Detective Comics #789

December 2, 2003

Quick Rating: Good
Title: The Randori Stone Part Two & The Tailor Part One

Juiced up on the power of the Randori Stone, Batman goes on a tear through Gotham City’s underworld.

Writers: Paul Bolles & A.J. Lieberman
Pencils: Mike Lilly & Jean-Jacques Dzialowski
Inks: Dan Davis & Dan Green
Colors: Jason Wright & Giulia Brusco
Letters: Clem Robins
Editor: Bob Schreck & Matt Idelson
Cover Art: Tim Sale & Mark Chiarello
Publisher: DC Comics

I thought part one of “The Randori Stone” was a fairly generic Batman Vs. Magic storyline, and part two didn’t change my mind about that. Batman, high on the power of the stone, cuts through the Gotham mob as an almost unstoppable juggernaut, much crueler and harsher than he normally behaves. The ending of this issue is absolutely no surprise, which is the problem with telling this sort of story. There are some things that Batman just doesn’t do, and if the story hinges on teasing the reader with the idea that he might, it will always be a letdown when he doesn’t.

I was quite impressed with Mike Lilly’s artwork in this issue, however. I really like his interpretation of Batman, drawing a much more utilitarian costume than you see from your standard “superhero” artists. He allows you to see the ridges and the seams – all in all, it looks much more realistic, and it’s a look I find I really like.

The bright spot in this issue was the back-up story by A.J. Lieberman, whom I believe has been tapped to take over Batman: Gotham Knights in a few months. If this story is indicative of his work on that title, I’m tempted to take it up again. In “The Tailor,” Batman is faced with a crook in some sort of incredibly powerful body armor. Batman knows he can’t stop the man himself, so he turns to the man who makes the best body armor in the business to help him find a weak point.

Batman is a character who knows a little about everything, but that means he simply can’t know everything about everything. So, like every great detective from Sherlock Holmes to Ruse’s Simon Archard, he has a cadre of “agents” to call on for specialized tasks and information. This story introduces us to another of those agents, one who isn’t quite as squeaky-clean as most of them. This is a guy who apparently cares about only one thing other than money, and it is that one thing that will be his driving force.

The cover of this book, I must say, is also very good. Tim Sale could draw every Batman cover from now until the heat death at the end of the universe, and I’d be perfectly happy. I just wish the image actually related to the story inside — of course, a generic cover for a generic story. Why not? If only you weren’t paying most of the cover price for the lackluster main story, I’d have no trouble giving this book a much higher recommendation.

Rating: 7/10

(2010 Note: Lieberman did wind up taking over Gotham Knights, but his run didn’t quite live up to this short story.)

Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #663

December 2, 2005

Quick Rating: Great
Title: The Magnificent Seven (Minus Four) Caballeros and other stories

The Three Caballeros ride again!

Writers: Don Rosa; Jen Hansegard; David Gerstein; Marco Rota; Daan Jippes; Sarah Kinney & William Van Horn
Art: Don Rosa; Cesar Ferioli; Maro Rota; Wilbert Plijnaar; Francisco Rodriguez Peinado; Don Gunn; William Van Horn
Colors: Egmont; Scott Rockwell; Kneon Transitt; Marie Javins; Barry Grossman; Susan Daigle-Leach
Letters: Willie Schubert; Marshall Dillon; Jon Babcock; Susie Lee
Editor: Arnold T. Blumberg
Cover Art: Don Rosa
Publisher: Gemstone Comics

Like its companion title, Uncle Scrooge, this month’s issue of Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories has a healthy dose of Christmas stories that would make it a really suitable treat for the little ones on Christmas morning. Be warned, though – if you get them this one, you’re pretty much honor-bound to get the next two issues to finish Don Rosa’s newest masterwork, “The Magnificent Seven (Minus Four) Caballeros”!

This issue sports part one of that story, in which the pressures of working for Uncle Scrooge and getting dumped upon by his own girlfriend have started to crush Donald Duck’s spirit. Hoping to rescue their uncle, Huey, Dewey and Louie set up a courier job to send him south of the border, where they arrange a meeting with his two old friends Panchito Pistoles and Jose Carioca, those adventuresome poultry that make up the Three Caballeros! With all three of them feeling in a rut, they decide to set off on a good old-fashioned treasure hunt.

This story is mostly set-up, as it takes quite a while to get Donald to Brazil and bring the old friends together again, but Rosa doesn’t skimp. He’s got all of the heart and emotion, not to mention beautiful artwork, that makes him one of the best Disney cartoonists ever. I laughed out loud more than once while reading this story, and I can’t wait for next month and part two.

Next up is Mickey Mouse in “The Spirit of Christmas” by Hansegard and Ferioli. Mickey’s old adversary Black Pete has swiped Doc Static’s newest invention, a “dream beamer,” and on Christmas Eve no less. That night, though, a visit from some familiar spirits begins to work a change on the old villain. Well c’mon, guys, what’s December without a few parodies of “A Christmas Carol?”

Gerstein and Rota give us “Mightier Than the Sword,” an epic tale of the duck’s ancestor Arnold Wild Duck the famous Viking warrior. Plotting against his enemies, Arnold tricks them into wasting their energy on an art contest rather than warfare. When his foe ups the ante, however, chaos ensues. It’s an okay story, but not quite as enjoyable as those of our regular cast.

Jippes and Plijnaar give us the Big Bad Wolf in “On the Wrong Track.” When Lil’ Bad Wolf explains to his father the concept of following tracks through the snow, the wolf sees a new chance to hunt down the Three Little Pigs. It’s a short story with predictable results, but it’s fun.

Kinney and Peinado’s “Miracle on Main Street” is the best Christmas offering in this collection. When a little girl sees Goofy taking off his Santa Claus suit at the mall, she announces to all the children in line that there is no Santa. Desperate not just to save Goofy’s job, but the children’s faith, Mickey and Goofy put into works a wild scheme to prove there’s a Santa. This is a fun little story that places the characters in their classic context and has fun with the conventions of a Disney story, still managing to tell a satisfying Christmas tale in the process.

“Log Rollers” is a writer-uncredited short from Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #89, with art by Don Gunn. A freezing Donald heads out to shop some firewood, unaware that he’s nabbed a tree inhabited by Chip and Dale. As usual, the chipmunks lay the whammy on the duck. William Van Horn closes the issue with “The Ghost of Kamikaze Ridge.” Tired of the normal winter traditions of Duckburg, Donald takes his nephews out to a snow-covered mountain, only to run across a crazy old coot trying to find some traditions of his own.

This is a pretty strong issue, with an outstanding opening story and several really strong back-ups. Gemstone continues to impress.

Rating: 9/10

Doctor Strange: The Oath #3

December 3, 2006

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: The Oath Chapter Three
Rating: T+

Strange’s true enemy is revealed.

Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Art: Marcos Martin
Colors: Javier Rodriguez
Letters: Willie Schubert
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Cover Art: Marcos Martin
Publisher: Marvel Comics

I give Brian K. Vaughan a lot of credit for digging so deeply in Dr. Strange’s history for this miniseries. It’s easy to forget that this calm elder statesman of the Marvel Universe was originally an arrogant, selfish man, and he had to learn to become a hero. Now his past is catching up with him.

The thief called Brigand has stolen the elixir that could not only save the life of Strange’s servant, Wong, but also cure cancer. Now he’s holding Night Nurse captive to make his escape. Strange makes chase and stumbles across the true mastermind behind the recent attacks on him, and the identity is a surprise. The action stuff in this issue works very well. The weaker bits come in where we follow the villain to his associates and Vaughan starts singing his usual “Big Business is evil” song. For the purposes of this story, it works, but Vaughan falls back on this same routine so often in his writing that it’s getting rather tiresome, even when everything around it is golden.

Marcos Martin’s artwork is a very nice fit for the story and the character. He has a nice blend of the superhero and the magician, which is absolutely essential for a Dr. Strange story, the big reveal at the end is very nice.

I’m definitely enjoying this miniseries – I just wish Vaughan would find other targets to pick on. When he uses the same theme so often in so many different titles, it starts to feel like he’s on a soapbox, and that’s never fun.

Rating: 8/10