Smallville, the series many thought wouldn't last, has just been renewed for a tenth season. It's move to Friday nights has been a good ratings move for the CW network.
This year has had some memorable moments, including the highly anticipated "Absolute Justice" special which featured the Justice Society. The series has had many high profile DC characters appear throughout it's run. We've had Flash, Green Arrow, Aquaman, Cyborg, Zatanna, Black Canary and Martian Manhunter.
There is one very notable name missing from that list. Batman.
This isn't due to any reluctance of part of Smallville's creative team. Actually, they've reportedly ask Warner Brothers every year for permission to include Bruce Wayne. Every year they are denied. Why? It's called the Bat-Embargo.
The Bat-Embargo is a mandate from Warner Brothers not to include Batman or various Batman characters in other DC media for fear of diluting the franchise and confusing the public from Chris Nolan's film series. It started around the production of "Batman Begins", although Smallville had already been attempting to get Bruce Wayne for a while.
This problem affected the Justice League cartoon series. They had wanted to include Batgirl for an episode but were forced to substitute her for Huntress (ironically another Batman character). Tim Drake and Cassandra Cain did appear, but were reduced to nameless cameos.
The Bat-Embargo has gotten more relaxed as time has gone by, yet Smallville still hasn't been given the green light. We already have a Batman in the movies and one on the "Brave and the Bold" cartoon series. We even almost had a "young Dick Grayson" live action drama before that was thankfully vetoed. Would a guest shot in Smallville by Bruce Wayne really hurt?
Interestingly enough, Smallville was very close to becoming a "young Bruce Wayne" type series. You can see the full evolution of that project here, but needless to say it eventually evolved into "Batman Begins" and "Smallville". Season three also introduced a character name Adam Knight who many thought was Bruce Wayne in disguise. I recall being a viewer during those episodes and the speculation and guessing that even had me fooled. The creative team said Knight was never intended to be Bruce Wayne, but rumors persist that it was their original plan but things changed.
Green Arrow has taken on a role similar to Bruce Wayne within the show. He even had a Kryptonite ring last year. I sometimes wonder if this could have Bruce Wayne instead of Oliver Queen had plans been different. It's a mixed blessing though, as Smallville has done a lot to revitalize the character of Green Arrow to the general public.
Season ten will most likely be Smallville's last year. It's past time they had Bruce Wayne on. If he could do a musical number with Neil Patrick Harris on Cartoon Network, then he should spar with Tom Welling on Smallville.
Posted by Josh
Welcome once again, my bat brothers and sisters to Creator Spotlight. Zach here as usual, and this time I will be admiring the prolific and underrated career of the writer Alan Grant. So join me as we take a trip down memory lane and look back at the Scotsman’s career. Enjoy:
Alan Grant is a long time comic book writer, who surprisingly is often mentioned when talking about some of the “great” Batman writers of the last 25 years. Other than Batman, Grant has also worked on a number of other characters including; Judge Dredd, the Demon, Lobo, L.E.G.I.O.N, and many strips in the 2000AD line. Grant’s Batman work is often heralded by fans, but often forgotten by others. Grant’s key Batman works consists of storylines such as; The Last Arkham, Batman: Anarky, and Batman: The Scottish Connection. Additionally, Grant has often co-written several Batman main events; The Knightfall Saga, Batman: Contagion, Batman: Cataclysm, and Batman: Prodigal. Grant has also co-created several Batman villains, who appear in the comics today. These characters include; Victor Zsasz, the Ventriloquist (Arnold Wesker), Anarky, Jeremiah Arkham, Cornelius Stirk, the Ratcatcher, Legs, and the unforgettable Amygdala. Alan Grant is often linked with longtime friends, creators John Wagner and artist Norm Breyfogle.
Alan Grant broke into comics in 1967, when he was hired as an editor for the publisher, DC Thompson. Grant left DC Thompson in 1970 after moving and going back to college. It was here that Grant would meet writer, John Wagner. The two formed an instant friendship and began co-writing Tarzan, and later, Judge Dredd in the weekly magazine; 2000AD. The pair continued to write together for much of the 1980s. After much success in the European market, the two decided to try out American comics. They quickly found themselves working at DC Comics and began writing a 12-issue series titled, The Outcasts. The two gentlemen found themselves working on Detective Comics. This title also marked the beginning of Grant’s often collaborator, the vibrant artist, Norm Breyfogle. The trifecta began with issue #583, a story title; Fever. Issue #583 would also mark the first appearance of the Ventriloquist. Wagner would later leave the title, giving Grant the lead. Together, Grant and Breyfogle would take the Batman Universe by storm.
While on Detective Comics, Grant and Breyfogle would continue to electrify fans until #597, where Grant would leave the title for a short time. Breyfogle had already departed following issue #594. However, the pair would return shortly with issue #601. They would continue to work on the title until #621. Throughout their run on Detective Comics, many unforgettable storylines were written and penciled, including; The Mud Pack, Anarky, and Rite of Passage. Grant and Breyfogle would later return to the title, but not together. All together, Grant wrote 39 issues of Detective Comics. 
Following the success of Grant’s work on Detective Comics, Grant and Breyfogle would once again reunite to launch a new Batman title; Batman: Shadow of the Bat. It would be here within the pages of the first issue, that Grant would introduce one of the most mentally deranged characters into the Batman’s Rogues Gallery, Victor Zsasz. Along with Zsasz, Grant would also introduce Jeremiah Arkham in the four-part story arc titled; The Last Arkham. Grant would leave the title, but would frequently return to Shadow of the Bat. Grant would have a hand in writing the Batman: Cataclysm storyline that would also appear in the title. Shadow of the Bat would run for 96 issues and Grant wrote a total of 36 of them.
Unfortunately, Grant was never given the opportunity to work on the main Batman title, but he often appeared in other various Batman related comics. Grant also wrote a collection of various Batman one-shots that include; Batman/Phantom Stranger, Batman/Judge Dredd Files, Batman-Lobo, Batman/Daredevil: King of New York, and the Batman of Arkham, among others. I think it is safe to say that Alan Grant was the “Batman” writer of the 1990s. He made major contributions to the mythos and should be greatly acclaimed for his work. In my opinion, Grant seemed to be ahead of his time. The characters that he created seem to be more frequently used today then they were back then. He wrote grounded stories that were rooted in the realism of Batman.
Well bat-fans, I hope you enjoyed a watered down look at the enormous career of Alan Grant. Be sure to look out for the next Creator Spotlight, which will focus on Grant’s often partner in crime, Norm Breyfogle. Tune in next time, Same Bat-Time, Same Bat-Blog.
Posted by Zach
Batman in the JLA
In this, the second entry of my “Year of the Batmen” series, I am going to discuss the Dick Grayson Batman and the dynamic of his entry into the newly reconstituted Justice League of America.
For the longest time the JLA was led by the holy trinity of the DC pantheon, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. The Batman character, specifically embodied by Bruce Wayne, was often seen as the intellectual leader of the JLA and for the most part its chief tactician. The Wayne Batman was renowned for planning for every contingency, for being several steps ahead his foes and for never being caught off guard. This served him well in the JLA as that unit was often comprised by disparate heroes, some with much less experience than Wayne but often possessing much more physical power and or abilities.
Because Wayne often dealt with these heroes of different or greater qualities, who were used to pursuing causes of their own, he often clashed with them as they chafed under his authority. And because this Batman did not suffer fools well and was often harsh and impatient he often clashed with his team mates off times coming to physical blows. The most distinct rivalry often came from Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern, who was essentially an inter-galactic policeman and who quite often resented taking orders from Batman who basically was the guardian just of one city.
As most readers know now the Bruce Wayne Batman is no longer on the scene. He has been succeeded by his foremost protege, Dick Grayson. For years Dick toiled under the shadow of the Bat as Robin and is only now getting up to speed as Gotham’s premier crime fighter. In the JLA, as written by James Robinson, we see a different personality to the Batman. It’s something I call the “Winick Model” after Judd Winick, who took up the writing for the Batman series as Grayson became Batman. This particular take on Batman found the caped crusader to be more open and visible. No more lurking in the shadows or avoiding the spotlight. He even smiles.
Fortunately, Dick Grayson is no neophyte when it comes to the team concept. Something the original could not claim. As Nightwing he fought along side the Teen Titans some of which now comprise this new JLA. The Teen Titans however could be seen, unfairly or otherwise, as a second tier unit. What’s different now are the expectations of being the Batman and serving in the JLA which has historically been seen as Earth’s mightiest heroes and its foremost protectors. So how does Robinson integrate this new Batman into this new progression? By having Grayson coordinate his first major action with the team.
In JLA #42 the team is confronted with a rogue Atlas and it takes all the group members to bring him down. Each heroic character is allowed an internal dialog that speaks to the reader on how they feel it is to be part of the team. Grayson comes off as a bit callow. He seems surprised to be even included. He says, “My league, me as Batman” as if he can’t quite comprehend that he is there. Something the Wayne Batman would not think even to himself. As the battle rages Dick also has to deal with the fact that two of his team mates have had an intimate relationship with him. Something the Wayne Batman would certainly sneer at. Grayson calls out instructions to Donna Troy and Starfire and they execute his plan perfectly and when the coup de grace has to be applied, it is Dick who orders Green Lantern into play. Jordan thinks it is “weird” taking orders from Dick as does Grayson giving orders to the Green Lantern.
So that part of the dynamic stays true. Batman calls the shots while the others follow, trusting that Batman will know what is best for the team and the consummation of the outcome to be without flaw. The major difference is the hint of doubt we see from each principle even though it does not affect their performance. At least for now.
Additionally, let’s study how this particular Batman is drawn for this story. Mark Bagley does the pencils. Inks by Hunter, Rapmund, and Glapion with colors by Pete Pantazis. This new JLA Batman is not very threatening. He wears the blue and gray costume as opposed to the more Gothic black and gray as drawn by Tony Daniel. Therefore this Batman is depicted to less of a loner and more of a team player. Even the cowl as drawn by Bagley has a less threatening look to it as the ears are minimized and therefore less frightening. This Batman will not threaten the team dynamic with arrogance or force of will and is drawn to reflect that.
As constituted now the new JLA Batman is a bit green behind those nominal ears. Unsure, untested in his new team dynamic. Will he be allowed to grow in this new structure? Will doubt set in if his next plan goes awry? The original Batman led without question. Will the Grayson version be allowed the same luxury? And what of the return of Bruce Wayne? As Dick becomes more comfortable in this role will he want to let it go? There are many questions to be answered as the Dick Grayson Batman not only fills out the most iconic of roles but also steps into the rarefied air of the holiest of trinities of the DC pantheon.
Next up for the Year of the Batmen, a sneak peek into the art of the Batmen as drawn by Daniel, Gary Frank, Rags Morales and Frank Quitely amongst others.
Posted by Dark Knight Dave
The DC DTV animated movie series has had its fair share of ups and downs. It has put out awesome movies, like Green Lantern, or Wonder Woman, and it has put out very bad movies, like Superman Batman: Public Enemies. So where does JL: CTE, the latest film in this series, sit? Well, it’s at the top. This movie was fantastic!
Before I actually review it though, I want to go into the history of the film. It originally was supposed to be Justice League: Worlds Collide, and was going to be part of the DCAU. The film was intended to be released between Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. It would have served as a bridge between the two series. However, the film never got made, and Justice League Unlimited began, albeit, bridge-less. Now, many years later, the film has finally been released, but rewritten as Crisis on Two Earths. Even though The Film has been rewritten, not much has changed. We get to see the League building the new Watchtower, how the expanded roster came about, and even how Wonder Woman got her Invisible Jet. The only actual difference is that Green Lantern is Hal Jordan, not John Stewart. Other than that, CTE fits nicely into the DCAU, and perfectly fills the gap between JL and JLU.
The story is simple enough, a good version of Lex Luthor, from an alternate earth, comes to the Justice Leagues world, asking the league to help him defeat the Crime Syndicate of America, super powered criminals who have the country’s crime under their thumbs. The League goes to Luthor’s earth to take down the Syndicate, but soon discover a more sinister plot to destroy all of reality. The story is not to complex, but excellent nonetheless. Though the movie is made primarily of action sequences (awesome action sequences), it has some nice character development, especially a subplot involving John Jonzz. Dwayne McDuffie delivers one his best scripts with this movie.
The animation is absolutely top notch. The fight sequences are brutal, and exciting, and just look great all-around. The character designs are very good too. They seem to take some inspiration from Frank Quitley’s artwork on the JLA Earth 2 graphic novel written by Grant Morrison. I particularly liked Batman’s fight with Owlman at the end of the movie. It was one of the coolest animated fight scenes I have seen in a while. I won’t talk about it though; you just have to see it.
One of the things that makes the movie so good is the flawless voice cast. Everyone involved is great, there is no weakness in the cast (can we expect less from Andrea Romano though?) In the Justice league we have Mark Harmon as Superman, William Baldwin as Batman, Josh Keaton as Flash (he was awesome, and had the perfect voice for The Flash), Vanessa Marshall as Wonder Woman, Jonathan Adams as Martian Manhunter, and Nolan North as Green Lantern. From the Crime Syndicate we have James Woods as Owlman, Gina Torres as Superwoman, Brian Bloom as Ultraman, and James Patrick Stuart as Johnny Quick. Also from the Crime Syndicate world is Chris Noth as Lex Luthor. Focusing on Batman for a minute; William Baldwin was great! At first I was a little jarred by his voice, it’s definitely different from Kevin Conroy’s DCAU portrayal. However, as the film progressed, I liked his performance more and more. He is actually really good, and I would like him to return to the role. His last line to Owlman is awesome! Speaking of Owlman, James Woods’ performance is one of the highlights of the film. He was the perfect actor for the role, and it shows! His performance alone makes the movie worth watching!
Also, one more thing I loved; the music. The film is scored by James L. Venable, and though he is new to me, I hope I hear more of him soon. His score was very good, and had a big budget cinematic feel.
So all in all, I can’t say enough good things about his movie. It’s certainly the best of the DC DTVs, and I highly recommend that you see it.
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths:
Reviewed by TheCapedCrusader
Once again, the DC Comics solicits have lead us astray. No you say? Unfortunately, yes. While we all could have expected the latest issue of Streets of Gotham to be the second part of Mike Benson’s two part arc, the solicits said otherwise. The previews stated that Paul Dini would be returning to the title, however, he didn’t. None the less, Benson pens the conclusion to the “Hardcore Nights” storyline.
Some fans may be disappointed with issue number nine, but not me. Benson doesn’t present the reader with a major villain and the Commissioner Gordon plays a major role. Basically, issue nine is just a downright good Batman crime story. However, while I thoroughly enjoyed this issue, Dick Grayson’s characterization is completely out of whack. First off, I get the strange feeling that Benson initially wrote this with Bruce Wayne as Batman; the dialogue that Dick speaks is very “Bruce like”. Dick displayed a very dark and less optimistic personality, qualities that fit the Bruce Wayne personality. The only other problem I had with issue nine is that the antagonist is revealed rather sudden and everything just comes to a end to quickly and conveniently. This is just my opinion, why don’t you decide after reading the issue summary:
The issue opens where issue eight left off; Dick and the escort are in the penthouse when the armed man busts through the door. Benson pulls a classic trick; issue eight led us to believe that the armed man was the jealous boyfriend. However, Dick soon learns that this is not the boyfriend, but someone completely random. The hunter smacks the escort and demands Dick’s wallet. Throughout this sequence, Dick is studying the man’s movements. The hunter keeps a gun pointed on Dick the entire time when the escort makes a remark distracting him. This gives Dick just enough time to land a knee right to the man’s face. The hunter becomes completely disoriented and eventually becomes unconscious. The escort quickly exits the room and makes her way out of the building. As she is running, the doorman, Anthony asks her if everything is ok. Remember Anthony because he plays a much larger role, later in the issue. Anyway, at police headquarters, the hunter, whose name is Sal, is being questioned by Commissioner Gordon and Batman. Sal is hesitant to talk at first, but soon Batman “persuades” him into singing. Batman and Gordon then bring in the escort, Sophia. We learn that Sophia and Sal have been blackmailing the same men who have been found murdered. Sophia would take them back to the room and then Sal would barge in and scare them. They accuse her of killing the men but she pleads her innocence. Gordon demands a name from her, and she gives the name of her ex-boyfriend, Roland Davis. Batman knows she is innocent and tells Gordon to let her go. Reluctantly, Gordon agrees, but there is a twist. Sophia is dropped off back at the penthouse and then heads back to work. She runs into him in the club and is shaken up by this. She heads home and upon entering in the elevator, Roland enters and begs her to take him back. Anthony then enters and takes control of the situation. Roland learns of the set up and seems to feel differently about Sophia now. Gordon enters the elevator and arrests Roland. In the interrogation room, Roland receives some tough love from Gordon and Batman, but maintains his innocence. Gordon and Batman know they can’t hold Roland for long and decide to take another crack at a set up, with a twist. Back at the night club, we see Sophia sitting with another man, who remains hidden. They leave the club and then head for the penthouse. Two hours later, the man exits the penthouse alone. He begins walking down the sidewalk when we see a large figure approach him. The man turns down an alley and sees the dead body of Roland Davis. The man is shocked by this and we learn that it is none other then Gordon. Gordon then is confronted by Anthony with a knife in hand. Anthony attacks Gordon but Batman is there to moderate the situation. Anthony turns out to be the killer, SHOCKER! Gordon informs Sophia that it is over. Gordon takes Sophia to the bus station, buys her a bus ticket, and tells her to leave and begin a new life. And that’s where the issue ends.
The Manhunter co-feature opens with Manhunter beating the snot out of a low level thug looking for answers she knows he doesn’t have. The issue then cuts to the court room, twelve hours earlier. Dent asks for a bench trial because of his horrid facial features. This leads to Kate asking the judge the relieve himself of the case. This upsets the judge and grants Harvey his request. Court is adjourned and rescheduled for Thursday. Back in Los Angeles, Kate’s son, Ramsey, has decided to head to Gotham to help his mother and is riding in the boxcar on a train. We then cut back to when Manhunter is beating up the thug when she is confronted by Huntress. Huntress offers Manhunter her help in finding something to bring Dent down. We cut to Thursday, back in the courtroom. In the courtroom, Harvey is outwitting Kate and then Commissioner Gordon is called onto the witness stand. Dent asks Gordon why he would have kept him alive if Gordon knew that Dent killed the district attorney. This upsets Gordon, and Kate knows she is in for a roller coaster ride. To be continued…
This past story arc impressed me. I think Mike Benson is a writer with a strong future in comics. He seems to have that gritty style that I so often enjoy. However, how obvious is it that Anthony is the killer? Once he is introduced, the reader automatically knows that he has a major role. None the less, I could dismiss this simple storytelling method. What I could not dismiss, was the poor characterization of Dick Grayson. It wasn’t that Batman was portrayed poorly; it was that this was written to be the Bruce Wayne Batman. This becomes very apparent in the interrogation scenes; Batman is threatening and isn’t planning on taking any prisoners. Dick isn’t Bruce, which is something that, I guess Benson doesn’t understand. However, issues eight and nine are exactly what I want from Streets of Gotham. Good stories that don’t always have to contain a large number of characters. I thought it was great to see Gordon take such a larger role in a story, it seems that recently; Gordon has taken a back seat in the other titles. It’s always good to see a writer stress the importance of Gordon’s character. Bravo, Mike Benson!
Of course, Dustin Nguyen remains to be impeccable and always impressive. I will say that Nguyen surprised me with his ability to pencil such a grim and gritty story so effectively. Derek Fridolfs is consistent as always. Fridolfs seems to be lost in the shuffle sometimes and I think he is just as important to this title as Dustin Nguyen is. But the art is great as always and leaves me with no complaints.
The Manhunter co-feature I found to be a little disappointing. This story felt like filler and not much progressed in the storyline. When you have so few pages to tell a story, Andreyko needs to keep the ball rolling. Needless to say, I am still interested to see where this is all going and I expect a better performance from Andreyko in the upcoming issue. Jeremy Haun is much like Dustin Nguyen, perfect. He art works so well with the Manhunter character and he maintains his consistency.
Overall, I found Streets of Gotham number nine to be an enjoyable read from front to back. While the issue felt a little rushed, I must say I am not missing Paul Dini and hope Mike Benson is giving some more batman-related work in the near future. The book’s art remains candy for the eye and is about the most consistent of any of the bat-books. In the end, if you enjoyed issue eight, you will not be disappointed with issue nine.
Batman: Streets of Gotham #9:
Reviewed by Zfactor
We received a copy of the DVD version of Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths a little while ago and it releases today in stores. Should you head to the store and buy this right now? Well, I am going to let you know.
At first glance, this film seems like another quick story to expand the animated DC Universe, yet something feels strangely familiar. We have the Justice League battling villains in order to save the world. Does that remind you of something? Perhaps, Justice League Unlimited. Well, when this film was announced, that is exactly what I thought it was. In the podcast that you will hear on Friday, I referred to the announcement seeming as if it was another Superman/Batman mishap. Everything seemed to line up as what we saw before. The story originated from Dwayne McDuffie, who wrote many episodes of Justice League Unlimited. All of the characters that were in the film we had seen in the show. So why would you think that this was any different than the many multi-part stories we saw in episodic form for the show? Well, let me tell you why.
The basic plot of the film is that the Justice League of our earth battles the Crime Syndicate from a parallel earth. In this parallel earth, things are different. Despite the Syndicate being an obvious group of villains, they are treated with a level of respect. The heroes on this "Earth" are led by Lex Luthor. Their "Justice League" has been taken out one by one by the Crime Syndicate. We even see The Jester (a parallel version of The Joker) give his life to try and stop the Crime Syndicate. Lex Luthor travels to our universe to enlist the help of the Justice League to help him take down the Syndicate. The Justice League travels to the alternate earth to take them out. Batman stays behind, as he believes that there are enough problems in their universe. Owlman (the parallel version of Batman) is pretty much the main villain. He has created a bomb that will take out not only the the earth of his universe, but destroy Earth Prime, hence eliminating all "Earths." Batman of course comes and faces Owlman head on leading to climatic ending.
Overall, this film was a surprise to me. As I said, because it was first announced as a series of episodes that McDuffie wrote for Justice League Unlimited, I was concerned that it would have a feel of episodes put together as a film. But, it did not have that feel at all. The pace was very quick. It did not feel at any point that there was meant to be a break between acts. It had a more mature feel with the obvious violence. It wasn't overdone. We got more than we would have if this had ever aired on Cartoon Network. I applaud McDuffie for this. He took what was supposed to be a cartoon and made it a film.
On the Batman front, William Baldwin did a decent job at voicing Batman. It isn't the best job, but it fit with the feel of the film. Batman did take a back seat to the first half of the film. Although we see that while he wasn't around, he had a recruitment drive to have more heroes join the league. That kind of seemed out of place. Then again we have seen stranger things in the DC animated films. Batman not only saves the day in the end, but also proves to be smarter than most of the Justice League within the final scene with the Crime Syndicate.
For the special features, there were some interesting ones. The main feature was a piece about the various "crisises" that have happened in the DC Universe. They did a very good job getting many of the main creators that were involved in everything from Identity Crisis to Final Crisis. There was also a preview of the next DCAU film, which we know will be Batman: Under the Red Hood. There wasn't any footage from the film, but we did see the voice cast as well as some storyboards.
Also in this release, was the first DC Showcase film. It featured The Spectre. A good story that laid out his origin and told an interesting story in a very short amount of time. This was maybe even better than the main film. I look forward to more of these.
Overall, the film was good. I would not place it in the top three of DCAU films, but it was definitely better than I expected. One thing that many do not know is that the film will be released at Best Buy with an exclusive Owlman figure. This will be in limited quantities and only be with the Blu-ray and 2-disc DVD version. So you may want to get that right away and not wait until the end of the week to pick it up. I think if you are questioning it, rent it on iTunes or at your local video store. You will see that the film is worth adding to your collection of DC films.
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths:
Reviewed by Dustin
Tony Daniel’s current arc on Batman has been solid, to say the least. As the story is beginning to wrap up, we are getting ever closer to finding out the identity of the Black Mask.
Last time we saw Batman, he had fallen into a trap set by the Penguin and the Mad Hatter at an abandoned amusement park. This issue basically picks up the story an unspecified time later. Batman is washed up on the shore in Gotham Harbor, and is found by Damian. Dick is seen to be beaten up pretty badly when he is discovered, and is wearing a broken mask that the Black Mask has been giving to the “false faces.”
Now throughout the book, Batman continuously goes in and out of consciousness. At the same time, the story is going back and forth between the present time, and flashbacks of the previous nine hours that are running through Dick’s mind. Going back nine hours, we see that Batman is under the control of the Penguin, following his orders by way of the altered gas mask. Damian has already figured this out, but just hasn’t figured out whose orders Dick had been following. We see that the Penguin had sent Batman to break into the Mayor’s office where he takes two tubes of the antidote to Black Mask’s mind control toxin. As Batman is beginning to gain consciousness again in the present, he blacks out once more and the story goes to Catwoman and Kitrina Falcone who are going after Black Mask as well. Catwoman saves Kitrina from the third member of their group who was about to kill Kitrina. Batman shows up, still under Penguin’s control and takes them down, but goes with Kitrina to Devil’s Square, which has attracted both the National Guard and the Marines due to the Black Mask and his followers.
While going through all of the flashbacks in his mind, Dick is slowly beginning to remember what happened. We see that he had confronted Black Mask and his inner circle of Fright and Dr. Hugo Strange. They fight and Batman had gained the advantage until Black Mask pulled a gun, and shot Batman in the chest, who proceeded to fall out a window, off a cliff, and into the ocean below. And that is where he reaches the point at the beginning of the book. It ends with a now fully aware Batman telling Babs that he thinks he may know who Black Mask really is.
I enjoyed this book, despite its non-linear timeline. I think Tony Daniel did a good job pulling it off, though I will acknowledge that I am not a huge fan of this style. The reason he was able to keep the story from being too confusing or choppy was the fact that the main focus was in the flashbacks, with no action in the present. That’s the trap that many writers fall into, but Daniel avoided. The actual story started off great, with Damian doing all the talking. That first scene gives the reader a reminder that even though he may think of himself as an adult, Damian is still just a kid. I got a small chuckle out of the first line when he saw Dick lying on the beach and yelled out, “Epic Fail!”
The one issue I had with this book was the absence of Dick’s thought process during the fight scenes. This was obviously because he was being manipulated, but maybe it would have been a little cooler if we saw conflicting views between the Penguin and Dick’s thoughts. Either way, Daniel’s doing a good job, and his art has been excellent as well. It’s nice to get a break from the seemingly never ending Blackest Night with a good Batman story (I’m sure I’ll get some flak from that).
Batman #696:
Reviewed by RiddleMeThis
Superman/Batman 69 starts off where the last issue took place, with Superman staring down NRG-X who actually is that Bronze Age villain, Grant Haskill, (this is shown in a flashback as a shadowy man, Anderson Gaines, is asking for the hit on Clark Kent) I mentioned in the last review. They fight, have some exposition dialogue and Superman is left wondering who would want him killed.
Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne while at a function gets to meet Gaines, afterward. After Gaines unwittingly gives Bruce a DNA sample, contacts Clark and the two convene at the JLA Watchtower.
While Gaines is going back to his penthouse apartment we learn why we’ve never heard of this character before. Gaines is in fact one of the shape shifting alien terrorists from the Kryptonian ship that Superman and Batman found in issue 64. Currently the ship is still on the dark side of the Moon and is shown on the last page of the issue. Gaines also reveals his Durlan form and it does look interesting. It’s a nice grouping of all these green tentacles coming out. We then end with Batman telling Superman that instead of taking on Gaines head on, that they’ll have to do it guerrilla warfare style.
Well, it’s moving the story well, which is a good thing of course. But at the same time the story is still leaving me wondering what is the need for it to be set after “Our Worlds At War.”
It does seem that Joe Casey had this idea, the editors were saying “Yeah okay, but just so you know, when the Blackest Night crossover is over, the book is getting an overhaul. So can you do your thing around it?” So it’s like we are getting two stories; this Durlan vs Krypton story that Casey started back in issue #64 and the aftermath of Our Worlds At War, which is getting the “shoehorned in because I have to drop references” treatment. At some point I’d like to know if there is a reason that the time of this story had to be where it is, and not say after “Legends” or “Invasion.” Actually Invasion would have been a more intriguing setting as that would have been just before Superman literally went into his self-imposed “Exile” (that was the name of the storyline). Whatever results from this story could have added to the reasons Superman just left Earth for a time.
But the story Casey is telling is still an intriguing one, and I am interested in seeing where this is going. I’m going to drop the rating a bit though, because it still has a run-of-the mill feel to it, as opposed to an epic feel that an aftermath tale should be.
Superman/Batman #69:
Reviewed by SteveJRogers
Reviewing this title each month is becoming increasingly difficult – I'm finding there are only so many ways to say 'good story', 'great dialogue', 'fun characters', 'superb art', 'striking covers' … but I'm enjoying the challenge nonetheless as Batgirl continues to be my most looked-forward-to book each month.
This issue, the third and final part of the Batgirl Rising: Core Requirements story-arc, picks-up just where the last issue left-off: Batman is in trouble, Batgirl and Robin are rushing to his aid before his hunters – Roxy Rocket, Riot, and Doctor Phosphorus, each fuelled by a mix of infamy and Roulette's wealth – can kill him.
As Stephanie and Damian race across the roof-tops of Gotham City the bickering – such an enjoyable feature of recent issues – continues: 'What the hell is wrong with you?' asks Stephanie as Damian charges ahead refusing, as he sees it, to be hampered by his companion – 'And you swing like a girl' he counters before disappearing, quite literally, in a puff of smoke to pick up his motorbike.
At the Batcave Barbara Gordon is monitoring the web-feed of Roulette's performance as she tries to locate the source of the broadcast. Aware that Dick is injured and that he needs BOTH Stephanie and Damian if he is going to survive she directs Steph to her private garage, where she's been saving something for a 'special occasion' – and Batman's plight certainly qualifies as just such a special occasion.
As we see Damian, now on his bike, weaving in and out of the Gotham traffic we catch sight of Stephanie advancing rapidly in her own vehicle that's not quite a car, not quite a motorbike … as we find out later on in the story!
Meanwhile, back in Devil's Square, Batman – weak but not yet beaten – is barely one-step ahead of Phosphorus with Roxy Rocket not far behind. Stephanie and Damian, join forces and work together as Dick, now close to being overwhelmed, sees that help from his young companions is just moments away. Wrestling himself free from his assailant Dick jumps to safety as Damian leaps from his bike … moments before it impacts on Phosphorus.
With Phosphorus temporarily out of the picture Roxy Rocket sees her opportunity and swoops low for an attack – as she does Stephanie positions herself beneath Roxy's rocket, hits her vehicle's 'eject' button and fires herself skyward towards Roxy, where the two women fight for control of the aircraft.
With Riot – several Riots in fact – now beating on Dick, Damian positions Phosphorus for a very painful meeting with Roxy. Two down, one to go. As Stephanie leads Dick to safety the young boy – 'little Lord Fauntleroy' – confidently confronts around a dozen Riots … and it soon becomes obvious that he's out of depth: Batgirl to the rescue!
Much later, having put an end to Roulette's plans, Dick, Damian, and Stephanie join Barbara back at the Batcave. As the two youngsters eat, and recommence their bickering that had been largely abandoned while they worked as a team, Barbara and Dick take time-out to talk about where they've come from, where they are, and where they are going – and, perhaps more importantly, why they are going there.
When discussing 'creativity' I'm always quick to acknowledge there's no such thing as good or bad, rather something that is to my personal tastes or otherwise. The Batgirl title very much falls into the former category.
Throughout the series so far the stories themselves have been largely uncomplicated and beautifully told through strong narration and some great dialogue – and this issue continues that tradition. As regular readers will know I'm enjoying the lighthearted bickering between Stephanie and Damian but it wouldn't take much for this fun relationship to cross the line into silly: it's credit to Brian Q. Miller's writing that I'm confident that particular pitfall will be avoided.
I've long-since been a fan of Lee Garbett's art and feel his work gets better with each passing issue – as I've said before, this clean, sharp, confident style of artwork is VERY much to my personal taste and therefore credit also goes to Trevor Scott and Guy Major for their inks and colours.
As the concluding issue of a story-arc featuring no less than four villains, it would have been easy for this issue to have turned into nothing more than a 22-page 'chase-and-fight.' Needless to say, it didn't, as moments of high drama were interspersed with moments of quiet reflection, none more so than the scene, late in the issue, with Barbara and Dick in the Batcave. I was genuinely touched as the two discussed their past – and their futures – and I have a feeling that in time we'll look back to these five panels as something of a turning-point for the two characters.
While I'm not saying the Batgirl title is perfect, I can't, in all honesty, identify any flaws and I'm not sure what else I'm looking for to consider it perfect – it makes me smile, at times it makes me feel a little sad, it makes me think. It makes me want to read and then re-read the issue and makes me look forward to the next.
Batgirl #7:
Reviewed by Zaius
The roller coaster ride continues! DC wasted no time in releasing the second part of Morrison and Stewart’s story arc. After an excellent, yet confusing issue in number seven, we receive the answer to the question; who is the resurrected Batman? In a fast-paced and wonderfully scripted issue, Morrison continues to provide us with the freshest approach to Batman that we haven’t seen for years. And I haven’t even mentioned Cameron Stewart yet!
Let me start off by saying that any doubts that you may have had after issue seven; forget about them. Morrison approaches issue eight with a much more cinematic style of story telling. He also clears up the mysteries behind all of these Batman corpses. He does a fantastic job of pacing and structuring the issue, a slight problem with issue seven. He incorporates flashbacks and references to R.I.P and Final Crisis, and they make perfect sense. However, to fully understand what is going on, if you haven’t read any of the titles previously mentioned, you might want to go check those out. The issue reads quickly and forces the reader to keep up, but these qualities provide the reader with a very exceptional reading experience.
The issue begins with Batwoman explaining her predicament and how she exactly ended up in a coffin, like she was in issue seven. As she is explaining, alongside Batman, Squire, and Cyril the Knight, they all wait for the rising of the Batman from the Lazarus Pit. Of course, when this Batman comes face to face with the group of heroes, he is rather uncontrollable to say the least. He quickly begins to attack the group and we then learn who this Batman truly is. Tying back into R.I.P and Final Crisis, we learn that this is the one remaining clone of Bruce Wayne. Returning to present time, the crew is having quite a bit of difficulty bringing the clone of Wayne down. Outside of the mine, King Coal’s men escape and return to King Coal himself. They tell him of the masks inside and he then proceeds to detonate a bomb. The roof of the mine explodes, separating Dick from Cyril and Squire and the clone. However, Dick manages to find Batwoman beneath all the rubble. The clone finds the exit and begins to leave. We then see Alfred accessing the sealed vault that Dick removed the body from, and he learns of Dick’s horrible mistake. The clone commandeers the bat-plane and heads for the plane back to Gotham City. Back in Gotham, Alfred meets an injured, but heeled Damian at the top of Wayne Tower. In the mine, Dick comforts Kate but she then explains she has to die, and does. The plane arrives back home, and the clone makes quick work of a curious Alfred. While Damien is researching Dick’s recent actions, he is confronted by the cloned Batman and believes him to be his father. To be continued…
Like I said, this issue reads fast! But Morrison does a great job of knitting it so tightly together. I also thought the issues cliffhanger leaves the reader with some interesting predictions. Morrison continues his fun and action-packed ride that I just cannot get enough of.
While Morrison remains on top of his game, Cameron Stewart is the true hero in this issue. Stewart’s artwork is much more refined and his style and lines remain very strong. In some very difficult panels, he makes a clear distinction between Dick and the cloned Batman during their fighting scenes. Readers should no longer question the reasoning for his presences on this title. Truly genius!
Overall, I found this issue to be an absolute blast. It left me wanting more and I will have a difficult time waiting for the next issue. Luckily, the break is only two weeks. Morrison and Stewart make their collaboration a very memorable one with issue eight. Morrison does a fantastic job of tying all of his previous work together, to form a rather logical story. Morrison’s stamp on the character continues to get larger and larger…
Batman and Robin #8:
Reviewed by Zfactor
Welcome back bat-believers to “Creator Spotlight”. Zach here again, and this time I will be tackling a further look into the career of a true architect of comics, the unforgettable artist, Jim Aparo.
Jim Aparo is one of those artists that will never be forgotten. He was truly a master at his craft. There is no debate over the man’s talent, but his influence on the character of Batman is absolutely astounding.
Jim Aparo began his career around 1966 at Charlton Comics. While at Charlton Comics, Aparo was distinctly remembered for being extremely versatile and working in many different genres. Aparo was also recognized to be one of the few artists who would pencil, ink, and letter all of his own work. After several years at Charlton, former editor of Charlton Comics, Dick Giordano offered Aparo a job and DC Comics. Aparo’s early DC work included such titles as Aquaman and Phantom Stranger. A few years later, Aparo was handed the gig to do the artwork on The Brave and the Bold, in which he began at issue one-hundred. Aparo worked consistently on the title until issue two-hundred, which was the final issue of the series due to cancellation. While working on The Brave and the Bold, Aparo also worked on several other DC titles including a brief time on Detective Comics. However, Aparo’s unforgettable Batman work was yet to come.
Following the cancellation of The Brave and the Bold series in 1983, Aparo and writer Mike W. Barr (future creator spotlight) co-creator what would be called the series, Batman and the Outsiders. Many of the Outsiders that we see in today’s comics, originated from this series. The series initially ran 47 issues from 1983 to 1987. However, Batman left the title after issue 32 and the name was changed to Adventures of the Outsiders. Of course, the Outsiders would later return to comics and receive their own title. During Aparo’s run on the book, Batman played a significant role. Batman even revealed his true identity to the Outsiders during the Aparo run. The stories often revolved themselves around Batman and the team globe-trotting around the world on rescue missions. While the stories were often quite quirky, these remain extremely enjoyable and presented the reader with Batman stories that were quite different from the others at the time. It is also important to note that Aparo worked on the title consistently up until issue 21, with brief absences.
With Outsiders wrapping up, Aparo return to the bat-verse and began working on the titles Batman and Detective Comics once again. By this point in Aparo’s career, he had stopped inking all of his penciled work and, most of Aparo’s work was inked by Mike DeCarlo from this point forward. Aparo worked on Detective Comics consistently from issue 518 to issue 522. However, Aparo would return and work on issue 627 of Detective Comics, which marked the 600th appearance of Batman in the title. He would also work on his final issues of Detective Comics, which would be issues 641 and 716.
During his entire career, Aparo ended up working on a total of 35 issues of Detective Comics from 1972 to 1997.
As I mentioned earlier, and as you all know, Aparo worked on the Batman main series often from 1977 to 1998. Aparo made some major contributions to some major storylines including; The Knightfall Saga, A Lonely Place of Dying, and A Death in the Family.
Many consider A Death in the Family to be Aparo’s most recognized work. The storyline appeared in the issues of Batman from 426 to 429. The story was written by Jim Starlin and revolves around Batman and Robin, then Jason Todd, finding out who Jason’s mother is, and hunting down the Joker in the Middle East. This is also the story in which the Joker beats Jason to death with a crowbar. This storyline would change Batman comics forever. Aparo stands out in this storyline because his pencils appear to be absolutely matchless.
The thing that I will always remember about Jim Aparo was the raw energy that he brought to his pages that so many other artists were and are unable to do. During A Death in the Family, he is able to take one of the most gruesome moments in comics and transform it into a beautifully rendered page. His characters seemed alive and in constant motion. His pages were also perfectly detailed; the backgrounds were never left untouched. He was a master of creating depth within a panel.
Unfortunately, Mr. Aparo passed away in July of 2005. While he has gone, his impact on the comics industry has and never will leave. He will be truly missed.
And that concludes our second installment of Creator Spotlight, which was on the truly unbelievable Jim Aparo. He was truly a master of the craft. Check out the blog for the next Creator Spotlight which will be on Alan Grant. Tune in next time, Same Bat-Time, Same Bat-Blog.
Posted by Zach
November 2009-Batman and Dial H for Hero
Just in case you don’t know what Dial H for Hero is, he is kinda like the cartoon Ben 10. Instead of having a watch which turns the wearer into different aliens, the Hero Dial turns the wearer in to different heroes with different powers. So this issue is basically Ben 10 meets Batman.
This issue starts with the Hero Dial’s current owner, a teenage boy called Robby Reed, and his Grandfather checking in to a hotel in Gotham City for an Army reunion. While they are checking in, the desk clerk tells them to be careful while they are outside in Gotham since it is a dangerous place. The Grandpa replies to the clerk that it’s not his first time in Gotham. Meanwhile, Robby is looking out of the lobby’s window at a down and out man sitting on the steps of building across the street. We then learn that this man used to work at a local steel mill. He is upset because he got hurt and then was laid off. Then we see The Joker (looking kind different then I’m use to, but hey), talking to his henchmen and telling them that he finally wants to kill Batman and how he has an awesome plan to finally end the Bat.
A few hours later, Robby is watching the news with his Grandpa. He doesn’t understand how there is so much crime in Gotham City with Batman around, so his Grandpa tries to explain to Robby that Batman can’t be in four places at once, let alone two places. Soon afterward, Robby can’t sleep and decides to use his Hero Dial to help Batman. The dial turns him into a hero called Mental Man, who is meant to be “The Greatest Psychic who ever lived.” I think every time he transforms he gives a brief description of the hero’s powers. I could be making that all up or confusing it with Digimon. Well back to the story. Mental Man then use his powers to see into the future and gets scared at what he sees. He then turns back to Robby and goes to bed.
The next morning Robby and his Grandpa leave the hotel. But as soon as they leave, the guy that caught Robby’s eye the day before, breaks in to their hotel room and steals some of their things including the Hero Dial. After leaving the hotel room, he goes to an alley and takes a look at the stuff his stole. He starts to think if it was really worth it until a friend of his comes along and tells him that somebody is offering him and other lowlifes a $100 for tripping alarms to keep the police busy. This is where we learn that his name is Travers. So Travers tells his friend that he will think about it. While he is thinking he takes a look at the Hero Dial and makes a joke about how the analog dial is dead and wonders if the person who made the dial ever heard of digital. He then pushes one of the buttons which results in him turning in to a hero called The Star (who looks a lot like the Sentry from the Marvel comics) who is super-strong and can fly. Travers hears somebody crying for help and he saw a window cleaner falling, so he quickly flies up and save him before he falls to his death. After bringing the window cleaner to safety , Travers gets a hero's welcome from the public. While he is introducing himself, he see Batman watching from the corner of his eye and decides to go and talk to him. Well, The Star and Batman exchange words. Batman gives the usual speech, “This is my city. And if you mess up, I will hunt you down and beat you down.” So The Star tells Batman about the plan he heard about. Batman thanks him for the information and they shake hands. But while they shake hands, Batman somehow gets his fingerprints.
The Star goes back to the hotel room of Robby, while they are talking to the Police about what has been stolen. He flies away before he is seen. So now he is flying around saving people. Then the next couple of pages are pretty cool, with lots of cool fighting and action scenes. We later see Batman breaking into a warehouse with hostages tied up. Batman goes to save them, but before he can he hears The Joker and his plan to kill Batman. If Batman saves the hostages, he has a few seconds to untie them and leave the building before it blows up, which is impossible and if he walks away the building with still blow up. So either way Batman dies. So Batman leaps forth to save the hostages, but before he does the Star flies in and grabs the C-4. He flies through the window and then the C-4 blows up killing him.
The next morning, Robby is sitting outside of a building where his Grandpa's army reunion is being held. He is reading a newspaper article talking about the death of The Star. Batman appears out of nowhere and hands him back the Hero Dial. Robby then says that he doesn’t deserve the dial and tells Batman that he left the Hero Dial out to get stolen. When he was looking in to the future, he saw The Star die. He didn’t want to die and calls himself a coward. Batman gives him a pep talk and tells him about Travers. He says that Travers always wanted to do something with his life and by stealing the Hero Dial, he got his chance to die as a hero.
This issue was written by J. Michael Straczynski. This is the first comic I have ever come across written by him, but I have heard that he has written a lot of The Brave and the Bold. He is a pretty good writer, but am not too sure on how he writes Batman. The story felt rather short, but I guess that's how The Brave and the Bold comics work. The artist was Jesus Saiz, whose art is pretty good, but a lot of his male characters look girlie. But his take on Batman and The Joker is pretty cool, despite The Joker looking kind of girlie in some panels. But besides that its a pretty good comic.
The Brave and the Bold #27:
Reviewed by Johnny Impulse
Boy this comic has taken tons of twists and turns in its run hasn’t it?
It starts out as a complete in-continuity book, which is where events such as the downfall of Lex Luthor’s Presidency (1-6) and the return to the DCU current continuity of the Kara Zor-El Supergirl (8-13). Then it starts becoming an out of continuity title where the main attributes seem to have been to spotlight the difference between DC’s “Big Two” in “dueling” thought balloons, which essentially seemed to come down to stuff like “I like vanilla ice cream.” “I like chocolate ice cream,” or “I love Mondays.” “I HATE Mondays!”
It has been in recent issues seemingly heavily influenced by ideas from the Silver Age era World’s Finest tales when that title was the Superman-Batman team up book. The extreme of this was a recent issue where it turned out the entire story of the issue was just a simulation file in a new virtual reality training device in the Batcave. Bruce Wayne’s file name for the file was “WF V2 63 Night & Day.” In other words it was the artist’s, Rafael Albuquerque, way of treating Superman/Batman as a second volume to the World’s Finest series that ended in 1986. Which leads to way too many issues to go into here in terms of how this series should be taken when trying to fit it’s stories into the continuity of the time.
So now we begin a new era on the book, well technically it started back in issue #64 since #68 picks up where it left off, though I don’t think anyone knew that at the time, especially Apple as he slaughtered it on the comic podcast when it came up. So now the book is essentially a peek into different events in DC history. Part entertainment, part history lesson I suppose. And we kick things off as #68 has a nifty “Our Worlds At War Aftermath” banner on the cover. The best thing to do first is to dive into what happened in the event Our Worlds At War.
Mostly a Superman cosmic event for the summer of 2001, though it did cross over into several of DC’s books and had Imperiex as the main villain attacking Earth. Big battle of course, with Metropolis as the epic center, and as per norm it seems, the city gets ravaged. Long story short, Superman is able to save the day, and the universe! The story has been collected in three different volumes, Superman: Our Worlds At War volumes 1 and 2, as well as a complete edition.
So it is at the point after the event has occurred that the book starts off with. As well as after # 64 and the mysterious Kryptonian ship that Superman and Batman found.
This is very much an introductory piece to the story, entitled “The Big Noise” and Joe Casey does a good job setting up what you would think are the major players for this story. An adventure seeker, who manages to find the missing escape pod from the ship in # 64, and a major backer of S.T.A.R. Labs, Anderson Gaines, appears at first to be a major focal point. Research is coming up empty on whether or not this character has been spotted before, so Casey has to be given props for setting up a nice shady villain.
Also Casey gives us a mystery man showing down Superman at cliffhanger at the end, NRG-X (Nuclear Radiation Generator Experimental), the name comes from a Superman villain from the 1970s, but I doubt Casey is brining that particular character out of mothballs. This NRG-X kind of resembles Iron Man, I wonder if that is the indented effect by the art team.
On the Batman side of things, Bruce investigates a strand of DNA taken from the non-Kryptonian aliens found on the ship in #64 (strange not saying “previous issue” but that is what a Halloween special followed by a two part Blackest Night crossover story will do to you), to determine just what kind of creature was on that ship, and hopefully a clue to determine how it ended up in current (at that point) DCU time.
In all, it was an enjoyable issue with some great art work, but it does leave me wondering just what the tie-in to Our Worlds At War is going to be, besides just lip service to the event that Superman and Batman had just gone through. It does leave me wanting to read more though, and I guess that is the best thing you can say about the first issue of a story, it leaves you wanting to continue reading. It’s not quite enough to give 5 out of 5, so I’ll give it a nice solid 4, but only because it just seems to superficially tie-in with the story its supposedly linked with.
Superman/Batman #68:
Reviewed by SteveJRogers
Batman joins the newly reformed Justice League of America in issue number 41 of the JLA written by James Robinson, penciled by Mark Bagley and ably inked by Hunter, Alquiza, and Wong.
First and foremost, what is the most striking detail about this issue? The continuity problem! Not only does this issue take place after Blackest Night is over it also spoils the ending to “Justice League: Cry for Justice”. So anyone who wants an advanced look at how that series ends, help yourselves! (Not that “Cry” has exactly set the world on fire. Also written by Robinson, it is now running late.)
Batman does not take a central role in this book as it is, of course, a team up affair. The story starts out with a disconsolate Donna Troy ready to walk away from it all. Burnt out and “beaten down” Troy happens across a crime scene where children are being held hostage in a hospital and she is forced to act. After securing the children and stuffing the bad guys, she openly questions herself, lashes out at Wonder Woman and proclaims, “I am done.”
Or not.
After a short lecture from Wonder Woman and a brief interlude through America’s colonial period (with a sidebar trip to the Smithsonian, which serves as a future JLA storyline) Troy relents and starts the recruitment process. Starfire and Cyborg quickly sign up and Troy takes off to Gotham City. Here we catch up with the Caped Crusaders in the middle of a beat down of some poor Killer Moth wannabe’s. The new Batman and Robin are at their acrobatic best and seem to be following the Judd Winick model. Lighter in attitude and much less grimmer in tone. The action stops as Troy appears on the scene and says not bad to "Batman". Batman, in quotes, as she knows it is Dick Grayson beneath the cowl. She compliments the duo and refers to Damian as a kid. Cue comedic retort from the new Damian Robin, “Kid?” he says, “How dare you Harlot.” Funny and not too far off as Donna Troy is sporting a skin tight cat suit that might be more appropriate to the bedroom than a back alley.
The two exchange some small talk and catch up quickly. Batman tells Donna that he just put down “Yellow Wasp” and is on the trail of a bigger evil doer called” The Broker” who has been setting up hideouts and putting together groups for what may be a larger storyline in the future. He correctly deduces Donna hasn’t arrived for chit-chat and asks her if her visit means she wants him to join the Justice League. She is amazed at his deductive prowess (he cheated) and the seal the deal with a groan inducing “fist bump”. Again, from the Winick model? Of course if she had asked me to join the League I would have told she had me at revealing, skin tight jump suit that barely covers her ample, um, attributes. Just sayin’. (Oh yes, Damian says he's in too.)
The story continues as Donna goes off to recruit the new Dr. Light, Mon-El as the Superman sub, Green Lantern, and Green Arrow. The final panel is a full pager and is a nice portrait of the Hal Jordan Green Lantern and Batman.
The artwork seems a bit rushed but the inking was fine. Like I said, the last panel is pretty cool and Mon El gets a nice action splash page. The story? Well, it is a reboot of the JLA series, so Robinson had to fit in a lot threads just to pull each character in. Hopefully future plots will be tighter. I’m curious how large a role the Dick Grayson Batman will play in this series and if he will continue the lighter tone discussed earlier. I’m actually hoping he’ll keep the cape and cowl and stay on as Batman in the JLA even after Bruce Wayne returns. There is more than one Green Lantern after all. Anyone think DC has the guts to allow that angle?
Yeah, I didn’t think so either.
Justice League of America #41:
Reviewed by Dark Knight Dave
Yesterday, Tony Daniel made a post on his blog about an upcoming cover for Batman. Batman #698 was solicited for April at the end of January, but Daniel didn't think that the cover did justice to what he had in store for the Riddler. Here is the updated cover from Daniel himself.
Posted by Dustin