Batman, Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes

Surprisingly, this blog post is my first chance to really delve into Grant Morrison. Now I have a certain fondness for Grant Morrison - Batman and Robin Vol. 1 is what really got me into comics. But sometimes he can get overly convoluted with his writing and create complicated stories for complexity's sake, not for the benefit of the actual story.

That being said, that's what Batman, Inc. was. Overly convoluted story that created confusion just sot eh reader thought harder, not that it benefited the actual comic. While it had some good moments, it was mostly forgettable. Instead of focusing on making fun adventures and being subtle about many minute details and key phrases/ideas Morrison wanted to use, he made it all about his mystery and "clues" and making a mystery no one was truly interested in. Luckily for the readers, despite these frustrations, Batman, Inc.: Leviathan Strikes is still very enjoyable.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #4

Despite early criticism, I stuck with this title because of the same promise I saw when this book was announced last summer. And boy is it paying off now. This issue and the last are some of the most entertaining pages in the last few months of the DCnU. While some are letting anger over revised histories cloud their ability to read the book, what see is a book full of action with new and unique character dynamics and the freshest title I'm reading in the New 52.

This issue picks up in a bar in Colorado, Roy Harper lamenting how Jason dragged his alcoholic self inside. Of course, Jason proceeds to kick someone's ass indiscriminately and blow their cover. Because of course Jason is, if nothing, discrete.  Of course the arresting officer turns out to be the baddie from the "Untitled."

Batman #4

This issue, while not particularly amazing itself, shows exactly why Scott Snyder's Batman is so good. He knows how to add to the Batman mythos without changing it, and also understands the character dynamics as well as any writer ever has.

While this isn't the most exhilarating issue, it does some great introspection on Bruce Wayne, telling the story of how he investigated the Court of Owls as a child shortly after his parents were murdered. Judging by thisstory, Snyder interprets the birth of Batman from the moment that Thomas and Martha Wayne died. And from little is told about the period from that moment until his overseas training, adding this story this greatly shapes what one interprets then to happen over the rest over Bruce's formative years. Bruce has now always been Batman since that young age.

Justice League #4

For as awesome as Justice League is supposed to be, so far the first four issues have been decidedly....not awesome. And this all rests on the shoulders of Geoff Johns, as Jim Lee's held up his end of job epically. The problem with this series stems from its concept -- the origin of the Justice League set in the past. What is intriguing about this concept? Why does this story need to be retold other than to establish differences between the old DCU and the DCnU?

Compiled on top of that, Geoff Johns has very slow moving plots, and considering he is working with seven characters he wants  to give fairly equal screentime to, well that makes things slower. Maybe Geoff Johns is building towards something awesome, like this book desperately needs, but all I find myself thinking when I read this is "ok, enough with the alien invasion, when is something going to happen?" And then I pick up the next month's issue, and nothing ever does.

Nightwing #4

In terms of quality, the first three issues of Nightwing are on par with nearly any title in the "New 52." Much of its quality was based on the often stunning (although sometimes inconsistent) art of Eddy Barrows. But for whatever reason, Eddy Barrows is having trouble meeting deadlines, with issue #3 being finished by Eduardo Pansica, and issue #4 being entirely drawn by Batman: Gates of Gotham artist Trevor McCarthy.

While by no means is Trevor McCarthy a bad artist, he's a terrible fit for this series. While some have championed that he has a fluid, motion-like style, his pencils look to cartoonish and Scott McDanielesque (that's never a good sign if you're a Nightwing fan) for the tone this series has had thusfar. In particular, the faces I find very flawed and off-putting.