Detective Comics #3: OK, Daniel loses me a bit here. I mean, he does a great job portraying the creepiness of the Dollmaker and his "family," but I have some issues. First, it's unclear to me how Bruce knows to look up Wesley Mathis' file. The first time we see it mentioned is during Bruce's narration of the research he's conducting in the Batcave, where he assembles all the components of the Dollkeeper's mask to match Mathis' face. But, how did he know that Mathis was involved in the first place? It's a pretty key question, since Bruce uses it to deduce the Dollmaker's identity as Mathis' son and since it establishes the Dollmaker's motive, getting revenge on Commissioner Gordon for shooting his father. Second, could neither Commissioner Gordon nor Batman tell that Olivia was cray-cray? It seems like both of them are smart enough to know that the Dollmaker had possession of her long enough to have corrupted her. Also, we still don't know why she was picked in the first place. Finally, why the backwards "R" in the note Commissioner Gordon sent Batman? Is it a hint to bring Robin? Unfortunately, as I generally find with Daniel, I found myself thinking we'd get some closure at the end of this issue, only to discover that we've added yet another plot twist, the Jokers. I can't say that Daniel has done anything to really make me feel like the Dollmaker is an interesting enough villain to take up this many pages. At this point, he's just some insane psycopath who's mad at the Commissioner for killing his insane father. That's probably half the Gotham population at this point...
Fear Itself #7.1: OK, Brubaker almost does it here. He ALMOST convinces me that Marvel had planned Bucky's death from the start. At the end of the "Gulag" arc in "Captain America," before Bucky died (again) in "Fear Itself" #3, it seemed pretty clear that Brubaker was setting up a "Winter Soldier" series where Bucky and Natasha, the sexiest dynamic duo in comics, would go after the loose ends from his Winter Soldier days. Brubaker sets up exactly that series in this issue, using Bucky's "death" as a way to return him to the shadows. He makes a compelling case for why it was necessary for Bucky to die, reminding us that he was a fugitive from the law (as a result of escaping from the Russian prison) when we last left him. As such, his "death" is important in that it ensures he's not going to have the feds and the Russians on his tail as he tries to atone for his sins as the Winter Soldier. Cool. I'm down with that. But, it still feels to me like they intended for Bucky to die and abruptly changed course. Anyway you cut it, it makes me hate "Fear Itself" all the more, because Bucky's death was always going to be a cheap stunt, whether or not they planned him to return or not. (Somehow, if they all along planned for him to return, it makes me even madder.) At the end of the day, though, I'm just thrilled Bucky is back. He's one of the reasons why I got excited about comics again, and I can't wait to see what Brubaker does with him next year. (Also: damn, Guice draws a sexy Bucky. I hope we're going to see him next year, too!)
Fear Itself #7.1: OK, Brubaker almost does it here. He ALMOST convinces me that Marvel had planned Bucky's death from the start. At the end of the "Gulag" arc in "Captain America," before Bucky died (again) in "Fear Itself" #3, it seemed pretty clear that Brubaker was setting up a "Winter Soldier" series where Bucky and Natasha, the sexiest dynamic duo in comics, would go after the loose ends from his Winter Soldier days. Brubaker sets up exactly that series in this issue, using Bucky's "death" as a way to return him to the shadows. He makes a compelling case for why it was necessary for Bucky to die, reminding us that he was a fugitive from the law (as a result of escaping from the Russian prison) when we last left him. As such, his "death" is important in that it ensures he's not going to have the feds and the Russians on his tail as he tries to atone for his sins as the Winter Soldier. Cool. I'm down with that. But, it still feels to me like they intended for Bucky to die and abruptly changed course. Anyway you cut it, it makes me hate "Fear Itself" all the more, because Bucky's death was always going to be a cheap stunt, whether or not they planned him to return or not. (Somehow, if they all along planned for him to return, it makes me even madder.) At the end of the day, though, I'm just thrilled Bucky is back. He's one of the reasons why I got excited about comics again, and I can't wait to see what Brubaker does with him next year. (Also: damn, Guice draws a sexy Bucky. I hope we're going to see him next year, too!)
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