Batman Eternal #5 – Review

By: Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, John Layman, Ray Fawkes, Tim Seely (story), Andy Clarke (art), Blond (colors)

The Story: Red Robin and Batman briefly consider getting the band back together again.

The Review: Let’s review some Batman basics,* shall we? Great as the Dark Knight is, he’s still only one man struggling against a vicious city, which is why the Bat-family exists. But calling them a family gives an impression of a cohesive working unit when they’re actually more like a handful of government agencies. Their objectives and methods are different; they’re supposed to work in different spheres; and when they take jurisdiction over the same area, there tends to be more tension than collaboration.

Such is the way when you have obviously derivative characters trying to prove that they can stand on their own. Red Robin voices that conflict from the first page of this issue, rebelliously establishing his own data networks (his “Robin’s Nests“) in the city separate from Batman’s, declaring, “I don’t like people looking over my shoulder while I work.” Aside from that basic barrier to working with Batman, Tim reminds us of personal obstacles between them post-Death of the Family, Damian Wayne, and Dick Grayson. Gotham needs its heroes to stand together, but between Batgirl’s angry departure last week and Tim’s prickliness here, that’s going to be a very tall order.

Batman #25 – Review

By: Scott Snyder (writer), Greg Capullo (pencils), Danny Miki (inks), FCO Plascencia (colors) and Nick Napolitano (letters)

Back-up by: Snyder & James Tynion IV (writers), Andy Clarke (art), Blond (colors) and Dezi Sienty (letters)

The Story: Batman and Gordon separately try to solve crimes while Gotham is in blackout.

Review (with SPOILERS): This issue continues the bit of magic that Batman found last month in Batman #24.  Batman is really, really good again and that’s great because the world just seems more centered with a Scott Snyder-written Batman comic among the best comics in publication.  He’s been doing this for 3 years now, folks.  It’s pretty amazing.

But, let’s mix the review up a little bit and talk about his artistic collaborators first.  Even an art fan like me always talks about the art second and that’s not really fair…

This is really a glorious issue from an art standpoint.  The team accomplishes the two stretch goals for any comic: (a) no crappy panels and (b) memorable images.  I can’t emphasize enough how important the “no crappy panels” rule is.  It’s all well and good to have a snappy story and a few wickedly good panels of art, but if the art stumbles anywhere the entire comic can be like that lady in Ode to a Louse where the lady is all pretty and beautiful for church, except for the louse crawling around on her bonnet.  Yuck! It kinda ruins the image!  Well, singular crappy panels of art can make a reader have to repeat pages or stare at a panel long enough to break the rhythm of the comic.  It’s amazing to me how Capullo and Co. create so many great panels, but maintain their excellence to grind out even the most mundane panels.  It’s really professional.

As for memorable panels, it’s easy to get distracted by the energy of the new Batmobile (a little too Plymouth Prowler for my taste…) or the scary Dr. Death (imagine his flossing problems!), but let’s instead go to the page where Bruce and Alfred crawl out of the Batcave and find Gordon waiting on them.  The panel at the top shows Bruce halfway out of the hole and Gordon, squatting to look down at him as he emerges.  Bruce is looking up at him like a little kid would look at a grown-up and Gordon is returning the gesture of looking down in a kindly fashion at a little boy, the way you might look down at a little boy who had just jostled into you in the crowd and fallen on his butt.  Everything about the panel is amazing.  It frames the dynamic between the two men perfectly, the anatomy is perfect, and the facial expressions (in profile, no less) are perfect.  The color is perfect.  Yeesh… Do you know how easy it is to screw up a panel like this?  A weird expression, a weird wrinkle of clothing, having Gordon’s knees not bending properly…  There was a lot that could be screwed up and they instead created a tour de force of a panel.

Batman #23.1 – Review

By: Andy Kubert (writer), Andy Clarke (art), Blond (colors) and Jared K. Fletcher (letters)

The Review (with very minor SPOILERS): “Boring and pointless” is how I’d sum up this issue.  I’d also add, “I’m not buying any more of these Villain’s comics from DC after this.”  It isn’t a terrible, wretched issue or anything like that, but it’s hard to see anyone but the most passionate Joker fans or Batman-completists being very interested in this title.  This is just the sort of issue that Marvel and DC shovel out there from time to time because they know that passionate fans will buy it (or people buying it for review purposes…).  On one hand, you are selling an incremental issue.  On the other, publishers risk readers having a “moment of clarity” every time they foist average comics upon us.

The issue tells the story of how Joker raises a baby gorilla to become a criminal.  He and some fellow criminals are loitering at the zoo, killing zookeepers when a baby gorilla catches his eye.  So he Joker-gasses the mommy gorilla, steals the baby and raises him in the best Joker tradition.  Throughout we see little vignettes of Joker’s own awful upbringing and in the end, we are left with the “promise” that we’ll be seeing more of the gorilla in the pages of Batman.

I can’t say that I’m eager to see the gorilla again.  I think Joker is totally overused, but he makes a good villain for Batman because he’s “just a man” in the same way that Bruce Wayne is “just a man”.  Most of the other good Bat-villains are pretty close to baseline humanity (or have plausible connections to reality): Penguin, Riddler, Bane, etc.  The sillier villains are folks like Killer Croc who just don’t make any sense.  So NO… I am not looking forward to seeing a gorilla fighting Batman.  Too silver age for me.

Detective Comics #22 – Review

By: John Layman (story), Jason Fabok (art), Emilio Lopez (colors)

The Story: For once, someone fought the law, and the law did not win.

The Review: While I appreciate the maxim, “Your own worst enemy is yourself,” in an abstract, trite sort of way, I can’t say I support writers who take that statement too literally in the superhero genre.  Of all the villain types you can think of, the evil clone probably requires the least thought and imagination.  It’s a cheap way to come up with a “new” character: take your superhero, tweak the background a bit, slap on a new paint job, and set affiliation to Evil.

Thus you have E.D. Caldwell and Wrath, each the parallel of Batman’s civilian and vigilante personas, respectively.  Given their near-simultaneous introduction, it’s pretty obvious there’s a connection between the two, although Layman avoids confirming them as the same person for now.  Either way, they’re thoroughly uninspired characters, with Caldwell being the excessively wealthy entrepreneur without Bruce’s scruples, and Wrath the night-haunting warrior who stalks cops instead of criminals.

Detective Comics #19 – Review

By: Too many to list—check out the review.

The Story: Gotham’s always had a bat problem, but now they have a bat problem.

The Review: In the grand scheme of things, the number of issues a series has under its belt isn’t really important—quality over quantity and all that—but it does quantify a title’s longevity, which sort of says something about the title’s popularity.  Obviously, reaching 900 issues is a pretty big achievement, and you know the most painful thing DC had to accept when they relaunched their entire line was resetting Detective Comics’ numbering back to square one.

Here, they make an attempt to have their cake and eat it too by incorporating the 900 number into the story, which John Layman faithfully does.  Unfortunately, the number has no real value or purpose in context other than as an ominous reference, and the story itself is just yet another variation on the virulent transformation premises that have been infecting the DCU lately: Rise of the Third Army, Rotworld, Demon Knights (not to mention I, Vampire, in which you literally have murderous creatures spreading across Gotham’s citizenry).

Detective Comics #16 – Review

By: John Layman (story), Jason Fabok (art), Jeremy Cox (colors)

The Story: On the plus side, clown-nose sellers are making a killing—so to speak.

The Review: I don’t often feel too competitive with my fellow reviewers across the web, but every now and then I’ll stumble upon a piece that dismays me because it happens to make nearly all the same points I want to make, but better.  David Pepose of Newsarama did just that in his review of this issue, which very properly calls it a “hidden gem…a tie-in comic done right.  It may actually be the best tie-in comic I’ve ever read.”  Damn you, Pepose—I totally agree.

Tie-ins usually have an entirely incidental quality to them.  They pop up unexpectedly during a series’ run, make some obligatory references to the main event, then wheedle their way out as unobtrusively as possible.  Catwoman threw Selina right into Joker’s way and somehow she came out of the experience completely unscathed and unaffected, if the totally unconnected following issue shows anything.  Batman and Robin did a much better job using Joker’s presence in the series, but this was a more direct tie-in which still seemed to interrupt the title’s flow.

Detective Comics #15 – Review

By: John Layman (story), Jason Fabok (art), Jeremy Cox (colors)

The Story: Look on the bright side, Clayface—no messy, expensive divorce proceedings.

The Review: Ah, love—that most elusive of virtues.  If I’ve learned nothing else from How I Met Your Mother (and indeed, what you learn from HIMYM boils down to pretty much nothing), it’s the more effort you put into finding love, the more it seems to escape you.  Another thing I learned from HIMYM: it’s that even the least deserving people can be suckers for love.  You can take the toughest, most dominant bozo in the room and love will reduce him to a weeping mess.

In short, love is the most wonderful horrible thing—and vice versa.  It shouldn’t surprise you, then, that Clayface also gets caught in its trap in a big way.  It’s easy to feel sorry for the big lump.  He’s not nearly as inherently evil or sadistic as some of the other crazies running around Gotham, and the protective way he looks after Ivy is rather touching.  As he flips cars and bellows at the world to give him his wife, you can see just how far gone he is over her.

Detective Comics #14 – Review

By: John Layman (story), Jason Fabok (art), Jeremy Cox (colors)

The Story: It’s a rough night when you get your thunder stolen by the Penguin.

The Review: Another review, another Batman title.  I’ll spare you the lecture on how every series sharing a brand should at the very least bring something different to the party.  Instead, let’s talk a little about Detective Comics, the book which not only brought Batman to life, but from which DC Comics as we know it today took its confusingly redundant name.  In theory, at least, this title should focus on Batman as investigator, rather than avenger or superhero.

However, to write the world’s greatest detective, you need to be a fairly good one yourself—no small task for the ordinary, non-fictional person.  How else can you expect to set up clues amidst the plot with enough intricacy and subtlety that the reader doesn’t spot them and put them together with his commoner’s brain faster than the Batman himself?  With his experience on the unusual and surprisingly complex Chew, Layman seems up to the task.

Batman #0 – Review

Main story by: Scott Snyder (writer), Greg Capullo (pencils), Jonathan Glapion (inks), FCO Plascencia (colors)

Back-up by: James Tynion IV (writer), Andy Clarke (art), FCO Plascencia (colors)

The Story: A flash-back story of Bruce Wayne before he really was the Batman.  Kinda Year One style.

Review: This is a tricky comic to review.  It flashes back to a pre-Batman Bruce Wayne and shows him making awkward attempts to fight crime.  We get to see early prototypes of the Batsuit (cool!) and an early rooftop conversation between Bruce and Jim Gordon (also cool).  [In hindsight….this rooftop conversation is very clever.  We all know that Gordon talks to BATMAN on the roof a lot, but he doesn’t talk to BRUCE up there much.  But, it makes sense since Bruce hasn’t fully become Batman at this point in time.  Snyder is a clever devil…] Then the back-up tale focuses mostly on Jim Gordon’s relationship with his daughter and young Tim Drake and Dick Grayson.

Batman #12 – Review

By: Scott Snyder & James Tynion, IV (writers), Becky Cloonan & Andy Clarke (artists), Sandu Florea (inks on a few pages), FCO Plascencia (colors), Richard Starkings & Jimmy Betancourt (letters), Katie Kubert (assistant editor) & Mike Marts (editor)

The Story: Batman has a new helper.

A few things: 1). Neat new character. – I kinda like this new character, Harper Row.  She’s clever, handy and hits that cute-but-not-sexy sweet spot (as appropriate for a teenager).  I like how she uses nothing but her wits and skills to figure out some things about Batman’s operations.  Heck, she basically hacks and improves his network.  That’s really cool.  In fact, her attitude and skill sets remind me a little bit of Tim Drake who famously figured out Batman’s identity and then went on to become Robin.  Could a character arc like Tim’s be in store for Harper?  Who knows…..but it would be a fun possibility.

Batman and Robin #9 – Review

By: Peter J. Tomasi (story), Lee Garbett (pencils), Andy Clarke (guest art), Ray McCarthy & Keith Champagne (inks), John Kalisz (colors)

The Story: Even soldiers should know better than to go into the woods at night.

The Review: To continue the main point I made in reviewing Batgirl #9, one-shot tie-ins almost invariably annoy any devoted fan of a series because they interrupt whatever groove the writer has established to spin in a completely different direction.  Sometimes, this means we enter an issue to find ourselves with a whole new plot we’re not prepared for.  At other times, this means we get a story which flies in the face of all the groundwork and tone we’ve had before.

So it feels like a bit of a gear shift for us to go from what has been an intensely driven drama and thriller to a quickie bloodbath, no drama or thrills about it.  Of course, there’s a lot to be said for pitting Damian, born assassin, against a professional assassin, but Tomasi doesn’t actually spend much time letting that play out.  Had Patrick Gleason’s amazing cover indicated the kind of stuff we’d get to see inside, then this issue would be practically a guaranteed win, no matter how thin the plot.  Instead, we get an underwhelming fight sequence on top of a plot that goes nowhere.

Batman and Robin #12 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (writer), Andy Clarke, Scott Hanna, Dustin Nguyen (artists), Alex Sinclair (colorist)

The Story: The Mexican Train, Part 3: Robin is still being controlled by his mother (read whatever Freudian angle you want into that) and therefore trying to kill Batman. They duke it out, but Batman pulls out some tech and some theory and gives his attackers a taste of their own medicine. Then, Dick is left with two things to do: solve the mystery of Bruce Wayne and deal with Talia.

What’s Good: Morrison has got a really strong ear for dialogue. It comes out natural and real and without being filled with information characters wouldn’t say. He keeps his words to a minimum, in fact, so that this story is told more from the art side (at least the action sequences). Morrison also draws out, until the end of the book, the mystery of Sexton (I didn’t see that one coming), while the larger mystery, of whether Bruce is alive or not, sometime in the past, is teased out, clue by clue. My two favorite moments in this comic were the shredded Batman cowl hanging on the antlers in the deepest caves under the Wayne Manor and the back splash page.

What’s Not So Good: Alright. I know that last time I dinged this book some grades for Clarke’s art, it got people going (I wasn’t in the majority). But I cannot lie. I still don’t like it. To me, Clarke’s art lacks dynamism. Check out bottom of page two, Damian breaking a shovel over Dick’s arm. Damian just kind of looks straight, hanging in the air. No arms or legs splayed for balance, no arching of the back to give greater force to the blow, and even though he is yelling “Slaaaaade!” his facial expression is stiff, like he’s ordering a latte. The splash page is a little better, but then check out the top panel of page four, where Dick is close to breaking Damian’s ribs with that kick. The cape is fluttering behind him while obviously he’s being driven back by the blow, yet his body is not curling with it. This may sound like a lot of nitpicking, but what I’m talking about is the dynamism described most clearly in “How To Draw Comics the Marvel Way.” It doesn’t matter that it’s Marvel or DC. The rules of perspective, form, dynamism, posture, etc, apply to the superhero genre as a whole. Other action postures throughout the book don’t work for me either.

Batman and Robin #11 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (writer), Andy Clarke (penciller), Scott Hanna (inker)

The Story: Batman versus Robin Part Two: Batman explores the cave network beneath the Wayne Manor, surer than ever that Red Robin is right– Bruce Wayne is alive. In the meantime, Robin and Sexton, exploring the graves behind Wayne Manor, are suddenly accosted by four killers. Something more sinister than the obvious is up, because some kind of Wayne relative is being brought into the picture, as is the daughter of Batman’s greatest enemy.

What’s Good: As always, Morrison feeds out his story in morsels, never satisfying your hunger, but never blowing the pacing either. There is a big, old mystery afoot and it looks like everything is at stake again for the new Batman. The subtle levers being used by Talia to move her puzzle pieces around are intriguing, as is the climactic moment at the end when she springs her trap. Morrison’s command of voice, different voices for different characters, is also well done and brings an authenticity to the interactions, even when some of the characters are doing pretty weird stuff– check out the running monologue around Mister Whips-Himself – creepy… And, as one final point on the writing, Damian steals the show. This is really his issue and it’s a lot of fun to watch him figure things out and squirm over mother issues.

On art, I’ve always liked Clarke, although in other reviews (R.E.B.E.L.S.), I’ve noted that I think he’s better suited for moody, character books rather than action-packed titles. Clarke’s art style (especially the stippled shading and fine lines to show texture) does great work on faces and expressions. The sad, frightened priest on the first page doesn’t need the dialogue to show us how he feels. Same with the expression of the one he blesses– dialogue isn’t needed for this guy to creep us out.

Batman & Robin #10 – Review

by Grant Morrison (writer), Andy Clarke (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Alex Sinclair (colors), and Pat Brosseau (letters)

The Story: Batman and Robin search Wayne Manor for clues left by a lost-in-time Bruce Wayne.

What’s Good: Morrison’s series has been filled with a lot of wacky stuff, what with each arc thus far being somewhat independent.  This issue manages to weave together many of those wild strands, and there’s definitely a satisfying feeling of everything drawing together.  Oberon Sexton, the Domino Killer, El Penitente, and Talia Al Ghul are all series elements that are present in this issue in some form or other, and the result is a great sense of a cohesive whole.  The seemingly disparate book Morrison has been writing suddenly seems like a carefully pieced together puzzle.

R.E.B.E.L.S. #7 – Review

By Tony Bedard (writer), Andy Clarke (artist), Jose Villarubia (colorist)

The Story: The story opens with a Dominator Fleet Admiral doing possibly the most original thing I’ve ever seen to break out of a force field in space. The splash-page outcome is spectacular. Then Khunds move in and we are brought to the Gil’Dishpan world, where Dox is trying to pull stuff back together. Our favorite little tyrant is as popular as ever with everybody he looks to for help. Then Starro’s forces attack.

What’s Good: Dox, as always, my favorite little dictator is in fine form; blustering, manipulating, ordering and plotting so that he gets his way. It’s worth mentioning that Dox really is a creation of both writer and artist. Bedard has the story, but the superb, expressive faces that Dox makes throughout the book add just as much. Furthermore, since the art is so good, Bedard has the flexibility to do less dialogue and exposition.

The Aliens – Dominators are always cool. Bedard has their point of view down pat. The Gil’Dishpan are the same. They speak differently, think differently and surprise you throughout the story. They even have a Reefmarshall. I don’t have a lot of experience with them (I stopped reading Legion long before they were introduced), but the warping powers are great and I love what Bedard, Clarke and Villarubia do with them. The Khunds are also depicted reveling in their idiosynchracies.

As for the art, Clarke and Villarubia deliver outstanding work. The Lunavore, while scientifically implausible, is visually arresting, as is the Dominion fighter chasing it. Another nice touch is Dox’s personal force field. It’s so much more obviously primitive than Brainiac V’s. I really appreciate this sort of retro tip of the hat to continuity. And the cover, including Villarubia’s blending of the colors, is just fantastic.

There’s a writing rule which says you should never put a gun on the mantle-piece in Act One, unless you intend to fire it in Act Three. When the Durlan faces off against a dominator on the Gil’Dishpan world, she says, “I wouldn’t fire a blaster in a methane ocean, Admiral.” Let’s just say that Bedard doesn’t disappoint in Act Three, so his plotting is up to snuff.

What’s Not So Good: There’s almost no point in having this section here for me when I’m reviewing R.E.B.E.L.S., but if pressed, I will say that Wildstar as a character leaves me cold. I don’t find her slightest bit compelling. However, there are so many other good characters, that maybe this is intentional. If pressed further, I would argue that you can’t ignite a methane planet. If oxygen (which is required to combust methane) were already in the atmosphere, it would be slowly reacting anyway with the methane to produce carbon dioxide and water, both of which are very stable.

Conclusion: Month after month, R.E.B.E.L.S. delivers. This book is no exception. Go buy it.

Grade: A-

-DS Arsenault

Joker’s Asylum: Two-Face – Review

By David Hine (writer), Andy Clarke (art & cover), Rob Leigh (letters)

After seeing the near perfect depiction of Two-Face in The Dark Knight I was worried this would fall flat. I should know by now not to doubt this series.

I’m always curious when reading a Two-Face story if it’s going to be more Dent or Two-face. Here, David Hine actually gives us a pretty good mix of the two. The scenes between Hunt and Dent in Arkham have a good undertone of Harvey the DA, while later scenes do a good job of depicting the “crazier” half. After escaping Arkham, Two-Face puts his plan in motion. It’s something you’d expect – he gives Hunt two choices – the proverbial heads or tails scenario. Both choices are pretty nasty, but that’s the point.  As The Joker wraps up the story he demands that the reader flip a coin to determine the final panel. It’s like a Choose Your Own Adventure book with love and suicide. This little surprise is so Two-Face and brilliant, I’m surprised nobody had thought of it earlier.

Andy Clarke’s art is a real treat. We get a lot of detail without being too gruesome in reference to Two-Face or Hunt’s burns. My favorite page shows the infamous Two-Face’s coin flip. It’s nine quick panels with close-ups of the major characters and the coin and serves as an excellent tension builder. My complaints are more on preference than anything else. First, I’m not a fan of The Joker looking like a regular guy. When he starts to look more like a mime than a psychotic clown, he loses some edge for me. I’ve also never understood the goofy, bleached hair on Two-Faces burnt side. Sure the acid might do something like that, but I think it’s more likely to just burn it all off. Again that’s preference – Clarke does an amazing job.

The worst part of this series is that it’s ending. Lord knows Arkham has more crazies who could benefit from a Joker’s Asylum run. A weekly comic with such high quality is certainly rare, and that alone should warrant a purchase. I would have preferred to read this issue much earlier in the series, but I’m glad DC saved the best for last. It’s definitely overtaken The Penguin story as my favorite issue. (Grade: A-)

– Ben Berger