Justice League #33 – Review

By: Geoff Johns (story), Doug Mahnke (pencils), Keith Champagne (inks), Andrew Dalhouse (colors)

The Story: Luthor and Caulder see who can out-mad scientist the other.

The Review: Thank heavens one title at least is spared the Futures End treatment this month. It’s aggravating having to read issue after issue of comics without any certainty that it even matters. It reminds me of when I used to create marketing presentations for products still in the R&D stage, always aware that at any moment the design could be dropped and all my work wasted, always torn between necessity and pointlessness.

Anyway, my point is Justice League offers a very much appreciated break from Futures End in addition to all the new tidbits of troubling information about Caulder. While he insists that his work with the Patrol and their ilk is noble, Luthor exposes past experiments, not only on the unfortunate Karma and Scorch, but on Celsius and Tempest (who went into hiding), a former “war veteran,”* the “Negative Twins” (indicating Larry’s only the latest product of Caulder’s Negative work), and even Caulder’s own ex-wife. Even more disturbing is the accusation that a virus Caulder once cured was one he introduced himself.

Grayson: Futures End #1 – Review

By: Tom King & Tim Seely (story), Stephen Mooney (art), Jeromy Cox (colors)

The Story: Dick tries his hand at political assassination and finds it doesn’t suit him.

The Review: As my first serving of the Futures End crossover, Action Comics left a bad taste in my mouth and a deep dread of what the rest of the month would bring. With its poor use of the five-year jump, its distant connection to the Event itself, its tenuous handling of the Superman mythos, the issue checked off every trademark of a forced tie-in. You could just as easily throw it away and it would make no difference to any storyline anywhere.

Thank goodness I read Grayson second. It’s not a cleverly finessed tie-in the way Daredevil‘s tie-in with Original Scene is, but at least it does everything Action Comics does not. And it starts with King-Seely’s decision to tell its story backward, a risky move that pays off by tying Dick’s (potential) future with his famous past. Tying it all together is the motif of a rope; it’s the visual that starts off the issue and upon which the issue ends, the beginning of Dick’s life as we know it as well as its conclusion. It’s a fitting symbol for a hero who’s always placed himself on the line.

Batman and Robin #34 – Review

By: Peter J. Tomasi (story), Patrick Gleason (pencils), Mick Gray (inks), John Kalisz (colors)

The Story: Another heartwarming Bat-family reunion.

The Review: The Super-family may have the reputation for being the brighter, friendlier gang of heroes, but it’s the Bat-family that’s gotten tighter over time. Part of that is the changes from the relaunch; the Supers are no longer on intimate terms while the Bats have preserved all their past history with each other. But I think the difference also comes from the fact that the Supers have less need of each other by virtue of their powers; to keep Gotham running, the Bats must rely on their collective strength.

So things haven’t been quite right since Death of the Family drove a wedge between Bruce and the others, one that he exacerbated in post-death of Damian grief. The reconciliation between him, Babs, Jason, and Tim—the three he hurt the most during that period—thus comes right on time, premised on an excellent promise on Bruce’s part: complete and utter truthfulness.

Superman/Wonder Woman #11 – Review

By: Charles Soule (story), Thony Silas (art), Tomev Morey & Ulises Arreola (colors)

The Story: Who says couples can’t save the world together?

The Review: When Bruce succeeded in removing the Kryptonite from Earth’s atmosphere, allowing Clark to repress the Doomsday inside once more, I breathed a sigh of relief that perhaps we were finally over and done with that horribly one-dimensional monster. I admit it: I was naïve and not a little bit stupid. After all, repressed or not, Doomsday was still inside Clark; it had to make one last appearance sometime, and unfortunately, that time is now.

And just when things were getting pretty good in Doomed. As Bruce observes during a particularly low moment for our heroes, the forces of good have been reduced to seven individuals, who must face against all of Brainiac’s collective forces. That’s an exciting scenario for them to be in—or it would be if the solution wasn’t still lurking within the recesses of Clark’s mind/body/soul. I can’t tell you how depressed I was to see SuperDoom unleashed again, bigger, spikier, craggier than ever. You can already feel the storyline becoming monotonously mindless once more.

Action Comics Annual #3 – Review

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

The Story: Oh, now we’re going to clean up the atmosphere?

The Review: I expressed some annoyance with how Superman/Wonder Woman Annual #1 shifted the details of a major plot point—Batman’s dispersal of the kryptonite in the atmosphere—to a different annual altogether. I’m no less irritated going into the annual in question, which is not a great attitude to come from. I just don’t like the idea of forcing readers to buy all kinds of extraneous issues to keep apace with a story.

Anyway, once you set those feelings aside, this annual is about as decent as its sibling, and in the grand scheme of things, far more necessary. S/WWA #1 was really about Diana stalling Clark long enough for Bruce to do his work (and Steel’s potential crush on Lana); you can live without seeing that. Anyway, Pak does the courtesy of repeating the essentials for you: the arrival of Brainaic’s first wave of attack, the other heroes’ difficulty in dealing with it, and Brainiac’s big momma-ship pulling beside Earth at the end. You get all this and the most important happenings in the arc as well.

Earth Two #26 – Review

By: Tom Taylor (story), Nicola Scott (pencils), Trevor Scott (inks), Pete Pantazis (colors)

A good twist is hard to come by in superhero comics. We’ve seen so many of the same kinds over and over—the long-dead character suddenly revealed alive, a major superhero ends up dead or kills someone, someone we trusted turns traitor—that even when you’re surprised, you’re not particularly affected.* The other kind of twist we frequently encounter is the kind that drops out of a clear blue sky. There’s not much craft to it; it’s purely WTF-worthy (which is not a compliment, DC).

It’s rare to get a twist that’s simultaneously surprising and enjoyable, where you realize the clues have been there all along. Taylor pulls off exactly that in this issue, which would make it rec-worthy even if he had accomplished nothing else. Over the past few months, he managed to convince us that Clark had finally been broken into a murder machine, that any hope of him being an imposter was merely wishful thinking. [Spoiler alert!] The revelation that he is actually a Bizarro (“Me am…Superman.”) is not only a great twist, it’s one we could’ve seen coming had we put the hints together: the chains hooked to his crest, the cracks around his eyes.

Superman/Wonder Woman Annual #1 – Review

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

The Story: Superman returns.

The Review: About a month ago, I decided to stick to Doomed despite many misgivings about the storyline. It was a close call, however. Part of what kept me onboard was the resignation that the event was nearly over anyway. A few more issues, I could handle. Had I known the Doomed showrunners planned to add two annuals to the mix, I probably would have reconsidered my commitment. Annuals are costly things, and the thought of putting that much more money into Doomed was hard to take.

On the plus side, the annuals confirm that what we thought was a Doomsday story is actually a Brainiac one, which is an improvement, sort of. It seems somewhat repetitive to make the villain yet again the center of a major Superman story (the last time being one of Superman’s earliest big adventures); can’t they come up with someone else to challenge our hero? Must we always turn to the usual suspects? Shouldn’t there be at least a three year moratorium on a supervillain after he’s been featured in a major story arc?

Detective Comics #34 – Review

By: Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato (storytellers)

The Story: Ever wanted to see Batman punch a flying motorcycle?

The Review: Detective Comics #34 starts with a bang. Well, perhaps more accurately, Tec #33 ended with one. Nonetheless, from the moment this issue opens there’s a sense that you’re racing towards the finale. That sense of momentum is a great asset for the book. It makes you want more, makes this issue feel big and meaningful. Written by a pair of artists, the book’s layouts build with the tension, leading to a pair of dramatic arrangements that really convey the showdown nature of the issue.

Unfortunately, that plot structure really only works if the mystery has already been revealed. It hasn’t. The issue is very rushed, partly to accommodate some of the more striking visuals. Despite Bullock’s claims that “The answer was right under [Batman’s] nose” there’s a lack of clarity in the reveal that leaves you feeling one step behind all throughout.

The final battle lends itself to some gorgeous panels but it’s highly confused at times and too unevenly matched to live up to its own hype. At one point Batman flat out socks an innocent child in the face, seemingly at terminal velocity. A few pages later this same recently introduced character jumps out of the comic, never to be mentioned again. Even worse the panel’s dialogue is completely unrelated and you’d not be blamed for having to back and make sure you read right..

Though there are still some staples of the Bronze Age present, the tone of hardboiled fantasy that Manapul and Buccellato have been cultivating is largely thrown out in favor of loud moments and fist-first problem solving. Throughout the issue you can feel the writers reaching back to previous thematic strands, notably those from the first issue of the storyline, but only pieces survive the translation to this chapter and the grab bag of plot threads doesn’t feel satisfying.

Batman and Robin #33 – Review

By: Peter J. Tomasi (story), Patrick Gleason (pencils), Mick Gray (inks), John Kalisz (colors)

The Story: Friends don’t let friends fight evil gods alone.

The Review: I’m not a hardcore Bat-fan, but I can definitely see his massive appeal.* Despite his mortal frame, the man goes toe-to-toe alongside and against some of the most powerful forces in the universe and doesn’t even bat an eye—yes, pun intended. That kind of courage, guts, pluck, whatever you’d like to call it, always puts him on the verge of open conflict with somebody bigger than him, and it really doesn’t get bigger than the Justice League and Apokolips.

Bruce going rogue with the League goes about as well as you’d expect. He may be Batman, but getting past all his teammates by himself is beyond even him, as it should be. You couldn’t retain much respect for them otherwise. It’s also important that Bruce isn’t entirely in the right here. Vic and Arthur point out the folly of making an incursion into Apokolips and tackling something they’re not ready for, and they’re correct. The League may be party-poopers in this scenario, but they’re rightfully so.

Happy Batman Day!

Happy Batman Day, everyone! What are some of your most memorable moments of the Caped Crusader?

Robin Rises: Omega #1 – Review

By: Peter J. Tomasi (story), Andy Kubert (pencils), Jonathan Glapion (inks), Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: Invasion of the body-snatchers.

The Review: Superhero deaths and resurrections have become so commonplace nowadays that I do believe an unwritten etiquette has developed regarding the proper amount of time that must pass before publishers and writers can start thinking about bringing a character back from the dead. From my completely unscientific observations, it seems the mourning period is somewhere between one-and-a-half to two years, give or take a few months.

And what do you know, it’s been just about a year and a half since Damian Wayne was pincushioned to death in Batman Inc. #8, and now we have a storyline titled, quite explicitly, Robin Rises. There’s a possibility Damian might not come back—the title emphasizes it’s Robin who’s rising without specifying which one—but whoever picks up that red, green, and yellow mantle, it’s Damian who’ll carry this story along. Let’s hope for a good one, at least.

Detective Comics #33 – Review

By: Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato (storytellers)

The Story: Annie Aguila discovers what’s brought the Kings of the Sun to Gotham.

The Review: Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato have been crafting a tonally fascinating but somewhat scattered run on Detective Comics. There’s a lot going on in this series right now, but it’s felt more like a number of little stories than a cohesive statement. With some luck, we’ll look back on this issue as the place where that started to change.

While this is actually not a big issue for plot progression, it is an issue full of dramatic shifts that are sure to play out in next month’s conclusion and possibly beyond. Interestingly enough, a number of these shifts don’t involve Batman, who remains something of a static character here. Instead, Manapul’s stated interest in Harvey Bullock continues to be one of the greatest draws of the title. While we don’t get anything quite as wonderful as the character redefining scene from last issue, we’re learning a lot about Harvey this month: his faults, his methods, his charm. As Detective Bullock and Batman converge on the same case, the tension is strong and the personalities larger than life. That said, it’s interesting to note that Bullock is actually further along in his investigation than the Dark Knight, compliments of Jeb Lester. Perhaps even more interesting is Bullock’s insistence that, unlike Batman, he’s a real detective, despite his highly questionable methods of information gathering. This pairing definitely has legs.

On the other side of things, the Kings of the Sun finally escape the gravity of their own iconography and make a bold break for true characterhood as their leader, Holter, makes a startling declaration. Admittedly, I think that Manapul and Buccellato could have done a better job of clarifying the Kings’ out-of-towner status or at least foreshadowing things a little better in previous issues, but those choices are in the past and, while they weigh on this issue, there’s a natural poetry to the shape the story is taking that makes you want to accept the rules it’s laying out.

Batman/Superman #12 – Review

By: Greg Pak (story), Ken Lashley (art), Tom Raney (pencils), Jamie Mendoza (inks), Jason Wright (colors)

The Story: The trip to Earth-2, Part 2.

The Review: I’m starting to realize that this title might not know what it’s talking about. The series has meandered so much that it’s been hard to make sense of where it was going. Since the first arc, we’ve had one tangential disappointment after another: a forgettable storyline with Mongul, a forgettable crossover with Worlds’ Finest, a forgettable filler issue with guest writer Jeff Lemire, a forgettable tie-in to a most unwelcome Event…you get the picture.

This issue’s return to Earth-2 seems like a desperate attempt to pick up from the only successful plotline the title has ever had, but even here, there’s not much excitement to be had. Bruce and Clark, deprived of any ability to actually interact with the parallel world, have little to do except watch helplessly as things go further and further south for their counterparts. It’s a depressing experience, certainly, but not exactly a learning one.

Superman Unchained #7 – Review

By: Scott Snyder (story), Jim Lee (pencils), Scott Williams (inks), Alex Sinclair (colors)

The Story: Can a one-man army take down an actual army?

The Review: Happy Independence Day, everyone—yes, even you folks who have nothing to do with the good ol’ U.S. of A. So I think it’s appropriate that my first review of the day celebrating America goes to the comic starring that most quintessential all-American hero, the Man of Steel himself. It’s also important that here, we’re dealing with a Superman in his purest, most heroic form, as opposed to one struggling not to unleash certain death on all living things—we’ll deal with that hot mess later.

That said, Clark’s big heroic moment in this series has come and gone; what’s left is purely personal, with little opportunity for growth. He seems on the verge of it here, reflecting on Wraith’s challenges from #5: “The choices I make about when I fight, how I fight, how I live my life inside and outside of this…those choices mean that Superman, as I’ve created him, he can’t last forever.” But he never synthesizes these musings into a concrete conclusion as to what he should do. Instead, he dithers, pleading with Lois for understanding, which is preaching to the choir if you’ve ever seen it.

Justice League #31 – Review

By: Geoff Johns (story), Doug Mahnke (pencils), Keith Champagne & Christian Alamy (inks), Rod Reis (colors)

The Story: What to do when your secret identity’s discovered.

The Review: I’ve heard somewhere that Johns is not a big Batman fan, but I think it’s more accurate to say that he doesn’t worship Batman the way many superhero readers do. People have built up Batman’s stature to the point that he sometimes coming across as less human than his actually inhuman peers. This goes against Johns’ grain, since he’s a writer who likes to bring characters down to Earth in an occasionally misguided attempt to make them more “relatable.”

Perhaps this explains why Batman in Johns’ hands is hardly the mighty figure we’re used to seeing. Compared to the vicious Batman who appears in the works of Scott Snyder or Pete Tomasi, Johns’ Batman is mostly hot air, a bit flimsier and more ineffectual. We saw this in his laughable attempts maintain control in Forever Evil, and we see it again here as he tries to fake his way out of Luthor’s discovery of his identity: “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Luthor. I’m not Batman.” The only way he could be more unconvincing would be to add a stutter and several exclamation points.

Aquaman #32 – Review

By: Jeff Parker (story), Paul Pelletier (pencils), Sean Parsons (inks), Rain Beredo & Rick Magyar (colors)

The Story: Apparently, no one read Frankenstein before this whole human chimera project.

The Review: We have an interesting relationship to science, don’t we? In the real world, we can hardly get enough of it; see the hordes waiting for the newest iPhone, watching the Curiosity rover putter around Mars, buying into anything that says it was “scientifically approved.” And yet our fiction is replete with plots where a scientific experiment/product goes wrong, leaving us the message that we’d be better off approaching science with caution than enthusiasm.

Just as you can expect any story starting with a huge technological leap will lead to a fall, you can bet that if a story begins with people in lab coats mucking with someone’s body, he’s going to arise in some monstrous form to terrorize us all. There was never any doubt that Orson’s gruesome surgeries on the technically dead Coombs was going to hell eventually; Orson has too little conscience and too much arrogance to avoid it. So when the hideously transformed Coombs (who later identifies himself as “the Chimera”) escapes Orson’s control, we view it with as much weariness as horror.

SENYC Report: Reimagining the Female Hero

Following Marvel’s Next Big Thing, room 1E19 was turned over to a very different sort of panel. At once more important but less serious, Reimagining the Female Hero was my favorite panel at Special Edition: NYC and, judging from the reactions I’ve seen, I get the sense I wasn’t alone in that.

In a stark inversion of horror stories from previous conventions where feminist panels were trolled by attendees waiting out more traditional fare, I noticed many fans sticking around from The Next Big Thing. In fact, despite taking place in the same room as DC and Marvel’s offerings, the panel gave us reason to hope and easily held its own in terms of attendance.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that the panel had some pretty excellent creators. The line-up included Jenny Frison, a talented cover artist for series including Revival and Red Sonja; Emanuela Lupacchino, the artist on DC’s Supergirl and the Superman: Lois Lane one-shot; Marguerite Bennett, the writer of Superman: Lois Lane and Batgirl #25 and #30; Gail Simone, feminist icon and writer on Batgirl; and Amy Reeder, the artist behind Madame Xanadu and Rocket Girl, who arrived from her dedicated panel a short while into the discussion.

It’s also worth mentioning that the panel had an excellent moderator in the form of Professor Ben Saunders of the University of Oregon. While I hesitate to devote too much praise to the only man involved with the panel, Professor Saunders did an excellent job of keeping the focus on his panelists, encouraging their relevant digressions, and recognizing their celebrity while keeping the mood light yet respectful.

In short I left the room with a greater respect for everyone involved.

Batman and Robin #32 – Review

By: Peter J. Tomasi (story), Patrick Gleason (pencils), Mick Gray (inks), John Kalisz (colors)

The Story: This is one father-grandfather battle that won’t get settled at family court.

The Review: Speaking of characters who’ve been around so long that you’ve taken their rep for granted, doesn’t it strike you as odd that Ra’s Al Ghul is considered one of Batman’s mortal enemies—heck, one of the most formidable villains of the DCU—and yet when was the last time we saw him actually do anything threatening himself? As head of the League of Assassins, he has a right to delegate the dirty work, of course, but that does nothing for his own street cred.

If nothing else, this issue allows Ra’s to unleash his skill against Bruce, and the resulting match is quite impressive. The only downside is, for all its intensity, it feels all too brief. We’re talking about a showdown between Batman and an immortal assassin, with years of hatred and the biggest possible stake—Bruce’s son, Ra’s’ grandson—spurring them on. This should be a battle for the ages, and what we get falls sadly short.

Detective Comics #32 – Review

By: Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato (storytellers)

The Story: Family can make you do crazy things…

The Review: Manapul and Buccellato continue to give me flash backs to Batman’s transitional periods in the 70s and early 80s in this month’s issue of Detective Comics. It’s not quite hardboiled the way many Gotham yarns are, nor is it as heady as a classic detective story might be, but there’s a groundedness that you just don’t get much of these days.

Gotham may be a bigger focal point of Batman’s stories than ever in the age of Snyder, but Tec puts the focus back on the latter half of Gotham City. It’s easy to see Gotham as some small personal chess board for Batman and the Joker, but there’s a reestablishment of perspective that makes the city feel large and teaming with individual lives, not to mention making Batman feel more vulnerable. The focus on gang violence and drugs also reminds of the late Bronze Age, while a sinister force within Wayne Industries points to a return to the themes of legacy and personal responsibility that often appeared in Bruce Wayne’s more socially conscious days.

But lest you think this was some social-justice noir utopia, don’t forget that this was the era of Man-Bat, Maxie Zeus, and Nocturna, for our writers certainly haven’t. Indeed, the title seems to have a real appreciation for the fading gimmickry of the pre-Crisis period, with Sumo being carted off at the start of the issue and The Squid appearing again towards the end.

Earth Two #24 – Review

By: Tom Taylor (story), Eddy Barrows (pencils), Eber Ferreira (inks), Pete Pantazis (colors)

The Story: Jimmy Olsen considers the possibility of being Batman’s best pal.

The Review: Of the several improvements Taylor brought when he took over Earth Two, the best has to be where the character work is concerned. For all of James Robinson’s talents with solo characters, he struggled with the ensemble nature of this series, rarely writing a scene of two or more characters that wasn’t plot-driven or totally cheesy. Despite his sizable expansion of the cast, Taylor has shown greater mastery over them, whether on their own or in groups.

Only recently, though, has Taylor done sustained interactions among the characters, and in this issue he seems to have found his groove through two-person scenes. Improvisers and actors may agree when I say that two-person scenes are probably the purest kind there are; any more characters require a lot of choreography and rehearsal to pull off. Of all the various pairings, Jimmy Olsen and Thomas Wayne strike the best balance of personality and drama,* which both characters have parts in generating. At Thomas’ surprise that Jimmy knows his true identity, Jimmy declares, “I can hack any system. I can basically breathe information. No one can hide from me.”

Thomas cuts to the chase. “Lois told you.”

“Yes, she did.”

Secret Origins #2 – Review

By: Ray Fawkes, Jeff Parker, & Scott Lobdell (writers); Dustin Nguyen, Alvaro Martinez, & Paulo Siqueira (pencilers); Derek Fridolfs, Raul Fernandez, & Paulo Siqueira (inkers); John Kalisz, Rain Beredo, Hi-Fi, & Pete Pantazis (colors)

The Story: “I watched my parents die in front of me. I’ll never let that happen to anyone again.” – Batman

“Man, I never got to take that fishing trip…” – Aquaman

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear your complaining over my years of slavery and abuse.” – Starfire

The Review: Throughout his seventy-five year history Batman has always been one of DC’s most marketable properties and, especially in recent years, he’s practically demolished his competition. When the New 52 started, the Batman family of titles boasted eleven ongoing books, or over a fifth of the company’s mainline publications, and that number has only just ducked below that with New 52 nine titles announced for August. So yeah, it’s not really a secret that Batman sells comics. Add in two characters who seem to enjoy appearing in various states of shirtlessness and undress and you’ve got a book that looks like gold on paper. So is it?

“We know this story,” a seemingly omniscient narrator tells us on the second page of Ray Fawkes’ Batman story, “Even if we’re new to it, we know it.” It’s a fitting way to start this tale, Batman’s beginning is well known to us, in fact there’s even a movie about it. Perhaps what’s most amazing about Fawkes’ story is that, even knowing that, he doesn’t really try to find a new angle on this classic tale, instead choosing to dive straight in and let the story stand on the strength of his narration. It’s certainly a bold move, and one that bares more fruit than you might expect, but I’m not sure that it’s quite what it takes to sell this comic.

“Man in the Shadow” is a solid retelling of the origin story that largely sticks to the classic framework laid down by “The Legend of the Batman – Who He Is and How He Came To Be” all the way back in 1939. You’ll see Bruce’s parents gunned down, a scene of him mourning them, a scene of him creating the first draft of the mission that will last the rest of his life, a montage of him acquiring the skills he’ll need, and finally the famous night in the study, in that order.

It’s tough to leave your stamp on something that’s been rewritten in that same format so many times, but, to his credit, Fawkes manages to do a decent job of it. The biggest addition is probably the explicit look at how Gotham was changed by the death of the Waynes and the appearance of Batman. The Christopher Nolan films dealt with this theme in their way, as have other stories, but I don’t know that I’ve ever seen it so succinctly put. The idea that Gotham, as a community, never fully healed from the loss of its first family is perhaps a bit of a stretch as presented here, but a brief but crucial mention of the unique values and positions that the Waynes held in the city does a bit to back this up. It brings a smile to my face to see Martha’s contribution to Bruce’s character remembered, especially as, going by the descriptions here, she easily could be seen as the greater loss to the city.

Fawkes’ real contribution here is to boil Batman down to what matters most and present it simply and clearly. There will always be arguments about what the true message of Batman is but Fawkes gives as strong an argument as anyone could in the span of a single page when he opts against the classic, but largely dated, concept of a candlelight oath.

Batman #31 – Review

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

The Story: Batman and gang get a little closer to solving the Riddler’s riddle.

Review (with SPOILERS): This doesn’t have to be the most complex review ever.  This is another wonderful issue of Batman’s Zero Year story.  It is well-written (as always) and beautifully illustrated (as always) and Zero Year will be another instant-classic when it finishes with issue #33.

There are a lot of wonderful moments in this issue and I loved seeing The Gang (Batman, Gordon and Lucius) planning how to take down The Riddler.  I love the Riddler and how he’s just smarter than everyone.  His power is being smart.  How cool is that for a group of people like comic fans….considering that comic fans usually consider themselves pretty damn smart?  And we get to see Post-Apocalypse Batman fighting a effing LION!  Where is the Post-Apocalypse Batman action figure?

All of that is excellent. But…(you knew there was a “but” coming)

Nightwing #30 – Review

By: Tim Seeley & Tom King (writers); Javier Garrón, Jorge Lucas, & Mikel Janin (pencils); Javier Garrón, Jorge Lucas, & Guillermo Ortego (inks); Jeromy Cox (colors)

When the New 52 was announced a lot of people were disappointed; the world they had come to love was being washed away. It was a tough pill to swallow but there were lights in the dark of the unknown: Scott Snyder would continue to work in Gotham, previously dormant characters and genres would receive ongoing books once again, for all the predictable decisions DC was trying new things. But, for me, there was one above all others: we were getting Nightwing back.

Now, in the wake of “Forever Evil”, that time is over and, like Dick Grayson, we have a choice: we can mourn or we can move forward.

From the first image that bounces off of your retinas you’ll recognize Tim Seeley’s unique sensibility in this book. It seems strangely natural for a writer with Seeley’s appreciation for the weird and the absurd to be picking up the threads of Grant Morrison’s Batman Inc.

Many interviewers, myself included, have asked Seeley whether to expect a spy series or a superhero comic. Seeley has staunchly insisted that it will be both and neither. “It’s a superhero book influenced by spy books,” he told me at C2E2. Despite the presence of Tom King, a former CIA Counterterrorism Officer, a fact of which much has been made and much has been assumed, this issue is unafraid to step into the weird and the fantastic. It occurs to me that Seeley’s comparisons to the original Ra’s al Ghul stories may not have been as blind to the bizarre and mystical elements of the character as I thought.

The first section of the book revolves around longtime Batfamily ally Dr. Leslie Thompkins, unsurprisingly de-aged a bit for the New 52. Despite her facelift, Thompkins is handled well. She’s not as stridently pacifistic as she has been in some interpretations, but that’s kind of to be expected when a giant Bat isn’t going to swoop in and save you by default. Thompkins has always been a very different character in Batman’s world and Seeley writes her with respect, respect not only for her beliefs but for her normalcy. Not everyone becomes a hero in times of danger, but even if she doesn’t become the new Nightwing she reacts with honest heroism in the face of a situation far beyond her control.

Javier Garrón handles the art for this chapter and seems to enjoy the extremity of Seeley’s story. The stranger the character and the more dynamic the angles the more into it he seems. Admittedly his figures occasionally feel stretched out as a result but this points to a problem with consistency more than anatomy. Certain panels, notably those involving Spyral, can be pretty wonderful and the thick lines give the segment an undeniable pop, but it feels like Garrón doesn’t say quite enough about what he’s drawing except that he can make it attractive.

Batman and Robin #31 – Review

By: Peter J. Tomasi (story), Doug Mahnke (art), Christian Alamy & Keith Champagne (inks), John Kalisz (colors)

The Story: To prevent the undead, Batman must rely on the undead.

The Review: Frankenstein’s recent popularity gives me a lot of hope for the state of comics. That such an unconventional character can be featured in two ongoing series (one being a weekly series) and guest-star alongside the Dark Knight Himself is evidence that superhero comics haven’t become completely formulaic and bland. Given that he is rather unusual, however, what accounts for his appeal?

Much of it has to do with Grant Morrison’s original conception of the undead warrior, of course, along with Jeff Lemire’s fierce, no-nonsense characterization in Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E., which most other writers have picked up on since. Between his zealous pursuit of justice and his tendency towards melancholy reflection, Frank just doesn’t sound like anyone else in the DCU. It’s when both aspects of his personality come together that he delivers his choicest lines: “I came back here looking for solitude to renew my…fortitude for the forever war ahead of me.”

Batman/Superman #11 – Review

By: Greg Pak (story), Karl Kerschl & Daniel Sampere (art), Tom Derenick (pencils), Vicente Cifuentes, Marc Deering, Wayne Faucher (inks), Hi-Fi (colors)

The Story: When you’ve got even the ghosts in a panic, things aren’t going well.

The Review: Unenthused as I am by Doomed, it was with some dismay when I saw that Batman/Superman would be also be participating in the crossover. It shouldn’t have surprised me, what with Pak being an architect of this storyline and all. And on the plus side, at least I’ll be mostly up to speed on everything going on Doomed, which, as my recent frustrations with the Batman/Superman–Worlds’ Finest crossover show, isn’t something that happens very often.

Interestingly enough, even though Doomed is a Superman-centric storyline, he features hardly at all in this issue. I approve. At this point, there’s really nothing left to do with Superman except to see him decline further, and there’ll be plenty of that later on. If Superman has a presence at all, it’s in spirit; his friends spend a lot of the issue considering what he’d do in their shoes: Batman putting his faith in others; Wonder Woman repressing her warriors’ instincts; Ghost Soldier exchanging loyalties to stand up for what’s right; Steel risking everything to save everyone. It’s a sweet testament to Superman’s impact on the world, and a reminder of what’s at stake if he’s lost.