Bruce Wayne is dead ( or is he ? ) , but the Batman franchise is back in full cut after three months of the meandering Battle for the Cowl . But with seven different Bat - related titles expel in June alone , which are the must - reads ?
It ’s a bluff new Batman status quo , with a whole new lineup of crimefighters behind the various masks . In case you ’ve been taking a break from the goings on in Gotham City ( and , considering a circle of what ’s been do out recently , I could n’t exactly blame you),Dick Graysonis Batman , Damian Wayne(the suppose son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul ) is Robin , Tim DrakeisRed Robin , and somebody still to be let out is Batgirl .
There ’s plenty more happening beyond just the prompt Batman folk . Socialite Kate Kane is still Batwoman and is rent over the starring office inDetective Comics , the rogues Catwoman , Poison Ivy , and Harley Quinn are reluctantly teaming up , and Kate Spencer ( alias the lethal vigilante Manhunter ) is Gotham ’s Modern District Attorney . And both the Question and the Outsiders are still doing their thing .
There ’s a lot there to ready up and establish , but with so many books ( two of which even have 2d feature ) , thing do n’t get too stimulate . Admittedly , it can be a little gruelling to recall just who is doing what and where . So let ’s let on this down one Good Book at a meter .
The flagship for the relaunch really has to beGrant Morrisonand Frank Quitely’sBatman and Robin . Considering their last collaboration was the pretty much universally beloved All - Star Superman , expectation were understandably gamey for this fresh book , which is already guaranteed to run at least twelve emergence with Morrison at the helm ( although Quitely will leave after just three yield ) .
As I name in my Trinity revaluation , I have interracial feelings about Quitely ’s typical drawing style , which despite its unmistakable energy can make some of the characters look a bit , well … horrible . Still , I ’d say his work has improved with each newfangled project he undertakes , and it ’s hard to imagine a better partner for his persona than Grant Morrison ’s ideas .
compare to Final Crisis or Batman : RIP , Morrison is downright straightforward here , eschew a plenty of his usual mystic material for a more grounded story that ’s a better conniption for the world of Batman . In special , Dick Grayson and Commissioner Gordon are far too reasonable to readily match into the usual insanity of Morrison ’s piece of work , and it ’s nice to see Grant Morrison can save normal just as well as he can the wild .
That said , there ’s still a giant talking frog who is introduced as one of the main new villains and lead completely unexplained , so I ’m intelligibly rank on a breaking ball here . And I ’d be remiss if I ignored just how creepy-crawly and terrible the final few pages are , as they introduce the utterly deranged main villain for the book ’s first arc . Even for those who swore off read Morrison in the wake of his last two big events , Batman and Robin is not to be missed .
Judd Winick ’s first subject of Batman ( and the only one to feature the art of Ed Benes ) mostly concerns itself with iterate the event of the last few months , begin with Bruce Wayne ’s decease at the end of Final Crisis . This might well seem redundant , but Winick manages to do in one issue what the intact Battle for the Cowl result could not – excuse what Bruce ’s death means to the two people closest to him , namely Alfred Pennyworth and Dick Grayson ( with apologies to Tim Drake ) .
This first issue is long on persona and emotion and unretentive on secret plan , and it works attractively . It alternates between fill in the gaps of what happened during Battle for the Cowl and simply rewriting it , and it ’s difficult to retrieve break with any of the alterations . In Battle for the Cowl , Dick ’s role arc was that he did n’t really have any large problem with becoming Batman , but Bruce did n’t require him to . It ’s valid enough , I suppose , but distinctly less substantial than what Winick does here , as Dick tries to figure out how he can really be Batman , not just an impostor wearing Bruce ’s cause .
Great as this first issue is , it does n’t necessarily give the good sense of Winick ’s ongoing run on Batman . This is very much a prologue to everything that will follow , and how he handle Batman in a part piece might not the same thing as how he will use him in an action story , but there ’s every reason here in this first matter to be optimistic for what lies ahead . If nothing else , the art will in all likelihood be enough to justify cull Batman up on a regular ground . Ed Benes is wonderful here , and I ’m expecting similar grandeur from his successor , Trinity ’s Mark Bagley .
I suppose the big account with Detective Comics is that DC is making a sapphic character the admirer of their longest unendingly release book . That really should be some variety of milepost , right ? * But , much like Batman ’s decease , DC really has n’t done much to publicise this ontogeny . Whatever one makes of the troupe ’s public intercourse , Detective Comics is at least a pretty good consolation swag for Batwoman , who was have in mind to get her own Holy Scripture shortly after she was first introduced way back in 52 .
Greg Ruckaplayed a Brobdingnagian role in rise this new incarnation of Batwoman in 52 , and it ’s hard to imagine a better writer to wield the character ’s starring debut . Kate Kane ’s close kinship with her military - minded forefather is a literal highlight of the first issue , although it ’s reasonably clear that ’s about the only thing go well in her living . Still scarred emotionally and physically by being stabbed in the heart at the end of 52 , Kate ’s life is mostly in turmoil , with only the thought of vengeance against those who stabbed her to give her purpose .
Which fetch me to the scoundrel of this and jolly much every other Batwoman story , the religious fanatics of Intergang . Their role should n’t really come as a surprise , considering how of import the Crime Bible was to her chronicle in both 52 and Final Crisis : Revelations ( both written by Rucka , and both costarring Renee Montoya as the Question , who now fill the second feature in Detective Comics ) . But I must admit some disappointment that they front correct to dominate her story for the foreseeable futurity , part because I ’ve never really found the Crime Bible poppycock all that interesting . Mostly , however , I ’d wish to see her establish herself as a character independent of Intergang , especially when there is such an iconic cast of Gotham City villains for her to interact with .
I ’m also not unbalanced about J.H. Williams ’s nontextual matter . It veers wildly between gorgeous and footer , with the former style for the Batwoman sequences and the latter for those following her alter ego . It ’s an interesting conceit , but I did n’t really enjoying looking at the Kate Kane sequence , which seems like a drawback to a medium dependent on visual storytelling . Unlike , say , Ed Benes , whose style is consistently aesthetically pleasing and well - suited to natural process episode , Williams seems more concerned in establishing mood and aura , which at time works beautifully .
There ’s no denying the Batwoman parts of Detective Comics are visually arresting , and it ’s entirely potential Williams ’s style will farm on me . Although – and this may sound like a very minor gripe – I doubt I ’ll ever wish how wan Williams has made Kate Kane . There ’s one venire where she front more like V from V from Vendetta than anything else , and that was a guy wearing a masquerade party .
- In case you doubt the exceptional place of Detective Comics , I would cue you what the “ DC ” in DC Comics stands for . And , yes , that does technically mean the company ’s full name is Detective Comics Comics . But I digress .
When I heard all the new titles herald back at New York Comic Con , I ’d have to sayGotham City Sirenssounded the most intriguing . It also sound like it had the electric potential to be DC ’s answer to Marvel Divas , which is n’t what I ’d call a good matter . The presence of writerPaul Diniconfirmed my initial optimism , and I ’m happy to say that he does n’t disappoint .
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First , Dini created Harley Quinn back in Batman : The Animated Series . Then , he couple her up with Poison Ivy later in the show ’s run , with antic results . Now , he ’s sum up Catwoman to the mixture , who provide the perfect part of saneness for this unlikely trio . ( At this pace , by 2040 Paul Dini will be writing a picture show that team up up every female theatrical role in the DC cosmos . I ca n’t wait . ) Dini is on very solid ground here with characters he know very well , and it shows . ( Another Dini front-runner , Zatanna , also puts in an appearing , and I can only hope we ’ll see more of her as the series progresses . )
Catwoman is still recovering from having her heart removed by Hush ( long story , but a dependable one ) , and she tell apart the pauperism for teamwork in this harsher , more deadly Gotham City . Although the newfangled would - be supervillain Boneblaster offer the trey with some rather irritate distractions , this first payoff is chiefly about setting up the moral force of the three potential partners . The clause ends with Poison Ivy drugging Catwoman and force her to do one elementary question : “ Who is Batman ? ” Actually , that ’s not such a simple question these days , and I ’m not altogether trusted Catwoman knows the answer herself . Either way , it ’s a somewhat howling hook for the next number , and I ’m have trouble imagining what scenario Dini could come up with in which the team of Poison Ivy , Harley Quinn , and Catwoman would n’t be massively entertaining . Plus , Guillem March ’s artwork is a pleasure to look at .
The big interrogation forBatman : street of Gothamis how it ’s going to secernate itself as something more than just the other , other Batman Bible after Batman and Batman and Robin . Reteaming Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen , who last exercise together on what was easy the best part of Batman : RIP , the Detective Comics storyline “ Heart of Hush ” , is a good start . The serial is also taking its “ Streets of Gotham ” subtitle seriously , as this tarradiddle is as much about Commissioner Gordon and a mystical ( but seemingly benevolent ) new vigilante as it is about Batman .
Indeed , Dick Grayson is only seen “ in character ” as Batman , and Alfred is nowhere to be seen ; I wonder whether this series will incline to background the behind - the - scenes aspects of Batman in favour of , well , the streets of Gotham . Still , Damian Wayne is give some clip in the spotlight , and he ’s pair with a most worrying new cheat partner : the lately imprison Thomas Elliott , alias Hush , who has surgically altered his appearance so that now he looks on the dot like Bruce Wayne . I ’m interested to see where that particular moral force contract the series , although I ’m guessing it ’s nowhere adept .
The independent thrust of this first military issue is that even 2nd - pace baddie have become far more creative and worrying in their schemes , as the formerly low - grade bad guy wire Firefly starts remotely lighting people on fire using volatile nanites . The good deal of people spontaneously bursting into flame is a horrific image , and the muckle of Batman shooting the victims with a gun ( even if it is just loaded with froth capsules ) is off - putting in an entirely different way . Dini and Nguyen clearly are n’t afraid of disturbing content and imagery , something confirmed by a scene where this brutal novel vigilance man deliver a child harlot .
Still , none of it seems uncalled-for or exploitative , and considering Paul Dini ’s employment on Batman : The Animated Series is a immense cause why I jazz superheroes in the first shoes , I ’m in spades optimistic that he knows what he ’s doing . Batman : Streets of Gotham also sport a second feature article asterisk Manhunter , which picks up on some threads from Battle for the Cowl . Right now , I ’m plow it rigorously as a nice fillip to the primary news report , but I was impressed with what I saw and am concerned to see how successfully a perfect tale can be told in this poor format .
Red Robin is something of an oddball compare to the other five major unexampled or renewed Batman Word of God . It ’s very decidedly not limit in Gotham City , as Tim Drake sets out to trip the reality in search of Bruce Wayne , who he is confident is still alive ( looks like somebody show to the very end of Final Crisis ) . He ’s also struggling to make sense of Dick Grayson choosing Damian Wayne over him as Robin , force him to assume his unexampled Red Robin identity . Even his name is providing him with experiential angst – is he Tim Drake or Tim Wayne , and what does either say about him ?
Tim Drake was probably always destined to be the character who lose the most in the wake of Bruce Wayne ’s death . There was no way he was ever pass to become Batman instead of Dick Grayson , and I ’m not certain the two really could have worked as a Batman and Robin mating . Clearly , the power - that - be at DC agreed , as a flashback show Dick rather unceremoniously sending Tim on his merry way , primarily on the earth that Dick needs to keep a faithful center on the probably psychotic Damian Wayne . Dick has a degree , but it does n’t make it seem any less unjust .
Not to diminish Chris Yost ’s writing or the graphics of Ramon Bachs , but I suspect Red Robin will become more interesting down the route . This is clearly being set up as the key book in Bruce Wayne ’s ultimate return , but that is n’t going to chance for at least a year or two . Much as I like Tim Drake , I ’m not sure his angst - ridden solo dangerous undertaking can really keep consistent quality before the serial turn over its raw conclusion , in which Tim find his adoptive father .
Tim express explicitly in this egress that he became Red Robin in part because it is not close associated with Batman , mean he can track lines without speculate poorly on Dick and Alfred . He is distinctly head for a darker place , and DC ’s recent caterpillar track record in taking characters to darker home gives me serious concern . ( I ’m still not over what they did to pitiable Mary Marvel . ) That tell , this first matter pulls off the fresh , darker Tim fairly well , and put at the final stage of the issue a reveal of Ra ’s al Ghul ( who is fast becoming Tim Drake ’s archenemy ) is a passably good way to keep my sake .
Finally , Outsiders seems barely related to the relaxation of these Batman Koran , and it ’s almost surprising that this calendar month ’s issuing actually carry the “ Batman Reborn ” streamer . As though to remind casual readers of the connection , issue 19 feature of speech Alfred and the Batman - charm Owlman on the screening , but this is the only ledger of the seven in which Batman is n’t even really referenced .
That said , author Peter Tomasi is craft a suitable follow-up to his work on final Nightwing and Robin books , and if the somewhat tenuous Batman connexion was highlighted to repel up sales , at least readers are being betoken in the direction of a skillful Scripture . It ’s refreshing to see a superhero team that can actually form together in effect ( although the angst gets ratcheted up in this payoff as Geo - Force looks for some even more final retribution against Deathstroke ) .
The ongoing tale pits the Outsiders against the very fittingly nominate Insiders , a mysterious quintet with greatly extended lifespans who are looking to achieve true immortality . To do this , they require to recuperate fragments of the meteorite that gave supervillain Vandal Savage his immortality 52,000 years ago . The storey becomes importantly more interesting in this issue , as Savage himself bend up , followed by DC ’s other immortal supervillain , Ra ’s al Ghul , whose appearance will hopefully push this into more solidly Batman - related territory . ( Also , if you ’re scoring at base , that think two dissimilar books in this month ’s “ Batman Reborn ” showcase end with last page Ra ’s al Ghul reveals . That guy wire certainly gets around . )
So with all these various launch , relaunches , and continuations , which books are actually deserving buying on a unconstipated basis ? candidly , I ’m excited for all seven of them ( I ’m also aroused about my impending bankruptcy ) . But for those looking to be a little more selective , I ’d have to say Batman and Robin , Batman , and Gotham City Sirens are the most promising series thus far and the one most deserving of your prompt attention . It ’s been a foresighted route back , but it looks like Batman is eventually in dependable hands once again , even if Bruce Wayne is still nowhere to be seen .
BatmanBatman and RobinCatwomanGreg RuckaTim Drake
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