The Clown Prince Returns

Batman #13

  

He's back.  One of the most recognizable, beloved, and fantastic villains of all times returned. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the Joker has stormed back into the DC world.  The starts off with van, parked by the water, looking at Gotham.  We then cut to Gordon and Harvey on the roof of the GCPD building, acknowledging that something is coming. That something, obviously, is the Joker, as he shuts down power to the GCPD building and starts his killing spree in one of the most disturbing and terrifying scenes I've ever read.  The Joker, looking for his face that was carved off in Detective Comics #1, goes around snapping cops necks while he tells Gordon a joke and some disturbing things, like how he lays under Gordon's bed, listening to him while he sleeps. Just as the Joker escapes, Batman arrives on the scene, only to discover that the Joker got his face and vanished.  Back in the Batcave, Bruce brings everyone up to speed on what's going on, showing everyone from the Bat family excluding Catwoman, Red Hood, and Batwoman (seeing as she doesn't have anything to do with this event).  A broadcast comes through, with the Joker having someone dressed up as him, delivering a message that the mayor will die tonight.  Gordon sets up shop at the Mayor's office, with Batman lurking inside, making sure everything is okay. However, Batman realizes that everything isn't okay, just too late, as all the officers are killed thanks to a toxin delivered by Joker.  Batman puts the clues together and figures out that Joker is hiding out at the ACE Chemical Building and promptly speeds over there.  He finally comes face to Red Hooded face with Joker, who lures Batman into a trap. Bats gets hit by a big hammer down into a holding chamber which starts to fill up with some liquid.  The Red Hood (not Jason Todd) takes off the hood, revealing that Joker isn't actually there; it is actually Harley Quinn dressed up as Red Hood. She tells Bats that Joker has changed and that he isn't her "Mr. J" anymore.  Batman demands that Harley tell him where Joker is, and it is shown that he goes to Wayne Manor and comes at Alfred with a hammer, finally revealing what he really looks like with his attached face.

The backup, set shortly before the events of the main story, show Harley meeting up with Joker for the first time since he disappeared.  Joker, after a little bit of back and forth, tells Harley to take her clothes off.  He gives her a new set of clothes and Harley realizes that Joker is getting her to dress up like him. Joker then tells Harley that he is going to cut off her face so she can be just like him.  However, Harley is hesitant, and starts to freak out when the Joker comes towards her to do the deed.  Instead of cutting her face off, it is revealed that Joker was just pulling a fast one, instead putting the Red Hood hood on her and leaving her to deal with Batman.

I'm going to just come out and say it. This was one of the best issues I've ever read; it might actually be in my personal top 10. This issue was just spectacular, as it totally lived up the hype that has been swirling around it ever since it was announced that Joker would be returning to the pages of Batman.  It was one of the most frightening issue of a comic that I have ever read, especially the scene in the GCPD.  And even though it is only the first issue, you can tell at the end of it that Bruce is already panicking about those he holds near to him.  That's why Joker is such a great villain; he is so predictably unpredictable.  Just when Batman thinks he has a lead on the Joker, something goes wrong.  And the ending, oh man. That ending is already making me anxious for the next issue, as Alfred comes face to attached face with Joker. This issue solidified Team Batman as the elite team in the world of comics, whether it be DC, Marvel, or Image.  The way that Scott Snyder writes the Joker is truly some of the most disturbing and haunting stuff I've ever read. AND IT'S ONLY THE FIRST ISSUE OF THE STORY!!!! And Greg Capullo, Jock, and the entire art team earn my highest praise. Rarely have I enjoyed comic art as much as I am on this title and those guys get all the credit for making this one of the most beautiful looking books on the stand, despite it being such a dark book.  Just as I expected, this issue blew my socks off and I'm so ready for the next part to come out.

Grade: A+

Batman & Robin #13

Dealing with an entire other threat yet the Joker has a cameo in this book.  It starts off with Damian and Titus sleeping, as Daimon has been studying like crazy to get info on Joker.  Bruce wakes Damian up, with the kid thinking that Joker has returned.  Bruce tells him otherwise, and the two go on a little trip. Taking the Batrocket (since when does Bruce have a freaking rocket?), the two go up into space and look at the solar eclipse from a perspective that no one else gets to see.  Damian brings up Talia, asking Bruce if he loved her. Bruce replies that he did at some point. Damian thanks Bruce for showing him this just as the Bat signal turns on.  Bruce tells Damian to take the rocket back to the cave (which is apparently big enough to house a rocket ship now) while he goes and sees what Gordon wants.  After a quick jump to some secret society called the Saturn Club, we see Damian back at the Batcave.  He is only there for a brief second, telling Titus that he is going back out, against Bruce's word.  In a graveyard, Batman and Gordon talk about a bunch of missing bodies, stating that there might be a possible zombie outbreak. Damian is down in the sewers and reaches for something unseen when a huge monster shows up, planning on killing Damian to earn the bounty Talia put on Damian's head.  Damian outmatches the monster and walks off, only to be contacted by Bruce.  He tells Damian to head back to the cave ASAP due to the zombies.  Damian, however, decides to go help people but ends up getting swarmed by zombies himself.

Though I haven't been picking up Batman & Robin regularly, I must say that I love Damian.  I love the aspect of Batman's Robin being his own son.  Though my first formal introduction to Damian was in Grant Morrison's Batman & Robin when he was the Robin to Dick's Batman.  It was that story that made me really enjoy the character of Damian, as he is the most different Robin the title has seen outside Jason Todd.  I wasn't too sure on Batman & Robin when it debuted in the New 52, though I have gotten a couple of issues here and there.  However, when #13 and #14 were solicited as dealing with zombies, I knew I had to get them. How often does Batman go up against zombies? Anyway, just like the other issues I've gotten of this series, Peter Tomasi does a great job of writing.  I know that this is essentially a Damian book, but I'm alright with that, as Tomasi writes the character so well.  Having the book be illustrated by Pat Gleason (with the help of Tomas Giorello in this issue) doesn't hurt the title either. Definitely an enjoyable issue, especially given the time of year and the content.

Grade: A

Scarlet Spider #10

Part two of "Minimum Carnage" lies here though the issue seemed more as a set up issue.  We start up right were Alpha left off, with Flash and Kaine meeting for the first time and already at each other's throats.  After some threatening, swearing and a little bit of info given, the first big thing in the issue happens: Flash loses control of the symbiote for some reason, as it tries to kill (or maybe bond with) Kaine.  Flash tries to convince Kaine that they need to go after Carnage, but Kaine says "F#ck that" and leaves, leaving Flash and the doctor to get the machine back up and running.  Meanwhile, in the Microverse, it is revealed that Carnage was brought there in order to kill someone(s), though those who brought Carnage there are unsure, as he is such a loose cannon.  Just as the portal gets back up and running, Kaine returns to the scene, agreeing with Flash that they need to find Carnage (though Kaine is more selfish, thinking of Houston and Carnage's return).  The duo step into the machine and get sent to the Microverse, though they get separated.  Flash gets sent to a wooded area and gets attacked by some sonic fairies before he is saved by a team of heroes, who ask for his help. Meanwhile, Kaine is met by a man who says that he is preparing to die, as they are met by a huge monster.

Well, what can I say about this issue?  It was an okay issue, though it did not move the plot along much.  It was basically a set up issue for many of the different storylines that are going to take place in this event, with Carnage going to be used to kill people, Venom teaming up with a group of heroes, and whatever mess Kaine has gotten himself into.  Though I really didn't have a problem with the dialogue, it was the story itself. I know that this is going to be a larger story and that there were going to be an issue or two here and there that are going to be slower, but I really didn't expect it to be this one.  However, that is no knock on Christopher Yost.  I know that this is not foreshadowing for the entire event, it was just one of the necessary set up issues.  Khoi Pham draws the issue (with an assist from Reilly Brown) and I must say that I'm still not a big fan of his (Pham). Yes, it is an improvement over the Daredevil issues he did, but I'm still not overly wowed by the artwork on this title.  Still, it was a decent issue, but I do wish more happened in it.

Grade: B

Smallville #6

The issue starts with Chloe and Oliver discussing the "Crisis", though it seems like Chloe is hiding something from Ollie.  In Stryker's, Batman and Clark continue their fight, with Batman seemingly getting the upper hand until Clark takes control of the situation.  While Batman and Clark play a game of hide and seek, Bats informs Clark that he knows all about Kryptonians, thanks to research he has conducted over the years.  Meanwhile, Nightwing and Green Arrow square off while Clark figures out that Batman is Bruce Wayne.  Batman tells Clark about needing information about his parents death.  The Nightwing/Green Arrow fight comes to a close when Clark shows up, taking Manheim up into the sky.  Oliver chases the Batplane, but quickly loses it, as Bruce and Barbara track Clark, who is holding a little interrogation with Manheim.  Back at Watchtower, Chloe informs Oliver about who is sending him mysterious messages while Clark and Lois finally get to talk to each other.  Later, Clark makes his own Bat signal, getting Bruce's attention.  The two agree to team up, for the good of Gotham and Metropolis.  Lex is shown to have retrieved a copy of the Batman/Superman fight when Oliver shows up, accusing Lex of sending the messages to him, though Lex has no idea what he is talking about.  Batman tries to get a jump on Joe Chill, who is homed in a Suicide Slum safe house but Clark stops him before he gets in the room.  Batman is surprised to see that Chill is an old man in a wheelchair.  Back at Lexcorp, Lex is shown to be sleepwalking and talking, implying heavily that Tess is somehow in control of him, as she is the one who is sending the messages.  Batman and Superman try to get info out of Chill but are interrupted by Prankster and Mr. Freeze.

Another great issue from the Smallville universe.  For 10 seasons, we, the Smallville fans, have been waiting for Batman, whether it be the man himself or at least just a reference.  Though we got a bone tossed our way in Season 10, this is what every Smallville fan has dreamed of since the show was introduced.  I'm loving the way that Clark and Batman have such a rough yet somewhat trusting relationship already, as they start to realize how similar they really are.  However, the best parts of the issue would be the fight between Clark and Batman that takes place during the first part of the issue and the whole interrogation scene was just hilarious.  Bryan Miller impresses yet again, as the story is better than ever.  The art by Jamal Igle is phenomenal as well and I really like the Smallville Universe's version of the Batsuit.  I cannot wait to see these two heroes fighting side by side next issue and the continuing building of the World's Finest friendship.

Grade: A

Superman #0

No story for this one, as it came out a long time ago (I only just got it because of damages and Diamond being slow. I'm still waiting for them to deliver my copy of Aquaman #0) though I will discuss my feelings for the issue. Honestly, I'm pumped for the new creative team of Scott Lobdell and Kenneth Rocafort, as things are looking to be an amazing run.  I know that a lot of people don't like Lobdell's writing, but I haven't read anything that I don't like (yet).  However, the main reason I get this title might just be Kenneth Rocafort's art.  After seeing the preview art for the upcoming issues plus this #0, I'm sold on getting this title.  This is going to be another beautifully drawn book from DC and I can't wait to start collecting an actual Superman comic (minus Smallville).  2013 is shaping up to be a great year for Superman, with this new team on Superman, the new creative team of Diggle and Daniel on Action Comics, and the newly announced but already known Superman comic by the all star team of Scott Snyder and Jim Lee (already on my "must buy" list).

Grade: A

Uncanny Avengers #1

The beginning of the Marvel NOW! era has begun.  The issue begins in an interesting way, as some unknown person is cutting open some mutants brain and inserting some device into it.  We then cut to the Jean Grey School of higher Learning, where Wolverine is reminiscing about the first time he met Professor X.  Rogue gathers him and Logan starts to give Professor X's eulogy while Alex Summers is shown meeting Cyclops in his holding cell.  Logan finishes his eulogy by stating that they, the mutant race, failed Professor X, seeing as he died without seeing his dream come true. Back at Scott's holding cell, Alex talks to Scott about his decisions during Avengers Vs. X-Men.  Scott stands by his decisions, minus killing Xavier, though Alex disagrees with him.  Scott mentions the abundance of new mutants caused by the outcome of AvX but Alex basically reminds him that Scott still forgot everything Xavier taught him.  After leaving the holding cell, Alex is met by Captain America and Thor, who say that they need to talk with him.  The Avengers tell Alex that they really want to, when the time is right, pay their respects to Professor X. Cap then offers Alex a spot on the Avengers, asking him to lead a team made up of Avengers and X-Men, stating that he is the perfect one to lead the team.  Alex refuses just as Avalanche, revealed to be the man under the knife in the opening pages, attacks innocents on the street.   Thor goes to save the bystanders while Cap, with a little help from Alex, goes to take down Avalanche.  Alex eventually suits up as Havok, saving people from falling debris.  With Avalanche defeated, the book then goes to Scarlet Witch, who is paying her respects at Xavier's grave.  However, Rogue shows up, telling Wanda to get the hell out.  The two try talking it out, but eventually Rogue starts talking with her fists, but that gets interrupted when an explosion occurs.  Out of the explosion emerges a group of possible evil mutants, who attack Wanda and Rogue.  Wanda jumps in front of an attack aimed for Rogue and the mutants just leave.  We finally cut back to the mystery man from the beginning, seeing that it is the Red Skull, who has cut Xavier's brain out with the intentions of using it to eradicate the mutants.

Definitely an interesting first issue, to say the least.  Honestly, I don't believe that I am going to be following this title in the long run. I might pick up the first few issues, but I'm pretty sure that I won't be picking it up on a regular basis. I will say this though, that last page was a shocker for me. I was in the mindset that Xavier was going to return down the line, but now it looks like it might be a very slim possibility unless Xavier pulls a "X-Men 3" on us and transferred his mind to another body just before he died.  Written by Rick Remender, the issue is paced very well, as each story gets a good deal of story time, with the Cap/Havok section being the meatiest one.  John Cassaday is the artist on this book and he was amazing. This actually might be the first time I've read anything with his art (there probably is another instance that I can't remember) but it definitely was a good first impression.

Grade: A-

Alright, weekly reviews are done.  Expect the Avengers Vs. X-Men wrap-up tomorrow morning and the Marvel NOW! post on Monday, seeing that NYCC will be over by then.

Thanks for reading!!

Flag Football, Anyone?

A week removed, but here are the reviews for Wednesday, October 10th.  And, man, was it a huge week.  With the culmination of Marvel's latest summer event and Detective Comics getting a new writer/artist team plus a couple of other comics, this week was a good one.  Just a little note, though I will be talking about Avengers Vs. X-Men here, the full review of the event will come in another post in a couple days.

Amazing Spider-Man #695

And the end begins.  With just a couple of issues before the "final" issue of Amazing Spider-Man, #700, the future of Marvel is revealed, at least a bit.  The issue starts off with Spidey and Hobgoblin going at it, with Tiberius Stone in the wings, ready to jam Spidey's spider sense. However, that backfires and helps Spider-Man defeat the Hand ninjas, forcing Hobby to flee. What Phil doesn't see when he flies away is that the original Hobgoblin, Roderick Kingsley, is watching him.  Julia Carpenter, the all seeing Madame Web, sees this but get interrupted by her daughter, who is leaving to go to her grandparent's house in Colorado, sent there by her mom so she is safe from the impending doom.  Peter, believing that Stone has something to do with the Hobgoblin, attempts to talk to Max about the situation, only to be reunited with Daily Bugle reporter Sally Floyd.  Sally tells Peter that some of his coworkers have blabbed, telling the reporter about his relationship with Spider-Man. Peter begs her and, eventually, Robbie to kill that part of the story. Now back at the Bugle, Peter runs into Norah and Phil, the later immediately triggering Pete's spider-sense.  Back with the Kingpin, Stone works on his jamming device, hoping that it will work. However, it does not, as it amplifies not only Peter's spider-sense to extreme levels, but it also causes Julia to get a massive overload on her visions of the future (more on that in a bit). Julia sends her celestial being to find Peter, delivering him an emergency warning about the future.  Peter stumbles away only to be jumped by Hobgoblin, who might possibly outed Peter as Spider-Man.

Written by the team of Dan Slott and Christos Gage, "Danger Zone" starts off with a bang.  I'm really happy to see Hobgoblin (both of them) again, as he's (Phil) been missing for far too long. Also, Norah returns to the book, another character who has been missing for awhile (though she has made appearances in Punisher).  I also really liked the progression with Peter's spider sense getting super charged. The little arrows telling what the "threat" was was actually pretty witty.  Art-wise, the issue is drawn by Giuseppe Camuncoli, returning after taking an arc off. He does a masterful job of illustrating the story, even though most of it was dealing with Peter's out of costume life.  However, the page that will get the most attention will be the double page spread where the future of Marvel is shown.  Almost every snippet shown deal with a Marvel NOW! book, so it was pretty interesting to see the new art.  It also caught me by surprise, as I was not expecting Marvel to do something like this, especially as Avengers Vs. X-Men had their final issue released the same day.  For the majority, I was interested in the panels, as they dealt with the future of Spider-Man (especially the Peter/Hydro-Man....thing? and the shadowy Peter/MJ scene), books I'm already reading (Captain Marvel and Daredevil), or NOW! books I'm interested in (Avengers Arena and Deadpool).  This was an excellent start for the end of Spider-Man, and I'm pumped to see where it goes (also, a little bit afraid).

Grade: A

Avengers Vs. X-Men #12

Ah, the finale of Marvel's big summer event has finally arrived, ushering in the Marvel NOW! era. I won't talk about the story or my feelings for the overall event here (see my next post for those). I will, however, talk about my feelings for this issue. Written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Adam Kubert, the finale is a double sized book of awesomeness.  The stakes were raised to extreme, as the Avengers and the X-Men teamed up to take down Cyclops Dark Phoenix.  During this event, Hope has become one of my favorite characters, which is surprising because I've never been a X-Men person.  I particularly liked the shots between the fight and Cap talking with Hope, leading to the end of the issue. Again, my full feelings on the event will be up in a few days, but I'm happy that I read this event.

Grade: A-

Avengers Academy #38

Guest starring Wolverine and the X-Men, this is the first issue to deal with the outcome of AvX.  And this has been the issue many Avengers Academy fans have been waiting for: the flag football game between the two schools. It was actually a clever issue, as it kinda sorta dealt with the outcome of Avengers Vs. X-Men, but very subtly.  The only time that AvX is mentioned is when Logan and Hank discuss their little scuffle on the Quinjet during issue #3 and when the teachers leave the game, making the Avengers Academy kids be on the teams with the X-Men kids.  Though little football is actually played, when it is played, the scenes are hilarious, a couple involving Jocasta and a taser.  AvX isn't the only subject discussed, however. X-23 and Finesse also discuss the end of "Final Exam", seeing as X-23 still believes that she killed Jeremy. Finesse tells her that it was actually her that killed him. Another sore subject brought back up is the "relationship" between Finesse and Reptil, with Reptil getting advice from the ladies man, Gambit.  However, the kids and teachers are shown getting along and having fun, with Hank getting an idea for the future and the kids admitting to needing to do this (the game) more often.

This is the penultimate issue of Avengers Academy, which makes me really sad. Though I jumped on after the Amazing Spider-Man issues where Spidey taught the kids, I've followed the books religiously, picking up the trades and every issue (minus two which I'm still hunting down). This is an issue which proves why this books was so popular among comic fans. It was just an overall fun issue, right after the issue where the AA kids have their arch enemy killed and so soon after the devastating events of Avengers Vs. X-Men.  This was just an issue where two schools, both devastated by the events of AvX, meet up for some fun.  It's issues like this one that made this series so much fun to read. Christos Gage gets major props for taking a series this far, as I'm sure not many saw this title, with a cast of new characters and B-listers, lasting 40 issues.  Also, sometimes you read a crossover comic and realize what you are missing out on, in my case with Amazing and AA. Well, this issue did it for me with Wolverine and the X-Men. I typically avoid anything X-Men like the plague for whatever reason. However, this AA issue might have piqued my interest in the book. I will definitely look into getting the trades in the future to see how it is.

Grade: A

Detective Comics #13

With an all new writer and artist team, why not check out the first issue of their run?  It starts off with Batman cracking some skulls as a sniper takes aim at him.  As Batman gets into the Batplane, the sniper is called off. The sniper is then shown to be working for the man on the cover: the Penguin.  However, the target is not Batman; it's Bruce Wayne.  Bruce, preparing to arrive late for a ceremony for a wing in a children's center named after his mom, gets sidetracked when he takes down a couple of thugs who are robbing an apartment.  After Bruce gets the info he needs, he radios to Nightwing, telling him to look into the situation.  Just as Bruce starts going towards the ceremony, he gets distracted once more, this time by the sniper, and the two get into a tussle.  While Bruce deals with the assassin, Penguin bribes/threatens his way into getting his name, not Martha's name, on the children's wing, just as Bruce arrives.  Before Bruce even has time to react, the assassin arrives, ready to take down Bruce.

For a first issue of a new direction, this was done really well.  I've never read anything by this team, either art or story.  So it was interesting for me to do that.  But that might be a problem within itself.  I've been wavering on whether to add Detective Comics on my pull list, as I'm pulling way too many comics for my own good now (even more complicated with all the new MarvelNOW stuff coming out soon). I honestly don't know what I'm going to do with this title, because the first storyline looks really interesting, as it looks to delve into the world of Batman's villains, including Poison Ivy and a tie-in with "Death of the Family".  John Layman and Jason Fabok do a fantastic job on this issue, as did Andy Clarke on the backup art (he needs to get more work, as his stuff is amazing).  I'm going to be pulling this title for now, and we'll have to see what the future holds.

Grade: A

Minimum Carnage: Alpha

Here we go again: another Spider-family mini-event that looks really promising.  The issue starts off with Venom, fresh off his situation with Daimon Hellstrom, helping out the military hunt down Cletus Kasady aka Carnage, who has escaped from his prison cell.  At a security checkpoint, officers discover Cletus, but the cops get killed by some unseen force.  Venom checks the footage, finding something really odd and really small on the bodies. After calling the Avengers, letting them know to be ready on a notices call, calls Katy, his reporter friend.  She gives him information about the Prometheus Pit, which happens to be located in Houston.  Speaking of Houston, its resident hero, Scarlet Spider, jumps into a burning building and discovers a horrific scene with only one survivor.  Kaine goes looking for the man's wife, who gets a visit from Carnage himself.  Kaine arrives and takes on Carnage, who believes Kaine to be Spider-Man initially.  However, after noticing Kaine's more brutal behavior and stingers, determines that he isn't actually Spider-Man. It doesn't matter to Cletus, as his friends attack Kaine. With Scarlet Spider immobilized, Cletus grabs Katy, who was in Houston to interview the doctor in charge of the Prometheus Pit, and heads into the pit with his friends.  Kaine tries to stop Carnage, but Carnage destroys the machine just as he jumps in.  Just as he does that, Scarlet Spider meets Venom, as they both threaten to either kill or shoot each other.

The start of another Spider mini event, this issue is written by both Cullen Bunn and Chris Yost, the normal writers of Venom and Scarlet Spider, respectively.  Overall, the story was done extremely well. I definitely enjoyed the way the two stories were written separately and then brought together in the last panel, setting up the beginning of Scarlet Spider #10. Though I did find it interesting to bring in Katy for this story, everything else was a-okay by me. Also a-okay was the art. Done by ex-Venom artist Lan Medina, the art was nicely done. However, it made me miss Lan's work on Venom just a wee bit. This was a strong first issue for the next Spider mini-event and I'm definitely looking forward to the next issue.

Grade: A-

Alright, these reviews are done. As you read this, I am working on between five and six other posts at the same time: Avengers Vs. X-Men wrap up, another weekly review post that may spin off into two separate posts, a "10 Things" post, a Marvel NOW post, and a couple of "30 Day Challenge" posts. Needless to say, I'm going to be busy over the next couple of days. Look out for the majority of these posts in the next week, with the "30 Day Challenge" starting in about a weeks time.  Here's a little tease about the next review post: one issue gets the elusive A+ grade...  Gotta go for now. Lots more to write and not a lot of time to write it.

Thanks for reading!!