Writers: Brian Azzarello, Josh Olson, David Goyer, Greg Rucka, Jordan Camera Goldberg, Alan Burnett

Cast: Kevin Conroy, Gary Dourdan, David McCallum, Parminder Nagra, Ana Ortiz

Watching Gotham Knight I felt as though I had been lied to, by both the marketing campaigns and the DVD packaging. The stories are interlocked in as flimsy a way as imaginable, and are jarringly inconsistent; in one short Gotham City resembles the futuristic cityscape of Blade Runner, in another the Neo Tokyo from Akira, with Gordon's office set amidst neon pagodas. Batman's costume changes throughout, as does Alfred's appearance.

Nor does the feature fill any gaps between Batman Begins and the Dark Knight, as has been sold us. The appearances of Scarecrow, Killer Croc and Deadshot (unrecognisable from his comic counterpart) are too brief to have any significance, while several tales feel out of place with Nolan's mythos, such as one in which Wayne, drawn to resemble Ryu from Street Fighter, receives training from a mysterious Asian woman.

Director: Christopher Nolan

Script: Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan, David S. Goyer

Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman, Eric Roberts, Cillian Murphy, William Fichtner

Outside of the animated feature Mask of the Phantasm, Batman has never really received the cinematic treatment he deserves. Despite a large canvass for intelligent, creative storytelling in the comic medium, the world’s foremost rodent-themed detective has never been given the thought provoking movie adaptation that comic writers such as Frank Miller, Grant Morrison and Jeph Loeb have provided again and again. Even Nolan's excellent Batman Begins began to creak once the origin story had been dealt with.

I can’t help but find it amusing than in a year of little CGI robots, big CGI Hulks and billionaires in CGI flying suits, audiences would rather see a knife-wielding psychopath in greasepaint. Let’s put Heath Ledger’s untimely death and the post-humus Oscar debacle aside; the Joker dominates Nolan’s twisted plot from the very first scene – a meticulously orchestrated bank robbery with a dark sense of humour that would not feel out of place in a Coen brothers piece. A malevolent force of destruction devoid of reason or redemption, Joker's ostensibly chaotic masterplan pushes Batman further than ever before, forcing impossible decisions upon him in the hoper that he will accept the futility of his fight.

Despite Bruce Wayne's technology, and the fact that financially he has Gotham at his disposal, he can neither comprehend nor predict the Joker’s unhinged game theory. More importantly, he cannot bring himself to kill him. It’s this theme that carries The Dark Knight, adding gravitas to the impeccably paced cat and mouse charade, enhanced to no end by Han Zimmer’s exhilarating yet elegant score, which at times intensifies to spine tingling levels. Though there are several big buck car chases, the Nolans and screenwriter David Goyer should be applauded for constructing a three man face-off which satisfies every requisite of the summer blockbuster without compromising the plot’s personal level.

Story, Art: Jason Lutes

Tormented magician Ernie Weiss and his estranged girlfriend Esther separately struggle to get their lives back on track after the death of Weiss’s brother, Howard, whose death during an underwater escape stunt may or may not have been deliberate. Fighting to keep his senile mentor Al Flosso from the authorities, Weiss agrees to train the daughter of a homeless con-man. Vague this synopsis may be, but Jar of Fools is a story about character rather than contrived plot.

Lute's masterful depiction of the suffering subconscious, and the trickery it plays upon our dual protagonists, is reminiscent of Paul Karasik and David Mazzucchelli's graphic novel adaptation of Paul Auster's novella City of Glass. Conversely, Fool's has the intimacy and introspective slant of a short novel. Like Auster, Lutes has captured the fragility and anguish of existence. His characters continue for the sake of continuation, gripping tightly to the melting imagery of precious nostalgia.

The humble artwork is deceptively simple, with Lute's 12 panel layout lending the book a claustrophobic, deliberate pacing that has been compared to the films of Jim Jarmusch, though in many ways Weiss's search for answers to his brother's death, and the inexplicable human demand for closure, is similar to Todd Louiso's film Love Lisa. There's a wholly gratifying experience to be gleamed from Jar of Fools, just by comparing the artwork, panel composition and Lutes' unique sense of mise en scene at each end of the book. By the end of Jar of Fool Jason Lutes' storytelling proficiency has evolved alongside his characters.

2006

Dir: Jens Lien

Script: Per Schreiner

Cast: Marian Saastad Ottesen, Fridjov Såheim, Kirsti Eline Torhau

The Bothersome Man begins with perhaps the most nauseating and disparaging kiss in movie history. As he watches two adolescent lovers slurping hideously as they attempt to eat each others faces, bland everyman Andreas nonchalantly jumps in front of a passing train. Some time later, he finds himself on a bus travelling to the small and perfectly formed town of Bothersome, where he is provided a tidy home and a dull but comfortable job.

Writer: Dan Slott

Art: Stefano Caselli, Steve Uy

Colours: Daniele Rudoni, Steve Uy

With the Civil War over, Captain America dead, and World War Hulk swept neatly under a large rug, Stark’s vision of a superheroe in every state is fully underway with Avengers: The Initiative, in which we join a group of new recruits as they train alongside Yellowback, Justice, War Machine, She-Hulk (initially) and the Louis Gossett Jr. drill instructor facsimile Gauntlet.

Like the excellent Runaways, this series is aimed at the younger end of the market, but it’s surprisingly well-written stuff. A sudden shock at the end of Issue #1 opens up endless storytelling opportunities, and will no doubt have great repercussions on the series. Dan Slott successfully integrates the obligatory World War Hulk crossover without slowing the book down, tying in several plots to the big guy’s arrival. The Initiative’s pace stalls not once.

The recruits themselves are the usual blend of newcomers and old faces. It’s nice to see ex-Avenger Rage and nineties embarrassment Slapstick reinserted back into the fold. One of The Initiative’s primary problems is an abundance of new characters, far too many to allow room for characterisation. Unlike the aforementioned Runaways, no new character has grabbed me so far, but this will hopefully change as the series finds its focus, and the less interesting recruits are pronounced K.I.A.

2008, Marvel

Writer: Warren Ellis, Paul Jenkins

Artist: Mike Deodato Jr., Mark Silvestri, Marc Guggenheim, Leinil Yu

Colours: Rainier Beredo, June Chung, Dave McCaig, Frank D'Armata

Okay, so it's another year, another reboot for the Thunderbolts, a series that has always been enjoyable but never exceptional. With sales magnet Warren Ellis on board, and a line-up that consists of more readily recognisable villains such as Venom and Bullseye, the Thunderbolts look to be getting the recognition they've long deserved. 

Unfortunately, this isn't your daddy's – make that slightly older brother's – Thunderbolts. At times 'Faith in Monsters' is reminiscent of Peter David's run on X-Factor; bar a few familiar faces, the book's tone and premise is too different to be justly considered part of the same series.

Excluding his work on Stormwatch and The Authority, I have always had a problem with Ellis' mainstream superhero work. Like Ed Brubaker, Ellis will happily jettison characterisation and continuity for the sake of a moment of inspired dialogue or novel violence, whereas a writer such as Allen Moore will always find the middle ground between what he hopes to achieve and the sensitivities of the franchise concerned. With Thunderbolts, more than ever Ellis has the freedom to get down and gritty without compromising the creative confinements of the Marvel universe. Bullseye is a despicable, unmanageable psychopath, while Venom has a penchant for munching on human heads.