Batman #708 – Review

By: David Hine (writer), Guillem March (artist)

The Story: Some weird paranormal stuff is going down. Dick Grayson is having some unsettling moral side effects from a wound he got from Azrael. When the Crusader comes to the unsavory parts of Gotham, Batman has his hands full, even with the help of Red Robin and Catwoman.

What’s Good: I haven’t enjoyed March’s art before, but I don’t recall seeing him ink and color his own stuff, either, and this issue looked real good. Stylistically, I was most reminded of Craig Russell’s moody, spooky stuff. The expressions on the junky’s face and on Dick’s later on are the most striking, as well as some of the poses. I also liked March’s take on Batman’s cape and the clothing and hair on everyone, actually. March’s work is very fluid, but at the same time, this organic touch doesn’t detract from the heroism of figures. Batman is constantly larger than life and heroic, especially when checking out the damage left by Azrael. By the same token, the emaciated figure of Fireball fits the dramatic mold too, being the type of anti-hero exaggeration that sticks in your mind because of the grotesqueness of the character and situation. The color work was brighter than normal Gotham, and it succeeded in setting a different kind of tone. Dick’s false memories and the Crusader’s point of view both required a brighter kind of color style (much like White Knight is forcing in the current Batman and Robin arc) and the thematic greens and reds were very purposeful. All-in-all, beautiful visual storytelling and I am really glad I like Guillem March.

Storywise, I like the religious nutbar angle that Hine is taking here. I don’t know if this is editorially-driven, considering something similar is happening in Batman and Robin too, but I find the “moral Christian Knight” angle in this series more compelling. The imagery with Azrael and Crusader is strong and is forcing Dick into some moral territory and personal questions he doesn’t normally deal with. Heroes are often told they should do less. How often do they get told they aren’t doing enough, or haven’t taken a high enough moral ground? How often do they get questioned as to whether they are effective? It may be a question of focus (like whether Batman is an agent of individual justice or an agent of societal change), but the questions themselves are going to be fascinating to watch.

Weekly Comic Book Review’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: 27 #4 – Endings are hard, and when I’m grading comics I definitely give points for “degree of difficulty”.  Charles Soule very skillfully landed his story about a guitarist who made a Faustian bargain in a way that was not only satisfying, but that also made you rethink what you thought you’d taken away from the first three issues.  What we’re left with is a great story about the nature of genius and the hard work that it takes to achieve true expertise.  Be 100% sure to buy the collected edition!  Runner-up: The Walking Dead #82

Most Anticipated: Unwritten #23 – Amazing that I came close to dropping this series ~6 months ago!  This series has really recaptured its magic over the last 3 months. Each month I was a little surprised, but now Carey and Gross are back to having a book that I expect to be one of the best books on the shelf! The ending of last issue where Tom Taylor learned how to splash from one story to another was sooooo cool and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Other Picks: 28 Days Later #21 (advertised as a jumping on point), Hack/Slash #2, Amazing Spider-Man #656, Hulk #30.1, Thunderbolts #155

Alex’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: PunisherMAX #11 – Jason Aaron has truly found his tone with this series, one that’s both all his own while also an acknowledgement to what has worked well in the past.  This was a fantastic issue with the best fight I’ve read in a comic in 2011 thus far.  Brutal, savage stuff and everything a PunisherMAX comic should be.

Most Anticipated: THUNDER Agents #5 – There’s a lot to choose from for me this.  Brubaker’s Fear Itself prologue offers us a glimpse of things to come in Marvel’s next big event.  Amazing Spider-Man follows one of the best issues in a while and features more Marcos Martin art.  Iron Man 2.0 intrigues, as does it’s big brother title Invincible Iron Man, both of which had strong offerings last month.

In the end though, I ‘m going with THUNDER Agents.  The twist/cliffhanger it ended on last month was outrageous and mind-blowing stuff that left me salivating for #5.  It seems unfair not to give the book top spot.  Almost as unfair that this title, as good as it is, sold just barely over 10K last month.  Yeah, that’s less than Doom Patrol and Rebels, both of which to be canceled.

Other Picks: Brightest Day #22, THUNDER Agents #5, DMZ #63, The Unwritten #23, Morning Glories #8, Amazing Spider-Man #656, Fear Itself: Book of the Skull, Invincible Iron Man #502, Iron Man 2.0 #2, Uncanny X-Force 5.1

DS’ Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #1 – The concept of the series is to go back 500 years and look at the entourage of Martian characters when they were younger, dealing with different politics and challenges. This issue started strong and ended on a cliffhanger. I’m loving Dynamite’s new Barsoom!

Most Anticipated: Warlord of Mars #5 – This is chapter five in Arvid Nelson and Lui Antonio’s reimagining of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars. So far, it has been awesome and I can’t wait to see the new dangers and harrowing adventures in store for John Cart and Dejah Thoris (because that’s what John Carter is all about).

Other Picks: Kato Origins #7, Death of Zorro #1, Batman #708, Brightest Day #22, Red Robin #21, Uncanny X-Men Annual #1