Batman #692, Detective Comics # 858, Batman and Robin #5, Red Robin #4 Reviews
Earlier this year I read all of Batman related comics since 2003, and then I read other comic books titles from scratch, so I fell behind my new Batman comics after Bruce Wayne “died” in FINAL CRISIS. I am pleased to announced that I am all caught up now. Here is what has been happening in Batman comic books:
Dick Grayson (Nightwing, the original Robin) won the Battle for the Cowl, and is now Batman. To the general public, there is no change; but the superhero community knows the truth. His sidekick (the new Robin) is Damian (son of Bruce Wayne Batman and Talia al Ghul). Tim Wayne (formerly Tim Drake, Robin III) is called Red Robin and is searching for proof Bruce Wayne is still alive. (Bruce Wayne is alive but is in another time period, but no one knows that, and he is out of the comic altogether for now). Jason Todd (Robin II) is once again the evil Red Hood.
Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Beowulf, Harry Potter) wrote a great two-part Batman/Detective Comics storyline called Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?, which lead into the Battle for the Cowl. Basically, Bruce Wayne was watching his own funeral and all the different ways Batman “died”. This was very metaphysical and showed that Batman will always come back in one shape or form eventually.
But I digress.
Here are my reviews and comments about the Batman titles in general:
Batman #692: This shows how Dick Grayson is having some problems trying to fill Bruce Wayne’s shoes as Catwoman tests him, and Commissioner Gordon hints that he knows this isn’t the same Batman. We also see the return of Dr. Death, an obscure character from 1939 who had made a few returns. Additionally, we see Dick face mobsters from The Long Halloween. Plus there is a major subplot with the return of the Black Mask.
I rank Batman the best DC Batman comic right now. This is the flagship title. For some reason there are different writers every few months, but the tone stays the same. The art is fine (Tony Daniel is writing and drawing now). I was shocked to see Mark Bagley draw something besides Spider-Man, and was equally shocked to see how good he was at drawing Batman. Batman is all about how Dick Grayson (Enneagram Personality Type 6) is trying to be his own man, BUT make his enemies and police believe he is the original Batman (Enneagram Type 7). It is quite refreshing to read about a mentally healthy Batman. In reality, Dick Grayson succeeding Bruce Wayne is and was the only logical course of action for DC comics to make if Wayne was ever to be replaced. How long will it last? Who knows? I guess it’s up to the sales.
Batman and Robin #5: The Red Hood establishes himself as Dick and Damian’s arch nemesis.
Probably the most talked about new Batman comic after the relaunch because Grant Morrison is the writer. Grant Morrison was the writer who killed Bruce Wayne, and is still an icon even though FINAL CRISIS sucked ass. Batman and Robin #5 had Phillipp Tan as artist, a step down from the greatness that is Frank Quitely. Believe it or not, Morrison is not high-brow with Batman and Robin. Damian is shown to be the biggest jerk in the world (he is), and Morrison still deconstructs the villains, but this comic is much tamer than I expected, which is a good thing; very readable and accessible to new readers (though not as good as Morrison’s Superman limited series).
Red Robin #4: I was never into Tim Drake (now Tim Wayne, since he was adopted) when he stared in his own comic series called Robin. But Red Robin is passable only because Tim is the only one in the DC Universe to believe Bruce is still alive, and the heroes (especially Dick) feel he is mentally ill to keep on trying to uncover new evidence. Written by Chris Yost and drawn by Ramon Bachs, two people I’m not familiar with, but they are fine.
Detective Comics #858: How can Detective Comics be ranked last? Maybe because each new issue features Batwoman as the star. I guess DC doesn’t want Dick Grayson to die of overexposure, so they featured Batwoman in this. I still see Batwoman as a gimmick because she’s a hot red-headed goth pale-skinned lesbian who dresses like a fetish queen. That just doesn’t float my boat. To make matters worse, the backup feature is The Question (Renee Montoya) whom I have no emotional attachment to. Ironically enough, she too is a lesbian. I have no issues with lesbianism in comics, but I think it’s a double-standard that women can be gay in comics and be featured in Detective Comics, but two guys cannot. Excellent art by J.H. Williams III again. Greg Rucka is scripter.
Anyway, although Dick Grayson can never live up to Bruce Wayne, the current shake-up is a nice change of pace. It’s very hard to keep an ongoing comic book series fresh since it’s a serial format. Although I haven’t been blown away by these comics, they are very solid and they seems to be plotted out with a great climax in the future. As gimmicky as all of this may sound (multiple Batman titles, mini-series, MEDIA hype, and the fact that Bruce Wayne isn’t dead) Batman and his fans are treated with much more respect by DC than Marvel treats Spider-Man and his fans.
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