After many battles over which 3 comics to choose I finally decided to jump back into Batman. My most beloved of characters. Not an easy task any comic book fan can tell you. Batman makes more appearances at important events than Forrest Gump. To try and keep track of what he's doing in a given month is like trying to count the number of ninjas at an "I Hate Daredevil Convention". But it was then that it hit me. What if I did try and collect all the books that Batman graces in a given week. Not only that, but what if I wrote a weekly review of his appearances? This project intrigued my obsessive mind. The three issues a month that Jesse covered would be included as well as whatever subsequent ones that would have to come out of my own pocket. I could call this review: Mattman's Weekly Batman Update. That sounded awesome. Of course the full details of this plan did not come into a full idea until last week, which is why you are getting this review now and not immediately following my birthday.
I chose quite a time to jump back into Batman. If you have been keeping up Batman comics are about to go through quite a change. When DC Comics announced last year that they would be releasing Final Crisis in 2008 they promised it would be the last Crisis. Yeah right, we'll see. They also promised that one of the "Big Three" (meaning Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman) would not be left after the event was over. They never said died. Just that one of them wouldn't be around anymore. So who were they talking about? Superman? Yeah right. Been there, done that. They killed Superman and we all knew before they even finished him off that he would be back. Wonder Woman? I think they already killed her too. Batman? No way! You can't kill Batman! The level of awesome that has been bulit up on the character of Batman over the last 70 years has elevated him to the level of comic book god. So DC eventually annouces that they would plan a Batman story that would run parallel to Final Crisis in the Batman books and it would be called Batman R.I.P. This cross-over promised to be the story of Batman's final fate, with it's actual outcome being told in Final Crisis itself. Writer Grant Morrison said "what's going to happen to Batman is a fate so much better than death. This is the end of Bruce Wayne as Batman".
I know what you are thinking. This is just the kind of crap that they have been pulling in comics since the nineties. I myself have been disgusted with the whole thing. It is one of the reasons I decided to stop collecting a few years ago aside from my anal need to rid myself of clutter. They kill characters and bring them back. They create major changes to characters, stories and universes only to reverse them years, sometimes months later. This negates the entire purpose of the stories and makes for shitty story telling. Superman dies, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) dies, Robin (Jason Todd) dies, Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) dies, Flash (Barry Allen) dies, Gwen Stacy dies, Green Goblin (Norman Osborn) dies, Bucky dies, and so on. Then they are brought back in a story that good or bad (usually bad) negates the entire previous story that may or may not have done a great job of defining major change in comics history. During the much dreaded Spider-Clone Saga (if you could call it that) of the mid-nineties, Peter Parker is revealed to be a clone and Ben Riley is revealed to be the actual Peter Parker! So the Spider-Man we have all known and loved has, since the clone was first introduced in 1975, actually been the clone himself? Wha? Then a short while later due to poor fan reaction they reversed it somehow. To tell you the truth, I never found out how they managed to dig themselves out of that pile of shit. I honestly didn't care.
And Batman himself? Well he's been through this too. Hasn't he? During the very successful Knightfall/Knightsquest/Knightsend story Bane breaks Batman's back. He is forced to give up the cape and cowl for a bit while he recovers. He foolishly gives it up to Azrael, a lunatic that he barely knows. Then Azrael goes nuts, modifies the Batsuit into killing armor, and begins killing enemies. This forces Bruce Wayne out of healing early to re-train to be Batman and hand Azrael's ass to him re-claiming the Bat Mantle as it should be, in the hands of Bruce Wayne. I know Pat already covered this previously on this site (and I hope my description of Knightfall didn't sound too much like his) so sorry if you're getting a second summary of the events. I have fond memories of Knightfall from my childhood. But it did come out when I was a child. In middle school. The story itself is crap. The art is sub-par. Bad writing and bad art. Honestly it was the events that stood out to me. They are still very powerful events in my memory. But it is these events from the past that are eventually undone that make "new" universe changing stories of today seem so very powerless.
So this new Batman R.I.P. sounds like it might be very similar to Knightfall right? Bruce Wayne gives up the Mantle of the Bat, someone else takes it up for a short while and in a year or two they will fix everything with Bruce back in the old cape and cowl again. Right? That's what I thought too. And it very well could turn out that way. But I've been reading it and one thing it has that so many of those gimmicks from the past never had is a brilliant writer. Grant Morrison is amazing. He's writing Final Crisis and Batman R.I.P. right now and his storytelling is very original. He may be weaving gimmicks but at least they are well written. That I believe is one of the main problems with all those gimmick comics of the past: the gimmicks may have been unbelievably cool but the writers were never of the prestige of Frank Miller or Alan Moore. I believe Grant Morrison to be of that caliber. Even if all the events of Batman R.I.P. are eventually undone, it is unlike anything I have ever read before. For a gimmick comic it certainly avoids all the gimmick cliches. The storyline is yet to be finished with just a few issues to go. But needless to say this is a strange time to jump right into the middle of reading Batman comics.
So now I bring myself to the reviews of the Batman comics that were released today. Actually I was unable to get Superman and Batman vs. Vampires and Werewolves #3. Damn and that was the only Batman title this week that actually featured Batman!
Trinity #25:
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Back-up feature Writers: Kurt Busiek/Fabian Nicieza
Back-up feature Penciler: Mike Norton
Trinity is a weekly title published by DC that features Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Unforunatley this weeks issue features none of them. This is because the title is in the middle of a storyline where the world is trapped in an alternate world where there is no Batman, Wonder Woman, or Superman. Of course the idea is good and it is interesting to see alternate versions of characters we all know and love but the writing is boring and the artwork is rushed and sloppy. Even the back-up story which takes place in the same alternate reality suffers from the same.
The world is run by a totalitarian version of the Justice Society known as the JSI and the Justice League is and underground freedom fighting team known as the League, lead by Lex Luthor. The JSI and the League are just now discovering that their reality "should not be" and are trying to figure out how to turn things back to normal. You get the idea that this alternate reality exists because it's a spell of Morgan Lee Fey. Whether the heroes and villains have figured that out yet remains to be seen. Like I said it's and ultimately forgettable story but it does feature some cool alternate versions of characters. A Barry Allen Flash that had shrapnel embedded in his legs rendering him immobile. A Dick Grayson that is head of the Zucco crime family. A top British spy Alfred Pennyworth. These are the only shining moments in an otherwise forgettable story.
Batman and the Outsiders #13
Writer: Frank Tieri
Pencils: Fernando Dagnino
This story obviously takes place after Bruce Wayne retires (or whatever) from being Batman. Also the Outsiders have apparently disbanded. You get the sense that Gotham has been without Batman for sometime now. The story centers around Batgirl. She is looking around Gotham for clues about Batman's disappearance and finds herself in a scuffle with Vigilante at the Penguin's nightclub. You can actually see thugs in the background taking bets as to what became of Batman. Spoiler gets involved in the fight (she's been sniffing around Gotham trying to find out what happened to Batman too) and Batgirl puts and end to it. She tells the two of them that she has an offer. It becomes apparent that Batgirl isn't looking for clues about Batman's whereabouts at all. The last scene shows her in the Batcave looking over files. Alfred says something that implies that maybe Batgirl is trying to orchestrate a plan that would lead the criminals of Gotham to believe that Batman is back in town. Alfred says Dick would not approve. The last panel shows Nightwing walking into the Batcave looking ready for a fight with Batgirl. Nightwing: "Oh, we'll be having ourselves a talk, alright..." The last caption reads next issue: Nightwing vs. Batgirl!
Honestly it's an okay read. It certainly is setting the tone for the outcome of the R.I.P. storyline. Like I said though. That is the really good stuff, the things that are happening in the "main" R.I.P. storyline that is running through Batman right now.
Till next week.
Smell ya later,
Mattman.
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