Comments on: Thrillkiller: Batgirl and Robin – FIRE & WATER #139

By: Frank

Frank — Sat, 12 Sep 2015 05:44:44 +0000

I like Stella, and I like Shag, but Stella + Shag is a little bit like mixing candy corn with cake icing. I do love that absolutely perfect musical choice though (as does Shag, clearly, since he ran the whole blamed song.) Also, this episode was filled to the rim with unintentional but still amusing Dick Grayson jokes, my favorite being the one about seeing Dick at the circus. Hard to miss, right? I never checked out Taking Flight because that’s all I’d be listening for in every episode. Also, because Shag liked it sooooo much better than my shows, so pshhhh.

I was introduced to Dan Brereton through The Psycho mini-series with James D. Hudnall, which looked like it was going to be another Marshal Law, but so wasn’t. Did like the art though, and recall flipping through the Thrillkillers. You should have told us what happened in ’62, because withholding makes something you both hate alluring through being forbidden. Luckily, I don’t care enough to research the matter, because Elseworlds, and by the usual extension, Batman. I guess if folks remembered any Elseworlds after 1996, they wouldn’t have canceled/rebranded them. That one year every DC annual was an Elseworld probably did help, because woooo-doggy, they mostly sucked. The one Alan Grant did where Batman was a fascist and his rogues were rebel liberators was good though, cuz truth.

By: Mark Baker-Wright

Mark Baker-Wright — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 22:59:28 +0000

What? No post in honor of Gerry Conway’s birthday? For shame!

By: Earth 2 Chris

Earth 2 Chris — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 14:41:31 +0000

^Good call on Crawford. There may be a bit of Eva Gardner in her as well.

Chris

By: Jimmy

Jimmy — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 13:10:19 +0000

Excellent show – I remember seeing the ads for the Thrillkiller series in DC Comics at the time but was put off by the art and the price and so did not get them. Having seen Brereton’s art in other series, especialy the once-off, JLA: Seven Caskets, I would be more inclined to get it now, and especially so after hearing you and Stella talk about it. Will definitely look out for it in TPB.

By: Xum Yukinori

Xum Yukinori — Wed, 09 Sep 2015 21:45:47 +0000

Very candid review lady and gentleman. Enjoyed it immensely.

I myself had always thought Bianca Steeplechase bared a resemblance to Joan Crawford, but that may be just me…

By: Earth 2 Chris

Earth 2 Chris — Tue, 08 Sep 2015 14:48:35 +0000

Poor Stella. I appreciate you stopping by the show, but, having spent time in Shagg’s presence…I pray for your soul.

Thrillkiller seemed like a big deal when it came out. I bought all the issues off the stands (yes, even the ’62 sequel), and I really enjoyed it at the time. I like Brereton’s stuff, although I think sometimes his faces are very similar, even across gender lines, which makes things a bit awkward, because he really knows how to paint the female form. My only other knock is his Batman costume; the thigh-high boots? Really? It’s like if Earth-Two Batman raided his daughter’s closet.

Like Shagg, it was kind of weird to find “The Joker” hot. But there she was. One panel that always jumps out at me is Babs holding Dick after his circus fall. That is the perfect panel that typifies their whole relationship. The much more forceful Babs, and the much weaker Dick we see here.

Great show! And yes, do Elseworld’s Finest! Although I don’t think I’ve read that one…

Chris

By: Wolfgang Hartz

Wolfgang Hartz — Tue, 08 Sep 2015 00:26:32 +0000

how come batgirl has green skin on the covers?

By: Anj

Anj — Tue, 08 Sep 2015 00:08:23 +0000

Oops… meant ‘Legends of the Worlds’ Finest’ .. a dark take on Superman and Batman

By: Anj

Anj — Tue, 08 Sep 2015 00:07:55 +0000

I am a big Chaykin fan and I also love Brereton’s work (read The Psycho and Legends of the Dark Knight). So I was really happy to see you guys cover this story.

You certainly do a great job reviewing it. I have to agree that this is a pretty tight story with a limited cast. But with the landscape of the 60s, it feels bigger. It certainly reads like a Chaykin book with the liberal bend, the sexy females, and the downbeat ending. The fact that the criminal gets away and half the heroes are dead is odd.

As for sales, this is an Elseworlds that got a sequel! You can probably count those on one hand. I also thought the 1962 sequel was a bit of a letdown in comparison to this.

And I would love to hear the Elseworld’s Finest review. Matt Haley’s art is nuclear.