Batgirl #12: The only negative thing that I've had to say about Simone's run on "Batgirl" so far is that her villains haven't been all that well formed. From Mirror to Gretel to Grotesque, they've mostly served as plot devices to bring Barbara to a new epiphany or set the stage for her interaction with another member of the DCnU cast. But, with this issue, Simone fully realizes Knightfall and her team. First, we get insight into the motivations of her three bodyguards, moving them beyond the stereotypical henchman category into actual super-villian status in their own right. Simone also adds another layer of complexity to Knightfall by tying her to James, Jr. James is smart enough to see a level of crazy in Charise that he would one day be able to use to his advantage, so I totally believe that he helped keep her alive in Arkham. By introducing a connection between him and Knightfall, Simone makes Knightfall Barbara's first true nemesis, giving them the personal connection that every great adversarial relationship needs. Simone also makes you feel empathy for the bad guys. I found myself
relieved that Knightfall and her cronies hadn't actually killed Ricky
the car thief, and it's hard not to find yourself understanding why the
loss of her twins at the hands of a drunk driver drove Bonebreaker to throw in her
lot with someone who pledges to rid Gotham of crime.
One mystery still out there is what exactly McKenna did for Knightfall. For example, she tells Batwoman that she helped Knightfall play the D.E.O., but we don't get any more details because Knightfall interrupts the conversation with her call to have Batgirl meet her at the Three Towers. But, in keeping that mystery alive, Simone keeps us guessing. This title is really coming into its own, with Simone delivering her excellent characterization with better developed ongoing plots and less one-dimensional villains. I happily spend $2.99 a month on this book.
Batman #12: After the Owl saga, I have to say, I was waiting to see what Snyder did with this issue. I was hoping for something a little less...epic in scope, something that told a pretty simple story about Batman. I got exactly that.
This issue is one of those issues where you just don't know where the author is taking you. It's not your stereotypical superhero story. We don't see any costumed heroes or villains until the second half of the book and, even when they do appear, they're never really the focus of the book. When Snyder starts the story, you feel like something is inevitably going to happen to its heroine, something that will inevitably result in her ending the issue in a costume as a hero or a villain. It's just the way that these sorts of things go. Even an excellently scripted series like "Earth 2" put its heroes into their costumes pretty much within the same issue that they appeared. As such, you think you're reading a done-in-one origin story. Except, you're not. It's what makes this issue frustrating to read, in the very best way, because, after a few pages, you realize that it's not falling into the same pattern as every other story. You start getting annoyed and anxious until you realize that you're reading something different, something special.
Snyder comes close to falling into the same trap as DeFalco in "Superboy" #12, portraying the young gay boy whose sister, Harper, is at the center of this issue as stereotypically gay. He's into his sister's clothes, he's trying to score with a straight boy, etc. But, unlike DeFalco's Bunker, the whole point of Snyder's Cullen is that he is stereotypically gay. A butch Cullen probably (though possibly) wouldn't invite the scorn of his classmates the way "fairy" Cullen does, and it's this scorn that sets events in motion, as Batman saves Cullen and Harper from said bullies. In some ways, Snyder provides every gay kid's wish fulfillment here, because we'd all have loved a Batman to swoop into our lives, beat up our enemies, and scare them into not harassing us again. As such, it's understandable why Batman's actions inspire such loyalty from both kids, but particularly Harper. Snyder does a convincing job of showing us the burden of responsibility that Harper carries with her every day, so it's no surprise that she's as loyal as she is to someone who helped alleviate that burden by making her little brother's day-to-day a lot safer.
In inspiring this devotion, Snyder shows us why Batman has endured as a character for as long as he has. Often, we see Batman through the screen of distrust that the police hold for him. Be it comic books or animated series or action movies, we often see Batman through the eyes of the authorities. For whatever reason, we rarely see Batman through the eyes of the victims that he saves. Snyder corrects that perception and delivers us the type of issue that explains everything that you need to know about the Caped Crusader. It's the type of story that you'd find in an anthology, like the "Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told" series, because it gets to the heart of who he is. He not only rights the wrong, saving the kids, but he also insists on working alone, chastising Harper for messing with his electricity boxes and helping against Tiger Shark. (The revelation that Bruce runs his own grid within Gotham's electricity grid so that he can control CCTV feeds and support the overall grid was genius.)
It's clear that we haven't seen the last of Harper Row, though I'm not sure if she's going to be the next Stephanie Brown or something else. Snyder is unlikely to rush his hand. Other authors in the DCnU have rushed to get through the character's origin story in order to introduce as many new heroes and villains as possible, showing how new the DCnU is. By taking his time to tell the story, Snyder is in the process of producing the DCnU's first break-out star and, paradoxically, showing how different the DCnU is.
This story is the type of story that I'd like to see more often in "Batman." After seeing the "Dark Knight Rises," I commented to my boyfriend that the only negative for me was that Batman isn't exactly the type of guy to save cities from neutron bombs. He is, however, the type of guy to save bullied gay kids from their tormentors and overburdened teenaged sisters from their anxieties. This story remind us of that. I can't wait to see where you go, Harper Row!
Batman and Robin #12: Every time I start liking this series, Tomasi does something to ruin it. This issue is a case in point.
First, Terminus' reveal is unforgivably convenient here. Why tell Batman about the warhead? Had he not told Batman about the warhead, he could've actually achieved his goal, watching Batman realize that he had failed Gotham right before he died. But, by going all super-villain and telling Batman his plan, Terminus ensures that Batman has enough time to defuse the warhead and save Gotham. It's WAY too convenient and I can't believe that the editors actually let it pass.
Second, Tomasi knows that the Red Hood is in space, right? I mean, even if he weren't in space (though he is), I'm not sure that Tomasi got the memo that Jason isn't really on speaking terms with the Bat-family. Other than his interaction with Tim in "Red Hood and the Outlaws" #8, Jason hasn't directly encountered any members of the Bat-family (as far as I can remember) except in this title. His appearances in this title feel odd as a result, like Tomasi is telling a DCU story while everyone else is telling a DCnU one.
Third, we never learn who Terminus is! He hates Batman so much for what he did to him, going so far as to taunt him, telling him to say his name. But, Batman doesn't know it, and we never return to it before Terminus dies.
Fourth, am I really supposed to believe the Iron Bat armor fits in the Batmobile?
Finally, the "War of the Robins" ends with a whimper. I was waiting for some great emotionally driven battle between Damian and Dick, where Dick reminded Damian that he didn't have to prove himself. Instead, Dick just hurls him his escrima stick and makes a crack about Damian being the one wearing the uniform. That's it. The whole big emotional reveal of the "War of the Robins" was a tossed stick and a quick quip.
This title just really frustrates me. As I've mentioned previously, I get it because it's pretty much the only opportunity for me to see Damian, who I enjoy. But, Tomasi is making it harder and harder for me to justify spending $2.99 when every few steps we take forward we eventually wind up taking back.
Nightwing #12: The main problem with this issue is one that I've encountered in several other DCnU series, namely, the failure to fully sketch out the goals and motivations of a new villain. Here, I was specifically unsure if I was supposed to recognize who Paragon was when he took off his mask. Super-villians generally don't just reveal their identity to superheroes; they usually do it only because they've been driven to crime as a result of something that the superhero did, and, in revealing their identity, they show the superhero how he failed him/her. (It's what Terminus tried to do in "Batman and Robin" #12, except Batman didn't know who he was.) However, Higgins never tells us who Paragon was or why, possibly, Dick would know him. I mean, you'd figure that someone who allegedly mastered thermodynamics and built some sort of reactor before the age of sixteen would be a known property, but, if Dick recognized him, he didn't give any indication.
Moreover, Higgins muddies the waters when it comes to the Republic of Tomorrow. I had thought that it was essentially a cult of personality built around Paragon, but, after this issue, I'm not so sure. We learn that Dick apparently saved all the lives of Paragon and the Strayhorn brothers in issue #3, an act that causes the brothers to question their membership in a group that wants to overthrow exactly the type of costumed superhero who just saved their lives. After they decided to leave the group, Paragon kills them and frames it on Dick to make it into a rallying cry. I get all that. But, Paragon says that he "took over the group," which implies the Strayhorns were running it before he killed them. It begs the question, then: why did the Strayhorns want to take down costumed heroes? It seems pretty ambitious for a non-madman, so they had to have some motivation. But, Higgins doesn't really clarify that part, just like he doesn't really give us Paragon's motivation, including just some vague comment about fighting for what he think Gotham really needs. I think sometimes that authors forget that not everyone can be the Joker, spreading chaos just to spread chaos.
Despite the failings of the villain, Higgins does a pretty decent job with Dick's supporting cast. I'm glad to see Detective Nie make some progress here. After the somewhat stereotypically gay portrayals in "Batman" and "Superboy" #12, it's nice to see an adult gay man playing a role that has nothing to do with his sexuality, similar to Alan Scott in "Earth 2." I'm hoping that we see more of him. I'm also hoping that we see more of Sonia Branch, whose "relationship" with Dick continues to intrigue me. To be honest, I'm reading this series much more for these insights into Dick's private life than I am his antics at Nightwing at this point.
Red Hood and the Outlaws #12: Lobdell delivers possibly his strongest issue to date. Finally.
I liked several things about this issue. First, I like that Lobdell lets Roy get the win. When the cover identified a "red knight to the rescue," I was pretty sure that it was referring to Jason rescuing Roy. Instead, it's Roy rescuing Komand'r. Second, along those lines, Lobdell successfully pulls off a bait and switch, revealing that Komand'r was pretending to cooperate with the Blight to help keep it from destroying her people. To be honest, I totally buy this reason, particularly because I didn't necessarily know how Lobdell was going to justify Komand'r selling out her people to the Blight. (I'm not saying that he isn't going to reveal at the end that Komand'r was working for the Blight all along, but, at least for now, I buy this explanation.) Third, we finally get the characters showing some emotions. Jason is downright psychologically grounded in this issue and I thought Lobdell did a good job getting him to try to get Roy to take some credit for saving Komand'r. The "team" has been together enough time to start forming bonds to each other, and Jason acting like a friend, and not just bro, to Roy is a great start. I'm equally pleased that Lobdell has Koriand'r not just treat Roy as a boy toy, showing real emotions towards him. It's almost like the three of them are real people now! Hurrah!
I'm excited about the Koriand'r and Komand'r v. the Blight battle coming in two months. I really want this title to ditch demons and space, but, as long as Lobdell is telling a good story, at this point, I'm willing to go with it.
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