Coming up smiling in 2012

So what? This is late. Blame the alcohol or the dodgy Chinese takeaway.

2011 was a vintage comic collecting year.

Regardless of the ridiculous amount of Batman I've picked up this year, and the new focus on a specific character title and which started in earnest with me picking up Batman #181 in January, there were other hobbyist collecting highlights.

So what were my other 2011 Hits?

-Finished collecting the 'Miracleman' books. And that hurt the wallet.
-Picked up a number of Bronze Age Marvel key books. You can have the Silver Age, zombies, The Bronze Age is MY Golden Age!!!
-Reduced my overall wishlist by a load of cool titles. Scratching off titles like the 2006 'Blade' run, 'Godland', 'Sandman Mystery Theatre', 'DV8', Ed Brubakers' early Wildstorm work . And got that impossible to find seventh issue of 'Automatic Kafka'.
-I gleefully read the hundred plus run of Peter David 'Incredible Hulk'.
-I fell in love with Marvel Hardbacks. Did you know that the Human Torch died? I only noticed last night! What about when Captain America was kicked out of the USA by President Clinton? Paul Pope's Lockjaw story in 'Strange Tales' actually exists? All good stuff.
-Actually was stunned that Mignola killed Hellboy. I'm sure he'll get better.

As for the Batman Quest, I finished 2011 by completing the first volume of Azrael (and for anyone who plans on doing something similar: remember: #47 is a special double-sized 'flip-book' with Shadow of the Bat #80. That will be the reason you can't find that book...) My Christmas present to myself this year was Detective Comics #400, Man-Bats début.

However, two moments really sprung out.

I got me a bespoke John McCrea drawn 'Hitman' at the Manchester Comic Con, which looks awesome.

And I shook Alan Moores hand, which considering he did Radio 4's 'Thought for the Day' (and may have even referenced Batman Villain Scarface) on New Years Morning, as well as being Alan Moore, was kind of cool!

So what plotting am I hoping for 2012? Of course I should tell you....

Should the world survive the apocalypse that awaits us in 2012, these resolutions are enacted!

1.Try to pick up all the 300s in Batman (1940)
2.Finish the Detective Comics run between 500 and the titles conclusion.
3.Complete the Nightwing run
4.Complete the second volume of Azrael.
5.Complete Catwoman volume 2 books
6.Complete Gotham Knights
7.Compete Batman Confidential
8.Start picking up Batbooks from the Silver Age.
9.Buy at least one piece of original Batman comic art.
10.Try to pull my entire comic collection under one roof, and organise them in a sexy way.

The Annual Issue 2: Batman Annual #11

Alan Moore, as far as I am aware, has only written a handful of Batman Stories. One of these is an almost forgotten tale that featured in Batman Annual #11, and was released in 1987.

Clayface falls in love with a mannequin he sees in a department store window. Because Clayface is a bit deranged to start with, he believes that her alluring gaze as a sign of affection and then decides to move in. While secretly living under a table during opening hours, his new relationship blossoms and sours. Of course, jealousy and murder is the only real outcome and the Batman has to come in and sort out this domestic arrangement.

To be fair, I'm not really doing the story justice. It's very dark, it has got a chilling underlying nastiness about the situation, that implies abuse. And any story involving a man involved in an intense, implied sexual relationship with a life-size doll is just, plain, wrong... This Moore tale is simply 23 pages of what a mentally sick Batman villain gets up to when he isn't trying to take over Gotham (and then the world).

What I love out of this story is that this is the Alan Moore that I enjoy the most; the humorous subversive Alan Moore. Sure, I love his serious work, but if you offer me a choice between Promethea or, say, Smax, then I'm going for Smax every time. And this story has that similar darkly comic, almost deviant quality. While funny and charming, it still retains a lot of the aforementioned menace and that's what makes it memorable. While the situation and storyline smells of farce, the captions ensure that behind the lunacy, Clayface really turns out to be a really nasty piece of work. Illustrating that this is the reason that Batman cannot, and should not, leave him alone in peace.

Further proof, that some some Annuals can actually be rather good. And for a whole in one experience they can be a thoroughly wondrous thing.