![\"Neil](\"http:\/\/onceuponageek.com\/images\/nealadamsbatman.jpg\" "\\"Neil")
<\/p>\nI should start off by admitting that I love Neal Adams artwork.\u00a0 This guy is a MASTER!\u00a0 An absolute master artist.\u00a0 He helped redefine the look of comics in the 1970s and he can still draw just about anybody under the table.\u00a0 Okay, with my disclaimer out of the way I can get on with the review…<\/p>\n
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I did not intend to pick up Batman: Odyssey<\/em> #1 by Neal Adams.\u00a0 I harbored no ill feelings toward the book, I’m just trying to minimize my current comic book expense.\u00a0 Well, when I saw the book on the shelf I couldn’t help but sneak a peek.\u00a0 After seeing one or two panels of Neal Adams’ gorgeous artwork, the comic found its way to my “buy” pile.<\/p>\n Without a doubt, Adams is still a visual storytelling genius.\u00a0 His Batman is… to put it simply, his Batman IS Batman.\u00a0 The characters faces and expressions are dead-on.\u00a0 Each page is chockfull of details, each gadget is intricate and fascinating, each panel completed to their fullest.\u00a0 His sense of motion, perspective, and action are breathtaking.\u00a0 This comic is what all comics should look like.\u00a0 Using creative panel grids rarely seen in comics today, he’s able to effortlessly transition from eight-panel pages to two-page splash panels.\u00a0 Just amazing stuff.<\/p>\n The story starts off with a flashback to the early days of Batman.\u00a0 Adams does a great job showing how Batman’s early costume was unsophisticated and a far cry from the costume of today.\u00a0 The proto-Batman has a loose-fitting cowl and floppy ears.\u00a0 Nice job by Adams making him immediately distinguishable from today’s Batman.<\/p>\n That covers the art.\u00a0 Now, about the story…<\/p>\n While I was blown away by the art in this book, I found myself disappointed in the story.\u00a0 I re-read the comic a day or two later hoping for a different impression.\u00a0 It was definitely better upon second reading, but overall was still not what I was expecting.<\/p>\n The dialogue in the book didn’t feel like a modern Batman tale.\u00a0 Perhaps this was how Batman was written in the 1970s, I really don’t know.\u00a0 Regardless, it didn’t “feel” like Batman talking and thinking. I’m not really sure what to make of the plot at this point.\u00a0 The first half of the book is taken up with the flashback, followed up with some odd Man-Bat scenes, and finally Batman & Robin arriving at the Gotham Pier in hopes of foiling the Riddler’s heist.\u00a0 All of these elements seem completely unrelated, but perhaps it’ll come together in later issues.<\/p>\n In the flashback, Batman sports two .45 automatic pistols used to shoot villain’s guns from their hands.\u00a0 I believe this directly contradicts Batman: Year One<\/em> and Batman: Year Two<\/em>.\u00a0 Don’t hold me to that as I haven’t read either story in a long time, but at the very least it contradicts the spirit of those books.\u00a0 Adding contradictory elements to characters origins worked fine in the 1970s when continuity wasn’t as important, but nowadays that is difficult as readers have become more particular.<\/p>\n Next is a straight-up artistic goof.\u00a0 In the issue, Batman spends quite a bit of time with Robin (Dick Grayson).\u00a0 For whatever reason, Adams has drawn Grayson’s Robin in the costume of Tim Drake’s Robin.\u00a0 This would be the costume Tim wore from 1989 to 2005.\u00a0 Don’t get me wrong, Adams draws a beautiful rendition of Tim’s uniform, it’s just confusing because it’s Dick wearing the costume.<\/p>\n The disappointing writing really hurt the success of this comic in my eyes.\u00a0 I believe if Adams had asked Denny O’Neil (or another accomplished writer) to draft the script, the story could have been a potential home run.\u00a0 Alternatively, if they slapped an “Elseworlds” logo on the front it would have made the story more palatable.\u00a0 The “Sneak Peek” artwork hints that a child will be injured or killed in a future issue.\u00a0 Having just gone through that emotional sucker-punch with Justice League: Cry for Justice<\/em> and the Rise of Arsenal<\/em>, I’d prefer not see children exploited again in comics for shock value.<\/p>\n Due to the disappointing writing in the first issue, it’s unlikely I’ll be picking up the second issue.\u00a0 If they were to publish an art book featuring selected artwork from this series, I would definitely be interested in that.<\/p>\n \n![\"Neal](\"http:\/\/onceuponageek.com\/images\/nealadamsbatman2.jpg\" "\\"Neal")
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