Batman #43 - Who is Mr. Bloom?

Batman returns in issue #43 and he still doesn't know who he is.

It should be said, the Bruce Wayne Batman doesn't know who he is.  The Jim Gordon one certainly does.

He's the one reaching out to Wayne to outfit his desperate needs with Wayne Tech and help  divine the mystery behind Mr. Bloom and the seeds he sows that give users "terrible abilities."  

Alas,  Bruce Wayne is too busy making goo-goo eyes at the young lovely whom he helps at the local outreach center.

Also making eyes is none other than the Man of of Steel himself visiting from Metropolis and in the company of Alfred the butler.

Before we get to the identity of Mr. Bloom, it's probably worthy to see what is going on with the Dark Knight himself and why he is so clueless to his true nature.

When Batman died in unison with the Joker he came in contact with "Dionesium." This not only allowed Batman to experience his rebirth but rewired his brain to such an extant that he is no longer the man crushed by guilt and forged into the dark avenger eternally in pursuit of justice.

Alfred never got around to telling the reborn Bruce Wayne of his alter ego.  He did fill him in of his tragic past but stopped just short of the evolution into one of the great superheroes of all time.

It seems Alfred sees this as a gift.  A gift that would allow Bruce Wayne to grow into his true self.  Compassionate, loving and charitable. 

Good grief Alfred, what are you thinking?

Acting as the voice of sanity, Superman tells Alfred this cannot stand.  

Acting as the voice of insanity, Alfred threatens Clark with kryptonite.

* Editorial Aside *

Maybe Alfred's niece, Julia should completely take over the duties of the Bat Cave.  Alfred is so consumed with Wayne being the innocent he could have been, he actually threatened the world's greatest hero with his one weakness.

You need to lie down Alfred.

Well, all is not lost.  Batman was working on an invention insuring there will always be a Batman so there is our narrative "out" for this mess.

But seriously Alfred, threatening Superman with kryptonite?  If I were the Man of Steel I'd just fly in sometime, grab Wayne and plug him into the machine so we can have the old Bats back.

* End Editorial Aside *

Alfred underestimates the seriousness of Mr. Bloom and his seeds.  As the Gordon Batman struggles with this new threat our Mr. Bloom meets with the Penguin.

Naturally, if there is a new drug on the streets of Gotham the Penguin wants a piece of the action.

Ha, well, not just a piece, the whole thing.  The Penguin has one of his hoods "off" Mr. Bloom and thereby sets something into motion not one of us saw coming.

Quite the metamorphisis I'd say.

So, who is Mr. Bloom?

Well, if Wayne can undergo a metamorphisis of his own on a neurological basis  why can't the Joker, with whom Batman met his demise, undergo a change of his own except on a biological one?

Yes, I'm saying Mr. Bloom is the Joker.

Bloom is conveniently wearing a mask so as not to spoil his true identity.  I'm sure the writer, Scott Snyder, didn't want to divulge all the goodies in one issue.

Bloom is also a lanky sort much like the Joker (check out the pose on our topmost picture.) and his machination of sowing discord in Gotham with his seeds is something the Joker would claim second nature to.  

Outwitting the Penguin is something the Joker would find quite easy.

Would the Joker know getting shot would allow him to evolve into that gangly monster we see in the last frame?  Eh, maybe not, but he may not know he is the Joker either.

This organic being may realize on a seperate level his true nature by evolving into something new.  With the Joker as his biological forebear perhaps the sentience would be enough to make that subconscious determination.

So, as we close, if you look in the corner of this last picture Snyder asks sthe question, "Who is Mr. Bloom?"

Think he'll tell us?

I don't.  I think he'll drag it along a little further.  God knows the Joker loves to make a grand entrance.  What grander one than when Batman regains all his memory and capabilities.

That should be a few issues from now.  Five maybe?

See you then.

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The Ben Holmes Batman

I've been following a new site as of late and it's called "MoviePilot" (You can access it through the link here.)  It's useful beacause I've found it's added to the conversation for the upcoming Batman v Superman  movie.  Although, I have to say, a lot of it's interests do seem to be all over the map.  That being said, I urge you to give it a try.

I'm glad I did for I wouldn't have discovered the art of Ben Holmes.

Holmes is an artist based in the UK and he recently sampled his wares on the MoviePilot site.  He explains his love for pencil drawings and his journey of discovery into watercolors.  He seems to have a bit of an abstract sensibility and he's pursued his passion for film in the form of self stylized movie posters.

Naturally, this being a Batman page, I've decided to critique his work of the Caped Crusader.  

If you go to the Holmes page you'll see he employs a technique where his subjects tend to explode or shatter into pieces.  Seen below in his "Nightcrawler" effort. 

He doesn't use it for all his work but he "artfully" deploys it for dramatic effect in some of them.

The shattered or explosive effect speaks to the nature of his subjects.  Perhaps it is revelatory to the inner demons that haunt his subjects.

To say Batman has inner demons is to state the obvious.

When I first saw the Holmes Batman image I thought of one of Batman's most iconic antagonists, "Two Face."  Two Face wears his persona overtly (albeit not deliberately) while Bruce Wayne's is hidden behind the cowl.  Both have issues with anger management but Batman has managed to separate his bitterness from turning him to the dark side, to be a force for good.  

At least most of the time.

So lets talk about the image itself and how it reflects on Batman.

Immediately you get the sense that Batman's anger is bursting from his psyche.  It is explosive in nature and barely to be contained.   In fact, you could argue it is the repressed nature of Bruce Wayne yearning to be exposed.  Perhaps a better word would be "revealed."

Perhaps the image is a window into the mind of the Batman/Bruce Wayne character.  Perpetually unresolved.  At once at peace with each other and relentlessly at war with the other.

The shattered splinters evoke a wound that never heals and the use of just black and white reveals the bipolar relationship between the two identities.  Batman is often portrayed living in a black and white world.


Good versus evil.


That is a rash generalization.  I think ardent fans know that Batman is a very complex character and his capacity for good often outweighs his darker nature.


I'm sure Ben Holmes is aware of this also but he has chosen to illustrate the face of Batman we are most familiar with.  Torn, angry, and a force of nature whose presence is at once both unstable and frenzied.  Holmes has captured the Dark Knight as Batman has desired to be seen but also disclosed the side Batman he struggles with every day.


Thanks for the work Mr. Holmes.  I hope your sister thought it as "cool" as you intended it.


For more of  the work of Ben Holmes (especially you Spiderman fans) you can follow the link below.


http://www.bjwholmes.com/

p.s. Ben, more Batman please!

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The New, New Batmen!

(Spoiler alert for the new Batman identities)

There is always a new Batman isn't there?  Pictured above is the new Jim Gordon Batman from

Batman #42.  He's the one in the blue armor.

The other "Bat-being" is a street crud manifestation created to combat Gordon by a thug called Gee Gee Heung.  I loved the frame so much I had to include it in this post.

So, you heard that right, Jim Gordon is the new Batman while the old Batman is purportedly dead.

Of course Batman isn't really dead.  As Bruce Wayne, he is volunteering at a center for disadvantaged youth.   And he really doesn't want to be bothered anymore.

(There's a great preview of Batman #43 over at io9 if you want to see how very reluctant Wayne is.)

As for the Gordon Batman, he a sanctioned vigilante working with the Gotham City police force.  Pity that could have never happened with the old Batman.  Too rough for their tastes?  Gordon has trimmed the trademark mustache and cropped the hair to look more battle ready.  He does a team working with him consisting of Alfred the butler's long lost daughter, Julia, and tech guy named Daryl.  The team is pretty new and the are still working out the kinks.

I'll guess we'll have to see how long it will be before the Bruce Wayne Batman will be back.  No doubt it will take some great misfortune to force him back into the cape and cowl.

Our second Batman is Dick Grayson only he is not of this world.

We all know Dick Grayson as the original Robin.  I've always loved the iterations of the Grayson Batman.  He's abley filled the cape and cowl and bemused his allies with a sense of humor the Wayne Batman never had.

This Grayson is the Earth 2 Dick Grayson.  He was married to Barbara Gordon who tragically died when Earth 2 was attacked by Apokolips.  They did have a son however, John.

Grayson was severely injured during the Convergence story line losing the use of his legs.  A being named Telos restored the use of Grayson's legs by covering them with a metallic like film.

Now Grayson patrols the streets of New Gotham City on the newly restored Earth 2.

The costume isn't bad but it isn't as threatening as the Thomas Wayne Batman that preceded Grayson.

Now this guy was a tough SOB.  Sadly he died foiling the Earth 2 Joker's master plan.  I suppose Grayson wanted to look a little less evil than his predecessor.

I saved the best Batman for last.

What, you haven't heard Batman is a God now?

Or should we say "Bat-God."

This is the Justice League of America version of Batman.  He's still the Bruce Wayne Batman.  Apparently the "Darkseid War" story line for the JLA book is happening just outside the narrative that is going on in the Batman issue I started this review with.

That's the comics for you.

Batman made the mistake of touching the chair of Metron (an other worldly being that drifts between New Genesis and Apokolips observing the Universe.)  Now he sits astride the chair in command of great power and knowledge.

What does one do with great knowledge?

Learn the Joker's real name.

I don't know what I am looking forward to in the next edition of JLA, Batman as a God or finding out who the Joker really is!

Batman has gone through a lot of changes through the ages.  He's taken on many roles and many identities.  If there is one constant to the Dark Knight he can never be said to be boring.

Bat -God!

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Why Batman needs a Robin

The hot Batman rumor for the week doesn't deal with the Caped Crusader directly.  Rather, it deals with his long time partner Robin,  Reportedly, actress Jena Malone was set to play Robin in the upcoming Batman v Superman movie or at least have a cameo.

Fueling the speculation was recent photos of Malone with her hair dyed red.  As seen above, the red hair was characteristic of the non-canon Robin, Carrie Kelly from "The Dark Knight Returns."

Non-canon until DC decided to introduce her to the regular DC/Batman universe that is.

Now a report from Latino Review has set the Jena Malone rumor mill on it's ear.

According to Latino Review, and they site three sources, Jena Malone is set to play Barbara Gordon, aka, Batgirl, aka, Oracle.

It makes sense.  With the bright red hair especially.  While I would love to see Batgirl on the big screen it would make even more sense for Malone to be Oracle, the cyber eyes and ears for Batman.  Additionally, Oracle also has a tragic past with the Joker.

That being said, I hope the rumors are not true.

Batman needs a Robin.

More specifically, the Batman as envisioned by Zack Snyder.

According to Snyder, the Batman as introduced in Batman v Superman is seen initially as the villain.  He doesn't say why but if you factor in the trailer quote from Alfred, "That's how it starts, the fever, the rage, that turns good men, cruel." And the one by Affleck's cynical Bruce Wayne later, "Twenty years in Gotham, how may good guys are left, how many stayed that way?"  It is easy to see this iteration of Batman is jaded and angry.

Easier still, when a memorial is kept in the Batcave to remind Batman of his loss.

Yes, we see some of these characteristic in the younger Batman, specifically the one featured in the comics.  But Snyder's Batman is different.  He's older.  He's broken. Quite possibly, beyond repair.

And now, he's got something new to focus his ire on and that is the real or imagined threat of Superman.

To kindle this fire are the machinations of Lex Luthor acting in the background to punish his corporate rival and goad the Batman into irrational acts.

Batman v Superman is subtitled, "Dawn of Justice" so we know with Batman the Justice League will be formed and Batman will be working in concert with the likes of Wonder Woman, Superman and the others. 

But they can't be with him everyday or in Batman's case, every night.

That's why Batman needs a Robin.

Someone to care for.  To look out for.  To share his demons and his adventures with.  An isolated Batman consumed with hate will only implode upon himself.  With a Robin by his side, the focus won't be trying to fix the past but to ensure the future.

The future of a young sidekick that one day may carry on the mantle of the Bat if not just someone to pull up the shawl of an aged Bruce Wayne when the nights get a little colder.

If it's Carrie Kelly then so be it.

Batman needs a Robin to give him hope. 

Hope for Gotham, hope for himself, hope for the future.

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Batman v Superman Trailer *Updated*

The new Batman v Superman trailer has been out for a bit so now that the dust has settled critique wise I'd like to have a crack at it.

I usually approach these things in a step by step fashion and run through items of interest in a chronological  order.  I think this time, I'll intercede with some thoughts and jump ahead from time to time with theories and thoughts as they come to mind.

Take the character of Senator Finch played by Holly Hunter.  We open the trailer with a voice over from her and, later, we see her again as she meets with Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg.)

(Did you notice she can barely get the word, "truth" out of her mouth?)

She looks to be holding a Senate hearing into the aftermath of the Zod and Superman fight and she warns her audience "That kind of power is very dangerous."

But how legitimate are her concerns?  Does she really take the welfare of American citizens to heart or she just a prop for a larger force?

To answer that question, all we have to do is skip ahead in the trailer to find her at that meeting with  Lex Luthor.  Luthor tells her devils come from the sky.  She's also at Luthor's place (mansion?) and if we can trust the trailer, Luthor has showed her evidence of Superman's "guilt."  I think from here we can conclude from this that Senator Finch is in Luthor's pocket and his influence extends into the Senate through his proxy Senator Finch. 

She's been bought.

The trailer moves on to Superman's appearance before the Senate.  Superman, he of the furrowed brow.

I like Henry Cavill.  He portrays Superman as such a sympathetic figure.  As Superman, he always seems legitimately concerned.

Later, even as Martha Kent explains to him that he doesn't owe the people of Earth anything he looks genuinely puzzled that she should say such a thing.

As for Martha, Diane Lane continues the cynical approach Zack Snyder has imbued her character with.  The same was done with Kevin Costner's Pa Kent in the first Snyder Superman movie.  This is a departure from the usual "folksy" take we have of the Kents where everything is rosy.

We move to that riveting scene where Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne is running towards the carnage of Metropolis seen in the Man of Steel movie.  Now that's a hero.  How many people do you know that run towards a collapsing building?

I should mention Bruce Wayne being in Metropolis during the Zod fight is a big deal.  As we find out, it provides the impetus for Batman's disdain for all things Superman.

To continue,  Bruce Wayne bears first hand the fighting between Zod and Superman.  He seems to be desperately calling anyone in that building to get out as soon as possible.

Heat vision cuts like a scythe through glass and steel and in an instant a figure comes darting out of the skyscraper as the building falls in his wake.

In the rubble of once was the Wayne Financial building, Bruce Wayne looks skyward.  He hold in tight embrace the figure of a young girl.  The lone survivor?  A future figure in Batman's life?

Wayne is transfixed in his gaze.  Is he staring at Superman as he hovers in the midst of battle?  Of this I have no doubt.  Wayne's own heat vision is internalized and it is powered by the contempt for the caped figure that has destroyed part of his corporate family.

I say corporate family because in the next sequence Wayne has received a newspaper clipping of the day his building was destroyed.  Across it someone has scrawled, "You let your family die."  This is a doubled edged dagger to the heart for Bruce.  It invokes Wayne's family dying before his eyes as a child and of course the most recent disaster in Metropolis.

Who would send such a letter?

I'm betting it was sent by Lex Luthor.  I think it is a double pronged effort to taunt his corporate rival and perhaps elicit an angry response from the Batman.  Luthor would have to know that Wayne is Batman of course and he may well.  In the comics, Luthor is known as the second smartest man on the planet.

Wayne being the first.

The Wayne vignette actually starts with a lone figure striding towards a mansion whose grounds have gone to seed and the manse stands hollow and broken.  A metaphor for Batman?

The voice we hear is that of Jeremy Irons who plays Alfred the Wayne Butler.  It could be Wayne strolling to the mansion but I am convinced it is Irons.

The scene cuts immediately to the Batcave.  Another figure cuts from from right to left in the distance behind some glass.  I believe this to be Bruce Wayne.  Is Batman semi-retired?  The Batmobile seen on one of the levels is covered in a tarp suggesting a lack of use.

Alfred continues his voice over.  He speaks of a fever and a rage that turns "good men cruel."  (In the background a video monitor seems to show Superman in action.)

Not coincidentally, Batman's costume is revealed and Bruce Wayne takes a hard look at it.  Has it been a while?  Did the Batman turn cruel?  What prompted this cruel turn?

Perry White (Laurence Fishburne) continues the voice over.  He's berating Clark Kent over his fascination with the Batman.  Is Clark using his position as a Daily Planet reporter to get intel into the Batman.  Pehaps stepping over the bounds of a normal reporter?

Our trailer turns to some quality time between Superman and Amy Adams' Lois Lane.  She reminds Clark that the symbol on his chest stands for hope.  As she intones this reminder we get a scene of Superman appearing before some flood stricken people.  One lady in particular lifts an outstretched arm as Superman hovers above.

This strikes me as particularly odd.  I mean it is a great cinematic hero scene with Superman being back lit by the sun in god-like fashion.  But would Superman really just hover there just to look awesomely cool?  Wouldn't he just swoop in and rescue those people?

Is he that hesitant/damaged by his Metropolis experience that he can't decide what to do?

This is where we pickup the Martha Kent monologue.   She basically tells him to be the angel people look to or just junk it all because he doesn't owe them a thing.  It's an odd discourse and I don't blame Supes for looking confused.  As I said before, these Kents are a lot more cynical.  It's my thinking that Martha is reacting to the backlash by the public in general which is no odoubt being orchestrated by Luthor behind the scenes.

Luthor takes over with his "Devils" speech to Senator Finch and the dead visage of General Zod is revealed.  There is a lot of people on the internet that believe Luthor is set on cloning Zod to form an army of beings to rid the world of Superman.  Perhaps even "Doomsday" from the comics.

I, instead, have a crackpot theory.

What if these cloning experiments go wrong and instead of a Doomsday being we get this.

Bizarro Superman.

This is how Bizarro Superman looks in the comics now.  It would take a lot of guts to introduce this strange creature to the movies but it shouldn't be out of the realm of possibility.

Now here's a telling sequence.

Bruce Waynes speaks and he tells of his twenty years in Gotham.  "How many good guys are left, how many stayed that way?"  As we start this sequence Wayne looks at the empty suit of what is commonly believed to be that of Robin.  A deceased Robin.  Quite possibly the Jason Todd Robin that died in the comics. (To be played by Zack Snyder's son Eli?)

Jason Todd took a turn for the worse, is this who Wayne is talking about?  Does he include Selina Kyle as someone that didn't stay good?  How about The Huntress?

The empty suit has "The Joke's on you Batman" scrawled across it.  Was it the Joker's assassination of Jason Todd that turned Batman cruel?  Or did it drive him into retirement?

If I may I want to speak on the rod the Robin suit is holding.

In the first trailer we see Batman holding a similar rod as he stands in the shadows.  Later, he stands atop a building with what looks to be the same instrument.  Has Robin's rod been modified as a weapon to take out Superman?  Is it tipped with Kryptonite?  Is Batman really holding a rifle in the second frame that shoots a magic bullet of kryptonite?

 Or is it the "Spear of Destiny?"   Now that would be pretty profound.

Wayne further intones,, "He has the power to wipe out the entire human race and we have to destroy him."

It's now, "Go time" for the trailer as it really takes off.

First, we get some quick cuts of Thomas Wayne being cut down to remind us of Batman's bitterness. Then, what looks to be the Batwing setting a city on fire.  Is the Batwing's devastation testimony of how cruel Batman has become in that he willing to destroy entire neighborhoods in order to achieve his goals?

Now we are really rocking as Wonder Woman is introduced.  (We saw her briefly as Diana Prince when Wayne spoke of good guys.)

I love the look on Gal Gadot's face as she is thrown back during battle.  It's as if she is saying, "You dare?"  (GIF courtesy of Kokatu.com)

I have a feeling the battle we are witnessing is a three way fight between Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman.  It occurs at a time when they really don't get each other.  In fact Batman and Wonder Woman may be allied against Superman.

We get some terrific shots here as Batman nearly gets zapped by heat vision and Wonder Woman is quickly losing her patience.

Luthor appears and wouldn't you know he seems to have some Krypotonite.  Not too close Lex that stuff may make your hair fall out.  (Man, that is a bad wig.)

Luthor tells Senator Finch, "The red capes are coming, the red capes are coming" and this is what leads people to believe Luthor has been trying to clone General Zod.

Please let it be Bizarro Supermen.

Our trailer culminates as Superman rips off the doors to the Batmobile.  Batman stands in defiance to a far more powerful being.  God, the Dark Knight has some brass ones.

It looks as though Superman has followed Batman to Gotham Gity as the gas pumps say Gotham City Gas.  Good work Clark.

So, what does everyone think?  Wondering why I left out the "Super Nazis" and the "Desert Batman?"  Sound off below with your thoughts!

Update Alert!

 
I left out this image in my first take of the Batman v Superman trailer as I wasn't certain of it's significance. It shows a be-booted individual walking amongst shell casings, a deflated basketball and what seems to be an injured security guard.

Now we have this image from Empire Magazine showing Lex inside a gym with basketballs in the background.  It's not a leap to deduce the shooting from the above image took place in LexCorp's gym.  (BTW, who puts a giant neon sign inside a gym?  Someone with a giant ego?)

We could have made that deduction as evidenced from a motorcycle racing to the scene of some Lexcorp devastation but I think this seals it.  Who is the motorcycle rider?  My guess it is Lex himself alerted to the explosive incident.  Was it Superman that caused the devastation?  He did like to destroy things in the Man of Steel movie.  I'm thinking it was rather the Batman investigating Lexcorp and leaving a wake of destruction in his path.  The injured security guard may spell Batman's aversion to killing and the hundreds of shell casings show what a hard target he is.

It's possible a fight between Batman and Superman took place in the gym.  Those two do know how to break things.  We may find out more in the near future.

Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below!

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