Ugh. OK, this issue isn't terrible, but the ongoing muddying of the Bat-family's history continues to be the worst part of the DCnU.
If Catwoman doesn't know who Dick Grayson is, then we have to presume that the story that we saw in "Nightwing" #0 is correct, that Dick remained an orphan living in an orphanage and served as Robin in secret. (I'm assuming that Selina knows Bruce's identity, so she would know his connection Dick if he had been his ward. She might not have known that he was Robin and/or Nightwing, but she would've recognized Dick in his civilian identity and, as a result, Batman's connection to him.) The problem is that even the DCnU has portrayed Dick as an open member of the Wayne family, even if it hasn't clarified whether he was a legal one. One of the first images of the DCnU, in "Batman" #1 was almost all the various Robins -- Dick, Tim, and Damian -- together in their civilian identities for the event where Bruce launched his vision of Gotham's future. Moreover, in "Batman and Robin" #10, they all sit for a family portrait. Why would Bruce parade around Dick publicly if he wanted to keep his connection him secret? ("Bruce, darling, who's that strapping young man with Tim and Damian?" "Oh, Bambi, he's just some orphan -- he comes for the food." "Why's he in the family portrait then, lover? It seems odd." "Um, we needed another raven-haired boy for the symmetry to work." "Why not just use that Jason Todd ruffian who used to hang out here. Wasn't he your ward? What happened to him?" "Look, forget it. I don't know who the kid is, he's not my ward, and he's definitely not Robin." "OK, OK, OK, kill a girl for asking questions. Let's go count your money.") The fact that DC can't even keep this story straight within the reboot really takes the cake when it comes to how bad DC is at continuity.
Beyond that, the rest of the issue works well in advancing the story, even if it makes you accept some remarkable coincidences. For example, Captain Cold conveniently learns of Lex Luthor's location thanks to Mirror Master stumbling upon a view of him standing with Bizarro and staring at the sun. Simultaneously, Black Manta emerges from the ocean with Black Adam's body and also happens to find Luthor staring at the sun. (He must've been doing so for hours on end.) The two offer their services and the Legion of Doom is essentially born. (Unlike the scene depicted on the cover, a great example of pet peeve #2, Bizarro, Black Adam, Black Manta, Captain Cold, and Lex Luthor become a team; they don't fight one another.) We also learn that the Justice Leagues somehow got absorbed into the "Firestorm Matrix," but I'm not exactly sure how that meshes with the prison that we saw in "Justice League of America" #8. Did Firestorm create that as a way to maintain his psyche?
I will note, oddly for Finch, that the art is inconsistent in this issue. There's a moment during the fight between Black Adam and Ultraman that it looks like someone else drew the page.
In other words, it's not the best issue in the world, but if you can get past the Dick silliness, it at least moves us forward a bit.
** (two of five stars)
hey for what I know I'm sure Catwoman doesn't know who is under the Batman Cowl,..
ReplyDeleteBut based in some preview art from next issue that may change..
That would make a lot more sense, Alien. But, she did know in the DCU, right? It's this sort of stuff that I find confusing about the DCnU, since I wasn't a close enough follower of everyone in the DCU to know whether their status quo is different.
ReplyDeleteYes she knew in the Old DCU, But in the infaimous first issue of the new 52 Catwoman, Bruce and Selina meet in a party and He knows who she is but she doesn't then after that they make up in a roof but he doesn't take his cowl.
ReplyDeleteI miss the old relationship they used to have so I'm enjoying this interaction in Forever Evil since it seems to be going in that direction (hopefully)