Batman and Robin #12 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (writer), Andy Clarke, Scott Hanna, Dustin Nguyen (artists), Alex Sinclair (colorist)

The Story: The Mexican Train, Part 3: Robin is still being controlled by his mother (read whatever Freudian angle you want into that) and therefore trying to kill Batman. They duke it out, but Batman pulls out some tech and some theory and gives his attackers a taste of their own medicine. Then, Dick is left with two things to do: solve the mystery of Bruce Wayne and deal with Talia.

What’s Good: Morrison has got a really strong ear for dialogue. It comes out natural and real and without being filled with information characters wouldn’t say. He keeps his words to a minimum, in fact, so that this story is told more from the art side (at least the action sequences). Morrison also draws out, until the end of the book, the mystery of Sexton (I didn’t see that one coming), while the larger mystery, of whether Bruce is alive or not, sometime in the past, is teased out, clue by clue. My two favorite moments in this comic were the shredded Batman cowl hanging on the antlers in the deepest caves under the Wayne Manor and the back splash page.

What’s Not So Good: Alright. I know that last time I dinged this book some grades for Clarke’s art, it got people going (I wasn’t in the majority). But I cannot lie. I still don’t like it. To me, Clarke’s art lacks dynamism. Check out bottom of page two, Damian breaking a shovel over Dick’s arm. Damian just kind of looks straight, hanging in the air. No arms or legs splayed for balance, no arching of the back to give greater force to the blow, and even though he is yelling “Slaaaaade!” his facial expression is stiff, like he’s ordering a latte. The splash page is a little better, but then check out the top panel of page four, where Dick is close to breaking Damian’s ribs with that kick. The cape is fluttering behind him while obviously he’s being driven back by the blow, yet his body is not curling with it. This may sound like a lot of nitpicking, but what I’m talking about is the dynamism described most clearly in “How To Draw Comics the Marvel Way.” It doesn’t matter that it’s Marvel or DC. The rules of perspective, form, dynamism, posture, etc, apply to the superhero genre as a whole. Other action postures throughout the book don’t work for me either.

Gotham City Sirens #2 (Batman Reborn) – Review

By Paul Dini (Writer), Guillem March (Artist), and Jose Villarubia (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: The first issue of G.C.S. wasn’t anything special. Guillem March’s artwork looked great, but Paul Dini’s story and dialogue left quite a bit to be desired. Things need to develop more if I’m going to be adding another ongoing to my pull-list.

The Story: Through a flashback, it’s explained how Selina can resist revealing the identity of Batman, even though she’s under Ivy’s power. Selina’s answer satisfies Ivy and Quinn enough anyway, and off goes Harley to do some shopping. She then encounters “Bruce Wayne.”

What’s Good: Once again, Guillem March and Jose Villarubia take center stage in Gotham City Sirens. Clearly, they are up to the challenge. Their fantastic work absolutely carries Gotham City Sirens #2 in nearly every way.

Guillem March brings the cheesecake, sure, but it’s very well-done cheesecake that takes into consideration things like anatomy and realism. March’s eye for detail is also noteworthy, as every flower near Ivy is given a certain amount of care and every bystander during Harley’s trip to the store really feels like a unique entity, not a faceless one. The action in Gotham City Sirens #2 is satisfying as well, especially since it flows in a way that really adds to the frantic pace of the Bruce Wayne kidnapping. As for the opening flashback? Visually, it’s executed damn near perfectly. It’s trippy, creepy, and just the right kind of weird thanks to March’s surreal imagery.

Jose Villarubia’s color work makes March’s impressive artwork look even better. Villarubia truly shines during the moody, dark scenes taking place inside of Selina’s head. That said, special mention must also be made of the more colorful scenes as well. Vibrant, sunny, and full of life, Villarubia really takes March’s work to another level.

What’s Not So Good: The writing in Gotham City Sirens #2 is passable, but weak. It certainly isn’t bad, but I have yet to truly get hooked on the story Paul Dini is trying to tell. He’s giving Sirens a solid foundation, but nothing about the foundation ever really rises above average and generic. Simply put, March and Villarubia deserve something better to work with.

Conclusion: Pick Gotham City Sirens #2 up for the artwork. The story is nothing special.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny

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