Batman: Year Two Review

You've read Year One but what about Year Two?

[@mechkota]

For me Batman: The Long Halloween is spiritual sequel to year one to me

[@cosmoissleeping]

I was going to post that Long Halloween is much more like a Batman Year 2 book. But you beat me to it

[@cosmoissleeping]

@_ Spartan _ hmm. Maybe then yes

[@christiankincaid313]

@Joe Mama I have a different order. YEAR ONE, SHAMAN, BATMAN AND THE MONSTER MEN/BATMAN AND THE MAD MONK, PREY, and THE MAN WHO LAUGHS all take place in "Year One." GOTHIC and TERROR take place in "Year Two." GOING SANE and VENOM are "Year Three." THE LONG HALLOWEEN goes from "Year Three" to "Year Four." DARK VICTORY and YEAR TWO comprise all of "Year Five" with DARK VICTORY continuing into "Year Six." I could do this all day. It was dumb of DC to even do a YEAR TWO and then over the next 15 years have countless stories take place in Batman's first few years of operation. Kinda fucks with continuity.

[@ZeroKnight00]

Actually it is. After zero hora, year two was eliminated from the main batman history line (canon). Histories like prey, terror, gothic, the man who laughs, and others happens, before, during and after to the long Halloween. We know this because dark victory it's the direct sequel of Long Halloween, and in this history, bruce meets dick and he becomes robin, and the comics tell us many times that robin joins Batman in his 3 year.... but however, the "real canon" it's completely personal, if you want that LH. And no Y2 be the direct sequel of year one it's you decision...

[@aToxinProduction]

i agree.

[@Jokerman090]

At least we got Mask of Phantasm out of this.

[@shawnswint1521]

Not to Mention Some Good Artwork by Todd McFarlane.

[@RadinV1]

Well the whole "year" thing was because it showed a year,then the real year 2 is the long halloween

[@eyedot7030]

This video is going to get a lot of views once The Batman comes out.

[@noble6isbetterthanmasterch136]

That’s the reason I searched it up.

[@Add183]

Noble 6 is better than Master Chief yup

[@CayeDaws]

If this is what The Batman is based on then I'm worried for the movie

[@redrabbitjohnson]

Prior to this video my only knowledge of this book was that bizarre cover. I remember seeing it at a comic shop or book store and just being confused and vaguely offended.

[@frutigerlol]

I found out about this by seeing the cover in TV Tropes

[@plasticweapon]

Redmund bat fans are ideologues.

[@macafromthewired]

@Christopher Marlowe are you ok

[@johnny2demax]

Offended hahaha get a life

[@jayfolk]

I think the batman mythos really runs down to the fans batman library, picking & choosing what's most in line with their ideal batman.

[@CartoonManWhoo]

Thank you! This was a fantastic comment and observation. Batman is nothing but what we as fans make him. If we like the modern Batman, he is a jerk and a psycho-ninja. If we like classic Batman he is a steadfast, heroic and obsessed. If we take all of these as the same character and just read a lot, we can build our own head canons. Some may not like Starlin's Batman for example, but to others that may be their fav. run. A lot o people hate Max Collins' run, but to me that's central to who my Batman is!

[@mphylo2296]

It's called a mythos for a reason. The stories aren't meant to all fit neatly into a greater canon.

[@CartoonManWhoo]

​@@mphylo2296 Agreed. It's interesting how some iconic stories, like Knightfall, get a herd mentality because they are iconic, but some of those are overlong events that really suck. On the other hand, so many great runs from the late 70's to literally just before and after Year One are ignored. Maybe they are unaware?

[@mphylo2296]

@@CartoonManWhoo Yeah Knightfall is interesting because it seems like people remember it fondly moreso because of the concept behind the event rather than because the event itself was all that memorable or well written. I mean I enjoyed reading it well enough, even the AzBat stuff, but it wasn't really all that remarkable as a series and frankly I barely remember what happens in most of it. When you hear people talk about Knightfall it's more just general, broad comments about how cool it was that Bane broke Batman. Nobody really talks about the AzBat stuff or the Prodigal arc. It's just that climax to the Arkham Breakout arc where Bane ambushes Batman in the cave. I haven't really dived into pre-80s Batman but I've been reading The New Teen Titans and it's like the polar opposite of Knightfall. The whole run is fondly remembered, although some stories are more praised than others.

[@CartoonManWhoo]

@@mphylo2296 Yeah. No Man's Land was better by far, but even still, I am in a minority of Bat-fans that can no longer enjoy it because it was so damned long. Read it 15 years ago, in college, and by the time I was done, was exhausted. For me, Batman is best when he doesn't have bags and bags of continuity to weigh him down. All superheroes are.

[@aToxinProduction]

I think the books that best encapsulate bruce wayne's career as batman are: YEAR ONE, THE LONG HOLLOWEEN, & THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS (which is kind of what the Nolan trilogy adapted and drew from.)

[@princeblackelf4265]

I did notice some odd lifts in Mask of the Phantasm from this story but they tweak them and make them their own in a much more satisfying way

[@HeyFella]

I'm so happy you released another video. You're a criminally underrated content creator.

[@timjohnson8362]

This seems like a prototype version mask of the phantasm

[@soniamercado1514]

The Reaper is a awesome character wish they would bring him back

[@chrisbuttonshaw2088]

they did .... kind of ..... when Dick was Batman #692-697 he was brought back (or at least A Reaper)

[@thongattack1]

Yes! Great video as always! Your editing is on point and deserves more subscribers!

[@ZachBPresentz]

great video man, really looking forward to watching this. nobody ever really does a thorough recap of lesser known batman stories and this is one that I have always wanted to see. Keep up the great work and the great picks!!!

[@RadinV1]

What's the sequel to year one? Prey Monster men The man who laughs Long halloween Year 2 Long halloween

[@inhaledfarts4221]

You did a really great job with this. I appreciate the level of production.

[@AldenRDavis]

The character of The Reaper (Judson Caspian) is a socialite by day, and a masked vigilante by night. After he lost his wife to a street thief, he becomes a brutal, ultraviolet masked vigilante, the Reaper who prowls the streets of Gotham City during the 1950s, targeting would-be criminals and juvenile delinquents and killing them with two scythe-like weapons, which also double as a handgun and smoke pellets dispensers. As the Reaper, Caspian wears a red-leather armored suit made of boiled leather which grants him a level of imperviousness to blunt force trauma and bullets. His armor also tipped at the knee and fist with spikes to heighten the impact of any blows he deals with his opponent. Caspian has no known superhuman abilities. He is a capable hand-to-hand fighter, and proficient with short bladed weapons.

[@pablovargas8068]

The mask of the phantom for me was the year two adaptation

[@ScrewBallTheAlien]

I could’ve sworn I read a Batman story where The Reaper was the villain but his backstory was that he was a Holocaust survivor hunting down Nazi collaborators decades after the war, ala modern magneto without powers or the mutant supremacist angle.

[@BlackKryptonian]

This is the first comic my Dad gave me as a kid.

[@willgillies5670]

I dont think Caspian needed much motivation to return to the role of the Reaper...He probably just liked it. Not just that he, like all ego maniacs he saw it was HIS work to restore order.Him. Only him

[@agent_meister477]

Year Two is no classic, but still heads and shoulders over All Star Batman & Robin.

[@Athorment]

anything is above all star batman & Robin

[@assassinsknight]

Son of the demon is very much cannon now lol

[@megablakish]

Great video as always. Year Two is a tough story to pin down, I’m glad you chose to tackle it in a similar manner to your Dark Knight Strikes Again video. I think that Alan Davis drew pupils on the cover because Neal Adams did it a lot in the 70’s in closeup shots where the scene needed an expressive approach. I’d also like to say that the irony of Barr writing a terrible copycat Batman is that he wrote the best copycat Batman story “The Player on the Other Side” from Batman Special #1, which Grant Morrison ripped for his Prometheus character in JLA. I recommend that story if you want to see the peak of Barr on Batman.

[@talking_in_code]

+blake morabito Ha, that sounds really cool. I'll give it a look. Thanks.

[@darkwoods1954]

Had this story not been titles Year Two I think it would hold up better. Calling it Year Two invites comparisons to Year One in which it pales considerably. But as just a regular Batman story I think it's quite interesting, just rushed. I can see a young Batman early in his career questioning if maybe he should use guns and I like the concept and design of the Reaper. Just none of it gets the development it needed to really work.

[@onewingedanime]

Love the videos. Beautifully edited and the analysis is always well-thought. I had a problem understanding you because of the volume of the background music in some parts though.

[@ReverendDudeKyle]

Really love your videos! Maybe you could do some Nightwing stories? Nightwing is my personal favorite superhero (along with Superman, because of Morrison's All Star and Landis's American Alien) but I don't know too many Nightwing stories outside of Rebirth

[@talking_in_code]

+ContentOverStyle I hear good things about New 52 Nightwing (called Grayson following Dick's identity being revealed) co written by Tom King though I haven't read it myself.

[@ReverendDudeKyle]

The Unintentional Fallacy I only started buying when Rebirth started so I wouldn't know anything myself

[@pablovargas3585]

I read this one and always felt the mask of the fantom vibes

[@ZZEEBBRRA]

Blast from the past. Thank you for the review. This was probably the first graphic novel I read, without knowledge of Batman lore. Thought it kinda fell apart near the end, but I enjoyed it at the time. With more knowledge, I probably shouldn’t revisit beyond your review though

[@jazeliza97]

Here because i cant wait to see Battinson in 2021 ! - bts fan

[@WassaPunk]

Oh lord. I know batman used a gun but, damn

[@Url_Seth]

School here in the UK have year groups called Year 1-11 instead of Grade

[@williamdoherty7824]

This was the first batman comic/graphic novel I ever read!

[@kcsledge95]

My main criticsm on Y2 is what I see frequently from Mike W. Barr--excessive use of exposition.

[@osiancoleman8447]

Year 2 was reprinted again this year I think.

[@greven1995]

Wow, finally!

[@jayfolk]

greven1995 not helpful, just say thanks. people have other duties besides their yt channel.

[@merlinsiervo]

YOURE BACK

[@leafyishereisdumbnameakath4259]

What's the background music? It's familiar

[@kcthesledgestoryteller]

I always felt that Y2’s issues were its being very exposition-heavy, and ham-fisted motivations from both Batman and the Reaper. The art showed a lot of wonderful imagery, so I will give that, and what others mentioned-influencing Mask of the Phantasm.

[@willgillies5670]

Despite its issues I amstill fond of this story...The SEQUEL, Full Circle is worth a look though, because ....and I MAY be blasphemous....I hated Todd McFarlanes art in this. Alan Davis pencils seemed better suited. And of course the Phantasm film

[@snapshot-tom]

This is uncanny, I also read this and Batman Hong Kong in a public library when I was a kid.

[@paulpolpiboon9535]

Both amazing Art. Visually shows the REAL Batman.

[@HoboTheHenry]

Is that music from the Watchmen motion comic?....... It is.....IT IS

[@lallenlowe]

What music did you use in this episode?

[@cineliterate]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fam2ppWaZraijpY

[@kenschell6542]

Year one was an reboot he had an gun when he was first made before that.

[@agent_meister477]

Even Joel Schumacher's Batman and Robin

[@DanShinjo]

Pretty sure bats would know don't keep your finger in the trigger guard. :/

[@kenschell6542]

The long Halloween is the "real" year two story. Unofficial

[@paulpolpiboon9535]

No it's not. You're better off citing "Prey" from the Legends of the Dark Knight, THAT is certainly very year two or three ish and was just pure badass by Gulacy. Still considered one of the most acclaimed comics in the Legends Of The Dark Knight.

[@DeathAlchemist]

I haven't read year 2 or the other comic featuring this incarnation of the reaper. I was always more attracted to the pre-crisis reaper in Batman #237. This one was a jew who survived being put in a concentration camp and dressed up as a reaper during Halloween night to get revenge on the man who put him there. Batman confronts him and there is a little exchange about whether the reaper is justified taking his revenge. Batman obviously says killing is wrong and the comic ends with the reaper taking his own life after he injures a jewish boy. Then he takes his own life, realizing he became a monster. I don't know how good batman is with dealing political stuff, but I'd love to bring this reaper back again (not the one black mask cameo) focusing on whether it is really justified for reaper to take his revenge and explore the morality of the situation. Maybe throw in the neo-nazi villains like the aryan brigade, the axis brigade, or the fourth reich to defend the old nazi.

[@talking_in_code]

+Death Alchemist That's a really interesting idea. Sounds like a more dynamic character than this reaper anyway.

[@plasticweapon]

@@talking_in_code yawn

[@RayoBeatz]

kit... man. wow.

[@jamesfrancistamburojr8180]

Cool Batman 😎😎 video

[@countpicula]

Yeah, Batman carries guns in his early appearances. It’s not like this is the first appearance of Batman with a gun.

[@leafyishereisdumbnameakath4259]

2:57 how do his eyes carry into the story?

[@MtnDewGuy100]

*for year 2 this sounds pretty disappointing*

[@ralphdonn9518]

What happened to your KZbin channel

[@DionPanday]

Have you seen Justice league?

[@jayfolk]

Dion Panday probably, he once tweeted aquamans quintdent as "everything wrong with the dceu in one prop."

[@talking_in_code]

+Dion Panday Nah, it looks bad. But I would like to see the awful CGI on Henry Cavill.

[@andreapitre1978]

Ok lets face it year one was better than year two... both in appearance and character studies... batman was a lot more of an ass in year two... compared to him being an ass in year one... in year one he was an ass but not a complete one... then there is the way he treats his friends famiky and enemies while wearing the batsuit... in year two he treats them like they're lesser than him unlike in year one where he treats criminals and corrupt city officials like they're lesser than him... oh wait and I almost forgot about the fact that batman uses a gun in year two which he doesn't do in year one.... and that's about it.

[@jeffreycoogan09]

Judson Caspian AKA (Reaper) should have been the main antagonist for the movie Batman Begins 2005.

[@johnny2demax]

Why?

[@jeffreycoogan09]

@ j Steninbrenner Because the Reaper was Gotham City's first costumed vigilante. And what better way for a Batman movie that explains his origin and depicts his early days. Then have him be confronted be someone who came before him. And who feels that Batman was stepping on his toes.

[@jeffreycoogan09]

@Lite-Wing Gift Yeah. Liam Neeson is a good actor. But the way the character Ras Al Ghul way portrayed was just completely off. Christopher Nolan could have done a better job with those three movies if he wanted to.

[@seanmanscott]

I liked it. 🤷‍♂️

[@TheSpinnerRack]

Batman used to carry hand guns in his earliest days.

[@TheSpinnerRack]

LaVerdadEsMuyCatólica that was why they did a time where Batman used a gun in Year Two to say that sort of happened.

[@paulpolpiboon9535]

That's like saying Superman couldn't fly in his early days. Which is an equal fact as Batman carrying a gun. Simularly the Hulk was actually the color gray and could speak very intelligently in his early days. Yes Captain America didn't have an oval Shield , Superman literally could not fly, Batman carried a gun, the Hulk was intelligent and the color gray. So yours is a rather useless statement, since what you are referring to is the Rough Draft Phase which didn't even last 5 or 10 comics.

[@TheSpinnerRack]

@@paulpolpiboon9535 Well no. DC had them clean up Batman and Superman.. Batman and Superman were successful from day one. Both had to clean up their act. Cosmetic changes happen to every change and new powers and abilities over 80 years. Batman going from being chased by the police to being a deputy of the police, that's the parents having DC clean up these characters act.

[@RadinV1]

Year one>dark knight returns

[@bryandempsey3840]

It didn’t come out a year after Year One. They came out concurrently. Miller was on Batman and Year Two in Detective Comics. So many “reviewers” don’t research but use their own conjecture as fact. Please try harder.

[@paulpolpiboon9535]

Miller on batman, what does that mean. The actual Batman titles? Cuz that would be wrong. He was not. So what do you mean "miller on bm"?

[@lightknight6749]

This entire story is bizarre and out of character for batman

[@kforcer]

Batman not carrying a gun was an important thing to confront, if you're going to deal honestly with Batman's early years, simply because it was an unavoidable part of some of his greatest early struggles against the likes of Dr. Death and Monk X. Mike W. Barr, being the formidable Bat-historian he is, felt it was necessary to address the change from gun-toting to gun-loathing, which really never had been prior to him, even by the likes of Len Wein.

[@RayoBeatz]

batman B.C.

[@williammcguire130]

I think you kinda missed the trick here. Batman is, fresh from YEAR ONE, totally confident in his abilities. Then he's soundly thrashed by another vigilante who carries lethal weapons and has no compunction about killing. Batman is forced to consider the possibility that against a skilled enough opponent, the refusal to use lethal weaponry is too large a disadvantage to overcome, and chooses to use *that* gun as an unspoken promise and reminder that just because he's armed, doesn't mean he's now an indiscriminate killer. He still remembers WHY he's Batman. It's a shocking moment, by design, but it's not a betrayal of the core concepts.

[@paulpolpiboon9535]

@william: "he's thrashed by another vigilante who carries lethal weapons and has no compunction about killing, so he's forced to consider the possibility that against a skilled enough opponent the refusal to use lethal weaponry is too large a disadvantage, so he uses a gun".... Is quite wrong, since in the Legends of the Dark Knight series with the famous Paul Gulacy doing the outstanding and highly acclaimed story "Prey", Batman in fact battles a vigilante using twin Katana blades and is highly skilled, so the EXACT same situation. And yet Batman does not resort to guns. Batman in fact defeats him using his own weaponry of batarangs. If what you said was true then he would not be able to defeat this man, which he easily did. "Prey" is one of the most famous storylines in the Legends of the Dark Knight, and it is where Paul Gulacy got his true Fame. Furthermore, Batman has fought many bladed foes of great skill and has never needed a gun to beat them. On top of the very fact that your premise is operating on the claim that guns are NOT lethal weaponry. Batman is battling people with guns all the time. For 50 years. That IS lethal weaponry. And yet he never needs a gun to do battle against people with guns/lethal weaponry. So you claiming that "Somebody missed a trick", is not a well-researched or authentic statement reflecting Todd McFarlane, Alan Davis, Mike W bar and all those involved w/the project. You actually made that statement up. No "trick" had existed. The reason Batman is wielding a gun on the cover and in the comic book is because it is not a likelihood, nor is it a true trait of Batman. THAT'S why he's holding it, and that's why they're showing it, the shock value is already in itself a statement to lure you in and see the appeal of something that of course is not real. Like looking at Superman using a jetpack, or the Hulk using steroids. It's a shock value statement to show the glamour of intrigue and entertaining appeal.

[@williammcguire130]

@@paulpolpiboon9535 I love Prey but I'm almost certain it came out after YEAR TWO and that like most of those great early Legends of the Dark Knight arcs it isn't really in continuity

[@paulpolpiboon9535]

@@williammcguire130 : Publication-wise Yes, Prey was published after Year two. But as far as the chronology in the continuity "Prey" actually happened first, the McFarlane/Davis year two happened second. The point being is that Batman has fought multiple foes with blades who are highly skilled and have no compunction of killing yet Batman has beaten them time and time again without needing guns. Heck even in Batman: The Movie a Master ninja of twin Katana blades attacks Batman and Batman defeats him without the use of guns. And the other main point is that guns themselves are Lethal Weaponry and Batman has been fighting guns for 50 years before Year two without resorting to guns himself. He has been battling "Lethal Weaponry" as you put it for decades without the need to ever use a gun. So NO, he is not "forced to consider the possibility that the refusal to use lethal weaponry is too large a disadvantage, so he uses a gun". Not correct at all. It was just a gimmick to lure with high intrigue in seeing something that would never be, like seeing Superman in a jetpack.

[@williammcguire130]

@@paulpolpiboon9535 yeah but how can you expect in an analysis of a story for it to reflect the interpretations of a story that hadn't existed yet? You can NOT LIKE Year 2. That's fine. What's not up for debate is what Barr is trying to say, he's made it clear in the comic and in interviews after why Batman uses THAT gun in the story. It seems to me the reviewer had either missed the inference or was deliberately reading it in as uncharitable a way as possible.

[@paulpolpiboon9535]

@@williammcguire130 : Hmmm I think I see what you mean now. Which then leaves me directed towards Barr that his logic is heavily flawed, as Batman the character for his looong history and longer still after Year two has always been a person who can handle Lethal Weaponry without the use of a gun. Btw I love Year two! It is a masterpiece just visually, (which is what comics are all about) but story wise I think it's fairly decent, maybe nothing special, still cool. The use of the gun was always just a flashy piece of intrigue to lure us (very Marvel like in fact) as he actually never fired the gun in the story, or killed anyone in the story, So I don't know what people's problem is about this cool comic. Sure there's that moment where he threatens Joe chill with the very gun that killed his parents, but it was like he was simply expressing his emotional state and had that SATISFYING freedom to fully confront him. There was no real instance or indication that he would commit murder in that moment, but it was such a great shocking moment when chills head exploded and you thought "wait Batman killed him!?" but then he actually didn't at all, very cool story twist there and suspense.

[@thegunslinger8806]

People get pissed off when I tell them batman in his original form was a gun toting costumed version of the shadow. Still holds true with the difference being that DC cut his balls off and made him anti gun.

[@paulpolpiboon9535]

The original form?? You're highly confused son: That was his Rough Draft form. Batman was not fully developed by Bob Kanes own eyes yet, he was still figuring out what Batman was. This was a Rough Draft Phase of Batman. For you to refer to a scant brief period of maybe THREE or FIVE little comics by Kane where he's carrying a gun is like referring to when Superman COULD NOT FLY. Yeah Superman couldn't Fly son. That was his original Rough-Draft Phase, they quickly figured out that Batman doesn't use guns and Superman can FLY. And Hulk is Green. And Iron Man suit is not a silver tin can. But IN that original rough-draft phase it is indeed a fact that the Hulk was the color GRAY, Batman carried a gun, Superman could not fly, Captain America didn't have an oval shield. And then when they quickly dropped those traits which had never appeared again for 90% of their published existence is because they were not valid traits for the famous final form. You obviously don't know shitt about comics boy.

[@supoa9489]

@@paulpolpiboon9535 Your confused, there's been multiple ireation's and interpretations of Batman and Superman there's no defentive version. That's problem with people like you wanna act like only one version that exists.

[@dustinakadustin]

This just kinda sounds a bit pointless. Wacky story😂 I'll stick with The Long Halloween.

[@ernestoglesby5342]

Not exactly a classic.

[@kraziel]

What a try-hard pseudo-intelectual.

[@LoverOfManyArts]

Highly dislike this story

[@Iceintheveins10]

Well, I know why I never have heard of year 2, now. It sucked.

[@paulpolpiboon9535]

No it was awesome. He never killed anybody. He never actually fired the gun. All he did was express his anger by pulling a gun out upon Joe Chill. So what?? It was a great dramatic moment, that pulled our strings cleverly as good writing does, and he never crossed any moral lines. So whatever people are complaining about is pretty arrogant, especially since his whole gun thing was to bring it to Joe Chills face.

[@thepretender3814]

Laaaaame video!! 👎👎👎