A great and somewhat surprising Annual that should be in every collection.
Spoiler Warning.
Tag Archives: Batman and Robin
DC New 52 – One Sentence Reviews, Part 31
Still behind, but starting to catch up. It helped that there were a lot of good comics this week. The first two I read were both 4.5s.
As usual, each comic is scored out of five.
Warning, there could be spoilers ahead, although I try to avoid them.
DC New 52 – One Sentence Reviews, Part 27
Here’s the next batch of reviews, hot from the oven. Enjoy their gooey goodness.
As usual, each comic is scored out of five. From here on out, I’m only going to update the leaderboard once a month – at the end – to show which are consistently excellent, which are on the rise, and which are circling the drain (excluding reviewed one-shots and mini-series).
Warning, there could be spoilers ahead, although I try to avoid them.
Review: Batman & Robin #7
The past few issues were a bit boring, at least when they focused on Nobody’s history. This issue though is amazing, start to finish. To such a degree, that I’ll be shocked and apalled if fellow read/RANT member ikeebear rates this lower than a 4 (really, I’d say 4.5) for his upcoming ‘One Sentence Review, Part 27’.
SPOILER WARNING! – seriously
DC New 52 – One Sentence Reviews, Part 14
By the time you read this, there’s a good chance I’ll be a dad for the second time … but I still found some time to read some DC comics and write some one sentence reviews.
Each comic is scored out of five and at the end I have a cumulative leader board (averaging the scores of each title) to show which are consistently excellent, which are on the rise, and which are circling the drain.
I have also reviewed the mini-series issues but they aren’t included in the leaderboard.
Warning, there could be spoilers ahead (although I try to avoid them).
DC New 52 – One Sentence Reviews, Part 10
Here you’ll find one sentence reviews of each ongoing title released this week. They are scored out of five and at the end I have a cumulative leader board (averaging the scores of each title) to show which are consistently excellent, which are on the rise, and which are circling the drain.
I have also reviewed the mini-series issues but they aren’t included in the leaderboard.
There could be spoilers ahead (although I try to avoid them).
Review: Batman and Robin #3
So I loved the first issue, the second left a slightly sour taste in my mouth though for how Damian was portrayed. How will this one stand up though?
SPOILER WARNING!
Review: Batgirl #2
I feel like one of the few who enjoyed Simone’s Batgirl #1,
NewU Reviews: Week 2 of the DC Relaunch
Batwoman #1
Just like last week, I’m going to provide a plot synopsis and review for each issue that came out this week. I’ll talk a little bit about my general feelings about the relaunch thus far, and how week two did overall. Finally, for those who like awards, I’ll give out awards to The Must Read Book of the Week, to The Most Pleasant Surprise and, finally, to The Biggest Disappointment.
Click through to find out more!
Top Ten Best Comics of 2010
I’m actually getting this thing out on time? It’s a Kwanzaa miracle! This is my list for the top ten stories of 2010! Woo hoo! Now, before we get to all the fun of me voicing my opinions and you disagreeing with them, I have to get a few rules out of the way.
1. These are the top ten stories/arcs/whatever. Not comic in general, not trade, but best stories (What can I say, I’m trying to be somewhat unique).
2. These are stories that ended in 2010. They could begin at any time, but as long as they concluded in 2010, they’re eligible.
3. I tried to keep the list as diverse and reader-friendly as possible. I love certain writers, but it would be boring if it was three Morrison books, two Ennis books, etc. So, a writer/artist will only appear once on the list. I tried to spread the love evenly. You will see Marvel, DC, and even Indies on this list.
Wow, with all those rules, how did I come up with a great top ten? Well, I hope I did. Anyway, let’s begin the fun!
Top 5 Best Comics of September 2010
DC’s August 2010 Solicitations Preview
Batman and Robin #13 Cover
There hasn’t been much chatter about this series on this site, but I’m here to remedy that.
Spoiler warning for Batman and Robin 12!
Top 5 Best Comics of February 2010
With March half over, I think now’s a good time for this list, yes? I read 17 comics in February, and these were the best.
Review: Batman and Robin #10
Batman and Robin #10 marks the beginning of the book’s latest arc, and despite the fact that the issue is notably more low key than most that came before, it also just might be the best the series has offered yet.
Review: Batman and Robin #9
Batman and Robin #9 marks the conclusion of the book’s third arc. With this, only a single arc remains of the pop action book before “The Return of Bruce Wayne” takes over, and the book will be missed. “Darkest Knight” has been an action-packed arc featuring excellent moments not only from the usual suspects – Batman and Batwoman – but also a few lesser knows who’ve long deserved more time in the spotlight – Knight and Squire – as well as a confrontation between the crazed, fearless Batman clone raised in a Lazarus Pit and Alfred and a wheelchair-bound Damian. The pacing is well-handled and the tone is spot-on, making Batman and Robin #9 an undeniably read.
Stewart continues to work quite well with Morrison, providing crisp action segments – of which this issue has a number – and excellent physical presence to his characters. Morrison and Stewart work well together here, and it’ll be a shame to see Stewart replaced next issue by Andy Clarke and Scott Hanna, but it’s always interesting to see how the tone of the book changes with new creative talent. Still, Stewart helped revitalize the book after a lagging second arc, and “Blackest Knight” was a clever use of left-over plot threads from Final Crisis and Batman R.I.P. that also managed to set up The Return of Bruce Wayne and validate Tim Drake’s assumptions in Red Robin. All this was accomplished with minimal handholding, and though none of it was necessary to the story itself, it was a good Easter Egg for those keeping up with DC’s continuity. Quick, clever and ceaselessly fun, Batman and Robin may exhibit more sheer joy per page than any other Batman story in recent memory.
Grade: A-
– Cal Cleary
Review: Batman and Robin #8
Batman and Robin #8 continues the book’s upward trend, a return to form for the critically respected pop action book. Told largely out of order, it switches between a couple different timelines. The first takes place before #7, suggesting how Batwoman came to find herself in a coffin and who set Eddie up with a bomb on the subway, while the other continues after Batman slips, uh, Batman (that is, Dick slips Bruce) into a Lazarus Pit, intending on reviving the fallen hero. It also fills in small blanks from Final Crisis, Blackest Night and more in the space of about two panels, has some solid action, introduces new characters and excellent new problems.
Cameron Stewart provides excellent art, a welcome change of pace after Tan. The fight scenes are crisp and quick, the characters all have relatively distinct physical personalities – something that’s difficult to do, often overlooked, and was done excellently in B&R’s first arc. The fight between the two Batmen is particularly well-handled.
Though there are one or two slip-ups – this is the second time in two issues Batwoman has been imperiled and helpless, to name one of the bigger ones – Morrison nonetheless does a good job characterizing her, Dick, Damian and more. The final cliffhanger is exciting without being exploitive, and the writing and art are sharp and coherent. Batman and Robin may have had a shaky sophomore arc, but “Darkest Knight” has been rock solid so far.
Grade: A-
– Cal Cleary
Review: Batman and Robin #7
Though the series suffered a bit with Tan’s too-dark art, Batman and Robin makes a relatively strong return to form this month, now with talented Seaguy artist and past Morrison collaborator Cameron Stewart on art duties. Morrison doesn’t quite manage to hit the highs that the book’s first issue delivered, but it nonetheless seems to be a return to the kind of gorgeous, rousing adventure for which the book quickly developed a reputation. Damian is out of the picture, either from his injuries in the previous issue or a Blackest Night related injury with which I’m unfamiliar, so Batman has a new pair of partners in this issue: Knight and Squire, the Dynamic Duo of the UK.
Morrison uses this opportunity in a number of ways. The dynamic between the jaded, cocky Damian and the warm, professional Squire was a welcome change of pace, and the easy camaraderie and unwavering trust between the pair only served to illustrate how much further Damian really needs to come. At least one comparison is drawn between legacy Knight Cyril and legacy Batman Dick, and I suspect we’ll see that played with more throughout the arc. Batwoman’s presence, meanwhile, is a little bit harder to explain, and while I relish anything that spreads the profile of the current, stellar Detective Comics run, she seems a bit out of place here, at least right now.
Stewart’s art is as smooth and comfortable as ever. Though he isn’t given anything as strange and memorable as Quitely or Tan, at least not yet, he performs competently and keeps the eye moving. A glaring error partway through the book when Batman and Batwoman accidentally swap lines will confuse some readers, but otherwise, the creative team seems much closer together than they did during Tan’s sometimes confused arc.
Morrison tosses in new villains and half-cocked mythologies with a great deal of ease, something I hope other writers follow up on at some point, but while the issue is jam-packed with creativity, it’s a little light on the excitement. This set-up heavy issue may not be among the book’s best, but it’s well-made on all fronts and a pleasure to read.
Grade: B+
– Cal Cleary
Review: Batman and Robin #6
Morrison’s Batman and Robin continues to decline slowly without Frank Quitely, but Morrison is nonetheless still telling engaging stories and doing some of the most entertaining Bat-work around. Picking up on a clever bit of metacommentary as Dick and Damian find their fates at the hands of a fickle public, much like Jason himself all those years ago. The issue functions largely as a lengthy fight, but a surprising amount gets done throughout, from Damian’s chance at redemption to Scarlet’s ultimate fate, while Todd himself sets Dick on the path that leads to next issue: Blackest Knight. It’s tightly plotted and well-scripted, but falls largely short in the art.
This was Philip Tan’s weakest issue by quite a bit. The climactic struggle between Batman and Robin, Red Hood and Scarlet, and Flamingo was often fairly muddled. In Final Crisis: Revelations, Tan largely did a good job keeping his brief fight scenes flowing smooth and clear despite the overwhelming darkness of his art. Here, he loses a lot of that clarity, and his art seems rushed and, at times, incoherent.
The issue, which was by and large the bleakest issue of the series yet, nonetheless ended on a peculiarly hopeful image, and while I’m sad to lose a potentially interesting character, I’m glad to see her story end. This arc did a pretty big number of Damian, too, and the images this leaves us with suggests that the next issue won’t be any kinder to him or Dick. Still, Morrison is doing a lot to make the kid grow up, and, though this arc wasn’t nearly as strong as the previous one, is doing so in one of the most entertaining action books on the shelves.
Grade: B
– Cal Cleary
Review: Batman and Robin #5
Morrison has generally been quite clear, over the years, about his opinion on the grim ‘n gritty anti-hero that has so pervaded comics in recent years. It isn’t a trend towards which he’s shown very much respect, largely because, ultimately, there’s no way to maintain it. Escalation leads to escalation, but in a medium that cannot abide true and lasting change, the escalation rings hollow – supporting characters are created solely to die, but we all know the A/B-listers are safe and always will be. “Revenge of the Red Hood” displays this premise in short order as, only a single issue after Red Hood burst onto Gotham’s crimefighting scene with catchy ‘cool’ slogans and a sidekick with a tragic past, the escalation begins to go past what even Gotham is comfortable with.
Tan remains a surprisingly good fit for the book. While his design leaves something to be desired after seeing some of Quitely’s more inspired work in the first three issues, the grim, oppressive atmosphere so natural to Tan’s art fits Morrison’s story perfectly. There are a few points during which I felt Tan failed, most notably with the (SPOILER) reveal that Red Hood was Jason Todd, since he looked about 10-20 years older than Jason Todd, and with all of Jason Blood’s features (END). Despite the occasional slip-up, however, Tan’s clear, dark art makes for an excellent contrast from the circus of villains the first arc provided.
Batman and Robin remains a remarkably strong title. This issue sees Morrison keep his promise to use the title to create a new host of chilling Bat-villains and reinvigorate one of comics most well-known (and increasingly overused) rogues’ galleries with the late-game introduction of Eduardo Flamingo, the King of Killers. Morrison largely eschews the slow-boil continuity-rich mystery that so pervaded his Batman run in favor of a wonderfully straightforward, undeniably clever action comic.
Grade: A-
– Cal Cleary
read/RANT! 