It's time for another 2-in-1 showcase spectacular as we wrap up "The Dark Things" crossover that ties in with Brightest Day.
We begin with JSA #42, with Kyle Rayner joining the fun on the dark side of the moon. After Kyle explains his mission, Obsidian convinces Jade to join with him, and they are merged into a being controlled by the Starheart, and yet both have their own voices speaking through it. So Kyle and Jadesidian (the combo is not named in the story) fight, with the Jade part angered at Kyle for “dumping” her for Wonder Girl, Donna Troy, after her death. During the fight as well Kyle’s ring also gets depleted of its power quite rapidly, and surprisingly in fact.
Meanwhile, Doctor Mid-Nite has found Starman near death, and tells him not to worry and that he will save him, as he hurries to find where Alan Scott has Dr. Fate, Faust, Jay Garrick and Wildcat. Mid-Nite then sneaks behind Dr. Fate and removes the helmet and releasing Faust, Garrick and Wildcat. Garrick gets Starman’s gem, and Wildcat goes after Scott, and realizes that “Scott” is nothing more than a construct created by Starheart.
The real Alan Scott, as we find out, is on Earth and making quick work out of Power Girl and Supergirl. Just as Scott retakes control of Power Girl, he is suddenly called away and poofs out of Dodge, and releases Power Girl. They are then called to head over to Mr. Terrific who needs them for a theory. And we end the issue with more of the Jadesidian fight with everyone, with Alan Scott appearing at the end.
And that is where we kick things off in JLA #48. After a brief expository scene at the moon, we shift back to Earth where Terrific, Power Girl and Supergirl discuss some technobabble way of stopping the magic based chaos on Earth.
We cut to Doctor Mid-Nite who brings the gem to Starman, who is able to re-energize and join the fight. Dr. Fate then, with the help of Jade’s resistance, is able to separate Jade and Obsidian, and Jade gets called into the White Lantern Corps (see the Brightest Day mini-series). The Starheart has been released from Obsidian, and Jade is restored to life, but Obsidian still wants to merge with Jade, but Jade gives Kyle enough of a boost to get Obsidian out of there.
Batman then realizes that Jade is crucial to defeating the Starheart, and has her go up against him. And it is at this point that we see things have calmed down on Earth because the calvary of Mr. Terrific, Congo Bill, Power Girl and Supergirl have arrived to help even out the odds against Starheart’s constructs. Jade provides a distraction of sorts as Starman swoops in to blast Scott and Jade takes down the Starheart crystal at the heart of the giant structure. It works as Alan Scott is able to break free of the Starheart’s hold.
We end with the usual parting of ways, Mr. Terrific hands Dick Grayson a vote of confidence, and Jesse Quick is given an invitation to join the League and she accepts. We see Jade and Obsidian being tested and told they need to never go near each other because of what happened. And we end on Supergirl wondering why she, a Kryptonian who should be susceptible to magic, wasn’t affected by the Starheart the way Power Girl was. And we end on a reflection of Supergirl wearing a dark version of her costume.
Alright, very good end to the story, Dick Grayson’s first as fully fledged leader of the Justice League of America and while the focus wasn’t completely centered around him, it did have some good Batman moments.
The art was still a bit off, and I found it kind of jarring that in the JSA issue Dick was wearing a blue cowl and cape, but in the JLA issue it was a black/brownish cowl and cape. Editing folks, editing!
Overall the story turned out to be good, slow start and pacing issues aside; it really did come together nicely and was a nice showcase for what the Robinson penned JLA might be heading towards. Of course Jade, Obsidian and the Lanterns were a focal point of the story, but in the end it really felt like a JLA proper story as opposed to a JSA, featuring the JLA story.
Justice Society of America #42:
Justice League of America #48:
Reviewed by SteveJRogers
First off, I’m going to have to eat my own pride which is a painful thing to do so I will keep this review as short and simple as possible. Batman #702 had me fooled, in fact, I think it would be better to say that Grant Morrison had me for the most part fooled. Starting this lost story arc with issue #701, I must shamefully admit that I pre-judged this story with nothing but negative connotations alluding to both it’s existence and it’s purpose both with issue #701 and even before that. Thinking that this was going to be just another one of those heady, mind bending, frustratingly unnecessary flaunt of Mr. Morrison’s “look how smart I am” attitude I almost immediately prepared myself for a big letdown and readied my brain for a giant mind-numbing experience. And sure, I thought I was right in my assumptions and #701 could only further these feelings with it’s brevity and (in my mind at the time) meaninglessness. So, with that being said my expectations (if I really had any at that point) for #702 where pretty drab. Much to my surprise though, with #702 Grant Morrison pretty much punched me in the face and kicked me while I was on the ground and in a daze all the while reminding me that yes, I really need to get my act together and focus all my attention on the damn story, because he will deliver said story.
Beginning with the cliched “diary” approach, Morrison breaks all boundaries as the dialogue rips through the pages and into your inner ear, whereas Morrison’s past attempts to present a suitable voice for Bruce which have almost always has felt disconnected, Morrison really writes Bruce in Bruce’s voice, delivering the solid, endearing, and foreboding that entails the whole of both Bruce’s and Batman’s voice which seem to blend together as it should be, into a single man. The story builds as it unfolds like we expect it to, but to hear it from Bruce’s point of view not only makes it even more momentous and tragic as our hero knowingly or unknowingly sacrifices himself, it brings such a great and big event with an even bigger evil to a human level that remains untouched by any other superhero. These elements combined with the events of “Final Crisis” achieve not only what Morrison intended, but vastly surpasses it’s intended mark.
But what really strikes a chord of genius here is Morrison’s use of the mythical archetype and the ideology of certain elements along with his philosophy on time. Sure, Bruce uses a gun, but as Morrison explains, that’s not the point. These New Gods reside in a singular ideal within a Platonic archetypal world, thus the only thing that can kill these Gods is the essence of a Platonic measure, hence the essence of a bullet, a magic bullet. Which in turn brings things back to a basic, understandable basis that coalesces into good versus evil, Batman versus Darkseid, again like Morrison explains how many times has a story been told where there is a man with a monster standing in his way? These stories/myths have been told, retold, and revamped countless times. But Bruce creates his own myth with the magic bullet containing within it’s “shell” a new kind of myth where a certain ultimate evil stares humanity down, and in turn humanity has an unseen trick up its sleeve creating a balance within itself as well as a shift of purpose. Darkseid representing what Morrison calls a “Hole” is taken at face value while Bruce’s actions aren’t. This Hole is inevitable even in the best laid out plans there exists a Hole. Bruce takes that ideology and turns it on it’s side which in turn sends him back in time, and this “time” is Bruce’s ultimate trial because time still moves no matter where he is and he needs to figure out where he is and what he is before he forgets everything.
This issue entails great storytelling that engages the reader but what can also be commended is Tony Daniel's art. I think Daniel has broken out into a symbol of his own. Sure it may not be the cleanest but it get’s it’s point across with it’s striking poses and distinctive wear and tear paired with several off angle but serene views to which we interpret the languish and residual resurgence of the darkest of woes that is done in a style that does not force feed but resists you and pulls away and forces you to grab hold of it. Truly the vision of an artistic genius who is at the top of his game and coupled with Morrison’s storytelling and Ian Hannin’s colors we are consistently reminded what a great comic book should be.
Overall great great story telling and art I cannot praise it enough without sounding repetitive so I will end this review by saying that if you love the comic book genre you will absolutely adore this issue.
Batman #702:
Reviewed by Dane
When Batman: The Brave and the Bold was first announced as a new series coming to Cartoon Network, the reaction that another Batman cartoon was coming was high. When the first trailer was released for the series, there was a lot of critics including me that this might be the wrong direction to take the character. As it turns out, the critics and I were wrong. Batman: The Brave and the Bold is a perfect mixture of children amusement and adult nods.
Warner Bros. has released a collection of the first 13 episodes on August 17. They have previously released separate volumes that included four episodes a piece. I always thought that those were a huge waste of money, especially at least ten dollars a piece. This part, unfortunately, is not much better. Even though there are thirteen episodes collected on this set, it still seems as if Warner Bros. is trying to cash in on as many releases as possible.
The two-disc set includes the first thirteen episodes of the show. The first episodes really didn't have a whole lot of good things. The exceptions of course being the "Invasion of the Secret Santas" episode, which is still one of my favorite episodes, and the episodes featuring Owlman.
As far as special features go, there are none. Well, there is a trailer for Lego Harry Potter, but does that even count? With BTBTB getting its own video game in the coming weeks, why wasn't there at least an advertisement for that? Sometimes, I really don't understand the marketing department for these releases.
Overall, I think the show is great, but I want to have complete seasons, not parts. I also want at least some special features. The lack of features and the simple word "Part" makes we say wait another year or two for the complete seasons or even complete series to be released.
You can buy it here on Amazon
Batman: The Brave and the Bold Season 1 Part 1:
Reviewed by Dustin
After appearing for only a single frame free of dialog in book two, Batman returns for a much larger role in “First Wave” number three.
For many of us that read the Batman titles these days we’ve had to adjust to the non-linear storylines that have become so popular. From Grant Morrison’s “Batman & Robin” series to “Batman-Odyssey” by Neal Adams. These storylines are convoluted and often jump back and forth through the narrative to various points in time.
Brain Azzarello (with pencils from Rags Morales with Rick Bryant, Nei Ruffino and Bob Almond doing color and inks) has put his own spin on the elaborate narrative by introducing a myriad of deeply rich and historically significant characters from the golden age of comics. Although these characters have been ripped from the pages of yesteryear (Batman, with his original reliance on guns) we see them positioned in a contemporary setting which gives them a fresh spin despite their early origins.
First let’s play a little catch up as to what is going on. Batman has got himself tangled up in the mysterious return of Clark Savage Sr., the father of the Man of Bronze, Doc Savage. The only problem is that Clark senior is supposed to be dead. Doc Savage himself, with the aid of The Spirit, is investigating the disappearance of Daddy Savages body and has run afoul of the Blackhawks, various crime syndicates and a semi trustworthy police force.
If you are thinking that is a lot. You’re right, it is. Azzarello hasn’t even got to the main plot yet and it’s a mystery as to where all this is going and how all these players are going to be brought together. But it is evident that Batman is going to take the lead as he travels to South America based on a tip from (a shape-shifting?) Clark Savage Sr.
As for the characterization of Batman himself in this story I like how Azzarello has put his own stamp on the Bruce Wayne/Batman figure. Batman still relies on guns, not to kill, but to distract and defend. He’s a newcomer to the crime fighting scene but is a quick learner that takes his lumps in the process. His Bruce Wayne overtly plays the insouciant playboy that is bored with the lifestyle and often lounges about in a bath robe. Publicly, he is a party boy that is obnoxious and is known to drink too much at functions. Privately, his character is fleshed out by his interplay with his butler (and friend), Alfred. The conversation between the two reveals Wayne as sharp witted, intensely curious, if not a little lazy, and actually playful as he engages Alfred in a little verbal fencing.
Importantly, he doesn’t carry the bitter weight and anger wrought of endless years of crime fighting and revenge.
The story continues as Bruce/the Bats is off to Hidalgo to meet up with an old “friend” Anton Colossi and his mechanical bodyguard, Ferrios. That’s right, a robot that is “larger than life, and crueler than death”. Awesome.
I’m giving my rating based on the story coming together and showing much, much more promise.
First Wave #3:
Reviewed by Dark Knight Dave
.jpg "Batman: Odyssey #2")
We continue with Neal Adams’ return to Batman with the second issue of Batman Odyssey.
We start with Bruce again telling some unseen person the story that began the last one. Bruce explains how the scene with Man-Bat was actually Bruce waiting for Langstrom to deliver some codes so Bruce would know the source of a donation, which turned out to be Ra’s al Ghul. Bruce then goes back to the museum story. Where last we left with a bunch of goons shooting up hydrogen tanks in vehicles with a professor and young daughter caught in the cross-hairs.
Fortunately the guns don’t do anything as the hydrogen was infused in a hydride. An explosion then happens, and Bruce explains that it was Robin taking out semi trucks. Batman comes up behind the goons and starts going to town asking them questions about who they work for and gives an explanation for why the hydrogen was not exploding. As the goons turn their guns on Batman, Robin jumps in and lends a hand, Batman then goes to find the professor, Dr. Petrason, and his daughter. Once he finds them, he tries to get them to leave, hides them in a corner and then heads out to see if its clear. Unfortunately a whole bunch of goons were waiting for him and Batman is lit up ala Sonny Corleone at the tool booth in The Godfather.
We then pick up more of Bruce’s narration as he explains that at the moment he collapsed, he was thinking about the parts to his first adventure story that he didn’t get a chance to tell Robin last issue. We cut to that scene, Bruce on top of the train with the Spanish agent, who explains that Bruce did not completely knock out the two guys who Bruce punched out the last time. However they jumped off the train and the agent seems to want to blow the train, with the passengers in it. Bruce now has to move quickly the get the passengers off that train.
First he manages to get the car with the explosives away from the passenger car. Then its time to get the passengers off the train. However they are frightened, and have no clue as to what to think of this costume, even thinking him to be a vampire! Since everyone, even the conductor, seems to be ignoring what Bruce is saying at this point, Bruce unfortunately has to resort to brandishing two pistols in order to scare the passengers into the next car. All except for one, an elderly woman whom he has to carry off onto the next car.
The bomb does go off, the car gets thrown off the tracks, Batman figured though that no one would get killed though, though he and the old woman did get hurled from the train and into a pile of dirt. As Batman and the old woman are getting up, the conductor rushes in, proclaiming Batman to be a murderer and saying that Batman was the one who destroyed the train. The conductor then shoots Batman right in the same spot Bruce was telling his unseen conversation partner about in the first page of the first issue. The inertia of the shooting causes the conductor to pass out, and Batman does the same.
We then cut back to Bruce talking about the incident, and then explaining how since that day he has made sure his costume is bullet proof and a special one is rigged with a fake blood distribution system, like the one at the pier story, which is apparently two months prior to this conversation. We cut back to that scene and we end on the thugs preparing to finish the job by shooting Batman in the head.
This was a solid continuation of the story Adams had began with. The Langstrom story is left dangling, but we do have 10 more issues to go. The splash images of Bruce getting shot up were a highlight, sort of reinforcing the idea of Bruce being very much a street level hero that could get in a bad way with just some common thugs. Can’t wait to see how things progress with the story Adams is telling.
Batman: Odyssey #2:
Reviewed by SteveJRogers
Our friends over at FlickeringMyth.com have made another interesting set of posts about the history of the Batman films. The series of three articles was written by Gary Collinson. He does an amazing job covering everything from the early serials to the more recent incarnations of Batman on film. Take a look at the three of them by clicking on the links below.
The Early Days (1940's-mid 1980's)
The Franchise Years (1989-1997)
The Modern Times (1997-Present)
Posted by Dustin
Brightest Day
Anyone else confused? Intrigued? Amused? Totally psyched?
Released August 16th on the DC blog “The Source” was this picture drawn by David Finch and revealed to us the “White Lantern Batman”.
So who is this Dark Knight that now shines in the Brightest Day? Is it Dick Grayson? After the events of Batman and Robin #13 are we to believe Dick is really dead? Could he have been reincarnated to accept the mantle of the White Lantern Batman? Is this Deadman’s doing?
Or is Batman and Robin #13 a clever ruse?
Could it be that Bruce Wayne has found an ingenious way back to the present that circumvents the machinations of Darkseid and prevents the holocaust that has been foretold?
Hopefully Grant Morrison and DC keep their cards close to the vest. There is nothing like spoilers to ruin a good storyline. Mr. Morrison has something cooked up for us in his own byzantine and convoluted way and we’ll have to wait till November to find out. Until then we’ll have to pick up the crumbs that are tossed our way in the pages of “The Return of Bruce Wayne” and “Batman and Robin”.
As for my answer to being amused, confused, psyched etc. I’m all of the above.
Posted by Dark Knight Dave
Concluding the Levitz-Ordway story is this nice piece, entitled Ascension.
We begin with Luthor watching another “care package” being sent to the planet he has named Lexor and he talks with various advisors about the distracting of Batman in Gotham and the suicide of the Superman cult leader. It’s a nice scene depicting the megalomaniac Luthor we all know and love.
We then cut to Gotham where Batman breaks up a mugging of a nun and Bruce suspects something is up as this continues the trend of religious or community service related small crimes that he has been taken care of in this story.
Meanwhile, Superman has discovered the existence of Lexor, where the inhabitants have turned against the Big Blue Boy Scout, with the help of “presents” from Luthor. Included are some pieces of kryptonite, and it is clear that the natives are aware of the effects it has on Kryptonians.
Cutting back to Gotham, Batman is able to get a lead on who is behind what’s been going on.
Back to outer space, Superman does some reconnaissance and intercepts the latest care package and realizes that Luthor is behind turning the planet against him.
In Metropolis, Luthor gets paid a visit by an angry Batman who warns Lex to stay out of Gotham. And that is followed by The Man of Steel swooping in to admonish Lex for “playing God” and the issue ends with a “NEXT TIME GADGET, NEXT TIME” sort of scene from Lex as Clark swoops in to have a nice roof top chat with Bruce.
This was a quick story, but not a bad way to wrap up a pretty sweet story. It was nice that it wasn’t overly preachy about God complexes as it was clear that Luthor had bad intentions and Superman rather have had the planet take a more natural course of evolution.
Coming up next, a star studded “anniversary” 75th issue which features the Legion of Super Heroes. Then a one shot where Judd Winnick explores Superman’s reaction to the “death” of Bruce Wayne at the end of Final Crisis (hey isn’t that what the whole “new direction” was supposed to be when it was announced last fall) and in October there is a story featuring Supergirl and the Damian Wayne Robin. Well, it should make for some interesting reading at the very least.
Superman/Batman #74:
Reviewed by SteveJRogers
The Art of Batman #700
Our first illustration is something I’ve covered before. I noted how David Finch’s Batman is every bit a crepuscular creature. The looming eyes peering from the blackened face with the wind swept dramatic cape add to the dynamic of a vengeful wraith ready to strike. The use of the buildings towards a vanishing point in addition to the “moon like” Bat signal gives great depth and perspective to the drawing. It very well could be that this picture alone led to the recently announced collaboration of Finch and Grant Morrison coming this November.
I’ve recently thought how this picture reminds me of one of the rings of Dante’s Inferno. The Batman here plays the part of one of the dark spirits just above the lowest of the lowest sinners. Those sinners being the scum that preys upon Gotham City terrorizing its existence. And to continue the allegory, those who deserve eternal damnation and await their fate at the hands of the Batman.
The next entry by Dustin Nguyen is one of the most intriguing. At first blush it is suggestive of a stained glass window. The religious overtones would be obvious as Batman is an iconic figure separate from mortal men.
This portrait also suggests Batman as multi-faceted where the sum of these multi-colored parts is greater than the whole.
There is something else though. The falling leaves and the warm hues give the picture an autumnal look. Perhaps Nguyen is representing Batman as the last turn of the seasonal calendar before the dark onset of a chaotic season of crime that is winter. Cold and foreboding.
Note the circular object over Batman’s right shoulder. Is it a Sun or Moon? Batman being a creature of the night suggests Nguyen is dealing with an abstract depiction of Batman where there is color and light where there is normally darkness.
One of my favorite images from the #700 issue of Batman is the black and white submitted by Phillip Tan. Off times the lack of color makes the illustration more striking. The subtleties of light and shade give better definition and we are given a portrait of Batman that is not inundated and therefore not muted, by color. This Batman’s cape and cowl has sharpened razor like points and edges that gives this crusader a dangerous saber like quality. He also appears rising out of a cloud of smoke or steam against the night sky portentous of vengeful phantasm intent of doing his enemies’ great harm.
As a counterpoint we have a colorized depiction of Batman by Davis, Hope and Ciardo. As we usually see Batman he is in a crouched position. Although this time he seems to have alighted to the Bat signal rather than being poised to leap from it. This is also evident from the trailing batarang cable. This is a standard comic book interpretation of Batman. Well defined musculature, the usual crouch etc. What’s different is Batman, being the night creature that he is, sits exposed to the light instead of lurking in the shadows. It’s almost as if he is saying, “You called?” A dramatic entrance indeed.
Our last entry comes from Dustin Nguyen. Although this picture was included in Batman #700 it is originally credited to the Batman series “Streets of Gotham”. I love its macabre nature as it is seemingly running with the blood of a violent aftermath to a gruesome crime. I’m not sure of the true disposition of the scene. A stricken Mr. Zsazz is apparently in the foreground and perhaps that is Damien hefting the bloody blade in the center. No matter. It is Batman that is most interesting.
This Batman has risen from the darkest part of the shadows like some underworld avatar ready to pass judgment. The glowing red eyes and the horns of Lucifer, that is otherwise the Bat cowl, complete the look. Nguyen’s take on Batman here reminds me Genndy Tartakovsky’s work. Tartakovsky, you may recall, was responsible for the “Samurai Jack” cartoon series. “Jack’s” opponents often rose out of the shadows especially his arch nemesis, Aku. The purpose of Aku and these spirits were to torment Jack and slow him on his journey. Now Batman fills this role in reverse. To torment and impede the plague of crime that is the bane of Gotham City.
Your thoughts Bat readers?
Posted by Dark Knight Dave
The Source posted up some character designs of the Red Hood today by Judd Winick. They also posted some of his comments about the drawings.
Loooong ago, just as we were about to begin the Batman: UNDER THE HOOD arc, I did a quick design of what I thought Jason Todd’s Red Hood costume could/should look like. As some of you may or may not know, I’m a cartoonist. As most of you now know by looking at this sketch, I’m not a very good one. BUT, this was my idea that I sent to our talented artist on the arc, the brilliant Doug Mahnke. My thoughts were simple. I thought Jason would keep his duds simple, minimal, stream lined, a lot like Dick Grayson. Jason wants to be able to move. But unlike Dick, and more like Batman, he wanted LOTS of weapons, hence the coat which is FILLED like an evil Felix the Cat’s bag of tricks. And big damned boots. All the better to kick you with. And land on.
As you can see, Doug stuck with my designs. Except he added the eye holes on the helmet. Which I agreed with that addition shortly there after. It was needed. We want to see those evil eyes.
And NOW, Batman: UNDER THE HOOD, is also an animated movie (Batman: UNDER THE RED HOOD), I was pleased that this original idea I cooked up with Doug is still running around. It’s funny how a little thing snowballs. I like how Jason looks. Evil eyes and all.
Posted by Dustin
.jpg "Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #4")
The final sentence of my review of BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #3 for THE BATMAN UNIVERSE addressed my low expectations for #4. The announcement that penciler Georges Jeanty would replace long-time Grant Morrison collaborator, Cameron Stewart made me ultra-nervous. It was clear from Stewart’s statements on the matter, that he was not comfortable with the tight deadline attached to the issue.
The story begins with the vicious assault of an Old West family by a crew of pistol-packing cowboys. Once they’ve hanged the family’s patriarch, the band of thugs completes it’s task of stealing the bat-adorned, casket-like box seen in the previous issues (killing a young boy and kidnapping his sister in the process). It’s here that a duster-clad Bruce Wayne shows up to answer the recent widow’s pleas for an avenging angel.
The following pages feature a panoramic splash of Gotham from a distant past. Reading this, I had an image in my head of some DC editor holding a gun to Jeanty’s head and screaming, “FASTER! FASTER!” While Jeanty is able to capture the atmosphere of this era’s Gotham, that’s about it. The figures are nothing more than unidentifiable shapes. And beyond the immediate foreground, the store fronts are equally void of detail. It’s on this page that we see legendary bounty hunter, Jonah Hex for the first time. Looking more like a surprised rodent than a feared gunslinger, Hex’s appearance isn’t a memorable one. Next we meet an equally un-intimidating Vandal Savage. As the financier of the mission to retrieve the Bat-box, Savage bears little resemblance to the barbaric leader of the Cro-Magnon Blood Tribe.
Savage details the job for Hex (omitting the fact that a man identified as Dr. Thomas Wayne and an Indian fellow are in an adjacent room “encouraging” the kidnapped girl to open the locked box.) As the men discuss their nefarious plot, Batman shows up in town. Wearing his utility belt like a bandoleer, Bruce makes quick work of a small “greeting” party that clearly doesn’t take kindly to strangers. What follows is a few uninspired pages of decidedly regrettable action scenes where the villains get pounded before taking flight.
A horse-drawn wagon chase ensues, culminating in a terrific river-crash that narrowly misses a man revealed to be the story’s narrator. As villains often do, Savage turns on Thomas Wayne so as to keep the coveted little box for himself. But the immortal caveman is quickly dispatched with a knee to the face compliments of Bruce. It’s here that Jonah Hex arrives in time to shoot his bounty. Bruce falls over in a river and is gone. This is where I became slightly confused. While it’s not made clear, I’m pretty sure that the story’s narrator is Nathan Van Derm, architect of Wayne Manor. Clearly the Waynes and Van Derms have been closely linked throughout history, as it was Martin Van Derm that first sketched Mordecai Wayne back in issue 2 of this series. Here, Nathan speaks of his eventual marriage to the kidnapped girl who’s name is revealed to be Catherine. The narrator also recounts the yet-to-come birth of their “dark son” Kenneth. And tells of Dr Thomas Wayne who was rumored to be 150 years old. I’m assuming that this Dr Thomas Wayne is none other than the evil Dr Hurt who is fond of causing trouble for Batman in current-day Gotham.
It’s hard to lay the art issues solely on Georges Jeanty. Due to time limits, I wasn’t expecting much. What I wasn’t expecting, was Morrison’s failure to capture the intricacies of Old West dialogue. That shouldn’t be too surprising considering Morrison was born and raised in Scotland. It’s hard to pinpoint, but all the characters here sound vastly different from the ongoing JONAH HEX series from DC COMICS written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray. I’m also left wondering what the point is of having Jonah Hex in this issue in the first place. This book doesn’t go out on a high note either. The final two teaser-pages which have been effective in previous issues at getting me excited about the subsequent book, fall flat here. But a little research reveals, master illustrator, Ryan Sook will assume the duties of penciler in the penultimate issue. Bruce Wayne will be hitting the streets of Gotham in a hard-boiled detective story. Hopefully we’ll learn more of the importance of Thomas Wayne, Kenneth Van Derm and the contents of the mysterious little Bat-box. But with Morrison reuniting with Sook, consider my expectations raised.
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #4:
Reviewed by Hayestronaut
After reading Detective Comics #867, my head was left unsettled and unbalanced. It was hard for me to tell if this was a good issue or not. On the one hand, you have a pretty good beginning, the ambiguity and anticipation really rings true, while on the other hand, after those first few pages, the story becomes bland and uninspired, only serving the fact that this issue only has a certain number of pages and the promise of said pages is completely forgotten as it force feeds us some sort of storyline. But, the book fails in it’s origin, the fact that David Hine isn’t at the top of his game and the fact that there was some sort inner turmoil within the DC office, is and was, the downfall of this book. But this makes me sad in a way. To see such a great title being dragged down by mediocre runs and inconsistency only damages the books reputation as well as the reputation of the Batman character with issue #867 being the prime example of this. Even though this issue has it’s shiny gems of real content, like Dick’s research into the “Joker Juice” or the beginning, it isn’t enough to redeem this issue, if it ever had a chance. But, in the end the story is told way to fast with a generically written cast of characters, horrible and unoriginal dialogue, and poor delivery.
This issue starts off with a man, while getting ready for work, receives a text message that says to meet at Blue Skies Mall at 1pm. The man kisses his wife goodbye, goes to work, and leaves work to get to the Mall in time. The man, now at the mall puts on a green wig, cracks a vial, and inhales its contents which changes his appearance. Now looking like the Joker the man reeks havoc upon the mall along with a whole gang of Joker look alikes. The police are called and arrive promptly on the scene. Using non-lethal force they make their way into the mall. Meanwhile Oracle pages Batman saying that there is a disturbance at the Mall and that he should have a look. Batman shrugs this off saying that he has better things to do and to call him when things get really serious. Back at the Mall one of the main Jokers get’s bored and produces a gun, shooting one of the cops who had responded to the emergency. The cop pulls out his gun and shoots the man that we first met in the beginning, killing him. Cutting to the morgue Batman and Gordon realize that the smile on the deceased man has faded, and that the real Joker likes to leave his victims laughing so it couldn’t have been The Joker who organized these attacks. At the bat cave, using a blood sample he took, Batman is able to discover that the Joker Juice is missing the Hydrogen Cyanide (the most lethal element of authentic Joker venom) although Strychnodide is present which produces the trademark smile, the Strychnodide combined with methamphetamine, MDMA, and nitrous oxide could increase energy levels while causing uncontrolled hilarity and muscular spasms. Gordon shows Batman a fake Joker who seems like he is the ring leader behind these Joker gangs, and while most fake Joker’s get their Juice from the internet this guy is sampling his own product. We are then taken into the past where the real Joker is chasing a young man on a rooftop, Batman intervenes and beats The Joker, but at the last minute The Joker releases his venom much to the young man’s expense, the young man who is apparently The Joker’s 13th victim that night, dies and get’s thrown into the back of a van with the other 12 victims. But he isn’t dead and we come to the realization that he is the man who organized the attacks. Back in the present day, the impostor Jokers, along with their leader, stage a mass demonstration in memory of the man who died in the beginning. To extinguish the demonstration the G.C.P.D are called in, while Gordon replaces everyone’s live rounds with rubber ones. As Batman and The Question look on, the demonstration turns violent, three cops are killed and the gang leader is nowhere to be found. Back at the bat cave Oracle shows Batman a Batman imposter who says that too many good people have died because of the imposter Jokers. That its time now for the citizen’s of Gotham to take up arms and reclaim the streets.
Truth be told, given the time, David Hine could have done great things with this issue, because of the fact that the elements of the story are there, but the problem is that it was planned out haphazardly and executed very poorly. Even with the time constraint couldn’t Hine possibly given us a better written story? He had a great thing going but something went wrong between the initial conception and the day it hit the shelves. Sure the drama at DC did contribute to the failure and yes, Hine was rushed, these are provable facts that are pretty obvious. But that doesn’t mask the fact that this issue was just horribly written. Hine’s lack of creativity and originality becomes very apparent as he falls and stumbles his way through page after page of banality. The characters within the pages are monotone with no real emotion or value and everything that was achieved with Dick as Batman is completely forgotten here. At times it was hard to form a distinction between Dick and Bruce, while the actions and dialogue of the other characters are entirely forgettable. It’s hard to feel like this story means anything to anyone. The lack of content is displayed on a massive scale, we forget all that has happened to the characters and all that will happen to them which only raises a lot of frustrating questions like: Is this story really pushing the Batman character forward in one direction or another? Or is this simply filler put on display to achieve something that it not fully realized? Not pushing the Batman character forward and force feeding us crap causes the content to lose all of it’s credibility, where it’s initial greatness is forgotten and causes the aforementioned content to revel in it stupor.
The art in this issue cannot be fully explained honestly if I were to praise it. The art is just plain horrible. With it’s cartoon look and overdone colors, it is what I imagine the inside of a septic tank would look like. The colors are just a sludge of nothingness, with no signs of boldness or cleanliness to be found. Scott McDaniel’s pencils lack a seriousness and edge to it, and like the writing it is the most bland and tasteless pencils I have seen in quite sometime.
Overall this isn’t a very good issue, it’s failure to deliver distinctiveness, originality, and creativity are only a couple of the many major drawbacks. It was too rushed, and offers no real content or push and rests in its own muck and bad taste. This issue was just horrible with very little in the way of redeeming qualities, as Hine has completely lost control of his talent causing us, the reader, to only hope that he will get his head together and give us a great book with the next issue.
Detective Comics #867:
Reviewed by Dane
Batman: Under the Red Hood is the next film in the series of DC animated films released by Warner Bros. It marks the first time Batman has a solo film that isn't related to another film project. I don't think fans will be disappointed by this film at all. I was pleasantly surprised by the film as I immediately try not to have high expectations for them.
When Batman: Under the Red Hood was first announced, I had to instantly go back and read the Batman: Under the Hood storyline. I wanted to see if making this a film was feasible. There are some obvious changes that were made to the film, but that is because it is a film. I understand that films can not be one hundred percent true to the original source material. The thing I was most interested in was whether or not they would mention Superboy Prime's punch into the wall of time. They did change that around, but I thought it worked out just fine. If they changed something like the Joker using a gun instead of a crowbar and then an explosion, I would have been upset.
The film does a nice job at mixing the past and present together to make sense. It helps a lot for fans of Batman who do not read the comics as well as first time viewers. This marks the first time Jason Todd has appeared in DC animation and they needed to make sure they did a good job at introducing the character to not only inform you of who he is, but also why he is important to the Batman Universe.
As far as the voice cast, another superb job. Casting of the various characters was perfect. Bruce Greenwood took a unique direction with his Batman voice that made you understand the pain that he has felt after loosing his partner. Although it worked for this film, I would hope that when Greenwood is voicing Batman in the upcoming Young Justice series, he has more than sadness to express. John DiMaggio as the Joker was a unique take that I just might have to say, could be the new definitive Joker voice. It is a mix of sadistic, crazy, and funny, and it works perfectly. Jensen Ackles as Red Hood did an amazing job as well by really making you understand where the character is coming from. The supporting cast of Wade Williams as the Black Mask and Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing also felt right.
As far as the special features go, I am reviewing the blu-ray version of the film which has more special features than the other versions released. The digital copy of the film is always a nice addition. One of the documentaries is about Jason Todd's death and the fans' involvement. It was good, but it was off-setting when I kept seeing images of Tim Drake and Dick Grayson shown when Todd was the only one being talked about. We also get a first look at Superman/Batman: Apocalypse. Based on the animation alone, this looks much more promising than Public Enemies. The DC Showcase was for Jonah Hex this time. I felt as if they chose Hex because of the release of the live-action film that didn't fare so well at the box office. It was good, but not memorable. The final documentary talked about the history of Dick Grayson as Robin. This was the best special feature ever released on these films.
Overall, I think Batman: Under the Red Hood was a fantastic film that did take some liberties in certain areas of the film, but it still worked and made the film entertaining. I would rate this at the top of the DC animated films as of right now. I can't help but to start to imagine, what they are going to do with Batman: Year One next year.
Batman: Under the Red Hood:
Reviewed by Dustin
When I first heard of this films creation I was a little concerned and baffled with their choice of storyline to adapt. I felt that this storyline had so much history to cover from Jason Todd’s demise in A Death in the Family as well as push on with the extensive Under The Hood storyline. To get that all done in a seventy minute movie I thought would be too much to achieve and when looking back over the previous films produced by the studio, there have been a few mistakes made. The biggest trap was that viewers with no knowledge of Jason Todd or his destiny would either get confused or not care about the character. However they have really outdone themselves with this film, which has easily surpassed my previous favorite which was Crisis on Two Earths.
I was pleased with how easy the story was to follow, even for newbie’s. It’s a complex narrative to guide an audience through but I felt that the memories and flashbacks were delivered smoothly throughout the movie enhancing the characters choices in the present. The story was engaging from the start with a great mix of emotion and action. I’m often bored of action that goes on too long without any emotional stakes for the characters battling it out, which can happen many times in superhero movies. Pointless action for the sake of a cool fighting move doesn’t do much for me, I need to be invested in the characters and care about what they are fighting for. This film reached those goals. It had excellent fighting sequences and I cared about the Red Hood and Batman’s confrontations.
This film is easily the darkest one made so far and is fitting for this character and genre. They are hopefully aware that a lot of their audience are mature viewers and want to see a little more violence than you see on TV. The fight scenes are brutal and even some of the character moments, especially towards the climax are mature and developed well.
The cast does an excellent job with DiMaggio in particular standing out for me. His Joker had an interesting blend of the eccentric Mark Hamill and the intense, calmer Heath Ledger. He was really menacing and we knew this was a very dangerous Joker especially from his first scene, where the character bluntly murders a young man. Bruce Greenwood’s batman seemed to have similarities to Kevin Conroy but lacked that cutting edge. He wasn’t outstanding but a fine portrayal. Ackles was another good performer with a challenging character to portray but Jason came across as a sympathetic character with strong motivations and someone I cared about. Even the peripheral characters were compelling such as Nightwing and Ra’s Al Ghul. Andrea Romano has done another fabulous job of voice directing. The characters all interacted well together and one scene towards the climax with Batman, Joker and Jason is a fantastic piece of mature storytelling with strong characters performed expertly.
I credit WB animation for taking a risk with this movie and even though I was doubtful at first I’m sure they are very happy with how it has turned out, I certainly am. The animation was excellent yet again and has raised the bar of what I expect from these caliber of films. The soundtrack was OK, not outstanding and I feel an opportunity was missed in that department.
In conclusion, early reactions are that the film has gone down very well amongst the fans and I’m certainly in that group. It’s an outstanding achievement with such a challenging story containing new, exciting voice over talent, a different story structure and a maturity I hope to see in future animated movies from the studio. With Batman: Year One now confirmed as an upcoming animated movie, with what I’m sure will be a ridiculous expectation, this film has served as proof that the team can work with a challenging story and deliver a worthy movie for the fans. If they thought Under The Hood was a tough one wait until they deal with the holy Batman: Year One. Good luck and thanks again to the team behind the animated movies for another entertaining Batman installment.
Batman: Under the Red Hood:
Reviewed by Nick