Daily Batman: Green thumbs, and other parts

“Ivy Grows” by Nacho Molina on the d.a.

He who loves a garden loves the world
And the magic beauty there unfurled.

(Brian H. Gent)

I badly wanted a garden when I lived in Portland. I had it all mentally planned, modeled after the garden my grandfather kept when I was a girl. I had bookmarked heirloom seed sites and added all these organic gardening books to my Amazon wish list. But I left and the yard I have now is not technically mine for the digging. So no garden.

My husband has put one in since I left. I haven’t seen it yet.

Daily Batman: The Long Halloween — “St. Patrick’s Day”

Batman, The Long Halloween No. 6, “St. Patrick’s Day.”

Please note Dr. Isley’s hair is represented here by shamrocks instead of the customary ivy leaves. Erin-go-bragh, y’all!

If you are a mainly Nolanverse kind of guy, you might really enjoy the late 90’s Batman comic arc The Long Halloween, as the events of the arc unfold in the direct wake of series-re-energizing thriller Batman: Year One, which is where Nolan draws a lot of his grittier, more emotionally cordant material. The story is told via episodes centering around the holidays in every month of the year and it runs basically that a fledgling Batman, with the help of Catwoman, pursues a serial vandal and criminal known as the Holiday killer. Carmine Falcone (and daughter Sofia), Salvatore Maroni, the Joker, Dr. Jonathan Crane, the Riddler, Solomon Grundy, Poison Ivy, and many more also appear — even the Mad Hatter.

Jim Dandy to the rescue. That’s my Loo G.

Meanwhile, on the side of right, Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent (who is married to his wife Gilda, as there was NEVER ANY “RACHEL DAWES” in any of the comics, and also becomes Two-Face over the course of the arc in this version of his origin) are looking to prosecute Bruce Wayne as the Holiday killer, even bringing in Alfred Pennyworth to testify against him, while Selina Kyle labors to help Bruce’s enterprises stay afloat during the trial and keep the Wayne family name and reputation clean. Bruce convinces them of his innocence and suggests they strike a pact with the goddamned Batman to bring down the mob’s control of the city’s corrupt public enterprises.

Actually, I’m cheating; this is one of the final panels of the issue just before, No. 5, “Valentine’s Day,” revealing that Ivy has been following Bruce and Selina and plans to control Bruce to get at his monies for the mafia. This just proves you CANNOT trust vegans.

Sounding like all kinds of appealing and tantalizing plot strings? Heck, yes. Check the arc out. The Long Halloween: ask for it by name!

Daily Batman: Now that’s what I call a biker gang

From the artist, the awesome Dustin Nguyen,

Figure’d it be fun to do them chicks on bikes and stuff, like if it were mariocart. this idea actually came from a drawing i did for fun of them in super deformed style over a year ago (i’ll post as soon as i can.)

WAY cramming for SDCC, i am ignoring my family, friends, and loved ones this week until i get shit done.

and before any of you gear heads try to figure out the bikes, realize i just draw them, i dont build them. ivy’s bike is 0 emissions by the way (source)

He also put up some of the steps of making the final product, very cool:

Daily Batman: The Importance of Being Ivy

Dr. Pamela Isley goes green.

These businesses are destroying the planet. Pollution, deforestation, overharvesting — and all for the one thing they already have too much of to begin with. Money.

“Daring Do.” Bowles, Hamish. Photographed for the Costume Institute Gala by Craig McDean, Vogue (U.S. edition), May 2008.

Click here to view Newsweek‘s 2009 ranking of Greenest Companies in America. If a company in your town, from whom you buy a majority of your products, or in whose product you are interested is not on the list, consider writing to them and politely explaining why you would like to see them begin environmentally-friendly practices in order to keep your business. We can’t all just poison the bad guys like the good green doctor, here, but you can still do your part.

It’s more honorable and in keeping with the theme of the issue to keep it clean in your fight, anyway. No ELF-style bombing baloney, which is dangerous and eliminates jobs from the humanitarian standpoint, and only plays in to the hands of the opposition from the strictly political and pragmatic end of the argument. When it comes to corporations and their interactions with politics and the environment, you definitely catch more flies with honey than with vinegar — ask any venus trap.

Daily Batman: Reflections on ladyhood and gal pals

Gotham Sirens, which I have mentioned before, is part of the Batman: Reborn series. Art by Dini and March.

It’s all well and good to fly solo now and again. But a little company makes it even more fun!

I have come to believe that no lady ever really stands alone. Even if she does not appreciate it at the time, she is surrounded by a network of friends and family who have been everywhere she has and are there to support her in times of trouble and toast with wine in time of plenty.

Gal pals: they are a Thing!

Kidlet is spending the day with her godmother going to that atrocious eye-rape Alvin and the Chipmunks 2, which I would rather drink bleach than watch. I think I’m stupider just from seeing the trailers. Let’s be sure not to leave a single memory of the 1980s with its dignity intact, okay Hollywood? Thanks, you guys are the best. Then they’re going out for lunch to the Wendy’s, which every time I enter I fantasize about burning down (I just feel like it is begging me to do it, and I genuinely believe its employees, despite losing their jobs, would wet themselves with gratitude when they arrived at that hellmouth to find it a heap of ash and rubble), so I gave them my blessing and made alternate plans. Hmm. I feel like all the sentences I just wrote make me sound very angry and solitary. Totally not the case, I’m just sick of wasting my time on materialistic bullshit and fast food poison. (Carl’s Jr. is exempt, don’t challenge me as to why!)

I am totally looking forward to an overdue girl day with Miss D in C-town. I am scootching down soon, armed with Legally Blonde and its sequel, two of my favorite feel-good popcorn flicks. We can just sit on the couch, chat when needed, and basically take a pink space rocket to Planet Veg. Will it once again be retro to be passed out on the couch when Paolo gets home from work? Only time can tell!

Daily Batman: Gotham Sirens

Art by Dustin Nguyen

Daily Batman: Gotham Girls, “Sirens” edition w/ bonus Mr. J

l to r: Harley Quinn, Catwoman, and Poison Ivy.

Cover art from Batman Reborn, “Gotham City: Sirens” Issue No. 4, November 2009. (actual release date: 30 Sept 09) Written by Paul Dini, art and cover by Guillem March. (go buy it go buy it go buy it — I know I am hopefully going to just as soon as I submit and am paid for the project on The Godfather I’ve been working on.) I guess the Joker shows up in this one (he’s been MIA since Batman RIP, according to the divine comicvine), and I somehow only just heard about this after Halloween!

From the look of things, he is none too pleased that his shrink and erstwhile girlfriend Dr. Harleen Quinzel has been palling around with that guy Hush. (You always knew he’d kill her.) So last week, finally having some free time, I hit up Bonanza Books and Comics looking for this and they said they had sold whatever copies they had to begin with, but assured me they’d get some more. Booyakasha: air heel click!

Daily Batman: Gotham Girls

Gotham girls by Brainy Brimstone on flickr.

Zatanna




Poison Ivy




Harley Quinn




Black Canary



Finally, last and least…




Batgirl



If I ever stop making fun of Batgirl, take me out back and shoot me because I’m not me anymore, I’m some kind of alien posing as me. (I told you, it happens all the time.)

Daily Batman: I’m not the only person to have noticed this

Daily Batman: Gotham Girls

(l to r: Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Batgirl. Not pictured: Zatanna, Harley Quinn, and Det. Renee Montoya.)

Brought to you by totally amazing artist Esao Andrews.

Daily Batman: Enter Dr. Pamela Isley

Girl, do not even attempt to lay your folklore on my Jim Gordon. You keep your green thumbs off the Commish.

Not to mention this is extra-bad faith, because Poison Ivy is actually quite gay, you know.

edit: wow, that got hate mail in a hurry. I stand by my safe assumption, so all I can say is enjoy being close-minded fucktards incapable of accurately interpreting sequential art, you anal retentive canonical jizz-monkeys. –Mgmt.