Titans #21 - A Review

Roy Harper is convinced he has uncovered a super-villain conspiracy but Donna Troy fears he may be back on heroine and hallucinating. When Dick Grayson and Wally West go to confront their friend and former teammate, who will emerge victorious in the fight that follows?


Usually whenever you have a comic where the heroes are fighting other heroes, it is lazy padding. Granting I may be biased as a Roy Harper fan who is thrilled to see a story that remembers that Arsenal is a master strategist and no mean detective, Dan Abnett still writes a fantastic issue full of pathos, ethos and action.  The artwork is top-notch, with Paul Pelletier giving every panel a sense of active motion - even the simple scenes of characters talking on the phone. The finishes by Andrew Hennessy and Adriano Lucas are also excellent.

The Final Analysis: 10 out of 10.

Detective Comics Annual #1 - A Review

Basil Karlo was once on Hollywood's A-List. Then a tragic accident saw him transformed into something else as he tried to reclaim his old life. Seeking redemption under the watchful eye of Batman, Basil struggled to prove that he was more than just a monster.

Now the full tale of how Basil Karlo became Clayface can be told!



There's not much to say about Detective Comics Annual #1 other than it is brilliant, as all of James Tynion IV's work with Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira and Adriano Lucas has been brilliant. Though we know where the story of Basil Karlo is going, Tynion's script adds enough wrinkles to keep the reader guessing as well as a few nods to Clayface's most famous origin from Batman: The Animated Series.The artwork, as noted, is spectacular with not a single mistake or missed opportunity in any panel. If you haven't been reading Detective Comics, this is a great issue to start with. It's also a must-read if you enjoy a good villainous origin story,

The Final Verdict: 10/10.

Detective Comics #966 - A Review

Trapped in the other-dimensional prison of Mr. Oz, Tim Drake has found a most unlikely ally in his escape attempt - himself. A future version of Tim Drake who became Batman, to be precise. This worries Tim for multiple reasons, the primary one being his own determination to do something with his life beyond being a vigilante. So how did Tim Drake turn from a college-bound prodigy into the last, best hope of Gotham City? The tale shall be told...



The second chapter of A Lonely Place Of Living is even more intense than the first. Freed from the burden of tying into the events of the Superman series, this issue is free to focus on Tim Drake and who he truly is as he is confronted with what he might become. James Tynion IV's script is equaled in excellence by the art of Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira and Adriano Lucas. If you only read one Batman book, this is the one to be reading!

The Final Analysis: 10 out of 10.

Nightwing #29 - A Review

Lost within a ring of snow and ice - the second circle of the labyrinth formed out of Gotham City - our heroes find themselves contending with a twisted version of Mr. Freeze and an army of frost giants! Thankfully, Nightwing has arrived on the scene to join the search for Batman, but he faces his own inner-conflict regarding the menace they face. Meanwhile, The Teen Titans meet up with The Suicide Squad, forming a reluctant alliance to get into the maze themselves...


The unfortunate thing about comic-book crossovers is that new readers, attracted by the linking story line, may find themselves turned away from a single chapter due to unexplained references to the book's regular story. This problem plagues Nightwing #29 which makes repeated mention of a villain called Dr. Hurt and Dick Grayson's connection to The Court of Owls. While I am vaguely familiar with this plot-line from Scott Snyder's Batman, Tim Seely doesn't do a very good job of explaining it and it's largely incidental to the action of the issue in any case. Even that much might be confusing for those readers who haven't already read Batman: The Red Death #1, which is more efficient in explaining the basic idea of The Dark Multiverse.

Thankfully, this issue's script makes up for this shortcoming in other ways. Seely's grasp of the characters, for instance, is top-notch. I was particularly gratified to see Killer Croc as being written as something other than a complete idiot, though Damian Wayne is back to being a spoiled brat. Your mileage may vary on if this is an accurate assessment of his character, but it doesn't jibe with what we saw in Teen Titans last week. But whatever - I can forgive a lot simply for the revelation that Harley Quinn and Green Arrow are both pen-and-paper RPG players.


The artwork is a similarly mixed bag. Paul Pelleiter is a good artist but his detail-driven style suffers in the small panels that the story requires. This frequently causes the panels to be cluttered and only the fact that Andrew Hennessy applies his inks so sparingly saves the issue. Even then, the fine details are often lost in the more heavily-shaded panels with a higher saturation of darker colors.

The Final Analysis: 6 out of 10.  Decent enough but it could have been so much better.

Titans Annual #1 - A Review

Eight heroes. Four mentors. Four pupils. Four Titans. Four Justice League founders. Trapped in a maze that resists their every effort to map it or escape it by an unseen enemy, they must overcome their paranoia as they puzzle out who has trapped them and why. But can they really trust each other?


Describing Titans Annual #1 as Cube with superheroes - while an apt summary - would do it a disservice. Dan Abnett's script is far more than that, playing off of Abnett's knowledge of their characters and the reader's uncertainty as to just how things stand between these characters in the Rebirth reality. In this, Abnett is able to define another piece of the lost lore of the Titans while spinning a riveting tale and making use of an underused villain I was quite pleased to see return.

And yes, it must be said, we do discover Donna Troy's origins in the Rebirth reality here. It's something wholly original (as far as I know) and rather fitting given the changes to Diana's background in The New 52. More I will not say beyond this issue being a must read for any Wonder Girl fans out there.

The artwork for this special is outstanding. Minkyu Jung does a fine job of keeping the story moving visually - no small feat given how much of the story is the characters just talking! The use of light and shadow is particularly impressive and the colors by Adriano Lucas are perfectly chosen.

Detective Comics #950 - A Review

Detective Comics #950 is an over-sized anthology special. More than that, it's a showcase of everything this series has to offer in the Rebirth era, giving both the regular art teams and guest artists Marcio Takara and Dean White a chance to display their talents bringing James Tynion IV's masterful writing to life.


The first chapter - a prologue to the upcoming League of Shadows storyline - is told from the perspective of Cassandra Cain a.k.a. Orphan. I've never been a big fan of the character but damned if this story didn't make me see Cassie in a whole new light. Her frustration with being unable to communicate her thoughts verbally will be sympathetic to anyone who has ever had trouble expressing themselves. The artwork is easily the best thing I've ever seen drawn by Marcio Takara and Dean White's colors are perfectly applied.



The second story, Higher Power, is a short one which focuses on two members of the Bat Family in need of further development - Batwing and Azrael. Tynion's script goes beyond its simple faith vs. science set-up, focusing upon the odd friendship and differing attitudes between the two tech-based heroes.  The artwork by Alvaro Martinez, Raul Fernandez and Brad Anderson is consistent with their usual output - entirely excellent.


The final chapter, The Big Picture, details a flashback conversation between Batman and Tim Drake. Despite nominally serving no purpose other than setting up the Dark Days crossover event due to run through all the Batman books in 2017, its an solid character piece for both characters. The artwork by Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira and Adriano Lucas is damn good too.

Detective Comics #946 - A Review

As Batman confronts The First Victim, the rest of his team are having their own encounters with the rest of the new gang called The Victim Syndicate.  Batwoman goes head-on with Mister Noxious and Madame Crow as Clayface faces his own villainous past and the woman he wronged, who was transformed into Mudface. Meanwhile, Stephanie has her own surprising encounter with a familiar face in The Belfry.


I regret that I don't have a scanner large enough to capture the glorious two page spreads that depict most of the action in this issue. Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Julio Ferreira and Adriano Lucas are crafting pure magic together with their work on this series. Coupled with some fantastic character moments, as written by James Tynion IV, this is easily the strongest Batman book on the stands.

Detective Comics #945 - A Review

As Batman looks into his past to find the identity of The First Victim, the rest of The Belfry Team undergo psychiatric evaluation. Some members of the team are doubting their place. Others question the presence of other members of the team. Yet all of Gotham's heroes will be needed when The Victim Syndicate attacks again...


The artwork for this issue is all over the place. Unfortunately, this goes beyond the conflicting styles of the two art teams. Carmen Carnero and Scott Hanna do a fine job together but the work by Al Barrionuevo in the opening pages looks sloppy and inconsistent. Still, it serves as an interesting lesson in how a good inker can make or break a book.


Thankfully, the writing of James Tynion IV continues to be this book's most consistently excellent feature. There are a number of great character moments in this issue. I was particularly happy to see Clayface getting some much-needed exploration, since the series so far has said little about what prompted his sudden heroic streak. The final page offers a cliff-hanger that will leave readers anxiously awaiting the next issue in three weeks.

Detective Comics #944 - A Review

A new gang is in Gotham but this one is unusual even by the standards of Batman's hometown. Dubbing themselves The Victim Syndicate, they promise a never-ending reign of terror until Batman unmasks himself and promises to end his war on crime. For all of the Syndicate members are indeed victims - people caught in the crossfire of various super-villain attacks on Batman over the years.


While the idea that Batman may cause more harm than good by providing costumed villains with a target has been explored before (most famously in the Batman: The Animated Series episode Trial), James Tynion IV's The Victim Syndicate puts a unique spin on the idea by focusing on the very people Batman and his allies try to help. The syndicate members are interesting conceptually, with powers accquired from their exposure to other Batman rogues (Mr. Noxious, for instance, was once controlled by Poison Ivy and left with an ability to make people around him nauseous). Tynion manages to keep these new villains from seeming derivative and does more in this issue to make Luke Fox into a distinct character (if not a likeable one) than I believe any other writer has managed since Luke's creation.


The artwork proves equally phenomenal. The lighting effects Adriano Lucas creates with mere color are astonishing, adding interesting highlights to the shadows crafted by inker Eber Ferreira. And Eddy Barrows is one of the best pencilers to tackle the Batman family in some time.

Detective Comics #940 - A Review

The plans of the paramilitary group known as The Colony have been thwarted!  The state-of-the-art drones intended kill hundreds of innocent Gothamites have been hacked and redirected towards a single target. Unfortunately, that single target is Tim Drake!


I wish I could show you more of the wonderful artwork in this issue beyond this single page. Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira and Adriano Lucas are delivering the greatest work in their careers. There is one splash page in particular that astonished me.

Unfortunately, such is the nature of this James Tynion IV's story here that I can say little and show less without giving away the game completely. In fact, there's only one thing I can say regarding this issue. Detective Comics is the best Batman book on the stands right now and you'd be a fool not to be reading it.

Detective Comics #939 - A Review

Before the battle with The Colony began, Tim Drake had made a fateful decision regarding his future as a vigilante and his collegiate career. It was a decision he had hoped to discuss with Batman in private but circumstances did not allow it. Now, with The Colony sending an army of drones into Gotham City, Tim Drake will have to make another big decision to save the city and his team.


Detective Comics continues to be the best of the new wave of Batman comics. While the focus of this issue is on Red Robin, James Tynion IV takes care to give every moment of the ensemble cast a moment to shine. Indeed, this may be the best issue yet for Clayface as far as character moments go.

The artwork maintains the same high level of quality. Eddy Barrows is one of the best artists working in the field today and every page of this book looks fantastic. It is the work of inker Eber Ferreira and colorist Adriano Lucas that truly make this book memorable, however, with subtle alterations crafting wonderful faded asides like the one above of Stephanie Brown.

Detective Comics #935 - A Review

The new team Batman has formed under Batwoman's command continues to train together but has yet to venture out in search of the vigilante hunters now patrolling Gotham's streets. All of them are anxious to fight but none more so than Tim Drake, who is more used to leading a team than following orders. Yet Tim has his reasons for wanting to get out in the field - a once-in-a-lifetime chance may soon take away his ability to serve as a superhero at all...


The focus of this issue is on Tim Drake and that is greatly to its benefit and the readers'. The relationship between Tim Drake and Bruce Wayne was one of the first casualties of The New 52 and it has never been clear just where the two stood with each other over the last five years. James Tynion IV explains everything here simply and quickly, catching-up new readers whilst satisfying those Bat-fans who fondly remember Tim Drake's days as Robin in the 1990s and 2000s.

While the focus is on Tim, the rest of the cast get their moments in the sun as well.  The complicated relationship between Kate Kane and her father from the Batwoman books continues to be explored and we get a few brief pages of Stephanie Brown and Tim Drake being a cute young couple that aren't worrying about their lives as heroes for a bit... even as Steph's sometimes roommate Cassandra accidentally butts in on their "us time".  Even Basil "Clayface" Karlo gets a nice moment as he asks Tim, somewhat sheepishly, if it would be okay for him to take the device Tim created that locked him into a human shape to go out to an audition... purely so he can feel like his old actor self again for a few hours.


The artwork for this series thus far perfectly matches the scripts in quality and tone. Eddy Barrows is one of the best pencilers to work on the Batman books in years and Eber Ferreira's inks complete his work wonderfully. There is a nice effect - I assume it is the work of colorist Adriano Lucas - in which several portraits of the characters have a somewhat muted look that contrasts with the more sharply defined panel work. This softer edge is quite striking, ironically standing out all the stronger amid the more focused artwork in the panels.

Detective Comics #934 - A Review

Gotham City has become full of costumed avengers since Batman began his war on crime. Now, someone with resources and an army is tracking them all, apparently intent on bring them down. In order to win the battle to come, Batman needs to transform them from rogue vigilantes into an organized group. To that end he recruits Batwoman as his partner and teacher to this rag-tag group of vigilantes he hopes to shape into a team.


I went into this title with high expectations, having enjoyed James Tynion IV's previous work on Batman and Constantine The Hellblazer. I was not disappointed. Not only has he perfectly captured the essence of several long-neglected characters but he has also improved upon them. For instance, the relationship between Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown - considered by many to be a highlight of Chuck Dixon's Robin series - seems all the stronger here for being a partnership of equals.



The artwork is equally excellent. Eddy Barrows' designs for all the characters are outstanding, from his streamlined Batman to the nightmarish Clayface. Eber Ferreira avoids drowning the page in ink - a problem many Bat-inkers seem unable to avoid. And Adriano Lucas' finds the perfect palettes to finish everything up.