Bruce Timm Books

What a visially stunning book. Bruce Timm's artwork is sensationally brought to the reader through Chip Kidds fantastic use of photo design. This book thoroughly examines the behind the scene design concepts of Bruce Timm and Paul Dino and company with insightful reading on how they got to create one of TV's best animated series. A valuable piece of work collecting wonderfully laid out illustrations. Highly recommended for the curious and pure fans of the Batman character.

A very good buy, i was waiting to have this book in my hands for a long time and i finally have it, it's just excellent for those who love the batman animated series and animation. It has a lot of tips and information "behind the scenes" of the series.
very recomendated, the only bad thing is that it was the only book this kind, i'm still waiting for something similar but of justice league and batman beyond.

"Batman: The Animated Series" was one of the most revolutionary and influential cartoons ever created. This book, written by B:TAS writer/producer Paul Dini, is an essential look into the creation and phenomenon of the series. While a little slim on actual reading, what is there gives you that most coveted "behind-the-scenes" info on what it took to make "Batman". (For another perspective on the show's creation, check out the "Modern Masters: Bruce Timm" interview book.)

The real meat of the book lies in its visuals: photos, line art, animation cels, background keys, licensed toys, etc. The layout of these materials seems a bit haphazard (for being done by the "design-god" Chip Kidd), with captions sometimes hard to correlate with their images and numerous fold-out pages (which I really don't care for). However, the sheer number and quality of images is amazing, and some of the full-page renderings of production key art is breath-taking. I question some of the image choices in the character-design section, particularly the villians. But, again, there's a lot of ground to cover here and the quality and quantity of pictures is overwhelming.

The book was published before Batman Beyond and Justice League, so the ending comments might seem a little off. Still as a retrospective on the "B:TAS", you can't ask for much more. This would have been a 5 star review, if only there'd been a little more reading and a bit less visual confusion.

Bottom line: Love "Batman: The Animated Series"? Buy this book.

Who best to write a book about this justifiably award-winning animated series than one of the series writer/producers--Paul Dini (who wrote one of my favorite episodes--"Heart of Ice")? And with graphic designer Chip Kidd involved, you have a book that looks great on the coffee table. The best word I can use to describe this book is "thorough." It contains superlative art in full color, storyboards, character designs, in-house memos, licensed products, an episode guide from the animated series, plus great information on why the series was created, why the censors said no to certain aspects, as well as facts about the movies based on the series (SUBZERO, MASK OF THE PHANTASM). My only complaint is that the book isn't longer. But that's not the authors' fault. They put together such a great book, you'll want as much insight into the creation of this series as you can get (like a good DVD provides). And these guys deliver! This is a great "backstage" look for fans of the series.

I really was blown away by how meticulously put-together this book was. Besides the animation being great, this documentive source included everything from the episode guide title cards, merchandise (including ice cream and bubblegum cards), storyboards, character concepts, and a hell of a lot more! It also includes a great photo of Bruce Timm's drawing desk- complete with all the references he uses such as G.I. Joes & knick knacks. Color photos are adorned throughout, but besides that, there are also great stories of what the animation department went through with the head leaders of Warner Bros. There is even a charicature drawing that includes everything that the animators were restricted to draw (a nude, smoking Catwoman, a boozin' Joker, Batman strangling his foe, etc- it's really a treat!)
Even if you've had the misfortunate of not being familiar with this cartoon series, owning this book will make you realize how much effort is needed to create something this vast, and how much more we need to practice to ever reach this level!

Wow. This book is stunning. Let's see... Great Story, Good humor/tragedy, No bad language/unneccessary gorey violence, and it showed you can have mature themes/plots while still being kid-safe! TAKE THAT, DC! I have a good idea... instead of releasing garbage like Bruce Wayne: Murderer?, how about making Batman Adventures into an ongoing series?
Forever to Bruce Timm and Paul Dini!

Timm and Dini are the masters and this book further proves it!

Sometines scary, sometimes racy but just plain fun.

This is the first version of Harley's origin story that was ever written. It did not make it on the air of the original Batman animated series and was instead written and illustrated as a one shot by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, producers for the show.

When Batman went back into production on the WB as the New Adventures, Mad Love finally got the animated treatment it deserved. Looking back at this now it's clear they used this to storyboard the episode which work perfectly. Of course there were scenes that had to be cut for the show whether it was length or content. Read the novel to find out how Harley really made it through college and got her degree. But all in all, the episode is a pretty solid adaptation of this fantastic story and Harley remains one of the best additions to Batman in the show and in comics.

This is the original origin story of Harley Quinn, written years before she made the transition from cartoon character to mainstream DC comic book character. The Batman: Gotham Knights episode "Mad Love" was based on this graphic novel, and they are almost identical in both design and dialogue. There are a few key differences and additions to the story which were not shown in the animated episode however. For example, the ending is basically the same, but worded differently. (Personally, I prefer the wording in the cartoon, but no matter.)

Despite all the character changes, interpretations, and adaptations that have been made from Paul Dini/Bruce Timm's original vision of Harley, accept no substitutes. The original IS the best. This is Harley as she was meant to be characterized. And you will be hard-pressed to find a comic book written and drawn as vividly and engaging as this one; I own hundreds of comic books, and this is one of my very top favorites. Definitely one of Paul Dini/Bruce Timm's best works, and a testiment to why Harley Quinn became the character so intriguing that she did the impossible and made the crossover to mainstream DC continuity.

Based on one of the best of the animated Batman episodes, "Mad Love" tells how Harley Quinn, chief henchwoman and paramour of the Joker, got her warped start. Once, a respected psychiatrist at infamous Arkham Asylum, Dr. Quinn becomes infatuated with her "patient", The Joker", turns her life topsy-turvy, and allies herself with "the clown prince of crime".

After falling from The Joker's favor, Quinn plots to capture Batman, the one that she blames for her "rift" with The Joker. Her "solution" to a backfired Joker prank is priceless.

For fans of both the series and the legend of Batman, this is a visit that one must make.

This book is actually the screen play for the film. It is not a comic book. If you are looking for the actual comic, look elsewhere.

The only thing that keeps me from giving this movie the full 5 stars is my disappointment at WB's decision to tone it down before release. The action and plot development are more intense than they regularly dared in the televised shows, and all things considered, it is very good, despite the fact that I know it would have been so much more. One warning, however. I made the mistake of checking out the extras first, and it ruined the surprise at the end. A definite must for animated bat-fans.

When WB first started running ads for "Batman Beyond," I must admit I was skeptical. "Batman: the Animated Series" and its subsequent series had been among my favorite shows, but having a show that was wholeheartedly separate from the Batman canon was a little questionable, in my mind. BTAS had done a few things to ignore the comic story, like eschewing the tragic story of Jason Todd in favor of skipping right to Tim Drake in the line of Robins, but that can be chalked up more to network censorship and showing people what they would want to see (which is not Robin getting beaten to death by the Joker). I was also a little worried the series would go the way of "Extreme Ghostbusters," taking an excellent cartoon with wonderful characters and throwing it away for a cheap grab at a new market.
Having said all that: Batman Beyond definitely exceeded my expectations, and this movie went beyond that. The movie format allowed some things to happen that could have never happened in the TV show--the ten minute flashback showing the Joker's torture of Robin, and the terrifying grotesque skeleton's grin forced onto Tim's face as a result. But unlike many attempts, live-action and animated, to delve into the psyche of the Batman both as a hero regardless of who wears the cowl and as the men who have worn the suit, this really hits a home run. Bruce Wayne's motivation for ending his use of a Robin and eventually ending his career as Batman is revealed, as well as his hesitancy to let Terry be Batman at all, let alone be Batman without his supervision from afar.
If you could care less about the psychological drama of some guy who dresses up as a bat, the action scenes and smooth flow of the plot provide plenty of entertainment. The "whodunit" aspect is especially played up and detective work, something the Batman has always been known for and that has been sorely lacking from all but the first live-action Batman movie (that's the 1989 one, not the campy 1966 movie or any of the rarely-mentioned 1940s productions), is especially present.
Check it out; it's worth renting or owning, with a great story and character development.

If you haven't yet seen the Batman Beyond movie, Return of the Joker, buy it and watch it now. Go! Shoo!

Yes, WB did edit the movie.

Yes, it would have been better unedited, assuming you are 11-ish or older.

Yes, the movie is still totally 'Schway'. It rocks! Buy it! Now! Great art, nice music, tight like a drum story.

What I did? I bought the movie and this book, which is the _UNEDITED_ screenplay. I watched the movie, then read this book to see the difference. Slight, but noticeable. The models in the back were a nice touch- needed more Dee-Dee pictures. ;-)

How come there aren't Dee-Dee action figures? I want them.

After reading the screenplay for Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, I CANNOT wait for the video. This was VERY well written and explains what happened to the Joker, Harley Quinn & Tim Drake, (Robin), and why the Joker is still around after all this time in a believable and understandable manner. They even explain why Bruce walks with a limp & cane now, (& it's not because he got old either). I hope WB does not edit ONE SECOND of the screenplay as it will do it an injustice. As with the others, I do not want to give out any spoilers but I will say that there are many twists, suspenseful moments and surprises that'll make you want to read it over and over. This is a must read for anyone who follows BB and wanted to know where the rest of the "Batman family" is after all these years.

There are a few unanswered questions though like why Bruce stopped being Batman, (though that WAS explained in the very first episode), whatever happened to Nightwing & why Bruce has a costume "tribute" of Harley Quinn, especially after what she & the Joker did...sorry, can't give away any spoilers, (though if you're dying to know, just look at the character drawings in the back of the book to get an idea. That's as close as you'll get from me about a spoiler). However, those minor omissions are more than made up for by the clever & well written plot & story about the rest of the characters. I highly recommend this book for every Batman & Batman Beyond fan.

Dini's writing is outstanding, and winnyck's ain't notin' to sneer at.

The art is great, making the most out of the 2 main characters. Chiodo is a good choice, BTW.

Humor abounds, and you WILL have a good time reading this. Well worth the money.

I'd also recommend these--

Evil Inc Annual Report 2005

Evil Inc Annual Report vol. 2

Humor & villainy make a great combination.

THis had great art, for the most part, but the stories were not very serious. More of a mindless fun. But if you like the batman animated series (with a more hmmm adult feel I would say) this is great ;)

The early nineties were a special time for Bat-fans of my generation. Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski (with a lot of help from a talented bunch of animators, directors, voice-actors and writers, including Paul Dini) brightened the afternoons of countless wide-eyed kids with the Emmy award winning Batman: The Animated Series. The show broke barriers in scripting, design, story-telling, voice acting and all-ages entertainment, forever raising the bar for animated television.

On top of this achievement, Paul Dini and Bruce Timm also gave the world Harley Quinn. A hopelessly romantic goofy hench-girl, Harley Quinn irreparably added `puddin' to the Clown Prince of Crime's list of aliases. But for many, the event which catapulted Harley into fame and `top-10' popularity was the master-stroke of teaming the crazy hyperactive goofball with Gotham's deadliest, sexiest sociopath environmentalist: Poison Ivy.

These memories leapt at me when I spied the gorgeous and unmistakably Bruce Timm style cover of the Harley and Ivy trade paperback on the shelf at my local comic store. I was barraged with a tidal wave of childhood nostalgia (adult nostalgia for some of you), but also a healthy dose of scepticism. Sure Dini and Timm are both named on the cover, but how could a comic-book ever hope to recreate the spirit of the animated series and its iconic portrayal of the characters? Well, I'm happy to say, this book delivers.

This volume collects three different stories. The first is artist Ronnie Del Carmen and writer Paul Dini's short and sweet "The Bet". Originally only seen in black and white in the pages of Gotham Knights #14 (and collected in Batman Black and White Volume 2), this trade presents the story in full glorious colour for the first time, and the experience is truly a joy. Locked away in Arkham Asylum, cell-neighbors and bosom pals Harley and Ivy make a simple bet: that Ivy can't get a kiss from every man in the asylum... of course, things become complicated when Harley's object of eternal affection, the Joker, is next in line for the smooch... Dini's attention to detail and cheeky humour is perfectly complemented by Del Carmen's smooth professional cartooning. The length is just right, and the story is the perfect introduction to these characters.

The second story, writer Judd Winnick and artist Joe Chiodo's "Love on the Lam" is unfortunately somewhat weaker. After negotiating a peaceful compromise between Joker and Two-face simultaneously attempting to rob a museum, Harley is kicked out of the hide-out, and decides to get back in her puddin's good graces by pulling off her own job. But (of course) not without first enlisting some help from an old (and thoroughly unimpressed) friend Ivy. Batman steps in to foil the game, same old, same old. Chiodo's artwork here is a disappointment. Attempting to straddle the line between Timm's Animated look and a more abstracted expressionist painted style, the result is an inconsistent (yet very well coloured) mess. The occasional excellent panel or humorous line of dialogue could not save this story, but is still readable if not entirely memorable.

Fortunately, Timm and Dini's three-part `Harley and Ivy' mini-series caps off this book, and with the expected consummate flair of two well-known and highly praised professionals. Just seeing the two working together is joy enough, but the work itself is some of the best, taking a slightly more adult tone than the original cartoon series. Harley must win back Red's favour after smashing a pot containing the only specimen of an extremely rare and valuable plant over Batman's head. Between Red's idle fantasies of decapitating/asphyxiating/incinerating her `pal', the adventure takes the two ex-best-friends to a corrupt South American country where they enslave the corrupt dictator with a kiss, do battle with a pair of psychotic homosexual lumberjacks, and accidentally knock-out one unfortunate frog. The crazy ladies then cap it all off by producing and directing an (eerily familiar) flashy, expensive, and over the top flick about themselves, complete with day-glo paint on the set. Harley of course spends the whole budget on a diamond-studded Harlequinn outfit, and quite a few Batman stunt-men get mangled, much to the girls' delight... until the Batman steps in to put a stop to their mad-cap antics (and as far as Ivy's concerned, not entirely a bad thing). The jokes throughout Dini and Timm's rollercoaster ride are fast and furious, as are the entertaining and varied fight sequences. Litter in a healthy helping of subtle adult humour, some cheesy fan-pleasing shower scenes (curse those conveniently placed soap bubbles!), and lightening-fast dialogue, and the story becomes one of the most enjoyable and hilarious superhero comics in recent memory.

"Harley and Ivy" is a gem, a must-read for fans of the animated series, and a joy for fans of light-hearted and humorous comics. Despite the weak middle story, the Dini/Carmen and the Dini/Timm stories are both perfectly crafted and overall FUN stories, and the book is cheap enough that there's simply no excuse to not pick it up. The stories carefully tread the `all-ages' line, with just enough adult content to be sly and suggestive, but subtle enough that the kids won't notice. Buy and enjoy.

So if you couldn't already tell from the title, this trade contains 3 stories starring the ditsy, Joker loving, Harley Quinn, and the irresistible protector of plants, Poison Ivy.

Writer and Harley creator, Dini, writes two of the stories in here. The first is a short story taking place in Arkham where the girls in adjacent cells start a bet to see who can kiss the most guards. Batman and Joker make brief cameos. Nothing too spectacular about it, just a silly story.

The second story is written by Judd Winnick and painted by Joe Chiodo. The story isn't too bad. Harley tries to pull off a big heist in order to get back in the Joker's good graces with the help of Ivy. My biggest complaints here are while the painted artwork is good, it's a little too cartoony in places, and Batman is completely out of character here, with his dialogue and his facial expressions when he's spewing out lines like, "Hey! That tickles!". Surprising, since Winnick wrote a much better interpretation in Under the Hood, albeit with better artwork.

The last and best story is also written by Dini and illustrated by Bruce Timm, both producers on the fantastic animated series. Dini, of course, is the best Harley writer and her personality rings true with every word. Timm's art isn't the best ever, but it works really well with Dini's writing, especially since he draws it in the animated series style (which is based off his concept art) and here he is able to get away with drawing the girls half naked and quite sexy which would never make it past television censors.

The story is spread out over three parts, with Ivy trying to create slaves with the help of an ancient zombie root and Harley accidentally foiling their plans. The story takes them to a rain forest in Costa Mesa and eventually Hollywood where they attempt to halt production on a movie based on them. Once again, Batman only plays a minor role but the girls keep things moving and you hardly even notice his absence because you're too busy checking out Harley and Ivy in the prison shower at Arkham.

Overall there's nothing groundbreaking in these pages, but that's not the intention. If you're looking for a Batman story, you won't find it here. This is a quick, fun read and a must for fans of the title characters.

Artwork is not the best. Cannot be compared to that of The Best of Spiderman Hardcover.

This was a nice collection of stories. I especially enjoyed Evan Dorkin's humorous contribution. The reprints were unecessary. Any Cap collector worth his salt has them already. Why not give us two more original stories? Or if you MUST reprint something, why not reprint Joe Simon/Jack Kirby's original Cap stories? Or some 40's or 50's stories we've rarely seen?

The original stories here, however, are stellar. Worth the asking price for a nice hardcover.

This deluxe celebration of Captain America, in all his red-white-&-blue glory, features contributions by dozens of top comicbook artists, including Paul Dini and Alex Ross, Frank Quitely, Max Allan Collins, Bill Sienkiewicz, David Lloyd and others. To a surprising degree, many of these tributes take a light, irreverent tone, poking fun at Cap's "boy scout" image, or (more predictably) probing the contradictary cross-currents of patriotism, tolerance and patriotic dissent, with Cap's dual role as democratic torchbearer and militaristic icon. There are several campy gems, including Evan Dorkin's "Skull And Zemo," a villainous, chaotic romp with two of Cap's oldest and most static baddies, "Capsploitation," a what-if remake that casts CA and Falcon in a B-grade "Shaft" mode, as well as "Red Raid," a hilariously psychosexual fantasy piece... There are also some older, "classic" stories, and it is here that the book falls flat. The Lee/Kirby short, "The Fantastic Origin Of The Red Skull," is a swell gem from the "Tales Of Suspense" days, but other entries are disappointing... A hamfisted, poorly illustrated '80s-era tolerance lesson from Roger Stern and Frank Miller seems like a weak entry -- if you were going to reprint an emblematic story, what about the Watergate-era bombshell ("Captain America" #176) wherein Cap discovers the bad guy who'd been plaguing him for months was none other than the country's commander-in-chief (which led to his political disillusionment, and the subsequent, rather strained "Nomad" plotline...)...? Anyway, the book closes with a teaser from John Ney Rieber's post-9/11 "Enemy" saga, which is a high note to end on, even if it was a cliffhanger... All in all, if you're a Captain America fan, this is a pretty enjoyable book which, probably wisely, doesn't take the character's mythology too seriously. A fun read!

This book made me fall in love with comics all over again after about a 15 year absence (the release of the horrible G.I. Joe #50).

If Marvel put out a hardcover book like this 'bout Cap every year I would buy it the day it was released.

I love its "catalogue" feel. Like a Cap sampler. There's probably 2 chapters I could live without. The rest are pure joy.

I also highly recommend Captain America- The New Deal.

This book is an extension of the animated series, with all stories written by Paul Dini, and a majority of the artwork by co-creator of the series Bruce Timm. Producer/character designer Glen Murakami also adds his pencils to the the Batman Annual collected in here.

This was created a few years before the New Adventures was put into production so there are a couple things that carried over into the show once it was put back into production. Such as the introduction of Roxy Rocket. In here is her first appearance before she was given her own episode and back story in "The Ultimate Thrill".

This story involves a look at some of Batman's rogues trying to go straight but how it never works out in their favor, such as Harley, Scarecrow, and my favorite, Arnold Wesker the Ventriloquist and Scarface. I always feel sorry for Arnold and his never ending struggle to rid himself of Scarface. This story is no less tragic.

There's the Christmas themed segment that involves top cops Montoya and Bullock under cover as a mall Santa and elf of course. This story was later adapted into a 3 part Christmas themed episode of the series and it was cool to see that most of the dialog stayed intact. The Demon vs. Ra's Al Ghul story wasn't so bad, considering how rushed it was reading what Timm had to say on the slap dash way it was put together. If they had worked out the kinks a little better, I think it could have made a decent episode.

The last and best story included here is "Mad Love". As I have already reviewed this previously in its single book form, I won't go into it again here except to say it's a great story about the origin of Harley and was also lated adapted into an episode of the series. For fans, this is worth owning, as I consider it all in the same continuity and therefore, it's like the lost episodes for those who want more.

I bought this book simply because it had "Mad Love" in it---but it was a bigger bonus than that. As soon as i bought it, I actually sat down at a little table in the mall and read. And boy, can I say it was worth my money!

It starts off with a little Poison Ivy story where Ivy uses a giant seaweed serpent to steal the money from Bruce Wayne's 10th Annual Chraity Fund. But of course, who has to fly in to save the day?

Right afterwards is the Batman Annual, with "GOing Straight," a series of stories within a story. Roxanne "Roxy Rocket" Sutton was released from prison after two years, two years since her encounter with Batman. As Batman watches her on the news, he reminsces about others who have tried to "go straight": Arnold Wesker (the Ventriloquist), Harleen Quinzel (Harley Quinn), and Jonathon Crane (the Scarecrow). Each is its own separate story.

"Puppet Show" (the segment starring the Ventriolquist) shows how Arnold Wesker has found work as a puppeteer on a TV show. Unfortunately, the show is to go out of business in a week, and the star is not too pleased, and plots to rid herself of the owner of the studio---with Scarface.

The next segement, "24 Hours" shows how Harley cannot last for tenty-four hours without etting into trouble.

In "Study Hall," the Scarecrow teaches a college boy the consequences of abusing a poor, defenseless girl---especially when that poor, defenseless girl is his best student!

To continue with the main "Roxy Rocket" story, Batman is called to police headquarters, where they have supposedly caught Roxy on tape---robbing the Fly Rite Airplane Company's safe! Is Roxy the real caper or is it...somone else?

The next comic is a short called "Laughter After Midnight," a small strip showing the Joker on an average night out---fight with Batman, bump off a few people, get a donut, bump off someone else, get some newspapers, bump off someone else, call Harley for a ride home while at the same time getting into trouble with the police, then relieving a cop of his car in a getaway.

The next two comics I did not care for. The first was called "Jolly Old Saint Nick," where Bullock and Montoya disguise themselves as Santa and an elf to work as undercover cops to hopefully catch some shoplifters. The only reason this comic was any good at all was because Batgirl came to save the day--from Clayface.

The other one I did not like was "Demons": one with ra's Al Ghul trying to get this tablet to bring a creature out of the depths of Hell. I never did like Ra's, (not to mention some of the images were a bit disturbing) so this naturally did not amuse me.

The best part of this whole book was "Mad Love" itself, respectfully put in the back, as they saved the best for last. In its greatness, this one deseers a full review. (Warning: the following may contain spoilers)

"Mad Love" is Harley Quinn's story. It starts out in a dentists' office, where Harley and Joker attempt to kill Gordon, before Batman arrives in the nick of time. batman arrives home and looks up Harley's history. She won a gymnastic scholarship to Gotham University in high school, but her real goal was to get a degree in psychology. As Batman says, "Never mind that she didn't want to get it by studying." To nicely put it, she bribed her teachers by means of looks and love.

Back at the Joker's hideout, the Joker is trying to find the perfect revenge on Batman. Harley wants to "play." However, he is more concerned on the perfect plan to get back at Batman. He finds one that might work - hang him over a tank of piranhas - but tosses it aside, because piranhas cannot smile.

Harley is really getting on the Joker's nerves by now with her "playful" (cough) antics, and he throws her downstairs. There, Harley reminisces about Batman being in the way of her and her Puddin', and begins to remember when she first met the Joker.

Harley was a doctor at Arkham Asylum, where she met the Joker. He liked her name. "Harley QUIN-zel. Rework it a bit and you get 'Harley Quinn,' like the classic clown character Harlequin!" She did several sessions with the Joker and with each one, she fell more and more in love and lost more and more sanity. One night, after he had escaped, Batman brought the Joker back, bruised and bleeding. harley was determined to get him out of the asylum, so she broke into a novelty shop, donned the Harlequin outfit and broke him out of arkham. They had been together since. End the memories.

The Joker is asleep now, and she finds his plans--and sees them upside down. Updside-down, piranhas look like they are smiling. The perfect plan...

Harley then lures Batman to the docks, claiming she has vital information for him in exchange for protection from the Joker. She says that the Joker was going to turn Gotham into "one big grinning ghost town." Batman falls for it. (...)

"Mad Love" is the greatest comic ever! The rest were god, but this was tops! I highly recommend this book just for "Mad Love"!

This book is written as an interview, to get the thoughts of the artist directly from himself. A lot of background information on the artists influences, as well as his techniques. Bruce Timm was heavily involved with the WB animated series of Batman, Batman Beyond, Justice League, and many others. Great information on how these series came to be and how the art was developed from his viewpoint. The book has art throughout, mainly sketches of how a character and TV series came to be. It's facinating to see the various versions of an animated super hero before it's finalized for production.

As other reviews have stated, this is basically a book-length interview with "Batman: The Animated Series" co-creator Bruce Timm. It's a quick, conversational read detailing Timm's somewhat reluctant entry into the world of animation through the production of "Justice League".

What'll you get: Lots of great Timm line art fleshes out the pages, showing his progression from toy-insert mini-comics to extremely influential animator/comic penciler. Those curious about the history of Timm's various animation projects will enjoy some behind the scenes info. If you're interested in breaking into comics or animation, you'll learn how Bruce did it (decades ago), though it's not likely to be vary relevent to your endeavors.

What you won't get: There's not a lot of time spent on Timm's techniques or methods - this isn't a very technical interview. Also, any of his recent projects (like Justice League: Unlimited) fall after the making of this book.

If you're a hardcore Bruce Timm fan, you'll definitely want this in your collection. It's a very enjoyable read. However, if you're looking for insight on "making it" in the comis/cartoon world, move along...

You don't know Bruce Timm unless you've read this indepth interview. Passionnate, accurate, detailed, this is another welcome one in Modern masters Series. I won't give it a 5 stars rating as iconography unfortunately falls behind text (you can find much more on the internet). There are manys pics and drawings anyway, some unveiled for the first time. Comments accompanying those reveal a lot, kind of behind the scenes stuff about one of the greatest all time artist. A must have for Bruce Timm fans, comics books fans and animation fans alike!!

I have always been a fan of Bruce Timm so this book seemed like a no brainer. This book covers his life up to the end of the Justice League cartoon (and has a few of his early JLU designs). It is an interesting book when he is talking about his early years in animation and his comic work, but anyone who has watched the special features on his DVDs already knows most of the story.

However, like a comic itself the story is only half the battle. This book is filled with tons of Bruce Timm art and if you like his style this is a real treat. There are pictures of monsters, marvel characters, DC characters and of course lots of sexy women. The end of the book has a color art gallery, which looks great.

If you want to learn more about Bruce Timm's life and style you should pick up this book.

Bruce's work is masterful in it's simplicity and emotion, a second coming of Jack Kirby. Although many argue, myself included, that "the King" can never be equalled. Mr Timm has come close. There are a few artists, comic books may it be, that can show emotions for their characters without going overboard. I can only wish that the book could have provided a more elegant way of presenting that talent.

Don't get me wrong, I am a great appreciator of Wally Wood's art, but this sketchbook is just that, very very rough sketches. If you thought you might see some unused covers, or detailed drawings that Wood just did for pleasure, sorry, no go. These sketches are pretty bare bones, just Wood scratching out some ideas, and a lot of the drawings have hardly any intrinsic interest at all. I suppose, if you a completist, than you will like this book.

The book does have some good interviews, including a rare one with Wood himself. The editors unfortunately chose to put the interviews on the margins of the pages, the book is not very big, about the size of a comic, so the art is squeezed into the same space as the text. The sentences are very short, making for choppy reading. An odd choice, and one that does not serve the art, or the text.

This book is filled with wonderful drawings. I had never heard of wally wood before but as an artist myself was very inspired by his amazing work. This book shows just how ahead of his time wally wood was and can be an inspiration to any sci-fi fan.

Anything with Wood is a masterpiece. This is an excellent addition to anyone's collection of Wood art. Wally Wood was a master of cartooning. He was a great artist that deserves mention amongst the notables of great art. Squ Tront and Russ Cochran's ec reprints provide the public with much of Wood's work. However, his sketchbooks are hard to find. His sketchbooks reveal the creative genius he had. His suicide is a great tragedy. I saw him at a convention in 1980. I noticed at that time he was quite despondent. It's an aweful thing he didn't have anyone to talk to. May God rest his soul.

This book is filled with wonderful drawings. I had never heard of wally wood before but as an artist myself was very inspired by his amazing work. This book shows just how ahead of his time wally wood was and can be an inspiration to any sci-fi fan.

Wood is known as one of the early Mad magazine artists, but it's nice to see some preliminary sketches of his other work here. With examples of various genres, including both ink and pencil drawings, this slim volume doesn't really have his best stuff. Woody's work has a slightly stiff and old-fashioned quality, but if you're interested in illustration or science fiction (especially of the 1950's), this is passable. A lot of weird and absurd images, obsessively rendered. I was struck by the long hours he must have put in. The bio describes the sad end of his life. For better examples of Wood's cartooning, get reprints of '50s era Mad magazines. For his classic sci-fi illustrations, "Against the Grain: Mad Artist Wallace Wood" has more to offer than this book, but it's much more expensive.

Being rather new to the Avengers had this volume of Avengers Assemble leaving me scratching my head. This volume is definitely for folks who know the Avengers and have known the Avengers for years and years and years. Overall the story wasn't bad, but having just read Avengers Assemble volume 2 and the Ultron story within, this volume is just a quagmire of history.

Perhaps I would feel different if I knew the old characters and understood their significance. But, considering I have enjoyed both the first and second volumes of Avengers Assemble, knowing as little as I do about them, my only guess is that this volume relies more on the readers knowledge of the past. I constantly felt like the scenes I was witnessing should be more dramatic, should have more significance if I just understood the complex relationship of these villains to the characters. I know Perez/Busiek is a great team, but Perez actually leaves the series during this volume, which is somewhat of a sad turn for the series.

It has some highlights, some "evidently" dramatic turns, but overall, not nearly as good as the previous volume. If you are a long time fan, this book is for you. If you are a newbie, or just want to collect the best, then avoid this volume.

The Busiek/Perez combo for me is the quintessential Avengers creative team and in this collection they prove their prowess yet again.

Following the Ultron Unlimited story arc that features in Avengers Assemble 2 this volume sees a huge clash over the skies of New York guest staring many big marvel names a very interesting line-up change, Silver Claw leading the team back to her South American homeland and a very well executed crossover with the Thunderbolts featuring Count Nefaria. If you're a new fan of the current marvel product you owe it to yourself to pick up these beautiful volumes and get a look at some of the Avengers recent history. In fact, the Busiek/Perez run is the ideal starting spot as Busiek has a thorough knowledge of Avengers history and manages to fit in a great deal of it while telling these new tales.

Volume 3 continues the great presentation of the series and contains what I'd probably call the most consistently good issues of the first three volumes. Five stars.

Lady Shiva swap.


As part of the whole One Year Later deal, the Birds of Prey have a new member - Lady Shiva - the Canary has gone off for some further training, leaving Shiva replace her as part of this deal.

Needless to say, the international assassin and mega-martial artist and the rest of the Birds have different working styles.

Or, what do you get if you stone cold deadpan killer, ex-mafia chick, and a librarian?


4 out of 5

I first started to like this book with Chuck Dixon. No disrespect to him but Gail Simone is very good. I recommend all the Birds of Prey titles with her writing. Too bad she has moved on to Wonder Woman. The art is also very good.

Although I disliked previous TPB , I must admit this one has plot, humor and everything that made me start collecting Birds of Prey! Not many people can write like this, and art is good or great, like always.

This book collects yet more of writer Gail Simone's run on DC Comics' Birds of Prey series. Collects issues #86-90 & 92-95. Issue #91 was omitted,but doesn't hurt the collected storyline(as #91 was just a 'standalone' story).

(since some have apparently not found my review helpful, I have re-written it...!)

I have read and enjoyed all the previous BOP graphic novels. The art and writing have been consistently entertaining. Especially appealing was the penciling of Ed Benes. I was eagerly awaiting the current compilation, and pre-ordered it...

The cover features work by one of my favorite artists, Terry Dodson, so I was looking forward to his work inside. Unfortunately, I couldn't even manage to finish reading this book. The artwork is not by Benes, or Dodson, it's by Paulo Siqueira, a gentleman who seems to have no business penciling comic books at all. The artwork is amateurish at best. The compositions and layouts are lifeless, and the rendering of the human form is crude. I am sorry to say this is a real fall from grace for a book that has enjoyed a several years as one of the best in the DC lineup. It is a shame that Ms. Simone's skillful writing has to be interpreted by this low-rent hack of a artist.