Last Week In Comics:
A fresh take on 5-day-old comics.

The Amazing Spider-Man #577

I have recently been loving the rencet Spider-Man stories, yet this one left me feeling flat.

One of the main reasons that I have been praising Spider-Man since the reboot was the fact that every small storyline connected to a bigger picture. Every issue until this one. Every other issue felt as if they were all part of a larger world with people other than one ones featured in that particular issue.

This issue was disappointing. As much as I like reading a Spidey and Punisher team-up – this one lacked the continuity I expect from the title.

This would have been a good one-shot.

Batman Cacophony #1

I made the mistake of reading other people’s reviews of this issue before reading it myself.

As I progressed through the Joker’s escape I keep thinking that people are taking this comic too serious and they all need to lighten up… until I read the Joker offer himself sexually to another dude for money.

Look I love Mallrats, Dogma, Clerks, and especially Clerks the Animated Series but Kevin Smith’s crude humor in a Batman comic does not work. Not only does it not work, it seems forced. The Joker wanting to sexually defile a deceased Batman may have been funny if not for the other four odd sex jokes.

The sad thing is that I will probably continue to purchase this mini just to see Onomatopoeia and where exactly Smith is going with this… unfortunately by purchasing this mini it could encourage DC to put more books like this on the shelf in the future.

Batman Confidential #23

I don’t know if the disappointment for the odd characterization of the Joker in Cacophony effected my opinion of this book, but I have to say this comic featured the Joker I want to read about.

This issue continues the tale of the Joker’s first meeting with the “normal” folks of Gotham City. Last issue Batman brought the Joker into police custody for the first time. During the span of one night the Joker killed numerous people including the investigating detective’s finance all while in jail.

The Joker continues to terrorize the GPD and city workers bringing his body count up by three at the end of this issue.

This issue was fun… slightly unrealistic but fun.

Booster Gold #14

One word can sum this issue up:

F
I
L
L
E
R
!

The foreshadowing for future issues/stories was the only redeeming quality of what used to be one of the best DC books every month.

Detective Comics #850

I have had beef with this comic since the second part of the “Heart of Hush.” The comic is advertised as a Batman R.I.P. title, yet Batman is not crazy and is running around with Tim and Dick instead of missing. I did find out that this story takes place before the main R.I.P. storyline and that makes sense on why he is running around, but I still can’t figure out how it ties in other than to boost sales.

Paul Dini is a great writer and he turns in one helluva story. Dini took what many of us comic bloggers thought was a “throw away” character along the lines of Doomsday and Bane and made Hush a real/relevant threat to Batman. A couple of years ago Hush showed up as the ultimate bad dude yet had no real back story or proper motivation to take down Bats. Dini did a great job giving him an origin story worthy of wanting to take down Bruce Wayne which means training to take down his alter ego too.

Most other titles that have the Batman R.I.P. banner are related only because they acknowledge that Batman is missing and everyone is worried. This story takes place in the recent past and somehow is tied into the story. I personally feel that the R.I.P. banner is only to boost sales, but just in case I am wrong, here is what could play a role in the R.I.P. storyline:

• Hush looks like Bruce, possibly with new scars
• Hush is not wealthy like his nemesis anymore causing more hate
• Hush now knows where the Bat-Cave is
• and the one I can’t figure out… If one of the main points in this issue is to prove that Bruce and Selina love each other and want to be together, then what caused Bruce to be with Jesibel Jet? Could Bruce and Selina raise Helena together after R.I.P. is over – just like in old Earth 2?

As annoyed as I was for the unnecessary tie into R.I.P. this was a great stand alone story arc that gives one of the supposed “baddest of the bad” guys some new found credibility.

Nightwing #150

I know that at the end of Batman R.I.P. Bruce Wayne will no longer be Batman forcing someone else to take over. From reading Robin and the future solicits, Tim was my initial guess as to who would take over the Bat-Mantle. After reading this issue of Nightwing and the solicits for future issues I recant my earlier prediction. Based on this issue, I now think Dick Grayson will take over as Batman.

While reading this issue of Nightwing I felt as if I was reading a true solo title of some hero similar to Batman in a world where Batman did not exist. Yeah that probably made no sense… so let me try to explain. Imagine there was no Batman, like in the Marvel Universe or DC Earth 53, and there was a character pulling off super heroics like the Batman. Now imagine that the character was named Nightwing and dressed in all black with a blue stripe on each arm meeting in a “V” on his chest. Got that, now imagine this character saves New York City from having ten or more blimps cover the city in acid. Not only does he save the city, he does this by crashing through the cockpit of the lead blimp and then throws down with the main bad guy thwarting him and his plan. Does this make more sense now?

In the past people have called Nightwing “Batman Lite” and he has always seemed to be in the shadow of the Bat. I have almost every Nightwing issue and can say that he is one of my favorite comic characters, but even I am constantly comparing him to Batman. This issue felt different. In this issue Nightwing felt like his own character, a real hero, and someone who could exist without Batman – and that is an awesome thing.

and

THE BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK
ACTION COMICS #871

The word “epic” is often used when describing movies, comics, and other stories. Sometimes I feel that the label is overused. Personally I consider the original Star Wars Trilogy, Watchmen, The Shield, Crisis on Infinite Earths, and a few other stories truly epic. That being said, all signs thus far are pointing to this New Krypton arc joining the select few I consider truly epic.

For me to consider a story “epic” it must feel natural with a natural progression from start to finish. An epic story should also involve more than just the main characters, because a true epic is made by the emotion and involvement of the supporting characters. As for natural progression, the New Krypton arc started immediately after Infinite Crisis with Up Up and Away. In that arc we see Lex Luthor manning a Kryptonian war ship that he found buried deep within the Earth. Following that arc Zod and other Kryptonians escape from the Phantom Zone in Superman: Last Son. Recently Superman saved the bottled city of Kandor from Brainiac and released all of the trapped Kryptonians on Earth. Aspects and characters of every story from Up Up and Away and after, including all of the recent one-shots, seem to play a role and start to show in this issue.

Lex Luthor being “recruited” by the U.S. Army because of his scientific knowledge, especially Kryptoinian technology, tie this story into Up Up and Away and the Search for Kryptonite stories. Followers of Zod feel that humans are beneath them. They also feel that Kryptonians, namely Kal-El, should have already conquered Earth and created a new Krypton. These soldiers are loyal to Zod, who I feel will be back soon, and believe that the reason Superman has not yet claimed Earth as a new Krypton is because he is vain and likes being worshiped as a god by the humans.

The emotion of this story plays a major role in the epic feeling. The release of his Kryptoniand family on Earth happened at the same time that Superman lost his adopted father. This emotion is also present after the other Kryptonians beat Doomsday to death on the Moon. Superman seems genuinely concerned and the joy the Kryptonians showed in the death of Doomsday is slightly disturbing.

Seeing this story multiple perspectives such as the military, Lex Luthor’s, followers of Zod, Superman, humans, and Kryptonians creates an epic feel making this issue easily the BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK.

I just can’t help thinking to myself aren’t Kryptonians peaceful almost to a fault, yet they took so much joy in beating Doomsday to death.