Size matters. In humble appreciation for Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta's shockingly good debut installment of Absolute Batman, we're reopening The Black Casebook for a bonus deep dive into what makes this issue work so well. True, it's a comic that dares to ask, "What if big? What if big boy?" But it's also DC's boldest attempt to resurrect that old Frank Miller magic in a decade.

Please consider supporting Palestinians through a gift to the ⁠⁠Palestinian Children's Relief Fund⁠⁠, ⁠⁠ANERA⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Doctors Without Borders⁠⁠, or the charity of your choice.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can find The Black Casebook on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@blackcasebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, (allegedly) on Bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@blackcasebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@blackcasebookpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and you can write in to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠blackcasebookpod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to share any Bat-thoughts you have. You can also support us ⁠⁠on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theme by Black Plastique⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

The city never sleeps. The Black Casebook returns with a MEGA-sized exploration of Dark Knight, Dark City, Peter Milligan and Kieron Dwyer's underrated classic about the secret history of Bruce Wayne's hometown. Lost in the shuffle of Batman's golden age, Dark Knight, Dark City revolutionized the relationship between Batman and Gotham in the course of a thrilling three-part showdown with the Riddler.

For my guest spot on The Infinite Library podcast to discuss City of Glass, click here.

For my guest spot on Marvelous! to discuss Showgirls, click here.

Please consider supporting Palestinians through a gift to the ⁠Palestinian Children's Relief Fund⁠, ⁠ANERA⁠, ⁠Doctors Without Borders⁠, or the charity of your choice.

⁠⁠⁠You can find The Black Casebook on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@blackcasebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, on Bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠@blackcasebook⁠⁠⁠⁠, and Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@blackcasebookpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and you can write in to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠blackcasebookpod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to share any Bat-thoughts you have. You can also support us ⁠on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theme by Black Plastique⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Intro ambient noise by NickR2020.

As of today, Year Two of The Black Casebook is officially in the books. Thank you to everybody for your support and your questions! I hope you enjoy this long, occasionally coherent victory lap of a Q&A, and I hope you're as excited as I am for what the next year has in store for the show.

⁠We have a Patreon⁠⁠⁠!

You can find The Black Casebook on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠@blackcasebook⁠⁠⁠ and Instagram ⁠⁠⁠@blackcasebookpod⁠⁠⁠, and you can write in to ⁠⁠⁠blackcasebookpod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠ to share any Bat-thoughts you have.

⁠⁠⁠Music by Black Plastique⁠⁠⁠.

The trial of the century. The Black Casebook returns with a deep dive into one of the most controversial eras in Batman’s recent history: the Tom King run. The former CIA officer envisioned a Gotham without hope, protected by a man without joy; and by “Cold Days,” that man is well and truly broken. "Cold Days" sums up three years of Tom King into three issues, a confession of all the reasons why his Batman run was doomed from the start.

Please consider supporting Palestinians through a gift to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund, ANERA, Doctors Without Borders, or the charity of your choice.

⁠You can find The Black Casebook on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@blackcasebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, on Bluesky ⁠⁠⁠@blackcasebook⁠⁠⁠, and Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@blackcasebookpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and you can write in to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠blackcasebookpod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to share any Bat-thoughts you have. You can also support us on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theme by Black Plastique⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Intro ambient noise by Sami Hiltunen.

A birthday miracle? To celebrate my encroaching obsolescence, here's a fun chat I had with Nat from Collective Action Comics about Joss Whedon's The Avengers (as well as The Age of Ultron, unfortunately) and Mark Millar's The Ultimates. Despite their superficial differences, these Gen X texts all offer unique insights into the respective pathologies of the Bush and Obama eras.

Collective Action Comics will make its triumphant return soon to discuss The Death of Superman, and can be found at all these places: https://linktr.ee/CollectiveActionComics

Meanwhile: We have a Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

You can find The Black Casebook on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@blackcasebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, on Bluesky ⁠⁠⁠@blackcasebook⁠⁠⁠, and Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@blackcasebookpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and you can write in to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠blackcasebookpod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to share any Bat-thoughts you have.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theme by Black Plastique⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

A Christmas miracle. To close out 2023, we’re taking the plunge into the kinky, gender-bending world of Batman Returns, the strangest blockbuster ever to have a Happy Meal tie-in. After the many compromises involved in making Batman ’89, Tim Burton used his newfound freedom to take the biggest swings he could imagine—and with the help of one of the most stacked casts in any superhero movie, he ended up with a bizarre masterpiece.

We have a Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

You can find The Black Casebook on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@blackcasebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, on Bluesky ⁠⁠@blackcasebook⁠⁠, and Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@blackcasebookpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and you can write in to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠blackcasebookpod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to share any Bat-thoughts you have.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theme by Black Plastique⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Intro music: "Greensleeves" by klankbeeld, via freesound.org.

From the twisted mind of Casebook Walt! We're looking back to the early '90s and the heyday of American crime with a deep dive into "The Last Arkham," the terrific arc that introduced scarified serial killer Victor Szasz alongside a new version of Arkham Asylum. In the process, writer Alan Grant raises questions about the nature of power and madness that strike at the heart of what the Dark Knight, and his dark city, represent.

⁠⁠We have a Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠!

You can find The Black Casebook on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠@blackcasebook⁠⁠⁠⁠, on Bluesky ⁠@blackcasebook⁠, and Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠@blackcasebookpod⁠⁠⁠⁠, and you can write in to ⁠⁠⁠⁠blackcasebookpod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ to share any Bat-thoughts you have.

⁠⁠⁠⁠Theme by Black Plastique⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Let's raise the stakes. This month, we're investigating Grant Morrison's brilliant, challenging Batman run through two lesser-known stories: "The Three Ghosts of Batman" and "The Club of Heroes." Besides being incredibly entertaining, these arcs can help unlock the deeper meanings that make the Morrison run such a classic.

⁠We have a Patreon⁠⁠⁠!

You can find The Black Casebook on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠@blackcasebook⁠⁠⁠, on Bluesky @blackcasebook, and Instagram ⁠⁠⁠@blackcasebookpod⁠⁠⁠, and you can write in to ⁠⁠⁠blackcasebookpod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠ to share any Bat-thoughts you have.

⁠⁠⁠Theme by Black Plastique⁠⁠⁠. Synopsis ambient noise by Osiruswaltz.