007 #2: First things first, the Mark Aspinall cover is a thing of beauty. I would love to see him take a turn as the artist on this series, even if I enjoy Finnegan's work.
Moving onto the story, Kennedy Johnson shows the same attention to detail as he did on "The Last God." We learn that Gwen's note informed James that she had been working for M as a mole inside Myrmidon. At Gwen's funeral, James signals to M that he knows the truth, prompting M to approach him later with the whole story.
M tells James that Gwen realized a deep-pocketed new player was building a nationless intelligence agency. Concerned about their motives, she and M arranged for her fall at MI6 so she could embed in Myrmidon. M tells James that Myrmidon has now moved beyond assassinations and data breaches and is planning some sort of full-scale military operation. When M offers James Gwen's spot inside Myrmidon, he refuses, saying that he can't forgive M for disgracing her.
James arrives home only to encounter some sort of super-soldier. James manages to kill him but discovers the rest of the Myrmidon crew in his apartment. They were there to kill him but, when they overheard James telling the super-solider that "Gwen Gann sends her regards," they're now worried about what James knows. I think James is going to have an uncomfortable few days.
Again, Kennedy Johnson does great stuff here, subverting a series of spy-story tropes. First, James is behind the cueball for most of this issue, which is fun. Second, James doesn't swing when M pitches him the Myrmidon job. Finally, even if he did take the job, it's clear that Myrmidon is too on the ball to fall for his cover. You really don't know what to expect, which breathes some life back into these sorts of stories.
Batman #127: This issue is everything I wanted in a "Batman" story, which validates my decision to give Zdarsky a shot.
It turns out Zur-en-Arrh created Failsafe. Surprise! This arc is essentially a sequel to the classic "Justice League" Tower of Babel story. As we see in the first few pages, Bruce believed that he didn't need a plan for if he went rogue because the League - particularly Superman - was his plan. But Zur-en-Arrh believed that "they" did need a plan, so he created a Failsafe. (As Tim says, leave it to Bruce to "create a contingency backup who created a contingency plan.") Of course, Zu-en-Arrh erased the memory since he knew that Batman would call on him if he went rogue. Of course he did.
Zdarksy makes it clear that Failsafe activated because it believed Batman took a life when he seemingly killed the Penguin. I love this development. As I've mentioned before, my favorite runs on Batman and Spider-Man are when the hero faces multiple crises of various intensity all at once. Here, Bruce had enough on his hands with his alleged murder of the Penguin; he didn't need Failsafe added to the fire.
Bruce is appalled from inside Zur-en-Arrh's consciousness when he refers to Tim as his "soldier." Tim is Bruce's son, full stop, so he takes back control of their shared body to save Tim. With Failsafe looming over him, Bruce contemplates dying in a good place - on the stairs of Wayne Manor, surrounded by memories of his parents and his boys. But, of course, it turns out Bruce wasn't wrong about his plan: Superman arrives to stop Batman, just not the one Bruce thought he'd have to stop.
The back-up story isn't any less spectacular. Selina follows the money trail right to the Penguin's new identity. Apparently the Penguin installed a friend who did time with him as the bookkeeper at the bird sanctuary that his will endowed. The friend then bought supplies from "less-than-reputable" companies, and a "modest florist" in Metropolis owned said companies via a shell company. If you hadn't guessed, the Penguin is the "modest florist."
Oswald makes a compelling case for why he disappeared, opining that Gotham was so dangerous they all became night people because sleep was risky. He wanted a new life: if he stayed in Gotham he knew that he wouldn't be able to take it when that "rich, brooding model" (i.e., Bruce) kept winning. That said, he didn't want his kids to kill each other over the will; he just wanted to inspire some friendly-ish competition. Selina buys it and chats with Oswald for an hour or so before leaving.
After Selina leaves, Oswald wishes Addison and Aiden luck in killing the Bat and the Cat. He legitimately seems like he's done for a while, enjoying the quiet life in Metropolis while his kids continue the fight. Selina herself contemplates that quiet as she decides to spend an extra night there.
Both stories show Zdarsky's command of the characters and their motivations, a good sign this early into his run. I think we're going great places.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus #2: Damn, this issue is d-a-r-k.
Barnes' troops invade the co-op to round up women so they can replace the Replicants the Wallace Corporation took back last issue. It's a brutally realistic premise, and Collins handles it directly. A now-wounded Miguel wonders why Barnes would attack his only food source, a valid question that underscores Barnes feeling like he lacks any good options. Lest you feel sympathy for Barnes, he later tells a kidnapped Nyoko to sedate the women and take care of any "accidents" or he'll use Kaja as a slave as well. Yeah, it isn't an uplifting read.
Collins unfortunately deploys a number of overly convenient developments to move along the story.
For example, Nyoko decides to run to her tent to get her med-kit to help Miguel as Barnes' troops are ransacking the village. She assures Miguel that she'll be fine, which makes zero sense. A drone just shot her husband, and she can clearly hear her neighbors' screams. Why would she assume she could just waltz to her office and get her equipment? Of course, she can't: Kaja runs after Nyoko, and Barnes' men kidnap both of them. To make matters worse, Miguel later assures everyone that he's fine, calling into question why Nyoko felt the need to take the risk in the first place.
The most eye-rolling development though is the revelation that Miguel was previously a Blade Runner. I mean, really? It's starting to feel like every man in this reality was once a Blade Runner who saw the light. In the "also bad" category, he then hands Eve the samurai sword that is one of Nyoko's family heirlooms. Honestly, I woud've enjoyed watching Elle try to find a way to storm Barnes' compound without her weapon of choice.
At any rate, it is what it is. I'm ready just to watch Elle go to work.
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