Batgirl #13
by Brian Q. Miller
Art by Pere Perez
Rating: 5/10
The gist of this issue is that Clayface and Batgirl get into a fight because Clayface wants to break into a bank to get into his safe deposit box. We also learn that Detective Nick Gage (more on his creepy relationship with the Batfamily later) has a dead wife/girlfriend.
Well, this was certainly a dead average issue. Really, it was just kind of a cute little filler issue with a "meaningful" talk between Gage and Stephanie. Also, we see Wendy, aka Proxy, for about three panels. I'm still not convinced that she's a meaningful character.
I don't understand the need to make each and every person who comes in contact with the Batfamily a damaged person. There was absolutely no need for Nick Gage to have a skeleton in the closet. He works best as the ray of sunshine in the Gotham universe, a nice light-hearted character with some wisecracks and a touch of romantic interest.
Then there's the whole Barbara/Nick/Stephanie thing. Seriously, to be a detective you have to be at least 27. Stephanie is, at most, 19. To have both Stephanie and Barbara dating, or at least interested in, the same guy is creepy to no end. This isn't a sophomore girl crushing on a senior's boyfriend. This is a late teenager coming on to a late twenties, early thirties guy.
Seriously. Just make it a Barbara/Dick/Nick love triangle and leave it at that. (Where is Dick these days in Barbara's life? Aren't they engaged, or has that been forgotten again?)
My high points for the issue were the art, which was kind of light and DCAU oriented, the feel Batgirl should have in my opinion. Also, Oracle is finally gone. This is Batgirl's book, after all, and I was seriously getting incredibly sick of Calculator. At least he is (apparently) taken care of for quite awhile.
Miller seems to be faltering these last few issues. Let's hope it picks back up these next issues.
Showing posts with label comic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label comic. Show all posts
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Quick Reviews
Short reviews of the six comics I bought this week, all semi-Batman related.
JLA: Cry for Justice. #1, #2
Rating: 7.5/10
It's always nice to see Hal Jordan and Green Arrow together. They're just funny. Supposedly Batwoman (yippee) is showing up later.
Gotham City Sirens #2
Rating: 8/10
Definitely not what I was expecting, but better. Selina's a good liar, and the Talia connection is interesting. I wish there was more in this issue, though. But Hush kidnapping Harley? Great.
Batgirl #1
Rating: 9.5/10
Yes! Stephanie Brown takes her rightful role as a member of the Batfamily. They packed a lot into this issue, and it totally works. The only thing I didn't like is that Barbra Gordon's thought boxes are green. I never thought of her having a defined color, but green?
Titans #16
Rating: 6.5/10
This is where the "Starfire kissing Batman" picture came from, but unfortunately it was a dream. I don't think Starfire will be around much longer.
Streets of Gotham #3
Rating: 8/10
Tommy Elliot is a good villain. I'll give him that. A very though-provoking issue. He's got Dick and Damian stuck. ("A nice middle finger at the Wayne legacy" great line) There's a cool shot of a bunch of heroes in the Elliot manor.
JLA: Cry for Justice. #1, #2
Rating: 7.5/10
It's always nice to see Hal Jordan and Green Arrow together. They're just funny. Supposedly Batwoman (yippee) is showing up later.
Gotham City Sirens #2
Rating: 8/10
Definitely not what I was expecting, but better. Selina's a good liar, and the Talia connection is interesting. I wish there was more in this issue, though. But Hush kidnapping Harley? Great.
Batgirl #1
Rating: 9.5/10
Yes! Stephanie Brown takes her rightful role as a member of the Batfamily. They packed a lot into this issue, and it totally works. The only thing I didn't like is that Barbra Gordon's thought boxes are green. I never thought of her having a defined color, but green?
Titans #16
Rating: 6.5/10
This is where the "Starfire kissing Batman" picture came from, but unfortunately it was a dream. I don't think Starfire will be around much longer.
Streets of Gotham #3
Rating: 8/10
Tommy Elliot is a good villain. I'll give him that. A very though-provoking issue. He's got Dick and Damian stuck. ("A nice middle finger at the Wayne legacy" great line) There's a cool shot of a bunch of heroes in the Elliot manor.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Blackest Night: Batman #1
Blackest Night: Batman #1
By Peter Tomasi
Art by Arion Syaf, John Dell, and Vicente Cifuentes
Rating: a surprising 8/10
For those who aren't reading the "Blackest Night" arc, here's a brief summary:
The Green Lantern Abin Sur (Hal Jordan's predeccesor) told of a prophecy called Blackest Night where other colors of rings would emerge, do battle, and the universe would be extinguished. No one believed him, and now those other rings are beginning to be found. The colors are:
Green=Willpower
Yellow=Fear
Red=Rage
Orange=Avarice
Blue=Hope
Indigo=Compassion
Violet=Love
Black=Death
A villain called the Black Hand is chosen to be the herald of the black power rings. These rings are created and they seek out deceased superheroes, supervillians, and the heroes' dead family (including Jack and Janet Drake) to resurrected as the Black Corps. Black Hand goes to Bruce Wayne's grave, reaches into the ground, and pulls out a skull, saying "This is the one." He carries it with him, but never resurrects the body.
These black lanterns combat and kill superheroes (including Hawkman and Tempest) resurrecting them as more corps.
Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne go to the Wayne's grave site. They take Thomas and Martha's bodies back to the new batcave for safekeeping. This is where Blackest Night: Batman picks up.
Deadman comes and takes possession of both Dick and Damian, telling them of what is happening. They agree to help him combat it. We also see Jake and Janet Drake rise, as well as Dick's parents.
All in all, this was way better than I was expecting. It had perhaps the best post-RIP Damian writing I'd read. Major Kudos to Tomasi for that. It was a lot of explanation and story-setting-up, but that's why its 8/10 and not 9/10. I hope that next issue, when they finally start the fighting.
The other thing that I liked a lit about this story was that it brought the Batman world together with my second favorite character(s), Green Lantern. And it is done very well.
The art on this story is pretty good. Not Jim Lee, but solid. There's one scene where Deadman (in Damian's body) does this backflip onto a headstone that is illustrated very well, and its definitely in the top three panels of this issue.
By Peter Tomasi
Art by Arion Syaf, John Dell, and Vicente Cifuentes
Rating: a surprising 8/10
For those who aren't reading the "Blackest Night" arc, here's a brief summary:
The Green Lantern Abin Sur (Hal Jordan's predeccesor) told of a prophecy called Blackest Night where other colors of rings would emerge, do battle, and the universe would be extinguished. No one believed him, and now those other rings are beginning to be found. The colors are:
Green=Willpower
Yellow=Fear
Red=Rage
Orange=Avarice
Blue=Hope
Indigo=Compassion
Violet=Love
Black=Death
A villain called the Black Hand is chosen to be the herald of the black power rings. These rings are created and they seek out deceased superheroes, supervillians, and the heroes' dead family (including Jack and Janet Drake) to resurrected as the Black Corps. Black Hand goes to Bruce Wayne's grave, reaches into the ground, and pulls out a skull, saying "This is the one." He carries it with him, but never resurrects the body.
These black lanterns combat and kill superheroes (including Hawkman and Tempest) resurrecting them as more corps.
Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne go to the Wayne's grave site. They take Thomas and Martha's bodies back to the new batcave for safekeeping. This is where Blackest Night: Batman picks up.
Deadman comes and takes possession of both Dick and Damian, telling them of what is happening. They agree to help him combat it. We also see Jake and Janet Drake rise, as well as Dick's parents.
All in all, this was way better than I was expecting. It had perhaps the best post-RIP Damian writing I'd read. Major Kudos to Tomasi for that. It was a lot of explanation and story-setting-up, but that's why its 8/10 and not 9/10. I hope that next issue, when they finally start the fighting.
The other thing that I liked a lit about this story was that it brought the Batman world together with my second favorite character(s), Green Lantern. And it is done very well.
The art on this story is pretty good. Not Jim Lee, but solid. There's one scene where Deadman (in Damian's body) does this backflip onto a headstone that is illustrated very well, and its definitely in the top three panels of this issue.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Detective Comics #854
Detective Comics #854
By Greg Rucka
Art by J.H. Williams III
Overall: 6.5/10
For the first time in at least forty years, Detective comics features someone other than The Dark Knight--Batwoman.
We don't know much about Kate Kane. The major story line she was involved in was about a bizarre religion of crime. She was kidnapped by this cult, who attempted to sacrifice her because of her name, Kane, like Cain. Kate was stabbed through the heart, only to to be saved by Renee Montoya, aka The Question. This storyline picks up where that one left off, with Kate trying to discover the identity of the religion of crime's new leader.
The book opens with Kate interrogating a low-level criminal. Batman appears (Dick Grayson, we assume) and they have a few pages of conversation about how their are such-and-such number of crime covens, how this is a serious fight, etc. Kate, in the morning, goes to have breakfast with her girlfriend, Anna. Anna, believing that Kate's sleep-deprived appearance stems from Kate cheating on her, says that she needs a stable relationship and this isn't it.
Kate returns to her home, where she talks with her father about her mission. Then she enters her own miniature batcave, and receives from her father an experimental military gun, saying she knows "exactly who to use it on". She sets off on her batcycle to track down the religion's new leader. When she finds a coven of the religion's followers, she attacks them, demanding the leader's identity. Suddenly, a pale girl flanked by almost zombie-like guards appears. She calls herself Alice, and says "I can't explain myself, I'm afraid, because I'm not myself, you see." She is obviously the new leader. The comic ends with Batwoman pointing the gun she received at Alice.
Well, this is certainly one of the more different storylines this month. It has a lot of potential, but this first issue feels like mostly filler, and contrived, trying-too-hard scenes between Kate and the people she cares about. The character of Anna especially seems out of place. She only appears for three pages, long enough to break up with Kate and leave.
The whole conversation with her father as well just doesn't sit right. She goes from talking about the Batman to working out and being reminded of her injury to the batcave in a whirlwind of dialogue. The book really picks up with the entrance of Alice (the most interesting character in this whole book), but unfortunately it is three pages from the end.
The other problem is the art. When Kate has the costume on, it's done in a noir, almost painting style (ala Alex Ross). When she's Kate, it's a very comic style, except for one panel that looks like it's done in water colors. It's very disconcerting. You can't just read the comic, you have to constantly readjust to the art. And I don't know whose idea it was to have Kate look like a goth teen in the "breakfast with Anna" scenes, but its there.
There is a Question second feature (maybe I'm mistaken but weren't Renee and Kate into each other at the end of 52?) which is about ten time better than the cover story. If your a big Renee Montoya fan, I'd pick up the book for that, but otherwise this is one to skip.
By Greg Rucka
Art by J.H. Williams III
Overall: 6.5/10
For the first time in at least forty years, Detective comics features someone other than The Dark Knight--Batwoman.
We don't know much about Kate Kane. The major story line she was involved in was about a bizarre religion of crime. She was kidnapped by this cult, who attempted to sacrifice her because of her name, Kane, like Cain. Kate was stabbed through the heart, only to to be saved by Renee Montoya, aka The Question. This storyline picks up where that one left off, with Kate trying to discover the identity of the religion of crime's new leader.
The book opens with Kate interrogating a low-level criminal. Batman appears (Dick Grayson, we assume) and they have a few pages of conversation about how their are such-and-such number of crime covens, how this is a serious fight, etc. Kate, in the morning, goes to have breakfast with her girlfriend, Anna. Anna, believing that Kate's sleep-deprived appearance stems from Kate cheating on her, says that she needs a stable relationship and this isn't it.
Kate returns to her home, where she talks with her father about her mission. Then she enters her own miniature batcave, and receives from her father an experimental military gun, saying she knows "exactly who to use it on". She sets off on her batcycle to track down the religion's new leader. When she finds a coven of the religion's followers, she attacks them, demanding the leader's identity. Suddenly, a pale girl flanked by almost zombie-like guards appears. She calls herself Alice, and says "I can't explain myself, I'm afraid, because I'm not myself, you see." She is obviously the new leader. The comic ends with Batwoman pointing the gun she received at Alice.
Well, this is certainly one of the more different storylines this month. It has a lot of potential, but this first issue feels like mostly filler, and contrived, trying-too-hard scenes between Kate and the people she cares about. The character of Anna especially seems out of place. She only appears for three pages, long enough to break up with Kate and leave.
The whole conversation with her father as well just doesn't sit right. She goes from talking about the Batman to working out and being reminded of her injury to the batcave in a whirlwind of dialogue. The book really picks up with the entrance of Alice (the most interesting character in this whole book), but unfortunately it is three pages from the end.
The other problem is the art. When Kate has the costume on, it's done in a noir, almost painting style (ala Alex Ross). When she's Kate, it's a very comic style, except for one panel that looks like it's done in water colors. It's very disconcerting. You can't just read the comic, you have to constantly readjust to the art. And I don't know whose idea it was to have Kate look like a goth teen in the "breakfast with Anna" scenes, but its there.
There is a Question second feature (maybe I'm mistaken but weren't Renee and Kate into each other at the end of 52?) which is about ten time better than the cover story. If your a big Renee Montoya fan, I'd pick up the book for that, but otherwise this is one to skip.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Batman #687
Batman #687
By Judd Winick
Art by Ed Benes
Overall: 9.5/10
The one thing that Bruce Wayne could never fully give was humanity. There were a few touching moments, true, but he cared little for emotion. This made him a legend. This gave him the power to walk into a room full of superpowered beings and have all conversation stop. It also alienated him from everyone he cared about, even after the Crisis and his year of soul-searching.
Dick Grayson is a new kind of Batman. He doesn't manipulate people like Bruce did, and he's much more human. This gives the potential for so many new stories, and real, thoughtful interaction in the batfamily without all the infighting and trust issues Bruce caused. Don't get me wrong--I loved Bruce Wayne. But I'm looking forward to the possibilities.
In many ways, Batman #687 defines this change. It begins with Dick taking down a group of thugs from inside the Batmobile--he still isn't comfortable wearing Bruce's costume. Then there's a visit from Superman and Wonder Woman, a talk with Alfred (more on this later), and moving into the new headquarters (more on this, too).
The Superman and Wonder Woman scenes were executed beautifully. They handed over Bruce's costume, talked a little about what Bruce had had planned for the event of his death, and left. Mostly, their brief appearance served to open up the discussion about what will happen, now that Bruce is dead, and Dick's reaction to his surrogate father's death, something we didn't get to see in Battle for the cowl. Ultimately, Dick decides not to let the JLA run the funeral, but instead to let Bruce go quietly, without the parade, like he wanted, and to let the legend of the Batman live on.
The talk between Alfred and Dick is near perfect. There's one bit that encompasses, I think, everything that Bruce's family is dealing with from his death:
DICK: "You prepare yourself for this day...well, prepare is the wrong word. Do you prepare yourself for the sun to rise, for water to flow from a tap? No. These are knowables. These are eventualities. I knew I would never see him as an old man. No, he'd leave us in a box, with jet black hair, and the only lines on his face would be ones brought by injury.
You knew it wouldn't end well. Despite all the training, all the brilliance, all the strength...under it all there was just flesh, blood, and bone. And a man who never feared death. You know as well as do he was frightened of a great many things, but his own mortality barely made the top hundred list with him. I just....
....I just wasn't ready to lose him."
ALFRED: "I know. I know. I wasn't "ready" either."
^That is spectacular.
On the subject of moving headquarters, however, the narrative falters. I want to make it clear that I blame the editor and not the writer, though. This scene appeared in Batman and Robin #1, which came out a week earlier, and the two scenes are very, very similar, though I like #687's rendition a little better. It just doesn't sit well. There's no need to have this explained twice.
The art: Frankly, its just okay. Ed Benes is pretty good, but he's no Jim Lee. No one has a chin as pointy as the one Dick sported in the funeral scenes. In the early robbery panels there are too many fire spurts and crashes to really get a full idea of what is going on. But Benes' style is clean, and coherent. Mid line.
This is one you definitely must get.
By Judd Winick
Art by Ed Benes
Overall: 9.5/10
The one thing that Bruce Wayne could never fully give was humanity. There were a few touching moments, true, but he cared little for emotion. This made him a legend. This gave him the power to walk into a room full of superpowered beings and have all conversation stop. It also alienated him from everyone he cared about, even after the Crisis and his year of soul-searching.
Dick Grayson is a new kind of Batman. He doesn't manipulate people like Bruce did, and he's much more human. This gives the potential for so many new stories, and real, thoughtful interaction in the batfamily without all the infighting and trust issues Bruce caused. Don't get me wrong--I loved Bruce Wayne. But I'm looking forward to the possibilities.
In many ways, Batman #687 defines this change. It begins with Dick taking down a group of thugs from inside the Batmobile--he still isn't comfortable wearing Bruce's costume. Then there's a visit from Superman and Wonder Woman, a talk with Alfred (more on this later), and moving into the new headquarters (more on this, too).
The Superman and Wonder Woman scenes were executed beautifully. They handed over Bruce's costume, talked a little about what Bruce had had planned for the event of his death, and left. Mostly, their brief appearance served to open up the discussion about what will happen, now that Bruce is dead, and Dick's reaction to his surrogate father's death, something we didn't get to see in Battle for the cowl. Ultimately, Dick decides not to let the JLA run the funeral, but instead to let Bruce go quietly, without the parade, like he wanted, and to let the legend of the Batman live on.
The talk between Alfred and Dick is near perfect. There's one bit that encompasses, I think, everything that Bruce's family is dealing with from his death:
DICK: "You prepare yourself for this day...well, prepare is the wrong word. Do you prepare yourself for the sun to rise, for water to flow from a tap? No. These are knowables. These are eventualities. I knew I would never see him as an old man. No, he'd leave us in a box, with jet black hair, and the only lines on his face would be ones brought by injury.
You knew it wouldn't end well. Despite all the training, all the brilliance, all the strength...under it all there was just flesh, blood, and bone. And a man who never feared death. You know as well as do he was frightened of a great many things, but his own mortality barely made the top hundred list with him. I just....
....I just wasn't ready to lose him."
ALFRED: "I know. I know. I wasn't "ready" either."
^That is spectacular.
On the subject of moving headquarters, however, the narrative falters. I want to make it clear that I blame the editor and not the writer, though. This scene appeared in Batman and Robin #1, which came out a week earlier, and the two scenes are very, very similar, though I like #687's rendition a little better. It just doesn't sit well. There's no need to have this explained twice.
The art: Frankly, its just okay. Ed Benes is pretty good, but he's no Jim Lee. No one has a chin as pointy as the one Dick sported in the funeral scenes. In the early robbery panels there are too many fire spurts and crashes to really get a full idea of what is going on. But Benes' style is clean, and coherent. Mid line.
This is one you definitely must get.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Comic Review: Batman and Robin #1
Batman and Robin #1
By Grant Morrison
Art by Frank Quietly
Overall: 8/10
Thank god that we got the "All-Star Superman" Morrison on this book and not the one that wrote the incomprehensible "Batman RIP". Just for that fact, this comic rates high.
The basic summary is that Batman--Dick Grayson, in case you haven't heard--apprehends a frog-looking man who calls himself Mr. Toad. Mr. Toad is somehow connected to another villian by the name of Pigg. We see Pigg in another part of the city, toturing a mobster and his teen daughter. He is burning new faces onto their's--odd, clown-like faces. The storyline is called "Circus of Strange" so you can see where this is headed.
We also get a few pages of commentary between Alfred, Dick, and Damian (the new Robin). There are a few gems of dialouge in these sections, but nothing nearly as good as what's found in Batman #687. Mostly it consists of Dick feeling like he's in over his head while simultaneously trying to control Damian.
My opinion:
This was a good start to the series. I would have liked to see some more talk between the batfamily, and not just this stock "I am Batman now" "I must control the city" and Damian's usual bratty attitude, which fills most of the pages where Morrison could have taken the opportunity to show Dick truly grieving. As for Damian, it doesn't seem like he cares, save for a few panels where he says that he has vowed to finish what his father began.
The Circus of Strange seems, well, a little strange. I wonder if its some of the RIP Morrison showing through. This first issue doesn't say much about the plot to come, however, other than that there are drugs involved, as well as sadistic madmen. It is quite different from other plots, though, and that may be a good thing--or prove this book's demise.
All in all, I got the sense that the creative team was a little unsure of themselves in this first issue, reverting back to old standbys for the batfamily dynamics and trying a pinch too hard on the circus aspect. The art, however, was wonderful, and the page of "things to come" shows some promising bits.
By Grant Morrison
Art by Frank Quietly
Overall: 8/10
Thank god that we got the "All-Star Superman" Morrison on this book and not the one that wrote the incomprehensible "Batman RIP". Just for that fact, this comic rates high.
The basic summary is that Batman--Dick Grayson, in case you haven't heard--apprehends a frog-looking man who calls himself Mr. Toad. Mr. Toad is somehow connected to another villian by the name of Pigg. We see Pigg in another part of the city, toturing a mobster and his teen daughter. He is burning new faces onto their's--odd, clown-like faces. The storyline is called "Circus of Strange" so you can see where this is headed.
We also get a few pages of commentary between Alfred, Dick, and Damian (the new Robin). There are a few gems of dialouge in these sections, but nothing nearly as good as what's found in Batman #687. Mostly it consists of Dick feeling like he's in over his head while simultaneously trying to control Damian.
My opinion:
This was a good start to the series. I would have liked to see some more talk between the batfamily, and not just this stock "I am Batman now" "I must control the city" and Damian's usual bratty attitude, which fills most of the pages where Morrison could have taken the opportunity to show Dick truly grieving. As for Damian, it doesn't seem like he cares, save for a few panels where he says that he has vowed to finish what his father began.
The Circus of Strange seems, well, a little strange. I wonder if its some of the RIP Morrison showing through. This first issue doesn't say much about the plot to come, however, other than that there are drugs involved, as well as sadistic madmen. It is quite different from other plots, though, and that may be a good thing--or prove this book's demise.
All in all, I got the sense that the creative team was a little unsure of themselves in this first issue, reverting back to old standbys for the batfamily dynamics and trying a pinch too hard on the circus aspect. The art, however, was wonderful, and the page of "things to come" shows some promising bits.