Pete Holmes has it in for comic book characters.
On his new TBS late-night series, “The Pete Holmes Show,” the comedian plays Professor Charles Xavier firing a series of X-Men, and dresses up like Batman to portray the Dark Knight as a bumbling mess.
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But it’s all out of love. And to prove it, Holmes (left) walked TheWrap through his all-time favorite Batman stories. Two of them may not surprise you, because they are, objectively, the best. The third is an interesting choice, and may hurt some feelings.
So, without further adieu, here are the Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told. As told to us by Pete Holmes.
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BATMAN: YEAR ONE (Written by Frank Miller, illustrated by David Mazzucchelli)
It’s kind of obvious. I love “Year One.” I read “Year One” over and over again. I don’t know if you saw the animated version, but they did such a great job. They basically animated the comic book. … I really love the Frank Miller “Year One” stuff.
BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS (Written by Miller; illustrated by Miller and Klaus Janson)
I love “Dark Knight Returns.” “Dark Knight Returns” is probably my favorite. I’m not crazy about the Robin subplot, but I do enjoy it.
HUSH (Written by Jeph Loeb, illustrated by Jim Lee)
This is such a betrayal to the writer — it has so much to do with how it looks. If I open a Batman book and he doesn’t look right, I can’t do it. It has so much to do with the art. I didn’t really care that much about the mystery of who the guy [Hush] was. The scene that always sticks out for me is the one of like all of the villains in the same room. And there’s this great two-page spread of him prioritizing who to attack first. I just loved it.
ANYTHING ELSE? HOW ABOUT THE ELSEWORLDS STORIES?
I didn’t really get into those. I have a big blowup of “Batman Year 100,” the one that they did that was in the future. … It’s above my desk.
Finally, here’s Holmes playing Batman, explaining his super-abilities to Superman:
“I have no special powers. I’m basically just rich, and nuts.”
Watch the video: