Review: Batman #685

(***)

Things I Like: Though this is really the second part of a story, both this issue and last can be read as singular stories. Good for you, Dini. Both this issue and the last Detective have embraced the Faces of Evil format. These villains are actually the main character. Again, that’s very awesome. This issue also mentioned the Black Glove and Batman’s imprisonment in Final Crisis. This is the only Last Rites book that has mentioned Morrison’s work. There’s a bit of a twist in this issue and it was very pleasing.

Things I Didn’t Like: I’m not a fan of Nguyen’s art. Though it certainly gets the job done, it is merely passable to me. While this issue did mention some Morrison-continuity, it also spoke of Bruce as if he was missing. There is no way in hell he would be thought of as missing after the way his death looked in Final Crisis. I blame DC for this, not Dini. “Enjoy it while you can, Kyle. It won’t be long before I show you there’s more than one way to skin a cat.” That’s straight from this issue. That is horribly bad writing!

Final Verdict: A decent but ultimately forgettable tale. Only recommended if you’re looking for a quick and fun read.

Review: Green Lantern #37

(****)

You can tell that Geoff Johns loves to write this colorful cosmic odyssey so much and hey, I enjoy reading it. As this issue proves again, this is a comic about Hal Jordan’s past, present and future. He has to deal with his tumultuous past, juggling a blonde and a brunette (Is that really a problem?) and the vicious purple bastard, Sinestro.

Everyone’s favorite Korugaran is one of the best villains. He’s not just a badass. We also understand his motivations and even root for him. In this issue he says to Hal, “You must rebel against the guardians. The Green Lantern Corps does not need them.” Who disagrees with that? The smurfs have made so many mistakes in this series alone. There’s a reason Ganthet and Sayd went off on their own. And yet, as I said earlier, Sinestro is a vicious purple bastard. The Parallax fiasco, the Sinestro Corps, Parallax again and so on. I don’t think I have to tell you that even in this issue, Sinestro tries to screw up Jordan’s life. It’s a very complex and interesting hero/villain dynamic that supports Johns’ color mythology. Fantastic art from Reis and one character gets another ring of a different color, this is a fabulous issue!

Review: Secret Six #5 -Spoilers!

(****1/2)

Again, this is a spoiler review. Sorry, but I’ve already written four gushing reviews about this series. I love this book. This issue is awesome as well. You should give it a try. Ok, people who haven’t read this out of the way? Then let us dive into the spoilers.

Oh no, Bane is getting tortured! Ah, those Junior guards used to be conjoined twins. Is that foreshadowing? Could there be some other sibling relationship coming up? Bane is tortured by brick pummeling? How whacky and cool! Deadshot gets his own narration now? That must be part of the Faces of Evil thing. It’s a bit jarring to have a format change mid-arc, but oh well. It works fine. Bane bites a guy’s neck! It’s funny that the first two comics I read this week feature neck biting. Is this the begging of some unsettling comics trend?

The Six (Minus Bane of course) finish off those villain bounty hunters. Poor Tiger Shark! We then get the Junior reveal. It’s Ragdoll’s sister, baby! Ha Ha! How insane is that? It even has breasts that are covered by a word balloon and a finger. Oh man that is good. Well, sorry for the whacky review people, but is there any other way to review this fantastically bizarre book?

Review: Detective Comics #852

(****)

Last time we saw Hush he was shamed, beaten and broke. He also looked like Bruce Wayne. Think about it. What would you do if you looked like Donald Trump? Well, you’d probably do something with your ridiculous hair first, but after that what would you do if you looked like someone rich and powerful. Hush explores those lucrative possibilities.

This is the first issue of Faces of Evil that I’ve read. It’s DC’s new month long event. Basically, villains have hijacked the titles. Batman isn’t in this issue at all, but at least we have someone who looks like Bruce Wayne. Paul Dini writes a fascinating tale. I love villain books. So a POV look at Hush’s life interests me. We witness a man trying to gain maybe not his life, but at least his fortune back. And of course he’s more than happy that nearly all the money he’s stealing is from Bruce. There are many special moments that make this issue grand. Besides being well-written, we also get a brief look at an Australian superhero. Hey, any excuse to get “Oi!” in my comic is fine by me.

The jury is still out on Nguyen’s art. He’s a fine storyteller. That much is certain. But he’s just too stylized for me at times. Flipping through this issue, there are several panels that work well and several that don’t. I guess I would say he’s an uneven artist. Still, even if you may find it displeasing I don’t think it can detract from Dini’s writing.

This is a two-part story. I won’t spoil the conclusion, but let’s just say it’s pretty obvious if you’ve seen the cover to Batman #685. The question is what that character will do to Hush. Will she kill him (Probably not)? Will she return to her villainous ways and join him? After seeing the quality of this issue, I’m eager to find out.