DC:
Batman #687: Kicking off Dick Grayson’s tenure on the main Bat-book, we get a proper bit of closure to both Final Crisis and Battle for the Cowl. Acknowledgement of the larger world they inhabit, coming to terms with what needs to be, and, I suppose, a bit of the needed why Batman? I liked the interplay here between Dick and Alfred, it looks like they’ll have some good banter as things go on (though I do hope Alfred gets to continue with the dry humor as well). A nice reasoning for the switch to the penthouse lair shown in last week’s Batman & Robin premiere, though I wonder if any of the trophies will be coming with. And finally, we setup a showdown with Scarecrow, who I imagine will go down quickly next next issue.
Final Crisis Aftermath: Escape #2: Man, it’s been a while since I had a nice bit of head-fuckery like this. Throughout the issue, ‘reality’ continues to change, and the rules along with them, and its not making things any easier for Tresser. Can’t say much more than that though, as the telling doesn’t do the reading justice, and potentially spoils things. I’ve a couple ideas of where it might go from here though, based on some of the dialogue in the issue, but it could just as easily become something other than what I’m thinking, and that’s pretty exciting to me.
Red Robin #1: Okay, I lied, looks like I may end up following this one too. While I’m not thrilled by the art, or the actual execution of Tim deciding that Bruce must be alive, there was still plenty of interesting stuff in there. The biggie for me is that unlike Dick, who became independent on his own, Tim’s essentially being pushed to the side here, which, on top of all the other shit thrown his way the last few years- the death of two fathers, his girlfriend (who got better), and some number of Titans– might prove to be the last straw. The word grimdark gets floated around alot regarding the direction a lot of comics went with their characters, but after all he’s gone through, it actually feels right to take Tim in that direction, at least for a while. The other thing that stood out for me was the acknowledgement of his adoption and that his name’s Tim Wayne now, something that I hadn’t really seen acknowledged anywhere (I’ve rather fallen behind with Teen Titans). Unfortunately the issue doesn’t directly get to the detective side of things that they’re talking about playing up, but it was already a somewhat packed issue, so wait and see on that part for now.
Marvel: nada
Other:
Anna Mercury 2: Ultraspacial Dreadnaught Vanaheim #1: Man, the awesome starts right there in the title, doesn’t it? Continuing with the excellently pulpy sci-fi found in the first series, we find another of the splinter-Earths sending a probe to our Earth, and the decision to send Anna in to make sure they’re not the types to send a nuke next time. Lots of action, fun dialogue, a smart concept, and a setting that for some reason was bringing to mind the populace of Blade Runner, if not quite the world itself. Great fun as always, and eager to get my hands on the next issue.
DMZ #42: Following up Zee’s one-shot last issue, we start another small arc that looks to be independent of series protagonist Matty Roth, which certainly isn’t a bad thing. NYC’s a huge place, plenty of people with plenty of stories, even in its currently messy state. This one’s about a member of a group of former police officers (and military?) who watched their families destroyed in front of them at the outset of the fighting. Every day they meet AA-style to relive and recount the horror of the event, they live away from the daylight, and are out to, well, destroy the lives of anyone they come across. Only the lead is realizing that maybe, just maybe, they aren’t as close a brotherhood as they’ve been led to believe, and having second thoughts about all of it. An excellent start, Wood’s writing and Kelly’s art are as sharp as ever, and its always great to pick up something they’ve done together.
The Unwritten #2 – After learning that he may in fact be the fictional star of his father’s bestselling Harry Potter-esque novel series, Tom Taylor begins the search for answers about who he really is and what happened to his father. Meanwhile, the fantastic begins to move in the background, giving gentle nudges and setting things in motion for some mysterious, but likely sinister, purpose down the line. While I wasn’t initially sold on the concept, after reading the first two issues, I’m completely onboard. This is a fantastic story, the art’s quite good, and you’d be wise not to miss it. It may end up reading better in trade, but in being a new Vertigo book, it should probably be picked up by the issue to ensure its survival.
