Batman #681 — Writer: Grant Morrison; Penciller: Tony Daniel; Inker: Sandu Florea
The end of Batman: R.I.P., and the “death” of Batman, or at least the disappearance of Bruce Wayne for a while. My initial reaction on paging through this was disappointment — that’s all there is? — and I’ll bet readers who come into it cold, buying it just for the “collectability,” will wonder what the hell is going on, too (hey, dude, it’s confusing — who are all these people? — and there isn’t even a body!). As usual with this writer, though, on a second reading I liked it quite a bit more. Here, at the conclusion, we get the super-competent, one-up-on-everyone Batman (and, it must be remembered, Morrison showed us that version in his first-ever JLA story, too, the one where the Dark Knight faced down a mob of Martians single-handedly, and easily), and the story earns points for not trying to fool the reader into thinking this character is actually dead — Morrison knows better, and he trusts the readers to know it too, with a nod and a wink and a reminder that no one, ever, can actually out-think or out-plan Bruce Wayne.
Body Bags #1 (of 1) — Writer/Artist: Jason Pearson
I was hesitant to buy this, because the last three of these Pearson one-shots all turned out to be the same old reprints of earlier stories, but here we finally have the real thing: 44 pages of new story and art (for $5.99), following the exploits of Daddy and Panda, a father/daughter near-future bounty-hunter team, as they take on a group of terrorists holed up in a rooftop penthouse who… well, never mind; it’s funny and profane, with more operatic violence and action than a Die Hard movie, delivered via lots of big splashes and super-competent, engaging art that reminds me of Art Adams, and it’s all a lot of cheap thrills and cynical fun, and worth every penny.
The Umbrella Academy: Dallas #1 (of 6) — Writer: Gerard Way; Artist: Gabriel Ba
The return of one of last year’s surprise hits, with more inspired art by Ba (it reminds me of Mike Mignola, but cartoonier, and so lighter on its feet), as the fractured team picks up the pieces after the events of the last mini-series, and faces a new threat. As with the first story, Way is surprisingly good, too — he may be a newcomer as a comics scripter, but he has an old pro’s easy assurance in exploring his well-thought-out-world, and slowly revealing the characters of the grown-up misfits who are struggling to be heroes in it.
Battlefields: The Night Witches #2 (of 3) — Writer: Garth Ennis; Artist: Russ Braun
Not much to say about this that I didn’t say after the first issue, except to underline how impressive Ennis is at this kind of story: the historical details, the sharply-drawn, three-dimensional characters, and always, sometimes lurking in the background and sometimes shoved right into the reader’s face, the grim necessities and over-the-top horrors of war.
Runaways #4 — Writer: Terry Moore; Penciler: Humberto Ramos; Inker: Dave Meikis
Not much more to say about this one, either, but it’s worth mentioning just how easily Moore and Ramos have meshed, and how quickly they’ve figured out what makes this team of outcast kids so appealing, both visually and as characters; the book’s both fun to read and fun to look at, and that’s a rare, and welcome, combination.
DMZ #36 — Writer: Brian Wood; Artist: Kristian Donaldson
Another book that I just keep buying, because Wood is so dependably entertaining; his near-future New York City, the demilitarized zone of the title after an aborted US Civil War between “Free States” and the government, still manages, after three years, to hold up a dark mirror to both military and civilian idiocy (Guantanamo Bay and “wars on terror” being the subject of the current arc) and the everyday, reluctant grunts and regular citizens who try to deal with it without losing their humanity.
Stuff I read and liked enough to buy, but don’t have much to say about, so read previous reviews in the archives if you’re interested:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight #19 — Writer: Joss Whedon; Pencils: Karl Moline; Inks: Andy Owens
Ultimate Spider-Man #128 — Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Penciler: Stuart Immonen; Inker: Wade von Grawbadger
Legion of Super-Heroes #48 (of 50) — Writer: Jim Shooter; Penciller: Francis Manapul; Inker: Livesay
Daredevil #113 — Writer: Ed Brubaker; Artists: Michael Lark and Stefano Gaudiano
Captain America #44 — Writer: Ed Brubaker; Penciler: Luke Ross; Inkers: Fabio Laguna and Rick Magyar
Batman: Gotham After Midnight #7 (of 12) — Writer: Steve Niles; Artist: Kelley Jones
Jack of Fables #28 — Writers: Matthew Sturges and Bill Willingham; Pencils: Tony Akins; Inks: Jose Marzan Jr.
Superman and Batman Vs. Vampires and Werewolves #4 (of 6) — Writer: Kevin VanHook; Art: Tom Mandrake
Glamourpuss #4 — Writer/Artist: Dave Sim
Phil Mateer
