Daily Batman

Now I want to watch the animated series on DVD. Again.

Can't See, Touch, or Download

Mouse: You girls can believe what you want -- it's a free country.
I don't believe in anything I can't see, touch, or download.
Shelby: Yeah, but that's what faith is -- believing in something even though you can't touch it or see it.
And I believe in God.

- Welcome To Holsom #1

by Craig W. Schutt and Steven Butler

Daily Batman

Treachery and Murder

"She gave the apple unto Adam, and Adam did eat thereof."
Adam's sin was simple disobedience, but Eve's was treachery. Treachery and murder.
To lead her lawful lord into mortal sin!
Therefore is woman ever the weaker vessel, whereby Satan first enters.
Tempted and tempter alike. The fingerhold of the beast upon our souls!

- The Unwritten #33.5

by Mike Carey, Peter Gross, and Vince Locke

MitchWords: Part Three

If I, my work, or Wednesday Theology ever become well known, I'll be sure to thank Gail Simone.

If you don't know who Gail Simone is (shame on you), she's the current writer of Batgirl. Her previous work in comics notably include Birds of Prey, Secret Six, and a rather enjoyable run on Deadpool, just to name a few. Essentially, she writes some pretty awesome comic books. She's also a very good sport about interacting with her fans through social media. I can personally testify to this.

Daily Batman

The last post had me thinking about Mad Men. It was inevitable that this would be the Daily Batman.

Pentecost Effect

Shaman: Enter. I had expected you sooner. The entrails of the she-goat indicated yesterday as the time of arrival.
Constantine: Yeah? Well, you can't rely on anything these days, can you?
Where'd you learn your English then?
Shaman: You hear English. I do not speak English...
Constantine: That's neat. The Pentecost effect. You could get a job at the United Nations.

- Hellblazer #1

by Jamie Delano, John Ridgway, and Alfredo Alcala

Daily Batman

I always prefer it when Batman and Booster Gold star as themselves.

Check it out at Amazon.

What's Our Dialysis?

What I'm asking is, if what we do, the fact that we don't live right, if that's evil, like heaven and hell evil...
...or if something's just missing. Something everyone else has. What's our dialysis? What's the treatment?

- Secret Six #1

by Gail Simone and Nicola Scott

Site News; Apologies

You have probably noticed by now that there has been an interruption in the regular schedule of updates to this blog. I sincerely apologize for this. My schedule this past week has been quite odd. Plus, there's that whole situation detailed in the first two installments of MitchWords.

Things may be slow for awhile, but Wednesday Theology is not going away. Hopefully it never goes away. Think of this as a transitional period. I may not be flooding this blog with posts of devilishly clever writing, but I am engrossed in reading and deeply reflecting on Wednesday Theology. I fear that the blog may be getting bogged down with my personal life. But then part of me is starting to think that this blog is actually being illuminated by the revelations of my life. Perhaps it is a way for these ideas to surpass pure academia and exhibit the way it can affect a life.

My life.

Maybe I no longer simply do Wednesday Theology, but live it as well. That means a lot more of me must be infused with this blog. That should be a frightening thought for everyone.

As I write this, I'm sipping delicious Cinnamon Spice coffee from a Batman coffee mug. The Batman symbol means various things to various people. Over the past few months it primarily reminds me of the First Truth of Batman. I know I've mentioned that several times. It's probably getting old. But to me it is still fresh and new every time I am reminded of it.

I have friends. And I need them.

Such is Batman. Such is Mitch.

MitchWords: Part Two

One of the first things we memorize is The Lord's Prayer. I've probably said it countless times. But rarely do I ever actually think about the words that I'm actually reciting. I should probably think about such things more often.

"Forgive us of our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

Crap.

Daily Batman

I have no idea what's going on in this picture. It almost looks like there's a rave going on in Gotham City right before the machines attack. No, wait, I'm thinking about The Matrix sequels. Man, that was a stupid scene. I trust Christopher Nolan to do better than that.

And I Saw Seven Angels

And I saw the seven angels which stood before God...
...and another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer...
...and the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar...
...and the seven angels prepared themselves to sound...

- Kingdom Come #2

by Mark Waid and Alex Ross

Daily Batman

Bane. Batman. The Dark Knight Rises.

But Here God Didn't Come

Mandelbaum: My God. Please God... Help me find a piece of string and a shoe that fits!
Vladek: But here God didn't come. We were all on our own.

- Maus

by Art Spiegelman

Daily Batman

The Dark Knight.               The Dark Knight Rises.

Get it?

Teaches People To Read

Gutenberg: It is the Ars Minor.
Bishop Adolphus: Yes, it is the Ars Minor.
Gutenberg: A book of grammar. Where is the harm in a book of grammar?
Bishop Adolphus: IT TEACHES
PEOPLE
To REEAAAAD!!

 - "Copy Errors" from The Unwritten #31.5

by Mike Carey and Bryan Talbot

Review: The Unwritten #31

"Tommy Taylor and the War of Words: Part One."
Writer: Mike Carey. Artist: Peter Gross. Finishes: M.K. Perker. Colors: Chris Chuckry. Letters: Todd Klein. Cover: Yuko Shimizu. Asst. Editor: Joe Hughes. Editor: Karen Berger.
DC Comics/Vertigo

I haven't written many reviews of graphic literature yet. I always intend to, but never seem to get around to it. I aim to correct that. You should know by now how much I enjoy The Unwritten, a story about stories that I liken to reading Harry Potter while on LSD. Right now the series is working through a climatic story arc titled "Tommy Taylor and the War of Words." The past 30 issues have been leading up to this point and I thought it might be nice if I slowed down, reflected on this arc, and highlighted just why this title is as awesome as ever.

Daily Batman

Batman vs. Bane.

It's about time we had a week of Daily Batman hype about The Dark Knight Rises!

A Man Was Speaking

It would have died, had it not scented food. A man was speaking, and the beast was drawn to his words.
They smelled so good that it could not help itself.

- The Unwritten #32.5

by Mike Carey and Peter Gross

Site News

I don't usually post things on a weekend, but this hasn't exactly been a normal week for me or Wednesday Theology, has it? So let's keep the ball rolling.

I really just wanted to say, Wow, you guys are incredible. I really felt like I was stretching myself with the first column of MitchWords, but the response has been encouraging. It quickly shot up to the top with the most views any post on this blog has ever received. So far. You can see the top 5 viewed posts to the left of this chunk of text you're currently reading under the heading "Popular Posts."

The reaction has been extremely supportive and positive, which makes me think that I should definitely continue MitchWords and trying to give you some insight into what goes on in the life of the writer of Wednesday Theology. Maybe the way to make Wednesday Theology more accessible to others is to make myself more accessible to others. For me, that is a scary thought. But it's 2012. My old world has crashed and burned. This year might as well be a year filled with new and scary things.

Also, if you'll look to your right (and maybe down a bit) you'll notice a spiffy little carousel widget that shows off some books that I've recently read or am currently reading. Check them out if you want. I don't expect you to buy them (or even inspect them closely), but seeing what I'm reading might help you understand what I'm writing. Plus, it looks cool.

Once again I wish to express my gratitude to everyone who has been praying for me and putting up with me in this disconcerting time. I've heard words of sincere comfort from folks that I haven't talked to in some time. I reach out to you and you reach out to me. Amazing how that works.

Thank you.

Daily Batman

Batman has a taco. That is all.

Wood of Suicides

Suicide Tree: ...All too much. Sandra knew everything. And the papers. So I had to. Pills. Plastic bag.
Had to get out. Needed a break. Hurting. Hurting.
...I thought the hurting would stop.
Morpheus: The Wood of Suicides has changed since my last visit to hell. I remember it as a tiny grove.
Now it resembles a forest.

- Sandman #4

by Neil Gaiman and Sam Kieth

Daily Batman

Cover to Batman #655. Art by Andy Kubert.

What Power Would Hell Have?

You say I have no power? Perhaps you speak truly...
But--you say that dreams have no power here?
Tell me, Lucifer Morningstar...
Ask yourselves, all of you...
What power would hell have if those here imprisoned were not able to dream of heaven?

- Sandman #4 

by Neil Gaiman and Sam Kieth

MitchWords: Part One

Hey Avid Fan Base, welcome to my new column that I will hopefully do pretty regularly. I call it MitchWords, because it'll be a bunch of words written down by me, Mitch. And for now I'm leaving the suitable topics pretty open ended. Maybe I'll talk about theology. Maybe I'll talk about graphic literature. Maybe I'll talk about both. Maybe I'll talk about neither. I foresee MitchWords as a place for me to ramble, rant, and get things off my chest.

Daily Batman

Cover to Batman Odyssey #7. Art by Neal Adams.

In Return You Want My Soul

Mephisto: I told you, our destinies are made up of the smallest brush strokes, the finest details. Some of those details I am not allowed to touch. But others can be touched, with the permissions of the one involved.
Where everyone else has failed, I can guarantee that I can and will save your aunt's life.
Spider-Man: And in return you want my soul, is that it?

- Sensational Spider-Man #41

by J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Quesada

Daily Batman

Variant cover to All Star Batman & Robin #7. Art by Frank Miller.

To Deny Him

Have you thought for a second to ask yourselves why? Why I chose you two out of all people?
It's because yours is the rarest love of all.
Pure, unconditional and made holy in the eyes of He who I hate most.
A love like yours comes about but once in a millennia and to take that away from Him...
...to deny Him...
...is a victory like none other imaginable.

- Amazing Spider-Man #545

by  J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Quesada

Daily Batman

Art by Frank Miller.

Part of Some Bigger Plan

Dr. Strange: Long ago, my hands were shattered in an accident, rendered useless for someone who wished to be a doctor, a surgeon, a healer.
I searched the world for someone who could fix them. My quest took me to the Himalayas, where I met the man who I would one day call Master.
He told me that there are limits to what even a sorcerer supreme can do. He could not fix my hands...but he could give me a purpose, and the chance to save lives.
Had he simply healed me, there would have been no one to stand between the forces of dark and light when intercession was most needed.
Spider-Man: If you're saying that her death is a part of some bigger plan, forget it.

- Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #24

by J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Quesada

Daily Batman

Cover to Batman Incorporated #6. Art by Chris Burnham.

Beast of the Apocalypse

I've had it with all this Beast-of-the-Apocalypse crap!

- Hellboy: Box Full of Evil

by Mike Mignola

Daily Batman

From Batman, Incorporated #6. Art by Chris Burnham.

Bruce Wayne: Batman is everywhere. And if he didn't exist, well...I guess we'd just have to invent him.

Left Behind

 

- Battle Pope #5

by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore

Daily Batman

Cover to Batman Incorporated #9. Art by Chris Burnham.

Unfortunately, the long-delayed issue 9 of Batman Incorporated was never released with this cover. Instead the story formed the first half of Batman Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes! #1.

I Think God Wants Us To Run

Lucy: Uh, guys -- maybe we should pray, you know. Like, ask God what we should do?
Jake: I know you're out there! Throw out the nerd and you girls can go!
Mouse: I think God wants us to run.

- Welcome To Holsom #1

by Craig W. Schutt and Steven Butler

Daily Batman

Cover to Batman and Robin #26. Art by Chris Burnham.

Faith of Sklotsky

Jesus never wanted you to have testicles.
Join the Faith of Sklotsky. 1-800-CASTRATE.

- Transmetropolitan #5

by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson

Daily Batman

Cover to Batman, Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes! #1. Art by Chris Burnham.

That's a Christian Attitude You've Got There [NSFW]

Spider Jerusalem: Yeah, I'm calling your "faith" bullshit. This man needs medical help if he can't get through his life without something invisible to believe in.
Y'know, I wouldn't mind all this half so much if there was some historical truth in it.
This whole concept of "faith"--of believing in something that isn't fucking there--was invented by a man to cover up the cracks in the "Christianity" he cobbled together with the Romans.
This whole God thing comes from the days when our brains weren't as connected up as they are now, and we all hallucinated daily!
Evangelist: Shut the fuck up, you goddamned heretic bastard.
Spider Jerusalem: Fuck me. That's a Christian attitude you've got there.

- Transmetropolitan #6

by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson