So you may have noticed that we were a wee bit late with news from Friday and from over the weekend from Baltimore Comic Con. Well, there is a very good reason for that. As some of you may have known from listening to the podcasts, my wife and I were expecting our first child. Well, on Thursday at 10:13PM CST, our first child was born. And not to forget about The Batman Universe, his name is Damian Alexander Fritschel. We should be caught up very shortly. In the meantime, check out my new sidekick.
Posted by Dustin
With the events of 'The Flood' firmly behind her, Stephanie Brown has most certainly grown – both as a young woman and, just as importantly, as a member of the Batgirl 'team'.
Our story – appropriately entitled 'Trust' – begins with Stephanie, sweat dripping from her brow, facing her opponent who in turn stares back and throws down a verbal challenge. Moment later, it's game on as Steph lets loose a tremendous shot … much to the surprise of her opposite number.
We're at Gotham U, it's the second half of the academic year and Stephanie is playing table tennis with Padma, a fellow student – and she's winning. It's Tuesday, the one day a week when Steph doesn't have any classes, and we get the impression that she usually – maybe always – wins at table tennis!
Just as the contest looks like it might be getting out of hand Stephanie's phone rings and, excusing herself from the game, she answers her caller Oracle with a cheeky greeting only to be instantly reminded that – again – it's not Oracle on the line but her new handler Wendy 'Proxy' Harris. Moving past this awkward exchange Wendy advises Steph that the police have trapped a man who's suspected of killing his wife and she believes that they could use a hand.
Across the city in the Gotham financial district the police, led by Detective Nick Gage, have their prey – a Mr. Griswald – trapped inside his mini van. Attempting to talk their target out of the van and into custody the officers come under fire and as the situation escalates the SWAT team announce that they're taking over. As they rush the van, Griswald launches a petrol can into the air which turns into a blanket of flames under fire. Amid the confusion Gage spots Griswald running from the scene and sets off in pursuit.
Never more than a few steps behind Gage tries to talk Griswald around but he'll have none of it – eventually coming face to face on a roof-top Gage pulls his gun as his target challenges him that he couldn't possibly know what it feels like to lose a wife, could he?
As rage gets the better of him Griswald explodes … into a torrent of clay and sends Gage flying off the building top and plummeting to the ground. As he mumbles what may be his final words he surprisingly receives help: Stephanie – Batgirl – swoops in and grabs him and the pair safely make their way to the alleyway below.
After a flirtatious exchange with Gage, Batgirl takes her leave as Wendy reveals that she has located Griswald – Clayface of course – entering Gotham Bank & Trust through a roof-top service unit. Following him into the building Batgirl makes her way through a maze of ventilation shafts before finding herself with a view of the banks main floor, filled with customers, tellers and security guards.
Sneaking behind the service desk Steph activates the banks security measures and locks down the building. Believing that she is attempting to rob the bank the security guards rush at Steph and as they draw their weapons she unleashes a couple of 'gooperangs' that disable the guards allowing her the opportunity to explain that she's trying to help, not trying to rob the bank.
One of the tellers replies that she ought to speak with the banks manager Mrs. Griswald who, in the event of a robbery, is required to make her way to safety in the vault.
Did he say Mrs. Griswald?
Moments later, at the entrance to the vault, Mrs. Griswald realizes that she is just moments away from achieving her objective as Batgirl challenges her – 'Clayface!'. Turning and changing from human form Clayface targets Steph who only just manages to leap to safety. Responding with batarangs Stephanie is momentarily overwhelmed by the shear size and power of her opponent. Swept up by a column of clay Steph finds herself transported back to the banks main floor and, as Detective Gage looks on Batgirl fights … Batgirl.
'You have got to be freakin' kiddin' me'.
Turning to Gage, Batgirl – one of the Batgirls – orders him to shoot her. Gage takes aim and fires … on the 'other' Batgirl and as the bullet pierces her costume she 'bleeds' clay. As the detective continues to fire Clayface begins to take his more familiar form and Stephanie lets lose with the contents of her utility belt.
Out of ideas Steph turns to Wendy for advice – 'use your surroundings' she's told. With water pouring from the banks sprinkler system Batgirl lets fire with a freeze-batarang – and Clayface is frozen, overcome and neutralized.
With Clayface on his way to Arkham Asylum, Batgirl and Nick get to the bottom of why he targeted this particular bank: it seems that the vault contained a picture of himself – Basil Karlo – and his wife, his dead wife that he wanted to look at.
As Batgirl questions Clayface's actions – Detective Gage seems frozen by the moment, turns and walks off down the street … alone.
The first issue of the second year of Stephanie Brown's Batgirl certainly didn't disappoint – the writing, the interior and cover art were great, everything I look for from a comic book, and then some.
The issue felt as if it was set a little time after the events of The Flood story-arc as Stephanie appears to be settling quite nicely into her multi-faceted life: daughter, student, Batgirl … and by the same token Wendy Harris seems to be getting to grips with her role as Proxy – but not without one or two enjoyable 'what do I do next?' moments.
Following the events that saw The Flood conclude – which as I said at the time felt like something of an anniversary or 'coming of age' issue for Steph and, to a lesser extent Wendy – I was curious how Bryan Q. Miller would choose to progress the immediate story and with his 'some time later' approach, for me, Mr. Miller really hit the mark.
I liked the sense that Stephanie and Wendy had developed their relationship – that both women were becoming more and more comfortable and confident in their roles while at the same time not being afraid to ask the other for help. One of my favorite moments in the whole book was when, having frozen Clayface Batgirl suggests to Proxy that she sends someone to clean up … as Wendy frantically thumbs through the pages of a phone directory!
The scenes that opened the book – set in a recreation room at Gotham U. – were particularly timely I thought: it was nice to see the spotlight return to Stephanie as student as much as Stephanie as Batgirl. After the heavy(ish) events of Steph's encounter with Calculator it was good to start this issue on an altogether lighter note.
Clayface isn't one of my favorite DC characters I have to say but I thought this story portrayed him in a much more personal and human way than many that I've read – I was actually quite touched by the thought that his actions were motivated by a burning desire to see his wife – albeit a photograph of his wife – one more time.
Throughout the Batgirl series so far one of the recurring themes has been friendly, and at times not so friendly, 'banter' – Steph and Damian, Barbara and Steph, Wendy and Barbara, Steph and Barbara and Nick Gage – and this issue was no different. I found the exchanges between Batgirl and Detective Gage really very charming with their clumsy puns, Steph's endearing thoughts – 'please be less attractive', 'squee' – and Gage's comments that 'for whatever reason' he trusts her.
While the tone of this title has always been light it's never lacked the ability to stimulate my thoughts and as I reached the last page I found myself intrigued by Detective Gage's story – as he fell from the roof-top early in the book we heard him saying 'sorry, babe' and as he and Steph discussed Clayface's actions at the end of the story I got the sense that the events had touched a nerve – I'm looking forward to seeing how this develops for sure.
Throughout recent issues I've become a fan of Pere Perez's artwork – it's both complimentary to the excellent work of Lee Garbett while at the same time he has a distinct style of his own and I'd have been happy to see him take on Batgirl art duties on a permanent basis. Although we now know this isn't going to happen I'll be interested to follow his work on other titles.
Although not his best in this series in my opinion I enjoyed Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau's eye-catching cover – once again it had a somewhat 'retro' feel about it and felt it really set up the issue very nicely.
If I say this felt like a 'bridging' issue that will immediately sound like a negative and it's certainly not meant that way – but that's what this was for me: 'we've' been on an amazing journey over the past year and I sense that journey is only going to get more incredible over the next 12 months. This issue was a chance for us all to catch our breath, remember where we've come from, where we've been and anticipate where we may be going.
A simple story, beautifully told. Fantastic.
Batgirl #13:
Reviewed by Zaius
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
Red Robin #15 is carrying on Fabian's first storyline of the series, with Tim Drake in crutches going to see the resurrected Captain Boomerang, who murdered Tim’s father in Identity Crisis. The real question I had when I saw this page was why was Tim Drake in crutches?
In this issue, Fabian takes care of the problem he set up in Gotham Gazette of Vicki Vale finding out the Bat-Families secret identities. You know the thing that Chris Yost could not be bothered to deal with in his “fantastic” run on the comic. Well, about a year and a half later, we finally see resolution to this issue, even if it has really achieved nothing, but I am glad that Fabian is tying up a loose thread rather than leaving it be.
The issue has Fabian creating another new rogue for Red Robin in the Scarab, sadly this rogue is useless and foiled by the end of the issue, so in other words, will probably never be heard from again. Shame, she looked like she could be a good character, but Fabian seems to have a bigger plan involving Anarky going on, who was the villain from the last few issues of his run on the old Robin title.
Anyway, back to the crutches and Vicki Vale thing. Tim decides to take care of Vicki Vale by staging a stunt where he will be crippled by Scarab during a press conference, with Vale in attendance. It’s a good idea, even if the playing out of the idea is a bit awkward, and would make the reader say, what a cop out. Tim uses a stunt double to trick Vale that he cannot be Red Robin if Tim has to walk around in crutches all the time. It’s stupid, but it’s better than bringing Vicki Vale into the Bat-Family and letting her know their secrets.
The art here as always with Marcus To is solid and dependable. There truly is nothing more I can say about it, good art, nothing more, and nothing less.
I said last month about how I don’t want Tim to regress back to who he was and to stay his own man as Red Robin. Sadly, Tim has to discuss his plan with Dick and how he almost needs Dick's approval. We also have a mildly interesting scene where Batgirl, which would have worked if Tim were still Robin, but Damian is Robin now. Maybe that’s just a nitpick though.
I do look the fact that Tim will be going up against Anarky in the next few issues. Looking back on the last few issues of Robin when Tim took on Anarky, Anarky beat Tim as Robin, however Red Robin beat Anarky, so it’s obvious Anarky would have a score to settle with Red Robin instead of just going after Damian.
All in all, this series is getting back on form thanks to Fabians writing. A couple of issues ago I would have said Tim was a character in the DCU that I really hated where he was going, with his emo attitude and self depreciating “I can’t do anything right” attitude. Fabian is attempting to fix that issue here; sadly he has a lot of stuff to fix before Red Robin can truly be seen as a solo hero in the DCU in my eyes. But if anyone can save Tim Drake, Fabian Nicenza and Marcus To can.
Red Robin #15:
Reviewed by Suavestar
Red Robin #14 is the second part of Fabian’s “Hit list” storyline, and also, his return to Tim Drake's life.
Last month I wrote about how it was great to see Fabian back on the book, and I was looking forward to more. It was only later that I started to think that something wasn’t sitting right with me. After I had sent Dustin the review I had realized what it was, Tim was in the exact same position he was before Bruce left. Tim was not actually growing up. He was still a teenager and I had felt like I had read the stories of Tim going through all of this already, and frankly I didn’t want to read them again. There’s a new Robin in town, and it ain’t Tim.
#14 starts off with someone who I thought was Tim looking at his hit list, but after reading the dialogue, I figured out it was Damian. It was here I noticed that Marcus To is really only doing one face for Tim, Dick and Damian to share.
Fabian is writing this issue to give the reader exactly what he thinks they want, which is Red Robin VS Robin. But at the same time, Fabian gives some page time to advance other threads. Instead of just an entire issue of Damian trying to beat the daylight out of Tim, we have the advancement of Red Robins hit list, Tim dealing with being the new boss at Wayne Enterprises and of course, the revelation of who Tim has on his hit list, which is a who’s who of the DC Universe, heroes and villains. We also see a heart to heart on Tim’s tactics between Tim and Dick Grayson.
The issue ends with a mysterious person handing Black Manta’s not quite so bad-ass twin a briefcase full of money, and asking him to kill Tim Wayne.
So, that was issue #14, and I may have skimmed over things, but to be honest, this issue is full of threads that Fabian is branching out, that actually taking the time to explain them all and what they could involve what take an extra page of word to type. For the most part, I enjoyed the threads, and the knowledge that these are things that although are small now, will be branching out to bigger things in the near future. I do hope that Tim distances himself from the Bat-Family sooner rather than later, as two issues into Nicieza’s run, and I am already bored of the constant interactions between Dick and Tim. If this book were Batman and Red Robin, I wouldn’t mind. But this is Red Robin’s book and he needs to be given the stage to shine on his own.
The art by Marcus To for the most part, is fantastic. He is really hitting his stride now. He has a distinct style, and with the exception of male faces, he can draw a damn fine page. The fight scene between Tim and Damian in this issue was well choreographed, and I can see To and inker Ray McCarthy getting better on the book from here.
So, this is Red Robin #14. A good solid issue, with only a few nitpicks. However in this day and age, where there are at least 7 Bat-books out a month, and prices only going up, Red Robin really needs to start showing why it is a must own book.
Red Robin #14:
Reviewed by Suavestar
What can be said about Grant Morrison that hasn‘t already been said? I won’t bore you with quotes that praise not only his work, but his overall genius. What I will say though is that I think Morrison‘s work makes room for a larger critical debate both on the validity and the consciousness he presents within the pages he produces and the characterization on the psyche of the superhero. While people will agree with him, even more people will disagree. Where one person interprets the work as bunch of crap thrown onto the physical representation of nothingness, another person see’s the work of a genius and a need for a deeper understanding for the work presented. While he is sloppy, and inconsistent most times he strikes the vein of greatness, and when he does, he shines and you get a feel for what makes him so great. Batman and Robin #13 is a comic that not only pursues this thought, it is a comic that wholly represents it. Story-wise, the book has no faults. It’s a story that impresses, and leaves you to put the pieces together and find your own meaning, for now that is. The “detective story” never looked as good as it does here. The beginning of the book takes a moment of god-awful cruelty on a family and flips it on it’s side and turns it into an even crueler and shocking moment of a newly founded betrayal, of which we have never seen before in the Batman Universe. It not only punches you in the stomach, it lights a fire in the deepest recesses of your body for revenge and explanation, again drawing on your own mind to create a temporary answer. And that is exactly where things go from bad to worse.
We are not only forced to witness a brutal act of violence, we are also forced to peer into the mind of a madman via The Joker. Although it’s brevity needs to be taken into account; the back and forth between The Joker and Batman and Robin can only be described by the sane as scary, mad, and disturbing, and while those might not be the most grandest of words it serves it‘s used to the fullest. But what really shocked me more than anything was when The Joker breaks down and is crying when he admits that he is sorry for what he’s done, that he got shot in the face and was stitched up badly that’s why he’s always smiling, and that once he was a “little boy wonder and he didn’t set out to be this way. While it is a disturbing and a somewhat moving scene, there resides a thread of doubt in the back of my mind that this isn’t the real Joker, that this is an imposter, and that he is the true mastermind behind all the chaos that was sowed and will flower in this storyline only to make this world worse. The Joker interrogation scene is made even greater with the absence of Dick and the presence of Damian. Damian presented here is cold and remorseless stating that The Joker isn’t a force of chaos. That chaos is “needing someone to change your feeding tube” and that “chaos is not being able to go to the toilet without help” before producing a crowbar and beating The Joker over the head with it. It is a scene that is not for the light-hearted, it builds and builds on our emotions only to be released by a crowbar and a head. But that is only one part of the story, the other part shows Dick and Jim Gordon trying to piece together evidence to try and stop the release of a viral narcotic that Dick thinks has already been spread via an antidote that turns out to be a dormant version of the viral narcotic which is waiting for a viral trigger. The impending doom weighs heavy but is soon interrupted by Gordon’s phone, it is one of his cops stating that Damian is in a room alone with The Joker causing both men to rush back to the apartment when they are shot down by two men with rocket launchers. Dick and Gordon crash land in Blackgate penitentiary surrounded by Dollotrons who free Professor Pyg.
Brought on by forces temporarily unseen (as of this writing), things are even worse than before whether it’s the events that unfold in the first scene, or Dick and Gordon stuck in a very sticky situation, Damian acting on his killer instinct, or even the release of Professor Pyg, everything is falling apart in front of our eyes. But the worst part of all is Morrison’s brilliant use of the present and the past, using it, he is able to weave strands of inevitability and despair together to create a mat that is rough and uncomfortable, using against us, our barest of emotions and soft spots. The hopelessness Morrison evokes at the end of the issue only cements the fact that there is no redemption or salvation, that we must go down mentally with Dick and Damian and that there is a need to hit rock bottom before they get better if they ever fully do, as well as showing that with all the knowledge and strength Dick possesses he is powerless and helpless and so are we, we can’t stop it.
Even though I think this issue is the greatest thing (up to this point) Morrison has wrote for his run on Batman, the weak point of this issue, I’m sad to say, is Frazer Irving’s art. While it does have it’s brilliant and poignant moments, I just don‘t like it. Admittedly I have never been a big fan of his pencils or colors, I think his presentation of Batman and Robin are amateurish at best and are both bland and uninspiring, and that goes for the Frank Quitely/Frazer Irving cover also. But, that’s not to say the art doesn’t have high points. Irving’s Joker is the scariest and disturbing Joker I have seen in quite awhile, I mean The Joker smiling while he‘s crying, being beaten, and in peril is really disturbing and grotesque when it comes down to it, while the real Oberon Sexton laying dead next to his rotting wife is also of the same disturbing/grotesque quality. Overall though, the art does a good job when it comes to the story, and only enhances and creates a darker atmosphere even more so (in some cases) than the written word.
Batman and Robin #13 is a truly haunting piece both visually and story-wise. If I‘m being honest and if I‘m going to swallow my pride for a second I have to say that when I was reading this issue I found myself looking away and closing the book out of pure fear, shock, disgust, and horror more times than I care to admit, and that‘s what makes this issue so great. The refusal to compromise to the reader‘s needs and into a bold and new direction although it isn’t necessarily where you want to go is excellent. Throughout this issue there is an overall feeling of escalation into the depths of despair, and you do not want to be there. It is like being scared of roller coasters and being forced onto on that’s heading up to the biggest drop on the ride. It is constantly building and building and at its bursting point, the issue ends. But, it is not your typical Batman story, because it presents a state of weakness and suffering that hasn’t been presented before. It forces the reader to watch what we don’t want to watch, and overwhelms (in the best possible way) you with a sense of hopelessness, brutality, and shines a light on what makes you weak and brings those weaknesses to life.
Batman and Robin #13:
Reviewed by Dane
Character Profiles Part One
The State of the Dick Grayson Batman
In this year of the Batmen, we are being treated to many different types of Batman characters portrayed by different personalities assuming different secret identities.
My attempt here is to study the dynamic behind all these portrayals and what its like to have so many Batmen being represented. In additional to our traditional characters let’s not forget that coming soon we also have a “First Wave” Batman, a Batman “Odyssey”, the Terry McGinnis Batman and the “Earth One” Batman.
But first and foremost amongst these is Dick Grayson, the reigning Batman, and secondly and certainly no less important is the once and future Batman, Bruce Wayne.
Let’s start with Dick Grayson. Has anyone else noticed that his star is on the rise? The Dick Grayson Batman seems to be on top of world and his success at being Batman is seemingly at its apex. For example let’s look at the events culminating in Batman issue #697. After suffering through the effects of Black Mask’s toxin and enduring the machinations of the Penguin and the Mad Hatter, Dick assumes the mantle of the world’s foremost detective. He even goes as far as to take a bullet to provide himself with the most essential clue to his case. Impressive.
In doing this, he then manages to assemble a team to rival no other in the DC universe and lead them to victory over the Black Mask. This team? None other than Red Robin, Robin, Man Bat, Huntress, Catwoman, Manhunter, and Batgirl amongst others. Quite a group of Gotham’s greatest luminaries and testimony to Dick’s leadership skills. And like a true leader Dick goes the final mile alone. Despite the after affects of the toxin Grayson penetrates Black Mask’s lair defeating him in an epic struggle and revealing to the world the identity of Dr. Jeremiah Arkham. It is Dick’s finest hour as Batman and is summed up by the closing soliloquy as provided by Grayson himself.
“I am not Bruce Wayne. But when lives are lost and the entire city was at stake, I did what I had to do. I did what Batman had to do. I acted as the Dark Knight. To the best of my abilities—I became him. And I succeeded not as Dick Grayson. And not as Bruce Wayne. But as Batman.”
If that doesn’t mark the moment as Dick Grayson, “Batman triumphant” I don’t know what does.
If you want more testimonials as how this new Batman is regarded how about this from Tim Drake in Red Robin issue #13. As Dick leads Damian and Tim off a rooftop he tells them, “Guys, let’s try to have some fun.” How does Red Robin reply?
“Those words coming out of Batman’s mouth. It feels good. More than that, it feels right.” “Dick has done exactly what I expected he would—put on Batman’s cowl without getting lost in the shadows.”
This is from the heir apparent to Wayne industries and the man who took on Ra’s al Ghul in Red Robin #12. And who, by the way, had to be rescued by the Grayson Batman as he was thrown out a skyscraper window by Ra’s. The Dick Grayson Batman knew where to be.
Our last testimonial comes from the hardest nut to crack of them all Damian Wayne. In Batman & Robin #10 a convalescing Damian is being “nursed” back to health by his mother, Talia. As Talia belittles Dick she says the former Boy Wonder is, “barely fit to wear his mentor’s mantle” to which Damian spits back, “Your wrong! Dick Grayson is…” and he is cut off by Talia.
High praise from the world’s most petulant 10 year old super hero. A rare glimpse to how he really feels about Dick Grayson.
So there you have it my friends, the Dick Grayson Batman a worthy successor to the Wayne Batman. And I didn’t even touch on his leadership role in the JLA where Earth’s mightiest heroes defer to this leadership. And what of Bruce Wayne? Well, as he ultimately crawls his way back through time he will be the next subject of “The Year of the Batman” character profile.
Posted by Dark Knight Dave
.jpg "Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #3 (of 6)")
Bruce Wayne’s epic journey through time continues in THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #3. Having narrowly survived the perils of both prehistoric and puritanical Gotham, Bruce now finds himself thrust into a pirate adventure worthy of a Robert Louis Stevenson novel.
This issue opens with a FINAL CRISIS flashback to the moment when Batman fires a God-wounding bullet into Darkseid in an effort to save the world from anti-life enslavement. As a consequence, Bruce himself is hit with the Apokoliptian Omega Effect which traps him in a series of harrowing periods in history. In the following pages, Bruce struggles to remember who and what he is. This won’t be an easy task for the time-lost hero who is immediately confronted by a band of surly pirates who have already taken a young man, who identifies himself as Jack Loggins, hostage at knife-point. It seems Bruce has been mistaken for the legendary Black Pirate, captain of the Black Rose. Naturally, the villainous Blackbeard is after an Indian treasure hoard hidden deep within the Gotham County catacombs. A treasure whose whereabouts are known only to the Black Pirate.
As the pirates and captives begin their journey into the caves of Gotham, the young man taken hostage begins to impart his knowledge of the cave’s booby traps to the group. Solely on the names of the obstacles, Bruce is able to instinctively escape their mortal danger.
The story abruptly cuts to current day continuity and the discovery of Batman’s cape and cowl deep within Bludhaven’s Command D. This would appear to be a direct nod to BATMAN #701-2 where Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel re-team to tell the exciting 2-part, untold tale of Bruce Wayne and his adventures between BATMAN R.I.P. and FINAL CRISIS. This scene also references Superman following Bruce to the “end of time,” which we saw in issue #2 of this series. If one were interested, the further adventure of time-traveling Superman can be followed in a “companion” limited series to THE RETURN in July called TIME MASTERS: VANISHING POINT. In which a group of DC’s heroes accompanies Superman on a mission to find Batman.
Eventually, Jack Loggins reveals himself to Bruce as the mythical Black Pirate and presents Bruce with his signature cloak. Bruce is able to momentarily escape and with the aid of his new cloak, some bats, and the remaining Miagani tribesman living within the caves, kick some serious pirate booty. The revelation that the Miagani have preserved Batman’s costume sparks some memories within Bruce. He is becoming more aware of his past and what to expect in the future. He also imparts this knowledge on the young Jack Loggins who will eventually place his transcribed memories into a small casket adorned with a bat symbol. This is a reoccurring story thread that will surely play a significant part in future issues.
As in the previous two issues of the series, the book closes with a glimpse into what the immediate future has in store for Bruce Wayne. It appears as though he’ll be facing off with DC Comics’ iconic bounty hunter Jonah Hex. The final page features a Batman riding horseback and donning his signature utility belt. And most importantly, true to his staunch beliefs…no sidearm.
The only negative mark against this issue is a quick comment from Damien to the “new” Batman…”Don’t we need to get back to the Joker?” My guess is that the confusion this line caused me is a result of scheduling. With the Joker laying low since BATMAN R.I.P., I have to assume that this is related to BATMAN AND ROBIN #13 which has been delayed in shipping. But it’s clear that the genius mind of Grant Morrison has created a hearty circulatory system of stories that runs throughout BATMAN R.I.P., FINAL CRISIS, BATMAN AND ROBIN and THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE resulting in an epic tale with a life of its own.
The illustrations featured in this book are simply stunning. Andy Kubert unquestionably continues his mastery of the cover art duties in this series with aplomb. His image of a swashbuckling Batman is not only suitable for framing but worthy of mounting on human flesh and worshiping en masse. Often in comics, an awesome cover can castrate interior artwork and render it underwhelming. Not in this case however. I haven’t seen Yanick Paquette’s outstanding artwork since he last teamed with Grant Morrison on SEVEN SOLDIERS OF VICTORY. But perhaps that is just because he’s been working on THIS book ever since then. Paquette creates a hyper-detailed world of high-adventure that makes me wonder if artists working on subsequent issues will be able to measure up. Apparently, Dark Horse Comics’ artist Georges Jeanty has been named as a last-minute replacement penciler for long-time Morrison collaborator Cameron Stewart. I’m not familiar with Jeanty’s work, but a truncated work schedule combined with the high bar set by Paquette has my expectations for a Wild West Batman a little low.
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #3:
Reviewed by Hayesstronaut
After the dark, threatening close to Batgirl #10 this, the third of the four part 'The Flood' story-arc, opens with quite a different tone, and it's immediately clear not everything is as it at first seems …
Barbara Gordon wakes from her nights sleep with a bit of a start and sits up in her bed as Dick Grayson enters the room, gives her a kiss and urges her to get up and dressed. As her extended family relax, Barbara is racing around the kitchen preparing what appears to be a Thanksgiving dinner, accompanied by the sound of a complaining young Damian Wayne and the loving words and embrace of her father.
Throughout these scenes of happy family life Babs questions to herself what she's seeing, what she's feeling and as happy as she is she knows something is wrong. Moments later she's reminded of her friend Stephanie Brown and there's a somewhat familiar visitor to her front door …
Cutting to the Calculators compound, deep in Slaughter Swamp, we witness the motionless body of Barbara, laid out on an examination table, with the Calculator sat alongside her talking to the decomposing body of his late son Marvin.
Appreciating that Barbara may be the key to some of his unanswered questions, Calculator plugs himself into his own laboratory equipment that is in turn connected to Barbara with the intention of seeing or reading Babs thoughts.
Over at the Gotham Port Authority Stephanie Brown – Batgirl – has evaded capture by the massed ranks of Calculator's zombies and has been pursued by an equally 'possessed' Man-Bat. Out-running her assailant Steph takes a minute to catch her breath, only to find herself snagged by another familiar adversary – and this time it's Catwoman.
Acutely aware that her priority has to be to help Barbara and that time is not on their side, Steph draws on her inner strength, fights back and with a swift blow sends her opponent to the ground. As one 'zombie' danger is averted another appears – Huntress, or as Stephanie herself acknowledges '… questionable-morals-action-Huntress'!
As her next challenger steps forward Steph gets an unexpected incoming message over her comm unit – Wendy Harris, who we saw trapped at Firewall in the previous issue. While continuing to combat Huntress, Steph and Wendy clumsily, awkwardly, introduce one-another before we get a possible glimpse of Wendy's future as the young woman activates the surveillance functionality of the Firewall's computer, attempts to guide Steph to safety and then in turn traces Calculator's location.
While Wendy considers what else, if anything, she can do to help rescue Oracle, Stephanie has more immediate problems on her hands – she's been tracked by Man-Bat … surely she can't escape this time?
While Stephanie fights for her own safety we return to Barbara who is engaged in a fight of her own as she is confronted by the thoughts of Calculator. Set in a library housing Barbara's memories and experiences she fights to keep her intruder at a distance.
Returning to … well, returning to reality and as the rain gets heavier and the sky is lit by lightning and the sound of thunder we see the silhouette of Batgirl and Man-Bat fighting high above Gotham Harbor. Realizing that perhaps she's more than met her match on this occasion Stephanie looks for an escape when, again, the voice of Wendy Harris echos across the comm link. As Steph looks down on an airfield runway she's taken aback to see The Ricochet – a vehicle she's more than familiar with of course – piloted by none other than Wendy herself.
Having freed herself from the clutches of Man-Bat, Steph jumps to the ground where she's met by Wendy – and with hoards of zombies closing in on them Stephanie realizes they have only one option is they are to ensure their own safety and rescue Barbara …
Despite limited appearances throughout this issue, for me Barbara was undoubtedly the star of Batgirl #11. A real highlight in this issue were the Barbara 'dream' or 'thought' sequences – I find them difficult to describe so fully appreciate Bryan Q. Miller's vision and imagination to conceive and write these – particularly the chapter of this tale where Babs and Calculator fight over her thoughts and memories which I thought was possibly some of the best writing we've seen in this series to date.
What's absolutely clear to me is that Miller 'gets' Barbara – or perhaps I should say the Barbara he writes rings true for me: her strengths, her weaknesses, her fears, her ambitions and her regrets – as I say, some of the best writing I feel we've seen so far.
Personally I found the 'Batgirl versus Catwoman versus Huntress versus Man-Bat' scenes just a little drawn out although I concede that this gave us an opportunity to see Wendy Harris come to the fore and possibly give us a taste of things to come. To this point she's felt somewhat redundant amongst the supporting cast and, on the basis that the character is likely to around for a while I welcomed seeing her particular role developed.
On artwork duties we've again been spoiled to have such a talented team on the book. As I feel we saw with an earlier issue of Batgirl, having more than one artist work on an issue doesn't necessarily work but the respective styles of Lee Garbett and Pere Perez are uniquely different (if I'm right in suggesting that Garbett drew the first half of the book up to the Babs 'thoughts' sequence) and yet at the same time complementary. If indeed Perez is taking on art duties when Garbett moves on then I believe the book, and it's readers, are in safe hands. Returning to the 'dream' sequences for a moment, again credit must go to the artists for their respective interpretations – I particularly enjoyed Perez's portrayal of Babs in the library scene.
Furthermore, an acknowledgment is due also to Walden Wong for his bold sharp inks throughout the first half of the book and likewise to Guy Major for his sensitive coloring – most definitely a feature of his time on Batgirl. With another eye-catching, if in places little busy, cover from Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau creation of this book is truly a team effort.
Another hugely enjoyable adventure from the Batgirl creative team – this issue felt a little like the calm before the storm (no pun intended) that I'm expecting with the final part of this story-arc.
Batgirl #11:
Reviewed by Zaius
First off, let me state that I think that every Batman fan reading this that hasn’t read this issue yet should go out to their local comic shop and pick this issue up before they read this review because HEY, IT’S THE 700th ISSUE and it is quite the achievement, and for such a momentous occasion you shouldn’t read about it in a review and have it spoiled and thrown away on a quick read through on your computer screen. You need to hold the book in your hands, read it, soak in every word and panel presented, truly treasure the occasion and reflect on your own personal experience after it is done. So with that out of the way I will state that I will not spoil anything for you here, but I beg of you to PLEASE go out, buy it, and read it before you read this review. But what I will do here is give you a little insight to what is to be expected in these pages.
Messy is an understatement. Grant Morrison’s work on Batman #700, is what it is. A messy, garbled story of which we have no clue to what’s going on, but at the same time and in old Grant Morrison style it leaves the story up to the visual side of a complete and unquestioned whole that makes up what we love to read. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. All the hype about this specific issue aside, there is a coherent story there (of course) that begins, climaxes and ends all in one issue it transcends everything that I have expected and more. While sticking to a storyline, I can't help but feel that there is something more to this story. First, we start off with Bruce and Dick in the first story called “Yesterday” as Batman and Robin strapped to chairs in a maybe machine, a machine used to see what would happen if things turned out differently. We then see them surrounded by the Riddler, Mad Hatter, Cat Woman, and none other than the Joker. We then see Dick and Damian in the second story called “Today” taking up the positions previously stated, trying to stop an underground auction that is auctioning off weapons and other things. Finally we see Damian as Batman in the third story called “ Tomorrow” trying to stop a criminal named January from killing all the citizens of Gotham using an old yet familiar gas that makes people laugh. The end is the real kicker and will only be revealed when you read it.
I know, it sounds like none of these stories connect to each other, but they do through time travel and the consequences of actions which I must say weaves perfectly through a single twist of continuity and fate. While this issue and its content both visually and text wise offer a valuable story, I was expecting a little more from these pages action and story-wise even though the idea is there and makes it a wonderful read. Maybe it’s because DC, other Batman related websites and news stories hyped the hell out of it or because it falls short of the holy grail of content we’ve grown to expect from Grant Morrison. But I can’t help but feel that this issue would have been better if it was a one-shot. Which in a sense is somewhat true, the story could have been fleshed out a little more and it would not have been plagued by what had become a problem for Tony Daniels when he was the writer for the Batman series. While this issue is numbered within the Batman comic series, it is presented as a one-shot or something like it. Although I’m not quite sure if the events in this story will have any effect on other series such as Batman & Robin, I will state that I would like to see some of what is presented here in future issues or maybe a one-shot with the maybe machine being used again and acting as a plot device. This story/one-shot/whatever you want to call it takes us back to the past, to the current day and to the future….. Then further on in the future, and back to current day which like I‘ve said is pulled off and presented wonderfully, and most importantly in a smart, innovative way all the way to the end.
At the end of the issue there is bonus material in the form of artwork by artists that have worked on Batman in the past, while it is a hit or miss, Guillem March’s Joker art is something to be reckoned with, while Philip Tan’s Batman is also quite extraordinary and both I would recommend you take a peek at. The story, art, and bonus material is not only presented great here, but it also rings in and applauds the momentous occasion for what it is. This issue is the definition of a comic book and if there is any kind of redemption in this world, the 700th issue is it.
Like I’ve said before I think this story is much more than a typical run of the mill story. I think (besides the obvious examples that have been told in past issues) it’s a “passing of the torch or cowl” sort of story. With Bruce to Dick to Damian and so on and so forth. It’s an action or tragedy on a son who becomes a father who passes it on to his adopted son to another son to the future bearers kind of story. Because we don’t know who the future Batmen are and what their relationships are to who we already know I also think (while not directly stated or presumed) it’s a Father/Son story about those talks you had with your Father when you were a kid, and after all those years you look back and realize what your father was telling you, it was knowledge learned that we use to protect ourselves to fight for what we think is right, for what we think NEEDS to be right, to stand up for justice and the righteousness of what you think is the right thing to do . Everyone plays the part of the Batman no matter where you come from, no matter how you were raised, no matter what happened in your past. It’s a final confirmation that Batman is bigger than anything we can hold in our hands or that one person can fully grasp within a lifetime or perhaps will never be fully understood by any one human. Thus, there is a universal need for a wearer of the cowl to try to understand all the craziness and absurdity in this world to put together what it is that makes what’s right, right, and what’s wrong, wrong, and for the symbolic nature of an idea or philosophy to show all of humanity that there is some sort of greatness in every single thing we do, that there is goodness in the human soul, and finally but most importantly that there is hope in despair (all the while not fully understanding it at all), which in the end is what Batman stands for.
Overall, a great issue is all I can say. This is what I have been personally waiting for and Morrison delivers. As for the art Finch’s cover kind of echoes (dare I say) Jim Lee’s work. On the inside Tony Daniel’s pencils are top notch as they should be while Ian Hannin’s colors bring a grimness to an already grim scene. The other artists most notably Frank Quitely are all on par to deliver a great book. There are great things to look forward to in the future with the Batman series. With Morrison at the writers helm , who knows where we’re going?
Batman #700:
Reviewed by Dane
A Look at 700 Issues of Batman
Despite the title, we are not going to look at all 700 issues of Batman. Today marks a very rare occasion in comics. A comic book series makes it to seven hundred issues. Very few series can last that long, much less the character still stay interesting. Batman is obviously one of the more popular characters no matter what company's comics you read. Batman also has the current longest running series with Detective Comics. I want to take a look at some of the covers for issues over the years and give you a little history lesson.
Batman #1 came out in May 1940. At the time Batman was published quarterly. Batman was appearing in not only Detective Comics, but also his in a series named after himself. This cover has been copied and reimagined over time. The latest issue that paid homage to this was Batman #686 by Andy Kubert.
Batman #100 was released in June 1956. At this point the book was now bi-monthly. This issue is only a collection of the various issues that preceded it.
Batman #200 was released in March 1968. The issue again used a college of covers to celebrate the "Smash" issue. The issues were now coming out monthly and would continue to do so.
Batman #300, from June 1978, steps away from the group of covers to a unique cover that deals with a special story. Can the world survive without Batman? This is one of my personal favorite stories, because it takes the future of what could happen and let the readers believe what is possible. It gives the readers an idea of what lies ahead for our favorite characters that have had very little life changes over the past thirty years.
Batman #400 came out in October 1986. Comics were starting to become mainstream in the media. With the Superman films coming out years before, people were starting to pay more attention to the little books that they read as children. 1986 was a big year for Batman comics. It was only months after Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns was released. Batman: Year One was months away from coming out within the pages of Batman. A group of the biggest names in comic art were featured in the issue. It even had a introduction by Stephen King.
Batman #500 came out during the peak of comic collecting, October 1993. The Death of Superman came out and everyone was buying comics. It didn't matter if there were five different covers came out, you bought them all. Above is the special foil double cover. Foil covers were also huge at the time. Coincidently, this cover was drawn by the future head of Marvel, Joe Quesada. This issue took place in the middle of the Knightfall storyline, but they were still able to celebrate the achievement of five hundred issues.
Batman #600 was released in April 2002. This issue makes me a little upset. At the time, the story arc crossing the various titles was Bruce Wayne: Fugitive. Instead of even making it aware that it was a special issue, they pretended as if it was a normal accomplishment for comics to get to six hundred issues. The cover is nothing more than what we would find on a normal number issue.
Finally, we come to Batman #700. There will in fact be one cover, but also a variant for every 25 copies of the normal cover. The variant cover was drawn by Mike Mignola and is modeled off of Detective Comics #168. The normal cover was drawn by David Finch. DC takes us back to the time of anniversary issues with the over-sized issue. We will see all three Batmen that we have grown to know over time; Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Damian Wayne.
So whatever, anniversary issue you are most familiar with, be sure to head to the comic shops today and pick up the latest issue of Batman.
Posted by Dustin
The story begins with a tribe of cavemen who go by the name of The Deer Tribe and who upon discovering a space vehicle crashed wonder if its part of the sky that fell. They then notice a trail of footsteps leading from the capsule to a cave nearby. They wonder if the tracks belong to one of the “Shining Ones.” One of the cavemen says that if the Shining Ones come again then it is some sort of end. As they make their way to the cave one of them throw a rock into the cave causing bats to fly out from the cave. We then see Bruce Wayne emerge. The cavemen all speak in a form of broken English and Bruce talks in sentences where words are combined into one word.
One of the cavemen introduces himself as “Man” son of the “Old Man” and the youngest caveman is “Boy” the grandson of “Old Man” and the son of “Man” who is learning to be a Young Man. There is of course one caveman who is called Joker. Man, Boy, and Joker walk into the cave and find Old Man dead, as Bruce is walking out, utility belt in hand, to the space vehicle where he finds Superman’s cape, he then proceeds back to the cave.
Later on in the night, The Blood Mob attacks with their leader Vandal Savage. Bruce who acts on his pure instinct grabs Boy and hides him while he goes and fights. Both Man and Joker are killed while Bruce is captured and named “Man-God” by Savage. At the Blood Mob village Savage proclaims that he’s brought his village gifts from the forbidden land that he took from the Shining Ones and claims that he has defeated the Man-God just like he defeated a large bat beast as we see a cloak and bat head. Savage then says he will eat the Man-God as soon as the sun rises on the Man-God’s suffering. We then see Boy in a mask and wearing Bruce’s utility belt wielding a shield with a large bat symbol on it, he cuts Bruce from his restraints. Savage then wakes up and Bruce attacks using all of his gadgets to defeat him. As the mob runs after them Bruce and Boy jump off of a cliff and into a river.
We then cut to Superman, Hal Jordan, and Booster Gold next to the time sphere, Superman says that they just missed Bruce, as Hal says Bruce has no memory of who he is or what happened to him, while Booster Gold says that no one, not even Bruce could survive this. Superman replies by pointing out that that’s what Bruce does, Survive, while commenting that if Bruce survives this and makes his way back to the 21st Century on his own then everyone dies.
We then see Bruce in the water (Boy is gone), in a new era with a huge water monster behind him as a nameless woman says “Master Demon. Whatever you are. What horse is this you rode in on?”. Bruce holds a sword as the monster rises up.
With the Return of Bruce Wayne I have to admit I was hesitant to pick it up, one because I didn’t know how this time traveling thing would play out and two because I had been reading Batman & Robin (also by Grant Morrison) and I think Dick and Damian do a good job in their current respective roles. So when the first issue of The Return of Bruce Wayne had hit the stands I resisted it for 3 days. But curiosity got the best of me and I caved in and bought it.
When I got home I immediately started reading it. After my first read through I found it hard to read. It was confusing and served no purpose in telling the story of Bruce’s return, with a minor exception for the end. So I re-read it. Still didn’t get it. So I re-read it. Nothing. By the time I was about to start my fourth read through I had grown so frustrated with the content that I had to close the book, stand up and take a deep breath while I cleared my mind. Then out of nowhere I realized that the problem wasn’t the content or Grant Morrison’s writing, it was me. I had been thinking about what I know and what SHOULD happen in the strict terms of this story.
The foundation of this issue isn’t the basis for anything except your own mind. Bruce Wayne/Batman as a whole or absolute system or as we know him isn’t what we think he will be after all of our readership. All these thoughts and ideas we have created for him in our own minds that bring him to a whole is subtly broken down and laid on the floor in front of us as we open to the first page of this issue. By that I mean (now strictly hypothetically speaking), Grant Morrison’s Bruce Wayne/Batman is a brand new forging, forged not by him but by us. There is no need to refer to our Year One’s or whatever back issue you want to throw out there that defined Batman as you, yourself know him, it is already within you stirring and mixing the old and the new in your mind as you read these brand new pages. Morrison creates this “new” Batman by starting off in the middle of nowhere, with no back-story as to how we got here, erasing Bruce’s memory, by breaking our understanding of the English language, and most importantly by letting the pictures tell the story. The pictures serve as an emotional narrative that we use to forge our new memories of the Dark Knight. We can refer to our memories as children or as adults reading our eyes out gathering all this random information to (in our minds) not have these random pieces of information scattered all about but to put these pieces together to create Batman as we see him in our minds eye. What Grant Morrison does is break down this Batman and scatter all these pieces of information so that its laid out in front of you as brand new thoughts and ideas, but as he does this He’s building a new Batman using our memories. Batman will never be the same as we let go of the old one and let in the new one as you now see him. Grant Morrison not only helped break down and rebuild our image of Batman, he started anew, building the Dark Knight from the ground up not by forcing his hand or convincing us or saying this is your Batman, this is your ideas, and thoughts, and feelings but by simply showing us the door.
All in all, great issue. The art looked like a throwback to the older days of Batman while hinting at a new style or direction which only enhances the experience. Not really recommended to the newer reader but highly recommended to all of us who have been with Batman for all these years.
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #1:
Reviewed by Dane
Grant Morrison’s second act of his fourth story arc in the highly entertaining series that continues to shock the fan based with high energy and twists and turns around every corner has come out. The series continues to pick up momentum and Andy Clarke’s artwork does a consistent and satisfying job.
With issue #11, Morrison continues to craft a story full of hints and symbolism. He wants the reader to read between the panels. Morrison also does a terrific job of keeping the reader in check, he continues to reference previous issues in his run on Batman which really rewards the reader who has been knee-deep in Morrison’s run on the character. The issue is splits between Dick continuing to travel through the newly discovered underground graveyard, while Damian joins forces with Oberton Sexton to fight off the attack of the 99 fiends sent by the evil Doctor Hurt. The key to the success of these transitions is that Morrison uses Alfred as the bridge between the two. While Alfred continues to help Dick solve the riddles to the Wayne family, he keeps a close eye on Damian down in the graveyard. The one downfall in the issue is the continuing of Talia’s sporadic control over Damian via the spinal link. I just feel this makes everything more difficult and is unnecessary. However, Morrison incorporates the Dick and Deathstroke relationship that somewhat redeems this rather irritating plot point.
Morrison also brings in the question; who is Oberton Sexton? I will refrain from making a prediction, but I will say, expect the unexpected. Morrison always seems to lead the reader one way and then throw them a curve ball, leading you into a completely different direction. It is one of the techniques that makes him such a fantastic storyteller.
One top of Morrison’s finely penned story, Andy Clarke does a solid job of bringing the script the visual page. While he is no Frank Quitely or Cameron Stewart, there is something simple and refreshing about his style. In a story that is full of complications, his easy going pencils seem to keep you in tune with the epic story at hand. I also feel that Clarke feeds off of Morrison fairly well. The two continue to tell a fast-paced and entertaining story, and that’s what really matters, doesn’t it?
Overall, I think Batman and Robin is continuing in the right direction. The book keeps my curiosity and intrigue like no other current Batman title on the shelves today. Pushing all the mysteries and different possible conspiracies, this is just fun comic and anyone who loves Batman, will enjoy this.
Batman and Robin #11:
Reviewed by Zfactor
Batman and Robin #10 scratches the itch that comic fans like me do not like to talk about. A set up issue, that is genuinely interesting, and is enjoyable in its own right. The title of Andy Clarke’s run on Batman and Robin is known as Batman vs. Robin, and we get a nice set up of that here, along with set up for the return of Bruce Wayne.
The issue is based all around Damien finally being comfortable being a member of the Bat-Family, and actually admitting to his own mother, that maybe he likes being a good guy. Unfortunately for Damien, the wheels are now in motion for the return of Bruce Wayne, and of course, his tenure as the boy wonder is in the air. The issue is filled with interesting twists and turns that set you up not only for the next issue of Batman and Robin, but also the twice monthly six issue mini-series, Batmam: The Return of Bruce Wayne.
This issue is the definition of a set up issue, however, like I have said, this is a set up issue done right. We get reasoning behind what is going right now, along with the story tying up a loose end from the end of Batman R.I.P. Morrison is finally pulling in the net for the return of Bruce Wayne, and although I am happy with Dick and Damien as Batman and Robin right now, he has got me very interested in how this story turns out.
The art here is great; Andy Clarke seems to be following the lead of Cameron Stewart and Phillip Tan before him. It seems like Andy Clarke trying to bring an amalgamation of his own style into the set tone the Frank Quitely brought to the first three issues of the series.
Although this is a short review for Batman and Robin #10, seeing as I do not want to spoil the plot, as it is so marvelously convoluted that the only way to work it all out, are to be in Morrison’s mind, or read the issue for yourself. And rather than get lost in the insanity that is the mind of Grant Morrison, I recommend just picking this issue up.
Batman and Robin #10:
Reviewed by Suavestar
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