Conceptually-fun, but rushed beyond understanding. The whole series has a lot of potential, and it's a bit saddening to see that this is how it all coConceptually-fun, but rushed beyond understanding. The whole series has a lot of potential, and it's a bit saddening to see that this is how it all comes to an end. Oh well!...more
This started off strong with artwork reminiscent of Morrison's Arkham Asylum, but the final two issues felt oddly out of place, giving the overall stoThis started off strong with artwork reminiscent of Morrison's Arkham Asylum, but the final two issues felt oddly out of place, giving the overall story a lackluster ending....more
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
Collecting issues #1062-1065 of Detective Comics, writer Ram V. (Catwoman, The Many Deaths o[image]
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
Collecting issues #1062-1065 of Detective Comics, writer Ram V. (Catwoman, The Many Deaths of Laila Starr) teams up with artist Rafael Albuquerque (American Vampire, Superman/Batman) to explore a brand-new era for the world’s greatest detective. Told with an operatic flair and a grander vision of the darkness that haunts all that live and breathe the eerie air of Gotham City, the story unfolds with a new threat arriving from far to retrieve what they claim is rightfully theirs while the Dark Knight looks to demystify the mystical and supernatural danger that lurks in the shadows and the strange melody that bedevils the streets of his city. Unusual and undermining, Bruce Wayne also finds himself battling with his own inner demons, painstakingly haunting him and forbidding him from understanding the source of this dread that he constantly feels within him.
Following a gruesome encounter with a bizarre and transformed Bruno Maroni, Sal’s nephew, who happens to now possess a terrifying and uncontrollable strength, Batman is forewarned by Talia al Ghul of an incoming threat that he’s not ready to take on. Feeling inexplicably weak despite no indication of anything being physically wrong about him, Bruce Wayne struggles with a demon appearing by his side, chanting and warning him of his looming mortality, as he goes out into Gotham’s nights to solve the mystery around an ancient melody and the trouble stirring in the wind. As he seeks help from questionable individuals who happen to also be struggling with their own identities muddled by their pasts, the clues might, unfortunately, lead him a bit too late to stop what’s coming to the city he vowed to rid of its criminals.
Now, this is what I’m talking about! I can’t say if it’s the numerous disappointing story arcs that I had to trudge through to get to this point but writer Ram V. and artist Rafael Albuquerque hit all the right notes with this overture, brilliantly transforming Gotham into a gothic opera and hinting toward a supernatural threat growing in the shadows and consuming on the fear of those that it causes paths with. Channeling into Gotham City’s rich history, they cautiously set the foundation for new and powerful forces ready to lay siege to this land and make sure that its people never forget who both the Orgham and Arkham families were and where they came from. Although four issues are too few to delve any deeper into this visionary lore, it serves as an excellent prelude that is bound to expand into more substantial narrative pieces to come. Impressively enough, this story works wonderfully as a stand-alone chapter that doesn’t require readers to read any of the previous stories to appreciate what’s in store for them here. On top of the brilliant exposition, there’s a fantastic exploration of Bruce Wayne’s character achieved throughout these issues as his long years of crusade finally show signs of wear, especially with age, not only on his physique but now his psyche. The internal monologues also give him an authentic voice exposing a glimpse into his mindset, one highlighted by a sense of endurance and resilience unlike anything found in anyone else as a bat-shaped creature haunts his mind.
The first three issues also contain a three-part story called “The Coda” written by Simon Spurrier (Star Wars: Doctor Alphra, The Dreaming) that follows Jim Gordon in a new mystery that gets him back into the action, having been mostly falling off the map ever since he was forced out of his job as commissioner for the Gotham City Police Department. His internal monologue is probably going to be a hit-or-miss element here but remains the main forte of this short story, poetically written like something found in a noir detective mystery. Dani’s artwork is also extremely fuzzy and rough, somehow brilliantly fitting with the tone of the story. While the tale does lead up to some interesting alliances, it’s even more satisfying that it eventually ties up directly with the main story in the final issue. Speaking of which, the final story also includes the first of three parts of another short story still written by Simon Spurrier called “A Tale of Three Halves” but drawn by Hayden Sherman. This offers a unique look into Harvey Dent/Two-Face’s mind as he becomes a key character in Ram V’s new story. It is a bit more on the nuttier end of the stick, both narratively and artistically, as it splits his character into two entities. It is the voice of his evil side that isn’t exactly what I’d have expected but it remains to be seen if parts two and three achieve the desired effect though.
Although the story doesn’t wrap things up neatly by the end of the fourth issue, clearly just setting up the pieces for bigger things to come, it does help readers understand the direction and tone of Ram V’s Detective Comics series. And, based on everything I’ve read so far, this definitely seems more promising than anything written by previous writers of this series in the past months.
Batman: Detective Comics (Vol. 1): Gotham Nocturne: Overture is a fantastic step-up to the series as it opens up with a mysterious gothic tale where the world’s greatest detective fights his inner demons while in pursuance of answers about the emerging supernatural menace....more
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Writer Chip Zdarsky (Spider-Man: Life Story, Daredevil, Jughead) continues his exploration o[image]
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
Writer Chip Zdarsky (Spider-Man: Life Story, Daredevil, Jughead) continues his exploration of the Dark Knight’s legacy alongside artist Mike Hawthorne (Happiness Will Follow, Despicable Deadpool) in this story arc collecting Batman #131-135, as Bruce Wayne, after his tiresome battle with Failsafe, ends up in a never-before-seen and utterly hopeless Gotham City where he must return to his roots to save a city under terror.
Bruce Wayne, now awake with only a dead yet very much lively Commissioner Gordon haunting him around, finds himself wandering the streets of Gotham City only to realize that its citizens are terrorized by Batman’s usual Rogues’ Gallery with the additional asset of being jacked up by Bane’s venom concoction, and that, without a Batman to save them. With the help of the young and lone orphan Jewel, he sets out to find help before the mysterious Red Mask, the superpowered mastermind behind the army of monsters ruling the city, finds out about his existence and ends his meddling once and for all. Before he could reach the source of this terror, he has to face some unexpected obstacles, from Harvey Dent to Selina Kyle, if he’s to find the answers he needs to this multiversal problem.
The first four issues (out of five) promise an odd time in an odd world. It’s essentially a what-if story about Bruce Wayne finding himself in a Gotham City that never had its own Batman to strike fear into the hearts of all things evil. With many of its occupants reminding him of their counterparts of his own world and what they turned out to be, unmistakenly evil or reformed, he fights his way through the villainy, always helping those in need along the way, until he finally sees hope at the end of the line to not only saving this world but also finding a way back home. Convinced that he must give birth to his vigilante alter ego into this world, the criminal underbelly soon hears the word of a terrifying “Bat-Man” while Bruce Wayne works his way into the depths of this look-alike world for the people responsible for the chaos.
While the premise itself is intriguing, something à la Grant Morrison and his own quirky, creative, and completely ambitious vision, it feels far too outlandish for readers to effortlessly immerse themselves in this universe. Some elements are reminiscent of writer Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One, while others are fully original yet not sufficiently convincing in execution. The numerous Easter eggs regarding familiar faces, especially those who meant a lot to Bruce Wayne but are now dead in his world, also fail to deliver the desired emotional punch. Even more frustrating are the cliches, the behaviours that transcend all universes and still apply to certain characters. One particular scene was also completely unbelievable, awkward, to be honest, pertaining to a confrontation between Bruce Wayne and his superpowered best friend… Then again, there’s a lot of comic book nonsense that requires suspension of disbelief, especially when it comes to Bruce Wayne enduring pain. And I’m telling you, he goes through A LOT so far in writer Chip Zdarsky’s stories. Even as a die-hard fan, it’s very hard to believe much of what Bruce Wayne endures here.
The final issue, which also marks the beginning of DC’s new era, Dawn of DC, as well as the return of legacy numbers for single issues, making it the 900th one of the series, is, however, on a whole other level. This issue is a wild ride into the multiverse and a beautiful hommage to stories pertaining to the Caped Crusader across time and space. It is magnificently accomplished, utilizing distinguishable and unique artistic styles directly related to each universe and captures the heart of the characters of these worlds magnificently. This does arrive a bit too late into the story to praise the story arc as a whole but does single-handedly justify picking up this second volume into writer Chip Zdarsky’s comic book run, giving readers hope that the upcoming stories could just maybe live up to the hype built with this final issue.
Similar to the first volume, these single issues also come with a side-story split across the first four issues called The Toy Box which follows Tim Drake, also known as Robin, who puts it upon himself to save Batman from whatever universe he must have been sent to by Failsafe. Convinced that Batman might also be mentally broken and needs help more than ever before, he sets out to find Toyman to rebuild the weapon that was initially used and manipulated by Failsafe so that he could be sent after Batman to pull him back home. Once again, what’s especially appreciated here is the mere fact that this story is directly tied to the main story and isn’t just there to promote some other comic book series or just there to superficially tell a short story that’ll be forgotten just as fast as it was read. However, it’s difficult to praise anything else of this story that could’ve just as well have been fit into the main story. At least it gives poor Tim Drake the chance to prove why this Robin is still relevant in the grand scheme of things.
Batman (Vol. 2): The Bat-Man of Gotham is an unusual yet somewhat fun detour into the multiverse that sends Bruce Wayne into a Gotham City without a Batman to reestablish the raison d’être of his vigilantism....more
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Collecting issues #1059-1061 of Detective Comics, writer Mariko Tamaki teams up with artist [image]
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
Collecting issues #1059-1061 of Detective Comics, writer Mariko Tamaki teams up with artist Ivan Reis for one final story with the Dark Knight before handing over the reins to a new creative team. Teased at the end of Batman: Shadows of the Bat: The Tower, she now brings into play a once-dormant Riddler who now casually targets innocent citizens of Gotham in a manipulative mind game that might have something to do with their latest criminal behaviours. While there is an amusing idea hidden somewhere in between the few issues she wrote for this story arc, her grand exit from this comic book run turns out as forgettable as the rest of this saga which, in fact, was mostly saved by fantastic artwork from start to finish.
Streamed every morning with numerous viewers, Edward Nygma, also known as the Riddler, takes to the airwaves his riddled schemes as a wave of crimes committed by what seems at-first innocent citizens sends Batman gliding through the city he protects trying to solve this mysterious coincidence before more lives are lost. Contained within this volume is also a side-story pertaining to Gotham Girl who was now released from Arkham and out in the city trying to find the imposter who took her identity on social media. Still battling with her demons, now desperately desiring solitude within this world, she then discovers a murder that sends her chasing after the killer before making new unlikely friends.
This volume was doomed to fail the moment deadlines had to be met with a maximum of three issues to tell a story before a new creative team takes over. Writer Mariko Tamaki clearly stuffed in as much as she could, trying to tie together all the loose plot threads in hopes to wrap up her story as integratively as possible, plugging in Talia Al Ghul (mostly seen in Batman: Shadow War), the Arkham Tower (a new home for the deranged and criminal), and even Deb Donovan (the newly-introduced incorruptible and skilled investigative journalist). Unfortunately, the final result is a bland, rushed, and uninspiring story that tumbles its way to the finish line, never allowing readers to connect to the characters or their fate. Not only does this volume also present another awkward romance between Bruce Wayne and a side character related to Deb Donovan, but it also poorly ties things together with the Riddler, making every single plot device coincidental and improbable. It’s mostly thanks to Ivan Reis’s penciling, Danny Miki’s inking, and Brad Anderson’s colours that this story even stands on two feet.
Even more frustrating is the ludicrous side-story featuring Gotham Girl, a character that had completely fallen off the map since writer Tom King’s Batman comic book run. Just like the main story, this is told in three-part, each becoming increasingly incoherent and dull, clearly lacking direction and purpose. It also somehow served as an opportunity to plug in the Huntress, another character that Mariko Tamaki tried to focus on throughout her comic book run. David Lapham’s artwork is decent but ends up conveying the mediocrity of the dialogue and the story more than anything else.
While writer Mariko Tamaki’s Detective Comics comic book run has only continuously failed to find its identity, it will now be in the hands of writer Ram V to revitalize this series and, hopefully, for the better.
Batman: Detective Comics (Vol. 4): Riddle Me This is a poorly-executed and short story arc marking the end of writer Mariko Tamaki’s comic book run featuring the Dark Knight as he faces the Riddler in an unexciting mystery....more
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
A never-before-seen adventure leads to the birth and rise of The Jurassic League as sentient[image]
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A never-before-seen adventure leads to the birth and rise of The Jurassic League as sentient dinosaurs resembling the iconic DC superheroes work together to save a prehistoric Earth from the evil brewing deep in a cavern that could only be a force as powerful as Darkseid himself. Violent yet somehow still conceptually childish, writer Juan Gedeon and Daniel Warren Johnson, the latter whose artwork from Wonder Woman: Dead Earth is poorly reproduced here by a non-DC-Trinity trio of artists, join forces to deliver a weak yet sillily entertaining stand-alone take on the Justice League.
Batsaur/Batwalker, a sentient tyrannosaurus rex, is out in the wild seeking the insane Jokerzard who killed his parents when he was only a baby and saves a little human kid after the sadistic Dilophosaurus orphans him only to end up having him tag along in his quest for revenge. Meanwhile, Supersaur, a superpowered brachiosaurus from another planet, helps humans build their community safe from other evil predators. The triceratops Wonderdon, after witnessing visions of an evil growing on the mainland, decides to leave the island of Trimyscira to help in the upcoming war. However, this evil, set out to grow in power and without a care in the world of the casualties it will create along the way, cannot be stopped by any single dinosaur. That is unless some of the strongest ones out there join together in a united cause for good to triumph over evil.
This was so weird. It reads like it was aimed at a younger audience and I could feel it in the writing, it somehow reached deep down and tugged at my twelve-year-old self, making him realize how cool and epic all this nonsense is. But then there’s this artwork and all the action, full of violence and mayhem that clearly seem to indicate that the creative team behind this was aspiring toward absolute chaos generally suitable for adults. By the end of this wild ride, you just couldn’t tell. But hey, I still found myself face-palming and laughing my way through this as they quickly reintroduced the core Justice League members in a prehistoric setting as all these different dinosaurs. Always with an internal logic though because Superman could only be a brachiosaurus because of how big and kind they are, right? But the execution was rough, there’s nothing creative in the origin story of these characters as they’re copy-pasted off what we might have heard before about the heroes that form the Justice League. It all also ends so abruptly, barely giving these fellow dinosaurs the chance to interact, and build a relationship, before their newly-found chemistry could help them kick evil between the legs. Unfortunately, the artwork is also rough. It’s odd enough that Daniel Warren Johnson doesn’t do any drawing here when the whole artistic team has tried to do something along the lines of his signature style. Instead, we get this heavy-ink, sometimes decent, sometimes off, chaotically colourful artwork that often just looks like it was done quickly on the corner of a table.
The Jurassic League is a poorly-executed and unoriginal concept that might seem fun if not silly as the Justice League takes on Darkseid with a prehistoric and carnivorous-twist....more
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