Batman: Lost #1

Lost in The Dark Multiverse, Bruce Wayne finds himself experiencing story after story, world after world where things are wrong. He must find his way back to his reality but can The Dark Knight deduce what is truly real?


With multiple writers, artists and inkers, there is very little cohesion between the various bits and bobs that make up Batman: Lost. Yet that confusion, sown as an elderly Bruce Wayne reads stories of his adventures to his granddaughter, proves the unifying x-factor as the creative teams go hog-wild on presenting us with various visions of Batman. It has the feel of a fever dream but it captures that sensation perfectly.

The Final Analysis: 9 out of 10. An interesting trip that must be experienced for one's self.

Nightwing: Rebirth #1 - A Review

Despite Chuck Dixon's Nightwing being one of my favorite series of all time, I haven't been following Dick Grayson's recent adventures that closely. I was unimpressed with the first issue of the New 52 Nightwing series and haven't thought much of what few cameos I've seen of Dick playing the secret agent in Batgirl. I haven't read a single issue of Grayson and was only vaguely aware of Dick's secret identity being outed during the Forever Evil storyline.

Thankfully, Nightwing: Rebirth #1 proves a welcome introduction for readers who don't know Dick Grayson or, like myself just haven't been keeping up on recent events.





There isn't much of a plot to this issue nor is there a lot of action. The story is made up of a series of vignettes, showing Dick saying goodbye to his old life and reclaiming the Nightwing name. There's also some brief scenes involving Dick's enemies in The Court Of Owls and a scene establishing the new Huntress, who was apparently a character in Grayson, before she goes off to star in the new Batgirl And The Birds Of Prey series. Tim Seely does a fantastic job of providing this exposition naturally, without it seeming like he's just throwing out factoids for the newbies.

The artwork is equally efficient. Yanick Paquette instills a sense of motion to every panel - even the ones which just feature two people sitting down talking! This keeps the story moving and exciting, despite a distinct lack of fight scenes. And the color art by Nathan Fairbairn finds the perfect balance between light and dark, as befits the title character.

All New Wolverine #6 - A Review

Laura Kinney - now called Wolverine - was astonished to find that she had "sisters". Clones made by the sinister Alchemax Genetics, altered to have no sense of pain and grown to be disposable assassins. Now, with one of the sisters dead, the girls are out for revenge. But will Laura be able to maintain her vow not to kill in the face of such evil?

This issue proves a perfect conclusion to a wonderful opening arc. As I've said before, I've never been a big fan of Wolverine or the former X-23 but I'll give anything by Tom Taylor a shot. And I'm glad I did, because this series has been full of Taylor's trademark dark humor as well as some amazing action sequences.


The artwork, as usual, proves epic in scope. David Lopez and David Navarrot are a highly underrated art team who deserve an Eisner Award for their work here. The color art by Nathan Fairbairn is equally impressive.

All New Wolverine #5 - A Review

The hunt for a cure for her "sisters'" condition leads Wolverine to Pym Labratories and an ill-advised attempt to steal an Ant-Man suit. Thankfully, The Wasp is sympathetic to the girls' plight and willing to help fight the nanintes that are threatening to tear them apart from the inside. Unfortunately, that's a task that's easier said than done.


I've never been much of an Avengers fan but I've always liked the spunky, confident, take-charge take on Janet Van Dyne from what modern Avengers comics I've seen as well as her characterization in the Earth's Mightiest Heroes cartoon. Tom Taylor's take on The Wasp is woven of the same cloth and it's nice to see her in action here. It's also nice to see that Laura is marked as being a distinctively different fighter than Logan, taking care to plot some strategy before cutting loose.


The art team continues to impress.  David Lopez and David Navarrot continue to nail it out of the park with every page. And Nathan Fairbairn's colors are perfectly chosen throughout.

All New Wolverine #4 - A Review

Wolverine needs a safe place to hide herself and her three "sisters".  And there's few places safer than the home of Doctor Strange, at least when it comes to mundane menaces. But opening the wrong doors can unleash terrible things...
Despite one of my favorite comics mini-series of all time being the Giffen/DeMatties/MacGuire Defenders, I still don't think of Doctor Strange being a comedic character. Then again, I never really thought about Wolverine - Logan or Laura - being funny characters until Tom Taylor got his hands on them. This may be the most uproariously funny issue of this series so far yet it is also the most touching and the most action-packed. This book has the perfect balance of ethos, pathos and hilarity as well as ax-wielding berserk young women killing monsters.

Taylor is backed by an excellent art team. David Lopez and David Navarrot deliver their usual stellar work on the pencils and inks. And Nathan Fairbaim finishes things beautifully with his color art.

All-New Wolverine #3 - A Review

Laura Kinney's first mission as the new Wolverine isn't off to a stellar start. While she successful stopped an assassination attempt, she also discovered the assassin was a clone like her.  As in, exactly like her!

Now Laura has uncovered the clone's "sisters" - all part of the same batch created by the sinister Alchemax Genetics. But Alchemax wants their rebellious property back. And while Laura can handle herself in a fight, it remains to be seen if she can cope with three equally strong-willed young women who don't share her desire to avoid killing.
I don't usually associate humor with Wolverine as a title but I do associate it with the writing of Tom Taylor. There's a wit to all of Taylor's writing that is unique and it's adapted quite well - scarily so - to the darker tone this series requires. This is not to say that things are all laughs. Far from it! There's plenty of action as well as some general badassery.  Overall, the tone is sharp and well-balanced, like a katana.
The artwork is just as good as the writing. David Lopez and David Navarrot are performing miracles on a monthly basis. And the colors by Nathan Fairbairn are well chosen and always thematically appropriate.

All-New Wolverine #2 - A Review

Identity issues are part of the package when you're a clone. Yet Laura Kinney is experiencing a whole new range of odd emotions with the discovery that she has "sisters" - imperfect clones who lack her powers but have been granted a superhuman-tolerance for pain and a complete lack of empathy. Or so the scientists who created them claim. Of course Laura would be reluctant to kill these girls even without her suspicions there's more going on than is obvious. But will the trio of remaining assassins have the same qualms about sparing her if The Wolverine forces a fight?


Any fears that Tom Taylor might be forced to hold back on the humor while writing a dour, serious X-Title have proven totally unfounded. While not as uproariously funny as his work on Superior Iron Man, there are still some truly funny bits amid the action of this issue. And the action is top-notch as well!


Taylor's scripts are brought to life beautifully by David Lopez and David Navarrot. The character designs give each of the Laura Kinney clones a distinct look. There's no trouble telling who is who, even ignoring the differences in age and one of the clones being an albino.  It's a subtle touch but a nice one and it's good to see they didn't leave the characters' visual identity entirely in the hands of colorist Nathan Fairbairn.