Batman #17: The problem with this issue is a retroactive problem from last issue: we're supposed to believe the Legion of Robins went after Bane, he defeated them, and he then strung up their bodies in the Batcave, all without Batman knowing. Moreover, Bane essentially repeats that feat in this issue, taking Bronze Tiger, Catwoman, Commissioner Gordon, and Duke hostage. I'll admit it amplifies the tension nicely. Alfred pretends to be Jeremiah Arkham, evacuating the wing nearest the "Joker wing" of the asylum so he can safely ensconce himself with Claire and Psycho-Pirate there. It's clear the finale of this arc is going to happen at that door, the line in the sand Bruce is going to make clear Bane can't cross. It's also clear how difficult that task is going to be with seven of Bruce's allies (including the League of Robins, now held in stasis under Superman's care at the Fortress of Solitude) no longer in action. In other words, it's Bane vs. Batman, period. But, I'd be a lot more excited about that if getting us here had been a more believable journey. If Bane can take down the Robins so easily, how could Batman even remotely have a chance of stopping him?
Nightwing #15: Even though it seems to veer into "women in refrigerators" territory at the end, I love this issue. We get to see Dick not only through the eyes of a girl falling in love with him but through the eyes of his friends as well. I loved Wally laughing at what a cornball Dick is after Dick reveals he asked Shawn on their first date by appearing in her apartment with roses in his Nightwing costume. (Wally also slaps him on the back for that, noting that girls love the tights. Dick comments how they usually seal the deal. Indeed, Dick. Indeed.) Shawn calls Randy after they sleep together for the first time, and Randy (who might be gayer than I thought) asks for all the details. After Shawn gives them to him, Randy observes he knew Dick was wilder than an "acre of snakes" because no one can be as sweet and boring as Dick. (Seeley, now you're just teasing me.) In his conversation with Barbara, Dick summarizes this entire period of his life as taking her advice: he's putting down roots because he's no longer swinging as far as he can on that trapeze, as far as he can swing away from his feelings and other people. We even get a "man-chat" between Jason and Dick! In fact, it's Jason who encourages Dick to see through Shawn's anger, saying that people with anger just need someone to help direct it. Moreover, guest artist Minkyu Jung does an amazing job throughout these stories showing us exactly why girls love the tights. (He should feel free to put Dick in leather pants all the time.) He also becomes the first person possibly ever to manage to differentiate between Dick and Jason. In fact, if Seeley didn't end the issue with the possibility of someone killing Shawn, I'd be the happiest camper in the world.
The Wild Storm #1: My memory of the Image era of comics is hazy at best. I mean, it was twenty years ago. I remember Wetworks (mentioned here), though I don't know if I remember Michael Cray. Do I remember International Operations? No. Do I remember Miles Craven? No. Do I remember Jacob Marlowe, Voodoo, Zealot, and Angie Spica? Yes, but I don't remember too much about them. But, Ellis makes it immediately clear it doesn't matter. He establishes all the players and the relationships between them by the end of this issue: you don't need to dive into your back issues of "WildC.A.T.s." Ellis invites you to feel that frisson of excitement when you recognize a character, but then gets you to focus on the story he's telling right now. Moreover, he tells that story essentially in one, long rolling shot through the streets of New York. I've never really seen that done in comics, and it's awesome. That innovation alone is worth your money. But, also, the story is good. Like, really good. It appears we have three groups at play, and at least two of these groups are at war with each other. We start the issue with Zealot killing a dude she was interrogating for "the Division," and she calls in a clean-up crew to take care of the mess. She then heads for coffee at the same shop where Craven is having coffee with his husband. They're approached by Angela as she tries to go around the bureaucracy she feels isn't giving her what she needs to continue her research. She leaves in a huff but reveals she's been experimenting on herself when she morphs into a flight suit and saves Marlowe as he falls from a building. At the International Operations (IO) base, we learn Craven is the head of the agency as he grills Cray, the guy who tried to kill Marlowe. Cray informs us his plan went haywire when a bomb exploded; meanwhile, Marlowe tells his compatriot Adrianna (a.k.a., Void) that it wasn't a bomb -- Cray somehow interfered with his "spur." (Did I mention Marlowe appears to be an alien and he's probably at least 150 years old?) Cray is the head of IO's Wetworks team, and he tried to kill Marlowe because he and his company Appl...I mean, Halo...have too much influence over the global economy. Or, to bottom line it, IO is at war with Halo, but we don't know anything about the Division and its possible allegiance. Post-rescue, Marlowe has activated his CATs in an attempt to find Angela, but Craven may have an advantage since he recognizes her from surveillance footage of the rescue. In other words? Wow. I don't think I've ever read so dense of an issue that flowed so beautifully -- narratively, conversationally, and graphically. Davis-Hunt is a goddamn treasure, evident not just in his attention to detail in the sequence of Angela turning into her robotic form but from the jaunty way Craven is standing at the end of the issue, conveying the exasperation he feels as he laments aloud how hard it is running the world. I couldn't be more excited about this series. To use a cliché, forget everything you know about Wildstorm: we're now in the Wild Storm.
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