Detective Comics #23.3: Scarecrow – Review

By: Peter J. Tomasi (story), Szymon Kudranski (art), John Kalisz (colors)

The Story: There’s a war out there, and you’ve got a pick a side—evil or other evil.

The Review: To be frank, I’ve mostly been unimpressed with Villains Month, both in concept and on execution.  I tend to dislike these company-wide gimmicks in general, mostly because they reek of editorial mandates thrust upon unprepared or, worse, unwilling creators.  That lack of preparation and enthusiasm has often come through in the various issues I’ve read.  Plagued by stilted writing and sloppy art, it’s no wonder this has been my lightest DC month yet.

But the law of averages dictates that there shall be gems among the rubbish.  Finding one is a bit like winning a small sum from the lottery, in the sense that you can’t tell if your excitement is from the prize itself or from the fact that your losing streak is finally over.  As a writer who emphasizes character over plot, Tomasi can generate good material from the thinnest stories.  In this case, he manages to do more than simply make lemonade out of lemons; he makes you look at lemons in a whole new light.

Batman: The Dark Knight Annual #1 – Review

By: Gregg Hurwitz (story), Szymon Kudranski (art), John Kalisz (colors)

The Story: Penguin, Scarecrow, and Mad Hatter do their best impression of pretty girls in a scary movie.

The Review: As excited as I was for Hurwitz to take over a Batman ongoing, I soon grew disappointed and bored of his work there.  It often felt like he wasn’t altogether that interested in writing the legendary hero, an obligation which distracted him from doing what he does and enjoys best: writing the villains.  Ultimately, Hurwitz will leave a permanent mark on the new DCU in the way he has redefined and fleshed out some of the major Batman rogues.

As if to celebrate that accomplishment, he brings together in this annual three of the villains he’s explored to date: Penguin, Scarecrow, and Mad Hatter.  It should be stated at the outset that your enjoyment of this issue thus depends largely on how much you’ve followed Hurwitz’s work in the last year or so.  Without knowing some of the essential background details on the trio of criminals, some of the dramatic beats of the annual will be lost on you.

Swamp Thing #20 – Review

By: Charles Soule (story), Kano (pencils), Alvaro Lopez (inks), Matthew Wilson (colors)

The Story: Superman’s good at a lot of things, but he clearly doesn’t have a green thumb.

The Review: Guest spots in a comic happen so often these days that they’ve gotten pretty cheap.  Because these kinds of gimmicks tend to result in forgettable, filler-type issues, it’s easy to forget that even when the writer uses the character in a featured capacity, he’s still adding something to that character’s continuity that may stand for all time.  Consequently, the more exposed the character, the more limited his use as a guest.

It gets even dicier when the character is of Superman-caliber in both iconography and power level, because then you have the risk of him usurping the story away from the actual protagonist entirely.  Soule manages to strike the right balance: although Swamp Thing remains the focus throughout, Superman still gets his own conflict within the plot, making this issue a fairly significant story for him as well.

Swamp Thing #19 – Review

By: Charles Soule (story), Kano (art), Matthew Wilson (colors)

The Story: Swamp Thing encounters a taste of Gotham in Metropolis.

The Review: Had this issue come at an earlier point of the series, I might have said that Soule had some big shoes to fill with Scott Snyder’s departure.  But as you’ve seen, over the last few months, the Rotworld arc seemed to shake Snyder’s usually tight focus on the story.  As a result, Soule happens to come on board at precisely the moment when Swamp Thing can use some fresh air.  Not every new writer gets that luxury of timing.

Thanks to Snyder wrapping up as many of his plot threads as possible by his last issue, he effectively cleared the ground for Soule to sow his own ideas for the title.  Just as Alec has reached a point where he needs to figure out his new purpose in life, Soule has the opportunity to define it for him.  He begins the process with Alec as he sees himself now: “A man doing his best to be a plant.”  It may be that Alec will never move on from that status, but you can tell that Soule is very interested in developing where the lines between man and plant will be drawn.

Batman: The Dark Knight #15 – Review

By: Gregg Hurwitz (story), David Finch (art), Sonia Oback (colors)

The Story: Batman proves it takes blood to counter the work of sweat and tears.

The Review: To my own surprise, I’ve spent a great deal of time wringing my hands and going back and forth on whether to Drop this title or keep on keeping on.  Though mostly diminished, Hurwitz still retains a grain of trust with me from the lingering memory of Penguin: Pain and Prejudice.  That alone hardly breaks even with the largely bland first arc he’s given us, but with the amazing Ethan Van Sciver set for art duties next month, do I really want to skip out now?

Ultimately, my decision boiled down to a matter of economics, which tends to make every choice simpler.  I’m willing to keep an eye on the title and see if Sciver can push Hurwitz back to greater heights, but not on a dedicated basis.  So here’s the deal.  If you see a review of #16 next month, you’ll know things have turned around promisingly; if you don’t, then that just confirms what I’ve always maintained: even great art can’t fully compensate weak storytelling.

Batman: The Dark Knight #14 – Review

By: Gregg Hurwitz (story), David Finch (art), Sonia Oback (colors)

The Story: In a contest between urban spooks, who will psyche each other out first?

The Review: So apparently, in southern California, all it takes is a flash of rain (and I use the term loosely, as yesterday’s weather could only be called a heavy sprinkle) to mess up my home internet service.  Lord help us all if anything like Hurricane Sandy or Japan’s tsunami strike our part of the country.  We’d probably be living in apocalyptic conditions for about seven years.

Anyway, I say that only to explain the delay in reviews.  Not that there was any burning rush to get this one out, since overall, Hurwitz’s opening run on The Dark Knight has been generally shallow and contradictory.  Last month, I really took issue with the premise of Hurwitz’s big, emotional storyline, that Bruce purposely isolates himself from love and good things.  I dismiss that idea entirely; you need look no further than current issues of Batman and Robin, Batman Inc., even Justice League,to see this doesn’t groove with the character Bruce has long become.

Batman: The Dark Knight #13 – Review

By: Gregg Hurwitz (story), David Finch (art), Sonia Oback (colors)

The Story: So Batman’s afraid of commitment and children.  Hey, he’s still a man, right?

The Review: I hate to continually bring up comparisons to Hurwitz’s Penguin: Pain and Prejudice, but I don’t think anything works as a better contrast to the writer’s work than his other work.  Looking at his earlier mini, Penguin made for a compelling protagonist because beneath his villainous cruelty he had a poisonous insecurity many of us understood, even shared.  Even better, Hurwitz explored this part of Penguin’s psyche without much direct commentary on it.

Crane’s own hang-ups don’t resonate nearly as well, and Hurwitz doesn’t write them quite as effectively.  Whatever bad parenting any of us lived through, I’m pretty sure it didn’t involve science experiments where we got thrown into a basement of horrors, our pleas to be let out ignored.  While Hurwitz pulls off the premise well enough, you don’t have any real connection to it.  You can see the tragedy, feel the trauma, but you don’t relate to it.

Batman: The Dark Knight #12 – Review

By: Gregg Hurwitz (story), David Finch (art), Sonia Oback (colors)

The Story: Aw, is lil’ Bruce scared of some movie violence?

The Review: Even if you’re someone with barely a smidge of a background in psychology, you know how intensely complicated and involved any degree of mental illness can be.  You’re dealing with any combination of genetic and environmental factors, some of which you can only guess the impact of.  That’s what makes the mentally ill such good material for fiction, slimy as it is to say so.  For writers, there is no exercise like getting into the head of the disturbed.

Clearly, this is Hurwitz’s kind of thing.  The difference here is that Scarecrow’s hang-ups come from a much more complex, deep place than Penguin, which requires a much higher degree of attention from both you and Hurwitz.  While I still would’ve preferred we avoid yet another Gotham rogue with major childhood trauma, I admit Hurwitz plays it in a compelling way.

Batman: The Dark Knight #11 – Review

By: Gregg Hurwitz (story), David Finch (art), Sonia Oback (colors)

The Story: Kids, beware the disfigured, masked man stalking you from the bushes.

The Review: This goes without saying, but if you’re going to have a whole gaggle of titles all under the same brand, the ideal would be for each of them to have a reason for being there; each should have a voice distinctive from the others.  Otherwise, what’s the point?  This applies especially to the Bat-family of titles, since all told, they include about a dozen different ongoing series, and four of them have the man himself in the starring role.

To be perfectly frank, some thinning may be in order here.  While Scott Snyder has pretty much immortalized the post-relaunch Batman with some epic storylines, and Batman and Robin delves into the always-volatile relationship between the titular characters, you can’t escape the fact that Detective Comics and Batman: The Dark Knight haven’t really set themselves apart.  They both seem to drill from the same well of filler material, the fun and forgettable answer to Batman.

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: The Dark Knight #10 – Review

By: Gregg Hurwitz (story), David Finch (pencils), Richard Friend (inks), Sonia Oback (colors)

The Story: Bruce, you should be glad your girlfriend doesn’t have the hands of Rachmaninoff.

The Review: While I like to think of myself as a mostly objective person, I’m not free from making a purely subjective decision once in a while.  My choice of fiction, for example, is frequently based on whether I ever read or watched the creator’s previous work, and whether I liked it.  Doing this poses some risks, admittedly.  Sometimes a person only has one great work in them, and once that work comes out, all they have left are the dregs.

Hurwitz really impressed me with his work on Penguin: Pain and Prejudice, which despite its stupendously awful name was a tightly written, affecting series.  Apparently, quite a few people shared this opinion, so it was natural for him to transition from writing Batman rogues to writing the Dark Knight himself.  Yet there’s a huge difference in the two subjects, however related they may be.  Hurwitz had a lot of leeway in crafting a lesser-used, underestimated character, but with Batman, he has to deal with a collective of classic interpretations, both old and new.

Batman #700 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (writer), Tony Daniel, Frank Quitely, Scott Kolins, Andy Kubert, and David Finch (artists), Ian Hannin, Alex Sinclair, Tony Avina, Brad Anderson, and Peter Steigerwald (colorists), Richard Friend (inker)

The Story: Sometime in the past, Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson stop the Joker, the Riddler, Catwoman, the Scarecrow and the Mad Hatter from using a time travel device. A weird loose end segues the reader into the story set in the present, with Dick Grayson as Batman and Damian Wayne as Robin. More weird mysteries are revealed, leading us to the future, where Damian Wayne is full-grown as the new Batman and sees the mystery fully revealed.

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: Morrison wrote a story that couldn’t have been done without Bruce being gone. He wrote a multigenerational mystery and it was well done. It had the feel of another time travel murder mystery Batman had solved from beyond the grave (America versus the Justice Society). It’s great fun to try to stay a step ahead of the caped crusader as he adds causality to method, motive and means. Morrison also did an excellent job in characterizing the villains and different heroes. Deft touches of dialogue and mood make the characters individuals. For example, Bruce, still captive, threatening a roomful of villains is classic Bruce. The Joker is truly lunatic in this story, with disjointed, jumping thinking that suits a time travel murder. In a funny nod to Batman’s occasionally campy past, he even has Bruce call Dick “pal.” Dick, on the other hand, carries a different mood as Batman. He asks about the health of the policeman’s partner. He shows happiness when he discovers a new weapon. He’s not jaded. He is no less the dark avenger, but he is not jaded and somber. We can relate to him. And Damian of the far future. You can imagine what kind of Batman he becomes. On plot, did this work? Pretty much. There is a mystery and we discover what happened and how things went, but can I really say that “Batman” solved a crime because he was on the hunt for it, or is this more a case of three men who share an identity and intersect with a temporal crime? It’s not less fun, but the sense of satisfaction at the end is not as great as if the Batmen had been running down a quarry with their detective skills.

Blackest Night #7 – Review

by Geoff Johns (writer), Ivan Reis (pencils), Oclair Albert & Joe Prado (inks), Alex Sinclair (colors), and Nick J. Napolitano (letters)

The Story: The nature of the white light of creation stands revealed.

What’s Good: How high can a single cliffhanger ending raise the overall experience of an entire issue?  That’s often a question I wonder when I write my reviews, but in the case of a comic like Blackest Night #7, the answer is “very, very high.”

The last few pages are guaranteed to make your jaw hit the floor.  This is, barring any sudden reversals, the biggest single development that I’ve read in a comic since Captain America got himself shot.  What makes the surprise most effective is that it is very close to the conclusion most readers saw coming since the start of Blackest Night.  In fact, leading up to the book’s final page, Johns seems to gesture towards this expected conclusion and then, seemingly out of nowhere, he hits a hard left and essentially sucker-punches the audience who were sure they had it all figured out.  Johns shows himself to be a master of playing with our emotions, and the whole episode is executed in an epic fashion that gave me chills.

While the ending of this issue is what defines it, that’s not to say that the rest of the comic isn’t solid as well.  Some of the newly deputized lanterns are a lot of fun.  Scarecrow in particular is just awesome, his insanity bubbling over into a sort of glee that is so contrary to his surroundings that you can’t help but enjoy his raving.  Lex Luthor, meanwhile, boils over in explosive fashion as the orange ring ends up removing his restraint and fully unleashing his worst characteristics.

Between Scarecrow and Lex, there’s a whole lot of chaos and seeing Scarecrow fight Luthor and Black Hand for attention in a comic brimming with massive characters and developments is a laugh, as in a fit of self-awareness, he screams “this is my moment.”  It’s a clever little moment, as  Johns makes literal the battle for the spotlight that often plagues comics like Blackest Night.

As far as the artwork goes, Ivan Reis continues to stake his claim to being the best artist in DC’s stable.  The sheer number of characters he’s able to cram into the page without sacrificing detail is ridiculous. Everything continually gives off the feeling of being barely contained.  There are a couple splash pages that will definitely catch breath and give pause and Reis’ work with the White Light in particular is alien, creative, and creepy while still awe-inspiring.

Green Lantern #50 – Review

By: Geoff Johns (writer), Doug Mahnke (artist), Christian Alamy, Rebecca Buchman, Tom Nguyen, Mark Irwin, Doug Mahnke (inkers)

The Story: The newly reinforced armies of light are making good headway against the black lanterns, but black lantern Spectre is still there, and nothing they do will stop him. So it’s time to pull out the one thing that has a chance of matching the Spectre’s power: Parallax.

What’s Good: There’s a lot to like in this book. It’s a high-stakes, epic adventure. However, Johns, as always, finds ways to squeeze in some good character moments. In one, black lantern Aquaman tries to get under Mera’s (now a red lantern) skin. Her reaction to this deep, personal, manipulative attack leaves Atrocitus with nothing to say, but “Welcome to the Red Lantern Corps.” Scarecrow as a member of the Sinestro Corps was a delightful a show-stealer, and a quiet moment with Luthor and Larfleeze was classic. Hal Jordan had a few good moments too, with some snappy dialogue that seemed more suited to Spider-Man than to Hal, but it didn’t get in the way. Mahnke had some great moments too on the art chores. The splash page release of Parallax was awesome. The staking of the Spectre was a brilliant panel, as was Green Lantern’s “mallet-to-the-head” panel. The poses and layouts were dynamic and carried the story from panel to panel, page to page.

Batgirl #3 – Review

By Bryan Q. Miller (writer), Lee Garbett & Trevor Scott with Sandra Hope (art), Guy Major (colors), Michael Siglain (Editor)

The Story: Stephanie Brown, the new Batgirl, has tracked Scarecrow to his lair and is about to go in, helped along by remote control by Barbara Gordon. Scarecrow is big and dangerous. Stephanie is small and no one, not even Barbara, has taken her seriously as Batgirl.

What’s Good: Except for a small glitch on one page, the writing was tight, pulling together everything that was said over the last three issues and giving it cohesive meaning. As the book went on, I realized that there were few throwaway lines, few things that didn’t move the action forward or show us more of who Stephanie is, or illuminate her hero’s journey. This is a pretty astonishing feat. I don’t use the term “hero’s journey” lightly, because Miller took the idea seriously. It was a classic story that loses nothing of its drama for being classic. Even the villain and the weapons he used were wisely chosen to fit with the hero’s journey, because Stephanie has to face fear itself and her incurable need to be where the action is. Her journey is how to reconcile that with the more pedestrian influences in her life and choose what she wants and who she is.

This month’s art was moody, stylized, and in places even surreal to match the hero’s descent as she seeks to prove herself. The large art team showed us a fearless hero in mortal danger against a backdrop of red skies, gothic architecture, and abandoned buildings. The stylistic effects of the cape and the exaggeration of sizes in some panels were useful effects, especially considering the psychotropic effects of Thrill and the fact that Stephanie’s injection didn’t do much to blunt its effects.

What’s Not So Good: For some reason, most or all of the Scarecrow’s dialogue came out wrong. In his first appearance, his mouth is filled with needless exposition, pointless revelation of his methods and cheesy B–movie treatment of cardboard lackeys. He is the perfect villain for this character and this particular arch. He just would have been more effective if he’d not spoken a word – the art certainly would have carried the story. The climax also left me a little cold, too. It was serviceable, but it was a little too pat and predictable, which ultimately made this “believe-in-yourself” story a little less satisfying.

Conclusion: This was a really fun book on the surface, with some deeper levels of meaning lurking just underneath. Well worth picking up if you’re a bat-follower, or even if you’re not.

Grade: C+

-DS Arsenault

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #8 – Review

By Eric Shanower (Script), Skottie Young (Art), Jean-Francois Beaulieu (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I’m sad to see The Wonderful Wizard of Oz come to an end… But what a mini-series it has been.

The Story: Dorothy and her friends make their way to Glinda, the good witch. A land made of china, a fearsome giant spider, and quadlings stand in the way of the group.

It’s All Good: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #8 has a little bit of everything that’s made the series so great. The visuals are as impressive as they’ve ever been, the color work has never complimented the art more, and the writing/ storyline brings everything to a close in a satisfying, fun, and heartwarming manner. To be honest, I don’t have a single complaint. If you want more details about what makes The Wonderful Wizard of Oz such an incredible accomplishment, feel free to check out the other reviews I’ve written.

Conclusion: Bring on The Marvelous Land of Oz ASAP because I’m ready for more!

Grade: A+

Mini-Series Grade: E (Epic)

-Kyle Posluszny

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #7 – Review

By Eric Shanower (Writer), Skottie Young (Art), and Jean-Francois Beaulieu (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I normally don’t do short reviews, but when I sat down to write about The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #7…well let’s just say that I realized I’ve pretty much run out of ways to praise the brilliant mini-series for the length of a full review.

The Story: Thanks to some clever thinking by a humbug from Omaha claiming to be a wizard, the Lion gets some courage, the Scarecrow gets a brain, and the Tin Man gets a heart. Dorothy, however, has a wish that is very difficult to deal with…

It’s All Good: So…how killer does the Scarecrow look on the cover?! Alright, with that out of the way, I might as well just go ahead and say that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #7 is just as awesome as the first six issues of the series. The artwork is incredible, the colors look brilliant, and the writing couldn’t be any better. You probably expected as much. What you probably didn’t expect is that there is a fantastic teaser image on the final page that actually makes me wish for the winter to come a bit early this year. Be sure to check it out!

Conclusion: If you haven’t been buying The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a monthly, be sure to get the collected edition as soon as possible. I can’t possibly recommend the mini-series enough…

Grade: A+

-Kyle Posluszny

Batman: Gotham After Midnight #11 – Review

By Steve Niles (Writer), Kelly Jones (Art), and Michelle Madsen (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I’ve been enjoying the Gotham After Midnight series almost entirely because of the ridiculously unique artwork provided by Kelly Jones and Michelle Madsen. While the story isn’t necessarily bad or anything, it’s definitely overshadowed by the art. It helps make even the most basic or generic elements of the story into something incredibly fun to look at. That said, the length of the series is definitely starting to wear on me.

The Story: The penultimate chapter of Gotham After Midnight features Batman facing off against some of his greatest foes as he tries to bring down Midnight. The catch is that all the foes are being controlled by Midnight. But worry not, Batman has a plan…

What’s Good: The latest issue of Gotham After Midnight is very much like the others. If you have been enjoying the series so far, then I see no reason why you’d feel any different about #11. As usual, the crazy visuals and striking (slightly trippy) colors take center stage while the story sets up situations for the art team to go wild. Sure the Midnight story is pretty mindless and downright hokey at times, but it’s pretty hard to care when everything is so much fun to look at. I mean c’mon, how can you not dig a Batman branded Man-Bat catcher?!

What’s Not So Good: Simply put, Gotham After Midnight isn’t a series for everyone. The visuals, the “Adam West” (to steal a term from a colleague) style gadgets, and the generic, predictable storyline will inevitably (and understandably) turn people off. Considering that (thankfully) there is only one issue left, I’m sure you know by now if Midnight is right for you.

Conclusion: What more can I say other than that Gotham After Midnight #11 maintains the status quo. The story remains below average, the visuals remain the highlight, and the series as a whole still feels like it has gone on for too long.

Grade:  C

-Kyle Posluszny

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #1 – Review

By Eric Shanower (Writer), Skottie Young (Artist), and Jean-Francois Beaulieu (Colorist)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I initially had very little interest in picking up Marvel’s Wizard of Oz series. Then I saw Skottie Young’s fantastic take on the classic characters in the free sketchbook that was released a little while back; and surpisingly I was convinced to give the first issue of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz a shot.

The Story: Based off the classic children’s story by L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz begins just as you might expect. So, to save you some time, I’ll just say that there is a tornado, there are Munchkins, a farmhouse lands on the Wicked Witch of the East, and Dorothy meets one of her traveling companions. No big surprises story wise, but don’t take that as a negative.

What’s Good: Pretty much everything. Simply put, you really can’t ask for much more from a comic adaptation of a classic story. Eric Shanower’s writing effortlessly (and effectively) captures the tone and feel of L. Frank Baum’s tale without ever getting in the way of the real star of the show, the artwork.

Skottie Young and Jean-Francois Beaulieu both deserve equal amounts of credit for how absolutely outstanding The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #1 looks. Truth be told, Young’s character and scene design are some of the best I’ve ever seen. It manages to be endearing, charming, whimsical, original, and stylish, without ever truly abandoning the source material. And the coloring by Beaulieu easily adds on to making this one of the most visually impressive books of the year. A prime example of the magic that can happen when an artist and a colorist prove to be a perfect match for the material they are working with.

What’s Not So Good: Next to nothing. From a critical standpoint, the biggest negative I can think of is the fact that the comic is simply telling a story pretty much everybody knows. As such, you probably won’t find any surprises outside of those offered by the art team.

Conclusion: The start of an exceptional, visually superb adaptation of a classic, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #1 easily ranks as one of the best comics of the year. This is one of those rare times I have absolutely no qualms with recommending a $3.99 comic book. It is worth every penny.

Grade: A+

-Kyle Posluszny

Detective Comics #848 (RIP) – Review

By Paul Dini (writer), Dustin Nguyen (pencils), Derek Fridolfs (inks), John Kalisz (colors)

After the trite and tiresome rantings of Hush last issue, Paul Dini wisely refocuses the story on Batman this time around as he works on finding a boy kidnapped by the Scarecrow. Yes, there’s still flashbacks to Hush’s enslaved past as he explains to Bruce that he doesn’t have the same luxuries and must wait for his mother to die before he can be “free”. If these musings are supposed to invoke some kind of sympathy for the character, Mr. Dini is dead wrong. Instead, Hush once again comes off as a jealous cry baby with parental issues that honestly anyone could care less about. But what Hush ends up doing after a confrontation with Catwoman is horrific. Talk about coming out of nowhere! There’s a method to his madness, but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t come across as an almost random act of violence.

As for the rest of the issue, it’s standard Batman fare. Bruce walks into Scarescrow’s experiment and must use his brain and reflexes to get out of his predictament. It’s very “by the numbers” and anticlimactic, but the situation’s drama is heightened thanks to Dustin Nguyen’s artistic skills and John Kalisz forboding color palette. There’s an underlying plot at work here – Batman’s being distracted, worn down so that Hush can come in for the kill. It’ll be interesting to see where Dini’s story ultimately takes us, but for now this is all average at best. To its credit, however, the issue is paced quite well, but it honestly has little to do (again) with the RIP storyline running in Batman. Like Morrison’s storyline, maybe this will all make a little more sense in a couple of months. (Grade: C+)

– J. Montes

The Joker’s Asylum: Scarecrow

By Joe Harris (writer), Juan Doe (art and cover), Rob Leigh (letters)

Scarecrow is one of those Batman villains who doesn’t seem to get a fair shake. I like him a lot, but he seems to be missing his “epic” story – one that either redefines, or reaffirms his place in the upper echelon of Bat-villains. This certainly isn’t his version of The Killing Joke, but it’s a fun read.

One thing I’ll get off my chest right away is I don’t buy the setup. Not the part about girls being mean in high school – that’s just life – but the fact that this girl Lindsey doesn’t know what Jonathan Crane looks like. She meets him as a patient and unless he’s been wearing a Mission Impossible caliber mask, I just don’t believe she’s never seen a newscast with this guy’s mug-shot. I’m also bummed that there isn’t anything done to hide the true identity of her doctor. We don’t see his face, but it’s clear it’s Scarecrow. Nitpicking aside, I really liked this book. Joe Harris writes some great dialogue and it acts as a mechanism to unfold more than just the story itself. Stereotypes exist for a reason and Harris plays up each high school archetype to its fullest effectiveness.

Artistically, I wasn’t a fan at first glance, but it grew on me – I think it just takes some getting used to. I usually prefer more detail but there’s something about this I really enjoyed. Maybe it’s a throwback to the older cartoons I used to love. Juan Doe does an excellent job of illustrating the points Harris makes about these high school stereotypes.  As Scarecrow’s gas evokes their deepest fears, we get to see them as they truly see themselves. There’s a great panel showing Batman as a monster through The Scarecrow’s eyes and it works very effectively.

Joker’s Asylum continues to prove me wrong each week. Every time I expect the quality to drop with a new creative team. I’m glad the surprises keep coming. Scarecrow’s story is similar to The Joker’s in the sense that it takes some reflection for me to really enjoy it. In that instance, it may not be for everyone, but if you give this series a fighting chance, it may surprise you too. (Grade B-)

– Ben Berger

Batman: Gotham After Midnight #3 – Review

By Steve Niles (writer), Kelley Jones (art and cover), Michelle Madsen (colors), Pat Brosseau (letters)

Steve Niles and Kelley Jones are truly a gifted creative team. Not only are they putting out a very engaging story, but they also compliment each other very well. I was skeptical of a Batman horror comic, but each month they shut me up, and I couldn’t be happier.

For me the writing takes a slight step back this week. I enoyed the book as a whole, but there are a few lines and character choices referring to Clayface that bug me. It’s not a particular attachment to the character, but more of a belief. One of the things that I like so much about Batman’s villains is how different they are. He has a handful of dumb villains and I’ve never thought of Clayface as one. I’ve also never seen Clayface as an environmentalist. With all of his “return to the Earth” lines he sounds like a brown, ugly Poison Ivy. It just didn’t work for me. That said, my favorite lines come from The Joker. He has no more than three, but Niles makes them count. I don’t know if he plans to use The Joker after this issue, but I’m dying to see his take on the character.

Jones continues to impress me each issue. His pencils of Clayface make me smile, which is an odd thing to say. I think it’s because each panel shows movement, he’s constantly dripping and remolding. It reminds me of Pizza The Hutt from Spaceballs (that’s where the smile comes from). My favorite panel show’s Gordon smoking his pipe. He’s just informed Clarkson that Batman is long gone, and the smoke is literally the shape of Batman in the wind. Great stuff.

If you’ve ever wanted to see a Batman horror movie, this is as close as you’ll get outside of a vampire or alien cross over. We should all be so lucky to have a creative team so in synch. We’re nine issues away from the conclusion, and while it’s too early to tell how things will end I’m excited to find out. All I need is a few Joker issues and I’ll be set. (Grade: A-)

– Ben Berger