Batman: The Murder Machine #1: So far these "Dark Nights: Metal" tie-in issues haven't been too bad, despite my initial skepticism. In this issue, Tieri contemplates a pretty compelling "What if..." scenario, as Bruce is desperate to resurrect Alfred after Bane and a bunch of criminals kill him looking for Batman. Cyborg helps Bruce complete and launch an artificial-intelligence version of Alfred, but they quickly lose control as Alfred starts eliminating everyone "he" deems a threat to Bruce. (It's a long list.) Cyborg begs Bruce to destroy "Alfred," but he can't bring himself to do it. He's quickly overrun, joining with "Alfred" to become the titular murder machine. He comes to our world for the same reason every other Dark Batman did, furious his Earth was condemned to die when the Light Universe's Earths gets to live. He makes short work of Cyborg in the Watchtower, allowing him access to S.T.A.R. Lab's computer system and thus Detroit. (The Dark Batmen seem intent on destroying the Justice League members' home cities, for reasons I don't entirely understand.) Not only is the plot solid, but Tieri really makes you feel like you're reading a story that could happen on "our" Earth. The story is really anchored in the characters themselves, and this accurate characterization make the story intuitively believable.
Detective Comics #965: OK, we have a lot going on here. We open with Tim going over his origin story with his jailer, and Tynion outright ignores "Teen Titans" #0 in so doing. Hurrah! If you recall, that issue ret-conned Tim's origin so that Bruce wound up telling Tim he was Batman (as opposed to Tim deducing Bruce and Dick were Batman and Robin). To underscore the point, Barrows essentially redraws parts of "A Lonely Place of Dying," making it clear the past is once again the past. But, Tynion isn't just fanwanking us. Tim has this discussion with Mr. Oz because Oz reminds him he believe Bruce needs people, the core tenet of "A Lonely Place of Dying." Then, he tried to get Dick to return to Bruce's side to keep him from going over the edge; now, he created the Nest to achieve this goal. But, Mr. Oz is skeptical Tim can leave it to someone else to play this role; he believes Tim needs to be actively involved and questions whether his decision to leave the team would stick. But, we barely have time to process this discussion as Tynion reveals Mr. Oz is Jor-El. However, Jor-El implies he wasn't really Tim's jailer as he, too, had been a prisoner in the place where Tim is held. If I'm reading between the lines, he's telling us Dr. Manhattan imprisoned him. Jor-El leaves to plot against (presumably) Dr. Manhattan (thus more or less confirming he wasn't really there to jail Tim, since he leaves him free). Tim sends a distress signal to Gotham, and Batman answers it; Tim is surprised when he tells him to free him, since he's a prisoner, too. Tim does so, but he encounters a Batman he didn't expect: it's a future version of himself. Before he left, Jor-El told Tim his future was dark and encouraged him to give up his costumed life, no matter how much it called to him. It's easy to see why he felt that way, as this Tim is d-a-r-k: he's even packing the gun that killed Thomas and Martha Wayne. But, Tim may not have to worry about his destiny much longer, since they might both be dead soon: Tim apparently not only freed his future self from his prison cell, but also Doomsday. Dun-dun-DUN! This series has been a little rocky lately, but I have to say Tynion reminds me why it's generally been my favorite Batman series on this stands for the past few years. We have a plot working on multiple levels, enough action to balance out the talky bits, and insightful characterization that advances the story. Great stuff from start to finish.
Nightwing: The New Order #2: This issue is similar to "Detective Comics" #965, as Higgins uses an excellent sense of the characters to advance the plot. Jake has been hiding his powers from his father for close to three years, afraid his father would think he was "bad" since Jake understood his father saw superpowers as "bad." Dick is devastated to learn from Mr. Terrific that inhibitors won't work, and Dick swears to Alfred he won't allow Jake to go into stasis. He hopes to use his connections to get Jake an exemption and waved onto "the League," but it's too late: Jake has clearly tripped the scanners, and the Crusaders appear at their door. In the best moment, Alfred stands in front of Jake with a bat, refusing to let the Crusaders get to him (something his father didn't have the courage to do). Dick pleads with Alfred to stand down, but Alfred refuses, saying they're in this mess because too many people have stood down. Damn straight, Alfred. One of the Crusaders kills Alfred and Dick is escorted from his home as his son is removed in chains. Maybe siding with the Man wasn't such a great idea, huh, Dick?
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