See Your Subscription Box Next Tuesday, Batfans

I realize everyone's supposed to think it's awful, but honestly, that "goddamn Batman" panel is the only thing I've ever seen that has made me even vaguely want to think about considering picking up a Batman comic. It's vibrant and funny in a way that few comics are, and reminds me of nothing so much as Warren Ellis' Nextwave.

I should totally do a Nextwave appreciation post.

Miller gets so much attention for the words that he uses that people don't notice how awful the writing is. Forest for the trees etc. As someone in the comic shop pointed out the other day he's at the lowest point in his writing career and getting the most notice.

I thought it was funny, but if this story hits the wire services (AP, UPI, or Knight-Ridder) I'm willing to bet there are going to be a lot of angry businessmen who merchandise Batman screaming for Frank Miller and Dan Didio's heads on a silver platter. "I'm the g*ddamn Batman" and the c-bomb don't play very well in Fargo, North Dakota.

I mentioned this on another blog, but doesn't DC have agreements in place with the people who have licenses to merchandise Batman not to do this sort of thing?

I remember Jim Shooter related an anecdote in an interview about how he spiked a storyline written by Roger Stern - Spiderman fathered an illegitimate baby - precisely because Marvel had agreements in place with license holders not to do that sort of thing.

Has DC's management collectively lost their minds? Are they all smoking crack at their editorial meetings? First the Wonder Twins, now this. It's nuts.

I understand, though I don't agree with, being edgy with a second tier character like Ralph Dibny. But Batman is the goose that lays the golden age, and the property that allows them to wreck all the wonderful second tier and third tier superheroes that they own.

"Hip-hop generation" or just Miller being Miller?

Miller's doing his best to become remembered as the guy who stopped getting kids to buy comics.

Seriously, doesn't anyone EVER tell him "no, you can't do that."?

Ah hah! THAT'S where the "goddam batman" meme comes from. I had NO idea it was from an actual strip. That is frigging hilarious.

This whole thing reeks of "amateur hour". The safe way to implement something like this is to come up with a black-bar font, maybe with some letter-fragments hanging out, and put all of the Unspeakable Curses into it. That way, there's no chance of the different layers being printed at different intensities or of the black box slipping (which happened in a "censored-to-avoid-total-nudity" comic in the 1980s).

The even safer way to avoid this is to not have Fr*nk M*ll*r write a supposedly PG-rated comic.

@SNantus #6

Seriously, doesn't anyone EVER tell him "no, you can't do that."?

Sure, but Miller being Miller, that's the fastest way to get him to try to do the very same thing you don't want him to.

In all fairness, I haven't read B&RtBW. But even though my own use of (and tolerance for) expletives could put sailors to shame, the two pages in question strike me as badly written and utterly gratuitous (not to mention inauthentic, in that he's trying to sound young and hip, and failing miserably). If I have to read twice just to figure out the sentence structure in a word balloon, something is seriously wrong.

I'm surprised FM's been getting away with this stuff. Aaaa, who am I kidding--he's been phoning it in since at least The Dark Knight Strikes Again.

I don't see why this word is making a so huge "noise" in the comics world.
Maybe because it's in the USA.
You can buy a gun, travel with it and shoot to someone who is vaguely in a way to hurt you. It's so normal for you.
But when it's a single word in a balloon in a comic panel, HMG !!!! That's a crime against the politically correct world !!!!
You are a very Great Nation, worldwide known for its liberties and with a strong history but some of you are a crazy people...

That are the thoughts of an European citizen (who's reading US and European comics as well).

=P

sorry, kid - I'm a Canadian and it still bothers me.

what's wrong with the usual #%&*%$# that we used to see back in the day?

and anyone who uses the "c" word in reference to women gets a thumbs-down from me.

no. class.

@ 10. MillerAddict

Please let's not bring political issues into this and stay on topic. If you must make blanket statements about Americans, let's keep to the issue of comics--like that crazy Captain America!

Re: the expletives at hand, it seems more like a few words and phrases were used with poor judgment and bad taste. Extrapolating much more than that can be delightfully fun to dream up but probably isn't going to illuminate much else.

And who are we kidding anyway? It's not like this kind of press doesn't help line FM's already canyon-deep, Batman-themed pockets.

Some may get thrills and giggles out of all of this - but it's just not Batman. 'Nuff said.

Though I have essentially no time for or interest in Frank Miller, I will admit to completely cracking up over the set-up and delivery for "I'm the goshdarn Batman !" in the most recent Superman/Batman.