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.

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 and Robin #30 – Review

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

The Story: It’s Ra’s al Ghul’s first time on Paradise Island, and he’s not about to waste it on tourist traps.

The Review: On the whole, Tomasi has done a good job making sure this team-up thing hasn’t been just a promotional gimmick. The first arc gave each member of the Bat-family a different role in talking Bruce down from his crazed grief, and the second arc was basically a Two-Face storyline that had little to do with teaming Bruce up with anybody. With this third arc now looking to Bruce’s Justice League buddies for partners, Tomasi veers dangerously close to using them as pure eye candy.

That’s the way Aquaman sort of turned out last issue since Tomasi didn’t really allow the two to interact or connect in any special way, and Wonder Woman doesn’t fare much better. She happens to be a little more present in this issue than Aquaman was, maybe, but she’s no less simply a muscle-woman for Bruce, her role limited to handling the physical threats beyond his mortal frame. I know I joked about the two of them reviving their pre-relaunch romance, but at the very least, I hoped for a deeper connection than a three-panel sunrise chat about pretty much nothing.

Batman and Robin #29 – Review

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

The Story: Contrary to appearances, Batman and Aquaman are not here for whale-watching.

The Review: It must be rather comforting to come from a family in the resurrection business. I don’t know if that’s exactly where all the Al Ghul’s get their death-defying steeliness, but I imagine it helps them get through the day, knowing if they happened to perish by assassin’s blade or errant bomb that they have some extra insurance on the side. Anyway, the point is we should all have expected Damian to come back even before he died.

Despite that, it’s not certain that’s where Bruce’s current search for his son’s body will end up. Although it seems natural for this series to eventually restore Robin to its title at some point, this Batman and… tactic has gone on far longer than you thought. Tomasi doesn’t seem in any hurry to bring back the Boy Wunderkind anytime soon, even though this issue puts Damian back squarely in Bruce’s focus, after the thrilling distraction of Two-Face’s rampage.

Detective Comics #27 – Review

by John Layman, Scott Snyder, Paul Dini, Brad Meltzer, Gregg Hurwitz, Peter J. Tomasi, Jason Fabok, Neal Adams, Dustin Nguyen, Guillem March, Bryan Hitch, and Sean Murphy

The Bat-Man, a mysterious and adventurous figure, fighting for righteousness and apprehending the wrong doer, in his lone battle against the evil forces of society…

Giant anniversary issues like this are always interesting to dissect. What’s the best use of all those pages? Will it connect to current storylines, or should it serve as a celebration of the character’s history? This behemoth issue tries to have its cake and eat it too, but that’s only a problem if it fails. So the question is: did it?

Let’s start at the very beginning, as I hear that that’s a very good place to start. The issue opens with a story from Brad Meltzer and Brian Hitch that goes by the highly appropriate title, “The Case of the Chemical Syndicate.” This iteration of “Chemical Syndicate” is a clever retelling of the 1939 original. Though it has been updated, it is a remarkably faithful adaptation. The major difference is the addition of Batman’s later character traits and a running commentary from the Dark Knight, himself, which would not have been possible in the original story without spoiling the surprise ending.

Though Meltzer displays an impressively economic writing style, cramming a lot into a short fifteen pages without overcluttering his story, the real meat of this story is in the narration. Basic Batman caption boxes do a fine job of showing up a mysterious and yet inexperienced version of the Caped Crusader. Meanwhile, a series of journal entries posit a number of answers to the question “why does Batman do it?” The answers are a master class in Batman, neither overglorifying the vigilante, nor digging too deep into his neuroses to appear heroic. Particularly over the last few days, I’ve been growing tired of a Batman too damaged to inspire us to anything healthy. Perhaps I’m biased by my recent musings, but I think this story navigated these dangerous waters very well.

Batman and Robin #23.3: Ra’s al Ghul and the League of Assassins – Review

By: James Tynion IV (writer), Jeremy Haun (artist), John Rausch (colorist)

The Story: The Secret Society invites Ra’s al Ghul to join them, but will the Great One accept?

The Review:  Have I mentioned how much I’ve missed Ra’s al Ghul lately? I have? On this very blog? I don’t care; I’ve missed Ra’s al Ghul. I don’t know if I can think of another Batman villain who’s risen to such prominence, but if not, it isn’t without reason.

Many of the villains showcased in this month’s issues have faltered in my opinion, the chosen stories unable to stand without heroes. Well see here folks, the Demon’s Head leans on no man, not even the Batman.

Perhaps it’s that Ra’s already has a secret society, perhaps it’s fact that Ra’s existed long before the Dark Knight Detective and will likely go on living long after he is gone, but whatever it is, Ra’s has what it takes to stand on his own.

Batman: Li’l Gotham #6 – Review

By: Dustin Nguyen (story & art), Derek Fridolfs (story)

The Story: Somehow, breakfast in bed and a tie don’t seem like good gifts for the Al Ghuls.

The Review: I beg you to hold back your gasps, but I actually think I’m ready to Drop this title—from my review coverage, not my pull list.  Phew, right?  All I can say is that it’s become a little too difficult to provide insightful commentary on a series that only begs to be loved.  Nguyen-Fridolfs don’t appear to have any intention of making more of Li’l Gotham than a convenient source of feel-good cuteness, and that’s perfectly fine with me.  I just can’t review it.

At their best, Nguyen-Fridolfs only manage to deliver a functional story, with the requisite beginning, middle, and end, a sentimental point buried somewhere within.  They almost never leave room for later development, either from the plot or the characters.  They feel very After School Special-y, to be honest, especially once a character starts making sentimental speeches on how it’s the people who care about you who are really your family.  I don’t dispute the moral, obviously, but its obvious sugariness does make me feel ever so queasy.

Batman: Li’l Gotham #3 – Review

By: Dustin Nguyen (story & art), Derek Fridolfs (story)

The Story: Who ever knew that the Joker could be so lovable—or smell like it?

The Review: Whenever superhero writers make changes to the characters as an attempt at greater “realism,” they never seem to appreciate there’s always a trade-off involved.  Take the relationship between Harley Quinn and Joker.  In the new 52, their coupling has grown more disturbing, which arguably befits such a decidedly crazy sort of pair, and yet this misses out on the unrequited romance aspect which made them sympathetic.

So as much as I enjoy Scott Snyder and Ales Kot’s respective elevations of Joker and Harley as villains, I think they did lose an important part of their original personalities in the process.  Which is to say that I enjoyed myself heartily seeing the two of them play cat-and-mouse with each other again.  Nguyen-Fridolfs could have chosen any of the famous Bat-couples for this story, but I can’t think of a better choice for a Valentine’s Day spotlight than Joker and Harley.

Batman Incorporated #10 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Chris Burnham, Jason Masters, Andrew Bressan (art), Nathan Fairbairn (colors)

The Story: Who needs a corporation when you’ve got a one-man army?

The Review: I used to do workshops in improv comedy—something I highly recommend for anyone who has an opportunity to do it.  As intimidating and nerve-wracking as it can be at times to create something from nothing, to me it feels like the creative process in its purest form: using whatever came to mind as a spark, teasing out every interesting thread, molding it into something coherent by instinct.  There’s a lot of risk, but that’s what makes it so thrilling to do and see.

Morrison writes the same way improvisers act, with similar variation in quality.  When he’s good, his work has an in-the-moment, totally present feeling which is irresistibly engaging.  When he’s not so good, there’s a borderline random looseness which makes you feel that he’s writing himself into a corner that he’s not quite sure how to get out of.  In the case of Batman Incorporated, he’s not quite there yet, but you do sense the story closing in on him.

Young Justice S02E19 – Review

By: Greg Weisman (story)

The Story: No one’s back is safe in this arena of betrayal.

The Review: Gah, gah—this is the second to last episode of Young Justice.  Did you hear that?  We only have one more episode before it all ends.  I can hardly believe it myself.  I always hoped that this show would go the way of Justice League (Unlimited or otherwise): a cartoon staple, one everyone will look back on as a high-water mark for American serial animation.  To think that it’s getting canned before its time is heartbreaking, to say the least.

For one thing, I can’t think of any other cartoon currently running that takes its characters as seriously as this one does.  I never felt that the show’s writers ever took advantage of the team’s youth to deliver sloppy, silly, or haphazard personalities or behaviors.  All YJ ever wanted was to be recognized for their efforts and treated with respect, and they have always gone above and beyond to earn that recognition and respect from everyone.

The Dark Knight Rises – Movie Review

By: You know the drill—IMDB it.

The Story: Batman trades in one God-forsaken hellhole for another.

The Review: To use a handy legal term of art, I join with Ramon in his overall opinion about this much-anticipated film, but I’d like to clarify what makes The Dark Knight Rises both satisfying and disappointing at the same time.  Ultimately, the movie successfully closes out director Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy on a high note, but not quite as high as the dizzying peak that was The Dark Knight.  What this film suffers from is mostly a case of bad timing.

Without giving anything away, plot-wise, Rises at its core is a story about how much one man can accomplish if he has the right drive.  There really isn’t much difference between the Batman who starts the film and the one who finishes it; what the initial Batman lacks, and what leads to his downfall, is his strength of spirit.  Kudos to Christian Bale for getting this across through sheer presence, because you can clearly sense Bruce in the first act of the film, despite his drive and ferocity, going through the motions.  If he manages to turn things around by the final act, it’s from understanding the value of his life anew, not from his affinity with death.

The Dark Knight Rises

By: Christopher Nolan (director), Christian Bale, Michael Kane, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cottilard, Jospeh Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy (stars)

The Story: Batman has been out of commission for 8 years, but when some other bloke in a mask tries to take over Gotham, Bruce Wayne puts his back on.

The Review: The Dark Knight was better. Let’s just get that out of the way so that we don’t have to question “which of Nolan’s Batman films was the best.” In fact, in many ways Batman Begins is better too. However, this does not mean, in any way, that Dark Knight Rises was a bad film. It survived the Curse of Three! Now the question is how to review the damn thing without giving anything away. The first problem is quite simply that there was no way it could live up to its predecessor. I actually went to the Trilogy Event hosted by AMC and watched all 3 in a row–great for being able to see all those connections big and small….but it also makes Rises have to live up to both films immediately instead of in retrospect. The Dark Knight is just so damn good that when Dark Knight Rises starts, your anticipations and expectations are staggering. Some of them are fulfilled…but enough aren’t.

Batman Incorporated #2 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Chris Burnham (art), Nathan Fairbairn (colors)

The Story: Talia will always her daddy’s little, assassin-killing girl.

The Review: It’s not easy being a spin-off.  Not only does it make that much harder to develop an identity of your own, but even if you do, you will always live with the stigma of not being the original.  In the world of comics, only several characters managed to step out from the shadows of their predecessors, and only in some exceptional circumstances.  And just like with most things in this world, it’s even harder for a woman to accomplish the same task.

Talia al Ghul has had a rough time breaking free from the pigeonhole of being one of Batman’s gallery of lovers.  If he’s the James Bond of the DCU (as early issues of this series’ first volume showed), then Talia counts among the greatest of his Bond girls, but then, you hardly ever remember the Bond girls, do you?  They come in, beguile our hero momentarily, then ultimately get crushed as he moves on to his next mission, with yet another dangerously sexy lady waiting.

Young Justice Episode 10 – Review

By: Andrew R. Robinson (writer)

The Story: Good luck!  Try not to get us involved in World War III, hm?

The Review: From the start, this show has aimed for a more sophisticated, mature kind of tone, which is still something of an oddity for American cartoons.  While the creators’ efforts to produce that kind of show has run into sharp corners from time to time, the admirably high quality it’s brought demonstrates just how committed they are to ensuring the series’ success.

Still, they have to keep a younger crowd in mind, which they’ve done admirably by scripting plots that have enough topicality with the real world to stimulate the grown-ups, but dumbs it down enough for the kids to keep up (and maybe get a little enriched in the process—who knows?).  This time around, we have peace talks between the squabbling North and South Rhelasias, the results of which apparently crucial for international stability.

Arbitrating the talks is none other than Lex Luthor, not the greatest choice as he gets targeted by the League of Assassins, who doesn’t give a hoot about collateral damage.  Mark Rolston delivers a fine slipperiness as Luthor, chiding reluctant bodyguard Red Arrow with a finely-tuned degree of condescension.  When Red comments he should let Luthor and Ra’s al Ghul duke out their enmity themselves, the business mogul delivers one of the best lines of the series: “Your stab at pragmatism is, well, adorable.”

Action Comics Annual #13 – Review

by Paul Cornell (writer), Marco Rudy & Ed Benes (art), Val Staples & Jason Wright (colors), and John J. Hill (letters)

The Story: A young Lex Luthor finds himself the unwilling “employee” of Darkseid and, in the back-up, the disciple of Ra’s Al-Ghul.

What’s Good: First things first: this issue is $4.99, but it’s a big, quality package that ultimately earns that price tag.  That being said, this isn’t just a double-sized issue of Paul Cornell’s Action Comics.  It has Lex Luthor, sure, but this is something different, something that allows for Cornell to show his range as a writer.

Cornell does a fantastic and very subtly nuanced job of writing the young Lex Luthor.  It is most definitely Lex, but it’s a Lex that’s more brash, fearless, and arrogant.  He’s like the first LP of your favourite band: more raw with both his flaws and strengths more readily apparent.  Sure he’s brave to the point of lunacy, but he also has a near pathological hatred of being dismissed – his inferiority complex is never clearer.  All told, young Lex makes for a compelling protagonist.

The main feature is all kinds of kooky, having a tone not unlike the old, sci-fi/cosmic adventures of the past.  It’s a kind of pure, wacky sci-fi that makes for a distinctly different read.  Helping this along is Cornell’s Darkseid, which is all kinds of awesome.  Cornell clearly has the time of his life writing the character, who is a classically bombastic “muhuhahaha” villain.  This makes for a fantastic adversary for Lex, one who clearly functions at a different level.

The generally fun artwork of Marco Rudy is a perfect fit for this story, playing up the goofy retro tone while drawing one hell of an Apokolips.  His work is a sort of noir acid trip and it ends up being quite a bit of fun.

Red Robin #12 – Review

By Chris Yost (writer), Marcus To (pencils), Ray McCarthy (inks), Guy Major (colors) and Sal Cipriano (letters)

The Story The epic “Collisions” storyline comes to a conclusion as the League of Shadows threatens everything and everyone Bruce Wayne holds dear. As time begins to run out, Red Robin finally comes face to face with Ra’s al Ghul.

What’s Good: Red Robin has been a fantastic book since issue #1, but the whole creative team really pulls out all the stops for the conclusion of this first arc. In addition to being an absolutely excellent and suspenseful story as a whole, Tim Drake himself gets some wonderful character moments. The way he relies on his brain even more than his (not insignificant) fighting skill during his confrontation with al Ghul cements this Red Robin’s place as a worthy addition to the Bat-family, while the courage and character he exhibits earns him the title of ‘hero’ in his own right as well. This book has allowed Tim to mature in the best way, both as a person and a character, and the payoff we witness in this issue is a wholly satisfying pleasure to see. The actual conclusion—both to the issue and the storyline as a whole—is…not what I expected at all, but it works very well and is actually quite heartwarming to watch, after everything Tim has been through and sacrificed in the last year.

Red Robin #11 – Review

By: Christopher Yost (writer), Marcus To (penciller), Ray McCarthy and Mark McKenna (inkers), Guy Major (colorist)

The Story: Collision, Part Three of Four: Red Robin, Batgirl and Pru are getting their hats handed to them by the seven deadliest killers of the League of Assassins. In the meantime, Ra’s al Ghul is making his play to hurt Red Robin real bad, by striking at the 10 people most important to him. Batman and Robin show up, but a whole different set of conflicts messes that up, and this becomes a story about trust.

What’s Good: Get back on the roller-coaster! Red Robin is back in the zone! What a fun issue! Red Robin lost a bit of its momentum after issue #7, but baby, it’s back! You want assassin-superhero slapdowns? You want a sausage-shaped torpedo bike running over people? You want snipers and ninjas? Shuriken, staffs, whips, guns, batarangs and grenades, oh my! I’ve got that summer blockbuster feeling again. Thank you, Chris Yost for the action, the great conflict, the boiling tension and awesome dialogue.

Red Robin #6 – Review

by Christopher Yost (writer), Marcus To (pencils), Ray McCarthy (inks), Guy Major (colors)

The Story: Council of Spiders, Part II: Yost keeps us jumping in space and time, showing us Red Robin’s operational leadership of the League of Assassins, more of the international past of Vitoria and the present of Vicki Vale in Gotham. Red Robin is playing a pretty dangerous game by discovering all he can of the League of Assassins for his later use, by searching for traitors in the League and by setting traps for the Council of Spiders. In the background is his search for Bruce Wayne.

What’s Good: Red Robin the series continues to feel like a summer blockbuster and this issue keeps up the pace and fills in the gaps in the story. The tension is palpable as the plot threads converge. I’m glad my faith in Yost paid off and he explained more of Vitoria in this issue. I also can’t stop watching Tim take on the League and the Council by himself. It’s a dizzying high-wire act, making this one of my favorite books in my pull stack.

The art, shading and color are all well done. The characters are all cleanly shown and well proportioned. The layouts keep up with Yost’s frenetic scene switching and all of the action sequences. To give you a feel of what the art team pulls off, they bring Yost’s story to life as it jumps from philandering wives, killer ninjas, international assassins, monsters, gunfire, and dizzying rescues to a final confrontation with the villain.

What’s Not So Good: Neither a toxic Brazilian babe nor spiders crawling over my eyeballs could get a complaint out of me this month. (Check out the book if you want to see those things)

Conclusion: Red Robin is pulling ahead of the competition and it is now the first thing I read. Tim has a mystery quest on his hands and has only his wits to save him from the danger besetting him on all sides. Check it out!

Grade: A-

-DS Arsenault

 

Red Robin #5 – Review

By Christopher Yost (writer), Ramon Bachs (artist), Guy Major (colors and digital inks), Mike Marts (editor)

The Story: Tim Wayne, formerly Robin, now the Red Robin, has been traveling all over the world, looking for clues for his crazy theory that Bruce Wayne, his adoptive father, is alive. The only one to believe him so far is Batman’s arch-enemy. The last issue ended with Red Robin being stabbed and left for dead. In this issue, things get worse.

What’s Good: Issue after issue, Tim Wayne is being pushed out of the comfortable world of fellow heroes by his irrational disbelief in his adoptive father’s death. This has made him more alone than most characters I can think of, and has forced him into an alliance with someone totally out of his ability to handle: Ra’s al Ghul. Yost makes us feel not only Tim’s loneliness, but also his discomfort around strangers he cannot trust. That is a universal childhood and coming of age experience and shows where Yost is taking us with Tim.

These coming of age and loss of father themes are rising in a number of books out of the wreckage of the Battle for the Cowl, most especially for the “four brothers” Wayne (Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Wayne, Damian Wayne). Tim’s journey here is not just a journey to manhood independent of the father, but independent of the new patriarch and of his society. The new and former Batgirls face similar struggles in new roles in a world without Bruce Wayne and this all points to an impressive cohesiveness of editorial vision between Marts and Siglain.

The art team is a flawless choice for this book. Bachs has become increasingly skilled at making Tim muscular, but still youthful. In the beginning of the series, it was easy to mistake him for a man, especially in his new cowl. Now, in costume and out, he’s quite obviously a teenager trying to pretend he’s not out of his depth.

What’s Not So Good: Yost really loves his temporal jumps in Red Robin and they can become a bit disorienting. A flashback as an occasionally-used tool can be effective. When overused, or experienced through multiple characters, they can make the story less clear or pull the reader away from what makes the story great. A step too far, in my opinion, was the introduction of Vitoria in Brazil in some indistinct past, without enough context to really add her to the story. However, these are small points, and some might argue, stylistic, in a much larger success.

Conclusion: The Red Robin series feels like a monthly dose of a summer block-buster: action-packed and thrill-jammed. Check it out!

Grade: B

-DS Arsenault

Red Robin #4 – Review

By Chris Yost (writer), Ramon Bachs (artist), Guy Major (colors and digital inks)

The Story: Yost and Bachs continue to shuttle us back and forth between Tim Wayne’s past and present. In the past, he’s not dealing with well-meaning friends, but the new Batman in Gotham. In the present, he’s not just dealing with the league of assassins; he’s dealing with their boss, Ra’s al Ghul, in Iraq, the cradle of civilization. And we get to see what Tim stole in that museum in Germany – and some of the puzzle pieces start to fall into place.

What’s Good: Tim Wayne is still on his own, kicking ass, taking names, looking for his dead, adoptive father. But he’s growing up bit-time. Only months ago, he was Robin, a young sidekick to the arch-nemesis of Ra’s al Ghul. Now, they’re on a first-name basis and Tim knows he’s holding a snake by the tail. The tension in this series is just great. You’ve got all the thrills of watching a hero on the run at the same time as he’s bitten off a whole lot more than he can chew. Yost works the past and present together very well, and in fact, every period is compelling. And the assassins are great. They’re excellent foes for Tim.

The art is getting even better. Don’t get me wrong. I loved Thibert’s inks, but Major’s digital inks give a very different look to Red Robin without changing the feel. In fact, some of the panels have a style a lot like what John Byrne’s art looked like when he was inking his own stuff. All in all, the art team is dead on.

What’s Not So Good: I have nothing really to ding this book on. Yost and Bachs and Major are delivering the goods.

Conclusion: Solid, solid story telling, month after month. I wish every comic was this good. If you’re not reading Red Robin, start now.

Grade: B+

-DS Arsenault

Batman #675 – Review

By Grant Morrison (writer), Ryan Benjamin (pencils), Saleem Crawford (inks), Guy Major (colors)

I’m not sure how this issue will prelude into the big Batman event coming next month (Batman R.I.P.), but one thing’s for certain, Bruce Wayne is acting quite erratic. For those who haven’t been following, Bruce did some experiments with death a few issues ago and hasn’t been the same since. Not helping matters are the recent events of his son, Damien, the return of Ras Al Ghul, and those crazy Batmen. All of this is coming to a head, and Bruce’s odd behavior has been picked up by a few of his friends, including Robin, who’s suspicions are ever growing.

Batman #675’s story acts as an amplifier for Bruce’s behavior as he finally disregards his secret identity and takes things too far. What ramifications will follow from this will most likely be revealed later. But one person has now made the connection that Bruce is Batman. Bruce is digging himself into a hole (no pun intended), and it seems like things will only get worse from here on out.

I can’t say this is a spectacular issue as it feels more of a precursor to something terrible. Much of the dialogue seems mundane at first, but as the reader draws near the end of the book, it becomes abundantly clear that Grant Morrison is sending a message: all is not right in the Batman Universe. As erratic as Bruce acts, Ryan Benjamin’s art unintentionally matches. His art style is just all over the place and Bruce Wayne seems to have a completely different face every page. As a one-time fan of Mr. Benjamin’s work, the work displayed here is mediocre and disappointing. Thankfully we’ll be getting Tony Daniel back on pencils next issue. (Grade: B-)

– J. Montes

A Second Opinion

Following the amazing and concluding issue to the “Batmen” story arc, we are sadly treated to a weak start for the highly hyped “Batman R.I.P.” Everything is a little sketchy with this issue, from the writing to the art. What makes Grant Morrison “Grant Morrison” unfortunately leaves us with an issue that miserably fails to be nothing more than a head-scratching story filler. And as for the art… It’s bad. Borderline “Rob Liefield” bad…

Ever since Morrison took over writing duties for Batman, he’s given us some amazing stories that explored the character and psychology of Batman and Bruce Wayne. But along with that, he has also given us some pretty weird stuff— like the “prosey” short story in issue #663. So don’t be surprised if you catch yourself thinking that this issue “doesn’t makes sense.” Scenes like Batman’s identity being almost easily figured out by an unimportant (and undeveloped) character, and Bruce Wayne snapping into a sadistic and laughable vengeful creature of the night, make this issue a not so engaging read. It’s awkward and it’s simply weak.

With scenes throughout the issue not really meaning anything or serving a purpose, Morrison’s prelude to “R.I.P.” fails to sell its supposed profound moment in the end. On top of all that, the dialogue has fallen. The “sadistic” words, “Vegetable oil at 350 degrees. You should have let the waiter cancel the tempura,” should never come out of Batman’s mouth. We’re supposed to be reading Grant Morrison’s Batman here; not Frank Miller and Jim Lee’s, All Star Batman.

With the writing not exactly on top of its game in this issue, Ryan Benjamin’s art fails to be somewhat decent in replacing Tony Daniel. The action sequences are weak, and the detail on the men’s faces throughout the issue look ridiculous. Nightwing, Robin, and Damian look like either aging men, or characters from Youngblood from the 90’s, and Bruce Wayne somehow ends up looking like a bulky savage vigilante that’ll remind you of Dale Keown’s, Pitt in the last pages.

All in all, Batman #675 is like that mandatory pick-up that you don’t want to make; because like every issue in any story that Grant Morrison’s writing, this book has the potential to be reread another time in the future for some reference. It’s disappointing though that there isn’t any in depth exploration of Batman’s character in this issue or any exciting moments. (Grade: C)

-Ray Hilario

Detective Comics #840 – Review

By: Paul Dini (Writer), Dustin Nguyen (Pencils)

Let’s face it, the whole Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul storyline that’s been running the past couple of months has been a complete let down. For those of you who missed the storyline, consider yourself blessed. This issue of Detective Comics acts as the Epilogue of the Ra’s Al Ghul resurrection and it makes for one hell of an entertaining read. What’s nice about this book is that it acts not only as a bookend to the aforementioned storyline, but it’s also a good stand-alone issue as well; anyone can pick this up and enjoy it for what it is.

Ra’s Al Ghul confronts Batman and explains his disappointment in him and how he plans to move into Gotham to basically make Batman’s life a living hell. At this point, Bruce seems to have had enough. What follows is what Bruce will do when pushed too far. It’s smart, devious, and even cruel, but in many ways it’s justified. Detective Comics #840 has very strong dialogue and characterizations by Paul Dini. I’m not a regular Batman reader, but I can easily say that this is Dini at the top of his game and an issue not to be missed. Dustin Nguyen provides some shaky storytelling at the beginning of the issue (the action is portrayed a bit off), but finishes very strong. (Grade: A-)

-J. Montes