Batman: White Knight Presents Von Freeze #1: It's hard to critique a comic that the author says resulted in him crying hysterically over his estranged relationship with his parents at brunch with an artist who he idolized. In other words, I'll try to be gentle.
This issue isn't terrible by any stretch of the imagination, but it confuses me. First, we learn that it fits between "Batman: Curse of the White Knight" issues #6 and #7, even though DC hadn't yet published issue #5 at this point. I'm left to assume that Dr. Fries will become more relevant and, presumably, tragic by issue #8. I only vaguely remember him from the first series, making this issue feel all the more unmoored from the main story that Murphy is telling.
But, even if I read it in the proper sequence, I'm not sure that it would improve my understanding of why it exists. Virtually the entire issue is exposition, as Fries describes his family's past to Thomas Wayne. It doesn't help that the reason they're in this situation is ridiculous. Martha is pregnant with Bruce, and Thomas brought her to see Fries' lab, which he's funding. Martha has a complication with the pregnancy, forcing Fries to use his cryogenic equipment to freeze her until such a point when they can address the problem. Fries is telling Wayne his story to keep his mind off Martha and the baby. Sure, OK. A good Holocaust story always cheers up a man worried his wife and child are going to die.
It's also hard to tell what Murphy wants us to feel about Victor's father, Baron von Fries. He joins the SS as a way to continue his research, even though he's hiding his Jewish partner and his partner's extended family in their joint lab. At several points throughout the story it seems clear that the Baron doesn't have his partner's best interests at heart, but Victor's recollections often portray him as always trying to do right by his partner. I get that it might just be a son's skewed memories, but Murphy doesn't do anything to convey that. I'm just connecting the dots that Murphy himself left unconnected.
Honestly, given the struggle that I'm already having with the main series, I feel like Murphy might have been better served spending more time tightening up that story rather than taking us on this journey that we didn't really ask to take.
The Weatherman, Vol. 2 #5: Christ on the cross, Kathleen. This issue is insane, and I mean that in the best possible way. It's actually very straightforward for how significant it is. But it's one of the wildest rides that I've ever taken in a comic.
It turns out Nathan didn't become a biophagus construct. At the last minute, he decided not to sacrifice himself to the biophagus mob. Instead, he stole the soldiers' ship at Syngen Station and flew to Dr. Argus' lab to pick up his lab assistant, Regi. (Before they left, they apparently had milk and cookies, which excited Nathan greatly). Regi then assumed Nathan's form upon arriving at Skyborough and starts taking down Skyborough's soldiers.
In the present, Kestrel's assistant/lover Vager wants to evacuate her, but she refuses. She tells him to exterminate the construct (i.e., Regi) since they've only survived this long through keeping the biophagus on the surface; if it comes to Skyborough, they're all dead. Speaking of the surface, the rest of the team gets loaded onto the next transport to feed the biophagus before Nathan can board. Nathan wonders what Cross would do when he notices their ship in Skyborough's hanger.
On Mars, the president had a director stage the terrorist attack, using already dead bodies (presumably of people they didn't kill explicitly for the attack...) instead of living people. They've captured Jenner's agent, Djinn, and she confirms that Jenner has a psychic, explaining why Jenner has successfully rooted out Arcadia's attempts to infiltrate his operation. Unfortunately, Djinn has resisted their probes; they just learned that Jenner is somewhere on Venus. The President is discouraged and tells Councilman Cyrus that they can resume thermal drops but she first asks a favor as she looks at Cross' image.
On Earth, the team lands and starts to run from the biophagus, but it looks grim. However, Nathan hits a bunch of buttons on the ship and it turns out the ship is a Transformer. He's now basically Voltron and saves the day! Woot! White Light takes the controls as Nathan explains to Cross how he got there, as described above. (Earlier, he commented to himself as he struggled to fly the ship that it's much harder than it looks and he now understands why White Light acts like she's surrounded by idiots.) White Light destroys a few large constructs only for the kid from last issue to unleash his bomb aboard one of the transport ships, sending it straight at Voltron.
On Skyborough, Kestrel realizes that the biophagus will attack the station given the kid's action have destroyed half its food. She tells Vager to evacuate the city because it's over and they share a kiss. The biophagus forms essentially an enormous Mothra and starts tearing through Skyborough. White Light docks with a burning Skyborough, and Cross attempts to depart the ship to retrieve Ian Black's memory drive. Oddly, Nathan is the voice of reason, convincing her that it's hopeless. He promises her that they'll find Jenner another way. Tellingly, Cross listens to him, a sign that Nathan is becoming less of a jester as the story advances.
On Skyborough, Kestrel straps on a bunch of guns to fight the biophagus, telling it that she's been waiting for this moment her whole life. She then sees Mero in the construct, and she's frozen in grief as the construct crashes over her. Dr. Argus emerges from the crowds fleeing to the escape transports, and Cross pulls him onto their ship. Argus offers his hand to Regi, telling him that he could save humanity. Regi simply comments, "'I know this hurts'" (echoing Dr. Argus from issue #2), and Regi explodes with Skyborough as Argus screams in fury. The ship then closes its doors and departs.
Whoa. I assume that we're going to Venus in volume 3 to get Jenner, since Cross no longer needs Black's memory drive to find him. But, man, I'm going to need a few months before I can handle that story. I'm just afraid what LeHeup is going to do to us next issue!
Showing posts with label Batman: Curse of the White Knight (2019). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Batman: Curse of the White Knight (2019). Show all posts
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Thursday, April 30, 2020
Not-Even-Remotely New Comics: The October 23 and 30 DC Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Batman: Curse of the White Knight #4: Ehn. I don't know if I'm going to keep reading this one. I loved the first series, but Murphy is just wallowing in maudlinness now. We open the issue with a devastated Barbara watching doctors unsuccessfully try to save her father. Dick tries to comfort her later but she refuses his help. In fact, she tells him that he was right when he said that they weren't a family. Of course, he now says that he was wrong, and she asserts that they all know that Bruce ruined their lives. After Dick leaves, Bullock joins Barbara in going to go kill Azrael. Meanwhile, Bruce visits Leslie Thompkins, who's taking care of a recovering Harley and the twins. She informs Bruce that she, too, knew about the journal. Years ago, she and Alfred met a mysterious figure claiming to be a member of the Order of St. Dumas. He gave the journal to Alfred after he allegedly took it from the Joker. (Alfred brings a sword to this meeting, which is just fucking ridiculous.) Dick warns Bruce about Barbara going rogue, correctly assuming that Bruce has installed trackers on their vehicles despite claiming that he didn't. They arrive in time to stop Barbara from killing Azrael but not to stop Azrael from breaking her back. [Sigh.] Then, Bruce confronts Azrael, shouting that the Waynes are the rightful protectors of Gotham. Weirdly enough, Azrael agrees. I don't know. It's all just melodrama at this point.
Detective Comics #1,014: I like where Tomasi is going here, resurrecting Nora Fries. It's like Brubaker bringing back Bucky, transforming Mr. Freeze from a sad-sack character into an entirely new one. My only complaint is that Tomasi doesn't explain how Nora suddenly becomes OK with Victor's life of crime. She seems confused when they encounter Bruce Wayne at the WayneTech Cryogenics Lab where Victor used to work. She says that she has no ill will towards him, making it clear that she isn't on the same vendetta crusade that Victor is. (He's there to recover samples he purposefully mislabeled when he worked there to replace the samples that he lost when Batman broke into his HQ and that he needs to complete Nora's transformation.) But, in the next sequence, she's dancing in a theater full of people whom Victor has frozen and then in the next sequence she's dressed to kill -- literally -- just like he is. I'm assuming that her somewhat flawed resurrection has left her addled, but Tomasi doesn't draw that line for us or show how she goes from outraged that Victor defied her wishes and froze her to serving as his somewhat mindless accomplice. I'm guessing that we'll see those dots connected in a subsequent issue, because Tomasi clearly seems to be building to something. But, we better get there soon.
The Last God #1: Man, this issue is intense right from the gate.
The series begins with the phrase: "Every culture in Cain Anuun has its story of how the world began." We learn that each of those stories has a common element: the Black Stair in the land called Fellspyre that reaches, allegedly, beyond the end of creation and into the Void itself. We learn that a zombie-esque Apocalypse called the Plague of Shadows occurred 30 years earlier, when thorn-looking creatures converted the living into "vine, rot, ash, and defiled flesh." Johnson then takes us on a tour of Cain Anuun's lands, as each one falls to the Plague: Olvargolad, the land of humans; the Aelvan Nations, the land of elves; the Pinnacle of the Guild Eldritch, the realm of wizards; the "frozen strongholds of the mighty Rivermen," Cain Anuun's barbarians; and the Dwarrows, the land of dwarves. A team called the Godslayers, representing each land -- Veikko al Man of the Aelvan, Skol of the Guild Eldritch, Jorunn of the Dwarrows, Hakkon of the Rivermen, and Tyr and Cyanthe of the humans -- climbed the Stairs to end the Plague, resulting in Tyr slaying the Last God.
We're given this information through a gladiatorial "play" occurring at a festival celebrating that day. Olvargolad has been renamed Tyrgolad, as Tyr is now king and overlord of all the lands. Through the "play," we learn that Hakkon came under the sway of the Last God, turning on the group until Tyr defeated him. King Tyr and Queen Cyanthe are watching the play on a dais with a group of dignitaries. One of them asks Queen Cyanthe where Tyr was really so fearsome. Cyanthe instantly recalls a memory of Tyr attacking an infant with a knife, with two women trying to restrain him. Later, Cyanthe is furious that Jorunn, Skol, and Veikko al Man all ignored Tyr's summons, sending representatives in their place. Tyr interrupts this discussion, asking about the gladiator playing him in the "play." He is Eyvindr, a product of the "slave cradles." We're told that he doesn't murder his opponents and if he wins today, his 60th win, custom dictates that Tyr should free him. When he does win, he's presented to Tyr and removes his helmet, prompting Tyr to mutter, "No..." and stumble from the dais. As Tyr stumbles to a monument erected in honor of the heroes, we see a flashback to Tyr's conversation with the Last God. The Last God informs Tyr that a false crown of gold will hide the "true crown" until Tyr sees his sins made flesh. At the monument, Tyr mutters, "Not yet," as his eyes turn black.
It's pretty clear from both his and her flashbacks that Eyvindr is Tyr and Cyanthe's son. That idea is further cemented when Cyanthe sees Eyvindr's nicked ear -- possibly from Tyr's attack that night -- and refuses to free him. (Of note, she had just told Veikko al Man's representative that she would slaughter a thousand Aelvan slaves after he failed to recite the same pledge of fealty that everyone else had, instead calling Tyrgolad a "nation of thieves" and referring to the Aelvan as the true stewards of the land. Cyanthe isn't scared of a little bloodshed, in other words.) Recalling the same words Tyr did about "sins made flesh," Cyanthe returns Eyvindr to the slave pits.
Later that night, we see people singing a disturbing nursery rhyme about the Plague when a familiar tree-looking creature attacks them. Meanwhile, Eyvindr and his friend Kono are selected by a noblewoman, because, as we learn later, they're both gladiators and sex slaves. Kono is appalled that the Queen refused to free Eyvindr, but Eyvindr is mostly unperturbed, showing high levels of respect for the King and Queen. Kono goes on a rant about how the Godslayer story is bullshit meant to keep them in line, and Eyvindr threatens to kill him (despite telling him that he loves him) if he doesn't stop disrespecting the King and Queen. Kono agrees to stop, but says that he plans on fleeing since he won't fight for someone who doesn't respect the agreement and tells Eyvindr that he should do the same. They're then offered -- in a truly disturbing scene -- a disease-ridden puppy from a homeless woman as the puppy's also disease-ridden mother eats the other puppies.
A great fire suddenly distracts them from the scene, and they rush to discover the palace ablaze. The guards offer money to anyone who can help, and everyone assumes that it's an Aelvan attack. But, the scale of the massacre in the palace makes it clear that it isn't the Aelvan, who are more ninjas than barbarians. On cue, Veikko al Man arrives, saying that he's here to protect Cyanthe since he clearly knows what Tyr has become. The thorn monsters arrive and kill Kono, and Eyvindr follows Veikko al Man, who tells him not only that Tyr isn't a hero but also that the Last God isn't dead. They come upon a sword-wielding Cyanthe facing an enormous tree-ized Tyr as Veikko al Man declares they have to return to the Black Stair. Dun-dun-DUN! Man, I am on board for this story!
Detective Comics #1,014: I like where Tomasi is going here, resurrecting Nora Fries. It's like Brubaker bringing back Bucky, transforming Mr. Freeze from a sad-sack character into an entirely new one. My only complaint is that Tomasi doesn't explain how Nora suddenly becomes OK with Victor's life of crime. She seems confused when they encounter Bruce Wayne at the WayneTech Cryogenics Lab where Victor used to work. She says that she has no ill will towards him, making it clear that she isn't on the same vendetta crusade that Victor is. (He's there to recover samples he purposefully mislabeled when he worked there to replace the samples that he lost when Batman broke into his HQ and that he needs to complete Nora's transformation.) But, in the next sequence, she's dancing in a theater full of people whom Victor has frozen and then in the next sequence she's dressed to kill -- literally -- just like he is. I'm assuming that her somewhat flawed resurrection has left her addled, but Tomasi doesn't draw that line for us or show how she goes from outraged that Victor defied her wishes and froze her to serving as his somewhat mindless accomplice. I'm guessing that we'll see those dots connected in a subsequent issue, because Tomasi clearly seems to be building to something. But, we better get there soon.
The Last God #1: Man, this issue is intense right from the gate.
The series begins with the phrase: "Every culture in Cain Anuun has its story of how the world began." We learn that each of those stories has a common element: the Black Stair in the land called Fellspyre that reaches, allegedly, beyond the end of creation and into the Void itself. We learn that a zombie-esque Apocalypse called the Plague of Shadows occurred 30 years earlier, when thorn-looking creatures converted the living into "vine, rot, ash, and defiled flesh." Johnson then takes us on a tour of Cain Anuun's lands, as each one falls to the Plague: Olvargolad, the land of humans; the Aelvan Nations, the land of elves; the Pinnacle of the Guild Eldritch, the realm of wizards; the "frozen strongholds of the mighty Rivermen," Cain Anuun's barbarians; and the Dwarrows, the land of dwarves. A team called the Godslayers, representing each land -- Veikko al Man of the Aelvan, Skol of the Guild Eldritch, Jorunn of the Dwarrows, Hakkon of the Rivermen, and Tyr and Cyanthe of the humans -- climbed the Stairs to end the Plague, resulting in Tyr slaying the Last God.
We're given this information through a gladiatorial "play" occurring at a festival celebrating that day. Olvargolad has been renamed Tyrgolad, as Tyr is now king and overlord of all the lands. Through the "play," we learn that Hakkon came under the sway of the Last God, turning on the group until Tyr defeated him. King Tyr and Queen Cyanthe are watching the play on a dais with a group of dignitaries. One of them asks Queen Cyanthe where Tyr was really so fearsome. Cyanthe instantly recalls a memory of Tyr attacking an infant with a knife, with two women trying to restrain him. Later, Cyanthe is furious that Jorunn, Skol, and Veikko al Man all ignored Tyr's summons, sending representatives in their place. Tyr interrupts this discussion, asking about the gladiator playing him in the "play." He is Eyvindr, a product of the "slave cradles." We're told that he doesn't murder his opponents and if he wins today, his 60th win, custom dictates that Tyr should free him. When he does win, he's presented to Tyr and removes his helmet, prompting Tyr to mutter, "No..." and stumble from the dais. As Tyr stumbles to a monument erected in honor of the heroes, we see a flashback to Tyr's conversation with the Last God. The Last God informs Tyr that a false crown of gold will hide the "true crown" until Tyr sees his sins made flesh. At the monument, Tyr mutters, "Not yet," as his eyes turn black.
It's pretty clear from both his and her flashbacks that Eyvindr is Tyr and Cyanthe's son. That idea is further cemented when Cyanthe sees Eyvindr's nicked ear -- possibly from Tyr's attack that night -- and refuses to free him. (Of note, she had just told Veikko al Man's representative that she would slaughter a thousand Aelvan slaves after he failed to recite the same pledge of fealty that everyone else had, instead calling Tyrgolad a "nation of thieves" and referring to the Aelvan as the true stewards of the land. Cyanthe isn't scared of a little bloodshed, in other words.) Recalling the same words Tyr did about "sins made flesh," Cyanthe returns Eyvindr to the slave pits.
Later that night, we see people singing a disturbing nursery rhyme about the Plague when a familiar tree-looking creature attacks them. Meanwhile, Eyvindr and his friend Kono are selected by a noblewoman, because, as we learn later, they're both gladiators and sex slaves. Kono is appalled that the Queen refused to free Eyvindr, but Eyvindr is mostly unperturbed, showing high levels of respect for the King and Queen. Kono goes on a rant about how the Godslayer story is bullshit meant to keep them in line, and Eyvindr threatens to kill him (despite telling him that he loves him) if he doesn't stop disrespecting the King and Queen. Kono agrees to stop, but says that he plans on fleeing since he won't fight for someone who doesn't respect the agreement and tells Eyvindr that he should do the same. They're then offered -- in a truly disturbing scene -- a disease-ridden puppy from a homeless woman as the puppy's also disease-ridden mother eats the other puppies.
A great fire suddenly distracts them from the scene, and they rush to discover the palace ablaze. The guards offer money to anyone who can help, and everyone assumes that it's an Aelvan attack. But, the scale of the massacre in the palace makes it clear that it isn't the Aelvan, who are more ninjas than barbarians. On cue, Veikko al Man arrives, saying that he's here to protect Cyanthe since he clearly knows what Tyr has become. The thorn monsters arrive and kill Kono, and Eyvindr follows Veikko al Man, who tells him not only that Tyr isn't a hero but also that the Last God isn't dead. They come upon a sword-wielding Cyanthe facing an enormous tree-ized Tyr as Veikko al Man declares they have to return to the Black Stair. Dun-dun-DUN! Man, I am on board for this story!
Sunday, April 26, 2020
Not-Even-Remotely-New Comics: The September 25 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Amazing Spider-Man #30: One consequence of finding myself a year behind in comics is that I'm not as zealous in jumping into events as I once was. When I saw "Amazing Spider-Man" only had two tie-in issues for "Absolute Carnage," I took a pass on getting the main series. This issue didn't really make me regret that decision.
Cletus Kassady is once again back trying to kill all the previous symbiote hosts, allegedly to take the "codex" left inside each host to resurrect his god, Knull. Sure, whatever. Also, Norman Osborn for some reason thinks that he's Cletus and he's trying to get to Normie and Eddie Brock's son, Dylan. Only Spider-Man stands in his way.
At various points in the issue, we're treated to a weird flashback sequence of Peter throwing a welcome-home-from-the-asylum party for Harry where he has tension with a just-returned-from-the-war Flash. I don't quite get where Spencer was going with that. I think that it has something to do with the issues's framing device, itself a flashback, where Kindred is speaking to a catatonic Norman while he's still imprisoned in Ravencroft. I'm guessing that this conversation happens right after Kindred allegedly killed Mysterio and presumably before Norman became Red Goblin again. Kindred tells Norman that he already won when it came to ruining Pete's innocence and that Norman used to make him feel powerless, again implying that he's Harry Osborn.
Spencer's trying to do what he can here to keep us connected to the story that he was telling before he was event-ed, so I'm happy to just roll with these two issues and return to what we were doing after that. But, I'll also say that I really, really hope that his plan isn't to drag out the Kindred storyline until issue #50, because I increasingly find myself not caring all that much.
Batman: Curse of the White Knight #3: I have to say that I'm not really digging this series. Visually, it's as stunning as the first one, but the plot is starting to feel thin. Each issue of the first series produced a major revelation that took on Batman's sacred cows. Here, we're three issues into this series and we already have a "shocking death," the sort of clichéd development that's usually the sign of a desperate author without any other ideas. Moreover, the Joker's promise that he'll reveal his great secret in due course feels like a stalling tactic, like Murphy himself doesn't know how the story ends.
Cletus Kassady is once again back trying to kill all the previous symbiote hosts, allegedly to take the "codex" left inside each host to resurrect his god, Knull. Sure, whatever. Also, Norman Osborn for some reason thinks that he's Cletus and he's trying to get to Normie and Eddie Brock's son, Dylan. Only Spider-Man stands in his way.
At various points in the issue, we're treated to a weird flashback sequence of Peter throwing a welcome-home-from-the-asylum party for Harry where he has tension with a just-returned-from-the-war Flash. I don't quite get where Spencer was going with that. I think that it has something to do with the issues's framing device, itself a flashback, where Kindred is speaking to a catatonic Norman while he's still imprisoned in Ravencroft. I'm guessing that this conversation happens right after Kindred allegedly killed Mysterio and presumably before Norman became Red Goblin again. Kindred tells Norman that he already won when it came to ruining Pete's innocence and that Norman used to make him feel powerless, again implying that he's Harry Osborn.
Spencer's trying to do what he can here to keep us connected to the story that he was telling before he was event-ed, so I'm happy to just roll with these two issues and return to what we were doing after that. But, I'll also say that I really, really hope that his plan isn't to drag out the Kindred storyline until issue #50, because I increasingly find myself not caring all that much.
Batman: Curse of the White Knight #3: I have to say that I'm not really digging this series. Visually, it's as stunning as the first one, but the plot is starting to feel thin. Each issue of the first series produced a major revelation that took on Batman's sacred cows. Here, we're three issues into this series and we already have a "shocking death," the sort of clichéd development that's usually the sign of a desperate author without any other ideas. Moreover, the Joker's promise that he'll reveal his great secret in due course feels like a stalling tactic, like Murphy himself doesn't know how the story ends.
It isn't just the overall plot that has problems. We have some specific moments here that make little sense. For example, I don't understand why Barbara and Dick had to pull in the GTO to rescue Bruce from the bay after Azrael blew up Wayne Manor, thereby revealing his secret identity to the rest of the GTO. Dick claims that they had no choice, because they needed to use a helicopter to rescue him. But,I don't get why they did. Barbara and Dick manage to pull him from the water in a small police boat; they couldn't have gotten to shore in that?
At any rate, other than Bullock's snarky comments, everyone pays close attention as Bruce tells them about the Joker and Azrael back at GTO HQ. He explains that Ruth and the elites are trying to replace Bruce with Azrael to keep the Batman Devastation Fund going. He also explains Azrael's connection to the Order of St. Dumas. Bruce notes that Edmund Wayne was supposed to share half the land with Bakkar (the man who rescued him in London), and they all guess that the Joker has, at the very least, convinced Azrael that he's Bakkar's descendant.
At any rate, other than Bullock's snarky comments, everyone pays close attention as Bruce tells them about the Joker and Azrael back at GTO HQ. He explains that Ruth and the elites are trying to replace Bruce with Azrael to keep the Batman Devastation Fund going. He also explains Azrael's connection to the Order of St. Dumas. Bruce notes that Edmund Wayne was supposed to share half the land with Bakkar (the man who rescued him in London), and they all guess that the Joker has, at the very least, convinced Azrael that he's Bakkar's descendant.
Batman then visits Harley, revealing his identity to her to build her trust as he asks her to try to draw out Napier. They arrive to interrogate the Joker, who thinks, as usual, that he's holding all the cards. But, Batman reveals that he knows that the Joker stole Laffy Arkham's schtick, infuriating the Joker. The Joker settles down a bit and explains that Laffy told the Joker in their first "meeting" the greatest joke in all of Gotham, about the Wayne family, and that he's saving it for his "grand finale" when he shares it with the entire city. (I get why Murphy is stalling, but I don't get why the Joker is. Is it to torture Bruce with slow reveals? It mostly seems like it's just to give Bruce time to stop him.) Batman's attempt to use a pregnant Harley to draw out Napier fails, though we learn that she's carrying twins. The Joker says that he's got to kill Napier's (viewing the other child as his), something that Bruce probably should've seen coming before involving her.
The city evacuates Arkham now that they realize the elites control it, and Batman takes Harley to the Joker's original cell. He's surprised to learn that the Joker didn't tell her his identity (he assumed that she knew, part of the reason he revealed it to her in the first place) just like he's also surprised that he never mentioned Laffy or the Joker's grand finale. (Is Harley lying and she's pulling the strings here?) In the cell, Harley wonders if Edmund killed Bakkar, and Batman is startled when they discover another skeleton buried beneath the floor. Harley then melodramatically goes into labor.
The city evacuates Arkham now that they realize the elites control it, and Batman takes Harley to the Joker's original cell. He's surprised to learn that the Joker didn't tell her his identity (he assumed that she knew, part of the reason he revealed it to her in the first place) just like he's also surprised that he never mentioned Laffy or the Joker's grand finale. (Is Harley lying and she's pulling the strings here?) In the cell, Harley wonders if Edmund killed Bakkar, and Batman is startled when they discover another skeleton buried beneath the floor. Harley then melodramatically goes into labor.
Meanwhile, at a bar, Gordon announces to his colleagues that he's resigning and suggested Montoya take over the department. She's worried that it's tokenism, but they all voice an emotional round of support for her. Gordon leaves and encounters Batman in the alley. He apologizes for losing her temper, telling him that he knows full well that Barbara is going to do whatever she wants to do and that he probably tried to convince her not to do it. Gordon offers his hand asking for no more secrets, and it turns out it's Azrael. He absconds with Gordon and the rest of the GCPD come running after Gordon fires off a few shots. He tells them to tell Barbra that he loves her and that he couldn't be more proud as Azrael's associates open fire on them. Bullock is hit as Azrael stabs Jim with his sword and throws his body off a rooftop.
I guess I'm still interested to see where we go here. Gordon's conversation with "Batman" was the sort of insightful moment that I expected of this series, and if Murphy can reorient to focus more on those sorts of moments I think this ship can still be righted.
New Mutants: War Children #1: I love me some "New Mutants," and I was obviously excited to see Claremont and Sienkiewicz return. I can't say I was disappointed exactly; I was mostly just confused. The exact nature of the transmode virus has changed over the years to suit individual authors' purposes, and this issue is no different. Warlock apparently decides to absorb all the New Mutants so that he doesn't have to kill them in his battle with Magus, a plot development I don't really totally understand. I think Claremont is arguing that Warlock is worried that, if Warlock defeats Magus, he'll become Magus and will therefore kill the New Mutants because they're human, but I'm not entirely sure. I also didn't follow Darkchilde somehow taking over Warlock and creating a demonic iteration of the virus (to the extent that I understand what happened there). In the end Doug willingly merges with Warlock and they use their combined powers to absorb the transmode virus from the other New Mutants, something I don't remember anyone ever doing before. Whatever. At least the art was pretty.
Powers of X #5: Hickman very quickly moves us through the mechanics of the nation that Charles and Magneto have created.
First, in X0, he convinces a willing Forge to create Cerebro 7.0, using a "cloaked antimatter engine of [Shi'ar] design currently in Earth's orbit" to power it and Shi'ar logic diamonds to house five copies of every mutant mind. We learn that Charles creates latest-version copies of every mind once a week and a hard-backup version every year. The latter one is a fresh copy of a whole mind, and it takes him three days, during which time he cannot be disturbed (opening up a future storyline, no doubt). Moreover, we learn that Charles has twice booted his mind to a previous version (something essentially only he has the talent to do) and that only specially adapted mutants could overcome their mind being placed in a different husk. I think this revelation was the last piece of the puzzle of how Charles put together his resurrection protocols, another example of how carefully Hickman has created this story.
In X1, we see Charles and Xavier offering Emma and her Hellfire Corporation a fifty-year exclusive contract to distribute the Krakoa products. (As she says, she's going to be Krakoa's East India trading company.) They also offer her two seats on the Quiet Council, the 12-person Council that governs Krakoa. Why two? They also want her to bring in Sebastian Shaw. Whereas Emma will serve as the White Queen, representing Krakoa to the nations that recognize it, Shaw will serve as the Black King, smuggling the drugs into, and evacuating the mutants from, the countries that reject Krakoa's sovereignty.
Finally, Hickman returns to the X3 timeline, where the Phalanx have accepted Earth's offer to join them. But, to do so, they need energy. As such, the next day, the Phalanx will absorb Earth's' collective intelligence. It'll maintaining this intelligence forever, but the cost will be the consumption of the entire planet.
Nimrod explains that Earth-bound machines and the Phalanx are both self-improving and self-replicating intelligences. However, the Phalanx go beyond just simply generational advancement. Their creators were constructed using the fundamental components of the Universe. They are the super-massive machine brains that the Titan theory holds became so dense that they collapse space-time, turning themselves into the singularities at the center of each black hole. However, Hickman's story goes beyond just explaining what black holes are. As the interstitial page explains, five connected Titans form Strongholds warring with other Strongholds whereas Dominions are ten or more Titans controlling a sector of space and epochs of time: they're "one giant societal intelligence" that resembles our concept of God. Apparently 112 Titans form the Dominion that controls our sector, and they're only afraid of Galactus and the Phoenix.
I don't have much else to say here as Hickman does a solid job of delivering all these plot developments without sounding too exposition-y. I still don't entirely understand the relevance of X3 to the other three timelines, but I'm sure that Hickman has a plan.
Also Read: Captain America #14; Detective Comics #1,012; Star Wars: Age of Resistance - Kylo Ren #1; Star Wars: Target Vader #3
I guess I'm still interested to see where we go here. Gordon's conversation with "Batman" was the sort of insightful moment that I expected of this series, and if Murphy can reorient to focus more on those sorts of moments I think this ship can still be righted.
New Mutants: War Children #1: I love me some "New Mutants," and I was obviously excited to see Claremont and Sienkiewicz return. I can't say I was disappointed exactly; I was mostly just confused. The exact nature of the transmode virus has changed over the years to suit individual authors' purposes, and this issue is no different. Warlock apparently decides to absorb all the New Mutants so that he doesn't have to kill them in his battle with Magus, a plot development I don't really totally understand. I think Claremont is arguing that Warlock is worried that, if Warlock defeats Magus, he'll become Magus and will therefore kill the New Mutants because they're human, but I'm not entirely sure. I also didn't follow Darkchilde somehow taking over Warlock and creating a demonic iteration of the virus (to the extent that I understand what happened there). In the end Doug willingly merges with Warlock and they use their combined powers to absorb the transmode virus from the other New Mutants, something I don't remember anyone ever doing before. Whatever. At least the art was pretty.
Powers of X #5: Hickman very quickly moves us through the mechanics of the nation that Charles and Magneto have created.
First, in X0, he convinces a willing Forge to create Cerebro 7.0, using a "cloaked antimatter engine of [Shi'ar] design currently in Earth's orbit" to power it and Shi'ar logic diamonds to house five copies of every mutant mind. We learn that Charles creates latest-version copies of every mind once a week and a hard-backup version every year. The latter one is a fresh copy of a whole mind, and it takes him three days, during which time he cannot be disturbed (opening up a future storyline, no doubt). Moreover, we learn that Charles has twice booted his mind to a previous version (something essentially only he has the talent to do) and that only specially adapted mutants could overcome their mind being placed in a different husk. I think this revelation was the last piece of the puzzle of how Charles put together his resurrection protocols, another example of how carefully Hickman has created this story.
In X1, we see Charles and Xavier offering Emma and her Hellfire Corporation a fifty-year exclusive contract to distribute the Krakoa products. (As she says, she's going to be Krakoa's East India trading company.) They also offer her two seats on the Quiet Council, the 12-person Council that governs Krakoa. Why two? They also want her to bring in Sebastian Shaw. Whereas Emma will serve as the White Queen, representing Krakoa to the nations that recognize it, Shaw will serve as the Black King, smuggling the drugs into, and evacuating the mutants from, the countries that reject Krakoa's sovereignty.
Finally, Hickman returns to the X3 timeline, where the Phalanx have accepted Earth's offer to join them. But, to do so, they need energy. As such, the next day, the Phalanx will absorb Earth's' collective intelligence. It'll maintaining this intelligence forever, but the cost will be the consumption of the entire planet.
Nimrod explains that Earth-bound machines and the Phalanx are both self-improving and self-replicating intelligences. However, the Phalanx go beyond just simply generational advancement. Their creators were constructed using the fundamental components of the Universe. They are the super-massive machine brains that the Titan theory holds became so dense that they collapse space-time, turning themselves into the singularities at the center of each black hole. However, Hickman's story goes beyond just explaining what black holes are. As the interstitial page explains, five connected Titans form Strongholds warring with other Strongholds whereas Dominions are ten or more Titans controlling a sector of space and epochs of time: they're "one giant societal intelligence" that resembles our concept of God. Apparently 112 Titans form the Dominion that controls our sector, and they're only afraid of Galactus and the Phoenix.
I don't have much else to say here as Hickman does a solid job of delivering all these plot developments without sounding too exposition-y. I still don't entirely understand the relevance of X3 to the other three timelines, but I'm sure that Hickman has a plan.
Also Read: Captain America #14; Detective Comics #1,012; Star Wars: Age of Resistance - Kylo Ren #1; Star Wars: Target Vader #3
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Not-Even-Remotely-New Comics: The August 28 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Amazing Spider-Man #28: I 100% laughed out loud when Randy called Janice a psychopath and she looked into space considering it: "Huh? No, there's a clear profit motive here. I could never get that plea--." The rest of this issue is a bit slow, with Spencer now starting to belabor the mystery of what information Boomerang has that the Kingpin wants. But, so long as Spencer includes moments like the one described here, I'm happy to hang in there.
Batman: Curse of the White Knight #2: This issue was a miss for me as Murphy leans too much on an overly convenient event to propel forward the series' narrative.
It isn't that the issue didn't have plenty of believable developments. Ruth reveals to Bruce that she knows that he's Batman and that she created the Batman Destruction Fund for Gotham's elites. She warns/threatens him that he'll destroy Gotham and everyone he loves if he reveals his identity to the public. After that conversation, however, she realizes that the Joker is right that he doesn't seem to care. As such, she throws in her lot with Azrael and company, telling him that he needs to become their Batman. Meanwhile, Commissioner Gordon announces that he's running for mayor to take down the elites, but the Joker crashes the party, publicly revealing that Barbara is Batgirl. Gordon not only pushes Bruce to reveal himself, but blames the Joker and the elites exposing Barbara's secret on Bruce's failure to do so, saying that he ruined his little girl's life. All that make sense to me.
I'm also fine with the mythology here. We learn that the Order of St. Dumas rescued Edmund Wayne in London where he was a thief. It's unclear how he survived the plague that apparently wiped out the rest of the Waynes, but I assume that Murphy will get there. The Order chose Edmund as its agent because they needed someone with a legitimate claim to win back Gotham Valley from crazy Laffy Arkham, though we're still not told how the Waynes have a claim in the New World in the first place. Again, though, I assume that we'll get there so I'm fine with this part.
But, I am not on board with how easily Azrael and company hack into the Batcave. Murphy really made his name with the first series by grounding his stories in some semblance of how they would happen in the real world, and this part is just totally unbelievable to me. I think that it's the Mad Hatter helping Azrael to hack into the Cave, but really? Are they paying him? And, if he could hack into the Batcave so easily, why didn't he do it himself? Why give someone else all the glory? Moreover, Azrael and company aren't only able to destroy the Batcave remotely but they also waltz into Wayne Manor and plant enough explosives to destroy it. It's a pretty overly convenient reach in my book. The problem is that this development is clearly going to be the fulcrum on which this series balances, so it's going to get harder and harder to believe the subsequent events if we don't believe this one. I guess we'll see where we go from here.
Captain America #13: Coates follows in Spencer's footsteps here as the Daughters of Liberty decide to have Steve seek redemption from the people by taking on the Watchdogs and their harassment of illegal immigrants crossing the border. Steve is initially uncomfortable with the idea of helping people break the law, even after White Tiger notes that he's wanted for murder. But, he becomes more comfortable with the idea when he realizes that the Watchdogs aren't doing anything legal by rounding up the immigrants; he's essentially meeting them in the same gray zone. He also leans into the fact that he certainly embraces the immigrants' ethos a lot more than he does the Watchdogs'. Coates really excels in giving us this insight into Steve's thinking, particularly because most heroes act from places of total confidence in their actions. It's fascinating to watch Steve work out his feelings on the issue in real time. I know some people are going to take issue with Coates trodding the same controversial ground that Spencer did, but I don't see how you avoid it. As we see here, Cap himself is grappling with how radically different America is from the one that he thought he knew, and I think Coates does a great job of showing how uncomfortable he is with this new America. He's forced to chose a side if he's going to find redemption, but it doesn't mean that he's happy about it or that it's easy to identify just one side. Meanwhile, the Dryad lures Nick Fury and his team to her base to present her case to them. Coates is holding his cards close to his chest on this front so we'll see how Fury reacts.
House of X #3: I have a relatively minor quibble with this issue. Hickman reminds us that Moira learned in her seventh life that she couldn't stop the rise of the Sentinels because humanity was bound to discover artificial intelligence. But, Hickman asserts that Moira believes that she can prevent the creation of Nimrod because his creators created him with a specific intent and in a specific set of circumstances. But, that intent and those circumstances are pretty universal, aren't they? Humanity was bound to improve upon Sentinels to create Master Molds and then Mother Molds and then Nimrod, no? I don't understand how the Sentinels are any different than Nimrod. I guess that Hickman is arguing that Nimrod is a very specific subset of the Sentinels, but it seems a reach to me to argue that no one other than the Orchis Protocols would create him, just like Moira discovered someone other than the Trasks would eventually create the Sentinels.
At any rate, the rest of this issue is great. At the Forge, I realized that I was wrong that the head at the center of the station was a Celestial: it's a Mother Mold. Dr. Gregor explains to Omega that Mother Mold isn't operational yet because they haven't confirmed that she's past the "Heller-Faust line," which, based on Omega's comment, seems to be the point at which they can be sure that she isn't a sociopath. (Ha!) It's a relevant point, because Omega had just pointed out a space station full on Master Molds will likely at some point identify humanity as a threat, since mutants come from humans. Dr. Gregor informs Omega that they have release collars attached to the Mother Mold just in case she does go sociopath; once activated, they'd drop her into the sun. The data file that Apocalypse and company swiped in the X2 timeline in "Powers of X" #3 apparently has the schematics to the Forge, explaining how Charles and Magneto knew about the Orchis Protocol in "Powers of X" #2. (I observed in "House of X" #1 that Xavier seemed unaware of the Orchis Protocols, but Hickman confirms last issue that he and Magneto knew via Moira.)
Using their Shi'ar spaceship, the X-Men head straight for the corridor on the Forge that gives them access to all four release collars. The Forge's security team expected them to land in the hangar (since ships generally land in hangars), and Erasmus is impressed when it turns out they can cut their own entrance into the station. He then sacrifices himself to explode the entry point, detonating the X-Men's ship as well. It's definitely a moment. One of my main complaints about Hickman previously was how robotic his characters are, but it isn't the case here. Erasmus' last words to Dr. Gregor are that he wasn't ever joking when he frequently said that he wished that they had children and that he wishes her luck in saving their species. Dr. Gregor is devastated as she realize what he's going to do, and you can see how she'll be even more motivated now to take out the X-Men!
This issue is the first one where all the various strands come together, so it's clear that the parts of this enterprise that will functionally reboot the X-Men are imminent. I honestly can't wait.
Thor #16: Toothgnasher! Honestly, Aaron had to do one thing for me here, and it was bring back Toothgnasher, so I'm a very happy camper. As Aaron himself says in the letter at the end of the issue, it's not really good-bye until "King Thor" #4, so I'll save my sappiness for them, since he says that he will, too. But, this issue is a wonderful coda to what he's done with present-day Thor. Thor decides not to attend his coronation ceremony, performing good works throughout the Ten Realms instead. (My heart was particularly warmed by his appearance in Svartalfheim, bringing the coronation buffet -- much to Volstagg's fury -- to the starving dark elves praying for help in a post-Malekith reality.) Odin is initially furious at Thor's absence, but Freyja understands: Thor wants to earn his position as king not have Odin hand it to him. Odin laments that he doesn't get to deliver the beautiful speech that he planned, where he thanks Thor for saving all of them, himself included. It truly is a beautiful speech. He also planned to thank Thor for his greatest feat of all, reuniting Odin with Freyja. I found tears in my eyes as Freyja told Odin that it wasn't Thor who reunited them (meaning that Odin and his change of heart did). Freyja and Odin happily depart Asgard as Jane, now Valkyrie, raises a glass for all Asgardians in Thor's honor, saying a storm doesn't wait for a coronation before it decides to go become a storm. Long may he thunder, indeed. Perhaps the most touching moment among an issue full of them comes after that, as King Thor and young Thor depart the celebrations to return to their timelines. King Thor encourages young Thor to take his time and not drink away all the bad because he might learn something. As they depart, he guesses that young Thor will head straight for Mjolnir to see if he's worthy. He does...and then decides that he has time to have life before he grows old. Enjoy, young Thor. Enjoy!
Also Read: Detective Comics #1,010
Batman: Curse of the White Knight #2: This issue was a miss for me as Murphy leans too much on an overly convenient event to propel forward the series' narrative.
It isn't that the issue didn't have plenty of believable developments. Ruth reveals to Bruce that she knows that he's Batman and that she created the Batman Destruction Fund for Gotham's elites. She warns/threatens him that he'll destroy Gotham and everyone he loves if he reveals his identity to the public. After that conversation, however, she realizes that the Joker is right that he doesn't seem to care. As such, she throws in her lot with Azrael and company, telling him that he needs to become their Batman. Meanwhile, Commissioner Gordon announces that he's running for mayor to take down the elites, but the Joker crashes the party, publicly revealing that Barbara is Batgirl. Gordon not only pushes Bruce to reveal himself, but blames the Joker and the elites exposing Barbara's secret on Bruce's failure to do so, saying that he ruined his little girl's life. All that make sense to me.
I'm also fine with the mythology here. We learn that the Order of St. Dumas rescued Edmund Wayne in London where he was a thief. It's unclear how he survived the plague that apparently wiped out the rest of the Waynes, but I assume that Murphy will get there. The Order chose Edmund as its agent because they needed someone with a legitimate claim to win back Gotham Valley from crazy Laffy Arkham, though we're still not told how the Waynes have a claim in the New World in the first place. Again, though, I assume that we'll get there so I'm fine with this part.
But, I am not on board with how easily Azrael and company hack into the Batcave. Murphy really made his name with the first series by grounding his stories in some semblance of how they would happen in the real world, and this part is just totally unbelievable to me. I think that it's the Mad Hatter helping Azrael to hack into the Cave, but really? Are they paying him? And, if he could hack into the Batcave so easily, why didn't he do it himself? Why give someone else all the glory? Moreover, Azrael and company aren't only able to destroy the Batcave remotely but they also waltz into Wayne Manor and plant enough explosives to destroy it. It's a pretty overly convenient reach in my book. The problem is that this development is clearly going to be the fulcrum on which this series balances, so it's going to get harder and harder to believe the subsequent events if we don't believe this one. I guess we'll see where we go from here.
Captain America #13: Coates follows in Spencer's footsteps here as the Daughters of Liberty decide to have Steve seek redemption from the people by taking on the Watchdogs and their harassment of illegal immigrants crossing the border. Steve is initially uncomfortable with the idea of helping people break the law, even after White Tiger notes that he's wanted for murder. But, he becomes more comfortable with the idea when he realizes that the Watchdogs aren't doing anything legal by rounding up the immigrants; he's essentially meeting them in the same gray zone. He also leans into the fact that he certainly embraces the immigrants' ethos a lot more than he does the Watchdogs'. Coates really excels in giving us this insight into Steve's thinking, particularly because most heroes act from places of total confidence in their actions. It's fascinating to watch Steve work out his feelings on the issue in real time. I know some people are going to take issue with Coates trodding the same controversial ground that Spencer did, but I don't see how you avoid it. As we see here, Cap himself is grappling with how radically different America is from the one that he thought he knew, and I think Coates does a great job of showing how uncomfortable he is with this new America. He's forced to chose a side if he's going to find redemption, but it doesn't mean that he's happy about it or that it's easy to identify just one side. Meanwhile, the Dryad lures Nick Fury and his team to her base to present her case to them. Coates is holding his cards close to his chest on this front so we'll see how Fury reacts.
House of X #3: I have a relatively minor quibble with this issue. Hickman reminds us that Moira learned in her seventh life that she couldn't stop the rise of the Sentinels because humanity was bound to discover artificial intelligence. But, Hickman asserts that Moira believes that she can prevent the creation of Nimrod because his creators created him with a specific intent and in a specific set of circumstances. But, that intent and those circumstances are pretty universal, aren't they? Humanity was bound to improve upon Sentinels to create Master Molds and then Mother Molds and then Nimrod, no? I don't understand how the Sentinels are any different than Nimrod. I guess that Hickman is arguing that Nimrod is a very specific subset of the Sentinels, but it seems a reach to me to argue that no one other than the Orchis Protocols would create him, just like Moira discovered someone other than the Trasks would eventually create the Sentinels.
At any rate, the rest of this issue is great. At the Forge, I realized that I was wrong that the head at the center of the station was a Celestial: it's a Mother Mold. Dr. Gregor explains to Omega that Mother Mold isn't operational yet because they haven't confirmed that she's past the "Heller-Faust line," which, based on Omega's comment, seems to be the point at which they can be sure that she isn't a sociopath. (Ha!) It's a relevant point, because Omega had just pointed out a space station full on Master Molds will likely at some point identify humanity as a threat, since mutants come from humans. Dr. Gregor informs Omega that they have release collars attached to the Mother Mold just in case she does go sociopath; once activated, they'd drop her into the sun. The data file that Apocalypse and company swiped in the X2 timeline in "Powers of X" #3 apparently has the schematics to the Forge, explaining how Charles and Magneto knew about the Orchis Protocol in "Powers of X" #2. (I observed in "House of X" #1 that Xavier seemed unaware of the Orchis Protocols, but Hickman confirms last issue that he and Magneto knew via Moira.)
Using their Shi'ar spaceship, the X-Men head straight for the corridor on the Forge that gives them access to all four release collars. The Forge's security team expected them to land in the hangar (since ships generally land in hangars), and Erasmus is impressed when it turns out they can cut their own entrance into the station. He then sacrifices himself to explode the entry point, detonating the X-Men's ship as well. It's definitely a moment. One of my main complaints about Hickman previously was how robotic his characters are, but it isn't the case here. Erasmus' last words to Dr. Gregor are that he wasn't ever joking when he frequently said that he wished that they had children and that he wishes her luck in saving their species. Dr. Gregor is devastated as she realize what he's going to do, and you can see how she'll be even more motivated now to take out the X-Men!
This issue is the first one where all the various strands come together, so it's clear that the parts of this enterprise that will functionally reboot the X-Men are imminent. I honestly can't wait.
Thor #16: Toothgnasher! Honestly, Aaron had to do one thing for me here, and it was bring back Toothgnasher, so I'm a very happy camper. As Aaron himself says in the letter at the end of the issue, it's not really good-bye until "King Thor" #4, so I'll save my sappiness for them, since he says that he will, too. But, this issue is a wonderful coda to what he's done with present-day Thor. Thor decides not to attend his coronation ceremony, performing good works throughout the Ten Realms instead. (My heart was particularly warmed by his appearance in Svartalfheim, bringing the coronation buffet -- much to Volstagg's fury -- to the starving dark elves praying for help in a post-Malekith reality.) Odin is initially furious at Thor's absence, but Freyja understands: Thor wants to earn his position as king not have Odin hand it to him. Odin laments that he doesn't get to deliver the beautiful speech that he planned, where he thanks Thor for saving all of them, himself included. It truly is a beautiful speech. He also planned to thank Thor for his greatest feat of all, reuniting Odin with Freyja. I found tears in my eyes as Freyja told Odin that it wasn't Thor who reunited them (meaning that Odin and his change of heart did). Freyja and Odin happily depart Asgard as Jane, now Valkyrie, raises a glass for all Asgardians in Thor's honor, saying a storm doesn't wait for a coronation before it decides to go become a storm. Long may he thunder, indeed. Perhaps the most touching moment among an issue full of them comes after that, as King Thor and young Thor depart the celebrations to return to their timelines. King Thor encourages young Thor to take his time and not drink away all the bad because he might learn something. As they depart, he guesses that young Thor will head straight for Mjolnir to see if he's worthy. He does...and then decides that he has time to have life before he grows old. Enjoy, young Thor. Enjoy!
Also Read: Detective Comics #1,010
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Not-Even-Remotely-New Comics: The July 24 Non-Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)
Batman: Curse of the White Knight #1: Murphy picks up right where he left us, and I couldn't be happier. Napier's point from the first series about how Gotham really works is proven right off the bat when Arkham's warden visits the Joker. After turning off the security system, the warden approaches the Joker's cell because the Joker has promised the warden and his "associates" with "information." But, the Joker is really just interested in getting something from his cell: the "final joke," as he calls it. He then stabs the warden to make it look like he held the warden hostage and escapes. (Of course, he knew that Batman would see through that ruse, which he does, so he really just wanted to stab the warden. Oh, Joker! What a loon!) After investigating the Joker's escape and shaking down the warden for information, Batman and Jim discuss how they think Napier was right: the warden's "associates" (i.e., Gotham's elites) control Arkham and let the prisoners escape to profit from the Batman Devastation Fund. (This series continues to be the only realistic portrayal of Batman that I can imagine, explaining the inconsistencies that comics normally want us to ignore. Imagine if Tom King told this story.) This realization obviously shakes up both of them.
But, it becomes clear that Murphy starts the series this way to put the first series behind us. Napier was right; Bruce was wrong. Bruce has internalized this failure and realizes that it might be time to hang up the cowl, because he's gotten so much wrong for so long. But, this series isn't about sane Napier like the first one was. It's about the pre-Joker Napier "finding the Joker" in his old cell, a cell connected to a secret passage containing the body of Lafayette "Laffy" Arkham. (Heh.) Laffy was a British general who used to control Gotham Valley in the colonial era; he's also the main figure in a spooky children's poem popular in Gotham, where he's a vampire who eats children. (Oh, Gotham.) This issue actually starts with Edmund Wayne killing Laffy in a sword fight; we see him plummet down the well to where the pre-Joker Napier later finds him. The issue then segues to Alfred's farewell letter to Bruce, telling him to look under the floorboard in his room, where he finds Edmund's diary. Bruce can't read it yet, because it needs to be restored so it doesn't crumble, but he and Barbara acknowledge that the timing of the discovery is unlikely to be a coinky-dink.
Meanwhile, Jean-Paul Valley, a veteran who's seen better days, gets a terminal cancer diagnosis. He then suffers from a hallucination, knocking over candles in the hospital's chapel before his friends help him. Later, he's mopping the floor of a church where he spends a lot of time (seemingly having little else to do and atoning for unnamed sins). The Joker appears to him with a sword, the item (or at least one of them) that he recovered from his cell. He informs Jean-Paul that the Waynes stole Gotham from his family and that he needs to seek vengeance against Bruce. This part is the only part where Murphy made me raise an eyebrow. He doesn't reveal how the Joker knows about Valley, including the fact that he suffers form hallucinations, which the Joker obviously knows, since he behaves as if he's one of them to manipulate Valley into accepting the sword. But, Murphy's a good enough writer that I feel like he'll reveal what we need to know soon. In the meantime, I'm happy to wait as the mystery unfurls.
Dungeons & Dragons: A Darkened Wish #2: Seriously, do not waste your money on this series. (OK, I'm writing this review ten months after it was published, so I probably can't do much to stop you from doing so. But, if you're as behind as I am, beware!) I've never read a more nonsensical and scattered issue in my life. You'd think that it was just the flashback framing device, which usually trips up authors. But, we'd be lucky if it were our only problem. Each successive panel seems to have nothing to do with the previous one. At one point, a character appears quite literally from nowhere and announces himself in a way that implies that no one knows him, except for the fact that the ship's crew apparently know him quite well. It's all just a jumbled mess and makes me long all the more for Fell's Five to return one day. [Sigh.]
The Weatherman, Vol. 2 #2: LeHeup continues to tighten the narrative as we get closer and closer to Cross' goal, only to make it clear that she has a lot longer of a journey than she thinks. First, we learn that Kestrel is sending the lottery "winners" to a scientist named Dr. Argus, where he seems to expose them to the virus in the hope of developing a cure. Kestrel informs him that the transports -- presumably to take the survivors off Earth -- are ready, but he informs her that he needs at least another month. (I don't exactly understand why they need a cure before they can leave, but I'm sure that we'll get there.) It isn't just a bad sign because last issue we learned the survivor population faces collapse in three months. It's also a bad sign because he's banking on help from Dr. Nyseth, whom Cross and her team discover is dead. Moreover, the team only gets to that point because Garren sacrifices himself to buy them time to escape plague-ridden zombies and because a comic book-obsessed, bear-riding girl named Pace uses a micro-singularity bullet to destroy the enormous creature the zombies merged to create. (I know that sounds insane, but LeHeup really sells it as a perfectly understandable sequence of events.) Pace seems to be the team's only hope at this point, since she knew Nyseth and leads them all to her grave. But Garren's loss is huge. He wasn't just the team's moral compass but also its common-sense checker. I don't necessarily trust Cross to make great decisions at this point.
Also Read: Detective Comics #1,008
But, it becomes clear that Murphy starts the series this way to put the first series behind us. Napier was right; Bruce was wrong. Bruce has internalized this failure and realizes that it might be time to hang up the cowl, because he's gotten so much wrong for so long. But, this series isn't about sane Napier like the first one was. It's about the pre-Joker Napier "finding the Joker" in his old cell, a cell connected to a secret passage containing the body of Lafayette "Laffy" Arkham. (Heh.) Laffy was a British general who used to control Gotham Valley in the colonial era; he's also the main figure in a spooky children's poem popular in Gotham, where he's a vampire who eats children. (Oh, Gotham.) This issue actually starts with Edmund Wayne killing Laffy in a sword fight; we see him plummet down the well to where the pre-Joker Napier later finds him. The issue then segues to Alfred's farewell letter to Bruce, telling him to look under the floorboard in his room, where he finds Edmund's diary. Bruce can't read it yet, because it needs to be restored so it doesn't crumble, but he and Barbara acknowledge that the timing of the discovery is unlikely to be a coinky-dink.
Meanwhile, Jean-Paul Valley, a veteran who's seen better days, gets a terminal cancer diagnosis. He then suffers from a hallucination, knocking over candles in the hospital's chapel before his friends help him. Later, he's mopping the floor of a church where he spends a lot of time (seemingly having little else to do and atoning for unnamed sins). The Joker appears to him with a sword, the item (or at least one of them) that he recovered from his cell. He informs Jean-Paul that the Waynes stole Gotham from his family and that he needs to seek vengeance against Bruce. This part is the only part where Murphy made me raise an eyebrow. He doesn't reveal how the Joker knows about Valley, including the fact that he suffers form hallucinations, which the Joker obviously knows, since he behaves as if he's one of them to manipulate Valley into accepting the sword. But, Murphy's a good enough writer that I feel like he'll reveal what we need to know soon. In the meantime, I'm happy to wait as the mystery unfurls.
Dungeons & Dragons: A Darkened Wish #2: Seriously, do not waste your money on this series. (OK, I'm writing this review ten months after it was published, so I probably can't do much to stop you from doing so. But, if you're as behind as I am, beware!) I've never read a more nonsensical and scattered issue in my life. You'd think that it was just the flashback framing device, which usually trips up authors. But, we'd be lucky if it were our only problem. Each successive panel seems to have nothing to do with the previous one. At one point, a character appears quite literally from nowhere and announces himself in a way that implies that no one knows him, except for the fact that the ship's crew apparently know him quite well. It's all just a jumbled mess and makes me long all the more for Fell's Five to return one day. [Sigh.]
The Weatherman, Vol. 2 #2: LeHeup continues to tighten the narrative as we get closer and closer to Cross' goal, only to make it clear that she has a lot longer of a journey than she thinks. First, we learn that Kestrel is sending the lottery "winners" to a scientist named Dr. Argus, where he seems to expose them to the virus in the hope of developing a cure. Kestrel informs him that the transports -- presumably to take the survivors off Earth -- are ready, but he informs her that he needs at least another month. (I don't exactly understand why they need a cure before they can leave, but I'm sure that we'll get there.) It isn't just a bad sign because last issue we learned the survivor population faces collapse in three months. It's also a bad sign because he's banking on help from Dr. Nyseth, whom Cross and her team discover is dead. Moreover, the team only gets to that point because Garren sacrifices himself to buy them time to escape plague-ridden zombies and because a comic book-obsessed, bear-riding girl named Pace uses a micro-singularity bullet to destroy the enormous creature the zombies merged to create. (I know that sounds insane, but LeHeup really sells it as a perfectly understandable sequence of events.) Pace seems to be the team's only hope at this point, since she knew Nyseth and leads them all to her grave. But Garren's loss is huge. He wasn't just the team's moral compass but also its common-sense checker. I don't necessarily trust Cross to make great decisions at this point.
Also Read: Detective Comics #1,008
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