Archive
Tiny Titans #45
November 6, 2011
Title: Batgirl! Batgirls!
Writers: Art Baltazar & Franco
Art: Art Baltazar
Cover Artist: Art Baltazar
Editor: Kristy Quinn
Publisher: DC Comics/Johnny DC
In the batcave, Barbara finds a stash of Batgirl costumes and decides to have a little party. It’s Batgirl, Batgirl, Batgirl and Batgirl in “Batgirl! Batgirls!” As the Batgirls start to run rampant, Robin rounds up a few Robins of his own. Also: the Secret Six. Once again, the team behind Tiny Titans produces one of the most entertaining comics on the shelf. The book is sharp and wonderfully referential, bringing in tidbits and commentary about a lot of what’s gone on in the DC Universe(s) in the last few years. As with all great parodies, though, this is done with a very loving touch, presenting the characters in a way that’s really funny, but still making clever quips that will work just fine for older readers. The younger readers, fortunately, won’t notice anything and will still enjoy the book as a simple kids’ comic. The fact that they can bring in the Secret Six, probably the least kid-friendly DCU comic of the last decade, and still make it work so well is a fine testament to the talents of Art Baltazar and Franco. This is the best comic out there for kids, and fortunately, there’s plenty for their parents to enjoy as well.
Rating: 8/10
Batgirl (2011 Series) #2
October 17, 2011
Title: Cut Short, Cut Deep
Writer: Gail Simone
Pencils: Ardian Syaf
Inks: Vicente Cifuentes
Colorist: Ulises Arreola
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Cover Artist: Adam Hughes
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Publisher: DC Comics
In her first encounter with the serial killer called Mirror, Batgirl’s fear of being crippled again stopped her from stopping him. In her next fight, she begins to hunt down the truth… and it’s not at all what she expected. As I’ve come to expect from Gail Simone, this issue really takes the characters and take them into perfectly logical, but very unexpected directions. Barbara’s roommate is already stumbling on her covered in cuts and bruises, something that doesn’t at all sit well with her, and the way it’s approached in this issue, her anger is entirely justified. Mirror himself has a very intriguing motivation, something I wouldn’t have guessed at that makes him less of a madman and more of a tragic villain in the vein of Mr. Freeze and the like. He’s still dangerous, he still needs to be stopped, but when you think about what drove him to the lengths he’s taking, you feel for him. Ardian Syaf is a fantastic artist, and a great choice for this book. I really enjoy his take on Batgirl and the design for mirror. As for Adam Hughes’ cover – is he trying to make Batgirl look like Karen Gillan? Because first of all, he’s succeeding, and second, now I really want her to learn an American accent and play Barbara Gordon in something, because she’d be fantastic. Great issue.
Rating: 9/10
Batgirl (2011 Series) #1
September 12, 2011
Title: Shattered
Writer: Gail Simone
Pencils: Ardian Syaf
Inks: Vicente Cifuentes
Colorist: Ulises Arreola
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Cover Artist: Adam Hughes
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Publisher: DC Comics
This was one of those “New 52” books that made me feel a real mix of conflicted emotions. I love Barbara Gordon… as Oracle. And I’ve loved her as Oracle for years. But I also trust writer Gail Simone, the person who made me love Oracle, to tell the greatest stories about Barbara Gordon possible, no matter what costume she’s wearing, no matter whether she can walk or not. I was nervous. I’ll admit. But I shouldn’t have been. Gail Simone knocked this out of the park.
Barbara Gordon has regained the use of her legs. We don’t yet know how, but so far that doesn’t matter. With the use of her legs back, she’s reclaimed the Batgirl identity she originated and taken to the streets of Gotham City, seeking a serial killer who calls himself The Mirror. Barbara is back in fighting form, but even though we don’t yet know how she regained her legs, she certainly hasn’t forgotten how she lost them. Flashbacks to the Joker’s crippling gunshot to her spine still plague Barbara… and when the time comes, will she be able to rise above her fear and become a hero of the streets once again?
I’m not really surprised that we don’t yet know how Barbara is walking again, but it’s fair to say that lack of knowledge is the only thing about this issue that disappoints me even a little. Considering how sensitive an issue this is, it may have helped to give a more substantive answer than to chalk it up to an unnamed “miracle” (which I don’t take literally, but some irate fanboys online apparently have). I’m willing to give Simone the benefit of the doubt on this one, I just wish we’d been thrown a bone.
That aside, everything else about this issue is virtually flawless. Simone knows Barbara’s character better than anybody who has ever written her, and even this younger Barbara feels like the same person who graced the pages of Birds of Prey for all those years. She’s tough, but not Batman-tough, and she uses her brain as a weapon moreso than anything else. At this point, her own fear is her greatest enemy, and that makes for a totally gripping read.
Ardian Syaf is one of those artists I truly believe will soon crack into the echelon of DC Superstars. He’s in that position where Ivan Reis or Nicola Scott were a few years ago – turning out beautiful work on a book that isn’t necessarily top-tier (although it’s hard to say exactly where the top tier of the New 52 will wind up), but that’s far too good to be ignored. I hope he has a very long run on this book, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him moving on to the likes of Justice League or Batman should the artists of those titles decide to step back.
Wonderful story, beautiful artwork, and in just the second week, one of the New 52’s greatest comics.
Rating: 9/10
Secret Six (2008 Series) #36
August 20, 2011
Title: Caution to the Wind Part Two: Blood Honor
Writer: Gail Simone
Art: Jim Calafiore
Colorist: John Kalisz
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Cover Artist: Jim Calafiore
Editor: Rachel Gluckstern
Publisher: DC Comics
It’s time for the final stand of the Secret Six. Bane, who is finally beginning to understand emotion, decides that they will be the greatest weapon against the Batman. He plans a series of attacks against Batman’s allies – Red Robin, Batgirl, Catwoman, and (over Catman’s protest) Huntress. But when things go wrong, the Secret Six will have to go down fighting.
All credit to writer Gail Simone for making this series work for such a long time. She told a story about villains without turning them into heroes, but still making them perfectly believable and relatable characters. Even here, as they execute a plan that would be the antagonist’s plot in any other comic, as the Justice League, Justice Society and Teen Titans all line up to take them down, we somehow still feel for them. Even the three “bonus” members of the team seem to fill a role – the Penguin gloats, Knockout and Scandal have a bizarre moment of tenderness, and King Shark is ready to go down fighting with the team. The ending is harsh, because we’re watching our protagonists go down hard. And even though what they were trying to do was terrible, somehow, we’re still sad to see them fall.
These are stories that lesser writers would never be able to pull off, but Simone is at the top of her game. It’s a great issue and a great finale to this series.
Rating: 8/10
Recent Reviews: August 10 Releases
I’m a tired, tired man. But I’ve turned out some reviews. Just for you. You’re welcome.
- Batgirl #24
- Batman and Robin #26
- Booster Gold #47
- DC Retroactive: Green Lantern-The 80s #1
- DC Retroactive: Justice League of America-The 80s #1
- DC Retroactive: Superman-The 80s #1
- Fear Itself #5
- Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons #3
- Flashpoint: Emperor Aquaman #3
- Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #3
- Life With Archie #12
- Mega Man #4
- Morning Glories #11
- Red Robin #26
- The Red Wing #2
- Teen Titans #99
- War of the Green Lanterns Aftermath #2
- X-Men #15.1
Batgirl (2000 Series) #53
June 29, 2004
Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Sisterhood
When Batgirl needs some help on a case, Batman sends in his newest operative… Robin, the girl wonder!
Writer: Dylan Horrocks
Pencils:Dave Ross
Inks: Jesse Delperdang
Colors: Jason Wright
Letters: Clem Robins
Editor: Michael Wright
Cover Art: James Jean
Publisher: DC Comics
Well, Stephanie Brown has been Robin for two months now, so it makes sense that it’s time for her to start encountering the rest of the Batman family. When Batgirl runs into trouble chasing down some arms smugglers working for the Penguin, Batman sends in the new Robin to help her out. The case turns out to have more layers than meets the eye, and the truth is something that hits Stephanie pretty hard.
The actual plot in this issue is little more than an excuse to put the two bat-girls together, but as such, it serves up a pretty satisfying done-in-one. Dylan Horrocks gives us a nice take on the new Robin, mining parts of her personal history to create a story that can believably have real resonance with her instead of just throwing the two of them into a generic slam-bang, “let’s beat up some drug dealers or something” action fest.
I am starting to worry a bit about the tightness of the Batman family editorial staff – nearly every title seems to be having continuity glitches these days. When Batgirl first meets the new Robin she is surprised, which clearly means Steph hasn’t been on the job that long – but why hasn’t Batman informed the rest of his team that Tim Drake quit and there’s a new girl in the cave? And if this is so soon after the change that he hasn’t had time to inform them yet, would he really send her out on a mission without his direct supervision? It’s kind of like the now infamous Tim Drake segment of Identity Crisis number one – a small tidbit that just doesn’t add up but you’ve got to just swallow and accept in order to enjoy what is, in fact, a very enjoyable story.
Ross and Delperdang are a very good match for the art chores on this book, doing great action shots and drawing teenage girls who look like they actually are teenage girls instead of vapor-thin waifs or bulging supermodels. I rather wish Ross was doing the pencils on Robin’s title, because this is the best interpretation of Stephanie in the costume that I’ve seen yet (I’m finally certain that she, in fact, is wearing a skirt – in her own title it could go either way).
This is a good standalone issue that fans of either series can pick up without worrying about getting sucked into the other book – although if it garners a little crossover readership for two solid titles, that’s good too.
Rating: 8/10
Recent Reviews: July 13 Releases
It’s time once again for me to recap those books released last week that I’ve reviewed over at CX Pulp.com.
Somebody’s First Comic Book: Flash (1959 Series) #281
Wondering what Somebody’s First Comic Book is all about? The explanation is on this page!
TITLE: Deadly Games
CREDITS:
Writer: Cary Bates
Pencils: Don Heck
Inks: Frank Chiaramonte
Letters: Ben Oda
Colors: Gene D’Angelo
Editor: Ross Andru
Cover Artist: Dick Giordano
Publisher: DC Comics
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: The Flash is that guy who runs really fast, right? Either that or the dude that Queen asserts will “save every one of us.”
IMPRESSIONS: This comic book starts off with the Flash being told over the phone that someone named Yorkin didn’t kill someone named Iris. This is evidently shocking, but not as shocking as when people start shooting at the guy on the other line. The Flash shoots his costume out of a magic ring, then saves his informant, but lets the bad guys think they killed him for his own protection. As it turns out, this “Iris” they’re talking about is the Flash’s wife, and if Yorkin isn’t the one who murdered her (while she was, for some reason, wearing a Batgirl costume), who did? Call me crazy, I’m thinking this Professor Zoom character, the one who is wearing a reverse version of the Flash’s costume and seems to hate him for some reason, may have something to do with it.
I’m kind of surprised here. I’ve heard that recent comics have tended to get all dark and gritty, but I would have thought that back in 1979 when this was published it still would have mostly been lighthearted kids’s stuff. The idea of the Flash trying to avenge his wife’s death (which evidently happened just two issues ago, not back during his origin story or something) is much darker than I would have expected. We don’t see this Professor Zoom (who, it turns out, is a time-traveler) until the last few pages before the book races (get it?) into a cliffhanger, but he seems nasty enough to have killed the Flash’s wife. And now that I think of it, couldn’t someone from the 25th century have possibly found out historical facts about a hero from the 20th century and used that as a weapon against him, “secret identity” be damned?
It’s not a bad story, but the book seems to want to walk the line between serious issues and silly stuff like Zoom splitting in half, which is kind of goofy when you get right down to it. It’s not bad, but it’s not great.
GRADE: B-
Recent Reviews: June 15 Releases
Hey, look, I remembered! Here’s my roundup of the June 15 comics I reviewed over at CX Pulp!
Batman, Incorporated #6
May 31, 2011
Title: Nyktomorph
Writer: Grant Morrison
Art: Chris Burnham
Colorist: Nathan Fairbairn
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Cover: Chris Burnham
Editor: Mike Marts
Publisher: DC Comics
Ever since his return from the “dead,” Bruce Wayne has had a new mission: recruiting operatives from all over the world to be part of his new Batman, Inc. In this issue, as the search continues, Bruce assembles his most trusted operatives to tell the truth about his new mission. Batman Incorporated isn’t just a peacekeeping force – it’s an army, and he’s preparing them to fight a very specific threat. This issue is a lot of fun. It brings together the entire extended Batman family, it introduces still more of these new international Batmen, and fans of the Cassandra Cain Batgirl have cause to rejoice – she’s back, she’s part of the team again, and she’s got a brand-new name (since Stephanie Brown is using “Batgirl” these days). There’s a ton of stuff to like here. The inclusion of unlikely (but highly deserving) operatives like Catwoman and Commissioner Gordon as legitimate members of Batman, Inc. is surprising, and makes for a nice nod to the importance of these characters to Bruce. There’s a really nice bit with Bruce throwing the conspiracy theorists off his trail (a gentle poke at the internet, I suppose) and it’s always fun to see Bruce with his sons again. Chris Burnham is a very good choice to take over the art chores for this arc. His style is similar enough to Frank Quitely’s to feel appropriate but has a different sort of energy to it. He mimics the form, but the feel is more classic, and that’s really cool. This issue was one of the most entertaining Batman books I’ve read in quite a while.
Rating: 8/10
The Back Issue Bin 