After a little disappointment with issue #3 the latest issue of Birds of Prey – issue #4, the forth and final part of the Endrun story-arc – felt much more satisfying.
'Impact Fracture' opens with a prologue set 19 years ago along the Silk Road of Asia. As thunder cracks and lightning illuminates the night sky an old man stands alone in the rain.
From a house behind him cries of help can be heard as the old man looks to dismiss a woman who is seeking his attention – it appears the cries come from a woman who has recently given birth: to a girl. On hearing the sex of the infant the old man instructs the woman to dispose of the child as, he explains, he is allowed only sons.
As the woman carries the child from the house she is struck by a tremendous bolt of lightning, killing her – but remarkably not the baby – instantly. Perhaps sensing that the baby is destined to live the old man instructs a younger boy – known as Rabbit – to take responsibility for the girl, adding ominously that 'her training begins tomorrow'.
Returning to current day and we find Black Canary face to face with White Canary on a city center roof-top – where we left issue #3. Black Canary – Dinah Lance – reveals that she has figured out the true identity of her adversary as the two are about to engage in combat. As each woman lands blow upon blow on each other Dinah taunts her opponent that she once took on and conquered her 12 brothers – a remark that initially appears to merely inspire White Canary to hit back harder and with greater frequency.
Elsewhere, we find Oracle – Barbara Gordon – at the mercy of Brian Durlin – Savant. Trapped in her wheelchair on the edge of a viaduct Barbara pleads with Savant not to take another step as she finds herself precariously close to the edge. Savant is out of his mind explaining that he'd been tortured by Calculator's men because he simply was working for Barbara. Aleksandr Creote, explains that his partner Savant has lost the ability to judge time – he can't tell the difference between yesterday and ten years ago. Every day for the past two years he has relived the experience of being tortured – and make no mistake he blames Oracle.
Returning to the city and White Canary stands victorious over a grounded Dinah – declaring that her family were shamed by Black Canary and after she's watched Penguin – Oswald Cobblepot – kill Huntress, Lady Blackhawk, Hawk and Dove she would one day return to kill others close to Dinah. With her back turned and climbing a ladder off the roof top Black Canary seizes her moment and lets fly with her trademark sonic scream sending White Canary, and half the building structure, flying.
Across the city Penguin, who we thought was leading the remaining Birds to safety, turns his attention to Lady Blackhawk – Zinda Blake – and stabs her with a blade concealed within his umbrella. Immediately on the offensive Huntress – Helena Bertinelli – pulls out her crossbow and threatens her friends' assailant. Resisting the threat Penguin declares that the injured woman 'might' make it hospital if everyone follows his instructions and waits for his partners – White Canary and Savant – to join them. Penguin goes on to explain that his goal – power of course – will be his once he has Savant's detailed personnel files.
As Black and White Canary again come face to face we are reminded that Black Canary's previous encounter with White Canary's brothers – known as the Twelve Brothers in Silk – ended in defeat for the brothers and, in the eyes of White Canary shame: such shame in fact that White Canary hunted each of her brothers down one by one and killed each of them.
Back on the edge of the viaduct Barbara and Savant continue their conversation – a conversation about trust and about faith. Overcome by the memories of his experiences Savant himself moves closer to the edge and before bidding Barbara farewell, he steps off the bridge. Barbara pushes herself from her chair and manages to grab hold of the mans hand. As Savant pleads to be released Babs realizes that she can't hold him and pleads with Creote for help.
With White Canary apparently getting the better of their fight she taunts Black Canary that she'll shortly take the lives of people close to Dinah – hearing a role-call of loved-ones names Black Canary snaps as she hears Sin, described as the child she abandoned, on the long list as the two women crash through a large window and fall to ground.
As Lady Blackhawk lies injured under the maniacal gaze of Penguin, Hawk – Hank Hall – senses that he's dying of the wounds he sustained earlier from White Canary's blade and pleads with Dove – Dawn Granger – to cremate him, not to let them bring him back from the dead again.
As Black and White Canary reach street level their fall is broken by a camper van and the two lie stationary but alive.
Overwhelmed by circumstance the usually peaceful Dove turns her attention to Penguin and punches him to the ground and unconscious. Seizing their opportunity she and Huntress gather up their friends and head for the hospital.
After some time refusing to help Barbara save his partner's life Creote relents and reaches down to grasp Savant's hand – pulling him back to safety.
With her plan in pieces White Canary regains consciousness only to find herself captured and bound by a relieved Black Canary. With the threat of the young woman now apparently neutralized Black Canary asks her prisoner whether she did indeed kill the kidnapper Gregory Chasco.
To Dinah's great surprise White Canary reveals that the killer was none other than Shiva … and offers to team up to defeat her.
As I say, this felt much more like the quality of the first couple of issues of Birds of Prey and an altogether much more enjoyable read than the previous issue.
One of the things I'm enjoying about this relaunched series is the feeling of real depth to the individual characters and their back story. I've read and enjoyed a number of the older Birds of Prey stories and yet at no time do I feel like I'm 'missing something' when the story touches on events that I'm not familiar with – the book appears to be ideally suited to both new and old readers alike.
The reveal of the true identity of White Canary was, I must say, something of a surprise to me and I like that we're being introduced to a new character, albeit one with a connected history. I'd have liked it even more if she were given a 'real' name, other than 'Sister in Silk'.
I can't say I'm particularly familiar with the 'Twelve Brothers' story references in this issue although I'm looking forward to finding out more – by the same token I'm confident that everything I need to know has and will be referenced through the pages of this title.
The prologue was an unexpected and enjoyable feature of the story-telling in this issue and, towards the climax of the book, I enjoyed how the story cut rapidly from location to location leaving me with a sense of confusion at times – and I mean that in an entirely positive way!
I was a little surprised by Huntress's reaction to Zinda's stabbing. Would she really be able to hold herself back? And if she could would she then wait around on Penguin's terms or would she, as I suspect, take matters into her own hands, 'take care' of Penguin and get her friend to hospital.
The art on this book has, by and large, been superb and this issue continues that trend with a magnificent cover by Alina Urusov (which I'd love to see as a poster) and some great interior art from Ed Benes, Adriano Melo, J.P. Mayer and, again, colourist Nei Ruffino. As nice as it was the interior art did lack a little consistency at times I felt, notably the scenes on the viaduct with Barbara, Savant and Creote, that jolted me out of the moment and interrupted what was, until that point, an engrossing read.
In summary, four issues in and Birds of Prey is already proving to be one of my must read and most looked-forward to titles each month. We've had some great covers, superb 'cinematic' story-telling and wonderful interior art.
There's been plenty in this series so far for the long-time reader and equally plenty for the new or just occasional reader: and I don't want to underestimate just how difficult a line that must be to tread.
If you're already picking up Birds of Prey then you'll know where I'm coming from – if you're not then take my recommendation and pick it up, I don't believe you'll regret it.
Birds of Prey #4:
Reviewed by Zaius
The first story-arc of the returning Birds of Prey series continues with part 3 of the 4 part 'Endrun: Whistling Past the Gravestones'.
Opening at The Iceberg Lounge the Birds, minus Hawk!, are being very … 'attentive' towards Penguins – it seems that Black Canary, Huntress, Lady Blackhawk and Dove are prepared to go to fantastic lengths to please Oswald Cobblepot.
As quickly as we've began to comprehend the behavior of the women we discover that 'fantastic' is indeed the right word – we are witnessing one of Cobblepot's dreams, brought on perhaps as a result of blood lost during his earlier assault. In reality, as the women look on with a sense of disgust and, in Dove's case concern, Hawk keeps watch over the street from a nearby window.
Realizing that it's only a matter of time before their whereabouts is discovered, Black Canary – Dinah Lance – contacts Oracle to discuss the groups next move. Oracle – Barbara Gordon, who is at this time back at base and ready to help the group move to a safe location – advises that she's spotted their pursuer – the mysterious White Canary – elsewhere in the city and sounds a word of caution.
Lamenting the situation they find themselves in Black Canary asks whether Oracle has any news on how Gregory Chasco – the kidnapper that she apprehended in Iceland – could possible have ended up dead several days later. As Oracle reveals what she has been able to learn from the authorities Dinah very quickly begins to feel like she's been set up …
As Dinah ponders her situation Barbara goes on to explain that both Savant and Creote are now dead – information that Dinah finds very hard to process and understand.
Elsewhere in the club, Hawk and Lady Blackhawk are discussing how on earth White Canary was able to piece Hawk's skin with a blade – just as an armored tank crashes through the wall and sends them diving for cover.
As the Birds scatter to evade the hail of bullets delivered by the ensuing rogue police officers Barbara discovers that her computer network connection has crashed leaving her powerless to help her friends. At first puzzled by how security could have been breached she reaches a frightening conclusion – she's not alone in the Batcave. Hearing a voice behind her Babs turns and discovers she has unwelcome, and unexpected, company … Savant and Creote!
Back in the Iceberg Lounge Dove realizes that as a 1920's or 1930's 'speakeasy' there ought to be a secret way out of the club. As Penguin's health takes a turn for the worse he mumbles a line about being a mermaid in the desert – a comment Hawk takes to mean that Penguin doesn't belong where he is, something he feels he can relate to.
As the onslaught continues Dinah realizes that she has lost her comm link with Oracle and as she considers that things can't surely get any worse – a second tank arrives! Undeterred, Hawk jumps up and disables the vehicle … as an all too familiar weapon – White Canary's hair blade – flies through the air and for the second time downs Hawk.
Reverting to his 'civilian' identity Hawk – Hank Hall – falls to the ground and lies motionless before his associates. Removing the hair blade Black Canary notices that there's a word written on an attached ribbon – 'Choose'. Immediately Black Canary relates this to the threat from White Canary that one of the team – or someone they know and love – will die every hour.
Returning to the Batcave we discover Barbara threatened and at gunpoint by Savant and Creote. Lifting Barbara from her chair and carrying her to their vehicle Savant explains how they faked their deaths and in turn breached security protocols. As Babs questions the duos motives and objectives she's understandably alarmed to discover that it's only a matter of time before her true identity is revealed to the world and only then would they put an end to their 'mutual pain'.
In the meantime, across the city Black Canary, Lady Blackhawk and Huntress are weighing up their options – and perhaps realizing that those options are limited. Focusing on getting Penguin and Hawk to the hospital Dinah decides that she – and in turn the other team members if necessary – have to go after White Canary and stop her.
Ignoring Huntress's uncharacteristic advice that she take an initially low key approach Black Canary tracks down and confronts White Canary on a roof top overlooking their temporary hide-out. As the women exchange blows Black Canary continues to try to figure out her opponents identity – piecing together both verbal and physical clues she comes to a realization that she does indeed know the identity of her new foe.
I thought this was a very enjoyable read although, for me, not the strongest issue since the series relaunch. On the whole I'm enjoying the pace that the story is being told at – three issues in and I feel like we've seen a lot of story told across those pages. I'm particularly enjoying reading the interaction between the various team members and I'm appreciating the Black Canary/Huntress relationship at the moment. The 'who is White Canary?' teaser has got me hooked and, while I'm carefully trying to avoid reading spoilers, I'm certainly eager to discover her identity (if I haven't already!).
I didn't particularly enjoy the opening pages of this book: I'm referring to the scenes from Penguin's dreams. As beautifully illustrated as they were the theme – the Birds acting-out Penguin's fantasies – felt rather … gratuitous, unnecessary.
I was surprised by the return of Creote and Savant and, to be honest, a bit disappointed to see them back – nothing against the characters themselves but, while I'm not in principle opposed to characters dieing and then returning at a later date, it's only felt like 5 minutes ago we first learnt of their deaths. As with the scenes in the opening pages I'm willing to accept that there's a twist to come here that I'm not currently seeing perhaps.
As I've already said, the artwork throughout this book is superb: fantastic detail in the pencils – in their portrayal of the central figures, particularly Barbara Gordon, Benes and Melo have captured a familiar and yet fresh look I feel – glorious bold inks and, not to be underestimated, superb coloring throughout: very much the style of artwork that I enjoy.
For once I wasn't overly keen on this issues cover – I felt Cliff Chiang's illustration was just a little too 'cartoony' for my liking and somewhat at odds with the style of the rest of the book.
In many ways, this issue felt like what it is … a 'middle issue' of sorts. Was I a little disappointed? Yes, I was. The quality of the first 2 issues was such that this didn't quite reach those heights for me.
That said, I certainly enjoyed the book and I'm very much looking forward to picking up issue #4 next month for the conclusion of 'Birds of Prey: Endrun'.
Birds of Prey #3:
Reviewed by Zaius
Following my enjoyment of the first issue of the relaunched Birds of Prey series – not to mention the critical acclaim that the issue received – I had extremely high expectations when I picked up and started reading issue #2: not only were my expectations met they were most definitely exceeded.
Picking up where issue #1 left off, 'Endrun', part two of this four part story-arc, opens up in the Gotham City retail district, where Dinah and Helena – Black Canary and Huntress – have, for the first time, encountered their new adversary: White Canary.
With The Penguin lying injured and covered in his own blood the two women take stock of their situation and deduce that the only way to stop this mysterious woman might be to 'take her down' with them – music to Huntress's ears as you can imagine.
With help on its way, courtesy of Barbara Gordon – Oracle – over the comm link Black Canary and Huntress realize that the time for talking is over and engage their target. As they deliver blow upon blow the women don't appear to be making any sort of impression – indeed White Canary takes it all in her stride and counters their moves effortlessly until …
Momentarily distracted, Huntress seizes the moment, leaps at White Canary and, temporarily at least, disables her as Black Canary, losing control of her emotions, reigns down punch after punch until Zinda – Lady Blackhawk – arrives on the scene along with Hawk and Dove – Hank Hall and Dawn Grainger. At this point it's then the Birds time to be distracted as White Canary wrestles free from Huntress's grasp and, in turn, neatly evades Hawk's attack.
Back at the base, Barbara, still monitoring events via the comm link, picks up a story on a television news channel that Gregory Chasco – the villain featured at the beginning of Birds of Prey #1 – had died as the reporter goes on to say that Chasco's fatal wounds were as a result of Black Canary's actions. Furthermore, the reporter goes on to say, the channel had exclusive live footage of the 'vigilante' – Black Canary – at large on the Gotham City streets.
Aware that the police were on their way and realizing that the situation was getting way out of hand Barbara orders Black Canary and the team to stop fighting and leave the area as quickly as they can. With the authorities closing in on the scene White Canary herself realizes it's time to move on – but not before delivering a chilling warning – 'one of you will die every hour for the next six hours …'.
Outnumbered and surrounded by armed police officers there's a decision to be made – fight or flight? Unsurprisingly for a group that includes Hawk and Huntress, Black Canary chooses to fight and, as the officers open fire, the Birds respond with their own brand of non-lethal force. As the fighting intensifies a police helicopter opens fire sending Dinah and Zinda scurrying to avoid the flurry of bullets.
Apparently less concerned for his own safety Hawk watches on momentarily before taking action – sending the helicopter and its crew crashing to the ground.
Watching the events play-out on the television news channel Barbara is becoming increasingly alarmed at what's unfolding as details are revealed of Black Canary's ties to former Star City Mayor Oliver Queen who himself, the viewers are reminded, has a dark past. While still trying to make sense of events, Oracle receives a communication from a familiar source – Aleksandr Creote. A distressed Creote reveals that he and Savant – Brian Durlan – had come under attack from a woman saying that their association with the Birds meant they themselves were guilty.
Revealing to Oracle that Savant had died in the attack, and that he considers her responsible, Creote – in a genuinely shocking scene – takes his own life.
Returning to the alleyways of Gotham City, the Birds are making their way to the safety of Penguins Iceberg Lounge nightclub when they come across a television set broadcasting the evenings news feed. To Black Canary's horror the broadcast reveals not only her civilian identity and more details of her personal life but also claims that she abandoned a young Asian girl whom she'd planned to adopt when the child proved 'inconvenient'.
The issue closes with Barbara trying to come to terms with events and realizing that the strengths of the Birds – 'Canary's fists, my brain' – are being used as weapons against them: and it's now time to fight back.
As I said at the start of my review, this was a really enjoyable read that gave me everything I ask for from a comic book: the story was well paced, the art is simply fantastic, there was action aplenty, a little comedy – I like 'comedy', I don't enjoy 'silliness!' – there were acknowledgments to previous Birds legacy as well as a cast of characters with tremendous strengths that are occasionally also their weaknesses.
Regular readers will know that I'm not generally a fan of the long fight sequences often found in comics and I'll be the first to acknowledge that about a third of this issue is exactly that. However, on this occasion it seems to work for me and I think this is down to a number of factors.
Firstly, the pacing of Gail Simone's script which sees never more than a couple of pages of 'punches and kicks' before the pace changes and we, the reader, are able to catch our breath as the characters lick their wounds, consider their options and plan their next move.
Secondly, Ed Benes's page layouts are every bit as enjoyable and engaging as his illustrations. I'm sure we knew that Ed Benes is a talented artist – although I can't help but feel he's getting stronger all the while – and what's particularly caught my eye have been the panel layouts which, for me at least, give the pages a real sense of chaos, energy and excitement – if you've got a copy in front of you check out pages four to eight for an example of what I'm referring to.
As the story progresses I found myself enjoying – perhaps appreciating would be a better word – how Dinah's state changes: from plain aggression in the opening pages through resignation when confronted by armed police officers to the anguish she feels and exhibits when her identity and personal relationships are exposed on television: all perfectly captured by her varying facial expressions.
Likewise, with Barbara during and following the video call from Creote we saw, I think, the reactions of a young woman normally so used to being in control of events suddenly gripped with a realization that these particular events were beyond even her control – for now at least.
Moreover, every character in this book was a joy to behold – Huntress's thirst for action, Zinda's charming 1940s dialogue, Dove's compassion, Hawk being … well Hawk being Hawk! Returning to the comedy I mentioned previously, I enjoyed that Penguin was so immediately smitten with Dove … his reactions and comments when Dove showed him just how compassionate she is really did make me smile.
I've so far done a pretty good job of avoiding the 'who is White Canary?' speculation and I'm not going to add to it here. I've got a few ideas – one or two I'd like to believe could be true and one or two I'm hoping not.
What I do know is that Birds of Prey has returned in strength and quickly established itself amongst my favorite monthly books.
An excellent read – I cannot wait for the next installment.
Birds of Prey #2:
Reviewed by Zaius
I'd been looking forward to reading this book since it was first announced that the title was being relaunched and I'm pleased to report that my expectations were not only met but exceeded.
As a 'first issue' (of sorts) this book worked really well I thought: plenty for the long-time, committed reader while at the same time accessible and inviting for the new reader – of which there will be many I am sure.
Our story begins out on the frozen snowfields of Iceland as a lone snow-mobile makes its way towards a group of pick-up trucks and hooded, and armed, men. Standing out amongst the group one man is wearing a bright red jacket and he has a small child alongside him.
As the snow-mobile reaches it's destination the driver, a young woman, approaches the group and explains that she's brought the money – her part of the bargain – and she'd like to see the boss. The boss is the man in red, named Chasco, and the young child is a 5-year old girl called Katy, the daughter of diplomats.
Aware of the woman's identity – Dinah Lance otherwise known as Black Canary – Chasco explains that while the money is for the local man he, an American, has his own demands. Dinah's priority, however, is the young girl who she knows has a serious medical condition and needs hospital treatment immediately.
Chasco, still holding a handgun to the girls head, explains that he wants Katy's parents to hold a press conference where they should apologize for what he considers to be their war crimes and then … they should commit suicide live on-air. Then and only then will he release the girl.
Realizing that they've passed the point of no return Dinah makes a familiar gesture with her hands and, in the few seconds before the thugs realize what's happening, is joined by Zinda Blake – Lady Blackhawk – providing air-support.
With the men under fire Dinah focuses her attention on Chasco, and Katy of course, and with a series of swift blows disarms the man and knocks him to the ground. Amid the chaos young Katy has also been knocked from her feet and is lying perilously close to the edge of an ice-shelf that could collapse at any minute …
Despite being grounded Chasco has been able to recover his weapon and has young child in his sights – with his finger on the trigger Dinah has to act quickly as she let's out a trademark sonic scream, races to gather Katy just as the ice shelf cracks, leaps into the air and manages to grab hold of the waiting helicopter. Mission accomplished.
Later on, while waiting at a city hospital Dinah and Zinda receive a very unexpected call … it's none other than 'the world's premiere infojock' Barbara Gordon – Oracle – on the line from the Batcave: it's time to get the team back together. With Dinah and Zinda on board Babs turns her attention to the next member of the team: Helena Bertinelli – Huntress.
Across town, on the nice side of Gotham we are told, Hank Hall and Dawn Granger – Hawk and Dove – have engaged with a street gang known as 'The Sick Cheerleaders'. Armed and extremely dangerous the cheerleaders give as good as they take until Hawk disarms one female member of the gang and hangs her over the edge of a bridge. Fearing that Hawk is at this point out of control Dove urges her partner to release the girl – which he does but not without a chilling declaration – 'God wants a soldier'.
Later that same evening, across town in a Gotham City 'drinkin' bar' an old man is drinking alone at the bar talking to whoever will listen – at this time that whoever is the aforementioned Hank Hall and the the bar keeper, a young woman called Molly. In the corner of the bar, at this point in the company of Zinda, is a pensive Dawn Grainger – Hank is on a destructive, possibly even self-destructive path, and it's understandably worrying her – after all, he is her responsibility.
Elsewhere, Barbara, Dinah and Helena are discussing the events that have brought them back together after all this time – Babs has been sent a series of files containing sensitive, and damaging, information about people close to them including The Riddler, Power Girl … and the Birds themselves. Along with the files came a threat: each hour somebody featured in the files will die and if the Birds don't try to stop it then the information will be published for all to see.
As the three women try to understand why the threat involves them and speculate who might be behind the plan Helena realizes that they are being summoned …
High up on a city center rooftop we find none other than Oswald Cobblepot – The Penguin – under attack and pleading for his life. Standing tall in front of him, we see the outline of a mysterious female figure. With The Penguin now on the offensive (hasn't he always been pretty offensive?!) Black Canary and Huntress step in, tell The Penguin to step aside and leave things to them.
As a fight begins there's speculation as to who the mysterious woman is … Cassandra Cain? Shiva Woosan? Despite holding a numerical advantage Black Canary and Huntress prove no match for their assailant who, with the women grounded, turns her attention to The Penguin.
Desperate for news Barbara pleads with her friends over the comms link for an update – Black Canary and Huntress are down, Cobblepot is dying as the mystery figure is revealed as … The White Canary.
As I say, I had high expectations ahead of reading the book and often when that's the case I can end up feeling just a little disappointed – thankfully, and most definitely, not on this occasion.
I'd anticipated this first issue to be more like a zero issue, largely concerned with establishing – or even reestablishing – the characters so therefore it was a treat to discover so much story within the pages: so much so that I later found myself counting the pages just to see if this was a larger than usual issue (24 in case you were wondering).
The opening scenes of the story, set as they were in the snow-fields of Iceland, made for a great new beginning – atmospheric and chilling (no pun intended!) every panel filled with danger and excitement – and served as a timely reminder of the strengths of the 'Birds'.
From front cover to the last page reveal the art – Ed Benes so well complimented by colorist Nei Ruffino – was absolutely glorious. I'd expected great art but what we got again far exceeded my expectations: the attention detail, imaginative page layouts, the amount of depth to the panels themselves, the rich colors throughout … absolutely superb.
It seems almost superfluous to comment on just how real, how genuine, the dialogue and narration felt. For many, myself included I believe, Gail Simone writes THE definitive Birds of Prey and as such the voice with which she wrote the characters in this issue is very much the voice I hear when I read.
All of this and a puzzling, intriguing new villain who I'm looking forward to finding out more about … what more could one ask for?
Reading this issue felt very much like being reunited with an old friend – there was familiarity, my read felt at first challenging and became more comfortable, there was an opportunity for reminiscence and there was a realisation that life had moved on and that things will never be what they once were, and neither should they be.
Birds of Prey – it's good to have you back.
Birds of Prey #1:
Reviewed by Zaius
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
Synopsis: Aquaman takes the family, Mera and Jr. for a road trip vacation but not without a little side action hero’s style along the way.
The teasers reveals Batman pairing up with the World War I fighter pilot “Enemy Ace” to take on an alien monster who’s helping the enemy with the aid of a laser type cannon.
Holiday rooooooooooad. It’s Aquaman meets the Griswold’s as the family of 3 hits the road RV style for some long overdue R & R. This episode follows the family across land as they try some time away from the crime fighting life but not if Aquaman can help it. Each stop his itching for getting some bad guys grows more and more. Along the trip he encounters and aids the likes of Green Arrow, Blue Beetle, and of course the Caped Crusader all while trying to keep it hush hush with his wife Mera. In the end the king of the ocean must take on the (so to speak) flightless bird the Penguin (his first appearance in BTBTB) in the risk of his family, Batman, and his own demise! Over all a very fun episode, I would have liked to see Flash, or even Superman thrown in. They did show Smallville on the map as they were trotting around the country, so maybe the Man of Steel is in things to come? A couple observations; Aquaman in BTBTB reminds of me of Kelsey Grammar as “Frasier”, anyone see the resemblance? And I did notice one throwback to the 1983 cult classic National Lampoons Vacation “Windows up!” All in all a great episode and great quality of a story!!
BTBTB: Aquaman's Outrageous Adventure:
Reviewed by rhine1784
MTV posted a new video today. They talked with Danny Devito about his role in Batman Returns. Nothing newsworthy, but interesting nonetheless.
Posted by Dustin
On a day where there was no new news, Tony Daniel posted up a little info about Batman #694. Here is what he had to say:
Batman 694 is being wrapped up. 695 is half done, but I wish I was a little further along. Lots of people are speculating on people like Penguin, Riddler, Helena…that's good. Will everything be answered right away? Heck no. Am I going to have fun with these developments? Heck yeah!
Posted by Dustin
The story opens in Amsterdam (don’t you wish you had Tim Drakes frequent flyer miles?) with Red Robin in hot pursuit of the Walewein Motorcycle gang. As we find out later the gang has something that is very important to Tim. As Tim engages the gang he finds himself severely outnumbered and about to be run down. Suddenly the attacker’s bike disintegrates and Tim easily subdues the assailant. This serves as the introduction to Chris Kent aka “Nightwing”. In a nice panel Chris is shown hovering above Tim with a full moon looming behind him. An effective use of perspective. Throughout this story the pencils by Julian Lopez, ably assisted by “Bit” with inks, gives us a mature if not noir-ish look as opposed to the cover of the book which lent itself to more of a Sunday morning comic aesthetic.
The story quickly shifts to Gotham City where the top hatted terror known as the Penguin is shown to be in possession of the Flamebird, the other half of the “mythical” Nightwing and Flamebird duo. This story is written by Sterling Gates and as we shift back to Chris and Tim the story is given over to some dry exposition that dilutes the tempo just a tad. Chris catches Tim (and the reading audience) up on his origin, what’s happened to Flamebird and pleads to Tim for help. Tim tells Chris (and us) he’s too busy to help people and that he is on a mission from God (oops, sorry, that’s Blues Brothers). But Tim quickly relents and agrees to help Chris when he finds out that either Earth or New Krypton will be destroyed. But the real clincher was when he learned that Nightwing loves Flamebird, “with all his heart.” Phew! Good thing for both planets that Tim is a romantic.
Back to Gotham we go. (Maybe Tim can use his mountain of frequent flyer miles to “time” travel and rescue Bruce. Just saying!) Red Robin, after striking a rather Spiderman like pose, rather clumsily enters the auction house where the Penguin plans to offer up Flamebird to the highest bidder. He is discovered and a fight ensues. He is bailed out again by Nightwing who encases the kryptonite infused Dr. Abernathy (who is holding Flamebird in stasis) with lead that he employed on a tip from Tim. Our heroes rescue the lovely Thara/Flamebird and fly back to Amsterdam. Man, I got jet lag just reading this story!
In a bit of continuity to the Red Robin books that I appreciate, Tim tells “F&N” that he was out to intercept a 200 year old letter mailed from old Gotham to London. That can only mean it is a clue to Bruce Wayne’s location and another step in Tim’s quest to find him. I actually liked that. Flamebird and Nightwing soar off to Metropolis to continue their own story and we end with the kryptonite soaked Dr. Abernathy being “rescued” by the Toyman fresh off his stint in a recent episode of Smallville. Kidding!
Ok, I’ve had a little fun at the expense of this book but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. I like the fresh take on the “World’s Finest” team up, the art was good and the “youthful” approach to the dynamic worked well also. Continuity to the other books got a nod and we get a nice little cliff hanger that leads us to the next chapter where Robin and the Guardian pick up the action. (And Tim piles up Frequent flier miles. Sorry, I had to say it again.)
World's Finest #1:
Reviewed by Dark Knight Dave
Tony Daniel returns to right a ship that has gone way off course. The most important title in comics has been a weak imitation of its former self since Judd Winick took over the helm. Acclaimed more for his art than his prose, the creative mind behind Battle for the Cowl takes over both duties as he resumes his interpretation of Dick Grayson’s Batman.
I’m not much of a Tony Daniel fan, and to be honest was expecting to be writing some scathing words of disapproval at this point of the review. But you know what; Batman #692 was pretty darn good. The story is ambitious as it introduces multiple storylines; including the reemergence of the Falcone family, Hugo Strange, Dr. Death, Fright and Catwoman. Black Mask still is the preeminent bad guy, but Daniel lays the framework for some very interesting future character development. The most interesting to me was the reintroduction of Dr. Gruener, the original Reaper, as a villain for the next or an upcoming issue. This is not the Reaper from Batman Year Two, but the pre-crisis version created by Denis O’Neil. If you have access to back issues, check out Batman #237 from December 1971. Horrifically traumatized by Nazis in a WWII concentration camp, Dr. Gruener is poised to become The Reaper once again. Selina Kyle is also nicely portrayed, in particular the chemistry she has with Dick. I think Catwoman is going to have a prominent role to play in Daniel’s story arc. Not only because of her relationships with the past and present Batmen, but with what may turn out to be a very interesting sub-plot between her and the young Katrina Falcone. You’ll see why when you read the issue.
The dialogue gets jumbled and confusing at some points, but considering the scope of story Daniel seems to want to tell, the quality of writing is pretty good.
The most telling attribute that marks the incredible difference between Winick and Bagley’s Batman and this one, is the return to a darker tone. No more smiles, no more posing for the camera, no more bright colors. This Batman is The Dark Knight! Dick is methodical, sure of himself and driven. He is however still Dick Grayson. When he wants to take crime scene evidence back to his lab to study it, he asks Commissioner Gordon for permission. Gordon slyly replies, “Batman doesn’t need to ask my permission.” He does however have a definite mature sense of confidence that he didn’t show in previous issues; as Dick when negotiating with Selina, and as Batman when confronting the Falcones.
As it should from a talent that made his name as a graphic artist, the art is what really sets this book apart from its previous arc. Right from the first page we are given a visual interpretation of the character that really would drive fear into the hearts and mind of any criminal. The dark grey coloring of Batman’s costume really works, and the detailed facials under the mask let us know that this is still Dick Grayson. Setting Batman’s scenes outdoors in a dreary swamp and dark field reminded me of Neil Adams' work in the 70’s. Batman is drawn piercingly fierce. Daniel’s artistic style is a refreshing return to Batman’s roots. Selina Kyle is also drawn spectacularly well and interestingly so is Katrina. And while Black Mask’s new look is a bit Star Warsy, it’s still pretty cool. There are a couple of lazy panels, but compared to Mark Bagley…well there is actually nothing to compare. Tony Daniel is in a different league.
One interesting note is that Penguin appears on the cover but not in the book. He doesn’t seem to part of this story arc either. I wonder if this is an editing mistake or a clue to something yet to come.
Batman the comic is back on track. One issue isn’t going to make me forget the past five, but if Tony Daniel is going to give us this type of work it will be one hell of ride!
Batman #692:
Reviewed by Tiggerbrown
It wouldn't be Halloween without having Batman mixed mixed with Halloween. We start off going towards Halloween with this scan from Batman: The Long Halloween #13.
Posted by Dustin
Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke. Change for the sake of change is never a good thing. These wise adages prove to be true more often than not. Issue #4 of the incredibly successful Batman and Robin monthly marks the title’s artistic debut of Philip Tan. In my opinion, Frank Quitely’s unique style and cinematic pacing have made every page of B&R a visually stunning work of art. His mastery of creating emotion and action without the need for narration has even pushed Grant Morrison’s writing to new heights. So I naturally had some trepidation as to how this week’s issue would turn out.
The result……. well it’s mixed. Visually the look is more traditional, but I liked it. The homage to the 60′s show is gone and replaced by a much darker tone. On first glance I loved Tan’s imposing take on Batman. It almost reminded me of Jim Lee. Then I thought about it for a minute, and realized that one of the most refreshing elements of Quitley’s Batman and to a lesser degree Dustin Nguyen’s was that the character is drawn to be uniquely Dick Grayson. Philip Tan’s Batman is spectacular, don’t get me wrong. It just looks like Bruce Wayne in the suit. Maybe that was intentional, especially as it relates to my favorite scene in the issue. Dick and Damian are on a rooftop staking out a crime boss meeting. Dick is looking as menacingly Batman-esque as he ever has, and starts lecturing Damian about the art of surveillance. Dick is definitely revelling in mentoring his Robin the way Bruce educated him. Unfortunately for Dick, Damian isn’t your typical rookie Boy Wonder. When he tries to teach Robin a lesson about the danger of wearing a hood, Damian quickly gets the upper hand on Dick and gets in the line of the book; "I can hear you breathing and beat you senseless in pitch darkness. Your point is?" You can almost see Dick pouting through his cowl.
Tan’s pencils are very detailed and really accentuate the violence and intense action. His drawing of the Penguin’s beaten face is gorgeously horrific. I also really admire how he is able to exude emotion from a faceless villain using body shape and movement.
The main focus of this issue is to introduce Red Hood and Scarlett as violent psychopaths, hell bent on taking out the criminal element in a much more literal way than Batman and Robin. This isn’t original in its premise, as we have seen vigilante characters self-create in the past because of Batman’s refusal to kill. The briefly mentioned Abuse character from Streets of Gotham comes to mind, as does Lock-Down from BTAS, and Andrea Beaumont from Mask of the Phantasm. What makes this different is the team-up with Scarlett to create an antithesis dynamic duo, but with an even greater influx of irony because it is Red Hood, and the assumption that he is Jason Todd. The pin-up of Red Hood and Scarlett in a very Caped Crusaders on the move pose is very well done. Now I used the word "assumption" when mentioning Jason as Red Hood. Morrison plants the seed of doubt by introducing us to Oberon Sexton, aka Gravedigger as an obvious candidate to be Red Hood. But I suspect that this is a red herring. "Oberon" is actually a reference to the King in Shakespeare’s Midsummer’s Nights Dream who sets the stage for the play’s misunderstandings that have become a staple plot device in modern literature. This could be a clue to Sexton’s actual purpose in this story arc.
I found Morrison’s style to be a little more akin to his work in RIP as compared to the first three issues; somewhat muddled and a bit too wordy. Red Hood’s quoting of Milton’s Paradise Lost didn’t work for me the way the Shaw citations did for Pyg in the last arc. I also didn’t quite get the reason for the Flintstones reference. Maybe someone can explain it to me in the comments. There were some nicely written scenes though. The aforementioned hood scene, as well the over the top massacre of the crime bosses, reminiscent of Heath Ledger in TDK but a lot more violent. Morrison earns novelty pop culture points too for having Scarlett post on Twitter. The Batman-Red Hood meeting is predicable, but still creates anticipation for next month.
So, is Philip Tan a change for the better? Most certainly not. Is he a worthy successor? Absolutely. Can this creative team continue the high quality we have come to expect from B&R? I think they can. And if things go down hill, we always have Seaguy coming to the rescue in issue #7!
Batman and Robin #4:
Reviewed by Tiggerbrown
Fool me once, shame on you DC comics; fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me a third time, well I’ve been buying Batman since the 1970’s so it’s understandable. Fool me again? Our own Apple from TBU Comic Podcast episode 27 likes Judd Winick’s take on the new Caped Crusader, so maybe the fourth time’s the charm.
I went to my comic shop, reluctantly pulled out my wallet and paid the $3.54 Canadian for Batman #690. I ignored the Tony Daniel cover that makes Batman’s abdominal muscles look more like a ninety year old woman’s sagging tricep than a hardened six pack. At least Dick has a fierce expression on his face, so maybe the excessive smiling is in the past.
I can’t begin to tell you how much I want to like this, but no matter how hard I try I can’t. Mark Bagley’s interior art is so uninspiring; it completely removes me from any enjoyment I hoped to get from the action sequences. The scene with Penguin and Black Mask is as close to being visually interesting as the book gets, but for some reason I found myself chuckling instead of cringing. And to my great disappointment, the Batmobile still looks like a bug. Objectively, the last page reveal is well staged. I just wasn’t moved in any way. We all knew Two-Face was going to be in the Cave, and the previews already gave us a look at his costume.
I have been very critical of Winick’s light take on Dick as Batman. To his credit he does an about face and gives us a methodical Batman, seriously analyzing his foes during combat. The only problem with this is that instead of reviewing his take on Dick Grayson so it is more in line with Morrison and Dini; he sits Dick out entirely and instead borrows Chris Yost’s Tim Drake and puts him in the Bat-suit. I obviously don’t mean this literally, but isn’t the, I’m being methodical like Bruce, but I make careless mistakes that I will learn from how Red Robin is characterized? Suavestar from TBU Forums is our resident Red Robin expert and reviewer, so he might have a different opinion on this, but just read Tim’s voicing during his roof top battle in Red Robin #2, or his fight with the Huntsman in the last issue. Then compare that with Winick’s voicing of Dick in this issue. I honestly can’t tell the difference. Judd, if you have to copy another writer because you can’t figure Dick Grayson out on your own, please at least copy another version of Dick Grayson, not the only other Batman Family character with his own title.
At least there is a glimpse of continuity between this and the other Reborn books. The scene of Penguin becoming an underling of Black Mask coincides nicely with the storyline in Streets of Gotham. I just hope it was a flashback, because Penguin’s been working for Black Mask for at least the last two Street issues.
The Two-Face angle has the potential for interesting drama, especially considering the past relationship between him and Nightwing. But hiring a teleporter to get access to the Batcave? I can’t decide if that is smartly quirky or just one of the laziest premises I have ever read.
The next issue marks the end of this arc before the return of Tony Daniel as writer and artist. I’ve always believed in second chances, even third and fourth. This decades long fan of Batman comics feels like I’ve been beaten down, gotten up, and then beaten again, and again, and now again. I want to give up and hang up my cowl. But then I think of Batman and no matter how bad things get, he keeps on fighting. Maybe I am foolish, but I’ll be there next month, wallet in hand, buying issue #691. Who knows, last issue we had Terry McGinnis in the Bat-suit, this time was Tim Drake; maybe next time Winick will surprise us with the return of Bruce Wayne!
Batman #690:
Reviewed by Tiggerbrown
We all know that we are only about a week away from the release of Batman: Arkham Asylum. But there have been a lot of rumors surrounding which characters will in fact be in the game. Some of the characters that have been rumored have included: Maxie Zeus, Amygdala, Alfred, Blue Beetle, Catwoman, Firefly, Hugo Strange, Hush, Killer Moth, Mr. Freeze, Penguin, Ra’s al Ghul, Ratcatcher, Scarecrow, Tweedledum and Tweedledee. and Two-Face.
Now you are probably thinking to yourself, "Man, that lineup would be awesome." Well, from my perspective do not get your hopes up too fast. Out of the list above we know only know one that will be in the game for sure. That character is Scarecrow. Now Edios has not confirmed this at all, but we know he will be in the game because of the commercial that GameStop is running right now about the Scarecrow challenge map. So that is a pretty good sign that Scarecrow will be in the game. If you don’t know what I’m talking about here is the video:
Alright in the commercial, they specifically say the Scarecrow challenge map. So we can bank on him being in the game for at the very least a challenge map.
Alright so moving on to the other rumored characters. The first one I want to address is Amygdala. A lot of people first assumed that the creature we first saw in screenshots months back was in fact this character. Now since we have learned a little more about what to expect in the game and kind of bits and pieces from the storyline, we now know that venom is a factor in the game and is used on various thugs throughout the game since we have seen many different "creatures" that look like Amygdala. Some of them have face paint on their faces, and some do not. So we can assume that the character we first thought was Amygdala might not be him after all.
As for some of the other characters that have been rumored…. Wait, before I go into that, let me just say that this is all pure speculation and should not be held as truth or assumed that I have some sort if inside information when it comes to this. I don’t want someone to blow this OPINION piece out of proportion.
Some of you may have not gone too in-depth when it came to the Demo that was released, but then again that is why you have us, to do that in-depth research that you may not think of. Well, when diving into all the info that was available on the Demo, I noticed that they had the credits available for viewing. Now before you rush over to your PS3 (which i know all of you have one) I took the time to get screenshots of the English cast that was listed for the game. Here they are:
Now the first image is not as good as the second one, but it took forever to get these screenshots. You can see on the list of characters that there are only so many characters that are listed. Most of them we already knew, but it mentions Scarecrow. So he is in fact confirmed. Now if you look at the list you will notice a shortage of villains. There is no one on that list that we already did not know about besides some supporting characters. Well, besides Jack Ryder. (Wait, who is Jack Ryder? Maybe just The Creeper?)
Now my question to all of you is, if there were going to be a ton of villains that were going to make significant appearances in the game, than why aren’t there voice actors for them. If they list the voices for the supporting characters such as the Arkham guards, why not list the villains? Before you get all upset with me for ruining your hopes of a villain extravaganza, I still do believe that there will be a ton of hints and clues that will reference different villains. I just do not think we are going to see as many as we had originally thought. I might be completely off and Rocksteady and Edios knew that we Bat-fans dig very hard for info, and they purposely made sure that there were no clues as to who else we would see in the finished game.
Is this going to be a great game? Yes. Is it going to be received well by the fans? Yes. I just want to make sure that you do not get your hopes up because of all kinds of rumors floating around that your favorite obscure character is going to appear in the game. Leave any comments below, because I’m sure this will start a commotion.
Posted by Dustin
If you haven’t been reading the Latest News on TheBatmanUniverse.net (Why haven’t you?!!), then you would have missed that Dan Didio has had a change of heart about Batman Beyond appearing in a future DCU title. Well, I think I may have just read the first issue! Judd Winick and Mark Bagley have combined their artistic wisdom and turned Dick Grayson into Terry McGinnis.
For those of you who don’t remember the cartoon, Batman Beyond was about a youthful-spirited new Batman mentoring under an aged and gloomy Bruce Wayne. One of the major criticisms of the show was that Terry’s “voice” was too similar to Spider-man’s; he talked while he fought, and seemed to be having fun. Not very Batman-like to be sure. Batman#689 takes Dick’s character too far to that lighter side. He is drawn in very bright colors and his inner-dialogue and repartee during the fight scenes are too reminiscent of a teenage McGinnis or a young Dick Grayson for that matter. Dick isn’t new to crime fighting. He is a seasoned, BALANCED hero, who while less dark and obsessed than Bruce, still has demons of his own. His portrayal in Batman and Robin, Streets of Gotham, or even Batman Blackest Night show the complexity of his character much more effectively than what we are witness to in Batman. Grant Morrison has defined Dick’s Batman so perfectly in B&R, why is Winick trying to take the least interesting aspect of his personality and focus on it so extremely?
I discussed this issue with some friends at my local comic shop, and they were a little more enthusiastic about this issue than I am. I think I am just fed up with reading one bad issue after another of what used to be my favorite title. I’m seriously considering dumping this from my regular purchases.
Mark Bagley’s art is just plain boring. His anatomies are too textbook and his Batmobile is just ridiculous. Frank Quitely’s flying Batmobile in B&R#1 blew me away with it’s sleek stealth design and awesome power. Bagley’s version looks like a flying Bugmobile. Worse than the pencils are Ian Hannin’s colors. Painting the backgrounds of all your action sequences red and your dialogue scenes blue shows a lack of creativity that takes away any redeeming artistic impression the pencils may have had. Regardless of who is writing a book, comics are about the art. That’s what makes them comic books. With Quitely and J.H. Williams III taking their craft to new levels on Detective and the aforementioned B&R, does DC really expect me to shell out $3.00 for this? Actually $4.00 for me because I am Canadian.
As far as the writing goes, Winick actually did a passable job in developing the story this issue. His ideas on how to develop the Two-Face/Penguin plot, and the Alfred/Dick dynamic are solid. It’s his characterizations and voicing that seem out of whack. There is no edge to his personalities. His writing is too Saturday morning cartoon for what I think should be emanating from the pages of Batman. We should be delving into Dick and Two-Face’s psyche and motivation. Winick doesn’t have the ability to write with enough depth to make his characters more than one dimensional. I am not feeling the tension between protagonist and antagonist that would make me the least bit interested in a future confrontation between Batman and Harvey or Batman vs. Clayface and Lyle Blanco. Compare how in Detective, Greg Rucka is developing Alice as an interesting villain or even what Dini is doing in Streets with the intriguing Abuse. They are able in short order to create depth and interest into unknown characters. Winick is not only boring me with "The Soldier", his depiction of classic rogues like Two-Face, Black Mask and Penguin are equally impotent.
When I was nine years old, my father gave me 20 cents to buy my first comic on my own. I walked the longest distance I had ever walked alone and bought Batman #251 from my corner convenience store. The interior art and incredible Joker cover by Neal Adams haunted my mind for months. The brilliant story by Denis O’Neal reintroduced the Joker as the most maniacal villain in comics, and cemented him for eternity as Batman’s arch nemesis. How unjust to Batman fans everywhere that Batman #689 and the entire Winick run is even under the same title as the masterful works of the past.
This review may have been more of rant than an objective critique of the issue, but sadly…
Batman #689:
Reviewed by tiggerbrown