Batman & Robin: War of the Robins

"And this is to prove what exactly?"

"That I am the best Robin, of course."

The 'War of the Robins' is a sort of mini-event that began in issue "Batman & Robin #10," where young Damian declares that he is the best Robin.  He promises to best Nightwing, Red Robin, and the Red Hood at their own game by taking something precious of theirs.

The current Robin has some major shoes to fill,  having his father as Batman and three prior Robins, but Damian, the tough assassin, ends up outsmarting both Tim Drake and the Red Hood; however, at the end of issue #12, Nightwing is no match for Damian.  Instead of fighting him, Nightwing merely gives Damian his Escrima Stick and a few words, essentially stopping Damian in his tracks, making him rethink his purpose of defeating the Robins at all--as Nightwing implies Damian is already apart of the legacy.

This is incredibly understandable when considering that Nightwing used to be Batman and Damian was his Robin.  Even in the new DC continuity, their relationship is unique, and represents one of the few instances that falls outside of the Wayne legacy.  The respect that these two share for one another straddles that line between father and son, as well as brothers.  Nightwing inevitably puts Damian in his place, but what Damian failed to realize beforehand is that he had already come into his own--he is a Robin.

I really enjoyed Patrick Gleason's panel in #12 (above), featuring the four Robins looking to the left in a "40's Aviation, Howard Hughes, looking to the future" sort of way.  It was what sprouted my excitement to do this post, and show a few of my other favorite panels.

Along with the art, writer Peter Tomasi does a great job of bringing the four Robins together, without disconnecting the reader from the primary plot.  I would have preferred more focus on the Robins, but if the rumor mill holds true, we may just be seeing a glimpse into the plans for a new reoccurring series titled, "The Robins."

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Martian Manhunter leaving Stormwatch?

As probably assumed, I am an avid comic book reader, and even though my tastes may wax and wane as creative teams get shuffled about there are still a of couple characters and teams that I always love reading about.

One such character is the grossly underappreciated Martian Manhunter.

For the uninitiated, Martian Manhunter possesses similar strength and speed to that of Superman, but he is also laced with strong psychic powers and has the ability to shift into any form. Pretty snazzy, right? Personally, I have found it frustrating that the Manhunter from Mars has not hit the mainstream populous, but due to the lack of an early fan base and some unusual character development choices throughout the years he has largely remained along the sidelines when compared to the Trinity and Green Lantern.

He led the Justice League of America for many years in the 1980s and Grant Morrison’s JLA in the late 90’s/early 00’s, in perhaps his most influential runs, before being cast as the martyr in DC’s Final Crisis. Finally reemerging during DC’s famously complex Final Crisis the Manhunter from Mars was slain, but like all superheroes and villains with potential, he was revived in Geoff John’s Brightest Day maxi-series.

With DC relaunching its universe in September of 2011 the Martian Manhunter became an integral part in Wildstorm turned DC franchise, Stormwatch. Paul Cornell, who is an amazingly talented science fiction writer, grabbed reigns of the new ongoing series, but was sadly yanked from the run after only one story arc, and replaced by Peter Milligan.

Unfortunately, I have a huge stack of recent back issues that I have been meaning to read, but just not gotten around to. However, this morning I was able to start cracking into my monstrous pile with a nice cup of Seattle’s Best. One such unread title that I got to peruse and finally read was Stormwatch #12, which primarily focuses on Martian Manhunter wiping the minds of his fellow teammates, so that he could leave the team without any repercussions. The Shadow Lords (the otherworldly benefactors of Stormwatch) allow him to break their coveted rule of ‘no one leavesStormwatch alive,' but in return they ask a favor of him. This little plot detail leaves a nice open-ended plotline for the Martian Manhunter to follow as time progresses.

For me this plot twists came as a complete and utter shock. First off, I only started reading Stormwatch for Paul Cornell’s writing and Martian Manhunter. Now, with the proactive missing in action I see almost no other reason to continuing reading the series. Besides the unfortunate turn of events in an otherwise solid series a more important question comes to mind: What will DC do with Martian Manhunter?

It stands to reason that the creative team behind Stormwatch could be leading up to a story arc that would better fit a solo working Martian Manhunter. This would create a unique split narrative that might better flesh out the character development of those in Stormwatch, which would imply that Martian Manhunter would return to the team (in an official capacity) at the conclusion of the plotline. Also, Geoff Johns’ and Jim Lee’s Justice League has made slight references to Martian Manhunter, so his exodus from Stormwatch could merely insinuated that his introduction to the Justice League is imminent. Or, with DC’s cancellations coming up in September Martian Manhunter could be thrown a bone and receive his own title, or even a group to lead that would be comparable to the stellar (but, unfortunately canceled!) Justice League International.

Honestly, who knows what DC has in store for the good Martian, but one thing is for certain they better include him in something. He is a stellar character who is slowly garnishing the attention that he deserves. He is gracefully reaching the upper echelons of awesomeness.

I love the character so much I even named my personal comic book blog after him. So, to not see him in anything reoccurring would be practically maddening for a fan boy like me.

Check out character bios over at the DC Comics' website, and do not forget to check back here—I have a surprise hitting the Internets tomorrow.

(SOURCE: Martian Manhunter leaving Stormwatch?)

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Comic Book of the Week (6.6.2012)

Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1

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Comic Book of the Week (5.30.2012)

Batman Annual #1

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Review - Night of the Owls: Batman Annual #1 (2012)

The first annual to come out DC’s NEW 52 cannon happens to be nestled right within Scott Snyder’s Night of the Owls crossover, and manages to introduce Mr. Freeze to the new continuity while simultaneously tying him to the Court of Owls. On the whole the annual does exactly what it aims to do, but there are several sections where improvements and character truisms could have been adhered to rather than eliminating them to make way for another Night of the Owlstie-in.

The annual opens up with a flashback. A young Victor (Mr. Freeze) joyously plays in the snow while his mother follows. In single, near silent moment Victor’s mother plummets through the ice and disappears without a word.

The issue then transitions to an interrogation session of Mr. Freeze. He uses this as a window to escape his cell successfully subduing and killing several guards. In an act of trickery he eventually obtains his specialized armor, which allows him to escape Arkham Asylum. Mr. Freeze’s first thought is to quickly locate the Penguin in order to re-obtain his equally specialized weaponry, which he plans to use against his nemesis, Bruce Wayne.

An informative segment explaining why Mr. Freeze despisesBruce Wayne is presented in another flashback. And, like the lore of before, Victor is driven by his near-dead wife, Nora Fries, which Bruce Wayne unceremoniously took away fromVictor causing him to break and become Mr. Freeze. In search for Nora, Mr. Freeze finds another cryostasis chamber and is shocked by the inhabitant’s aged appearance.

At this moment, Nightwing and Robin take the opportunity to enter in an effort to stop Mr. Freeze in the sublevels ofWayne Tower. They briefly squabble, but unfortunately the two are thwarted and Mr. Freeze escapes unscathed. He proceeds to climb Wayne Tower eventually finding Noraalone and still frozen in a large empty room. Batman enters in his traditional fashion, and plans to finally end Mr. Freezesrampage once and for all.

The issue concludes nicely adding a couple of twists for the benefit of the reader slightly altering the mythos surroundingMr. Freeze and his origins. I won’t spoil it, but it was definitely a classic Snyder touch; it was much appreciated. It was incredibly symmetric and a great way to structure Mr. Freeze’s origin story. Also, Snyder and Tynion take an obvious and logical avenue to explain Mr. Freeze’sinvolvement with the Court of Owls, and within the issue they do a great job of portraying his reaction to his interaction with them.

Personally, I found the issue to be enjoyable, but there were a couple scenes that disappointed me, and on the whole this annual didn’t feel much like an annual. It could have very well been the next issue of Batman or a giant-sized issue, rather than an annual. The scene that troubled me the most was how easily Mr. Freeze defeated Nightwing and Robin as well as his subsequent escape. Together, Nightwing and Robinare more than a match for Mr. Freeze, and if Mr. Freeze is as cruel and ‘cold-hearted’ as to be believed he would have just killed them when he had the chance.

Nevertheless, I thought that Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV’s plot was tight and coherent, and I really appreciatedJason Fabok’s pencilings and Peter Steigerwald’s corresponding colors. I give Batman Annual #1 four-and-a-half stars out of five.

(SOURCE: Review - Night of the Owls: Batman Annual #1 (2012))

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The NEW 52: Ravagers #1

Ravagers hits you with a dull thud the moment you take a gander at it.  The cover is riddled with eye-distracting text, which effectively buries any semblance of artwork beneath its heel.  On a related note, I am surprised by the lack of fact checking that took place on the cover.  Artist Jeremy Whittington pointed out to me that two of the team members are misnamed, due to a transposition, creating a fairly blatant error that now gets to rest upon comic book shelves all across the country for all to see DC’s wonderful editing skills. 

As guessed, the first impressions of Ravagers #1 are not a stellar.  The Ravagers spins out of the Titans Titans crossover, The Culling.  Essentially, the Harvester (a villain from Legion Lost’s time period) has meta-humans compete in what is dubbed the ‘Culling’ to see which are skilled and strong enough to become his own personal minions, otherwise known as the Ravagers.  These individuals are often tortured and experimented on in order to enhance or evolve their power sets.  This often has horrible side effects resulting in unstable abilities and memory gaps and/or loss.  However, despite all of this, in the closing pages of theCulling a small group of Ravagers escape and try to begin anew in Ravagers #1. 

The first issue of this new DC series begins and ends rather sluggishly.   Led by Harvester scientist Fairchild aids the beguiled Ravagers to the surface above the underground complex amidst a flurry of snow and broken ice.  Almost immediately the loose knit team splinters, pairs off, and takes their own lives in hand in an effort escape.

There is some brief dialogue between the characters, but the comic tries to pick up again when two of Harvester’s more prominent Ravagers (Warblade and Rose Wilson) arrive on site to wrestle the remaining Ravagers back into their cages.  In desperation the team reforms under Fairchild’s leadership and instead of fighting the two head on they use Thunder’sunchecked power to cut off a section of the ice shelf successfully separating themselves from their enemies and plunging them into the newly created chasm. 

On the whole, the Ravagers is much worse than last month’s G.I. Combat.  For a second I almost thought that I was reading a J.T. Krul penned comic, but alas I was mistaken.  Like Krul, the dialogue and plot structure are clumsy and ill structured.  I see the intent behind some the scenes, but they are injected at odd junctures and try to convey much deeper motifs than can be explained in a single issue. 

From my understanding one of the main tenants of theRavagers’ dynamic is the simple fact that they are essentially tortured meta-humans with a tampered moral compass.  As a group they are going to have to ascertain their place upon the good vs. evil battlefield, and instead of setting some underlying narrative to dive into this as the series progresses there are particular snippets that try too hard to explain something too complex for the infancy of the series.

The art is middle of the road.  It’s not bad, but it’s not Jim Lee’s Superman either.  I was hoping that I would be dazzled with a brilliant splash page or two after slogging through such poor narrative, but alas I was wrong again.

 I give Ravagers #1 two-out-of five stars; I’d shelve this one and move on to something more intriguing.  DC has rolled out some great titles, but unfortunately this isn’t one of them.  Save yourself the trouble and pick up Dial H to satisfy your hankering for something fresh.

Also, don’t forget to check out more of DC’s New 52 at your local Spokane comic book shop, Merlyn’s, downtown on Main Street.  They’ve recently changed their pricing to include 20% off of graphic novels and 50% off of back issue comics 2011 and older.  It’s a stellar deal, but it’s first come first serve, so stake your claim quick.  Stayed tuned for my upcoming review on DC’s first Before Watchmen title, Minutemen #1.  Here’s a preview: It’s Awesome!

(SOURCE: The NEW 52: Ravagers #1)

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The NEW 52: Batman Incorporated #1

One of DC’s most anticipated titles is Grant Morrison’sBatman Incorporated.  Volume 1 of Batman, Inc. predates the DC relaunch, and directly followed the death, search, and return of Bruce Wayne.  During last September’s relaunch of the entire DC Universe Batman Incorporated was mysteriously absent from their new lineup, until December which heralded the release of the Batman, Inc one-shot,Leviathan; Leviathan served to wrap-up the loose ends from the first volume’s story arc.  With DC canceling six of its titles room for a second volume of Batman, Inc opened up, and continues exactly where the Leviathan one-shot left off.   

Grant Morrison takes the interesting concept of Batmanbuilding a global, Wayne-funded corporation to thwart the world’s villains, and furthers it by writing a compelling and believable plot.  Continuing directly from the Leviathan one-shot, Batman, Inc #1 begins with Alfred consoling a downtrodden and humiliated Bruce Wayne due to the events of the Leviathan story arc.  In contrast the issue then transitions by showcasing Chris Burnham’s great (but sometimes gory) artwork by penciling Batman and Robin’sbattle against goat-masked butchers.

Batman and Robin kick some serious butt during this sequence, but by the end of the battle Robin’s life is almost dashed by an incredibly skilled sniper.  Luckily, Batman saves the day and rescues his son in the nick of time.  The rest of the issue unfolds by showing the uneventful exploits of the rest of the members of Batman, Inc. in their West Coast headquarters, the chasing of the sniper, and finally the realization that Damian’s mother Talia al Ghul is the one responsible for the assassination attempts on Robin.

Morrison’s script is fantastically written!  It was humorous, poignant, and continues upon the excellent groundwork thatMorrison laid down in the prior volume.  There is a particularly amusing moment in which Damian proclaims to be renouncing meat due to the actions of the goat killers.  You’ll have to check it out for yourself to get a good laugh (F.Y.I. it's included in the slideshow attached to this article).  I also appreciate the subtle tie-ins to Snyder’s Batmancontinuity, but Morrison is forging new ground and doesn’t fall inline with the ever encompassing Night of the Owls crossover—it’s a nice break from the ‘now’ norm.  I giveBatman, Inc. a five-out-of-five stars and I whole-heartedly recommend it as my comic book of the week.

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The NEW 52: World's Finest #1

World’s Finest is a direct spinoff of Earth 2.  Earth 2’sSupergirl and Robin appear to be killed in the opening battle against Darkseid in the introduction of Earth 2, but in all actuality are transported to Earth 1; hence their own title,World’s Finest.  Flash forward five-years, and Supergirl andRobin have now become Power Girl and the Huntress—theHuntress has changed her purpose is to protect their new home, and Supergirl is hell bent on returning back ‘home.’

The title sequence begins with the Huntress and Power Girlenjoying dinner together.  News that Power Girl’s newly purchased R&D center has been set afire precipitates the ‘call to action’ and the two quickly rush off.  In an effort to save the equipment, Power Girl dives headlong into the fire with the Huntress following suit.  Power Girl is horribly dismayed to discover that the facility was purposefully destroyed and that the specialized machinery might have been their only hope in returning to Earth 2.  Throughout the main narrative, pages and panels fill-in the Huntress andPower Girl’s forcible journey to Earth 1 and subsequent adaptation.  The issue then closes out by introducing Hakkou the Irradiated Man, the individual behind the destruction ofPower Girl’s R&D center.

I did enjoy World’s Finest, however, there are some inconsistencies in the continuity.  References toBatman/Bruce Wayne just don’t quite add up.  Also, I would have preferred that DC hold off on blending Earth 2 and 1; with the reboot so fresh and not even a year old I think that it would be more beneficial to create a solid foundation before extrapolating on the DC multiverse.  Otherwise the comic shapes out nicely.  The Huntress and Power Girl have very different personalities and views upon their predicament, which results in a wonderful chemistry between the two.  I give World’s Finest three-and-a-stars out of five stars. 

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The NEW 52: G.I. Combat #1

Traditionally DC has blended war comics with their always-expanding universe.  With DC’s NEW 52, Men of War served to fill this niche, but due to poor sales it was subsequently canceled.  As its replacement, G.I. Combat is purposed to blend modern day war scenarios with the fantasy presented in comic books—in this case an amalgamation of dinosaurs and traditional warfare.

G.I. Combat opens with a soldier conversing with his wife/girlfriend and newborn via satellite, while his friend lightheartedly ribs him.  The next scene depicts a debriefing and then the crew takes to the skies to find out why a section of North Korea has suddenly gone ‘silent.’  Not more than a couple of panels later the reason becomes hopelessly apparent as a Pterodactyl attacks the helicopter and lightning repeatedly crackles alongside the air squadron.  An air squirmish commences, the prehistoric creatures pick off several soldiers, and eventually several of the helicopters collapse into the dead zone that the soldiers came to explore.  Not more than a stone throws away the survivors of the crash come into a storm addled clearing to witness the Koreans battling dinosaurs.

Overall, the issue is short, J.T. Krul’s writing is mediocre and cliché at best, and the art was decent--but definitely short of spectacular.  I was already hesitant diving into a Krul penned comic, and after reading G.I. Combat my suspicions were wholly realized.

However, much like the Justice League, G.I. Combatfeatures a short add-on comic at the end of the issue titled,Unknown Soldier.  Unlike G.I. Combat, Justin Gray andJimmy Palmiotti, penciled by Dan Panosian, write Unknown Soldier.  I was very much impressed with Unknown Soldier; it tells the tale of a bandage wrapped soldier being interviewed about his heroics, and essentially ‘origin story.’  The narration is tight, and the artwork was gritty and war torn, which is exactly how I picture the artwork of a war comic.

G.I. Combat receives a three-out-of-five stars and Unknown Soldier a four-out-of-five—hopefully DC will continue on withUnknown Soldier and bump J.T. Krul from G.I. Combat post-haste.

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Comic Book of the Week (5.23.2012)

Batman Incorporated #1

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Review - Night of the Owls: Detective Comics #9 (2012)

In Detective Comics #9 Bruce Wayne takes a detour toArkham Asylum in a last ditch effort to save the crazed Dr. Arkham from the threat of the Talons.  Dr. Arkham feeling more safe locked up within the confines of a mental ward ignores the advice of his trusted head of security, Mr. Cash, to get the Gotham City police involved in his protection. 

Batman, however, disagrees with Dr. Arkham’s assessment.

Batman reaches the asylum just as the Talons trip the breakers blanketing the facility in blackness—at this they come calling for the good doctor.  Surprising even the cloaked Talon, Dr. Arhkam adequately fends him off the help of quick reflexes and an electrically charged brass knuckle.

At this juncture, Batman suddenly bursts into the room to finish taking down the undead assassin.  As Batman battles the Talon the doctor flees to the Black Mask’s cell further within the asylum, and in an effort to save himself he manipulates the Black Mask by furthering his dementia and releasing the rest of the inmates to combat the invadingTalons.  With Batman caught in the middle, he eventually realizes that the Black Mask’s powers are affecting the mental patients in such a manner that they are not even aware of his presence.  He uses this opportunity to track down Dr. Arkham and abscond from the premises with the doctor in tow, via the Batmobile.

Overall, the plot of the issue wasn’t bad, but I honestly feel as if DC is beating a dead horse with another cliché Arkham Asylum plotline.  This time around I found it uninteresting and almost like a pandering to gamers due to its similarity toRocksteady’s Batman: Arkham Asylum.  And, as an avid comic book reader and a gamer I found it slightly offensive.  The Night of the Owls issues have been of such a high quality by truly advancing the characters or event in some way or another.  Detective Comics feels awkward and merely a filler till the next Batman issue released.  One point of interest though--I did appreciate that even in the ‘awkwardness’ of the tie-in it still was in continuity with the rest of the event.

One of the core premises for Scott Snyder’s Night of the Owlsis that the entire event is meticulously planned to span only one evening.  Unlike Marvel’s Avengers vs. X-Men the Night of the Owls has almost a heightened level of continuity that usually isn’t found within the comic book industry.  For example, Detective Comics #9 begins precisely at 8:26pm and finishes at 9:49pm, which falls squarely between the confines of Batman #9 (which is also neatly labeled).  And, if you cross-reference any of the other Night of the Owls’ tie-ins they are all time stamped accordingly and all fit together neatly like a well-cut puzzle.  For this I give DC praise, however, holistically reviewing Detective Comics #9 I find that the issue merely serves as a weak bridge and really doesn’t further the plot or develop any of the characters represented within the issue.  The artwork is solid, and the writing is linear and understandable, but on the whole Detective Comics #9stagnates.

Detective Comics #9 gets three-stars-out-of-five for being flashy, but not really extrapolating on the Night of the Owlsstory arc.

(SOURCE: Review - Night of the Owls: Detective Comics #9 (2012))

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Comic Book of the Week (4.9.2012)

Batman #9

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Comic Book of the Week (4.2.2012)

Avengers vs. X-Men #3 and Dial #1

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The NEW 52: Earth 2 #1

The phrase ‘Earth 2’ conjures up the Golden Age heroes of yore for many, and in years past has served as the parallel universe that houses the Justice Society of America.  With DCdefinitely keeping the word ‘relaunch’ in mind they are seriously taking a gamble with their newest title by completely revamping Earth 2 and its Golden Age inhabitants.

Earth 2 begins in the midst of the Justice League’s first story arc, except with one definite twist.  In this universe their first encounter with Darkseid doesn’t end quickly and lead to the formation of the Justice League…in fact just the opposite.  The conflict with Darkseid’s army is long and bloody, and eventually fractures the Justice League before it ever even begins.

Similar to the Justice League arc except more compressed, the issue skips forward five years to a world moved on from superheroes.  Civilization is rebuilding and the world, once again, seems to be moving along at a brisk.  

Alan Scott is introduced as a charismatic media mogul, and without his traditional Green Lantern ring and garb.  The issue then shifts laterally to catch Jay Garrick clumsily fighting with his unsympathetic and downright mean girlfriend as she finalizes their breakup and moves on.  Jay Garrick has always been portrayed as a rather intelligent and scientific character, but in DC’s newest iteration Garrick is a rough around the edges, unfocused, and hopelessly clueless.  He is a college grad without the hint of path; however, Jay does end up filling his old shoes by the end of the issue by gaining his speedster abilities from a rather unusual, but clever source.  And, at that scene, the issue is closed.

Nicola Scott’s pencilings are great and are really the highlight of the issue.  Her artwork is detailed, and incredibly colorful due to Trevor Scott’s inking.  From the big three battling their way through hordes of minions to the mundane nature ofAlan Scott conversing on his private jet to the climatic last panel--the art is of top quality and catches the eye from cover-to-cover.

James Robinson’s plot is coherent and understandable assuming that readers have read the first several issues ofGeoff Johns and Jim Lee’s current Justice League run.  If you haven’t caught the first Justice League story arc Earth 2might seem confounding to some and not at all coherent as aforementioned.  I’m a tad surprised that Earth 2 would directly build off of a specific event in a parallel universe, but maybe it’s a Doctor Who thing—a fixed point in space time that if tampered with would unravel the universe (we’ll go with that for the sake of sanity). 

Personally, I appreciated the drastic alterations made to the two characters introduced, but I have heard through the grapevine that the many avid Golden Age fans are quite aggravated by the changes and claim that they damage the legacy of the character.

With the dust settled, I picture Earth 2 being a bone of contention and ripe for controversy as the run continues forth, but because of this conflict I have a gut feeling it’ll have the Starfire affect and boost sales in the long run--to a degree, both negative and positive PR increases the sales of products.

I am giving Earth 2 three-and-a-half stars out of five due to the fact that it’s entire existence owes itself to another comic set in another universe and that the drastic changes made to core DC characters might be off-putting to some.  However, the art was slick, and like a coin, some might like the shinier side of Alan and Jay.   

Personally, I’ll be picking up the next several issues, because I fell on the side of the positivity when all was said and done, but I can definitely see Earth 2 heading south very quickly if handled poorly.  

(SOURCE: The NEW 52: Earth 2 #1) 

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The NEW 52: Dial H #1

DC's NEW 52 just got newer—sort of.  In September DCrevitalized their entire universe on the cusp of the 2011 blockbuster event Flashpoint.  Flash-forward eight months later, after the first bouts of cancellations, six new serials were poised to take their spots—one of which being, Dial H.

Dial H for Hero has bit into the DC Universe a couple of times now.  One of which being in the 1980’s where it hopped around for a bit as a crossover in several DC magazines such as: The Legion of Super-Heroes, Adventure Comics, The New Adventures of Superboy, and Superman.  And, most noticeably, a short-lived run in 2003 titled H.E.R.O., which only ran for twenty-two issues.

The premise of the Dial H for Hero franchise is as follows: a mysterious and magical telephone booth transforms the ‘boothee’ into a random superhero upon the condition that they dial ‘4376,’ otherwise represented as the word ‘HERO.’

China Mieville begins by introducing readers to Dial H’s titular character, Nelse—an overweight, late twenty something, struggling in a city that eats up slackers and do-gooders all the same.  Nelse is bickering with his friend Darren when he finally stomps off to leave Nelse to his invitational-only pity party.  In a pang of guilt Nelse chases after his buddy to only catch up with him as he is being mugged.  Trying to get to a telephone to dial for help he stumbles into a phone booth and in a panic dials a number—any number—and suddenly Nelsetransforms into—Boy Chimney!

Boy Chimney is a macabre, Jack Skellington-esque character whose powers include: increased reflexes and speed, poison gas, smoke manipulation, bullet-proof skin, smoked-based clairvoyance, and transportation by smoke.  Mateus Santolouco’s rendering of Boy Chimney was superb, and the pages including the unusual hero were my favorite of the issue.

After saving his friend and taking him to the hospital, Boy Chimney collapses back to Nelse upon a rooftop in Littleton and begins piecing together the last few hours of events. 

The issue then peaks as Nelse finds out that his hospitalized friend has been conducting some illegal business on the side, owes money to some very nasty individuals, and that is the truth to why he was roughed-up in the first place.  In an effort to protect his friend, Nelse heads back to the phone booth and transforms yet again, except under the guise of Captain Lachrymose!—an emo clad hero that draws upon the most traumatic events of a person’s life for strength and power.

Dial H definitely has a very strong Vertigo vibe to it, which translates well.  There is a slight reference to the Green Lantern, but other than that Dial H feels completely outside of mainstream DC Universe.  The plot is excellently composed and will hopefully catch the subscription piles of readers. Santolouco’s art is gritty and dark; Littleton almost has a ‘what-if’ Gotham City had no Batman kind of an atmosphere to it, so the more eccentric and morally ambiguous heroes such as Boy Chimney and Captain Lachrymose fit in perfectly.

I give Dial H #1 four-and-a-half stars out of five and the Schultz must-read stamp of approval.

(SOURCE: The NEW 52: Dial H #1)

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Review - Night of the Owls: Batman #8 (2012)

Batman #8 is the first official part in Scott Snyder’s Night of the Owls epic crossover, and true to form Snyder doesn’t pull any punches.  The issue begins by panning over Bruce Wayne’s model of Gotham City in a series of panels while he narrates.  Bruce Wayne, as well as his persona, have always felt that their connection to the pulse of Gotham was the most intimate of any of Gotham’s denizens, but with the jarring realization that a hidden organization has been calling the shots in Gotham for well over a century Bruce Wayne is dismayed and reeling.  After confiding in his fears with his most trusted ally, Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce hears a noise and all chaos breaks loose. 

The Night of the Owls has begun.

And, the Court has unleashed their Talons upon the city ofGotham to assassinate the most influential citizens of the city.  Alfred makes for the Batcave, while Bruce Wayne fends off the intruders in the upper parts of his family’s manor.   As the battle transpires it shifts to the rooftop where an injuredWayne holds his own against the army of Talons that have come for him.  In a daring escape orchestrated byAlfred, Bruce escapes down one of the chimney stacks. 

The fight now finds its way into the heart of Bruce Wayne’shome, and Batman and Alfred find themselves trapped within an interior vault of the Batcave—the Talons have the legendary Wayne heir in their claws—but, the Bat always has a plan in place. 

The issue concludes with Alfred sending out a distress signal calling all immediate members of the Bat Family to action, while Bruce ‘suits up’ and brings the fight to the unsuspectingTalons.

The storytelling is phenomenal in this issue and really showcases Snyder’s talent for prose.  The dialogue is tight and believable, and Bruce and Alfred hold true to their well-established characters.  I enjoyed watching Bruce fight theTalons mano y mano without the aid of his specialized weaponry and technology.  It shows that the man behind the cowl is to be just as feared as the legendary Gotham Cityicon that he created.

The art is superb and detailed.  Bruce Wayne is scruffy and weakened from his last run in with the Court of Owls, and it shows in Greg Capullo’s art.  As always, Alfred remains stoic and grounded--representing Bruce’s lightning rod.  I particularly enjoyed the model city depicted in the opening sequences and the laser illuminated towers that in essence represent the future of Gotham.  The symbolism is slight, but powerful.  The action doesn’t lose its flare in the sequence of events either.  It’s fluid and harkens back to Bruce’s martial arts training portrayed in his origin story.  Jonathan Glapion’sinking is wonderful and matches the mood excellently.  The tones are dark and shadowy due to the Talons cutting the power to the manor, as well as Bruce’s aversion to the light, because his prior sustained injuries.

Thus far, this was my favorite issue of the Night of the Owls’event.  It hit in all the right places and provided an excellent foundation to easily tie-in all of the other Bat Familymembers.  With the writing, penciling, and inking in mind I give Batman #8 four-and-a-half out of five stars. 

Check back here for my soon-to-be-released review ofDetective Comics #9—the next part to Snyder’s already excellent Night of the Owls series. 

(SOURCE: Review - Night of the Owls: Batman #8 (2012))

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