Batman #8

More from the backlog. And more "Night of the Owls".

Title: Batman
Issue: 8
Date: June 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV
Penciler: Greg Capullo, Rafael Albuquerque
Inker: Jonathan Glapion, Rafael Albuquerque
Colorist: FCO Plascencia, Nathan Fairbairn
Letterer: Richard Starkings, Patrick Brosseau
Editor: Katie Kubert, Mike Marts
Cover: Greg Capullo, FCO Plascencia

The Court of Owls sends an army of Talons to attack (stately!) Wayne Manor as the "Night of the Owls" begins.

I liked the opening sequence, as Bruce Wayne broods over his arrogance after failing to see the threat of the Court of Owls until it was too late.

From there it's all action as the assault on Wayne Manor begins. The pacing is good, and the Talons are presented as a serious threat. I wasn't too thrilled with the attempts at taunting by the Talons, which came off as somewhat halfhearted.

The main story ends in the middle of the fight, and then, oddly, the backup story picks up exactly where the main story left off (except with a totally different art style). I'm not sure what the point of that was. Maybe just a deadline pressure issue, or an attempt to get more artists involved in the big crossover.

Overall, though, this was a well-written and entertaining story.

Rating: 7.5/10

Brit #9

This was one of those Free Comic Book Day extras. Not an official FCBD edition, just a bargain bin comic that a dealer was giving away for free as part of the Free Comic Book Day fun.

Title: Brit
Issue: 9
Date: 2008
Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Bruce Brown
Penciler: Nate Bellegarde
Inker: Nate Bellegarde
Colorist: FCO Plascencia
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Cover: Ryan Ottley, Kelsey Shannon
Editor: Aubrey Sitterson

I had no familiarity with this title at all going into this, so to start a fairly complex book with a large cast at issue #9 can sometimes be a bit of a stretch.

But I have to say, the first scene was a really solid hook for me. The book opens with a guy named Bob sitting on the Great Wall of China with his date for the evening, teleporter Ms. Popper. Popper is instantly likeable, an older female character who is quietly competent.

The story, as it turns out, plays heavily with parallel universes, and relies a bit heavily on parallel universe cliches once we get going, but there was good flow in the action, screen time for a lot of characters, emotional intensity, and a very clear degree of thought put into characters' various powers and abilities.

There is also a seemingly invincible villain who has that whole invincible-and-also-intolerably-annoying vibe, and it did not help matters when his identity is revealed on the last page to be the most obvious cliche of them all.

But in spite of all that, there was enough here in terms of good dialogue and clever interactions to keep my interest up.

Rating: 6.5/10

Batman #1

Alternating between indy books purchased at recent shows and "New 52" debuts from DC. Here's the first issue of the new Batman series.

Title: Batman
Issue: 1
Date: November 2011
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Scott Snyder
Penciler: Greg Capullo
Inker: Jonathan Galpion
Colorist: FCO Plascencia
Letterer: Richard Starkings, Comicraft's Jimmy Betancourt
Editor: Katie Kubert, Janelle Asselin, Mike Marts
Cover: Ethan Van Sciver

I bought the (gorgeous) variant cover with artwork by Ethan Van Sciver (pictured above).

Opening introduction references a Gotham Gazette feature where random people complete the sentence "Gotham is _____" in three words or less. It's a really nice introductory reflection as we shift from a montage of Gotham nighttime scenes into the Batman taking on a full-scale riot at Arkham Asylum... With the Joker fighting alongside him!

This is the kind of surprise that I like to see from a new Batman book, and the explanation, when we finally get to it, is at least reasonable. Even better is the Batman's response when Jim Gordon questions him about what he saw in the security footage.

Batman has the trust of Gordon here, and we're in "present" time (as opposed to the "five years ago" setting for Justice League and Action Comics; my reviews are here and here respectively btw). Bruce Wayne is in full playboy socialite mode, but he's got his own plans to save Gotham in his civilian identity as well, and the scenes with Bruce Wayne do a good job of capturing his style and charisma. There's also a brief scene with Bruce and three Robins (Dick Grayson, Damian Wayne, and Tim Drake), and a really amusing bit involving the Batcomputer identifying the security access levels of the various sidekicks and former sidekicks. It's amusing to see who outranks them.

The mode quickly shifts back to gritty as the Batman helps the GCPD investigate a gruesome (and unsubtle) crime scene. Harvey Bullock! Now if we could just get Renee Montoya back. There is a mysterious prediction found at the crime scene, but the really shocking twist comes when the DNA evidence is analyzed and the Batman realizes that he's dealing with a mystery that hits close to home.

This was a really good Batman story, with elements of mystery, good action sequences, and excellent use of the supporting cast. It lays the seeds for several subplots and delivers a satisfying twist at the end.

Rating: 8/10