Batman: The Dark Knight #3: Reading these issues, I'm transported to 1990. The style of plotting, writing, and artwork is almost identical to "Torment," the first arc of Todd MacFarlane's "Spider-Man." Unfortunately for Finch, I don't really mean that as a compliment. It's hard to find something positive to say about this arc. Finch's characterization of Bruce is just...bizarre. He's playing him like some rank amateur, showing more emotion over Dawn Golden than he has over anyone ever. Moreover, the plot is just...yeah. Penguin appears to have made a deal with a demon (who may or may not be Ragman), for reasons that have yet to be clarified but involve Golden. Golden herself is implied to be more than just a Gotham socialite, and I'm assuming we'll find out more now that Batman found her. Sub-plots include Etrigan (about whom I'm clearly supposed to care or know more) confronting the aforementioned demon (who's eating homeless people) and a little girl (who looks like Golden) stealing the Batmobile. In other words, this whole story is a huge mess. It's of course made worse by the fact that it's the third issue in SEVEN MONTHS. The real chutzpah, though, is that we'll barely finish this introductory arc only to have the title reboot itself. It seems kind of unbelievable to have two #1 issues of the same title in the same year, but I guess DC is just that shameless. I sincerely doubt I'm going to be still getting this title in six months...
Batman: Gates of Gotham #3: OK, so, to be honest, I think something should probably happen soon. I mean, not that blowing up a bunch of buildings isn't "something happening," but, at this point, I'm feeling a little ho-hum about this series. Basically, the only real mystery is whether the guy in the suit is in fact Nicholas Gates or a descendant equally set on revenge. I can't say I'm really dying to find out the answer. But, the more notable aspect of this book is the portrayal of Dick Grayson as a mopey failure. The first few issues of the Bat-books in which Dick took over the cowl did a good job of showing Dick go through an adjustment phase while, at the same time, giving him credit for the fact he's been a superhero since he was, like, twelve. However, recently, the Bat-book writers seem to actually be taking a few steps back when it comes to portraying Dick as Batman. Both Higgins here and Daniel in "Batman" (he gets clocked by Gilda) show Dick as mildly incompetent. We only have a few more months of Dick as Batman, so this lament is soon to be overcome by events, but I'd like Dick to go out winning not whining.
Batman and Robin #25: Oh, Jason fucking Todd, you are just sex on a stick. I mean, first, you're naked, like, A LOT. But, you're not naked in the usual pin-up way, the casual showering-as-if-no-one-was-watching way that we usually see in comics. Oh, no. Not you. You're naked in the "Yeah, I may be gay, I may be straight, I may be bi, but any way and every way you'll have a good time with me" way. Yum. I had my doubts about Winick's Todd, only because Tomasi is so good that I wanted to see what he could do with Jason. But, by sexing up Jason, as he has in this series, Winick has really let Jason shine. He's not just a smart-ass anymore. (Winick also portrays that part of Jason's personality better than anyone; see his taunting of Bruce in issue #23 and his needling of Dick and Damian in this issue.) By making him into this edgy, sexualized bad-ass, Winick has moved him past just being the angry young man seeking revenge. He still fills the anti-Dick role (or, more accurately, the "Dick without a moral compass" role), but in a more organic way. This arc is the first time I've really felt Jason Todd is a character in and of himself and not just a MacGuffin created to move along a plot like he has been in the past. Of course, God only knows what DC is going to do to screw up his character in the reboot but, at the very least, Jason Todd finally got to be a real boy at long last. Lest I be accused of gushing, I will mention a negative here. In fact, it's a pretty big negative: Winick never actually tells us what the hell is happening. Why, exactly, did the mysterious woman want Jason in the first place? Winick never tells us. That happens sometimes with Batman comics, but it didn't really feel like Winick was doing it on purpose, creating a sense of the futility of Batman's efforts to control the world around him. Instead, it honestly felt like he was so busy focusing on the characterization he actually just forgot. I can't say it ruined the issue for me -- since the characterization WAS so good -- but it's that sort of inattention to detail that makes Winick not quite raise to the level of Scott Snyder or Pete Tomasi.
Batman Beyond #7: This issue moves the series forward nicely. Terry faces a real challenge as he attempts to stop Blight and Bruce stops playing "creepy guy in a dark cave" by deciding (for the first time) to fully take the reins of Wayne Enterprises. The problem, of course, is that the DC reboot is wiping out this series, so the fact that this series shows such promise makes it all the more difficult to accept.
Detective Comics #879: C...r...e...e...p...y. I've said several times that I felt like Scott Snyder is creating his own Joker in his characterization of James Gordon, Jr. and this issue confirms that, since, for most of it, I thought the guy strapped to the gurney was James, not the Joker. It's that sort of implied parallel that makes what Snyder does here all the more gripping; the crime James is planning -- turning needy children into psychopathic killers -- is, quite frankly, totally something the Joker would do. Jim's discover of the box of keys of James' victims advances the plot, with the Commissioner now aware of what we've known since last issue, that James is in fact a homicidal psycho. By my reckoning, Snyder has two more issue to go before the reboot, so God only knows where this story is going. He's been building it on a slow burn for so long that I assume it's just going to explode. I can't freaking wait. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Francavilla's art is an equal partner in these stories, and I applaud the editor who put him together with Snyder for the James Gordon, Jr. stories. Doing so required knowing that Jock (who's amazing) wouldn't convey the same creepiness as someone like Francavilla would. Given that I feel editors so often screw up stories, it's nice to applaud their ability to help make one every once in a while. It bears repeating: best book on the market.
Batman: Gates of Gotham #3: OK, so, to be honest, I think something should probably happen soon. I mean, not that blowing up a bunch of buildings isn't "something happening," but, at this point, I'm feeling a little ho-hum about this series. Basically, the only real mystery is whether the guy in the suit is in fact Nicholas Gates or a descendant equally set on revenge. I can't say I'm really dying to find out the answer. But, the more notable aspect of this book is the portrayal of Dick Grayson as a mopey failure. The first few issues of the Bat-books in which Dick took over the cowl did a good job of showing Dick go through an adjustment phase while, at the same time, giving him credit for the fact he's been a superhero since he was, like, twelve. However, recently, the Bat-book writers seem to actually be taking a few steps back when it comes to portraying Dick as Batman. Both Higgins here and Daniel in "Batman" (he gets clocked by Gilda) show Dick as mildly incompetent. We only have a few more months of Dick as Batman, so this lament is soon to be overcome by events, but I'd like Dick to go out winning not whining.
Batman and Robin #25: Oh, Jason fucking Todd, you are just sex on a stick. I mean, first, you're naked, like, A LOT. But, you're not naked in the usual pin-up way, the casual showering-as-if-no-one-was-watching way that we usually see in comics. Oh, no. Not you. You're naked in the "Yeah, I may be gay, I may be straight, I may be bi, but any way and every way you'll have a good time with me" way. Yum. I had my doubts about Winick's Todd, only because Tomasi is so good that I wanted to see what he could do with Jason. But, by sexing up Jason, as he has in this series, Winick has really let Jason shine. He's not just a smart-ass anymore. (Winick also portrays that part of Jason's personality better than anyone; see his taunting of Bruce in issue #23 and his needling of Dick and Damian in this issue.) By making him into this edgy, sexualized bad-ass, Winick has moved him past just being the angry young man seeking revenge. He still fills the anti-Dick role (or, more accurately, the "Dick without a moral compass" role), but in a more organic way. This arc is the first time I've really felt Jason Todd is a character in and of himself and not just a MacGuffin created to move along a plot like he has been in the past. Of course, God only knows what DC is going to do to screw up his character in the reboot but, at the very least, Jason Todd finally got to be a real boy at long last. Lest I be accused of gushing, I will mention a negative here. In fact, it's a pretty big negative: Winick never actually tells us what the hell is happening. Why, exactly, did the mysterious woman want Jason in the first place? Winick never tells us. That happens sometimes with Batman comics, but it didn't really feel like Winick was doing it on purpose, creating a sense of the futility of Batman's efforts to control the world around him. Instead, it honestly felt like he was so busy focusing on the characterization he actually just forgot. I can't say it ruined the issue for me -- since the characterization WAS so good -- but it's that sort of inattention to detail that makes Winick not quite raise to the level of Scott Snyder or Pete Tomasi.
Batman Beyond #7: This issue moves the series forward nicely. Terry faces a real challenge as he attempts to stop Blight and Bruce stops playing "creepy guy in a dark cave" by deciding (for the first time) to fully take the reins of Wayne Enterprises. The problem, of course, is that the DC reboot is wiping out this series, so the fact that this series shows such promise makes it all the more difficult to accept.
Detective Comics #879: C...r...e...e...p...y. I've said several times that I felt like Scott Snyder is creating his own Joker in his characterization of James Gordon, Jr. and this issue confirms that, since, for most of it, I thought the guy strapped to the gurney was James, not the Joker. It's that sort of implied parallel that makes what Snyder does here all the more gripping; the crime James is planning -- turning needy children into psychopathic killers -- is, quite frankly, totally something the Joker would do. Jim's discover of the box of keys of James' victims advances the plot, with the Commissioner now aware of what we've known since last issue, that James is in fact a homicidal psycho. By my reckoning, Snyder has two more issue to go before the reboot, so God only knows where this story is going. He's been building it on a slow burn for so long that I assume it's just going to explode. I can't freaking wait. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Francavilla's art is an equal partner in these stories, and I applaud the editor who put him together with Snyder for the James Gordon, Jr. stories. Doing so required knowing that Jock (who's amazing) wouldn't convey the same creepiness as someone like Francavilla would. Given that I feel editors so often screw up stories, it's nice to applaud their ability to help make one every once in a while. It bears repeating: best book on the market.
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