Retracing even more of Robin’s roots

Robin: The Bronze Age Omnibus hardcover
DC Comics
Creators: Gardner Fox, Mike Friedrich, E. Nelson Bridwell, Frank Robbins, Denny O’Neil, Elliot S. Maggin, Bob Rozakis, Cary Bates, Gerry Conway, Jack C. Harris, Paul Kupperberg, Marv Wolfman, Mike W. Barr, Ernie Chan, Sheldon Moldoff, Chich Stone, Ross Andru, Gil Kane, Irv, Novick, Dick Dillin, Rich Buckler, Bob Brown, Mike Grell, A. Martinez, Al Milgrom, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (Praise Be His Name), Jose Delbo, Curt Swan, Don Newton, Marshall Rogers, Don Heck, Lee Elias, Jim Aparo, Juan Ortiz, Kurt Schaffenberger, Alex Saviuk, Charles Nicholas, Trevor von Eeden, Joe Giella, Mike Esposito, Murphy Anderson, Vince Colletta, Frank Giacoia, Dick Giordano, Frank McLaughlin, Jose Massaroli, Terry Austin, Bob Wiacek, John Celardo, Dave Hunt, Bruce Patterson, Dan Adkins, Frank Chiaramonte, Jack Abel, John Calnan, Larry Mahlstedt, Steve Mitchell, Mike DeCarlo and Rodin Rodriguez
Publication date: March 20, 2020

This is the latest volume I’ve read in tracing the history of one of my favorite characters – Dick Grayson, the original Robin and later Nightwing. Last spring, I read the two-volume Robin Archives, which collect Robin solo stories from Star-Spangled Comics in the 1940s and 1950s, which I talked briefly about on Facebook. A few months ago, I discussed the massive Showcase Presents Robin trade collection, which reprints a number of stories featuring Robin from 1969 to 1975.

Now I’ve finished reading through this even more massive Bronze Age Omnibus of Robin reprints. This volume collects stories featuring Robin from Batman, Batman Family, Detective Comics, DC Comics Presents and World’s Finest Comics originally printed between 1967 and 1983. As one might expect from comparing those original publication dates, there are a number of duplicate stories reprinted in both the Showcase and the Omnibus. In fact, out of the 49 stories in the Showcase volume and 79 in the Omnibus, 35 stories are reprinted in both. I admit that’s quite a bit of overlap, but there are still enough stories unique to each volume that it is worth it to own both, at least to me.

The stories reprinted in the Robin Omnibus take the character from being The Boy Wonder, fighting alongside Batman and in solo adventures across Gotham City, to becoming The Teen Wonder, first at Gotham High School, then later at Hudson University in New Carthage, and beyond. Robin teams up less and less with the Dark Knight in these stories, but he goes through a period of frequent pairings with his Dynamite Duo co-star, Batgirl. And later stories in the Omnibus collection coincide with the formation and early years of The New Teen Titans.

In fact, if there is a failing in this Omnibus collection, it is in the scattershot inclusion of some of these later stories. For instance, Dick Grayson and Robin spend a great deal of time in New Carthage on the campus of Hudson University in these tales. Dick attends classes and works at the campus newspaper while also solving crimes alongside the campus police.

In the very first preview appearance of The New Teen Titans — first printed in DC Comics Presents No. 26 (released on July 10, 1980, according to Mike’s Amazing World of Comics) and not reprinted in this volume, by the way — it is mentioned that Robin has left college. In “The Gotham Connection,” reprinted from Detective Comics No. 495, which came out shortly before The New Teen Titans debuted with their own first issue, Dick is threatened with expulsion for missing classes and opts to leave campus to pursue a ring of drug runners instead of dealing with the academic troubles. But that storyline goes nowhere. Other plot threads from Dick’s time at Hudson U are simply dropped, never to be addressed again, including a new romance with a girl named Jennifer Anne. The end of “The Gotham Connection” story seems to indicate the tale will be picked up again next issue, but it doesn’t appear that it ever was resolved in any story. At least not one I could find reference to anywhere.

I guess you can’t really fault this volume for not reprinting a story that was never printed anywhere to begin with. But other choices for what is included are not as easily ignored. The very next story in the Omnibus, “Shanghaied” from Batman No. 333, teams Robin with Catwoman in search of a missing Batman. I assume this story was selected for inclusion as it features Robin heavily and teams The Teen Wonder with someone he’s not usually paired with. But “Shanghaied” is a middle chapter of a multi-part story that begins and ends with cliffhangers, but no other chapters of this multi-part epic are reprinted here. Readers of this volume are simply dropped into the middle of the action and given no resolution.

Despite a few odd choices like that here and there in this hardcover volume, I can still heartily recommend it to any fan of Robin’s. Many of these stories show the beginnings of both Robin’s and Dick Grayson’s character development that later creators like Marv Wolfman, George Perez and Chuck Dixon would build upon to great effect. For instance, Gerry Conway pens an arc that begins in DC Comics Presents and continues in backup stories in five issues of Batman from 1981. First Robin runs into Superman and an old circus performer friend while visiting the Sterling Circus appearing in Gotham City. Later, Dick Grayson follows the circus clown, the old friend, to Hill’s Circus, where the young aerialist stays for a time, performing and rediscovering his circus roots. No mention of the Titans is made in these stories, but they all coincide with the issues early in the second year of The New Teen Titans comic.

As evidenced by the extensive list of creators above, this volume is an excellent showcase for a number of fine writers and artists, each lending their talents to shaping the character Dick Grayson and Robin would become and making it possible for other characters to take on the name Robin while Grayson moved on to become Nightwing. Some of these stories I’d read before in single issue form, either when they were first published or later after buying them as back issues. But many of these stories were new to me with this reading.

If you share my love of the character of Dick Grayson, you might also enjoy a podcast I discovered not long ago. “Taking Flight: A Robin and Nightwing Podcast” is by a gentleman named Tom Panarese. The podcast covers a lot of the stories and history included in this volume as well as other stories about The New Teen Titans and fellow Robins Jason Todd and Tim Drake. I heartily recommend you check out both Robin: The Bronze Age Omnibus hardcover and “Taking Flight.”

Wow! Just Wow!

Nightwing No. 83
DC Comics
Creators: Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, Adriano Lucas and Wes Abbott
Release date: August 2021

If you have any appreciation for Nightwing or Dick Grayson as a character and haven’t bought and read this issue already, do yourself a favor and go out and get a copy of this book.

This issue wraps up the first story arc by this creative team on the title, and they have hit it out of the park, especially with this issue.

I’m deliberately keeping this post SPOILER FREE for a reason, but this story arc has brought about a big change in Dick Grayson’s status quo on a couple levels. One of those changes, in the hands of lesser creators, might have been a disaster, but these guys have pulled it off in such a way that I believe it could be real rather than a misdirect, and I’m onboard with the change.

The second change is the one telegraphed on the cover, which I love! Again, my acceptance and enjoyment of it is all about the execution. There are a number of cameos in this issue, some big and some small, but all of them are meaningful. I got the feels in a very good way reading this issue. I want to read it again for the first time, if such a thing was possible.

Short post this time around. I promise next time will be longer and a slightly older book. I just wanted to share that this title, and especially this issue of this title, are phenomenal.

Something a little different — snippets from my pull list

I’m going to take brief looks at six titles on my current monthly pull list, all released during this past month of April. While these six titles do not comprise my entire pull list for April, they are the lion’s share of it. My more limited finances of late have taken a definite toll on what I’m willing to plunk down for today’s comics. But I’d rather save my money for books I’m enjoying reading. That makes sense, right?

Titans No. 36 (DC Comics) — This is the final issue of the Rebirth Titans title. While the book has failed to recapture the heights of the Wolfman/Perez era of the Titans characters, I was one of the people who enjoyed Dan Abnett’s take with the relaunch. His version of the characters read true to their respective personalities to me; the stories just weren’t all that riveting, especially as the title was held hostage more and more by the overall DC Universe. The new mission for the Titans in the wake of the team’s forced break-up and then the events of “No Justice” just didn’t seem as strong as focusing on the bond these people share with each other. Add to that the loss of several key characters other writers had plans for, and this title just seemed doomed several months ago.

Fantastic Four No. 9 (Marvel Comics) — I like a lot of Marvel characters, but I’m sure it comes as no shock to regular readers of this blog that I collect a lot more DC titles. But I decided to give the 2018 relaunch of Marvel’s first family a try based on past writings by Dan Slott. So far, he hasn’t disappointed. His first arc was a bit *meh* for me, dealing as it did with where the FF members have been for so long. But the long-anticipated wedding of Ben Grimm and Alicia Masters, quickly followed by the latest face-off between the FF and Dr. Doom, which concludes with this issue, were both great reads. These books prove once again that comics can be fun. More titles should follow this example.

Justice League Nos. 21 and 22 (DC Comics) — This is one of those titles that is killing others like Titans. Believe it or not, I like more issues than not of the sweeping epic Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV are weaving with Justice League since its relaunch in 2018 following “No Justice.” I do. But there have been a few clunkers in the past 22 issues. And the problem with having your sweeping epic take over so many titles and story lines and months of publishing time without a resolution is that at some point, it becomes easier to simply ignore the entire thing than to keep up with it. I haven’t reached that point yet, but I think about it more with each passing month. Comics are an ongoing medium meant to continue ever onward, but individual stories are not.

Star Trek: Year Five No. 1 (IDW Publishing) — I have liked a lot of what IDW has done with its Star Trek license, including the Year Four series they did several years ago. This is only the first issue, so it is pretty early to judge with much accuracy, but this series debut seems like a good one. There are references to previous episodes of the television series to please the die-hard fans. The characterizations seem pretty accurate, and the premise, at least so far, seems well laid out for any newbies. I have high hopes for this title.

Nightwing No. 59 (DC Comics) — The Rebirth Nightwing title has been hit-and-miss with me, and I dropped it some time back. While some of the stories were good, many of them seemed to be re-treading ground already covered in the title’s previous incarnations. The changes to the title character since his being shot in the pages of Tom King’s Batman did not inspire me to pick the title back up. What did was the promise of Dan Jurgens coming onboard as the writer. I like both Jurgens’ writing and his art. I’m buying the next few issues hoping he will bring back the character I enjoy — one of my top three favorite characters, in fact. This is only the first issue and there’s leftover baggage to be dealt with from the previous writers. This issue wasn’t great, but I’ll give Mr. Jurgens a few more to win me back to Nightwing.

Criminal No. 4 (Image Comics) — No surprise here for longtime readers of this blog, I’m sure. I love most everything this creative team — Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips — has collaborated on from Velvet to Kill or Be Killed to Scene of the Crime to previous incarnations of this very title. This latest version of Criminal is more of the same, and I love it.

So those are some of the titles I’m currently buying. What are the rest of you buying? And have you thought about why lately? Sometimes reflecting on your buying habits from time to time can be a good thing.

Happy collecting! And come back in two weeks for some thoughts on a Batman comic from my youth!

Young Love, Forever Destined To Fail?

Nightwing annual 1
DC Comics
Kyle Higgins, writer
Jason Masters, Daniel Sampere and Vicente Cifuentes, artists
Special shout-out to the creator of The History of Dick/Babs (So Far) site for helping refresh and/or double-check my memory on some of the books I've read but was too lazy to dig out for reference this time around.

This was a great done-in-one issue by regular Nightwing writer Kyle Higgins, but then I'm partial to the subject matter.

I've long been a fan of Dick Grayson, first as Robin and later as Nightwing. I didn't read that many of the 1970s and early-80s Batman Family and Detective Comics stories that featured Robin and Batgirl in both solo stories and team-ups when they were new. But I've always liked the Barbara Gordon Batgirl character, too.

Now, as many of my longtime readers know, I'm a huge fan of the Titans, absolutely loving the Wolfman/Perez reboot from 1980 onward (as well as discovering and liking the earlier incarnations of the team much after the fact). As a fan of that series, I confess, I loved the Robin/Starfire relationship. Dick and Koriand'r of Tamaran made a great couple readers hoped would endure.

But before that run of Titans came to an end, so too did the relationship between Dick and Kory. Later writers hinted at the couple's feelings for each other remaining in the various Titans relaunches since then, but those hints and suggestions never went anywhere.

Jump ahead a few years and Nightwing is given his own series, and Barbara Gordon gives up being Batgirl shortly before being crippled by the Joker. That was a tragic story, but out of those events came Barbara's new identity as Oracle, a much stronger personality and just as heroic as Batgirl had ever been portrayed. And writers began hinting back to the early careers of Dick and Barbara and a possible budding attraction that never reached full potential. Adding to that retconned romance was the de-aging of Batgirl. When she debuted, Barbara Gordon was easily 10 years older than the Boy Wonder; but nowadays, the pair are very close to the same age and always have been.

Around that same time, I finally caught up on a number of those old Batman Family and Detective Comics stories mentioned before. A mutual attraction and possible relationship between Robin and Batgirl was not a wholly new idea. The current stories played it up as more than it had been at the time of those earlier stories, but there were definite hints at affection on the part of Robin, at least, even back in the 70s and 80s. Adding to the current portrayal of the pair being interested in each other in the past were re-tellings of each of their origins -- including Robin: Year One and Batgirl: Year One.

In time, the two began a relationship facilitated by the fact that writer Chuck Dixon was crafting both their respective adventures in Nightwing and Birds of Prey. All of that culminated in the pre-New 52 DC continuity in the controversial Nightwing annual No. 2 (January 2007) when Dick proposes to Barbara, but alas, a wedding does NOT follow. The book was controversial for some of its retconned history. For example, the scenes where Dick Grayson stops to see Barbara Gordon for the first time after she was crippled by the Joker. The pair end up spending the night together, but Dick is not just there to check on his old friend -- he's also there to invite Barbara to his and Kory's wedding. Ouch! That's a bit of retconning I could have done without.

I was a fan of a relationship between Dick and Barbara. Through the great writing of the various stories that built their relationship, I came to see Barbara as the great love of Dick's life. These two characters seem to genuinely care about and for each other, and I have often hoped they would find a way to get together -- not for a hook-up, but for a real, lasting relationship.

Fast forward another few years to The New 52, DC's reboot of its superhero universe continuity. Many characters' histories were changed, but one of the things I was glad to see survived the reboot was the mutual attraction between Dick and Barbara early in their careers. It was hinted at in the very first New 52 Nightwing story arc when Dick is reunited with several of his friends from Haly's Circus, including Raya, a girl Dick's own age whom he'd had feelings for long before the circus came to Gotham, Dick's parents were killed and he started down the road that would lead to his becoming Robin. In one issue of that arc, Barbara guest-starred, and (spoilers) she seemed to distrust Raya. Dick writes Barbara's reaction off to jealousy because he and Barbara have flirted before. The past mutual attraction was also a part of the action in The New 52's Batgirl No. 3.

This issue, the first New 52 annual for Nightwing, takes that suggestion even further, bringing back the idea that Dick and Barbara have long had feelings for one another but could never quite make things work out to actually date before. During the course of a current case the pair are working together, they spend a lot of time reminiscing about their first meeting and first kiss. It is nice to see this favorite concept from the old continuity creep back into the new. And, since the original Teen Titans' history seems to have been wiped out with the New 52, there goes that whole thing between Dick and Babs after he and Kory are engaged.

Oh, and this annual also introduces The New 52 version of the Bat-villain Firefly, playing a bit with readers' expectations. It's a good read; you should check it out!

A Little Uneven But Still Pretty Important

Nightwing: Old Friends, New Enemies tpb
DC Comics
Marv Wolfman, Cherie Wilkerson and Dan Mishkin, writers
Erik Larsen, Mike DeCarlo, Chuck Patton, Tom Poston, Tom Mandrake and Vince Giarrano, artists

This trade was just released in August, but contains three stories from the late 1980s, well before Nightwing was given his own solo series. And each of these tales is collected in trade form for the very first time, as far as I know, in this volume. The first is a then-current retelling of Nightwing's origin story from the pages of Secret Origins No. 13. The second and third arcs were originally published in Action Comics Weekly Nos. 613-618 and 627-634 and pair Nightwing with Teen Titans pal, Roy Harper, otherwise known as Speedy, Green Arrow's former sidekick.

The first reprint is the best of the bunch as far as both writing and art go; but it isn't a very critical story. The secret origin of Nightwing, formerly Robin the Boy Wonder, Dick Grayson, has had some tweaks through the years, but has remained largely the same since his creation in the 1940s. This particular retelling of Dick's origin takes place at the same time that Nightwing, Starfire and Jericho have traveled to Starfire's home world of Tamaran in the pages of The New Teen Titans (1984 series) Nos.14-18. Nightwing's 21st birthday has arrived while the trio is in space, and he is understandably distraught over the events that transpired on Tamaran. The framing sequence for this origin story is Nightwing and Jericho exploring Tamaran alone while Nightwing shares the details of his formative years with his friend.

The second story, "The Chesire Contract," is also well written by Marv Wolfman, although not quite as well as his better issues of Titans. The art is a little more cartoony than Titans fans would have been used to at the time, but it isn't bad. This story is the most critical of the bunch, especially to Titans fans because it deals with the relationship between Speedy and Cheshire and their daughter, Lian. The Titans first encountered the assassin for hire named Cheshire in New Teen Titans (1980 series) annual No. 2. She returned a few more times in the intervening years, but her next major appearance came in New Teen Titans (1984 series) Nos. 20 and 21. This is also during the time that Nightwing, Jericho and Starfire are on Tamaran. Back on Earth, Wonder Girl is leading a group of reserve Titans, including Speedy, on a mission for the government to protect a group of foreign dignitaries when Cheshire shows up as the villain of the story. It is here that readers first learn she and Speedy have had a prior relationship. It is also here that both the readers and Speedy learn that that liaison led to the birth of a child.

"The Cheshire Contract" takes place shortly after this encounter as Lian is described in the story as being just a day away from her first birthday. Roy enlists the aid of his friend, Nightwing, to track down Cheshire and find the daughter he has never seen. Along the way, Speedy fills in Nightwing (and the readers) on exactly how the relationship with Cheshire began: After beating his own drug addiction (as depicted in the classic Green Lantern/Green Arrow Nos. 85-86 from the award-winning early 1970s run by Neal Adams and Denny O'Neil), Roy began working for the government as an undercover drug agent. It was in this capacity that he met Cheshire and the two became intimate.

This story is a true team-up in that both Nightwing and Speedy play equally important roles in the narrative, and Nightwing clearly gets top billing on the various title pages as the better known of the two characters. In the end, Cheshire is caught, and Roy takes custody of Lian. She would figure prominently in the character's history from that point on, both in the pages of the various Titans books and in Roy's other appearances in other titles through the years. That makes this a very critical piece of Roy Harper's history and in Titans' history because of his continuing role with that group.

The third story in this collection, "Rocks and Hard Places," is even more a Speedy story. In fact, Nightwing only makes a few appearances in this one, which was kind of a continuation of "The Cheshire Contract." Roy decides to take some time off from adventuring to spend time with and get to know his daughter now that he has custody of the infant. Recently having learned that he is of Irish heritage, Roy decides to spend six months with Lian in Ireland, and Nightwing is along to help the two get settled. The heroes find a country divided into warring factions with almost everyone being forced to choose a side.

This is the weakest of the three stories included in this trade and quickly degenerates into a morality tale that comes across as rather heavy-handed. The first two chapters of "Rocks and Hard Places" are written by Wolfman with Cherie Wilkerson serving as co-plotter, but then she takes the lead and eventually is given sole credit for writing and plotting the bulk of the installments. I'm not familiar with any other writing credits Wilkerson might have, but wasn't impressed with this outing because of what I perceive as several flaws in the story. First, this was not a true team-up to me; Nightwing helps Speedy and Lian reach Ireland despite some action, but then heads back home only to return when Speedy asks him to for the final wrap-up. Second, you could lift Speedy right out of the story and substitute any other generic hero and nothing would change; this tale has no lasting impact or effect on the character. Third, the stated reason for Speedy to go to Ireland is to spend time with his daughter, yet she is barely in the story at all. Lian isn't even mentioned except for a handful of times and then forgotten.

I also have to wonder about the logic behind the name of this collection. "Old Friends, New Enemies" is one of the chapter titles from "Rocks and Hard Places." But first, it is one of the chapters Nightwing is not even in, yet this is a Nightwing collection. And second, OK, Nightwing and Speedy are old friends, but there is nothing new in the retelling of Nightwing's origin, Cheshire is not a new villain, and of the many new characters in "Rocks and Hard Places," none of them are ever seen again.

Completists will want this collection. It's a good trade for Speedy or Titans fans since "The Cheshire Contract" is such a key part of Speedy's and later Titans continuity. But I have to say, there's not really a lot here for a Nightwing fan. I applaud DC's efforts to collect some of these older stories, but this is not one of their better thought-out and packaged efforts.

It's All About The Building Blocks

Batman 608-619
DC Comics
Jeph Loeb, writer
Jim Lee and Scott Williams, artists

**********SPOILER ALERT**********

If you don't recognize the issue numbers above, they are from the yearlong, 2002-03, epic story arc "Hush," the Batman story that features a huge cast of Batman's allies and rogues along with the mystery of who Hush really is. This type of story is a theme repeated by writer Jeph Loeb in other Batman stories including "The Long Halloween" and "Dark Victory," both of which also feature a central whodunit mystery and a tour of Batman's rouges' gallery.

The biggest criticism of the initial "Hush" story was that ultimately the villain responsible for everything was a character who didn't exist in the pages of Batman before issue No. 609. That's right, the character's very first appearance as Hush doesn't come until the second chapter of the story, and it isn't until almost the end of that issue that his real name is even mentioned. Then he makes his first unmasked appearance in a flashback. And finally on the next to last page, he makes his first unmasked contemporary appearance.

Loeb provides clues to the true identity of Hush throughout the story, but the character is purely his own creation that was brand new for this story arc. Despite that fact, the emotional impact of the villain's identity hinges on readers accepting that this brand new character is one Bruce Wayne is supposed to have known all of his life, a childhood friend now grown, and seemingly just as twisted as Batman is honest.

Despite the immediate cries of "foul" and "cheat" when Hush's real identity was revealed in the story, the character has returned in a number of story arcs by other creators to very good effect. That, I believe, is testament to the fact that Loeb really did craft a good story despite what many claimed at the time. And beyond just being a good story, it provided the building blocks that shaped a great deal of the Batman universe going forward as other creators stepped in after Loeb's epic.

For instance, Batman and Catwoman have long had a flirtatous relationship in the comics, but it is during the "Hush" story arc that Batman decides to reveal his true identity to Catwoman as a show of trust. Without that development in the modern versions of the characters, I don't think we would have gotten Catwoman's characterization in the latter part of the third series to bear her name, particularly the issues by Will Pfeifer.

I also like the interaction shown in this arc between Batman and his allies, Alfred, Nightwing, Robin, Oracle and Police Commissioner Jim Gordon. Nightwing in particular gets a lot of "screen" time in this story, a further plus in my book. It doesn't hurt that I like the way Loeb writes their interactions and depicts their relationship through their characterization.

If you've never read "Hush," pick it up in single issues or trade. I think you'll be glad you did. It is filled with solid writing and some mighty pretty art.

I Like Aftermath Stories Like This

Nightwing 17
DC Comics
Kyle Higgins, writer
Juan Jose Ryp, artist

Let's back up a tad first.

I guess there was some outrage among fans at the way the Bat-crossover, "Death of the Family," concluded; some felt betrayed by the lack of a major character death. I had no such issues. I think the name clearly implies what we got as the fallout from the Joker's attacks has driven a wedge between Batman and his closest associates; they don't hate each other, but their relationships, their mutual trust have been damaged. I think this psychological-victory ending is more satisfying than any character death that would likely be reversed later.

Because I like Nightwing so much, it is nice to see this emotional fallout issue and the resulting closeness displayed between Nightwing and current Robin, Damian Wayne. I liked similar moments between Dick Grayson and Tim Drake handled in the past by previous writers. If Batman is the father figure of their little family, then all of the Robins are brothers (or sisters) with Dick being the eldest. It is nice to see the brothers interact and be there for one another from time to time. Maybe that means more to me because I can't visit as easily with my own brother these days, but I like it when writers acknowledge that bond between the Robins and handle it well.

It also makes a nice swan song for young Damian who, in fact, died in another story just a few short weeks later. (No real spoiler there; how could you miss that news if you have any interest in comics at all?)

We also have a guest artist this time out. The art is noticeably different from what we typically have in this title. That isn't to say the art here is bad. Ryp's interpretation of Alfred on the opening splash page seems just a tad off, but otherwise, his art is very nice, easy to follow, enhances the story, and his characters all look distinct enough to not confuse readers. Good job, sir; and DC, I wouldn't mind seeing more from this gentleman!

Making It Personal

Nightwing 15
DC Comics
Kyle Higgins, writer
Eddy Barrows, artist

The last couple issues of Nightwing have mentioned the ongoing "Death of the Family" story line carrying the Joker through all of the Bat-books, but with this issue, Nightwing enters the crossover event with both feet. Over in Batman, the Clown Prince of Crime has said that he knows each of the Bat-family's true identities. To prove it, he has begun targeting people around each of them in their daily lives. This has already caused some friction between Batman and the rest of his group, but the continuing attacks take the focus off that animosity and redirect each of the heroes' ire back at the Joker.

In Nightwing's case, Joker is targeting current and former members of Haly's Circus, the childhood home of young aerialist Dick Grayson, and currently the business Dick recently acquired and is trying to revitalize.

We only see the now-faceless Joker in a few panels in this issue, but Barrows does a good job of imitating the Joker's new look from the pages of Batman. And the rest of what we see and read is sufficiently ghastly to fit right in with the rest of this grisly crossover.

She's Distracting Me!

Nightwing 14
DC Comics
Tom DeFalco, guest writer
Andres Guinaldo, guest artist

The regular creative team on Nightwing apparently decided to take a break before diving head first into the "Death of the Family" Bat-crossover, so we get this little diversion pitting Nightwing against the DCnU version of Lady Shiva. She's still a master assassin, Kiddie Cops, so don't worry about that. And despite their guest creator status, both DeFalco and Guinaldo do a nice job with this fill-in.

The Joker hasn't been forgotten; Nightwing makes mention of him several times in the issue, first letting readers know that he remembers Batman's alert about the Joker from Batman No. 13 and later wondering if Lady Shiva's activities have anything to do with the Joker's machinations. She IS an assassin for hire, so that could be, but DeFalco doesn't leave us wondering, giving full details by the end for the motivations behind Shiva's return to Gotham. And even Joker makes a small appearance in the issue, so all in all, not a bad effort, guys!

The Tension Builds

Batman 14
DC Comics
Scott Snyder, writer
Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion, artists

Just a few words about this one as I'm trying to avoid major spoilers for anyone who hasn't yet read the issue. Continuing the "Death of the Family" story arc begun last issue, this installment ramps up the tension in the same fashion. Two of Batman's allies have already been removed from play by various means. The body count beyond major characters is staggering. The Joker's new look is indeed horrifying. Batman's struggle to contain his emotions and react rationally is clear. And there's even a nice bit of character interaction between Batman and Nightwing, which I can't show because of those spoilers I'm trying to avoid. But such interactions between these two characters are something I'm always happy to see, especially in light of their last meeting I read about. I hope this crossover continues to maintain this high level of energy and excitement!

Off To A Fantastic Beginning

Batman 13
DC Comics
Scott Snyder, writer
Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion, artists

I've deliberately avoided buying the main Batman books since The New 52! relaunch of the DCnU. I don't hate Batman. I like the character a lot. But I can read about him interacting with his colleagues in Justice League and didn't want to get trapped buying a bunch of Bat books while trying to limit my comics spending since the birth of our daughter. The relaunch just seemed like a good jumping off point.

Having said that, I got caught up in the hype surrounding the Joker's return and decided to pick up the issues that related to the "Death of the Family" crossover event in all of the Bat books. There are a few titles I'm still not picking up, even for this crossover, such as Birds of Prey, Teen Titans and Red Hood and the Outlaws, because I'm just not that interested in the new versions of those characters. But for the duration of the crossover, I've added Batman and Batman and Robin to my usual Nightwing and Batgirl.

Except I apparently missed pre-ordering a copy of Batman No. 13, the kick-off to the entire thing. Even though I receive the bulk of my comics on a monthly basis, I try to keep up with what books come out each week so that I can read them as if I picked up the new books as they come out. That's how I became aware of the arrival of this issue to comic book shop shelves and noted that it was absent from my order sheet for that month. Several frantic trips to area bookstores and comic shops later, I finally managed to snag a copy and began to wonder if the issue would really be worth all of that effort.

It was.

All of the major players are written very well. Batman's mind is racing on a number of levels: how can he stop the Joker, how can he protect his friends and allies, how can he protect specific intended targets, what is the Joker's overall plan, where will he strike next. He's brilliant in his reasoning, and while he is distant and aloof to a casual observer, he isn't dismissive or abusive to Police Commissioner Jim Gordon or his costumed proteges. The Joker is twisted and maniacal, but as with the best Joker stories, this Joker also has much method to his madness. Here Joker is every bit the strategist Batman is, the two are truly each other's opposite.

This is a truly fantastic beginning for what I hope will be a wonderful crossover event. Fingers crossed.

Now These Are Changes I Can Get Behind

Nightwing 0
DC Comics
Tom DeFalco and Kyle Higgins, writers
Eddy Barrows, artist

There's nothing wrong with Nightwing's origin story, and so it is left mostly intact in this DCnU version. Young Dick Grayson is the third part, along with his parents, Richard and Mary Grayson, of the Flying Graysons, trapeze aerialists with the traveling Haly's Circus. On a trip to Gotham City, the circus runs afoul of a protection racket run by small-time thug Tony Zucco, who decides to make an example of the Graysons. The parents fall to their deaths, and the boy is taken in as the ward of Bruce Wayne, secretly the Batman, and eventually becomes Robin, the Boy Wonder. Later, Dick adopts the costumed identity of Nightwing when he becomes an adult.

The first change this DCnU version makes is to age Dick to 15 when his parents were killed. That age is slightly more believable than the original 8 Robin was supposed to be at the time of his debut as Batman's crime-fighting partner. Plus, it is a necessary change within this new reality where costumed heroes have operated openly no more than about five years.

The next change also goes to believability in the modern age. Rather than taking the orphaned Dick Grayson in as his ward, Bruce Wayne arranges to have Dick housed at the Wayne Care Center. Bruce still takes a personal interest in Dick; Bruce sees his own loss mirrored in what has happened to the young circus performer. And he sees himself in Dick's quest for justice as the boy tries to track down Tony Zucco on his own.

The last major change made to this origin story is the biggest to my mind. In the old DC continuity, Bruce saw himself in Dick's tragedy, so he took the boy in. Then he saw a similar need for justice and chose to reveal his secret to Dick as a way of providing direction for the boy's anger. The end result of that revelation led to Dick becoming Robin. Later, Jason Todd followed a similar path to becoming the second Robin. And finally, Tim Drake deduced the secret identities of Batman and Robin after Jason Todd's death at the hands of the Joker, earning his place as the third Robin.

In this DCnU version of Dick's origin, Dick figures out Bruce's secret on his own, a testament to the natural observation and detective skills the boy possessed, qualities necessary to make his transformation into Robin successful. Dick has ample time during the day to observe Bruce and question his motivations, and he also has a number of nighttime encounters with Batman while conducting his own pursuit of Tony Zucco. Comparing these two individuals is what brings Dick to the conclusion that they are the same man. I like this change and acknowledgement of the young man's skill.

I'm Sensing A Theme Here

Nightwing 10-12
DC Comics
Kyle Higgins, writer
Eddy Barrows, Geraldo Borges and Andres Guinaldo, artists

I'm not currently following Red Robin in Teen Titans or Red Hood in Red Hood and the Outlaws, but almost all of the other Bat-themed characters in the DCnU are located and mostly operate in Gotham City. That includes Batman, Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl and Batwoman. That's five separate heroes for one city. Now, out of those, I'm also not following Batwoman, Batman, Detective or Batman and Robin either. So, out of all those heroes, I'm really only currently following two, so maybe I'm just seeing a coincidence and falsely assuming it's a larger theme, but it still seems mighty odd.

The current story line in Batgirl involves a character named Knightfall and her minions who take a lethal approach to fighting crime. They see themselves as superior to the Bat crew because they deal with bad guys in a final way rather than sending them to jail or Arkham Asylum and allowing them the opportunity to escape and do evil again. There's also a cop involved who doesn't really much care for Batgirl but ends up working with her to help defeat Knightfall.

In these issues of Nightwing, a new character named Paragon has decided that the Bat crew isn't effective enough. He's decided to enlist followers for his Republic of Tomorrow, and they have targeted Nightwing. Why? Well, it seems two of their members were killed and one of Nightwing's escrima fighting sticks was found at the scene. Of course, we readers know Nightwing didn't kill anyone, so he's being framed. Chief suspect for framing Nightwing seems to be a Gotham police detective who has a grudge against Nightwing.

Things that make you go hmmmmmm.

Having said that, these issues of Nightwing are pretty good. First off, not everyone automatically believes that Nightwing is guilty of the murders. It's nice to see some of the powerful people in Gotham using their heads to figure out that a known hero likely wouldn't have killed someone. Also, Dick follows the clues to find out who the real killer is. The process he uses to dig up evidence and get at the truth is not only sound logic but takes us back to events in previous issues of the title. Well done, all!

Oh, and Merry Christmas to anyone who celebrates the holiday today!

I Thought Bats Was Acting More Sane In The DCnU

Nightwing 7-8
DC Comics
Kyle Higgins, writer
Eddy Barrows and Geraldo Borges, artists

These two issues of Nightwing bring the initial story arc to its conclusion, but also serve to springboard from there, tying Nightwing more closely to the “parent” title and setting up Nightwing’s role in the Court of Owls Bat-verse crossover.

We learn why Saiko believes Dick Grayson is the “fiercest killer in all of Gotham” and what has motivated him to stage this elaborate bid for revenge. Issue No. 7 brings Saiko’s threat to an end and continues to fill in the blanks for Saiko’s motivations through a visit to the Batcave. All of this serves to give a very personal reason for Nightwing to be included in the Court of Owls crossover because his family is a part of the conspiracy. Then issue No. 8 serves as a prelude for the Court of Owls crossover pitting Nightwing against one of the Talons, the Court’s assassins.

This book is still providing straight-on action and adventure with a Nightwing/Dick Grayson character I can still recognize and enjoy. My only complaint about these issues is the characterization of Batman/Bruce Wayne.

Admittedly, I have stayed away from the main Bat titles, and so I have no first-hand knowledge of Bruce’s DCnU characterization outside of Justice League. My understanding from things I’ve read online and backed up by Batman’s depictions in Justice League are that he is a more grounded individual now. He’s still a driven avenger, master detective and brilliant strategist, but he’s not quite the standoffish loner some writers in the last few decades have written him to be. That’s an improvement in my opinion. But his portrayal in this Nightwing cameo is of a secretive, angry, anti-social individual who trusts no one but himself. If that depiction by Kyle Higgins is not accurate with the other Bat-books, then an editor should have corrected it or encouraged Higgins to better explain why it was an accurate portrayal. Since that didn’t happen, I’m left feeling more glad than ever that I’m not buying Batman, Detective or any of the other Batman-focused books.

Let The Main Event Commence

Nightwing 6
DC Comics
Kyle Higgins, writer
Eddy Barrows and Geraldo Borges, artists

I made a few comments about Nightwing No. 5 being mostly a departure from the main story of Nightwing and Saiko and Haly's Circus and Raya and Dick. This issue solidifies that feeling about issue No. 5 since most trades collect an average of six issues for one complete story arc. Rather than bringing this arc to a conclusion, this issue serves as the climax before the finale, spending most of its time bringing Nightwing to the awareness of Saiko's real identity and some of his motivations, but only bringing about the final attack in the final closing pages. That likely means the next issue will be a slam-bang all-fight issue.

That's not to say that this issue is unnecessary. Without it, we readers wouldn't have seen how Nightwing puts together some of the few clues he has at this point. And even more importantly, we get what I think are some pretty big hints as to how things will ultimately wrap up with Nightwing triumphant.

*** POSSIBLE MAJOR SPOILER ALERT ***

Normally I try not to reveal major spoilers, but this issue's plot makes it a little hard to avoid. Throughout this arc we have learned that Raya was a childhood friend of Dick Grayson's, and likely, if Dick's parents hadn't been murdered prompting Dick to leave the circus and become the ward of the Batman, then these two would have grown up to be a couple. The pair have rekindled that budding romance since Dick has rejoined the circus while trying to solve this mystery. Last issue, it was revealed that Raya is a willing collaborator with the character we now know is Saiko, so she is setting Dick up for all that is to come. This issue, we see that Raya is beginning to have some second thoughts about carrying out Saiko's plan for revenge against Dick.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think Raya will ultimately change sides and end up helping Nightwing defeat Saiko. That's not an original idea, so maybe Higgins is merely setting his readers up for a plot twist, but I feel strongly that Raya will be redeemed by the end of this tale, despite the fact I doubt she will be a long-term, recurring character in the book beyond this arc.

Time will tell.

Now This Is An Odd Little Diversion

Nightwing 5
DC Comics
Kyle Higgins, writer
Eddy Barrows, artist

We're still in the middle of the first story arc of this title wherein Nightwing travels back to Haly's Circus where he grew up. He reconnects with some old friends and uncovers a mystery tied to the circus just in time to be handed control of the entire circus operation. At the same time, an assassin sets out to kill Dick Grayson, who he believes to be the "fiercest killer in all of Gotham." While trying to eliminate Grayson, the assassin, Saiko, learns that Grayson and Nightwing are one and the same.

This issue sees the circus traveling to New Orleans where one of the clowns is attacked by a voodoo-conjured demon. Adding a supernatural element like this seems a little out of left field for a book like Nightwing, but even moreso, this particular plot line has nothing to do with the overall story of the assassin or the circus mystery.

The book does contain two pretty key scenes that advance the circus story line and serve to tie that mystery in with the one of the assassin. This is achieved by both revealing the true identity of Saiko at last, and revealing another character who seems to be setting Nightwing up for betrayal, but neither scene is crucial to the other events in this issue.

To be fair, Higgins comes up with a very logical way for the non-superpowered Nightwing to use his detective training and defeat the demon with only his wits and acrobatic skills. And this isn't a bad stand-alone story judged on its own merits. But in this age of writing for the trade, this story feels like extra padding and breaks the natural flow of the overall tale.

Hitting The Ground Running

Nightwing 1-4
DC Comics
Kyle Higgins, writer
Eddy Barrows, artist

I'd been actually dreading this title quite a bit. I'd heard bad things about Green Arrow and had really low expectations going in, which likely helped me see the positives of that title. Aquaman, another favorite hero of mine, has gotten nothing but good press so far. So I'm anxious to read it and not nervous at all. Nightwing though, I haven't heard much about. I've always liked Dick Grayson, so I had high hopes for this book. But I don't care for the redesigned costume. I can live with it, but I prefer the previous version. I was afraid the same might be true of the story.

Well, the first story arc isn't quite over yet, but this is still MY Dick Grayson. I can see this character as being a slightly altered version of the one I've been reading for years, which is what I want from the New 52 when I already liked the character to begin with. Please, sir, just give me more of the same.

This has acrobatics, Haly's circus, a cameo by Barbara "Batgirl" Gordon, some sleuthing, some levity.
Kudos to the creative team of this series. Please, keep up the good work.

Great Expectations

I want a director's cut of DC Comics' The Mighty by Peter J. Tomasi, Keith Champagne and Chris Samnee. Well, OK, not a "director's cut" exactly -- I guess in comics we call them an Absolute edition. I want to get inside the creators' heads on this story.

First a little set-up: Tomasi sold me on this book, so I tend to credit/blame him solely for it, and for that, I apologize to co-creator Champagne and artist Samnee. I've seen both their names attatched to other projects I've liked, and feel they do solid work, as a rule. But I bought this book because Tomasi was one of the writers, and I was on a Tomasi high at the time of the book's debut last year.

Peter J. Tomasi was an editor on several DC books who decided he wanted to write and bring forth some of his own ideas first-hand. His first writing gig for me was when he took over the reigns of Green Lantern Corps. I don't hate Green Lanterns, but I also don't seek them out on a whim, but I was getting into the Corps book, as well as the main GL title, in the run-up to Blackest Night. And Tomasi was doing a good job; he had a huge cast of characters but was still telling interesting individual stories. He made me care about some of these alien GLs I'd never even heard about before. Then he blew me away taking over writing for Nightwing after Marv Wolfman. Tomasi got Nightwing, if not in EXACTLY the same way I do, at least in a way that felt right to me. Tomasi's Dick Grayson acted like he had spent a great deal of time learning under the Batman and leading the Titans but was still his own person, capable on his own and capable of being lighter in tone than Batman while still more serious than Changeling/Beast Boy. Tomasi's run on Nightwing was cut way too short by the companywide One Year Later event.

So along comes The Mighty. I don't recall if this is true or not, but when The Mighty was first solicited, I was under the impression that it would be an ongoing series, not the 12-issue limited series it became. Take a Superman-like character and introduce him to a world without superheroes of any kind -- been done before many, many times. But I was willing to give the book a try based on what I'd seen so far from this writer. The first couple issues introduce the main characters. They convey a sense of wonder at this being, Alpha One, with all these abilities and his fantastic origin, all seen through the eyes of the "point-of-view" character, Gabriel Cole, the person all of us kids who grew up reading comics want to be and can identify with.

When the book starts to take a somewhat darker turn, hinting that things may not be all that they seem, I again recognized a familiar plot twist that has been done to death. But even "supposed hero has a hidden, dark agenda" can be done well when handled by a writer (or writers) who really knows his craft. That was the case here. Hints were dropped, tidbits revealed, but in a way that you wanted to know more, you suspected where you were being led but became engrossed in the journey and the way the tale unraveled so that you were hooked for the full ride. I even began to suspect that Alpha One's "dark agenda" might ultimately have a perfectly normal explanation, something which would make all he had done seem perfectly rational in this new light, some knowledge he had that we, like Cole, weren't privy to.

Maybe that's where things got derailed a bit.

I became so invested in this story along the way, I began to project where I thought the story was headed. With each new "bad" action by Alpha One, I began to thrill more at the explanation I became certain was coming but couldn't see how it would make sense. I wanted this book to surprise me at the end with honest justifications for Alpha One's actions that would justify him as a hero once again, in not only my eyes, but Cole's, too. When that didn't come, the actual ending of the story, as nice as it was, left me feeling a little underwhelmed.

Don't get me wrong: this is a good story, and I recommend it as such. But I can't shake the feeling that the ending doesn't quite live up to the beginning and middle for me. Maybe that's just me because it didn't end how I thought it might. Maybe that's because it ended prematurely if this was intended to be an ongoing series that got canceled. The ending it has certainly could lend itself to sequels or continuation of some sort.

That's why I want an Absolute edition of The Mighty. I want to know what Tomasi and Champagne were intending, if they considered other directions and lengths for the story. I guess I'm still looking for that "more satisfying" ending somewhere in their notes, thoughts or musings. Of course, your mileage may vary.

Moving Into January

Lot of ground to cover today, Kiddie Cops. I’ve managed to finish reading the last of the December-releases and start on January, if only a little bit, so let’s dive right in.

Powers 22 (Marvel Icon) — I read the entire Image run of this title as trade paperback collections. There is definitely an advantage to waiting for the trade on a title like Powers because it has a tendency to come out on such a slow, irregular basis; reading one entire arc all the way through leaves less opportunity to forget what's going on in the series between individual issues. And, of course, since I came to the Powers party late, I didn’t really have to wait that long between most of the trades, either.

Since the title switched to Marvel Icon, however, I’ve been buying the individual issues as they are released. One benefit to the pamphlet-style books is the infamous Powers “letter column.” It amazes me the number of people who don’t even seem able to string a group of words together and make a coherent sentence. If you’re e-mailing a friend or simply chatting online, slang and abbreviations are just fine, but when you’re sending something to a stranger, something you think might be printed — and especially for the seemingly never-ending supply of people soliciting writing advice from Bendis — you really should be able to compose a rational thought in print.

Maybe some of these people write what they do deliberately trying to provoke a certain response. In fact, I’m certain some of them do. But some of the “writers” featured there each issue have got to be legitimately clueless, and it worries me about the future of the industry when the most vocal “fans” are — I’m sorry to say — such morons.

Jack of Fables 6 (DC Vertigo) — New two-issue story arc begins. Jack and his fellows escapees are all in hiding. To wile away the time, jack regales his current traveling companions with a tale from his past, specifically, how he received winter powers and became Jack Frost. Another nice Willingham fable.

Daredevil 92 (Marvel Comics) — Penultimate chapter of Devil Takes a Ride wherein we learn the identity of the mastermind behind DD’s recent woes. The beginning of this arc was starting to lose my interest, but I am intrigued by the revelation that Vanessa Fisk is behind it all. Of course, since there is still one chapter to go, there may yet be more to the story.

Winter Soldier: Winter Kills (Marvel Comics) — This one-shot comic is everything a mega-crossover tie-in should be. It provides a nice, done-in-one story which adds to the overall tapestry of the crossover if you have an interest in picking it up without being so essential to the plot that the crossover won’t make sense without it. This tale by Ed Brubaker and Lee Weeks also relies heavily on flashbacks from World War II, and does this quite effectively, providing some nice scenes from the past which truly enhance the current drama being played out without changing everything you thought you knew from that time period. Highly recommended.

52 Weeks 35 and 36 (DC Comics) — Rain of the Supermen was very dramatic, but after a while, one has to start to question why Luthor gets away with everything so easily. Despite all of his denials, some of the general populace of the DC Universe beyond the heroes have to suspect he knows more than he is letting on. We also learn that the Question is not yet dead as I’d suspected a few issues ago. Does that mean there’s hope that this issue wasn’t really the death of Buddy Baker? I hope so.

New Universal 2 (Marvel Comics) — More questions and still no answers that make much sense in this series so far, but I still get the vibe from this story that we readers are in the dark intentionally while the author of our confusion knows exactly what is going on. Under those circumstances, I can be patient for answers.

Superman 658 (DC Comics) — On-time issues growing with this title right now, which aren’t helping my overall enjoyment much. I just can’t make up my mind on this arc from Kurt Busiek. The first issue, 653, I believe, was excellent. The next two introduce a new alien named Subjekt, whose interaction with Superman was also great. Then this great character is suddenly and anti-climactically dispatched in favor of the alternate future shown to our hero and his friends by the insufferably egocentric Arion. I cannot stand this incarnation of the Atlantean mage. I’ve never really followed his adventures before, but I’m surprised he could carry a title if Arion’s character has always been like it is portrayed here. I could maybe like Khyber if he is developed more over time. And the alternate future and the ever-growing threat of man’s downfall are intriguing. But I can’t get past the boor presenting it all to Superman.

Manhunter 27 (DC Comics) — What th--?! I can hardly wait for the next issue of this book so Marc Andreyko can explain this one.

Nightwing 128 (DC Comics) — In all honesty, the ending of this first arc by Marv Wolfman was a tad disappointing, but the overall arc is still head and shoulders above the dreck that preceded it. Now that Marv is on the title to stay for a while instead of just filling in for a few issues, I look for things to get even better.

Civil War 6 (Marvel Comics) — Double-agents and double-crosses abound in this issue, and I’m truly anxious to see what happens in the final chapter and where the Marvel Universe is going from here as the powers-that-be keep promising real change in the aftermath of this “event.”

Civil War: Front Line 10 (Marvel Comics) — Not sad, but surprised to see Sleeper Cell and the usual text piece gone from this issue, but then I’ve always said I feel Embedded and The Accused are the strongest two components in this title. Nice to see the entire issue devoted to these stories this time. I kept hoping for a reveal from Sally and Ben that I knew the writers wouldn’t share with us and spoil things, and I genuinely feel the pain and torment Robbie Baldwin is suffering through.

Boneyard 23 (NBM) — Another title that doesn’t come out nearly often enough, but this one is designed to be a quarterly comic anyway, so I can’t complain. Interesting solution to Abbie’s current problem, but I have to wait three whole months to see how it plays out.

Justice League Unlimited 29 (DC Comics) — This issue focuses on B’Wana Beast and Animal Man and their respective differences as the League takes on first the denizens of Gorilla City, then Queen Bee.

Batman 662 (DC Comics) — The end of the Grotesk story line. I really kind of thought that Grotesk was going to turn out to be the sister rather than the brother, even though the story indicated otherwise. Overall, this arc was OK, but unspectacular.

JLA Classified 26-31 (DC Comics) — This story line by Howard Chaykin was disappointing. Several other writers of late have done stories pitting the Justice League against a “real world” dictator, forcing them to debate whether or not to interfere in the politics of a sovereign nation. But what disappointed me the most with this arc was the characterizations of the Leaguers themselves. I realize this story is “out of continuity” and takes place much earlier than the events of Infinite Crisis, so the Batman here should be the paranoid, non-trusting one. He and Superman aren’t friends. But this group is like a twisted parody of even that League. My ideal Justice League is made up of a group of individuals who work with each other for the greater good because they respect each other’s dedication to the same ideals. They may not always trust each other. They may not always see eye to eye with each other. They will have internal conflicts from time to time. But deep down, they remain a group. The “heroes” in this tale don’t even like each other a little bit. There’s no reason for them to cooperate.

Well, that was a lot. So let's call it a wrap, and see ya next time.

Time To Play A Little Catch Up

January is better than half over, and I’ve yet to post a single tidbit about the December releases. Let’s rectify that just a little bit right now.

52 Weeks 30 and 31 (DC Comics) — Not sure I enjoyed the glimpse of Batman’s activities as much as I expected. This issue almost seems as if Dick and Tim are abandoning Bruce to his demons. We also get some glimpses into the beginnings of plots from the Mystery in Space and the Omega Men miniseries. We also learn that while Supernova is not a reincarnated Superboy (no surprise there), he is someone we are familiar with under an assumed name. Right now I’m figuring the safe guess is Booster Gold trying to start over.

Captain America 24 (Marvel Comics) — I was a little disappointed in this issue, the last of the Civil War tie-ins for this title. This comic read more like a fill-in issue to me. There was the big reveal of Arnim Zola at the end, but I’m not that familiar with this WWII villain, so that wasn’t an emotional moment for me, really.

Green Lantern 15 (DC Comics) — This book was also a little disappointing. This Wanted: Hal Jordan story arc was supposed to include guest appearance by Green Arrow, Batman and others who have yet to make an appearance.

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis 46 (DC Comics) — This issue, on the other hand, was a nice surprise. I don’t dislike Kurt Busiek’s run as writer on this title or his “new” Aquaman, but I like the classic hero better. This is the first of a two-part tale featuring the classic Artie, which is A-OK with me.

Powers 21 (Marvel Icon) — I read the image issues of this series in trade paperback form, reading complete story arcs in one sitting. It’s a bit of a change reading these single issues as they come out. I still like the story lines Bendis and Oeming are creating, but things seem to drag a lot more by comparison. It’s also sad how the only remaining letter column in comics today has so many inarticulate idiots who give fans a really bad name.

Teen Titans 41 (DC Comics) — I like Geoff Johns’ writing. I like the Titans and the legacy the team has. So why don’t I like this title so much of late? Maybe Bombshell hit it with her taunts to the newly revived Joseph Wilson, “The glory days are over, Jericho. The Teen Titans will never be the family they once were. ... No one trusts anyone. Hell, they don’t even like each other.” Hopefully, now that this arc is winding down, that will change.

Batman 659 (DC Comics) — Grotesk from John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake begins, and it gets off to a good start. Classic Batman comics here.

new universal 1 (DC Comics) — I have never read any of the original New Universe comics in the concept’s first go ’round, so I’m coming into this series with no knowledge of how things were done before, no insight about in-jokes and special tribute moments. But I also have no preconceived biases about the series. After this first issue, it looks promising.

Agents of Atlas 5 (Marvel Comics) — This series surprised me. I fell for the teaser of a double agent last issue pointing to Venus. That is what I was supposed to think so I’d be surprised when the double agent was revealed to actually be M-11, sort of.

Detective Comics 826 (DC Comics) — Dini is having a wonderful run on this book; this one is another done-in-one great.

Outsiders 43 (DC Comics) — I’m not quite sure what it is, but this story arc that ends with this issue just feels like a final story line of a title. Maybe just because I’m losing interest, although I am curious about the flashback story beginning next time.

Manhunter 26 (DC Comics) — Excellent return to a great comic. Glad to have Manhunter, Andreyko and Pina back.

Nightwing 127 (DC Comics) — This issue was a little confusing and jarring, not quite as good as Wolfman’s first two. I like Nightwing’s focus as he struggles to free himself from the deathtrap, but some of the recap/backtracking took a couple reads to figure out.

Welcome To tranquility 1 (Wildstorm) — Another promising start to a new series, but this one is almost a little too cartoony. I’m not ruling it out yet, but I’m hoping for great things from Gail Simone.

Special Bonus Review
Sandman Mystery Theatre Book 1: The Tarantula (DC Comics) — This trade collects the first four issues of the 1993 series by Matt Wagner and Guy Davis re-imagining Wesley Dodds’ Sandman character from the WWII era. While these stories are set in the late 1930s, they include a darker, more modern storytelling style which makes these books not for the faint of heart. But the book is well worth a read if you like noirish, gritty crime drama.