So I think it is time we talked about Batman. I have noticed over the past few weeks how prolific Grayson has been, making appearances in many Bat books. His own solo book featured some incredible splash pages from Janin as he produced some intimate touches to a Bat family reunion. Point being is that Dick is the focal point for the Bat heroes in this current climate, especially as Bruce is afforded a moment of peace with his amnesia. It is somewhat reminiscent of when he took over the mantle and was surprisingly good and yet a different kind of Batman. I genuinely miss his relationship with Damian and was sad to see it disappear. This is certainly the most enjoyable part of Bruce’s convalescence, because that gap is not being filled by the Robo-bat Gordon character. Even though this weeks Detective was actually quite well written (as you would expect from Tomasi) I did not enjoy the story. I recall it was Tomasi’s Batman and Robin book that really explored life after Damian whilst Bruce carried on almost regardless in his own title. Once again the turn of events may not be to my liking, but I am looking to Tomasi once again to really flesh out the Gordon character. That is crucial to the survival of this newfound role. As for Bruce? I am quite happy to see him sidelined, not because I don’t miss him but because I empathise with his plight and this is kinda nice for him. But one thing is certain Seeley and King have shown great promise in raising the profile of Dick Grayson because he has become the star of the Bat books, so much so that Batman and Robin Eternal is really about him. Sadly though I liked Daniel’s art I thought the story was quite tenuous but let us not lose sight of Dick taking the lead. I expect Bruce will either be kidnapped and forced to return or there is a problem that only he can fix. Let us hope Bruce has as long as possible in his happy state. In other news we have some new Marvel comics! The timing may be completely off as we see a solid Secret Wars #6 out with Invincible Iron Man #1, but the thirst for some regularity has provided forgiveness. They seem so far removed from one another that as readers, we can quite easily mentally separate the books. (P.S. Still not a fan of Slott’s ASM but I did buy it for the hip hop cover)
Marvel Codes
Star Wars: Darth Vader #10 – THM3E6G71UMM
The Amazing Spider-Man #1 – THMAXLU68QI8
Contest of Champions #1 – THM2RW5X7MUJ
All-New All-Different Marvel Point One #1 – THMYWGSZXPUL
DC
Detective Comics #45
See above comments!
Marvel
Secret Wars #6 – THMLU39H8NYB
Esad Ribic is glorious on this title and worthy of the money alone. However there were some nice moments between Grimm/Thanos, Namor/Panther and Peter/Miles but overall the story is leading to the inevitable giant battle.
Old Man Logan #5 – THM788X7XY4V
Who knew what this book was all about but if Sorrentino hadn’t drawn it, I wouldn’t be reading it. Throw in some redemption, some emotional turbulence with a fresh start and you have a brand new Wolverine.
Avengers #0
This was a nice compendium of new Avengers titles with some glimpses of great art to come. It provides the tiniest of insights but is probably enough to get you excited, however I struggle to muster enthusiasm; guess I must be Avengered out.
Invincible Iron Man #1 – THMCIEKG55LM
The Iron Man armour looks so incredibly beautiful in the hands of David Marquez. The writing was solid but it feels a little repetitive because so many Iron Man books start this way: Tony goes on a date and then is interrupted by a world ending emergency. Like I said, it was pretty.
Doctor Strange #1 – THMDUNV0KCGG, THMC0MCWFE4J
Dontcha’ love a pervy Dr Strange? Another familiar start but there was some entertaining originality, especially the dark magic bar. Bachalo is wonderful as he was when he entertained us with Magik’s fantastical journeys. Great twist at the end giving the artist plenty of room to be creative.
Independent
Southern Bastards #11
Wow! Just another amazing character hidden in the deep south. The cast is expanding nicely and Brother Boone is certainly a toughened religious man. It is amazing how well Aaron builds a man with flaws and positive attributes in just one issue, but that shouldn’t take away from the conceptual skills of Latour.
The October Faction #9
Damien Worm is fantastic at drawing a darkly disturbing comic with genuinely terrifying moments. Niles has produced a strangely dysfunctional family, even more so considering they are practitioners of the arcane arts. This issue in particular highlights that perceived need for inter family violence!
Codename Baboushka #1
This was an entertaining opener to a new comic, despite it being a little similar to your average undercover spy comic. The Russian angle may prove interesting but I worry they won’t use that as a true perspective, but the art will carry the story nicely if it doesn’t.
House Of Flying Scalpels 