The Black Casebook

Dec 31 2024 25 ep. 91 mins 89
The Black Casebook Podcast artwork

Exploring history, politics, philosophy, art, and more through the lens of Batman’s greatest stories.

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Casefile #18: The Black Mirror

Dec 31 2024 168 mins  
Let's hear it for the boys. The Black Casebook returns with a deep dive into The Black Mirror, an Oedipal tale of fathers and sons that pits Dick Grayson, now in the role of Batman, against James Gordon Jr., reimagined here as a twisted psychopath. While Dick tangles with new threats popping up across Gotham, James sets an insidious plan into motion that could permanently infect th

BONUS: All-In on ABSOLUTE BATMAN

Oct 11 2024 30 mins  
Size matters. In humble appreciation for Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta's shockingly good debut installment of Absolute Batman, we're reopening The Black Casebook for a bonus deep dive into what makes this issue work so well. True, it's a comic that dares to ask, "What if big? What if big boy?" But it's also DC's boldest attempt to resurrect that old Frank Miller magic in a decade.

Casefile #17: Dark Knight, Dark City

Jun 27 2024 221 mins  
The city never sleeps. The Black Casebook returns with a MEGA-sized exploration of Dark Knight, Dark City, Peter Milligan and Kieron Dwyer's underrated classic about the secret history of Bruce Wayne's hometown. Lost in the shuffle of Batman's golden age, Dark Knight, Dark City revolutionized the relationship between Batman and Gotham in the course of a thrilling three-

BONUS: Year Three Mailbag!

Apr 11 2024 115 mins  
As of today, Year Two of The Black Casebook is officially in the books. Thank you to everybody for your support and your questions! I hope you enjoy this long, occasionally coherent victory lap of a Q&A, and I hope you're as excited as I am for what the next year has in store for the show. ⁠We have a Patreon⁠⁠⁠! You can find The Black Casebook on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠@b

Casefile #16: Cold Days

Mar 13 2024 145 mins  
The trial of the century. The Black Casebook returns with a deep dive into one of the most controversial eras in Batman’s recent history: the Tom King run. The former CIA officer envisioned a Gotham without hope, protected by a man without joy; and by “Cold Days,” that man is well and truly broken. "Cold Days" sums up three years of Tom King into three issues, a con

BONUS: Whedon's MCU with Collective Action Comics

Jan 15 2024 86 mins  
A birthday miracle? To celebrate my encroaching obsolescence, here's a fun chat I had with Nat from Collective Action Comics about Joss Whedon's The Avengers (as well as The Age of Ultron, unfortunately) and Mark Millar's The Ultimates. Despite their superficial differences, these Gen X texts all offer unique insights into the respective pathologies of the Bush and Obam

Casefile #15: Batman Returns

Dec 26 2023 139 mins  
A Christmas miracle. To close out 2023, we’re taking the plunge into the kinky, gender-bending world of Batman Returns, the strangest blockbuster ever to have a Happy Meal tie-in. After the many compromises involved in making Batman ’89, Tim Burton used his newfound freedom to take the biggest swings he could imagine—and with the help of one of the most stacked casts in any s

Casefile #14: The Last Arkham

Nov 22 2023 109 mins  
From the twisted mind of Casebook Walt! We're looking back to the early '90s and the heyday of American crime with a deep dive into "The Last Arkham," the terrific arc that introduced scarified serial killer Victor Szasz alongside a new version of Arkham Asylum. In the process, writer Alan Grant raises questions about the nature of power and madness that strike at

Casefile #13: The Black Glove

Aug 21 2023 112 mins  
Let's raise the stakes. This month, we're investigating Grant Morrison's brilliant, challenging Batman run through two lesser-known stories: "The Three Ghosts of Batman" and "The Club of Heroes." Besides being incredibly entertaining, these arcs can help unlock the deeper meanings that make the Morrison run such a classic. ⁠We have a Patreon⁠⁠�

Casefile #12: One Bad Day: Clayface

May 29 2023 88 mins  
Hoo-ray for Hollywood. We're turning our gaze to the stars this month for One Bad Day: Clayface, which might be the best Batman comic in a decade. Essentially a super-sized Batman: The Animated Series episode, the story follows the artist formerly known as Basil Karlo as he tries to carve out a new life for himself in Tinseltown. As Clayface looks to the future, we dig into his