Spoiler Free.
After the overwhelming success of The Dark Knight it seems that Nolan was granted one opportunity by Warner Brothers to utilize a large Hollywood budget for an original idea of his own making. That film is Inception. Say what you like about it being a ploy to hold onto Nolan for one more installment of the bat franchise, but this is a refreshing gamble taken by a major studio who clearly have a lot of faith in Mr. Nolan, and rightly so. He is proving himself to be one of the most outstanding filmmakers around and Inception does not lower the bar.
Inception is ultimately a thriller involving drama, sci-fi as well as an epic love story at the heart of this film (pun definitely intended.) It is all combined to leave us with an exceptional experience narratively and visually. The story is extremely complex and pushes its audience to keep up with the deeper and deeper levels of labyrinth-style story structure. You must not go to the bathroom during this film. If you stop paying attention for a short while you will return completely out of the loop. To gain a great appreciation for this movie it demands your focus for the entirety of the screening.
I felt that during the first hour the film was worrying me a little. In this period the rules of the film are generally explained. What our characters can and can’t do. This is still a very fluid sequence of the film for such a clunky objective to achieve but wasn’t blowing me away all that much. As we moved into the ‘heist’ in the last third of the film things really began to crank up and I was drawn into a fantastic, tense ride of which you rarely experience in a film. The story became truly epic as Nolan clearly drew upon James Bond and Matrix influences to escalate the stakes.
There were excellent acting performances throughout with not one actor dropping the ball. DiCaprio was excellent as our hero through this strange world with some mysteries of his own and Ellen Page proved she can play the straight girl and still be compelling. The standout performance for me was from Tom Hardy from films such as Bronson, who excelled as the classy thief. One small problem is that Ken Watanabe who I’ve loved in some of his previous roles like The Last Samurai, was hard for both myself and my friend to understand in parts which was unfortunate. However it still remains, that the strength of the ensemble cast was very impressive and everyone delivered.
What really impressed me with this film was the thought and detail that was put into the script. The depth was exceptional for the story, plus the characters and their motives. I do feel that it is OK if you find yourself a little lost during the film. Questioning what is going on. Nolan wants you to feel like that. He keeps you interested to find out the answer, which he will deliver in time. When you leave the cinema you’ll be happy with the experience, questioning reality, dreams and time.
The ending was tantalizing and thought provoking, really leaving the audience on the edge of their seats. Whilst leaving the cinema I was astounded when thinking how creative this piece of work was and am delighted that the risk of creating such a project was taken. I hope that their faith is rewarded by a large turnout for the film to prove to Hollywood that audiences like to be challenged and be entertained by original ideas.
Many will claim this to be Nolan's masterpiece and I will admit it is an excellent film but for me the first hour of Inception isn’t quite as engaging as the rest, whereas I find The Dark Knight consistently compelling throughout. So surprise, surprise, I would say I prefer Nolan’s previous film but Inception is clearly a project Nolan's wanted to do for nearly a decade. I’m very glad he’s been able to produce this film and am very excited about all the techniques he has acquired to bring to Batman 3.
Inception:
Reviewed by Nick
This issue of Batgirl has very much a 'coming of age' feel about it as we witnessed the concluding part of the 'Batgirl Rising: The Flood' story-arc and with it the end of Stephanie Brown's first year in the role of Batgirl.
Having leapt from an aircraft piloted by Wendy Harris at the close of issue #10 this issue opens with Stephanie plunging towards Calculator's compound in deep in Slaughter Swamp. In the compound, she knows, is Oracle – Barbara Gordon – who's being held captive.
As Steph's parachute opens she reminds herself of the magnitude of the task in hand and her responsibilities to her friend Barbara – the one person who's ever really cared about her – and just as importantly to herself, as she reminds us who she is … Batgirl!
Inside the compound, and more precisely inside Calculator's mind, we see a young Noah Kuttler imprisoned in a cage. As Babs – or a least Kuttler's impression of Babs – approaches the small child she's violently attacked from behind and sent tumbling to the floor.
Elsewhere, Stephanie has entered the compound only to be faced with some elaborate – and life threatening – security measures. Wendy meanwhile, is in communication with Steph from high above the compound. Bemoaning that she isn't able to help more Wendy wistfully recalls the motivation for her and her brother to run away from home and join the Teen Titans: to protect the world from men like her father, the Calculator.
As Steph skillfully evades the first of the deadly security measures she stumbles – literally – upon the lifeless body of Marvin, Wendy's brother. No doubt sensing the emotion in Wendy's voice Steph questions whether she ought to have said anything to Wendy at that time. Wendy meanwhile, with tears running down her cheeks, comes to a decision – she feels she can't help Steph while she's piloting the aircraft – and warns Steph not to touch anything for fear that her father has planned further deterrents.
Too late!
Elsewhere in the compound, and still in Kuttler's mind, he and Babs tumble through an apartment door – "You stole my daughter from me" he accuses Babs, "I saved her from you" she retorts. Moments later the physical and verbal tussle is interrupted by a crying baby – or more to the point two crying babies. Immediately realizing what this 'vision' represents Kuttler discovers the bloodied body of his wife who had taken her own life. With her attacker momentarily distracted Babs seizes the opportunity to distance herself and begins the search for a way to separate her thoughts from those of the Calculator.
However, with their thoughts immediately rejoined Babs witnesses Calculator beating up on a bound and bloodied Kid Eternity, while moments later he's seated and calmly explaining that he can, and will, end their mental ordeal – and that he has no intention that either of them will survive the evening.
'Back in the real world' and Stephanie has discovered the device that will, in a matter of seconds, terminate Calculator's army of drones … and in turn potentially destroy Gotham City. Unable to reach Wendy on the comm unit Stephanie takes aim with her grappling gun, fires into the device and yanks its core away.
Catastrophe averted? Sort of. With the device disabled Steph faces a second, altogether more challenging opponent – a giant 'creature' formed from power or data cables. As the creature targets Steph she's aware of tremendous crashing noise as Wendy plunges her aircraft into the compound, taking out the creature at the same time.
With nothing now to stop them Steph and Wendy set out to find Babs and rescue her from the Calculator. Having done so Wendy – once again with tears on her face – makes sure that her father 'won't be bothering anyone for a very long time'.
Later on, outside Gotham City University, Babs and Stephanie talk about their ordeal – Kuttler is in New Arkham, everyone who had been infected no longer remembers and Steph acknowledges that without Babs to lean on for support she was grateful for Wendy's backup. As Nick Gage arrives to meet Babs Steph excuses herself and joins Wendy who, while looking over a family photograph album, talks of needing a fresh start in life. Steph, clearly understanding where Wendy is coming from, offers her support.
Time passes and we find ourselves with Steph – again as Batgirl – in Devil's Square where she encounters a somewhat comedic villain named Blimp Master. Relaying this information back to their 'Firewall' base Babs reveals that Wendy – appropriately enough code-named Proxy – will stand in to help Steph on those occasions that she – Oracle – is unavailable.
Batgirl Rising concludes with a scene in a cell at Gotham Central Lockup where the occupant – Johnny C, last seen I believe in issue #9 – chillingly declares that he's looking forward to seeing Batgirl again because 'she's gonna need all the help she can get'…
As I say, this certainly felt like a 'landmark' issue, in the same way that a 50th or 100th issue of a book feels different to a 51st or 99th, and as such I've found this a difficult issue to review in isolation and therefore found myself looking at it in the context of such a landmark.
Over the past year we've followed Stephanie and Barbara on what has been a challenging and, at times, uncomfortable journey. A year ago Steph and Babs set out without apparently knowing where they wanted to go – or even sure of their motivation for making the journey – and along the way there have been harsh words, any number of 'I'm out of my depth' situations, lots of bickering, plenty of laughter – to the point that through the pages of this particular issue it's clear that both women now have a clearer picture of what the future holds for them.
We've seen Steph's confidence in herself and her abilities grow and at the same time we've witnessed Barbara's willingness to trust and believe in the new Batgirl.
The inclusion of Calculator as the central villain in this story-arc felt to me, at first, just a little predictable but as the story unfolded I came to appreciate the opportunities his inclusion permitted – Barbara's complicated past, Wendy ultimately breaking out from under her father's shadow, Steph appreciating the parallels with her own father …
Speaking of Wendy! With her initial, albeit at times brief, appearances in the series it became apparent that she was destined to play a more significant role in Steph and Bab's lives and sure enough, as predicted, she's set to become Batgirl's new 'handler' on those occasions when Barbara is 'unavailable'. I most definitely welcome her inclusion in the Batgirl team and I'm looking forward to seeing her character develop.
I can't say that I've particularly warmed to Wendy's personality so far but then I think it's fair to say that Wendy herself hasn't been particularly fond of herself. Through the pages of this issue I believe we've seen a change in Wendy's outlook on life and as she again learns to like herself the reader will have the chance to do likewise.
From the very first issue the books creative team – on this issue Bryan Q. Miller, Lee Garbett, Pere Perez and Waldon Wong – have consistently found the right tone: fun, funny, purposeful without ever taking itself too seriously and this issue maintains that tradition. I enjoy Mr Miller's writing technique of using of a few words of dialogue as scene transitions and, not for the first time, the 'I'm Batgirl' declaration at the start of the book gives us an insight into Steph's mindset. This time I felt the words were spoken with steel and determination whereas earlier in the series Steph appeared to use them as much to remind herself as inform the reader.
As with the previous issue I appreciated the 'thought' sequences – they may not have made for an easy read at times but they were in themselves quite thought provoking and I found them all the more powerful on second or third read.
I'm not too sure about the idea of Wendy crashing her jet into the compound to aid Stephanie – any more than I was sure about Barbara remotely crashing an ambulance in an earlier issue – but if these instances are the closest the book comes to 'silly' moments then I'm prepared to go with it.
The artwork throughout this issue is, as expected, magnificent: Lee Garbett, inked by Waldon Wong, and Pere Perez make a great team and I think we're lucky to have such talented artists working on the book. I particularly enjoyed the 'I'm Batgirl' splash page early in the book – I love the expression of determination on Batgirl's face – and I found the scenes with Wendy and Steph sitting under a tree getting to know one another really quite touching.
Continuing the theme, Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau provided another superb cover showing Batgirl bloodied, customer torn and yet with a smile that speaks to me of her determination and satisfaction. [Note to DC: this would make a fabulous poster!]
Once again we have been treated to a really great read from what has become a really great series. If there is a better, more enjoyable series being published at the moment then I've not seen it. Hugely enjoyable.
It's been a good year to be a Batgirl fan – here's to the coming 12 months.
Batgirl #12:
Reviewed by Zaius
.jpg "Batman: Odyssey #1 (of 6)")
Neal Adams, one of the titans of the industry, returns to the world of Bruce Wayne in this 12 issue mini series. Adams's resume is that of one of the founding fathers of the Bronze Age of the medium in the 1970s, as well as a champion of creators rights. Read Superman vs. Hollywood for a look at how Adams was influential in Superman's creators getting a cut of the movie's profits.
We begin the story, both written and drawn by Adams, with Bruce talking to the camera, apparently about the image on the cover where he is getting a bullet through his arm. It appears this is the Bruce of today recalling that incident as happening early in his career.
We are taken to that incident, as Bruce, with a gun in hand, is out breaking up a train heist, Bruce gains the upper hand, but gets in a standoff with a Commissioner Rodriguez. The standoff is broken up by Rodriguez getting killed by a Spanish agent whom Batman was helping in the fuel heist case.
The scene shifts to Bruce and Dick Grayson, as Robin, discussing the incident in the Bat-Cave, and the merits of firearm usage and importantly why Batman no longer uses them. This interchange actually happens as Robin gets into a tussle with Man-Bat and features some nifty acrobatics from Robin. Present day Bruce discusses how a mystery was unraveling around him at that time and that it was consuming him.
Langstrom, after being taken down by Robin and has an important message for Bruce about findings that Bruce had wanted, but Bruce would rather hear it once Langstrom reverts back to his human form. With an urgent call from Commissioner Gordon has Bruce and Dick leave Langstrom in the cave to take his anti-serum.
Gordon is at a pier, which Batman suspects is a cover-up for the Riddler breaking in at the mint. Batman though, to the consternation of both Gordon and Robin, decides that the pier is where they should go.
Back in the cave, Langstrom accidentally drops the serum, causing him to have to fly out himself, still needing to warn Bruce about something. He is then menaced by a larger Man-Bat who tells him not to tell Bruce what Langstrom was going to tell him about "the cave."
We cut back to the Batmobile headed towards the pier as we see Batman has added harrier technology to the car as it flies over and makes a nice splash landing into the water. Meanwhile, Gordon is waiting for their arrival as the Gotham Police do not seem to be making any headway with most of their men over at the mint. Batman comes in and informs Gordon that he and Robin will head off the hijackers at the end of the pier as Gordon prepares his men to handle the stragglers.
While this is going on, a professor and his young daughter are hostages in a warehouse where the main guy, with a machine gun, starts blasting up some hydrogen tanks in a car. And that's where we leave off.
Kind of wish this wasn't a four dollar book. Seriously, this felt like a book that should carry the price tag of the day back in the height of the Bronze Age of Batman in the 1970s and in the early 1980s, and in a very good way. Both of the art and writing was great, and really seemed to be out of time, as if I was reading a back issue, though without the smell. Liked the use of humor out of Bruce, fun line in particular was "it's James Bond cubed" referring to the Batmobile that can now fly and float on water. Yeah, come to think of it, Bruce is a street level Bond, especially back in this era. Maybe more Timothy Dalton or Pierce Brosnan than the Roger Moore who was Bond during the 1970s and early 1980s. There is one thing though, I find it a bit off putting seeing Dick Grayson in Tim Drake's, and now Damian Wayne's classic Robin garb. But that is a small nit pick.
It is a great hook to the story, and I can't wait to go along for this ride.
Batman: Odyssey #1:
Reviewed by SteveJRogers
With Batman #701, Grant Morrison wanted to tell a “Lost story” that took place between Batman R.I.P. and Final Crisis. “Ok, that’s cool I guess”, I thought and muttered repeatedly unsure about the premise of the whole “lost story” bit. While it can be done right, most of the time it’s done wrong and doesn’t mean anything except to make it clear as day that it’s only filler to bleed a little more money out of our pockets. And that sadly is the case for Batman #701, while the foreboding is certainly there it is nothing new for those of us who have previously read Morrison’s material. But, the biggest fault here is that absolutely nothing happens. Sure, the beginning of the book starts off with Bruce escaping the helicopter wreckage and making his way back to Wayne manor to Alfred’s joy, but the story takes on a lulled attitude after that, it’s subtlety is a little too subtle. The scene where Bruce goes into the secret room is almost uneventful, boring, and meaningless. Sure, we get to see it‘s walls scrawled with the name Thomas and Barbatos, and Bruce‘s inner monologue wondering if there is some kind of sickness at the root of the family tree or a worm at the foundations, but that’s all. A lot more could have and should have done with the room, but it is left as an after thought or a throwaway panel. The feeling we get after we see the room is almost like when Geraldo Rivera opened Al Capone’s vault only to find two empty bottles that he tried to hype up and say “this was probably a bottle that held bootleg liquor back in the day, WOAH!!!!” Totally underwhelming and bland. Bottom line here is, it’s hard to get into the story and once you do and your committed it’s passed off and reluctant. After I read this issue I had a terrible feeling, I wondering why I read this thing. Obviously it’s a Batman comic and I kind of like Morrison’s writing, but the underlying fact is that this book just doesn’t deliver. I, more than anything, wanted to like this issue but it’s just not there. Whether it’s the brevity or the blandness of it, it just doesn’t deliver.
All that aside though, it does have some good stuff in it. What sticks out particularly for me is Bruce’s inner monologue, for which, it looks like he’s writing in a diary or notepad. Morrison hits Bruce’s tone and voice perfectly and you really feel Bruce’s fear/enticement for this whole “curse” mystery while he tries to piece it together. What also can be noted here is the fact that after Bruce escaped the helicopter wreckage, and after making it all the way to Wayne manor, he wants to go back out to the crash site to search for Dr. Hurt’s body. Upon Bruce’s return to Wayne manor Alfred comforts Bruce’s restless mind with his fatherly wisdom as Bruce makes his way to his bed to sleep off the hallucinations of the Joker venom. It is a scene that shows Bruce’s unwillingness to compromise, his stoic bravery, relentlessness for good, and overall detective intuition that no other comic book character can express within those circumstances. That, along with showing us the relationship between Alfred and Bruce is kind of what saved the book. Because Bruce and Alfred are mainly the only two we see, no other character from the Bat-family makes an appearance, we don’t even see Dr. Hurt. Sure, Alfred and Bruce can carry an issue by themselves when it is done right, sadly Morrison doesn’t do it that way. There scenes are brief and nothing other than what I have stated really happens with them. I feel like more could have been done here given what Morrison has done before and what we have seen within his current run on the various Batman titles. It seems like Morrison can’t find a happy medium content wise nowadays. It’s either too much or too little content-wise, I don’t know what’s going on in his head but it seems like he’s being overwhelmed, beaten down, and overtly pressured to the point where his work is suffering and it shows in his inconsistency. In either case does it prove a valid case for the matter at hand and if so does it vindicate him? Or should Morrison be blamed for everything and shunned? The answer I feel lies somewhere in between those two extremes. Sure, there is a lot of pressure and criticism for him to write something good, but he should not let that take a hold of his work and bring it down. He’s working on multiple titles, and I can’t imagine that that is easy. Going from story to story, page to page, rewriting, removing things, adding things, meeting different deadlines, etc. But that is not an excuse, to rush through a story just to get it out in time. I’ve been blaming his writing for a couple of reviews now but now I think the problem isn’t his writing, or DC comics, or the due dates. It’s him. He took on more than he could chew, he let the pressure get to him, he turns out these half-hearted stories, and in the end he only has himself to blame because it‘s not DC‘s name that‘s going to get trashed, it‘s his. It was poor planning with an even poorer execution. And what do we get in the end? We get inconsistency which is any writer/artist’s nightmare; to be lauded, then panned. The inconsistency is the Achilles tendon of Grant Morrison’s writing. And it not only prevails but triumphantly defeats the good that he’s done.
The art on the other hand, is nothing short of beautiful. To date, it is the best thing Tony Daniel has done for Batman in my opinion. His pencils blaze through your eye sockets and into your brain where it doesn’t feel like a blow to the face but as a soft pillow that you lay your head onto only to discover it’s covered in razor blades. Truly remarkable, Daniel's Bruce Wayne is the broadest, grandest, most elegant representation of the character I have seen in a long time. The best part is the distinction you see between Bruce and Dick, whereas Dick is a little smaller and has a softer face, Bruce is larger than life and has both the eyes and the prowess of a Bald Eagle. I haven’t seen Bruce like this in a long time and to see him in Daniels’ particular representation is enough to send chills down my spine.
But overall, this issue fails to deliver no matter what I’ve said to praise this issue, it still fails. I can only hope Morrison does a little better next month and that he has committed the time to crafting a story rather than being brief about it. This issue feels half-hearted, rushed, and almost meaningless and it fails to draw you into the story.
Batman #701:
Reviewed by Dane
Volume two of the Under The Hood trade picks up with Batman #645, and we are treated to a retelling of Jason Todd’s Post-Crisis origin. It should be noted that in Todd’s brief Pre-Crisis form (made his debut early in 1983) his origin is nearly identical to Dick Grayson’s, right down being orphaned and being taking under Bruce Wayne’s wing! This retelling, as well as an incident with Captain Boomerang, is interwoven in-between Bruce and Alfred trying to determine what exactly happened, which includes finding out that Todd’s casket is empty. In a way this was done to retcon Todd’s bratty behavior as being the result of a “mean streak” and thereby explaining why Todd would be driven to where he is as The Red Hood
In order to combat The Red Hood, The Black Mask enlists the aid of Deathstroke and his Secret Society of Super Villains. Two of them, Captain Nazi and the Hyena are shown, a third, Count Vertigo surprisingly shows up in midst of the fight with Red Hood and Batman. While Batman causes Hyena to go after Count Vertigo, Red Hood kills Captain Nazi, an act that Batman berates Red Hood about.
Batman #648 starts out with Jason sending a message to Wayne Manor, one that causes Alfred to deduce that Todd somehow has The Joker held captive. While this is going on Todd as the Red Hood is busy taking on The Black Mask himself, but it turns out to be a ruse as it isn’t Todd under the mask at all! We then see Todd with a tied up Joker. Batman arrived in time to see the faux Hood revealed and offers proof to Black Mask that it isn’t the real Red Hood, after realizing where Todd is, Batman leaves to confront him.
Underscoring the climatic showdown with Batman, Todd (no Red Hood mask for the rest of the story) and Joker is the on-panel destruction by Chemo of Bludhaven, also seen in Infinite Crisis #4.
The battle that rages throughout #650 is essentially a chance to give contrasts to what Batman does, his moral code, and what Todd is doing, as well as Todd quipping about Bruce’s tactical style of fighting. In the end Bruce is able to subdue Todd before Todd can blow Joker’s head off, Joker then shoots an explosive, and we are left with Batman looking through the debris, and the fate of both Todd and Joker are unknown (as well as Nightwing’s which is discussed by both Bruce and Jason as they watch Chemo go off).
The trade wraps up with what surely should be the start of movie, a chronological account of what exactly happened to bring Jason Todd back among the living.
Batman Annual # 25, written by the same scribe, Judd Winick, as is the rest of the story, and illustrated by Shane Davis who also did #646, Doug Mahnke had done the chores on #635-639, 641, 645 (it should be noted that Tim Drake appears on the cover of #645, but only appears in a one panel group shot in issue #635 in the entire trade), 647-649, Paul Lee for # 640 and Eric Battle did #650. The story goes through Todd’s death, and the whole Superboy time wall punches, and the idea that six months after being buried, Todd was reanimated, but with severe brain damage and couldn’t say who he was. A year later Todd’s fight-or-flight instincts took over and he made an escape from the hospital that he was in and took to the streets. He was then found by Talia al Ghul, daughter of Ra’s, and both she and her father tried to nurse and train the boy (they knew exactly who he was) to health in the hopes that he’d be their protege. Exactly how this fits in with Talia’s own son Damian whom be showing up in Grant Morrison’s run soon after this was published was never mentioned.
Ra’s becomes disappointed after a year that Todd is still very much in a vegetative state and decides to cut the whole project. Talia dumps Todd into a Lazarus pit behind Ra’s back and telling the boy to run and sets things in motion for Todd’s revengeful ways against Bruce for not killing the Joker for his murder. It is shown that Todd contacts Tommy Elliot, Hush, and becomes part of the mind games war Hush is waging with Bruce. And we see that it was in fact Jason at first in the graveyard battle in Hush, only switching himself out with Clayface after seeing Bruce not having much of a reaction to a returned Jason Todd, and it ends with Todd resolved to the fact that he must confront Batman and The Joker.
Well, this is certainly an entertaining story and worthy of being shown in a movie format. Issues with Winick’s story telling abilities and what has happened with the Jason Todd character in the ensuing years aside, this was a good tale, perhaps as good as any to show why Bruce Wayne’s moral code exists and how one can be lost to the darkness of one’s goals for revenge via going well over moral lines.
That being said, the story does cause one to see the shame of what was done with the Jason Todd character since. If this had been a one-off or Batman was able to get through to Jason and get him back on the straight and narrow path, maybe things would be different for the character. In fact there was an attempt to push Todd to being less Punisher like, but Todd went right back to the “only way to fight crime is to kill criminals” approach in both Battle For The Cowl and Batman & Robin and seemingly got his butt handed to him by Dick Grayson both times leads that approach to be pretty much a one-trick-pony status.
But enough talk about how stale and broken the character has become, the movie should stand as a nice standalone piece, as most of the DC Universe animated films have, though the 75 minute running time does concern me a bit. While a good story can take place with cutting out most of the 8 issue arc with mostly throw away pieces of dialogue and whatnot, it was disconcerting with what they did with Superman/Batman: Public Enemies which both cut entire storylines but changed around elements of the story to better fit a video version narrative. Especially considering it looks like they are going to include stuff from the Annual, when quite frankly just the stuff with Batman, Red Hood, Black Mask and Joker should make a good tight movie, with allusions to other things that happen during the storyline through dialogue and whatnot.
In any event, both of the trades are nice and quick reads and a good standalone story, if you don’t think about what has gone on since!
Batman: Under the Hood-Volume 2:
Reviewed by SteveJRogers
Jason Todd. The name now invokes dread for comic book fans for several reasons. The first being the obnoxious punk who fans couldn’t get to the phone lines fast enough to kill off. The next a ghost that haunted the Dark Knight, a point that was brought up as often as the death of Thomas & Martha Wayne. The final reason a resurrected character that may just be the biggest example of a comic book company doing something grandiose but not knowing, or understanding, what to do after the original idea got executed.
In any event, DC Animation later this month will be retelling the story arc that brought Jason Todd back among the living in the DCU in Batman: Under The Red Hood. The storyline was originally told in the pages of Batman #635-641 (came out in December of 2004), and 645-650 (April of 2006) (642-644 appears to be a special stand alone issues for some reason) as well as Batman Annual # 25 from 2006. Batman 635-641 were collected in Batman: Under The Hood vol. 1 which came out in 2005, and 645-650 and the annual were collected in vol. 2 in 2006.
Most comic fans, or at least the ones following Batman titles, should know the story of Jason Todd, or at least the Post-Crisis version, but just in case you don’t, here is what you need to know. Basically street urchin found by Batman trying to jack the wheels off the Bat-mobile, becomes the second Robin. DC put it to a fan call-in vote to kill him off, which they do and he dies by the hands of The Joker. He later becomes a “symbol” by Bruce about the cost of his private war on crime with a memorial in the Bat Cave and constant mentions about being a lost partner.
The first “inkling” about Jason returning came within Jeph Loeb’s “Hush” storyline, where Batman fights Hush in Batman 617-618 in 2003. Hush reveals himself to be Jason Todd, but in reality it was Clayface and it was all part of the mind games being played on Bruce. We jump to 2006’s Infinite Crisis and the now infamous “Superboy Prime Time Wall Punches” which caused all sorts of changes to DC continuity in yet another attempt by DC to “fix” problems caused by earlier continuity “fixes.” Jason Todd returning to life, though everyone, including himself, knows that he died (to be fair this is common in most resurrection stories, it just seems comical that this happened due to a change in time but nothing really “changed”).
And so, Judd Winick was given the task to spin the tale in the Batman title of Jason Todd’s return to Gotham, which is where presumably the new movie will start. The first volume of the story introduces Todd as The Red Hood, a new take on an identity The Joker used in a Golden Age story, as well as a supposed “origin” used by Alan Moore for The Killing Joke (supposedly since Joker even says in that story, "I prefer his origin to be multiple choice") who is acting as a masked Punisher like vigilante killing off thugs that he finds. Red Hood is finding these thugs by working under the cover as a psychotic villain, and trying to muscle his way onto Black Mask’s turf.
Now this story takes place just after the War Games storyline, so Bruce is cut off from just about all of his usual supporting cast, except for Nightwing who drops by in #636 to help Bruce working on a case, pun slightly intended as it actually is a case, or crate shipment that Batman is trying to prevent. A bomb explodes on one of the crates, and Bruce and Dick meet the Red Hood for the first time.
The cargo turns out to be for Black Mask and is Amazo, a super villain with the powers of members of The Justice League. Batman and Nightwing have a decent fight and dispose of Amazo, which angers Black Mask. Black Mask’s feelings perk up when Red Hood calls him up to say that he managed to pilfer a crate not touched by the original Dynamic Duo, a crate loaded with Kryptonite. Red Hood essentially tries to sell the stuff, to which Black Mask orders Mr. Freeze to go out and kill Red Hood. This brings us to the second meeting of Batman and Red Hood, but Red Hood and Freeze get away before any good old fashioned fighting goes down.
#637 then ends with Red Hood visiting the Joker in his abandoned circus hideout and unleashing a beating not unlike the one Joker gave him in Batman #427 and revealing to the readers that yes, this is in fact Jason Todd.
The rest of volume 1 of the story is Bruce working on the suspicion he has. Based on the familiarity he felt when fighting the Red Hood in the first place, this could actually be Jason Todd. He and Zatanna first investigate Ra’s Al Ghul’s Lazarus Pits to see if any have been opened recently. They then visit Jason Blood, aka Etrigan The Demon, to find out how one can be resurrected. Finally Batman has a talk with both Green Arrow, (of which, as well as his conversation with Zatanna, seems to imply that Bruce knows about the mind wipe that Zatanna did to him in Identity Crisis) and Superman about their respective returns from the dead.
#641 wraps up with the start of the fight between Red Hood and Batman that started issue #635 with Jason Todd revealing himself to Batman. The two have a discussion; right in the open with their masks off, about how to handle crime in Gotham. Well, actually Todd has his Robin style domino mask. Turns out the resurrection has made Jason Todd angrier and more willing to go beyond Bruce’s moral code about killing or crossing lines. And the first volume ends with the final panel of #641 with Bruce telling Alfred to keep the Todd memorial case up as Todd’s return “doesn’t change anything at all.”
Batman: Under the Hood-Volume 1:
Editor's Note: Tune in tomorrow for volume two of Batman: Under the Red Hood.
Posted by SteveJRogers
Red Robin #14 is the second part of Fabian’s “Hit list” storyline, and also, his return to Tim Drake's life.
Last month I wrote about how it was great to see Fabian back on the book, and I was looking forward to more. It was only later that I started to think that something wasn’t sitting right with me. After I had sent Dustin the review I had realized what it was, Tim was in the exact same position he was before Bruce left. Tim was not actually growing up. He was still a teenager and I had felt like I had read the stories of Tim going through all of this already, and frankly I didn’t want to read them again. There’s a new Robin in town, and it ain’t Tim.
#14 starts off with someone who I thought was Tim looking at his hit list, but after reading the dialogue, I figured out it was Damian. It was here I noticed that Marcus To is really only doing one face for Tim, Dick and Damian to share.
Fabian is writing this issue to give the reader exactly what he thinks they want, which is Red Robin VS Robin. But at the same time, Fabian gives some page time to advance other threads. Instead of just an entire issue of Damian trying to beat the daylight out of Tim, we have the advancement of Red Robins hit list, Tim dealing with being the new boss at Wayne Enterprises and of course, the revelation of who Tim has on his hit list, which is a who’s who of the DC Universe, heroes and villains. We also see a heart to heart on Tim’s tactics between Tim and Dick Grayson.
The issue ends with a mysterious person handing Black Manta’s not quite so bad-ass twin a briefcase full of money, and asking him to kill Tim Wayne.
So, that was issue #14, and I may have skimmed over things, but to be honest, this issue is full of threads that Fabian is branching out, that actually taking the time to explain them all and what they could involve what take an extra page of word to type. For the most part, I enjoyed the threads, and the knowledge that these are things that although are small now, will be branching out to bigger things in the near future. I do hope that Tim distances himself from the Bat-Family sooner rather than later, as two issues into Nicieza’s run, and I am already bored of the constant interactions between Dick and Tim. If this book were Batman and Red Robin, I wouldn’t mind. But this is Red Robin’s book and he needs to be given the stage to shine on his own.
The art by Marcus To for the most part, is fantastic. He is really hitting his stride now. He has a distinct style, and with the exception of male faces, he can draw a damn fine page. The fight scene between Tim and Damian in this issue was well choreographed, and I can see To and inker Ray McCarthy getting better on the book from here.
So, this is Red Robin #14. A good solid issue, with only a few nitpicks. However in this day and age, where there are at least 7 Bat-books out a month, and prices only going up, Red Robin really needs to start showing why it is a must own book.
Red Robin #14:
Reviewed by Suavestar
What can be said about Grant Morrison that hasn‘t already been said? I won’t bore you with quotes that praise not only his work, but his overall genius. What I will say though is that I think Morrison‘s work makes room for a larger critical debate both on the validity and the consciousness he presents within the pages he produces and the characterization on the psyche of the superhero. While people will agree with him, even more people will disagree. Where one person interprets the work as bunch of crap thrown onto the physical representation of nothingness, another person see’s the work of a genius and a need for a deeper understanding for the work presented. While he is sloppy, and inconsistent most times he strikes the vein of greatness, and when he does, he shines and you get a feel for what makes him so great. Batman and Robin #13 is a comic that not only pursues this thought, it is a comic that wholly represents it. Story-wise, the book has no faults. It’s a story that impresses, and leaves you to put the pieces together and find your own meaning, for now that is. The “detective story” never looked as good as it does here. The beginning of the book takes a moment of god-awful cruelty on a family and flips it on it’s side and turns it into an even crueler and shocking moment of a newly founded betrayal, of which we have never seen before in the Batman Universe. It not only punches you in the stomach, it lights a fire in the deepest recesses of your body for revenge and explanation, again drawing on your own mind to create a temporary answer. And that is exactly where things go from bad to worse.
We are not only forced to witness a brutal act of violence, we are also forced to peer into the mind of a madman via The Joker. Although it’s brevity needs to be taken into account; the back and forth between The Joker and Batman and Robin can only be described by the sane as scary, mad, and disturbing, and while those might not be the most grandest of words it serves it‘s used to the fullest. But what really shocked me more than anything was when The Joker breaks down and is crying when he admits that he is sorry for what he’s done, that he got shot in the face and was stitched up badly that’s why he’s always smiling, and that once he was a “little boy wonder and he didn’t set out to be this way. While it is a disturbing and a somewhat moving scene, there resides a thread of doubt in the back of my mind that this isn’t the real Joker, that this is an imposter, and that he is the true mastermind behind all the chaos that was sowed and will flower in this storyline only to make this world worse. The Joker interrogation scene is made even greater with the absence of Dick and the presence of Damian. Damian presented here is cold and remorseless stating that The Joker isn’t a force of chaos. That chaos is “needing someone to change your feeding tube” and that “chaos is not being able to go to the toilet without help” before producing a crowbar and beating The Joker over the head with it. It is a scene that is not for the light-hearted, it builds and builds on our emotions only to be released by a crowbar and a head. But that is only one part of the story, the other part shows Dick and Jim Gordon trying to piece together evidence to try and stop the release of a viral narcotic that Dick thinks has already been spread via an antidote that turns out to be a dormant version of the viral narcotic which is waiting for a viral trigger. The impending doom weighs heavy but is soon interrupted by Gordon’s phone, it is one of his cops stating that Damian is in a room alone with The Joker causing both men to rush back to the apartment when they are shot down by two men with rocket launchers. Dick and Gordon crash land in Blackgate penitentiary surrounded by Dollotrons who free Professor Pyg.
Brought on by forces temporarily unseen (as of this writing), things are even worse than before whether it’s the events that unfold in the first scene, or Dick and Gordon stuck in a very sticky situation, Damian acting on his killer instinct, or even the release of Professor Pyg, everything is falling apart in front of our eyes. But the worst part of all is Morrison’s brilliant use of the present and the past, using it, he is able to weave strands of inevitability and despair together to create a mat that is rough and uncomfortable, using against us, our barest of emotions and soft spots. The hopelessness Morrison evokes at the end of the issue only cements the fact that there is no redemption or salvation, that we must go down mentally with Dick and Damian and that there is a need to hit rock bottom before they get better if they ever fully do, as well as showing that with all the knowledge and strength Dick possesses he is powerless and helpless and so are we, we can’t stop it.
Even though I think this issue is the greatest thing (up to this point) Morrison has wrote for his run on Batman, the weak point of this issue, I’m sad to say, is Frazer Irving’s art. While it does have it’s brilliant and poignant moments, I just don‘t like it. Admittedly I have never been a big fan of his pencils or colors, I think his presentation of Batman and Robin are amateurish at best and are both bland and uninspiring, and that goes for the Frank Quitely/Frazer Irving cover also. But, that’s not to say the art doesn’t have high points. Irving’s Joker is the scariest and disturbing Joker I have seen in quite awhile, I mean The Joker smiling while he‘s crying, being beaten, and in peril is really disturbing and grotesque when it comes down to it, while the real Oberon Sexton laying dead next to his rotting wife is also of the same disturbing/grotesque quality. Overall though, the art does a good job when it comes to the story, and only enhances and creates a darker atmosphere even more so (in some cases) than the written word.
Batman and Robin #13 is a truly haunting piece both visually and story-wise. If I‘m being honest and if I‘m going to swallow my pride for a second I have to say that when I was reading this issue I found myself looking away and closing the book out of pure fear, shock, disgust, and horror more times than I care to admit, and that‘s what makes this issue so great. The refusal to compromise to the reader‘s needs and into a bold and new direction although it isn’t necessarily where you want to go is excellent. Throughout this issue there is an overall feeling of escalation into the depths of despair, and you do not want to be there. It is like being scared of roller coasters and being forced onto on that’s heading up to the biggest drop on the ride. It is constantly building and building and at its bursting point, the issue ends. But, it is not your typical Batman story, because it presents a state of weakness and suffering that hasn’t been presented before. It forces the reader to watch what we don’t want to watch, and overwhelms (in the best possible way) you with a sense of hopelessness, brutality, and shines a light on what makes you weak and brings those weaknesses to life.
Batman and Robin #13:
Reviewed by Dane
.jpg "Batman Beyond #1 (of 6)")
And so after the Superman/Batman Annual, and a cameo in Batman # 700, it appears Terry McGinnis is ready for his close up, Mr. DeMil…errr Beechen! And so the 6 issue Batman Beyond mini-series, written by Adam Beechen and drawn by Ryan Benjamin and inked by John Stanisci begins here in a story called “Hush Beyond: Part 1, History Repeats.”
We begin with Neo-Gotham’s Cadmus Labs and Amanda Waller and an assistant are discussing a rampage that has happened. A subject they had been testing has escaped the facility and is on the loose.
Cutting then to Terry McGinnis whom is in a fight with Spellbinder, a villain from the cartoon series, and with Bruce Wayne as the voice from the cave; Batman easily dispatches Spellbinder and as he is catching his breath before going on to a new incident meets up with Micron, the Batman Beyond version of Atom who tries to recruit Batman for the Justice League, Batman again declines as he did at the end of the episode The Call.
Next we see a rather Rorschach-ian, or maybe we should just call him Hush since that’s what they are going for anyway, figure killing some old guy named Philip Cobb as a message to the new Batman.
McGinnis then returns to the cave to discuss the offer to join the Justice League with Wayne, who agrees that not joining was the right move. When word comes in about the Cobb murder and Wayne tells Terry that Cobb was an old member of his rouges (and real old in real time as the guy is primarily a Silver Age character and never was mentioned in the DCAU at all) called The Signalman, who apparently had stayed straight for a while after being caught, and Bruce sends Terry back out to investigate the scene.
In doing so, the way the murder went down causes Bruce to suspect Harvey Dent (who was never seen in Batman Beyond) has resurfaced, despite being as old as Bruce. Batman then gets word of an incident at St. James Hospital and heads over, partially because former Arkham inmates (Arkham was shut down and moved to a more secure facility shortly after The New Adventures of Batman & Robin, according to dialogue in the Return of The Joker movie) reside there, specifically Bruce’s old foe The Mad Hatter.
We do see a glimpse of Mad Hatter, but apparently Signalman’s murderer hadn’t gotten to him yet because Terry finds a nurse scared out of her mind with the killer hovering over her. The killer runs as Batman heads over and the nurse, badly cut up, tells Batman that the killer was looking for Mad Hatter and told her to “hush” and a Hush like bandage is left at the scene and we end it there.
Alright, so this is an interesting start to things. Kind of find the whole Hush angle interesting as Hush was created 2002 and has never appeared in the television medium yet. It must be said though that things are now starting to get a bit jumbled with all these attempts to make Terry McGinnis “fit” into the DCU proper. First we had the Annual in which Paul Levitz just squished current DC continuity and DCAU continuity. Then there is Batman # 700 happened where Damian Wayne was in Bruce’s role on the show guiding McGinnis, as well as Commissioner Barbra Gordon, but still affected by the events of The Killing Joke when in the DCAU Barbra is never crippled and walks quite well in Batman Beyond. And now we have this mini-series, and from the looks of it, it might be only taking place in the DCAU as there really isn’t any evidence to say otherwise, yet.
It’s an enjoyable ride, but still trying to kick the tires about whether or not this is going to be of much substance, or yet another attempt by a company to placate a segment of the audience and not really doing much afterward. Just seems pretty average so far.
Batman Beyond #1:
Reviewed by SteveJRogers
Dick Grayson, leader of The Justice League of America’s adventures continue with issue # 46 and part 2 of the epic summer crossover with the JSA Brightest Day banner event. Well, not much to say about this issue Batman related wise, as really this is pretty much a filler issue essentially waiting for the current JSA story to wrap up and join this one with July’s issue # 41.
Dick and the flying Batmobile do get a nice moment at the beginning of the issue as Dick officially recruits Supergirl to the team, after Supergirl had been going wonkers thanks to the Starheart in the previous issue. But again this issue is a complete wheel spinning issue with everyone trying to figure out what to do about the Starheart that carried Jade back to Earth from Oa and to rescue Green Lantern Alan Scott and Obsidian from its clutches.
There still is something off about Mark Bagley’s art, especially with Dick Grayson’s costume and it is just as bad as it was when Bagley was on the Batman title last year. It is a bit jarring to see such a difference in the Dick Grayson Batman, in these pages and the Dick Grayson Batman in Batman, Detective, Batman & Robin and any other issue Grayson is appearing in. For example, he puts in a cameo in this month’s issue of Justice League: Generation Lost and looks how he is supposed to look; but Bagley seems to be going for some sort of combination of Bob Kane and David Mazzucchelli (Year One’s artist). That would be fine if that was the look everyone else drawing Dick’s second run as Batman did, but it’s not; and the brownish hue to the costume isn’t helping the matter.
In any event, the July JLA and JSA books should pick up the pace of this story, especially since it ends with Starman’s power source literally ripped out of his chest by Alan Scott. There is also still the notion about the “Magnificent Seven” (Superman, Bruce Wayne, Wonder Woman, Barry Allen, Hal Jordan (sorry Wally & Kyle fans, but DC considers them to be the iconic versions of Flash and GL), Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter) returning to the title. When exactly, and how is starting to be a good question as this book seems to have been a bit of a disjointed mess for quite some time.
Justice League of America #46:
Reviewed by SteveJRogers
Alright, after our brief excursion into a possible DCU future, we return to our regularly scheduled Superman/Batman programming (same Supe/Bat-time…) with # 73 and again with Levitz and Ordway as your creative team.
We start exactly where we left off in # 72 with Lois Lane about to be sacrificed by a Cult of Kal-El (its Superman in the story, but I like how Kal rolls off the tongue after the word cult) because she spurned Superman to marry a human. Well, this is not the Silver Age so the damsel in distress is able to work her way out of said distress, and pretty much has this in hand as Batman comes in to scare off all but one of the cultists. That one being taken down by Lois using maneuvers apparently taught by Batman!
We then cut to the subplot with Luthor trying to reach out to this planet that we saw in # 72 where the inhabitants are angry at Superman for wrecking a few buildings, despite rebuilding them. My guess is it must have been a religious shrine considering how angry they were and all the religious imagery and themes throughout this story. Luthor even comes right out and calls it Lexor, which is a Silver/Bronze Age planet with inhabitants who worshiped Lex Luthor. As far as I can tell, it has not been mentioned since its destruction in 1983, though the reboot of Lex Luthor from evil mad scientist to evil billionaire industrialist could have something to do with getting rid of a lot of Luthor’s sci-fi Golden, Silver and Bronze Age attributes. In any event, Luthor is scheming to send a “care package” of sorts to this planet, making contact and ensuring that they worship him. The greatest land grabber of our time!
So we go back to Batman trying his luck at interrogating the cultist, but Superman swoops in to play the bad cop, well the only way he can by dangling the poor guy over the Metropolis skyline with heat vision red eyes a’ glowing! Its found out that a thing called The Visionary told them to sacrifice Lois Lane in order to show their devotion to Superman, to quote the Man of Steel himself, “possible the most backward idea I’ve heard from anyone this side of Bizzaro!”
We then see Superman, Batman and even Lois conduct investigations on this cult and how to take them down. Which is followed by another scene of Luthor readying a capsule to the planet; and we go back to the main plot with a nice shot of Lois & Clar…err Superman having a domestic argument while both are “on the job” heading to where the next meeting of the Superman cult is. They meet up with Batman, and they crash the meeting, the globe where the “Visionary” was emanating explodes, turning into a giant fire creature that Superman easily takes care of with his super breath and the cultists are all rounded up.
The coda of the issue is Luthor, revealing to be the “man behind the curtain” of the cultists that Lois wonders about at the end of the previous scene, getting ready to become a God to this planet of Superman haters.
This was a thoroughly entertaining story to be sure. Had none of the things that made me slightly trepidations about the first part of the arc (preachy religious connotations, and rehashing sillier elements of Silver Age Superman and Batman stories) and even threw in several nice Easter Eggs for fans of various incarnations of the Superman and Batman mythos. For example, Smallville fans will note a headline of an article in Lois’ cubicle “’Red-Blue Blur’ Gets A Name” as well as a shout out to Bibbo, a long time cast member of the Superman titles. Ordway’s art is also impressive as well. While this is mostly a Superman-centric story, Batman does get in some good moments, especially doing some detective work, and it was nice to see nods to what Lois Lane does, something that appears to have been missing in the Man of Steel’s titles as of late, but this isn’t TheSupermanUniverse.net, so no need to rant about how DC is handling the Clark Kent side of Superman.
I’m looking forward to the final chapter of this story next month.
Superman/Batman #73:
Reviewed by SteveJRogers
Following my enjoyment of the first issue of the relaunched Birds of Prey series – not to mention the critical acclaim that the issue received – I had extremely high expectations when I picked up and started reading issue #2: not only were my expectations met they were most definitely exceeded.
Picking up where issue #1 left off, 'Endrun', part two of this four part story-arc, opens up in the Gotham City retail district, where Dinah and Helena – Black Canary and Huntress – have, for the first time, encountered their new adversary: White Canary.
With The Penguin lying injured and covered in his own blood the two women take stock of their situation and deduce that the only way to stop this mysterious woman might be to 'take her down' with them – music to Huntress's ears as you can imagine.
With help on its way, courtesy of Barbara Gordon – Oracle – over the comm link Black Canary and Huntress realize that the time for talking is over and engage their target. As they deliver blow upon blow the women don't appear to be making any sort of impression – indeed White Canary takes it all in her stride and counters their moves effortlessly until …
Momentarily distracted, Huntress seizes the moment, leaps at White Canary and, temporarily at least, disables her as Black Canary, losing control of her emotions, reigns down punch after punch until Zinda – Lady Blackhawk – arrives on the scene along with Hawk and Dove – Hank Hall and Dawn Grainger. At this point it's then the Birds time to be distracted as White Canary wrestles free from Huntress's grasp and, in turn, neatly evades Hawk's attack.
Back at the base, Barbara, still monitoring events via the comm link, picks up a story on a television news channel that Gregory Chasco – the villain featured at the beginning of Birds of Prey #1 – had died as the reporter goes on to say that Chasco's fatal wounds were as a result of Black Canary's actions. Furthermore, the reporter goes on to say, the channel had exclusive live footage of the 'vigilante' – Black Canary – at large on the Gotham City streets.
Aware that the police were on their way and realizing that the situation was getting way out of hand Barbara orders Black Canary and the team to stop fighting and leave the area as quickly as they can. With the authorities closing in on the scene White Canary herself realizes it's time to move on – but not before delivering a chilling warning – 'one of you will die every hour for the next six hours …'.
Outnumbered and surrounded by armed police officers there's a decision to be made – fight or flight? Unsurprisingly for a group that includes Hawk and Huntress, Black Canary chooses to fight and, as the officers open fire, the Birds respond with their own brand of non-lethal force. As the fighting intensifies a police helicopter opens fire sending Dinah and Zinda scurrying to avoid the flurry of bullets.
Apparently less concerned for his own safety Hawk watches on momentarily before taking action – sending the helicopter and its crew crashing to the ground.
Watching the events play-out on the television news channel Barbara is becoming increasingly alarmed at what's unfolding as details are revealed of Black Canary's ties to former Star City Mayor Oliver Queen who himself, the viewers are reminded, has a dark past. While still trying to make sense of events, Oracle receives a communication from a familiar source – Aleksandr Creote. A distressed Creote reveals that he and Savant – Brian Durlan – had come under attack from a woman saying that their association with the Birds meant they themselves were guilty.
Revealing to Oracle that Savant had died in the attack, and that he considers her responsible, Creote – in a genuinely shocking scene – takes his own life.
Returning to the alleyways of Gotham City, the Birds are making their way to the safety of Penguins Iceberg Lounge nightclub when they come across a television set broadcasting the evenings news feed. To Black Canary's horror the broadcast reveals not only her civilian identity and more details of her personal life but also claims that she abandoned a young Asian girl whom she'd planned to adopt when the child proved 'inconvenient'.
The issue closes with Barbara trying to come to terms with events and realizing that the strengths of the Birds – 'Canary's fists, my brain' – are being used as weapons against them: and it's now time to fight back.
As I said at the start of my review, this was a really enjoyable read that gave me everything I ask for from a comic book: the story was well paced, the art is simply fantastic, there was action aplenty, a little comedy – I like 'comedy', I don't enjoy 'silliness!' – there were acknowledgments to previous Birds legacy as well as a cast of characters with tremendous strengths that are occasionally also their weaknesses.
Regular readers will know that I'm not generally a fan of the long fight sequences often found in comics and I'll be the first to acknowledge that about a third of this issue is exactly that. However, on this occasion it seems to work for me and I think this is down to a number of factors.
Firstly, the pacing of Gail Simone's script which sees never more than a couple of pages of 'punches and kicks' before the pace changes and we, the reader, are able to catch our breath as the characters lick their wounds, consider their options and plan their next move.
Secondly, Ed Benes's page layouts are every bit as enjoyable and engaging as his illustrations. I'm sure we knew that Ed Benes is a talented artist – although I can't help but feel he's getting stronger all the while – and what's particularly caught my eye have been the panel layouts which, for me at least, give the pages a real sense of chaos, energy and excitement – if you've got a copy in front of you check out pages four to eight for an example of what I'm referring to.
As the story progresses I found myself enjoying – perhaps appreciating would be a better word – how Dinah's state changes: from plain aggression in the opening pages through resignation when confronted by armed police officers to the anguish she feels and exhibits when her identity and personal relationships are exposed on television: all perfectly captured by her varying facial expressions.
Likewise, with Barbara during and following the video call from Creote we saw, I think, the reactions of a young woman normally so used to being in control of events suddenly gripped with a realization that these particular events were beyond even her control – for now at least.
Moreover, every character in this book was a joy to behold – Huntress's thirst for action, Zinda's charming 1940s dialogue, Dove's compassion, Hawk being … well Hawk being Hawk! Returning to the comedy I mentioned previously, I enjoyed that Penguin was so immediately smitten with Dove … his reactions and comments when Dove showed him just how compassionate she is really did make me smile.
I've so far done a pretty good job of avoiding the 'who is White Canary?' speculation and I'm not going to add to it here. I've got a few ideas – one or two I'd like to believe could be true and one or two I'm hoping not.
What I do know is that Birds of Prey has returned in strength and quickly established itself amongst my favorite monthly books.
An excellent read – I cannot wait for the next installment.
Birds of Prey #2:
Reviewed by Zaius
.jpg "Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #3 (of 6)")
Bruce Wayne’s epic journey through time continues in THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #3. Having narrowly survived the perils of both prehistoric and puritanical Gotham, Bruce now finds himself thrust into a pirate adventure worthy of a Robert Louis Stevenson novel.
This issue opens with a FINAL CRISIS flashback to the moment when Batman fires a God-wounding bullet into Darkseid in an effort to save the world from anti-life enslavement. As a consequence, Bruce himself is hit with the Apokoliptian Omega Effect which traps him in a series of harrowing periods in history. In the following pages, Bruce struggles to remember who and what he is. This won’t be an easy task for the time-lost hero who is immediately confronted by a band of surly pirates who have already taken a young man, who identifies himself as Jack Loggins, hostage at knife-point. It seems Bruce has been mistaken for the legendary Black Pirate, captain of the Black Rose. Naturally, the villainous Blackbeard is after an Indian treasure hoard hidden deep within the Gotham County catacombs. A treasure whose whereabouts are known only to the Black Pirate.
As the pirates and captives begin their journey into the caves of Gotham, the young man taken hostage begins to impart his knowledge of the cave’s booby traps to the group. Solely on the names of the obstacles, Bruce is able to instinctively escape their mortal danger.
The story abruptly cuts to current day continuity and the discovery of Batman’s cape and cowl deep within Bludhaven’s Command D. This would appear to be a direct nod to BATMAN #701-2 where Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel re-team to tell the exciting 2-part, untold tale of Bruce Wayne and his adventures between BATMAN R.I.P. and FINAL CRISIS. This scene also references Superman following Bruce to the “end of time,” which we saw in issue #2 of this series. If one were interested, the further adventure of time-traveling Superman can be followed in a “companion” limited series to THE RETURN in July called TIME MASTERS: VANISHING POINT. In which a group of DC’s heroes accompanies Superman on a mission to find Batman.
Eventually, Jack Loggins reveals himself to Bruce as the mythical Black Pirate and presents Bruce with his signature cloak. Bruce is able to momentarily escape and with the aid of his new cloak, some bats, and the remaining Miagani tribesman living within the caves, kick some serious pirate booty. The revelation that the Miagani have preserved Batman’s costume sparks some memories within Bruce. He is becoming more aware of his past and what to expect in the future. He also imparts this knowledge on the young Jack Loggins who will eventually place his transcribed memories into a small casket adorned with a bat symbol. This is a reoccurring story thread that will surely play a significant part in future issues.
As in the previous two issues of the series, the book closes with a glimpse into what the immediate future has in store for Bruce Wayne. It appears as though he’ll be facing off with DC Comics’ iconic bounty hunter Jonah Hex. The final page features a Batman riding horseback and donning his signature utility belt. And most importantly, true to his staunch beliefs…no sidearm.
The only negative mark against this issue is a quick comment from Damien to the “new” Batman…”Don’t we need to get back to the Joker?” My guess is that the confusion this line caused me is a result of scheduling. With the Joker laying low since BATMAN R.I.P., I have to assume that this is related to BATMAN AND ROBIN #13 which has been delayed in shipping. But it’s clear that the genius mind of Grant Morrison has created a hearty circulatory system of stories that runs throughout BATMAN R.I.P., FINAL CRISIS, BATMAN AND ROBIN and THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE resulting in an epic tale with a life of its own.
The illustrations featured in this book are simply stunning. Andy Kubert unquestionably continues his mastery of the cover art duties in this series with aplomb. His image of a swashbuckling Batman is not only suitable for framing but worthy of mounting on human flesh and worshiping en masse. Often in comics, an awesome cover can castrate interior artwork and render it underwhelming. Not in this case however. I haven’t seen Yanick Paquette’s outstanding artwork since he last teamed with Grant Morrison on SEVEN SOLDIERS OF VICTORY. But perhaps that is just because he’s been working on THIS book ever since then. Paquette creates a hyper-detailed world of high-adventure that makes me wonder if artists working on subsequent issues will be able to measure up. Apparently, Dark Horse Comics’ artist Georges Jeanty has been named as a last-minute replacement penciler for long-time Morrison collaborator Cameron Stewart. I’m not familiar with Jeanty’s work, but a truncated work schedule combined with the high bar set by Paquette has my expectations for a Wild West Batman a little low.
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #3:
Reviewed by Hayesstronaut
For a man who needs no introduction in our little world, we would expect nothing but the best in-between our old favorite comic book’s pages or at least a hint of the quality this man has bequeathed upon the Batman franchise consistently for so long. The man I’m talking about is of course Dennis O’Neil. O’Neil’s return to Detective Comics for a stand alone issue does not disappoint whatsoever. While I was initially hesitant on the fact that he wasn’t writing Bruce Wayne’s Batman and the fact that I thought he would mix up Dick with Bruce, all of those thoughts were immediately erased upon learning that Dick was narrating his own personal story starting from an incident that happened back in his old Robin days. To say that Dennis O’Neil hit the nail on the head when it came to Dick’s voice is an understatement. He not only nailed it, he took a monolith of a building, where it once was unsteady and swaying, and built a solid foundation upon which Dick thrives and becomes the Batman. Dick is no longer just putting on a cape and cowl and chasing down bad guys. He becomes the legend. He becomes Batman’s true calling. He fills in every little gap where once it was empty. Dick is now Batman, it‘s his personal story, in his voice, and his Batman. There is not much that’s wrong here. O’Neil is a master and he just proved that he knows more than any other writer who has ever touched a Batman book all the while weaving a great story all in a single issue.
What singles this issue out, besides what I’ve already mentioned, is that it flashes back to Dick’s old day’s as Robin teamed up with Bruce’s Batman as they are on their way to investigate an art gallery robbery. The art shifts from Dustin Nguyen’s newer pencils to the older days of Batman, it does this seamlessly and does not interrupt or rudely distract, it matches the story perfectly and lends to the story while pushing it forward and making it clear as day that we are in a certain time period and in a certain context which puts us (the reader) in the right mind set to experience what’s being presented. Nguyen’s pencils are spot on as always. David Baron’s colors are gentle and relaxing when we see Batman flying around in the Gotham Night, but intense when there is a need for it. The art overall is at its best here and doesn’t fail to impress.
Our story starts off with Batman getting into a fight with three men who he ran into while trying to find a medallion in an old abandoned house. Batman falls through the floor and finds the medallion under some dirt thus triggering a flashback to the old days. The Joker is in front of the house we’ve just seen, but in this instance it’s a grand and sweeping mansion. The Joker kills the guard at the front gates and in the mansion steals a medallion but before he can leave a man wielding a sword stops him. Meanwhile Batman and Robin, now Bruce and Dick, are cruising the town looking for trouble when an old woman rushes up to them and frantically tells them that there is a dead man lying on the sidewalk. Batman tells Robin to wait in the car while he goes and investigates. In the mansion The Joker makes his exit while the sword wielding man’s attention is focused on the recently arrived Batman. The two fight and Batman of course, ends up victorious. While the fight is going on Robin is shadowing the Joker as he bumps into a man named Loomis secretly pulling the chain from the medallion in Loomis’ pocket. Robin takes the Joker down and the Police arrests the Joker, Loomis, and the man with the sword. While riding in the back of the police van the man with the sword triggers a bomb he had hidden in his pants and the Joker and Loomis run off into the night. Later on Loomis is caught and put on trial for murder. As evidence, the district attorney at the time who we all know is Harvey Dent, presents the chain the Joker had slipped into Loomis’ pocket when they bumped into each other. Loomis is found guilty and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. For good behavior he is released early though he is now an old dying man. One night he is visited by Batman and questioned about the night he was arrested along with the Joker. Although Dick was shadowing the Joker from the mansion till he was arrested, he never saw The Joker toss the medallion, as the only thing that was recovered was the chain. So Dick, using his detective skills, surmises that the Joker ditched it in the mansion and thus we are brought back to the beginning of the issue with Dick fighting the three men and finding the medallion. The issue ends with Dick going back to Loomis’ house and while exhausted, thinks he catches a glimpse of the Joker leaving Loomis’ apartment. Upon entering, Dick states that he has found evidence that will clear Loomis of all charges and clear his name only to find out that the Joker was in fact there and that he killed Loomis with his laughing gas.
While it is truly a great issue I really hated that this issue ended and that it was final. I feel that what was great about this particular issue will be forgotten and Detective Comics will go back to what we were presented with before O’Neil did this stand-alone. I wonder if and hope that David Hine will take into consideration and continue what has been done here but as evidenced in his previous work mainly on the Azrael book it honestly isn’t something to be truly excited for. But I have my hopes. Also I think it’s about time we get an honest Batman and Joker story where they both pull the right punches and are constantly out doing each other. It has been two years since the release of The Dark Knight and Heath Ledger’s Joker, that now it’s appropriate to have another Joker story instead of these hints as evidence in Grant Morrison’s Batman #700, this issue and various other appearances. But I must commend O’Neil’s treatment of the Joker, there is a great separation from Ledger’s Joker and the Joker presented here. While Ledger’s Joker is dark, sinister, brooding and psychotic the Joker presented here is a lighter version going back to the days where he wasn’t dark and brooding but a maniacal laughing stock busting out joke after joke while doing all the things that Ledger’s Joker hinted towards and in some cases matched. But the highlight here is the Dick Grayson Batman as I’ve said before. He is fully formed and distinct, and very beautifully written. Whereas before it was the constant reminder that this is Dick and not Bruce, O’Neil makes the distinction, gets into Dick’s brain and settles there while pumping out dialogue that feels free, flowing, and natural and is what I personally think Dick would say, act, and react like. Like Bruce before, O’Neil gives Dick’s Batman a good amount of humanity, clarity, and overall character progression, he sticks to the image of The Dark Knight as we know it while creating a distinct incarnation of Dick both as a human being and as Batman. I feel closer to Dick Grayson than I ever have before whether it was Nightwing or Robin the only thing that comes close for me is Dick’s Origin story and that has been done over and over again, this issue brings forth a new Dick Grayson and refreshing all that‘s been done before. This story makes huge leaps and bounds in the psyche of Dick Grayson and Batman as a whole and it’s brevity only adds to it, it’s only a glimpse or taste, it leaves us wanting more though we know we probably wont get any more and in that way among better, greater things is what makes this issue the most memorable issue I have read in a very very long time.
Detective Comics #866:
Reviewed by Dane
When I think of Azrael, I think of Micheal Lane kicking the tar outta some random thug with his duel swords, and maybe a good story to go with it. This issue fails in just about most of that criteria. Not to mention the terrible art, but moving past that lets hop into the story:
You see we open up with a badly drawn flashback of Micheal Lane asking a priest about the power of faith. Then we go to present day were an unmasked Azrael is at the mercy of The Seven Deadly Sins. They quickly turn Micheal into the raw embodiment of pure faith or the 8th deadly sin. Micheal puts on what looks like a skull mask and says that he is ready to do what the cult wants, just then an agent for Ra's Al Ghul: White Ghost breaks through the window and begins to fight with Azrael and the other seven members, but is easily taken out. White Ghost awakes on an airplane where he is told that the cult ordered Azrael to kill the Pope due to his influence surrounding faith. However, before Micheal can kill the Pope, White Ghost stops him and tries to explain the power of faith and how it is worth fighting for. Micheal denies this and proceeds to fight some more with White Ghost.
Eventually White Ghost convinces Micheal to remove the skull thus it's control over him and proceeds to talk to him about how Ra's can help Micheal. Once Micheal is free from the skull's power White Ghost convinces him that they should find his mask. So the two go and kill, no mutilate, The Seven Deadly Sins (but again the art really destroys the whole mood of it). Eventually he gets it, and places it back on. White Ghost tries one more time to try to convince Azrael to go to Ra's, but he denies and leaves stating that he still has faith.
Now on to the actual review, all I have to say about the art is: Wow, Ramon Bachs, just wow. You really know how to take a moderately interesting story and run in through the mud. None off the characters look good, as they all look like blocks of color. I mean I understand Azrael isn't you know Batman and Robin, but can't we get a decent artist to do this? On to the story, it was okay I guess. I mean he didn't really do anything cool the whole issue and I can't really accept that Azrael would just fold to the power of the cult. I mean he's suppose to be a very strong-willed individual Not, to mention the point-less flashbacks and undeveloped characters. I may be asking too much from a two- part-er, but I'd like to see at least some motivations. Overall this was a really disappointing issue.
Azrael #9:
Reviewed by Wes