Thursday Night Comic Con News Round-Up - Part Two

* Joker will be returning in a big way in "Death Of The Family" - a crossover spanning most of the Bat-Family books. Scott Snyder, Tony Daniel and Kyle Higgins all agree that their respective contributions are by far the most disturbing things they have ever written. (Batman: Beyond The Night Of Owls Panel)

* Lady Shiva will make her first appearance in a New 52 title in Nightwing #13. (Batman: Beyond The Night Of Owls Panel)

* Ed Benes will be taking over as the regular artist on Batgirl with Issue #13. (Batman: Beyond The Night Of Owls Panel)

Nightwing #1 - A Review

Nightwing was one of the first titles I read when I was just getting into comics. With a memorable supporting cast and energetic artwork it remains a favorite of mine to this day. As such, you can imagine my joy when I heard that Dick Grayson would be getting his own book again as part of The New 52 revamp and my eagerness to see if this new title lived up to the original.

We start in the thick of the action, watching Dick Grayson – back to his old codename of Nightwing but with a slightly modified costume – as he acrobatically dispenses some street justice. Noticing that Haly’s Circus – the one he was a part of before his parents’ deaths – is in town, he drops in to touch base with his old circus friends and reacquaints himself with Raya – an attractive redhead acrobat. He is on his way home, thinking happy thoughts, when he is suddenly attacked by a masked man.who is after Dick Grayson – not Nightwing – for completely unbelievable reasons…

Given my opinions on Deathstroke #1, you can imagine my dread when I realized that the author of this new Nightwing book is Kyle Higgins, who I was less than kind towards last week. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find that I enjoyed most of what I saw here. True, a part of me is disappointed that Dick has apparently not been keeping tabs on his former home, it having been said in the previous Nightwing book that Dick thought of the people he grew up with in the circus as family. But Higgins perfectly captures Dick’s cheerful personality and sly humor. The action scenes are well-blocked and the mystery brought up in the final pages - which seems to match up with the same mystery revealed on the last page of Batman #1 – is an engaging one.

Artist Eddy Barrows proves every bit the equal of Scott McDaniel. The early part of the issue is filled with a series of two-page spreads, which show the full range of Nightwing’s acrobatic motion. The action flows well from panel to panel and the character design is good, with every character having a distinct look.

All in all, I was pleased with this issue. I’m not yet ready to declare Higgins and Barrows the Dixon and McDaniel of the Modern Age but this is a good title with a solid story and amazing artwork. Give it a try.

Deathstroke #1 - A Review

Fans of Deathstroke were nervous when writer Kyle Higgins gave his first interview regarding the character. Part of this nervousness stemmed from his stating that his favorite Deathstroke scene ever was the part in Identity Crisis where Deathstroke single-handedly fought the entire Justice League - a moment most die-hard of Slade Wilson fans agree severely overestimates his abilities. Another part of this nervousness came from Higgins’ statement that Slade’s children were not going to be a part of the book. But perhaps the most worrying statement of all was this one…

“I always felt that, when I read the Rogues in Flash, at least some of them had a code of honor, that doesn't really exist among the people operating in this underworld.”

Honor was always at the very heart of Slade Wilson, at least back in his days as a Teen Titans villain. The portrayal has become somewhat skewed by various writers over the last decade but the core of Deathstroke was always meant by creator Marv Wolfman to be that of a soldier who always honored his word and the letter of his contracts, even when he was hired to do some questionable things.

But this is a new DC Universe. And ultimately any quibbling about past characterization is pointless because that Slade Wilson is not THIS Slade Wilson. And all the wishing in the world will not make him so. All we can do is look at the book before us and consider it on its’ own merits.

Sadly, this book has few merits. I can say that Kyle Higgins is quick to introduce us to Deathstroke and set up the concept of the book but there is little depth beyond that. All we need to know (and all we are told) is that Deathstroke is a badass metahuman who specializes in the jobs everyone else says are impossible. Beyond that, he is a generic action hero – Arnold Schwarzenegger sans puns.

The plot of the issue has Slade being paired up (over his protests that he usually works alone) with an up-and-coming mercenary team called the Alpha Dawgs. The mission is to kill a certain arms dealer while in mid-flight & to steal some undefined McGuffin. It spoils nothing to say that the issue ends with Slade successful, although it is surprising to see his agent tearfully confessing that he’s unable to find Slade work outside of bodyguard duty and team gigs because nobody thinks he can cut it in the field anymore. This after a whole issue telling us that Slade is considered the best of the best and respected for his ability to achieve the impossible.

At least the artwork by Joe Bennett is good but – as we say in Texas – you can paint a cow pie and try and make it pretty, but that won’t stop it from stinking. Bennett is a wonderful visual storyteller, managing to depict enclosed scenes without the artwork becoming cramped. He also does some mighty fine splash pages, like the one below.

Ultimately, Bennett’s fine artwork is propping up a story that is dead on arrival. Even ignoring every single past portrayal of Slade Wilson, one can’t ignore that the Slade Wilson we see here has less depth than Duke Nukem and the set-up makes no sense! You can’t be universally known for doing the impossible on a regular basis and then have trouble finding work because people think you can’t cut it!

To quote Linkara, “This Comic Sucks!”