Batman: Gotham Knights #54

May 12, 1004

Quick Rating: Fair
Title: Pushback Book Five

Green Arrow joins the hunt for Prometheus.

Writer: A.J. Lieberman
Pencils: Al Barrionuevo & Javier Pina
Inks: Francis Portela & Jimmy Palmiotti
Colors: Brad Anderson
Letters: Clem Robins
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover Art: Lee Bermejo
Publisher: DC Comics

It’s interesting that the most frequent criticism of Lieberman’s writing on this title is that he doesn’t have a very good handle on The Joker, then he turns out an issue like this, which is basically a retelling of the Joker’s origin according to Alan Moore. The Joker has spent 12 years trying to find the man who murdered his wife, and now that the information is at his fingertips, he pauses to reflect on how he got where he is.

Which is really where the problem comes in – the Joker is simply not a reflective character. He’s never been the sort to pontificate about the past – he’s about the now, the chaos, the turmoil he can create in the present. Past and future have never help much import for him. If finding his wife’s murderer is so important to him, why has he spent the past twelve years creating smiling fish and trapping Batman in enormous jack-in-the-boxes? Reading the issue the way it’s written paints the Joker’s entire career up to this point is the comic book equivalent of O.J. looking for the real killers.

Again, I really like Barrionuevo’s artwork on this title – he does a great Batman and Robin and has a good handle on the villains, who are really the stars of the piece. He shares penciling duties with Javier Pina this issue, but their styles are either very similar or Pina has adapted his style to mesh with Barrionuevo’s, because the transitions are seamless. I really can’t tell where one artist departs and the other comes in.

Lieberman’s initial Gotham Knights arc has been pretty much average throughout. He’s got skill at certain things, but has chosen to focus this storyline on things he’s just not as good at. Hopefully after “Pushback” concludes next issue, he’ll shift the focus of the book back to the Batman family, because I think that will be his best chance to really shine.

Rating: 6/10

Solo (2004 Series) #3

February 22, 2005

Quick Rating: Fair
Title: The Problem in Knossos and other stories

The works of Paul Pope!

Writer: Paul Pope
Art: Paul Pope
Colors: Jose Villarrubia, Dave Stewart & James Jean
Letters: John Workman & Ken Lopez
Editor: Mark Chiarello
Cover Art: Paul Pope
Publisher: DC Comics

As much as I love the basic idea behind this book, this issue and last haven’t really used the format to its fullest potential. Giving an artist 48 ad-free pages to go nuts and tell whatever kind of stories they want is a great idea, and Paul Pope’s artwork, for the most part, is quite good. But the stories don’t really go anywhere.

I do applaud Pope for straddling several different genres in this issue, however. The first story, “The Problem in Knossos,” is a pretty straightforward telling of the Greek myth of the Minotaur, from the circumstances of its conception to its bloody death. Beautiful artwork, but there’s no real new twist to the story to make you understand why he’s telling it again.

“Are You Ready For the World That’s Coming?” is a retelling of the origin of Jack Kirby’s Omac, one of his more out there science fiction comics. We start with a scrawny little guy named Buddy Blank who gets transformed into something fierce. Straightforward. Pope does a good Kirby riff in the artwork, but again, it’s nothing new.

“Life-Sized Monster Ghost” is probably the best story in the book. It’s a quick and seemingly autobiographical tale of a little boy who’s got big dreams about all those cheesy toys that used to be advertised in the back of comic books – which may not live up to expectations.

In “On This Corner,” Pope does the best art, but with the weakest story in the book. It’s the story of a runaway in a Will Eisner-esque setting, but there’s no meat to it. “Teenage Sidekick,” the last story, is similarly pointless. The Joker has captured Robin (Dick Grayson), and Batman has to save him. The story is an excuse to preach about each of the characters – it commits the cardinal sin of telling instead of showing.

This title, naturally, is a showcase for artists and not for writing, but the previous two artists who worked here hooked up with writers to help them out. Pope’s stories just plain missed the mark.

Rating: 6/10

Batman: Gotham Knights #52

April 21, 2004

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Pushback Book Three

Hush is back in town, and the Joker isn’t happy about it.

Writer: A.J. Lieberman
Pencils: Al Barrionuevo
Inks: Francis Portela
Colors: Brad Anderson
Letters: Clem Robins
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover Art: Lee Bermejo
Publisher: DC Comics

Hush, the man who nearly destroyed Batman, is back on the streets of Gotham. Last issue, he delivered a savage beating to the Riddler. This issue, it’s time for the Joker’s revenge. A.J. Lieberman has some very good ideas here, including what appears to be a link to Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke and the last-page return of one of the best (and most underused) villains of Grant Morrison’s JLA run. The entire Batman family is written well here, and we get to see some good old-fashioned detective work spiked with some good old-fashioned grave robbing. All in all, lots of quality family fun.

The biggest problem with this issue is that Lieberman has chosen to employ the Joker as one of the main characters in this story arc, and frankly, he doesn’t write a very good version of the character. As has been stated elsewhere, his interpretation is too… well… rational. He’s not the clown prince of crime here, he’s just a crook in makeup. He behaves logically and with none of his trademark dark humor. Even the link to the Moore story is the work of an eminently rational man, not the lunatic in purple we all know and love.

Barrionuevo and Portela do a very good job on the artistic side of the series. They have strong characters (save for a Joker that doesn’t smile, but that is to be blamed on the script) and Brad Anderson’s colors work very well: green glows on computer screens, a sort of purple tint to headlights at night. The artwork reminds me of some of the better work of Alan Davis, in terms of its straightforwardness and ability to tell the story and define the characters without excessive detail.

This is an okay book and an okay story, but if Lieberman wants to make a mark as a Batman writer, he’s either got to polish up his interpretation of the Joker or make his mark writing other villains.

Rating: 7/10

Batman #625

March 30, 2004

Quick Rating: Below Average
Title: Broken City Part Six

Azzarello and Risso leave Batman with a cap to the mystery of Angel Lupo.

Writer: Brian Azzarello
Art: Eduardo Risso
Colors: Patricia Mulvihill
Letters: Clem Robins
Editor: Will Dennis and Bob Schreck
Cover Art: Eduardo Risso
Publisher: DC Comics

And the “Broken City” arc comes to its conclusion, with some fans sorry to see it end and others, myself included, relieved that another creative team will be taking over this title with the next issue. I’m sorry, folks, but “Broken City” just didn’t deliver for me. This issue gives us a clichéd cap to a clichéd “hardboiled” mystery, an inexplicable appearance by the Joker (this isn’t a spoiler, he’s right there on the cover) and an overwhelming feeling that I’m just glad its done.

Aside from the fact that the mystery of the arc never really grabbed me, the sudden inclusion of the Joker feels entirely superfluous, as though he’s only there so that Azzarello can say he wrote a Joker story. Plus, with him running around on the loose over in Batman: Gotham Knights but laced up in Arkham here, it’s no wonder some fans feel intimidated by so many bat-books. I don’t mean we should necessarily keep a chart somewhere showing where villains are at all times, but especially in the Batman books I don’t feel like there’s any effort at reason with them at all anymore – a villain is incarcerated when the writer needs him to be and on the loose when he needs him to be, rarely if ever showing him escape and rarely if ever showing him actually getting captured. There’s no sense there.

Risso for all the skill he’s shown in 100 Bullets, sacrifices more and more of his style to a Frank Miller pastiche in this issue. From body type to facial structure to the weird “chapped lips” look Batman has in come panels, it’s like looking at something Miller drew 20 years ago instead of something Risso drew in the here and now.

I’m sorry to the fans who enjoyed this run, but I simply don’t see what the appeal was. “Broken City” never felt fresh or original to me, it felt like a halfhearted attempt to pay homage to the Miller days and never quite lived up to it.

But at least we’ve probably seen the last of the Killer Croc’s ‘fro.

Rating: 4/10

Gotham Central #16

February 9, 2004

Quick Rating: Great
Title: Life is Full of Disappointments

As the GCPD buries their dead, the night shift gets a new boss.

Writer: Ed Brubaker
Art: Greg Scott
Colors: Lee Loughridge
Letters: Clem Robins
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover Art: Michael Lark
Publisher: DC Comics

In the aftermath of the Joker’s maniacal killing spree, Gotham City’s finest bury a few fallen cops. Crime doesn’t stop to mourn, though, and before they know it there’s a new man calling the shots for the night shift and a new killer to track down.

This issue is a nice spotlight on a few of the lesser-known characters in this series – the “day shift” characters have been appearing in other comics for years, but the “night shift” is still relatively new. Following Sgt. Davies and Det. Crowe on the trail of a killer who left a young woman’s body in a dumpster with no obvious cause of death shows off the writer’s knowledge of police procedure, as well as showcasing a deep level of mutual respect they mask with goofy debates. Davies bristles when he sees a promotion he thought he was up for go to a man with better connections, and the writer ties everything together with what at first appears to be a standard one-off mystery that takes a great twist at the end.

Although regular artist Michael Lark owns this series, any time he needs to take a break they should call in Greg Scott to pinch-hit. Together with colorist Lee Loughridge, he creates a fantastic atmosphere, dark and moody. The book doesn’t miss a step with the change in the art team.

The “day shift” characters, written when Greg Rucka is on this title, are all good, but I already feel like I know most of them pretty well. I find myself looking more and more forward to Brubaker’s tales of the night shift which gives us something a little different. But no matter who’s writing any given issue, Gotham Central is consistently one of the best titles on the racks that just enough people aren’t reading.

Rating: 9/10

Batman: Gotham Knights #51

March 13, 2004

Quick Rating: Fair
Title: Pushback Book Two

Things are looking worse and worse for the Riddler…

Writer: A.J. Lieberman
Pencils: Al Barrionuevo
Inks: Francis Portela
Colors: Brad Anderson
Letters: Clem Robins
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover Art: Lee Bermejo
Publisher: DC Comics

The Riddler is having a rough time of it lately. While the man named Hush is planning revenge, he pleads with the Joker to get him to safety. Therein lies the major problem with this story arc, actually – A.J. Lieberman’s characterization of the Joker doesn’t really work. He’s too calculating, too… well… sane. While even at his craziest the Joker has a certain maniacal logic to his actions, in this book the mania takes a back seat and he’s behaving almost rationally, and that doesn’t fit the character. Lieberman could have told the same story using, say, the Penguin, and it would have made much more sense.

Batman and Robin take a supporting role in this issue as they look for an explanation to the late Vesper Fairchild’s appearance last issue. The return of the woman Bruce Wayne was accused of murdering is understandably striking for our heroes, but their actions in this issue don’t seem targeted enough. They’re acting without a rudder or a plan, and that’s something Batman never does.

Bermejo, for the most part, does a fine job on the artwork. He has a great car chase scene and a nasty fight scene at the end (“fight” is really too generous a term, it’s essentially a beating). I’m a big fan of his Batman.

I am not, however, that big a fan of his Bruce Wayne. When he takes off the mask, Bermejo’s Bruce appears almost as scarred as the character walking around in bandages, while his Tim Drake has a weird enlarged forehead that doesn’t work for him.

Although Lieberman impressed me with his recent backup story in Detective Comics, his much-vaunted return of Hush in this title hasn’t really grabbed me so far. For the most part, reading Batman: Gotham Knights is, at the moment, an exercise in waiting around for something to happen that really feels like it matters.

Rating: 6/10

Batman: Cacophony #1

November 22, 2008

Quick Rating: Fair
Title: Bring the Noise

Onomatopoeia returns, this time, in Gotham!

Writer: Kevin Smith
Pencils: Walter Flanagan
Inks: Sandra Hope
Colors: Guy Major
Letters: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Jann Jones
Cover Art: Adam Kubert
Publisher: DC Comics

Onomatopoeia, the mysterious villain from Kevin Smith’s run on Green Arrow returns to the DC Universe with this three-issue miniseries. When Deadshot is hired to break into Arkham Asylum and kill the Joker, he finds the bizarre killer there defending the Clown Prince of Crime. The Joker offers to show his gratitude in some… unexpected ways, and Batman cuts loose against another Arkham escapee.

As big a fan as I usually am of Kevin Smith, this issue fell kind of flat for me. The Joker scenes in particular felt really out of place in the DC Universe. Sure, the Joker is a twisted creature, and certainly capable of virtually anything, but the things he does here feel more a Mallrats conversation come to life than an actual legitimate direction for the character. Batman, similarly, feels a bit out of place – he’s more emotional than the character usually gets in certain company. Actually, the character who comes off best in this series is Maxie Zeus, a c-list villain who really had nowhere to go but up. Smith does some interesting things with him, but he’s got the best spotlight.

Walter Flanagan, who is turning in his first mainsteam comics work after some indie stuff like Oni’s War of the Undead, does a decent job here. His layouts are strong, and most of his poses and fight choreography work too. His faces aren’t altogether there, but he’s developing. Part of that may be due to veteran inker Sandra Hope, of course, but together, they make a competent art team, if not a staggering one.

I dunno… I’ll get the rest of this miniseries, but I was disappointed in issue one. I’m hoping we get more about Onomatopoeia, more of the development of Maxie Zeus, and less of the more fanboy-ish moments that, until now, Smith never really allowed to invade his comic book work. Hopefully it was just his long absence from the form that made this issue weak, and once he gets armed up, we’ll get a sharper story.

Rating: 6/10

DC Universe Online Legends #1

February 5, 2011

Title: Legendary

Writer: Marv Wolfman & Tony Bedard
Art: Howard Porter, Livesay, Adriana Melo & Norman Lee
Colorist: Carrie Strachan
Letterer: Wes Abbott
Cover: Ed Benes & Randy Mayor
Editor: Ben Abernathy
Publisher: DC Comics

I’ve been enjoying the hell out of playing the new DC Universe Online video game, so I didn’t have any problem picking up the first issue of the biweekly maxiseries tying in to the adventure. This first issue, at least, seems to be all prequel. Using the opening movie that starts the game as its basis, we see as a future Lex Luthor finally succeeds in his long-time goal of destroying Superman and his allies. As he does so, though, his ally Brainiac turns on him, taking advantage of the power vacuum among Earth’s superhumans to launch an invasion. In minutes, Lex goes from world-conqueror to the leader of the rebellion.

The book is split between two timelines. In the future, we watch as Lex assembles the remaining heroes and villains to take a stand against Brainiac. In the present, we see Lex forging that alliance in the first place. Being a player of the game, I’m intrigued, but a bit confused. The game begins with this “future Lex” coming back to the present to warn the Justice League against the danger presented by his younger self. The dual timelines, though, make for a strange narrative. I can’t really tell what the thrust of this series is going to be – today or tomorrow? With luck, the next issue will make that clear.

The artwork is okay here. Porter and Livesay handle the scenes in the future, and the devastation left behind by Luthor’s war comes across really well. In the present, Melo and Lee don’t have as much action to illustrate, but their depiction of modern-day Luthor looks very nice. The Ed Benes cover is strong, except for (oddly enough) his Wonder Woman. It may just be the angle, but her face looks a bit off to me.

It’s not a bad way to kick off the series, but I hope it solidifies itself soon.

Rating: 7/10

Detective Comics #826

December 13, 2006

Quick Rating: Great
Title: Slay Ride

On Christmas, the Joker takes Robin for a hell of a ride.

Writer: Paul Dini
Pencils: Don Kramer
Inks: Wayne Faucher
Colors: John Kalisz
Letters: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Cover Art: Simone Bianchi
Publisher: DC Comics

Here’s a newer Christmas review for you guys – it just hit the shelves a week or two ago. The cover may not be festooned with holiday accouterments, but once you crack it open you’ll find a Christmas story like no other. Patrolling alone at Christmas, Robin is captured by the Joker, who ties him up and takes him along as an unwilling passenger in a killing spree across Gotham City. Robin’s only hope to save himself – and countless others – is to slip out of the maniac’s grasp.

Dini has written the Joker before, of course, during his excellent run on Batman: The Animated Series. The character in this comic, though, is that Joker taken to the extreme. This character is truly sick, twisted and evil. He’s still got that streak of being a clown, but he’s clearly diseased. And I mean that as a compliment. As for Robin – he may be tied up, but this isn’t the stereotypical “Robin the boy hostage.” He’s not sitting around waiting for Batman to show up to save him. This is a boy with a brain, and a plan, and he’s using them both. This is a character that’s clearly worthy to one day become the heir to the Mantle of the Bat.

Don Kramer’s artwork is a perfect compliment to the story. The look on the Joker’s face is utterly deranged, trapped in that horrible, smiling rictus, with absolute madness clear in his eyes. In fact, I can’t think of a single comic book artist who can so clearly convey insanity – the images of the Joker in this book are truly disturbing.

This is, simply put, a great issue. What’s more, it’s a done-in-one story, so you can’t use the excuse of not wanting to jump into the middle of a storyline to avoid getting it. If you’re a Batman fan – and more specifically, if you’re a Joker fan – you owe it to yourself to get this issue while it’s still out.

Rating: 9/10

Gotham Central #15

January 15, 2004

Quick Rating: Great
Title: Soft Targets Part Four

The Joker is in custody… but does that mean his killing spree is over?

Writers: Ed Brubaker & Greg Rucka
Pencils: Michael Lark
Inks: Stefano Gaudiano
Colors: Lee Loughridge
Letters: Clem Robins
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover Art: Michael Lark
Publisher: DC Comics

This issue concludes the best story arc to date in the most underrated comic book DC publishes. After going on a sniper-style killing spree that left several people dead, the mayor of Gotham City among them, last issue the Joker turned himself in to the cops of Gotham Central. But nobody who knows how the Clown Prince of Crime works could believe that this is the end of his scheming. He’s kidnapped an innocent woman and hidden her somewhere in the city with a bomb. The GCPD has one hour to find her.

Maybe the best part of this series is the examination of what it must be like to be a police officer in a city where people expect a man dressed as a giant bat to show up and save the day. It’s frustrating, to say the least, and even when it’s a matter of life and death, it’s a competition. We see good cops driven to the breaking point in this issue, crossing a line that a lot of your average comic book heroes would stay away from. For continuity fans, we see Maggie Sawyer compare her home here to her time in Metropolis, working with a quite different hero. We get a swift, brutal conclusion that does not go the way the reader would have expected. If the Joker’s hair were brown and the Batman were just a rival detective, this same script could work for any cop show on television, and it would be one of the best episodes of the year.

Every time I review this title I feel like I’m just repeating the same things about Michael Lark. The reason for that is that he is consistently that good. As much as the writers make this title read like a cop show, Lark, Gaudiano and Loughridge make it look like a cop show, and that’s the audience this book needs to reach for. If DC could find a way to land this title in the hands of non-comic book fans – shelve it in bookstores next to the thriller novels, run ads for it during shows like “NYPD Blue” and “Law and Order” – this is a book that shows what comic books are capable of each and every month, this month more than ever. If you haven’t started reading it yet, you’re just cheating yourself. And really, it’s hard to be sympathetic towards that.

Rating: 9/10