Batman #46: OMG, I would pay money not to have to read a "Batman" issue with Booster Gold in it ever again. Seriously, just let me know how much money you want, DC, and I'll see what I can do. I just just don't understand what King wants to accomplish here other than shock us for no reason. The ending of this issue is so gory -- Catwoman rips Thomas to shreds, Batman shoots Martha as he's trying to shoot Catwoman, Catwoman lops off Batman's fingers, Bruce shoots Booster -- that it reminds me of the final scene of "Hamlet" (clearly King's intent). OK, we get it: Bruce Wayne is destined to lose his parents, and if he loses them earlier rather than later it's better for everyone involved. Cool. But, I feel like we could've told that story without Booster fucking Gold. To make matters worse, Booster's plan of reuniting Selina with Bruce makes no sense. He gave up being Batman because his parents were alive, not because he forgot he loved Selina. If anything, Booster should've killed Bruce's parents himself, to take away Bruce's justification for refusing to return to the prime timeline. Yeah, the fact I'm recommending Booster kill Bruce's parents gives you an idea of how awful this issue is.
DC Nation #0: If the goal of this free issue was to get me to buy any of these series, this issue really missed the mark. I don't really have much to say about the "Man of Steel" and "Justice League: No Justice" stories. I was bored halfway through Perry White's first speech bubble, which was a problem, given the entire story was an extended rant on his part. Any frequent Marvel reader would roll his or her eyes at the "Justice League: No Justice" story, as its premise appears to be four Galactuses (Galacti?) are going to destroy Earth for energy. Let's just say, it ain't novel. The "Batman" story was much more interesting, as the Joker sits at someone's home waiting for the invitation to Batman's wedding. At first, I thought this guy knew Bruce Wayne, and the story revealed the Joker also knew Bruce's identity. That would be a development. Instead, it appears he just chose a random guy to terrorize. Um, OK. I guess? I get the Joker's mayhem doesn't need to make sense, but I'm also not quite sure what conclusion we were supposed to draw here. How does the Joker know Batman is getting married if he doesn't know Bruce Wayne is Batman? Do I even care about this question any more? I mean, it was free, so I'm good, but meh.
Nightwing #44: I’m going to apologize if this review makes no sense because it was hard to focus on the issue when Dick and his hairy chest spent most of it shirtless. Percy and Mooneyham really set a dark and somber mood here, one befitting Blüdhaven. I mean, it’s not like Seeley and his various artists made Blüdhaven all sparkles and light or anything, but in just one issue this pair makes it clear Blüdhaven is Gotham’s opioid-addicted brother trying to convince him to lend him some money. Percy goes a little overboard with Dick’s Ludditism, but it’s driving home the point he wants to make. He makes you legitimately wonder if we’re only a few years from being the target of the attacks like the one we see here, where someone uses the lithium batteries in people’s smartphones as bombs. Dick’s cybernetically enhanced new client seems the ideal suspect, but we also have a larger scheme at hand, as someone in the Blüdhaven government is furnishing shopkeepers with the Phantasma device. At first, it seems to just project a hologram, but, when Tim gets his hands on a device, he realizes it actually accesses one’s nervous systems to create illusions that seem real. (Dick selects “luxury” as a mood and instantly finds himself in Wayne Manor, able to feel and touch Alfred.) It's not clear how the smartphone bombs and Phantasma devices are connected, but they clearly are. I’m buying what Percy is selling here hook, line, and sinker. It’s a fun new direction for this series, and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen folks work together as well as Percy and Mooneyham here.
No comments:
Post a Comment