His mind broken by the tortures of The Victim Syndicate, Clayface is rampaging through Gotham City... straight for the protesters assembled by The First Victim. The Gotham Knights have some unexpected help in trying to prevent disaster, but will they be able to save their former comrade? Or will one of their own take it upon themselves to solve the Clayface problem permanently?
James Tynion IV brings the current storyline to a stunning and satisfactory conclusion. Unfortunately, while Tynion's writing is as great as ever, the artwork for this issue doesn't work at all. Colorist Jason Wright uses a bright palette that doesn't suit the story, particularly when applied to the ink-light artwork of Jesus Merino. Despite this comic looking way too bright, Merino over-inks the outlines of his characters without adding any shading to the interior line work. This leaves the entire book looking odd, but still worth fighting through to enjoy the story. The Final Analysis: 5 out of 10. Great story, but the artwork is totally at war with it.
As riots break out around Gotham and Anarky revels in the chaos that he and The First Victim have unleashed, Batman must stare down a Basil Karlo driven mad by the torture he experienced at the hands of The Victim Syndicate. Batwoman may have a way to stop the rampaging Clayface but could her solution unleash Tim Drake's worst nightmare?
Again, I find myself wanting to sing the praises of this book yet unable to articulate its glories to the uninitiated. Such is the rich tale that James Tynion IV has told that it is impossible to relate the parts without considering the whole. This is Detective Comics only flaw - it defies the casual reader and denies easy access. To read it, one must start from the beginning or not bother at all. The journey will prove well worth it, however, particularly with the amazing art of Miguel Mendonca, Diana Egea and Jason Wright.
Anarky and The Victim Syndicate have control of Arkham Asylum and Clayface in their clutches. Now, with the people of Gotham City turning upon their vigilantes in the wake of the news that Batman enlisted Clayface in his war on crime and Batman's closest allies with the city and The Gotham Knights questioning his actions, Batman must make a bold choice in order to save his city.
The only bad part about Detective Comics #971 is its complete inaccessibility to new readers. James Tynion IV's plotting is dense and there's no way to just jump into this book at this point. You must have been reading since the beginning of DC Rebirth or there's just no chance of understanding it. Those devote Bat-Fans who try it, however, will find one of the most rewarding stories in years.
This complex story is told through some equally complex artwork. Miguel Mendonca's detail-driven style is a good match for Tynion IV's script. It is the inks of Diana Egea, however, which truly make this issue sparkle. Egea adds just the right amount of shade and definition, leaving the finishing artwork looking distinctive but not overly dark. Jason Wright's work on the color art is equally impressive.
Tim Drake is back in control of The Belfry and The Gotham Knights have hit the organized criminals of Gotham City with a vengeance. Yet Stephanie "Spoiler" Brown wonders at Tim's newfound enthusiasm for crime-fighting and wonders if he's still committed to their plan to give it up to go to college together once Tim's plans are in place. Meanwhile, as Basil "Clayface" Karlo considers the possibility of a cure for his condition, The Victim's Syndicate make their next move against the vigilantes of Gotham City.
Detective Comics #970 is largely a house-keeping issue, light on action with most of the text devoted to reminding the regular readers of the many subplots that are up in the air at the moment. James Tynion IV manages all of the stories with the agility of a plate-spinner, continuing to display his amazing aptitude for depicting these characters.
Unfortunately, the artwork isn't quite so skillful. Joe Bennett's pencils are decent enough, though I admit I find his design for Clayface rather dull. The chief problem is that three inkers kill any chance of a uniform look to the artwork and everything looks odd as a result.
With the Artificial Intelligence created by The Order of St. Dumas poised to take over every computer network in Gotham City, the only hope may lie within the brainwashed mind of Jean Paul Valley - the man who would have been Azrael. Will a change in program save the day? Or will Zatanna's magic have to work a solo act?
The final chapter of Intelligence continues the larger problem that the storyline as a whole possessed. While I appreciate the effort to restore Azrael's place in The Bat Family in the wake of Rebirth, it has proven difficult for the reader to develop any sense of attachment to Jean Paul as most of the story has focused on other characters telling us about Jean Paul rather than letting us learn about him through his actions. Another problem is the much more riveting subplot focused on Zatanna and Batman, which only distracts away from the main story.
The artwork, at least, remains phenomenal. Messrs. Martinez, Fernandez and Anderson are one of the greatest artistic teams working in comics today and every page of this book looks fantastic throughout. Would that they had a stronger story to illustrate this time around!
The Final Analysis: 6 out of 10. Great artwork, but despite being nominally focused on Azrael, the story makes him seem like a supporting player and Zatanna's presence only distracts further from his story.
The Order of St. Dumas - the mysterious cult responsible for creating Azrael - have returned to Gotham and their ultimate weapon has been unleashed. As Jean Paul Valley prepares for the fight of his life, the rest of the team learn of his odd origins. Meanwhile, Batman seeks out his old friend Zatanna to seek her aid on another case that requires her magic touch.
Detective Comics is my favorite Batman book and that's almost entirely due to James Tynion IV. His grasp of these characters is phenomenal. While a flashback to a young Bruce Wayne and Zatanna Zatara discussing magic might seem indulgent under a lesser author, here it is a joy to read even if it ultimately has little to do with the main plot. Such is the magic of Tynion's pen and his gift for gripping dialogue.
The artwork is as excellent as the story. I'm hard pressed to think of any artistic team who has captured the savage beauty of Gotham City as well as Alvaro Martinez, Raul Fernandez and Brad Anderson have here. I regret that Martinez' gorgeous two-page layouts cannot be properly conveyed due to the size of my scanner but they are simply gorgeous and guide the reader's eye perfectly.
If this issue has a flaw it's that for all the focus on Azrael and revising his background for the reality of DC Rebirth there's surprisingly little of Jean Paul Valley in it outside of the fight scenes. It does make more sense for Batwing to be explaining the Azrael costume's AI given how taciturn Jean Paul is but it still seems a bit odd.
The Final Analysis: 8 Out of 10. A solid issue that suffers only in its inaccessibility to new readers.
Jean Paul Valley thought himself free of the Sacred Order of St. Dumas that trained him to be their perfect assassin but a visit from one of his former handlers confirms his worst fears about The Order's ultimate goals. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne plays a dangerous game trying to infiltrate the casino in The Penguin's new Iceberg Lounge.
While I've always had mixed feelings about Azrael as a character, I must say that James Tynion's handling of him here is masterful. It's still unclear exactly how much of Jean Paul Valley's background from the original Knightfall story arc in the 1990s has been transplanted into the DC Rebirth reality but the script for this issue does a fine job of explaining the technical aspects of Azrael's history and abilities. And you have to love any story in the modern day that gives a cameo to Funky Flashman of all people at the high-rollers table in The Iceberg Lounge.
The artwork for this issue is equally above par. I'm hard pressed to pick a favorite creative team for this book but Alvaro Martinez, Raul Fernandez and Brad Anderson are one of the best in the business. The pencils, inks and colors for this comic are perfection incarnate. And I want a poster of the final splash page!
The Final Analysis: 10 out of 10. If you haven't been reading Detective Comics, now is the time to start! Easily the best of the Batman books right now.
The battle for Gotham ends here. Orphan has freed her family from the clutches of The League of Shadows but can they save Gotham City from certain destruction? Even if they can, will Cassandra survive a battle with her birth mother, Lady Shiva?
Two weeks later and Marcio Takara's pencils are back to being sloppy and his finished artwork over-inked. The red-orange dominated palette utilized by Marcelo Maiolo doesn't do this issue any favors either. It's a shame because James Tynion's writing is as fine as ever but even his scripts aren't worth suffering this kind of hack-work.
Final Analysis: 4 out of 10. And that's purely for the writing.
The League of Shadows is real! Led by the vicious Lady Shiva (who has also been revealed as Cassandra Cain's birth mother) , the group's ultimate goals are unknown. All that is known for sure is that they have caused Ra's Al Ghul hardship and that they have set their sights on Gotham and Batman!
Detective Comics #952 is a master-class study in how different artists and colorists can be used to enhance the mood of a story. The issue's opening flashback sequence - depicting a conversation between Shiva and Ra's - has an entirely different tone that the rest of the issue, which is more action-oriented. By having Fernando Blanco and John Rauch illustrate this opening sequence, it gives the story more power when we shift to the present-day, which is awesomely handled by Christian Duce and Alex Sinclair.
The book's final three pages, which depict the aftermath of the battle between The Batman Family and The League of Shadows, sport a subtly different look thanks to the colors being handled by Allen Passalaqua. The effect is indescribable beyond my simply saying that effect is breath-taking and that James Tyinon IV (easily the strongest voice among the Bat-Family writers at this time) is fortunate to have such fine artists bringing his wonderful words to life.
Someone has killed Gotham City's mayor and framed Batman for the crime. There's any number of villains who could be responsible but Jacob Kane - currently a prisoner in Batman's Belfry base - says this is the work of The League of Shadows. Of course Batman doesn't believe The League of Shadows exists... but Batman has been wrong before!
Detective Comics #951 marks the first issue by artist Christian Duce and colorist Alex Sinclair. Their first outing is a strong one, with Duce's style being both intricately detailed yet uncluttered by heavy lines or inks. Sinclair avoids the dark hues that dominate most Batman books, giving this issue a distinctive and gripping look.
Despite the story building upon the previous arcs, the script by James Tynion IV remains accessible to new readers. It will mean more if the reader read last issue's prologue story but it isn't strictly required. It's a simple touch like this that makes this the strongest of the various Batman books.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The good news is that Batgirl has found the person responsible for killing several freelance techies and framing other people for the murders. The bad news is that the guilty party is an aspiring super-villain called The Velvet Tiger. And she's just as tech-savvy as Babs and armed with the tools needed to neutralize all of Batgirl's wonderful toys!
Brendan Fletcher and Cameron Stewart are to be commended for trying to expand Batgirl's rogues gallery as much as they've expanded her supporting cast of friends. A hero needs good villains to be effective and the revamped Velvet Tiger is shaping up to be a worthy arch-enemy for Batgirl. Ignoring the animal motifs, VT is just as smart as Babs and a dark mirror of what an evil Barbara Gordon might be like. Hopefully she'll be back for more fun in the future.
Am I the only one amused that Bengal is the guest artist on the same issue of Batgirl that introduces a tiger-themed villain? Probably so. But Bengal proves a worthy substitute for regular artist Babs Tarr and the artwork for this issue looks amazing.
Techies all around Gotham's Burnside district are dying from tiger attacks. Even by the standards of Gotham City, this is a strange case. Unfortunately, between helping her ex-roommate plan her wedding and stopping her current roommate from taking to the streets to assist in Batgirl's crime-fighting, Barbara Gordon already has her hands full!
I enjoy Babs Tarr's art style. It reminds me of Bruce Timm's designs for the classic Batman: The Animated Series for all the right reasons while also maintaining an aesthetic that would not look out of place in a Shojo manga. Yet I have to praise her more than usual for her tigers, which are more realistic than I expected yet somehow blend in perfectly with the cartoonish people.
The story by Brenden Fletcher and Cameron Stewart is a hoot. We've seen this broad story before - the hero has difficulty balancing friends, work and heroism in the face of a case only they can solve. Yet despite the trope-filled plot, the execution is handled very well and the sheer absurdity of the concept of techies being assassinated by tigers does much to mitigate any sense of familiarity.
As was the case with last week's issue, Batman Eternal #6 seems less interested in its grand central mystery than it is in expanding the world of New 52 Gotham. Most of this issue is devoted towards introducing us to two of Batman's more obscure partners - Batwing and The Spectre. The two are quickly teamed together to deal with a supernatural menace that Batman has little time and even less inclination to deal with personally.
The script by Constantine writer Ray Fawkes contains much of interest. The revelations that Batman has enough Nth Metal to make a batarang and that it can be used to disrupt ectoplasmic figures is but one of the more fascinating bits of trivia this issue has to offer. I also liked the idea that the normally unflappable Alfred is made uncomfortable by Master Bruce's mystic associates or that weird things happen to mirrors around The Spectre.
The artwork by Gates of Gotham artist Trevor McCarthy is a suitable fit to the script. McCarthy's figures are oddly blocky and seem better suited towards a Vertigo series than the world of Batman. Nevertheless, this distinctive style is gripping and properly spooky when it needs to be.
As long-time readers of mine are well aware, Judd Winick and I have a long, sordid and disreputable relationship.It may surprise you to know that I’ve enjoyed much of his past work, including much of his run on Green Lantern and the vampire mini-series Blood And Water.Despite this, many of my past Green Arrow reviews focused upon Winick’s failure to research the basic history of established characters he wrote for DC Comics and his apparent inability in recent years to write any series without Batman being a guest-star.But that was all in the past and I am fully prepared to let bygones be bygones.New universe.New start.
Batwing #1 introduces us to one of the newest recruits for Batman Incorporated – a public company organized by Bruce Wayne that sponsors local heroes on a global level, providing them with equipment and resources.Batwing’s secret identity is David Zavimbe; a rare honest cop in the notoriously corrupt police department of Tinasha – a fictional city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
This central concept of the Batman name and equipment being out-sourced has been carried over from Grant Morrison’s pre-Revamp Batman book.So if all of this sounds needlessly complicated or confusing, don’t worry – none of that is mentioned in this book.Indeed, there’s no explanation exactly why Batman is in Africa offering assistance to a newbie vigilante who is using the same motif.I fear this may be confusing to new readers whose vision of Batman is not well known for being gregarious toward other heroes and for limiting his activities to Gotham City.
Another thing that may confuse new readers is the book’s timeline.The issue opens with Batwing fighting a masked villain called Massacre, before flashing back to six weeks earlier as Batwing (with Batman along to assist) investigates a series of brutal murders.The issue ends on a cliff-hanger while still in the middle of the flashback.This does little to aid the sense of suspense Winick seems to be crafting as we know our hero has already survived what the last page throws at him.
At least Winick seems to have rid himself of his old habit of having Batman do all the work whenever he’s a guest in someone else’s title.Indeed, Batman defers to Batwing, asking him how he wants to handle his case and sticking to the background, save for one action scene where he handles the clean-up as Batwing confronts a local warlord the locals call Blood Tiger... for some reason.
The artwork by Ben Oliver is all-around amazing but it is colorist Brian Reber who deserves special praise.The use of color on this book is wonderful, with the palette used giving Oliver’s pencils the feeling of a painting in every page.My one complaint is that many of the action sequences suffer for being zoomed-in.There are several panels that might have benefited from a wide-angle shot rather than the close-ups we get.
Sadly, good artwork is not enough to allow me to recommend this book.The action sequences are good but the mystery isn’t engaging enough to make up for a strange timeline and an underdeveloped hero.Batman Inc. fans might enjoy it but everyone else will likely walk away from this book confused.
