Comics of the Week - More #1's

This was a HUGE week. It felt like a stronger week than last one, with no real losers. What we do have is more and more variety. This is a great time for comics. I can't stress enough how there really is something for everybody coming out. That's what comics are supposed to be. Not everyone will like every book, but every book should appeal to someone. Hopefully this is only the beginning.

This is one I was worried about when the reboot was announced. The relationship between Damian and Dick Grayson in the past couple of years was a huge part of what made the Batman books so much fun, particularly this title. Having Damian team up with his father, in Batman and Robin #1, while possibly interesting, seemed wrong to me at first. I'm not sure yet whether this works in the long run, but in this issue Tomasi gives us a fresh take on the Batman and Robin relationship. Yes, past Robins were Bruce's adopted sons, but this is different. Damian actually calls him father. Ironically, though, they don't know each other at all at this point, really. Damian is still a know it all little prick here, which is critical to making the character work. Bruce seems much softer and the point of this story seems to be that he's redefining himself, by letting go of the past.. I'm not entirely on board with that, yet, as I don't know where it's going, but I'm willing to ride it out for a little longer to see.  The main thing about this book is that it retained the fun of the last couple of years.

For some reason, I only read a couple of issues, here and there, of Rucka and J.H. Williams III's acclaimed run on Detective Comics featuring Batwoman. The few issues I read were beautiful, but I think I lost the thread of the story and never went back. I plan on correcting that soon. Meanwhile, Batwoman #1 is fantastic. Art like this is beyond special. Here, J.H. Williams is also co-writing with W. Hayden Blackman, and if there's a weakness it's a couple of lines in badly translated Spanish in one scene that really took me out of the story. Other than that, this issue was right on. The action scenes are fluid and the layouts are phenomenal. The art is telling the story here the way you dream a comic book should. There are several artists getting writing duties in the new DCU, but I am going to go on a limb and say J.H. Williams is the best suited for this transition. It's clear, even from a quick glance at his layouts, that he is not thinking in single panels. His pages flow and move and even in the quiet moments, he is conveying emotions and moods like few artists do. As for the story itself, it's classic Batman with a couple of twists. Batwoman is a character I'm not that familiar with, but I'm looking forward to changing that in the coming months.

I am not a fan of Fantasy and I've never really liked Etrigan as a character. I was not going to get Demon Knights #1 and only picked it up because my buddy at the shop said he didn't normally like the Demon either but this book was fun. He was right on. This was a ton of fun, and thinking about it now, 2 days after reading it, I'm finding I like it even more. I think what helps it is that it's not mired in stereotypical Fantasy tropes. It really feels like a modern story, except for the setting. Also, the Demon is not speaking olde English or rhyming, so it's not overly silly. We have a love triangle with a twist, a team of misfits coming together, an exploding baby, dragons, wizards, swords, etc. You know, fun. With a capital F. There really isn't much more to say except pick this up. It takes place in the Dark Ages and while it will likely tie in to last week's Stormwatch (also written by Paul Cornell) and the upcoming Justice League Dark, one thing about the new DC so far is that it seems you can read a book without worrying too much about following continuity in other books. Hopefully, this stays true.

Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1 is a wild one. You have Frankenstein, who was apparently on Mars before this issue begins, working with Father Time, who is now in the body of a sassy little girl and teamed up with a host of creature commandos, including his estranged wife, to fight monsters. Oh, and their base is a miniaturized city, created by Ray Palmer, floating in a tiny globe. It's been described as being similar to Hellboy, which I can see. But I think there's also a bit of Fantastic Four and Shield thrown in, as well. You have science and occult coming together with a certain wacky fun that somehow all blends together in a delicious smoothie of awesome. Having read Lemire's indie work in Essex County and Sweet Tooth, I have to say I didn't see this level of fun and humor coming. His range has left me more impressed with his work. While reading this, I was blown away by how sucked in I was. This was my favorite book this week and I can't wait to read more.

The thing about Resurrection Man #1 that really made it stand out is that it just sort of started, without a lot of explanation, and yet it still worked. I came into this knowing the concept, but not the character. Basically, Mitch Shelly dies and comes back to life with a new random power, repeatedly. Right off, the premise had me hooked, which is why I picked it up. Overall, I think Abnett and Lanning did a great job of making this fun and interesting and mysterious. But then at the end, there were a series of phone conversations that sort of stopped this from being great and only made it good. All the exposition that was unnecessary and avoided at the beginning of the issue came at the end, in a repetitive and clunky way that stuck out like sore, cliched thumb. Still, I'm going to give this series a shot based on the rest of this issue.

And then there's Ultimate Spider-Man #1. For some reason, I've never read a Spider-Man story that really grabbed me. I've never had much interest in the character, though in theory, he's exactly what I like. I recently read Spider-Man Blue, by Loeb and Sales and the whole time I was a little bored. I just couldn't really relate to the characters, for some reason. So, along comes Miles Morales and it's ironic that at the ripe age of 38, I may have found a Spider-Man I can actually read and enjoy. Interestingly enough, he's not Spider-Man in this issue. It's just the beginning. But what we do see is a boy with a family and real world problems. We get characters with depth and situations that ring true. I have to say, this is the best Bendis I've read since Alias. I actually forgot it was written by him until now. He really did focus on story and character here, rather than dialogue. If he continues to do that, I'm in. I can't wait to see how Sara Pichelli draws Miles in costume, in action.

Comics of the Week

The final issues of four Batman books came out this week. Each ended in its own way, and not necessarily for the best. Although there are still two more weeks to go until the DC reboot, this week felt like the last week to me, as the books left to end have not been my favorites.

Batgirl #26 was going to be difficult, no matter how you cut it. The character has the most uncertain future in the new reboot. Stephanie Brown will not be Batgirl in September, and we really don't even know if she'll be at all. I get the sense that Bryan Q. Miller had big plans for this book and the reboot decision really threw him off the rails. The previous issue was a lot of fun and seemed to be building towards a climax, but it was clear going into this issue that it was a climax that would have been nearly impossible to pull off in one issue. Instead, we have a story that reaches more of a stop than an end. I can't really say I blame Miller for the sentimental and somewhat meta touches at the end, though I'm not sure they came off too well. I sincerely hope he is given a chance in the coming months, to write another big book for DC, because some of the best books in the past two years were Batgirl issues.

Batman and Robin, as a series, has gone through several changes. It started with Grant Morrison on a very high note, bringing a freshness to the concept that was much needed. The character of Damian, in particular, was developed into one of the more interesting characters in the DCU, mostly in this title. Even as creative teams changed, the book always maintained a certain energy, thanks to the relationship between Dick and Damian. This relationship is what I will miss most in the new DCU. This issue, by David Hine and Geg Tocchini was interesting. Rather than giving us an ending, it's just another story, and a crazy one at that. What I think they managed to do was to subtly give a nod to the surreality of Morrison that was somehow all their own. The art didn't work in a few places and there could have been more focus on the Dick and Damien relationship, but I think just telling another story was a bold choice to take with this book.

Tim Drake is a badass. Throughout this series that's never been in doubt. As a whole, the series had it's ups and downs, but was always solid even during the few issues that weren't terribly exciting. Fabien Nicieza made a different choice than Miller and Hine in ending this series. He didn't go with sentiment and also didn't go with just another story. This story was not just a regular adventure for Red Robin. This was about a moment of truth for him and one that ends on an ambiguous note. At the end of this issue, reboot or not, Tim has a lot of decisions to make about what kind of man he is going to be, what kind of hero. He needs to decide what the balance is between vengeance and justice. He's always been the Robin that was most like Bruce but here he shows he is his own man or is at least on the verge of being his own man. It would have been interesting to see where Nicieza would have gone next with this character. I will miss this book.

I ran out of great things to say about Scott Snyder, Jock and Francisco Francavilla on Detective Comics several issues back. I repeat that this will be considered one of the greatest comic runs in history for years to come. This issue was no exception, ending the story just as strong as it started, if not stronger. Ending a title that has been around for 70 years on such a high note is a huge accomplishment. The tension that had been built throughout the run was not squandered by rushing the ending, which is a common problem. Snyder has proven himself to be a master storyteller, start to finish, with this. He took his time in all the right places and delivered a surprising and satisfying ending to both the stories of James Gordon and Dick Grayson.The art on this issue featured both Jock and Francavilla, in a seamless interaction of styles. This is an incredibly rare thing. In most cases, two artists working on one book, even when both are brilliant, can be jarring. At the end of the day, I don't really care who did what, because they are both masters and the results speak for themselves. It will be interesting to see Snyder on Batman in September, writing Bruce Wayne.

Comics of the Week

Batman and Robin #23 brings in Judd Winick and Guillem March for a new arc involving Jason Todd. After some quick flashbacks reminding us who Jason was and his relationship to Bruce, the opening scene between Jason and BatBruce in Arkham is pretty good. They hadn't seen each other since Bruce's return, and Bruce's disappointment with Jason and himself, comes through in his silence. Overall, this was a well written book, and the sections with Jason in prison were very economically plotted, which highlights what a real badass Jason is. The colors in this, by Alex Sinclair, are like watching an HD movie for the first time, searing your retinas with impossible brightness.

As expected, I'm hooked with Batman Gates of Gotham #1. Interestingly, this book isn't written only by Scott Snyder. The credits tells us the story is by Snyder and Kyle Higgins with dialogue by Higgins. I have no idea what that means as far as who did what in the end, but either way, it works. This is basically a story about Gotham City's history, opening with the engineer who built some of the tallest buildings back in the 1800's. Trevor McCarthy's art is perfect for this, with lines that give the whole book a kind of industrial feel, while still remaining fluid. Meanwhile, back in the present day, BatDick has been working with Red Robin and Commissioner Gordon on a case. I like that we come into the case already in progress, as a new twist is uncovered. By the end of this first issue, Cassandra Cain shows up with more pieces of the puzzle. The interplay between Dick and Tim is always a high point in a Batbook when done well and that's the case here. Toss in a little Damian and it's gold. Not to mention a moment that is gruesome and nails down the stakes of, not just this story, but everything Batman does. It's a vivid metaphor for the weight the Batfamily, and I guess all these heroes take on in choosing to do what they do.