Detective Comics Annual #12 – Review

Lead Story By: David Hine (writer), Agustin Padilla (artist), Tony Aviña (colorist)
Back Up Story By: Kyle Higgins (writer), Trevor McCarthy (artist), Andre Szymanowicz (colors)

The Lead Story: Batman hits Paris, with the tentative blessing of the French authorities, as a series of riots and weird murders baffle police. Batman Incorporated grows.

The Back Up Story: The Question wears a Mark of Cain and heads far, far away to deal with it.

What’s Good: The Batman story was pretty cool. The creative team wasted no time in diving into the action with Batman duking it out with a mystery figure on the rooftops of Paris. The writing was brisk and the action was clear. I wanted to know who the figure was and who was wearing the Batman cowl. I was surprised (in a good way) by the answer. The action then cranked back in time, a week ago, four days ago, twenty minutes ago, to fill in the blanks. The timing shifts drove up the tension and were mostly effective.

Artwise, Padilla and Aviña had fun with the action across dark rooftops, in police offices, and in the catacombs beneath Paris. The art was dynamic and fluid, and the fight scene with mystery man evocative.

Despite my close following of the Batman Incorporated arc, I was almost more intrigued by the Question story. I haven’t seen much of her, but the whole Mark of Cain thing and the eastern influence was pretty cool. Remember when Frank Miller radically expanded the Daredevil mythos by introducing his teacher (Stick) and the Hand? I felt that something like that was going on here; not in such depth, but it was a pretty fascinating start. Crisp dialogue and emotional tension made the back up story work.

The Unwritten #6 – Review

by Mike Carey (writer), Peter Gross (art), Chris Chuckry & Jeanne McGee (colors), and Todd Klein (letters)

The Story: Tom Taylor is thrown in prison and Lizzie Hexam is tasked with breaking him out.

What’s Good: I’ve always enjoyed the beginning of every issue of the Unwritten, which often focuses on another text, whether a real world one (like this month’s “Song of Roland”) or a Tommy Taylor book.  It sets a certain tone and allows Peter Gross to stretch his legs and provide a different, more painted/static style to convey the different text.  More than in past, however, Carey does not just limit these shifts to an opening.  Rather, a couple of times, Carey switches to a frame or two from the “Song of Roland” or Tommy Taylor in a manner that is fluid and perfectly in synch with the events happening to the comic’s characters.  As a result, he gives a sense of this not only being a singular comic, but also a dialogue between several different texts.

I also rather liked the introduction of the decidedly satanic looking thief, Savoy.  I hope he sticks around past this arc.  While he’s definitely a character, Carey chooses to keep him realistic and relatively subdued.  He has just enough flare to provide a nice contrast with Tom, while still keeping Taylor foregrounded.

A scene with the jail warden, meanwhile, provides perhaps the best scene of the book.   Carey is able to once again show the impact of fiction, as the warden’s relationship with the Tommy Taylor books exposes the softer family man below the hardened exterior.  The sudden shift is touching and the scene also shows just how much we invest in literature, our favourite books, and the hope they provide, as well as the lengths we’ll go to protect the illusion and escapism.

On another note, I should also mention that this issue’s ending is awesome and is sure to raise eyebrows.

What’s Not So Good: This is probably Peter Gross’ weakest issue, art-wise.  That’s not to say that it’s bad, nor is it to say that he’s committed any terrible errors.  You won’t be wincing at all at anything in this book, and honestly, it’s pretty decent looking.  However, it’s just under Gross’ usual high standards.  Something about the issue just doesn’t give me quite the same sense of comfort and satisfaction as previous issues did.  I do feel that things look a little less detailed and a touch more scratchy at times, so perhaps that’s the problem.  Though maybe this is intentional, to reflect Tom’s miserable status and surroundings.

I’m also not sold on the introduction of the new “Inside Man” narrator.  While it is logical to add a colorful, self-aware narrator who directly acknowledges the reader to a comic so concerned with text and the metatextual, the presence does nonetheless jar at times.  It also removes some of the sense of foreboding and mystery that has defined the book thus far.  Perhaps this too is intentional, reflecting a shift in the series’ tone, in which case these are just growing pains.

Conclusion: Didn’t like the art as much as usual, but it’s still a great book.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans