Batman #1: I'm probably supposed to have a lot to say about this issue, but I don't. Some nutjob from a terrorist group that uses a cobra as a symbol gets his hands on an RPG and shoots a plane. Alfred and Duke help Bruce propel himself onto the plane. He just so happens to have a spare set of engines with him, so he's able to redirect it (as if he's riding a horse) from crashing into Kane Plaza to crashing into the Gulf of Blackgate. He expects to die (again) in the crash, but he doesn't, thanks to the timely intervention of Gotham and Gotham Girl. If you've been following the hoopla surrounding "Rebirth," you know that they're mysterious new heroes set to challenge Bruce's belief that Gotham is his city. But, because of said hoopla, their appearance on the scene is pretty anti-climactic. Sure, we know nothing about them now, but we'll learn all we need to know -- likely in nauseating detail -- over the course of the next few issues. The only real mystery here is that a shadowy figure killed the terrorist that fired the RPG and then uttered the phrase, to no one in particular, "Observe the clock, Batman." Creepy.
The Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade #1: Azzarello and Romita tell a pretty straight-forward story in this one-shot. For most of it, it's about Bruce having to face the fact that he's at the limit of what his body can take. It's not just the pain, but that opponents like Killer Croc are starting to get the drop on him. He's forced to acknowledge that he's getting closer and closer to the moment where he'll fatally slip, allowing an opponent to kill him. They have a great sequence here where Croc is really close to doing just that, prompting two reactions in Bruce. First, he's surprised, because he figured that the end would come with him being outsmarted, not beaten. (It's an interesting insight into his thinking, because it reminds us that he sees himself as a detective and not a brawler.) But, he also shows real fear at the possibility of Croc eating him, something that we don't usually see in him. After this sequence, Bruce may still be fighting the idea of retirement, but he also seems resigned to it. His concern is that Jason Todd is too violent, though Alfred walks him through the ridiculousness of that position, poking holes in his argument by using his own behavior at Jason's age against him. It's here where the story goes off the rails a bit. Instead of a retirement story, we learn that this issue is really a reimagining of "A Death in the Family," as Jason goes to take on the recently escaped Joker to prove that he's ready (after overhearing Alfred and Bruce's conversation). Of course, he isn't ready, and the issue ends with the Joker's goons beating on him and the Joker excited about the torture that he's going to inflict on him. It's not that it's a bad reimagining of this scenario, but it is a rushed one. The entire sequence feels tacked onto the end like the creators hadn't originally planned to go this route but the editors made them do it. It's still worth a read, but you're not going to be able to help feeling like you're missing a few pages.
Ttans: Rebirth #1: I cannot explain how excited I am to be part of the Titans. I'm not a long-time DC Comics reader, so I missed the Titans era in the '80s. I imagine that it would be like someone who didn't read Marvel Comics getting excited about reading "Avengers" if they brought the original team together again. You get a chance to be a part of something that mattered. I loved Dan Abnett during his work with Andy Lanning, and he's just as good here as he was then. He hits all the right emotional notes, and I choked up a bit as the Titans remembered Wally and Wally exulted in feeling their love for him. As he himself says, he's lost a lot, and you can feel his commitment not to have it happen again. The Titans feel the same way, horrified that they forgot Wally and angry at the idea that someone made them forget him. Moreover, Abnett directs us to the "Titans Hunt" mini-series, since it seems to serve as a prequel to "Rebirth:" apparently, someone named Mister Twister was responsible for the Titans not remembering each other (at least as far as they know). At any rate, this title seems like it's going to be front-and-center as we figure out the mechanics of the "Rebirth," and I'm really excited to be on board.
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