Batman and Robin #16
DC
I’ve admitted a few times on this blog that reading Grant Morrison’s work can sometimes be, well… work. Thankfully, the payoff is usually somewhere between good and great (and every once in a while confounding unfortunately).
I found Batman and Robin #16 to be an example of the writer’s greatness. We open in 1765 with a triumphant Doctor Hurt who believes himself to have summoned the demon (or daemon) Barbatos but may be communicating with Darkseid, the villain responsible for transporting Batman back in time.
Jump to the present where the last issue ended, with the return of a very angry Bruce Wayne, face to face against Doctor. Hurt and his 99 Fiends. Cameron Stewart, one of three artists on this issue, draws a multi-panel two page spread of Bruce, Dick and Damian taking down the Fiends.
In this scene Dick has been shot in the head and Bruce makes sure he is okay for the time being, followed by “On your feet soldier.” Damian’s first words to Bruce: “You’re not a clone are you? Or some stupid robot?” I enjoy Morrison’s voices for these characters. He’s forced them into a reunion where they’ve been given little time to absorb what’s happening.
The most suspenseful scene in the book begins next as Bruce hunts down Doctor Hurt in the Batcave to rescue Alfred (in a segment drawn by Chris Burnham). Alfred has been in danger innumerable times over the years, but Morrison has been given free reign to do as he pleases with the Bat-universe. I was genuinely worried as Alfred implores, in a touching scene, for Bruce to take care of Hurt before coming to the rescue of his old friend.
The final act of the book is completed by Frazer Irving, who at first glance seemed ill-fit to draw a superhero comic book, but I have quickly become a fan of his work in these last few issues (and The Return of Bruce Wayne #2). There is a dreamlike quality to Irving
In the end, the fates of the characters are determined and the overreaching storylines of Morrison’s run on this book, Batman, and Final Crisis are all seemingly resolved (do we really need to pick up The Return of Bruce Wayne #6 at this point?). In the final few pages, Morrison sets up the status quo for our three protagonists in the pages of this series and Batman: Incorporated.
Irving, Stewart, and Burnham all did superb work on this issue—each of the artists have a different form of storytelling and their look is unique to one another, but the story flowed perfectly fine regardless. And Morrison has proven again his ability to aptly weave and resolve a complex story and write two Batman’s with distinguishable characters. Not a simple task; some writers have clumsily written Dick as Bruce during the past year and a half.
Welcome back Bruce.
DC
I’ve enjoyed Connor Kent since I first started reading Teen Titans when Geoff Johns revamped the book, however I was not a fan of the Lex Luthor clone storylines; I liked the idea but felt it quickly wore its welcome.
So I was pleased to see that Connor would have his own book after a brief run in Adventure Comics. However, I didn’t care for this. The whole story and the dialogue felt stale. Jeff Lemire doesn’t seem to have anything fresh to find in the character and presented a by-the-numbers story.
I did like the introduction of two supporting characters: Lori Luthor (Lex’s niece) and Simon Valentine, Connor’s best friend in Smallville. Both seem to have potential; Lori because she’s a Luthor and Simon because he informs Connor that he know Connor is Superboy. Still, I only saw possibilities and not a good use of these characters.
The artwork by Pier Gallo is fine with the exception of Connor’s face. In some parts of the book, Gallo draws the character’s eyes too close togetherand it looks odd. Other than this, Gallo’s other characters are fine and his backgrounds are gorgeous. The cover by Rafael Albuquerque is superb.
I’m surprised to not like this book. It’s not as though Connor Kent is as constrained a character as Superman can sometimes be. I expected something more captivating from Lemire’s series opener.
Icon
Scarlet continues to be one of the more exciting titles being published today. Brian Michael Bendis is always in his element when he is writing gritty crime stories.
In the previous issue Scarlet killed her boyfriend Gabriel’s murderer, a dirty cop in need of a scapegoat. Bendis is unfolding a fascinating tale, with some fresh storytelling elements that remind you how inventive he can be. Scarlet enlists the aid of Brandon, Gabriel’s best friend, to help her on her mission to take out the corruption that has infested the Police Department. Her plan appears to be by means of violence followed by more violence.
Alex Maleev’s artwork is as mesmerizing as it has ever been. There’s a fantastic three-page scene using snapshots of Gabriel and Brandon’s friendship (a similar method was used in the first issue).
If you haven’t yet picked up Scarlet, Icon has reprinted the first two issues so it should not be difficult to jump on from the beginning.
Marvel
I have to be frank here. When you write Wolverine, he has to be written with balls. When you write Wolverine well, the reader has to understand just where that strength is coming from. Jason Aaron gets this.
There’s a scene where Wolverine takes a leap at Satan, ready to take on the lord of all that is evil. But what is important about this scene is that Aaron builds up to this. Aaron doesn’t take for granted that Logan
Wolverine is still in hell and Mystique, Daimon Helstrom, Ghost Rider(s), and his girlfriend Melita are on their way to save him (though not saving him may mean eternal damnation). Add to this, the soulless Wolverine is running around Utopia ready to slice into a newly returned Kitty Pryde. This makes a former comrade very angry as the story closes.
Aaron continues to write strong follow-up features that support the main story. He is aided this month by Michael Gaydos whose artwork effectively sets the tone.
Marvel
For the past couple of years The Amazing Spider-Man has chronicled the life of Peter Parker after he and Mary Jane’s relationship went “poof”. The first post-Mary Jane storyline was called “Brand New Day” and it was intended to take Peter back to his roots.
Some fans, myself included, turned their backs on the character after such a blatantly sloppy semi-retconning of the character. Then something happened. The story’s got good thanks to veteran writers Mark Waid, Joe Kelly, Marc Guggenheim and Dan Slott. Fred Van Lente, Zeb Wells, and Bob Gale also stepped into the rotating line-up.
All of the writers are on hand to close out the “Brand New Day” chapter (101 issues), before Slott takes the reigns of the book which moves to a biweekly schedule this month. The issue revolves around Harry Osborn’s departure from Queens with his new son, Peter’s blossoming relationship with Carlie, and includes short vignettes featuring Spidey’s supporting cast.
The stories told here are good. My favorite was an epilogue to the first half of the book in which Harry demonstrates that, though fairly meek, he still has Osborn blood running through his veins. Wells is the writer and Michael Delmundo provides some really sharp and atmospheric artwork; everything is in the dark and colored in a deep blue hue except for a faint orange glow provided by the houselights from May’s home. I was slightly reminded of what Frazer Irving has been doing on Batman and Robin.
Marvel
The more you know Marvel and its characters the more fun Strange Tales II becomes. Marvel has assembled a group of indie-comics creators to write and draw a really entertaining (and often bizarre) anthology.
Strange Tales II #2 includes stories featuring Iron-Man, the lovely ladies of Marvel, Uatu (the Watcher), Ghost Rider, the X-Men, Spider-Man and more. Not everything works, but most of it does.
Of course Spider-Man is an easy target, and Paul Maybury writes and draws “Little Lies” in which Peter repeatedly has to explain the origin of his continuous bumps and bruises. In “Indecision” Jeffrey Brown has Cyclops totally unfocused on anything but Jean Grey. When he goes to discuss his romantic problems with Professor X, the Professor makes him forget why he walked into the room. “Well just let me know when you think of it, Scott,” says the Professor. “You know you can talk to me anytime.” Gold.
Anthologies are a rarity in comics nowadays, especially humorous ones. The writers and artists assembled on this project have enough familiarity with the characters to have some good natured fun with Marvel’s classic characters.
