Batman Incorporated #5: This issue is an improvement over the previous two issues, in that it actually has a (mostly) linear narrative, so we actually got somewhere. Batman and El Gaucho follow Scorpiana's trail to the Falklands; Batwoman has also followed the trail of the missing Marines there as well. Moreover, a new player (the Hood, who I initially thought was Azrael) joins the search. We learn that the Argentines and the Brits are going to go to war over ouroboros, which is allegedly some fifth form of matter and under the control of Dr. Dedalus. However, beyond that, Morrison leaves several loose ends. Batwoman was, if I remember correctly, following the trail of the three murdered Marines; we learn they were killed and replaced before arriving at the Falklands, but it's unclear why they were killed and who replaced them. My guess is the Leviathan figure who rescued Dr. Dedalus, since one of his henchmen utters "Hail Leviathan" before he dies. But, it's still unclear what Leviathan's motives are. (I had to do some Internet research to chase down my vague recollection of the character who -- thank you, Internet -- appeared in "Batman: The Return.") It's also unclear how he sprung Dr. Dedalus, who was allegedly so trapped on the island that he had been unable to leave for decades. However, we were never really told how the British superheroes who were killed trapping him on the island did so, so I guess it makes sense that we're not told how whatever they did was undone. We also never really get any clarity on the Kathy Kane issue, other than Batman, Batwoman, and El Gaucho referencing her in passing. I know it's not Morrison's style to spoon feed us information, but I still feel more annoyed by the way this arc unfolded than intrigued. The art continues to be beautiful, but I just don't know if it's enough to keep me going. I loved his run in "Batman and Robin," but here I'm just not sure if I'm sufficiently intrigued to do the work a Morrison book requires. I guess if I find myself in a lull of comics, I could re-read "Batman: The Return" and the first two issues of this arc. But, am I going to have to do so with EVERY issue of "Batman Incorporated?" At this point, I think I'll have re-read issue #3 four times and issue #4 three times! Given how much I hated issue #3, it's really hard to motivate. I think I'm just going to consider it done and hope we get somewhere next issue.
Detective Comics #876: Scott Snyder gives us a brand new mystery here while at the same time developing a key ongoing sub-plot. A killer whale's body is found in a bank's headquarters, and its stomach contains the dead body of the personal assistant to the owner, Sonia Branch, who just happens to be the daughter of Tony Zucco, the man who killed Dick Grayson's parents. Dick and Commissioner Gordon have another of their meetings in the Wayne crime lab, where the Commissioner tells Dick that his son has returned to Gotham and asks him to meet with him and give the Commissioner his honest assessment. Batman approaches Branch, who rebuffs him, but then eavesdrops on her conversation with a man blackmailing her. Her blackmailer is a luxury-car dealer cum gun runner, and Bats finds himself in trouble when the dealer's henchmen get the jump on him. I continue to be impressed by how well Snyder paces a story. I particularly liked the seven pages Snyder dedicated to Dick and Commissioner Gordon's conversation. The art in this sequence is evocative of the first time they met in the crime lab a few issues ago, reinforcing the sense that we're seeing Dick and the Commissioner really build their relationship here, case by case. I can't say I'm overly intrigued by the immediate case at hand -- why the car dealer/gun runner is blackmailing Branch -- but I am intrigued by Dick's eventual meeting of James Gordon, Jr. and how the connection between Branch and Zucco will become relevant to this story. Even if the primary plot doesn't interest me all that much, it's still a joy watching Snyder unfurl a story.
Teen Titans #94: I had already decided to drop this title before I read this issue, but reading it didn't convince me I had made a mistake. This issue is b-o-r-i-n-g. We're supposed to be all a-twitter because Wonder Girl is missing, but I really can't summon the energy for it. I've been collecting this title since issue #81, and I have to say that it's just been aggressively morose. I get that it's about teenagers, but I've never really gotten the sense that anyone is even remotely enjoying themselves. (Superboy himself alluded to that in his own title.) I'd normally keep going until at least the current arc ended, but I can't say I care, so it's gone. Bye, Titans. Hope you all get sorted soon.
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