As long as it is impenetrable, Odyssey is a convoluted jumble of who knows what that isn’t really about anything. Written and illustrated by Adams, it was not great, but at least it was only six issues and had Mister Miracle.īefore that, Adams wrote the thirteen-issue maxiseries Batman: Odyssey, which is the worst Batman story I’ve ever read. It was truly bizarre, and I could not even begin to tell you what it was actually about. The most recent high-profile story Adams has been involved in is Superman: The Coming of the Supermen. Sadly, this first issue of Deadman falls prey to the same issues that have plagued Adams’ work in recent years. The concept is crazy and allows for a little more kookiness with the otherworldly, supernatural nature of the character. I approached this series with cautious optimism, thinking that maybe Adams’ style would be more conducive to a character like Boston Brand. That background features pretty heavily in this issue, so you’d think that this would be a perfect match, but… no. He helped craft the character beyond his initial origin, diving deeper into Boston Brand’s pursuit of his killer the Hook. Though created by Carmine Infantino and Arnold Drake, Deadman has been pretty closely associated with Adams over the years. I really want to know what happened here.

His early body of work stands among the greatest in all of comics. Muhammad Ali, which isn’t quite as insane as you want it to be but it’s still pretty crazy.Īfter their historic run on Batman comics, O’Neil would eventually become the group editor for the Batman titles, and Adams would continue drawing and even writing comics for both DC and Marvel. That billowing cape and those clean lines made that one of the most indelible images of the Dark Knight ever illustrated. You know Roy “Speedy” Harper’s opiate addiction? That was O’Neil and Adams.Īnd everybody knows this image of Batman:īatman running across the beach. They created Ra’s and Talia al Ghul, made the Joker a genuine threat in the brilliant “The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge,” and touched on narcotics use in Green Lantern/Green Arrow. The duo would go on to become one of the most widely acclaimed comics creative teams of all time, spearheading a more mature storytelling style that was decades ahead of its time. Still, he needed a new direction, a fresh aesthetic.

The show was successful enough that, along with the editorial gaze of Julius Schwartz, Batman was literally saved from death and became a top-tier character once again. The Batman television series, which revitalized public interest in the character, has been off the air for a few years, and “Batmania” has cooled. I know: let’s rewind the clock to around 1970.

Deadman, Book Two by Neal Adams