with The Shadow, or these Masks books) all seem independent of one another.

Same with The Black Bat in Masks 2. The basics are there: The costume, the guns...But while the ending of the final issue in his series would have prevented him from participating in this story, his presence is not at all explained. And he leaves the scene above in some sort of "Bat Boat". *ahem*.

Ah well. It's early. Let's see where this goes.

Masks 2, Issue 5 solicitation

Writer: Cullen Bunn
Art: Eman Casallos 

The Red Death has sprung a dangerous trap, scattering our masked heroes through time. From the prehistoric era to the post-apocalyptic future, the Shadow, Green Hornet, Peter Cannon, Miss Fury, and others face dinosaurs, murderous masqueraders, and mutants! Along the way, they uncover the terrible truth about the Red Death.

Masks 2, Issue 4 solicitation

Writer: Cullen Bunn
Art: Eman Casallos 

Heroes from across time meet, the bizarre origins of the Red Death are revealed, and an insidious trap springs shut. A dangerous adventure unlike anything you might expect awaits as the masked vigilantes of three different eras! The epic team-up of The Shadow, Black Terror, Miss Fury, Peter Cannon, Green Hornet, The Spider, and more continues, courtesy of Deadpool writer Cullen Bunn.

April 10th Bullet Points

Just a few small points that don't quite inspire a full post.

1. Now we know which Black Bat will participate in Dynamite Entertainment's Masks 2.

There he is in a group shot in the first issue (by The Shadow's right elbow). The image is a vision of sorts; the character doesn't actually appear in-story.

Frankly, when the series was announced I thought the 1940's version from the first volume of Masks was more likely to appear, or a new version based in the present. Judging from the distinctive "bat teeth" chest emblem, it seems to be the same one that had a 12-issue series recently.

Without giving anything away (even though the Black Bat's book has been out for months now), that's actually a little disappointing because the series had a fairly unique, definitive conclusion. I'm concerned that his inclusion will clash with it and trivialize it. We'll see.

2. For all that the various Black Bat projects planned by Moonstone Books, such as Guns of The Black Bat, Danger Coast to Coast and Faces of Fear, were said to be coming out "later this year", the publisher revealed its August solicitations earlier this week and there is still no Black Bat to be seen. So it'll be at least September until any of these are made available. Kind of a drag, but in the meantime...

3. Day of the Destroyers is out!

You may have noticed that Gary Phillips drew our attention to the book's release in a comment to an earlier post (see April 4th). This is appreciated because these things aren't always extremely clear (yet they seem so simple from the outside looking in...).

I knew the book was being released "soon" but that's often a relative term. Amazon (both the ".ca" version for we Canadians and the .com one) displayed different release dates later in the month, no less, complicating matters somewhat. But the Moonstone website's store now includes it in both softcover and limited edition hardcover versions, available for order immediately. If you've been waiting for this book, have at 'er.

I don't know how much of a presence The Black Bat has in Day Of The Destroyers, but its presence enough that he's named in the solicitation as a "guest-star" (along with The Phantom Detective and The Green Lama). The book contains 12 stories told over 276 pages.

Which Bat When?

It was revealed some time ago that Dynamite's second volume of Masks would feature, at least in some cases, different versions of some of its chosen characters over three different eras.

This, of course, raised the questions of which Black Bat we might get. Dynamite had two versions of the character, one from the late 30's who appeared in the first volume of Masks, and one who was based in the present day and modernized. Would either make an appearance, or would we get new versions altogether?

An interview with writer Cullen Bunn from late February, posted on comicvine.com, provides another hint, but may also raise another question or two.

Which masked heroes will be cast as the defenders of each of the three eras? 

“From the 30s, we have the Shadow, Green Hornet, Kato, Miss Fury, Black Sparrow, and Black Terror,” Bunn said. “From the 70s, we see a new Miss Fury and Black Sparrow. From the modern era, we have Peter Cannon and Black Bat. 

And then we have the Spider, Lady Satan, and Green Lama. They’re playing around on the fringes of this story. And as you might guess, that means something really strange is going to happen. Did someone say there are going to be more than three timelines visited?" 

... 

Will we some the same character in different eras—a Golden Age Green Hornet and a modern Green Hornet, for instance? And if so, will the older guys share their crime files with the newer incarnations? 

“We are certainly going to see the Green Hornets of different eras,” Bunn said, “although I’m a little more interested in the Katos of different decades. Playing these characters against each other was one of the things that is most exciting to me about this series.”

So are The Green Hornet and Kato the only two getting this treatment? I suppose if we assume that Fury and Sparrow will also meet their counterparts, the whole thing could get old if it happens to too many characters. As a less-established part of Dynamite's stable, The Black Bat might be out of that equation.

At the end of the day, it appears likely that we may only get one Bat, and it will be a current one. It's just not clear whether it will be the same Black Bat from the earlier Dynamite series.

Can't wait for this book, but...we'll need to for just one more week. The first issue hits shelves on April 1st.

Legenderry: Vampirella #4 solicitation

Here's an eye-catcher from the Steampunk version of Vampirella currently being published by Dynamite:

Legenderry #4 (of 5) 

Writer: David Avallone 

Art: David Cabrera

Page Count: 32 pages 

ON SALE DATE: May 20 

Moreau makes a monster, Kurtz stirs the masses, and Toomey gets lucky in the most unlucky way possible. Vampirella kisses a boy, storms the Council and fights a Bat-Man. 

Sex, violence, and everyone is wearing goggles for some reason.

That's written kind of strangely...Here's the cover:

When Dynamite published the first volume of Legenderry recently, warping a number of their current characters into Steampunk versions, I was curious as to The Black Bat would get the same treatment. I envisioned someone with artifical steampunk "technology" eyes. Does that make any sense? Probably not, but I'm not the writer so it's not my problem. ;-)

But it was not to be. There were steampunk versions of The Green Hornet, Flash Gordon, Red Sonja...But no Bat.

Until now. Well...Until May 2015, rather. Here's an excerpt from a Bleeding Cool interview with Legenderry: Vampirella writer David Avallone:

BB: Tell us more about this “Bat-Man” that Vampi meets this issue, if you dare! 

DA: The idea came organically (no pun intended): I’ve got Doctor Moreau as one of my villains. In the Wells book and our series, he creates human-animal hybrids. Well, how would a human/vampire (human/Draculon) hybrid turn out? It seemed like an opportunity to engage in a little cheap satire of certain famous caped crusaders. Additionally… as established by Bill Willingham, the Legenderry universe tries to bring all the Dynamite characters together in one continuum, so this is my twisted steampulp version of the Black Bat.

Hmmm...Not quite what I had in mind. I was thinking more of a Victorian era style of Black Bat, not a half-vampire creature like DC Comics' Man-Bat or Marvel's Morbius. We'll keep an ear to the ground but right at the moment there is little cause for optimism. Let's see what comes out of it.

Masks 2, Issue 3 solicitation

Issue one drops on April 1st! No foolin'!

MASKS 2 #3 (OF 8)
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Art: Eman Casallos
Peter Cannon AKA Thunderbolt smashes his way into the struggle against the Red Death! The mysterious villain has plagued the heroes of three different timelines. Her scheming is even more dangerous than anyone could possibly guess, but now the adventures of the masked heroes of the last 80 years are coming together in a way no one could possibly imagine!

Oh dear. Is that The Black Bat on the right? Certainly looks like his kind of scene.

While looking for information about this issue, I happened across a cover to the previous one that I had not seen earlier. I include it below because it features another pulp era favourite of mine, Miss Fury.

Can't wait for this series to start, even if BB's contribution seems limited.

Dynamite's Black Bat Omnibus drops on Wednesday!

One of the reasons I'm grateful for the arrival of this book is that tracking it has been a chore.

Writer: Brian Buccellato
Art: Ronan Cliquet
Format: Softcover
Page Count: 336 pages 

The classic pulp vigilante, reimagined for a new generation!

Tony Quinn is a brash defense attorney to the mob who compromises his ethics for financial gain. When he refuses to cross the line and commit murder, he is tortured and blinded by his gangster employers. When a fortuitous meeting with a covert agency gives him a chance to make amends, Quinn transforms into the Black Bat and embarks on a redemptive quest to right the wrongs of his past. 

The complete 12-chapter epic, written by Brian Buccellato (of DC Comics' Flash) and collected into one massive omnibus!

Dynamite at one point advertised a "volume 1" of The Black Bat. Perhaps prompted by the book's cancellation at its 12th issue, an omnibus collecting all 12 issues was later solicited. I thought at first the plan was to have it out by the end of last year. Next thing I knew Amazon had a release date of July 2015, yet here it is, sporting a release date of February 18th, 2015.

Dynamite's website, by the way, includes the book under its "Black Bat Hardcovers" category while the solicitation clearly labels it as a softcover. Based on price, I assume the solicitation is accurate.

Now as to the book itself, it'll drive purists absolutely nuts (much like Dynamite did to fans of The Phantom and The Green Hornet). But understanding it was a "reimagined", modernized version, I went in with an open mind. And loved the book.

To the extent that I read it, anyway. When the book was cancelled, I stopped getting individual (digital) issues in anticipation of buying trade paperbacks for the cover galleries. Essentially, I'm paying for issues nine through twelve or so, the gallery and better packaging.

And hopefully a better cover. What I hated about the Moonstone version of the The Black Bat from a couple of years ago is that he came off like nothing more than psychotic thug. Making a character schizophrenic does not modernize him, in my opinion. The Black Bat was a cerebral character, not just a gunslinger and making him mentally unstable strips away a portion of his appeal for me.

The cover above is one of very few from Dynamite (and there must have been in the range of 40 covers created for the 12 issues, not counting black and white versions and so on) that gives off that Moonstone vibe. That said, Dynamite's page does not display a cover at the moment, so perhaps we'll be lucky and the omnibus will feature a different one, or a new one altogether.

I should probably mention that the "Dynamite covers" page under the banner is about 95% complete. They should all be on the display aside from an occasional virgin art version or black and white variety or some such. I may need to work on the spacing but the eye candy itself should be all there. Enjoy!

Masks 2, issue 2 solicitation

The Pulp Coming Attractions page posted the solicitation for Masks 2, due to come out in May, though damned if I know where they got it from.

MASKS 2 #2 (OF 8)
Covers: Butch Guice and Jae Lee
Writer: Cullen Bunn Art: Eman Casallos
The influence of the fiendish Red Death spans history. In the 30s, she stood against the Shadow, the Green Hornet, and Black Terror. In the 70s, the Red Death resurfaced to challenge two surprising heroes–the new Black Sparrow and Miss Fury!

Looks like the Black Bat is the seven of hearts! Unless that's a character I'm not thinking of.

It still doesn't appear as though our hero will be very prominent in this series but the solicitation does make me curious about one thing: If they're introducing a "new" Black Sparrow in the 70's (I assume they mean that part of the solicitation literally) then it's certainly possible that they could do the same for The Black Bat. It doesn't seem like they have any intention of revisiting their modern day version of the character any time soon, but they could choose to create a new one, as well as one based in the 70's.

A significant role in the book is probably too much to expect, but at this point I would settle for a pleasant surprise that sets the stage for future projects.

Here's the other cover that has been revealed. No Bat, but still pretty cool.

Solicitation: Masks 2, #1 (of 8)

While there doesn't appear to be much Black Bat content in this book, I'll still record the official solicitation here.

Cover A Main: Butch Guice
Cover B Variant: Jae Lee
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Art: Eman Casallos

The Shadow. The Green Hornet and Kato. Black Terror. These are just a few masked vigilantes drawn into a mystery that spans the decades – a plot that threatens our society again and again. With the devastating power to kill thousands of people in a matter of seconds, the Red Death is a villain who may be impossible to stop. It will take more than a dozen masked heroes from three different time periods to stop this madwoman from bringing the world to its knees!

We don't learn much that wasn't already revealed in the press release announcing Casallos as the book's artist, but we do now know that the mini series is eight books long. That's something I guess. With any luck, Dynamite will give us a regular dose of Black Bat throughout the bulk of 2015 starting in April.