Wayne Manor Memoirs

Welcome back Bat-Fanatics! Megan joins Joe for a very special episode dedicated to the first women to make their mark on Batman comics. Our suite of writers starts way back in the Golden Age with Ruth Lyons Kaufman. Then we visit the bronze age with Barbara Kesel before returning to the modern era with Devin Grayson. For artists, we start in the 80s with Mary Mitchell before revisiting New 52's Becky Cloonan. 

Don't fret Bat-Fanatic if your favorite female creative isn't on this list! We tried to keep the list focused on big milestones this time. We're definitely interested in expanding our knowledge of the women who've shaped Batman. Feel free to reach out if you have a particular female bat-creator you want us to cover!

Comics: Batman vol. 1 #16, Batman vol. 1 #401, Gotham Knights vol. 1 #1, Batman: Gotham Nights vol. 1 #1, Batman vol. 2 #12

Welcome to another B-Side Bat-Fanatics! Joe is joined by special guest (and friend of the podcast) Chris to discuss 11 unpopular opinions about Batman. Well, we think they're unpopular. If you agree with most of them, you're probably listening to the right Batman podcast! If you don't agree, send us a strongly worded letter and tell us!

We discuss Batman: The Animated Series, it's sucessor the Batman, Zatanna, Greg Rucka, Batman '66 (of course!), and much more. Plus, we briefly discuss the late, great Kevin Conroy. So buckle in Bat-Fanatics for a show so click-baity you'll be surprised it wasn't downloaded already.

Joe & Kendall return, after an unexpected hiatus, to discuss the single appearances of Bookworm, False Face, and Zelda the Great in Season 1 of Batman ‘66. Plus, they’re joined by Megan! Can the Terrific Trio remember how to record a podcast? Not really. Can Joe successfully edit the episode? No (Sorry Bat-Fanatics, this one is a little rough!). Is the episode chock full of Bat-goodness and fun? Definitely. So listen away, Bat-Fanatics, as we discuss such lurid topics as: would polar repulsion actually break a clocktower? Should Robin be more concerned about Asbestos book covers? Is False Face scary under different contexts? Is Zelda really even a villain? FOR WHOM DOES THE BELL TOLL, BAT-FANATICS?! IT TOLLS FOR THEE!

We’re back, Bat-Fanatics, and rapidly (for us) approaching the culmination of Season 3! This time Joe and Kendall pull a fast one by picking a comic so recent it was only collected in trade a month ago, Batman: The Imposter. Those of you who loved The Batman will find several similarities within this book. He is a Bruce Wayne imagined in the real world. He battles crime with simplistic gadgets, minimal support infrastructure, and near suicidal tendencies. What happens when someone poses as Batman and begins killing criminals? Gorgeously illustrated by Andrea Sorrentino, Mattson Tomlin’s script is clearly influenced by his time working on The Batman’s script. There are definitely some great ideas here. The real question Bat-Fanatics must ask themselves is: which Batman do you prefer, one rooted in realism or one rooted in traditional comic book storytelling? We can’t answer that for you, but we sure give you our opinions!

Plot Pandemonium: Batman: The Imposter #1-3

Something seems off here, Bat-Fanatics, . . . apparently shenanigans are afoot on Earth-11! This time “Joe & Kendall” (really Megan & Chloe) meet-up to discuss Harleen, Stjepan Sejic’s retelling of Harley Quinn’s origin. This book has everything: sexy Harleen, sexy Joker, sexy nightmare sequences, sexy Hugo Strange (. . . I’m sensing a theme . . .). Harleen served as one of the tent poles of DC’s Black Label launch and is (generally) considered one of the best titles in the brand to date. So prepare for a romance story of epic proportions where Harleen >>> Harley, where the Joker has abs upon his abs, and where Batman (and Two-Face?) are almost inconsequential!

Plot Pandemonium: Harleen #1-3

Holy Tom King, Bat-Fanatic. As often as we worship at the altar of Tom King, this particular series has been largely overlooked by Joe & Kendall (mostly Kendall). Joe read the first volume a few years ago, but Kendall had never read any of it! As the title implies, Dick Grayson leaves the life of vigilantism behind to take a role as a (sexy) spy for Spyral. This series is co-written by King & Tim Seeley with art by Mikal Janin. Needless to say, this Dick looks great! Can Dick keep his ethos intact in the life of espionage? Can Helena Bertinelli REALLY be a compelling love interest when Babs is still on the table? Is the Midnighter actually cool? These are some of the topics we delve into as we cover the first part of Grayson! Prep your ID concealing hypnos, track down the latest super-power granting organ, and settle in to learn the secrets of supers across the globe!  

Plot Pandemonium: Grayson vol. 1 #1-6 + Annual 1

The Bat-Radar returns! This time Joe & Kendall dedicate an hour to a bevy of topics, including: new jobs, their most interesting reads from Feb 2022, and some killer TV. If that weren't enough, they also do their best to review every Bat-Book they are currently reading. Do they get them all? No. Do they try really hard? Maybe. So sit down and listen to more unscripted nonsense from J&K and they talk comics, television, and video games.

Content: Spider-Man, Jeff Lemire's Moon Knight, classic Cloak & Dagger, One-Star Squadron, Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries, Superman: Up in the Sky, Human Target, Peacemaker

Bat-Book Roundup: Batman, Detective Comics, Nightwing, Robin, Batman/Catwoman, The Joker, Catwoman: Lonely City, Action Comics

The Devil, Watergate, Molemen, and MORE!!!

Joe & Kendall return for their seasonal coverage of Jack Kirby’s Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth! And as usual, they have a blast experiencing these banana pants stories. This time Kamandi must compete in a deadly Kentucky Derby, find the missing Watergate Tapes, learn the secrets that possibly elevated animals to human intellect, meet the molemen, and KO a killer giant worm. Seriously, Bat-Fanatic, what more could you possibly be looking for in your comic entertainment?! So, prepare your giant cricket for battle, do your best impression of a retired linebacker in a blonde wig, crank your emotions up to 11, and get ready for more gorilla violence than you can shake a banana at. THIS…IS…KAMANDI!

Plot Pandemonium: Kamandi Vol. 1 #13 - 18

It’s been a long time Bat-Fanatics, how have you been? Joe and Kendall have switched jobs, fought plagues, enjoyed holidays, and generally taken an unexpected break from podcasting. One month later, they release an episode recorded before CHRISTMAS. Ah well, that’s quality right? We continue to show zero viability for a Patreon. Anyway! This time Joe and Kendall hit you with the “hidden” Batman: Year X story by looking at Marv Wolfman’s Batman: Year Three. Never heard of it? Never read it? Well, they didn’t collect it until 2019! You can read it on DCUI though… Year Three focuses on Robin’s origin and history with notorious gangster Tony Zucco while simultaneously dealing with the fallout of Jason Todd’s death in the present. It’s a book overloaded with potential, that unfortunately fails to deliver. It’s not all bad though! Get ready for helicopter gang slayings, a Batman on the brink that is still more tame than modern Batman, some delightful Dick zingers, and SO MANY opportunities for “PHRASING!”. Plus, at the rate we’re going, who knows when you’ll get another episode!

Plot Pandemonium: Batman Vol. 1 #436 - 439

Happy Holidays, Bat-Fanatics! You know, as we always say on this podcast, there is nothing that prepares you for this festive season more than taking a closer look at another psychopathic member of Batman’s rogues gallery. This holiday season, the Calendar Man has stuffed your proverbial stocking with bits and pieces of Lord Death Man. But don’t fret! He’s gonna be fine! He survived a volcano! That might be getting ahead of ourselves, though… Joe & Kendall put the menace of Bat-Manga under the microscope to find out just how Lord Death Man… lords…over… death? That’s right, Bat-Fanatics. Joe read manga. FOR YOU! And he even liked it. What is the world coming to?

So don your dramatic capes, pull out that skeleton Halloween costume from a few years ago, prepare your best Han Solo in carbonite impression, and get ready to contemplate the harsh realities of insanity and immortality as we cover ALMOST EVERY SINGLE APPEARANCE OF LORD DEATH MAN EVER. That’s right. Almost all of them. Watch out for the volcano.

Infinite Origins: Batman vol. 1 #180, Bat-Manga #1-3

Continuity Crisis: Batman Inc vol. 1 #1-2, Batman Inc: Leviathan Strikes! #1, Batman Inc vol. 2 #13, Talon vol.1 #16-17, Batman Eternal vol. 1 #46, Harley Quinn vol. 3 #48-49, Batman: Gotham Nights #16

Welcome back to another OUTRAGEOUS episode of "Being Brave & Staying Bold," a bonus show from Wayne Manor Memoirs!

Joe & Kendall have arrived at the end of season 1! It's time for the final showdown with Equinox! Can Batman & his allies defeat a man in perfect balance between order and chaos? Season 2 says yes. Plus, we pick our highs and lows for Season 1.

This episode covers season 1, episodes 26: The Fate of Equinox! 

Welcome back Bat-Fanatics for an episode of particularly weird proclivities! This time Joe & Kendall discuss the unofficial DC/Marvel Meta Crossover from the early 70s. This crossover, orchestrated by Steve Englehart, Len Wein, and Gerry Conway, takes place during the Rutland, Vermont annual Halloween Parade and features said writers (plus Glynis Oliver) as characters within their comics interacting with comic characters. Oh yeah. It’s one of THOSE. So buckle-up because we’re about to cover our first Marvel comics EVER on this podcast! Find answers to all of life’s questions: does Marvel pay Steve Englehart? Who is Tom Fagan and how many rooms does his mansion have? How many hamburgers can Len eat? What keeps happening to Glynis? And (most importantly) why is Steve Engleharts car so crappy? 

Oh! And your emails. So many emails!

Plot Pandemonium: Amazing Adventures vol. 2 #16, Justice League vol. 1 #103, Thor vol. 1 #207

Our Quadrology is over, which means it’s time to return to our regularly scheduled, seemingly random, programming. This time Joe & Kendall take a crack at Superman: The Animated Series (STAS)! Turns out, this was another (unintentional) blind spot for Joe. Of course this is a Batman podcast (at least we say it is…), so we’ll be discussing their first team up in the Timm-verse, World’s Finest! This TV movie, with a meager runtime of ~66 minutes, is incredible. Joker/Lex “team up?” Check. Hamfisted but surprisingly satisfying romance between Bruce and Lois? Check. A sense of growth within our titular characters from working with each other? Check. If you’ve never watched this, Bat-Fanatics, stop reading and go do it. Seriously. We’ll wait. Back? Great! Let’s talk Batman & Superman!

Episode Extravaganza: Superman the Animated Series S2: E16, 17, & 18 - World’s Finest

We welcome back beloved Batman fan, and fan-favorite guest, Chris Schrader (Rogue’s Gallery, Hey Do You Remember?, Strange Case of Lucy Chandler) to the podcast for the show stopping finale of the Hugo Strange Quadrology! It only took us 4 to 72 months to finish four REAL episodes of the podcast. That’s quality, right? What are we discussing? Why Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers of course! Didn’t we kinda do that last time? Sure, but this time we’ve invited a guest and given ourselves some REAL breathing room to discuss their creative works in detail. What else did they work on? What are the highlights of their careers? Is there anything else you should look at? ABSOLUTELY! 

So dive in, Bat-Fanatics! Joe and Kendall are great fun, but Chris always gets them thinking outside their comfort zone! 

Background Bat-File: Steve Englehart & Marshall Rogers

We're back for another B-Side! This time we take a left turn (or several left turns?) to discuss a film that offers some really high highs and some really low lows. Hot on the heels of The Suicide Squad, Joe & Kendall decided to discuss 2016's Suicide Squad.

Part of the early attempt to establish a DC Cinematic Universe, Suicide Squad suffers from myriad problems: trying to be Guardians of the Galaxy, WB meddling, and a bizarre script to name a few. However, it's not all bad! We are introduced to Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn and Viola Davis' TERRIFYING Amanda Waller. 

Listen in Bat-Fanatics as we dissect why Joe likes this movie, why it disappoints Kendall, and whatever the hell Jared Leto was doing here.

After much delay, Wayne Manor Memoirs brings you the flagship episode of our Hugo Strange Quadrology: Strange Apparitions. This run of comics, largely written by Steve Englehart with pencils by Marshall Rogers, spans Detective Comics #469 - 479 and includes: the introduction of Silver St. Cloud & Rupert Thorne, a reimagining of Deadshot, the return of Hugo Strange, and one of the most iconic Joker stories ever told. This story arc heavily influenced Batman ‘89 and several episodes of Batman: The Animated Series. 

Are you enticed yet, Bat-Fanatics? If that weren’t enough, Joe and Kendall read this for the FIRST TIME in preparation for this episode. Look at your little Bat-Hosts growing up. So join them as they discuss this quintessential run on Batman with only a token attempt to contextualize the status of Batman in 70s comics. Gotta love hindsight!

Oh! And Chris Schrader (Hey Do You Remember?, Rogue’s Gallery, Strange Case of Lucy Chandler) joins us next time to help discuss the impact of Strange Apparitions on the Bat-Mythos overall!

Plot Pandemonium: Detective Comics vol. 1 #469 - 479

Chris Sims: https://comicsalliance.com/ask-chris-277-where-does-strange-apparitions-sit-in-the-batman-canon/

Welcome back to our second B-Side, Bat-Fanatics! What is the B-Side? This is the comics opinion show from Wayne Manor Memoirs for topics that: A) we don’t really want to cover for the main show, B) come from way outside the Bat-Mythos (like maybe other companies), C) deserve more time than a Bat-Radar can offer, or D) are justified with “because we said so!” This time we cover Brubaker & Phillip's self contained story, PULP! Westerns, Nazis, heists, and (of course) Pulps!

We hope you enjoy, Bat-Fanatics!

Content - Pulp

Mentions - Ruthless, Fatale, Mr. Miracle, Watchmen, Omega Men, Stray Bullets

The Hugo Strange quadrology continues with Matt Wagner's Batman and the Monster Men! Can you really take 12 pages of Golden age content and transform it into a 6 issue mini-series? Joe and Kendall aim to find out. Set in the "modern" origin of Batman, this story falls between Year One and The Man Who Laughs and features an updated version of Professor Hugo Strange. This Strange is the pinnacle of diminutive physique and aspires to perfect human genes. Too bad he ends up with Monster Men . . . again.

So prepare yourself for a story of monsters, mad science, loan sharks, gambling dens, obligatory romance, and vigilante justice as Joe and Kendall continue their adventure through the multiverse!

Plot Pandemonium: Batman and the Monster Men #1-6

Welcome Bat-Fanatics to the second episode of Bat-Radar. Those of you familiar with the show are used to the episodic musings of Joe & Kendall, but here is a full hour dedicated to their most interesting reads from June 2021. If that weren't enough, they also do their best to catalogue and review every Bat-Book currently on the market. Do they get them all? No. Do they try really hard? Maybe. So sit down and listen to more unscripted nonsense from J&K and they talk comics, television, and video games.

Content: Boom's Whendon-Verse, God of War, Omega Men, Teen Titan's Rebirth, Invincible, Checkmate, Vagabond

Bat-Book Roundup: Batman, Detective Comics, Nightwing, Robin, Batman: Urban Legends, Batman/Catwoman, The Joker, Legends of the Dark Knight, Batman: Reptilian, Future State: Gotham

Welcome Bat-Fanatics to the first part of our Hugo Strange Quadrology! This episode will focus on the Golden Age origins of Dr. Hugo Strange. We’ll follow this with a modern retelling of one of these classic tales then dive into the fan-lauded Englehart & Marshall run on Detective Comics from the 70s. We’ll finish by talking specifically about Englehart & Marshall’s impact on the Bat-Mythos.

Seriously though, Kendall jokes that Joe might be Hugo’s doppelganger. Let’s check. Bald? Yep. Round glasses? Usually. Thick chinstrap beard? Yep. Evil scientist bent on dominating the will of the weak? Definitely. They’re the same person! What’s even crazier? Hugo Strange is the first recurring villain in the Bat-Mythos. That’s right. Before Joker! What’s even more wild? We’re going to cover Batman #1 and talk about the LEAST popular story in the whole issue! That’s how we do things here Bat-Fanatics. Enjoy some classic Golden Age stories from the earliest year of the Batman!

Infinite Origins: Detective Comics Vol. 1 #36; Batman vol. 1 #1; Detective Comics Vol. 1 #46