Batman finally makes his return in the second issue of the “First Wave” series along side Doc Savage and the Spirit. And for all his fame and notoriety he gets one panel. That’s’ right, one panel. Oh, and no dialog. We finally see Batman as he wraps up a would be mugger in his cape making quick work of the bad guy. But that’s it. Make no mistake about it, “First Wave” is a Doc Savage vehicle and through the first two issues he is sharing the limelight with The Spirit as comedic relief. I guess I should mention the Blackhawks get plenty of face time too.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m digging this book. I love the noir feel to the story narrative. Moonlit nights, large limos with their headlights cutting the darkness, blackened alley ways, cemeteries and most importantly, gritty dialog befitting a George V. Higgins novel.
It’s just that a little more Batman would be nice.
We got our first look at the “First Wave” Batman in November of 2009 when DC presented us with a one shot called the “Batman-Doc Savage Special, the First Wave begins.” Batman got plenty of ink in that issue and if you read the book you’ll remember that Batman was portrayed as a young brash playboy. Untested and inexperienced, this Batman was willing to make mistakes and take his lumps in order to ply his trade. He’s not the brooding angry dark avenger that we are accustomed to. He’s cocky and brash. He’s having fun.
Brian Azzarello is the writer for this series, as he was in the one shot. Phil Noto was the artist for the one shot and his effort lent itself more to a Sunday morning comic’s type of feel. This time Rags Morales takes over the art work and he is ably assisted by Nei Ruffino. Their combined effort lends itself more readily to the noir feel of the book as they understand the use of shadow and perspective that is so important to this style.
Azzarello is weaving a dense, multi-faceted storyline that involves some the most iconic heroes of the golden age. Doc Savage, his crew, the Spirit, the Blackhawks, Justice Inc and we haven’t even seen Black Canary yet. And Batman too. For one panel. But fear not, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing plenty of the Bat, and sooner rather than later. There is a lot of gray area in this series. The good guys work in and outside the law, everyone has their own agendas that intersect for better or worse and a mysterious darkness looms fueled by greed and revenge. The type of story that is begging for a Dark Knight.
I’m giving this book a four out of five Bat-a-rangs for where I believe this story is taking us. And I’ll get into some in depth analysis of the plot itself once Batman and his guns (yes, I said guns) makes their full time appearance. I’ll be seeing you soon for “First Wave” issue three of six.
First Wave #2:
Reviewed by Dark Knight Dave
We loyal followers of the Dark Knight are in for a treat this year. No, not just a treat, a singular event. Perhaps something that many of us will only experience once in a lifetime. This year DC comics will not only follow the adventures of one Batman but as many as four, or quite possibly seven!
In 2010 in what I call “The Year of the Batmen” I will endeavor to chronicle these various manifestations of Batman and discuss the dynamic of having their respective storylines running concurrently. Even as they exist in different “universes”, alternate realities or as parallel plotlines that remain apart but eventually come together.
How will these Batmen compare? How will the media and readership accept or reject them? Whose storyline will succeed while another may fail? Will the various writers and artists vie for supremacy or just engage in a little friendly competition. Is it possible for all of these incarnations to exist at the same time and avoid saturation? Or will we embrace all of them and insist they continue for years to come? Perhaps multiple readership factions will arise and insist their Batman is the one true Caped Crusader.
As we all know Dick Grayson has picked up the mantle of the Bat in the absence of Bruce Wayne. This particular arc has been admirably filled out by the likes of Morrison, Daniel and Winick. How will the eventual return of Bruce Wayne (written by Morrison) effect Grayson? Will he give up the cape and cowl and go quietly into the night or will there be conflict? Will Bruce actually want it all back?
What of the iteration of the “First Wave” Batman? Brian Azzarello has promised a young Bruce Wayne one that is a, “millionaire playboy; brash, cocky and fully relishing life.” This Batman is inexperienced and makes mistakes that extract “the cost of fighting crime.” Stir in a healthy dose of Doc Savage and the Spirit and we have a whole new Dark Knight. 
Speaking of re-imagining the tale of the Dark Knight how will Geoff Johns’ interpretation compare to Azzarello’s? Johns tells us his Earth One Batman will “break the restraints of any continuity and focus on two things: character and story.” Certainly, what we have seen of artists Gary Frank’s Earth One Batman is in sharp contrast to the First Wave Batman as penciled by Rags Morales. Frank’s take looks indomitable and steadfast while Morales looks more sinewy and athletic.
But I am getting ahead of myself. There are several other incarnations that are worthy of discussion. The ghoulish Black Lantern Batman from the Blackest Night. The “undead” Batman resurrected from a Lazarus pool by Dick Grayson. And what of the Batman that exists in “Superman/Batman” comics or in Batman Confidential? Not to mention the JLA Batman that is both teammate and leader as embodied by Dick Grayson written by James Robinson.
There will be much to discuss and I am eager to get at it. Throughout this massive effort I will seek your input. Comments are welcome. The impressions from you the reader will add fuel to the fire as we discuss and dissect one of the most iconic figures in comic book history. It all comes together in 2010, “The Year of the Batmen”.
Written by Dark Knight Dave
Brian Azzarello and Phil Noto team up to bring us one of the best Batman spin-off issues of the year. The Batman/Doc Savage Special is a unique and fresh approach to writing the character. This issue will also present you with some fantastic artwork by the very talented, Phil Noto.
Azzarello takes an original idea and expands upon it. Bruce Wayne is portrayed as a young and cocky character who is still adapting to the new gig. This issue also marks as a sort of preview to the First Wave line of comics that will debut in 2010. The story is set in a sort of modern, yet old school Gotham City where Batman has been around for only a month. We also see that Batman carries two pistols which, to me, give the character an interesting dynamic. Bruce is still learning how to fight crime and it also refers back to the first Batman comics when he did carry a gun. The plot revolves around a mobster that is murdered with many questions left unanswered. Doc Savage steps in to investigate, and take down the dark knight if needed. What we get is a great adversarial match up between the two characters. We see that while these two men are very different, they are also very similar. A young Jim Gordon also appears in the issue, ranting that Batman is the enemy and not a partner. After an altercation, Batman and Doc Savage meet and show that they have great respect for one another. However, after their discussion, Batman makes it very clear that Gotham is his’ city, and he needs to do this himself. I thought that Azzarello did a terrific job weaving the characters together. You get a real noir-like feel while reading this book. I feel that Azzarello’s characterization of Bruce Wayne is a fresh approach. I think he has big plans for the character’s development throughout this First Wave line. He also makes it very clear that this is a Gotham where scum is everywhere and while Batman is questioned, he is their lone hero. You also get a great contrast in personalities between Bruce Wayne and Doc Savage. You see that while Savage is far older than Bruce, Bruce is wise well beyond his’ age. I think that Azzarello has given us a taste of some new and exciting material to come next March.
I cannot say enough about Phil Noto’s artwork in this book. Noto’s art is clean and polished; it also works extremely well with in the storyline. He also draws some fantastic facial expressions throughout the issue. My only complaint is that, while the art works perfectly with Azzarello’s storytelling style, Noto can be inconsistent at times. It seemed that during Batman and Doc Savage’s fight sequence, he sped through those panels, leaving them with less detail compared to the prior and later panels.
This series has a lot of promise; it takes us to an alternate universe that I cannot wait to read more about. This one-shot was better than any of the other bat-book miniseries that involve Bruce Wayne. This issue felt very much like a pulp story, and I feel that this is a nice change of pace in comparison to the Batman Reborn titles currently taking place. I think this was a great introduction to a new line of comics that could turn out to be something very fun and interesting.
Batman/Doc Savage Special:
Reviewed by Zfactor