Batman #30: I’ve complained in previous reviews that I feel like King has bitten off more than he can chew with the War of Jokes and Riddles. Previous issues have focused either too narrowly on fringe stories or too broadly with excessive narration. We’ve rarely seen the actual War. We still have that problem in this issue, but I'm happy to say it's not as bad as it's been. King uses Kite Man as the reader's surrogate, showing us the changing dynamic of the War now that Batman has thrown in his lot with the Riddler in the attempt to bring it to an end. We work through a series of vignettes showing Kite Man with one or another of Joker's captains -- the Tweedles, Mad Hatter, Mr. Freeze -- and I realized King should've been using Kite Man this way from the start. If he had, I think we’d have a much better sense of the story he’s been trying to tell. But, it is what it is: we at least get that insight here. In the end, Riddler reveals he and Batman kept Kite Man as the last of Joker’s men on the field because they knew he was the weakest: he’d cave and tell them where Joker was hiding. Along the way to this moment, King shows us a flashback conversation Kite Man had with his deceased son, who tells Kite Man his mother described Kite Man as a joke. Riddler and Batman feel the same way, obviously. Before Kite Man speaks with them, though, Janín delivers the best single page of this story, showing a handcuffed Kite Man moving from crying to weeping as he waits for Riddler and Batman to interrogate him. Janín just spectacularly conveys Kite Man's devastation over the loss of his son, and I admit I’m 100% rooting for him to stick it to Riddler and Batman. I don’t know if King wanted that, but it’s where I am.
Generation X #6: Exterminatrix! The Fenris Twins! Kade Kilgore! Bi-curious Quentin! I have to say, I really enjoyed this issue. Benjamin, Nathaniel, and Quentin make for a great trio, as Benjamin mediates between the two more dominant personalities and said personalities might actually learn a little something about each other and themselves along the way. But, it's the tour down memory lane that I most appreciated, as Strain reminds us where this story fits in the larger continuity of these characters. Nathaniel is really a great addition to the cast, as he challenges Quentin in a way no one else does. Also, does he maybe have a crush on Benji? Bobby should ask him for advice.
Hawkeye #10: Aha! Madame Masque used a Kate Bishop LMD to try to see if it developed powers like Derek Bishop's LMD did! That makes sense. How did she get her hands on a Kate Bishop LMD, though? It presumably has Kate's DNA if it's possible for it to develop powers. Did Kate's dad give her Kate's DNA? I'm sure we'll see.
Iceman #5: Grace delivers in this issue, as we see the fallout from Bobby revealing he’s gay to his parents. Thankfully, it doesn’t go well. I say “thankfully,” because it wouldn’t have felt right if Bobby’s parents suddenly shrugged at the idea their son is gay. His parents have always been portrayed as conservative Long Island Catholics, and their response feels authentic. In particular, I thought Grace did a great job in having Bobby’s father saying Bobby was dead to him because he couldn’t give him grandchildren and Bobby’s mother expressing relief when Bobby tells her he’s never had sex with a man. It reminds us how disruptive the coming-out process is to parents' narratives about their children, from their hopes for the future to their view of us as adults engaged in sex. Bobby’s dad goes one further when Bobby says he’s always felt like something was wrong when he was with women and comments he shouldn’t feel that way if he’s in love; Bobby’s father demands he not talk about loving men. Here, Grace shows us how difficult of a road Bobby has in front of him. His parents aren't just upset at the loss of possibility when it comes to grandchildren or dealing with him having sex with men: they reject even the idea that he is capable of love. Bobby’s father can’t imagine a man loving a man, and Bobby’s mother is just obsessed with the idea of Bobby touching a man sexually. (His mother is also obsessed with pinning blame on his father, something I kept anticipating as the story progressed.) Again, it feels like you’re eavesdropping on an actual conversation and not just reading a comic book. The most poignant moment is when Kitty gives Bobby’s parents the letter he was writing them; she comments no one has really cared what Bobby thought about being gay because he’s been too worried about everyone else’s reaction. I remember that feeling all too well. I almost didn’t believe the ending, where Bobby’s father stays behind to tell Bobby he loves him. But, I remembered the story from "Uncanny X-Men" #340 where his father is almost beaten to death by anti-mutant extremists for defending him, and it rang truer. Similarly, I didn't think the metaphor of Bobby turning himself into vapor was necessary (and his use of wings made almost no sense from a physics standpoint). But, it does allow Bobby to express a feeling we've all had, the desire just to disappear. In other words, I don't remember a comic feeling as close to my own coming-out story, and I really salute Grace for that. Looking ahead, Bobby’s story is just beginning, and I hope we get to see him excited about that at some point.
Nightwing #28: This issue works for a number of reasons. First, Seeley gives us “Grayson” readers some closure, revealing Mr. Minos was nothing more than a program Project Cadmus and Checkmate's joint venture ("Business Solutions”) created, presumably to ferret out the identities of superheroes. It’s really quite brilliant and so much of “Grayson” retroactively makes sense now. Second, Seeley hits some great character notes here. After stopping Mouse from almost killing Blockbuster as revenge for killing Giz, Shawn realizes she made a mistake in acting from a place of anger with Dick. However, she’s too late: Helena told Dick she was only comfortable with him, and we see them in bed together here. Shawn seems (somewhat unjustifiably) furious, and Seeley implies it’ll finally push her over the edge into bad-guy territory. (Stopping Mouse postponed that dive, much to Pigeon’s chagrin.) Seeley returned Dick to Blüdhaven 18 issues ago, and it continues to be clear it was an excellent decision. Dick has spent most of the DCnU bouncing from one modus operandi to another, and Seeley’s decision to ground him in Blüdhaven has made for better stories, deepening our emotional investment as his cast of characters finally stays stable. I’m excited to see where we’re going from here, since this issue definitely felt like it was drawing a line under some previous stories.
Spider-Man #20: This issue is...odd. I can't quite put my finger on it exactly, but it is. Bendis has Miles decide to take a break, using his Spider-Powers to hitch rides (including hanging on the outside of an airplane) to Tokyo, somewhere he always wanted to go. He saves two girls from a mugging by goons who look like they're in the Goblin Gang. But, they seem to work for someone named Tomoe instead. However, she shoots one of them to save Miles, so I'm not really sure. She takes an interest in Miles and invites him to visit her club. Then, someone, possibly Miles' father, uses the "Alternet" to direct him to a drop-point with a tuxedo and a gun for him to bring to the club. In other words, instead of going to Tokyo to take a break from superhero-ing, Miles finds himself smack dab in the middle of international espionage. As I said, it's just...odd. It doesn't help that Bendis uses a frequent flashbacks to tell this story, where a linear approach would've worked much better. I don't know. It all just leaves me scratching my head.
X-Men: Gold #11: MARC GUGGENHEIM, KITTY PRYDE ABSOLUTELY SPEAKS RUSSIAN. I'm not sure I can get past this oversight. He claims in every letters page he's a long time fan, but, OMFG, how do you not know Kitty Pryde ABSOLUTELY SPEAKS RUSSIAN. [Sigh.] It doesn't help that the script and the pencils are extremely rushed. Instead of capitalizing on the return of Omega Red, Guggenheim treats him like just another henchman for all the challenge he poses to the team. Logan defeats him without even breaking a sweat. Similarly, Peter regains his ability to turn into steel just in time to save Illyana from the mysterious magic-wielding mobster. I not only sort of forgot Peter had lost his powers, but it also doesn't help we never really get insight into the mobster. He was apparently using her to keep Omega Red alive so he could conquer Russia. Um, Russia is pretty big, dude. You really think you could take over the whole place with Omega Red? Also, if you're such a kick-ass magic-user, why do you need Illyana? On a side note, is Storm even in this issue? I think I briefly saw a flash of her, but I have no idea what she does here. I mean, how do you make Storm forgettable? [Sigh, again.] I really, really want to like this series, but Guggenheim isn't making it easy. (Did I mention Kitty speaks Russian?)
Also Read: Astonishing X-Men #3; Champions #12; Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Captain Phasma #1
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