ComiXology offers a bunch of free comics, some samplers, some teasers, some promotions, some just free for the heck off it. Batman Black & White started in 1996 as an anthology of short stories by comics luminaries all in black and white, and then ran as a backup in Gotham Knights, and was resurrected in 2014. Mark Chiarello edited most of the stories as a throwback to an era when 8 pages was enough to make a great comics story. I think it was also a way for Chi to work with everyone he ever wanted to work with – and who can blame him because everyone wants to draw Batman.
Anyhoo, ComiXology has five of the short stories online for FREE.
Batman Black & White: A Black and White World by Neil Gaiman and Simon Bisley, a meta tale of characters who know they are in a comic book.
Batman Black & White: An Innocent Guy by Brian Bolland, about a devoted Batman fan.
Batman Black & White: Good Evening, Midnight by Klaus Janson, a spotlight on Alfred.
Batman Black & White: Perpetual Mourning by Ted McKeever, an unsettling tale about Batman performing an autopsy. (This story was nominated for an Esiner; it didn’t win although Batman B&W has won several including Best Anthology)
And Batman Black & White: Two of A Kind by Bruce Timm in which Harvey Dent has facial reconstruction surgery but things go terribly wrong.
Here’s a sneaky screencap of the Gaiman/Bisley story.
I should add trigger warning for violent themes and violence against women. Because it’s Batman. But if you can get past that, this is a nice little sampler of one of the best superhero anthologies of the last 20 years.
I had to install adblock just to leave this comment – the looping video ad you have on the page would not let me scroll past it up or down or pause it.
TEssa – that shouldn’t be happening – I’ll alert my ad network.
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