Batman #31: OMG, I'm just over this "event." Kite-Man helps Batman fly Riddler and his army into the skyscraper where Joker is hiding. But, Kite-Man is working with Batman! Surprise! [Yawn.] He immediately activates a secret parachute system that whisks away everyone but Batman and Riddler. (If you're wondering why Batman agreed to this scheme in the first place, given he whisked away the army right after delivering them, it's because Riddler insisted on bringing them with him. I'm not sure why, but it is what it is.) At any rate, it's Batman versus Joker versus Riddler. Sure, whatever. Apparently we're finally going to learn what Bruce did that's so awful Catwoman won't marry him. [Sigh.]
Batman: The Red Death #1: As I feared, this tie-in issue feels very tie-in issue-y. The premise of this event appears to be that an agent of Barbatos has brought the seven most dangerous Batmen of the Dark Multiverse to the Light Multiverse to save them. If I understand correctly, the Dark Multiverse mirrors the Light Multiverse (no surprise there), with 52 versions of Earth. But, something about the Dark Multiverse makes these Earths less stable: they're destined to die. The doorway Barbatos opened through Batman in "Dark Nights: Metal" #2 allows these seven Batmen to enter the Light Multiverse before their Earths die. At this point, it's unclear if he has a plan for them beyond just allowing them to survive, but we'll see. In this issue, the Batman of Earth -52 has stolen the Rogues' powers in order to steal the Speed Force from the Flash. Jason, Tim, Dick, and Damian have all been killed, and it's clearly driven this Batman over the edge. He's seeking more power to save not only Gotham but the world. Batman eventually captures Flash and connects him to the Batmobile, using it like the Cosmic Treadmill. Despite Flash's warning, he tries to enter the Speed Force. He partially succeeds: he's now the dominant partner in a shared body with Flash, like Firestorm. He then goes on a killing spree and happily takes up Barbatos' agent's offer to travel to Earth Zero. Again, I'm not really sure what Barbatos' plan is. Is it chaos just for chaos' sake? I guess we'll see.
Nightwing #29 ("Dark Nights: Metal - Gotham Resistance" #2): I'm not going to buy three other issues just to complete this mini-series within a mini-series, but I have to admit this issue is solid. Leading a hodgepodge team of Suicide Squad and Teen Titans members, Nightwing tries to liberate a frozen Gotham from Mr. Freeze. Freeze himself has been installed by the Batman who Laughs, who I believe is Barbatos' agent from "Batman: The Red Death" #1. Along the way, the wound Deathwing delivered to him in "Nightwing Must Die!" reopens. Dick thinks about the electrum the Court of Owls infused in him as it prepared him to be a Talon, and he wonders if he is Barbatos' weapon to Bruce's doorway. Seeley does a solid job of focusing on characterization throughout this issue despite being saddled with delivering a tie-in issue. Dick's sotto voce assurances to Damian that they'll find Bruce are a great reminder of who they are as a duo, and Seeley conveys the gravity of the situation by making even Dick question whether he's really capable of filling Batman's shoes this time.
The Wild Storm #7: This issue is talky, but it’s talky because Ellis takes the chance to recap what we know. It’s not a terrible idea; we have a lot happening, after all. I remember mostly everything except the fact Cray set off the “xenobiological alarm” when he attacked Marlowe and partially dissolved Marlowe's “spur,” seemingly confirming he’s also an alien. The biggest new development involves a player called John Colt. He’s a Wild C.A.T. spy in IO, and he sets off alarms when the device Kenesha developed for him finally breaks through IO's digital firewalls. In a really spectacular sequence, he fights through waves of IO guards to find a broom closet where Adriana can evack him without revealing her presence (and the team’s means of transportation). At the Wild C.A.T.s' HQ, Colt is explaining how IO is working on machine telepathy when a bleeding Angie walks into the room. She scans him, revealing to herself he’s also an alien. Later, when Marlowe talks to Angie to calm her down a bit, she reveals Colt, Kenesha, and Marlowe are not only all aliens, but they’re all different from each other. The other new development is the team admitting they don't understand why IO went after Marlowe. Clay was using polonium, which they agree would’ve sent Marlowe to the hospital for “medical intervention and an autopsy.” Colt doesn’t think IO normally would risk that, since it would reveal to the world at large that aliens walk among us. Why didn't they kill him immediately? But, Clay doesn’t have another theory on what IO was actually doing. He’s more concerned Marlowe revealed his spur. Curiouser and curiouser. As I said, Ellis uses a lot of narration in this issue, but he pulls it off well, mostly due to Davis-Hunt’s staging. The conversation between the team about Marlowe happens in a living room, and Davis-Hunt has carefully put them in conversational positions that switch organically as the conversation progresses. It makes you forget you’re reading a comic and not just watching a group of people talk. It’s why the narration doesn’t feel heavy and why Ellis and Davis-Hunt are possibly the best team in comics right now.
Also Read: Bloodshot Salvation #1
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