12/21/11

BEST OF WEEK: BATMAN: LEVIATHAN STRIKES—Well, that was more than worth the wait. This is, for all intents and purposes, BATMAN INCORPORATED #s 9 and 10, repurposed into a collected edition with a spine, such a handsome package. A 52-page story, naturally. The first issue is a last gasp of What Once Was, the greatness of the Stephanie Brown Batgirl. The sidekicks really are the ones who got burned on the reboot, we lost her and Dick Grayson Batman and the Lemire/Gallo SUPERBOY, all of which represented the culmination of years of continuity leading naturally to really engaging monthly adventures by creative teams firing at the top of their game. “The events of this story take place before FLASHPOINT and THE NEW 52.” Now, see, when they first announced that Morrison’s ungodly run was being shunted out of the new continuity, I was not a happy man. Suddenly, this isn’t The Real Bruce Wayne? The run is getting kneecapped and doesn’t “count” before it’s even over, even? Marvel at least had the good grace to wait a month! But as soon as I saw those words on the title page, it hit me. This is like the best thing that could have happened. You know what else doesn’t count? ALL-STAR SUPERMAN. And Miller’s THE DARK KNIGHT. All of a sudden, Morrison can do anything, ANYthing that he wants. He’s no longer beholden to ongoing serial continuity, but free to smash whatever toys he sees fit or that the story dictates, because Editorial’s just going to turn off the lights in this universe when his story is over. This does not bode well for Damian, who was originally only ever supposed to make it to the last page of the fourth issue of the run. That was just a working theory until Batwing bought it, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Anything can happen. For the home-stretch, the last constraints are thrown away.

Let’s talk about these issues. We open with for-all-intents-and-purposes a Batgirl solo adventure, in which Morrison places her in the middle of St. Hadrian’s, a setting we’re somewhat familiar with these days, between Morning Glory Academy and Tower Prep. This really is a master class on how to write a teenage superheroine, she’s confident, resourceful, clever, never out of her depth despite significant obstacles, and just all-around kickass. Hell, she even saves Batman at the end. Cameron Stewart’s art is as clean and dynamic as ever, perfectly choreographed throughout, though he took me out of the story a couple of times casting Madonna, Katy Perry, Rihanna, and (I had to look up) Lady Gaga as the staff. Great bit with the gardener, so obvious in hindsight.

The second issue is, um, a lot more insane. Incredibly disorienting on the first pass, which I guess is surely the point, recreating the labyrinth experience for the reader. We open with pretty much the Morgan Freeman version of Lucius telling us the diamond from the first Inc. arc is a fifth material, a meta-material, and that it can lead to perpetual energy. Of course. Then cut to a death-trap, Batman finds himself cut off from his sons with Netz killing Batman, Inc agents every five minutes. And yes, theory confirmed, Batwing taken out off-panel after the greatest three pages in his short career! And did the Outsiders get popped at the five-minute mark? And poor El Gaucho. This reminds me of when my little brother and I would play action figures for like ten hours straight, all day Saturday, and we’d set up all these elaborate histories and family ties and motivations and connections before just massacring all ten dozen of them in a brutal protracted battle that always always left like two survivors finally falling on each other’s swords, but that was the thing, without the set-up, the character investment, the deaths didn’t mean anything. But that’s apparently what this whole Incorporated thing has turned out to be, Morrison was building a franchise that really could have had some legs and ranged the spectrum of narrative potential, I mean, world-wide Batmen? But then Editorial just reboots, so he gets to lay waste to any or all of them. Shit, at this point, he might as well give us Le Morte de Bruce Wayne at the end of the run and then run that back into the Damian/Commissioner Barbara Gordon future from #666.

But the last-scene revelation. Brilliant, fantastic, telegraphed all along, a perfect fit in hindsight. Really looking forward to the last ten issues. Hope the massive lead-time means that Burnham draws the whole thing, he absolutely blew it out of the water here on this last one, but failing that, a curtain call of Williams, Paquette, Stewart again, shut it down with Quitely, well, I’d be all right with that, too.

BATMAN #4—Gah, rough week to be putting out another Batman book. Of course, these guys don’t care, are still jamming out one of the best books on the rack. The pace of this one slows down a little bit, but I didn’t even notice on the first read because every single aspect of this book is put together to such perfection, it’s very engaging, no matter what happens. Or doesn’t. Nice bit with Bruce and Dick’s relationship. An interesting new story about Bruce Wayne, Boy Detective. And yeah, Capullo/Glapion are nothing less than terrifying, stage everything to perfection. Really really good, still everything I want from this book, even though the Americans have got their filthy Yank paws all over it!

WONDER WOMAN #4—Man, Azzarello loves his wordplay. This one was a bit of a lull as well, but it didn’t knock my socks off quite as much as BATMAN. Which is not to knock it, because, again, everybody involved could not be doing a better job. And just a hell of a cliffhanger. Wondering how long these creators are going to stay on, what the long game actually is.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #4—Rather than have everyone joke about it like in the eponymous title, Johns elects to just show us why Aquaman’s a badass. To glorious Lee/Williams results. Man, I don’t know HOW Lee is getting this done, presuming he’s got to be drawing only in the night, I figure his business hours are pretty much accounted for. What else? The back-and-forth between Batman and GL is getting a bit ham-handed. Or repetitive. Biggest gripe is that Darkseid showing up at the end would have been a much bigger deal if they hadn’t done a press release three months ago showing us the final pencils and announcing that Darkseid would be showing up at the end of #4. Don’t really think that pulled too many converts. “Oh, I don’t care about Johns/Lee doing JUSTICE LEAGUE, but they’re bringing in Darkseid, you say?”

FABLES #112—The usual suspects crank it up a little bit higher than usual for this Christmas romp, plugging Rose in for Scrooge to rewarding results. The reason everyone is so over the moon about this book is because everyone involved could not be doing a better job than they are doing and they’ve been working together for almost a decade now, so getting into a scary scary groove.

BUTCHER BAKER CANDLESTICKMAKER #6—HA, the Garth Ennis shoutout is worth the $4 right there. And I love the Legend suggesting that Butcher get a dog. All in all, Ennis/Robertson deliver probably the best THE BOYS arc yet, locking us down with fine character work on behalf of the Butcher to take us into the home-stretch. Admirable, repugnant material.

DAREDEVIL #7—This is in fact the real deal right here, why Jack Kirby invented comic books, or whatever personal belief system you subscribe to. But, yeah. I was looking forward to this run as soon as it was announced, but then when #1 showed up, I already had like five or six other Marvel $4 singles in my pull that week, so foolishly walked away. Particularly foolish if they just dropped it down to $3 for #2, like I bet they did. But the hype has been building and building, making all the Best of Year lists, and when I saw that gorgeous Paolo Rivera cover of DD making a snow angel on a roof in Hell’s Kitchen, just couldn’t say no, and so glad I didn’t, because yes, believe the press, this right here is the real deal. Pitch-perfect characterization, dialogue, and plotting from veteran Waid and beautiful art from Rivera. Along with the Hickman output and the following title, this is easily the best thing Marvel is putting out right now. Added to pull, off to track down #1-6. Hopefully at Half Price Books.

UNCANNY X-FORCE #19—Why couldn’t Grampa do the interiors?!? Nothing against Rodriguez, he turns in great work, but that’s just a bit too much of a tease. Those colors on the cover, man, do they pop. This is nothing more than another installment of one of, again, the best things Marvel’s got going. You’ve got to love Logan stealing a few minutes with the AoA Jean, as well as her no-bullshit approach to the affair. As well as his relationship with Fantomex, whose motivations for the clone make perfect sense. Sharply drawn characters, all around. The best panel, though, had to be “Pipe down, Pryde.” Great work.

X-FACTOR #229—Well, this issue was weird. Gorgeous art. I thought that PAD was doing a brilliantly subtle little thing there when he had Madrox narrate that Longshot called Shatterstar brother when it was the other way around, given all those subtle other little tweaks to the 616, but it looks like it was just a goof. Wish the editors would have gone a little more batshit with the recap page.

AVENGERS #20—More fun with Norman. Is it just me or did the Avengers suddenly go all JLA and split up into a bunch of dynamic duo cliffhangers? Still digging Acuña’s painted art, quite a stylistic ways we’ve come from Finch at the top of Bendis’s run.

FANTASTIC FOUR #601—Well, we’re back to regular flagship numbering and pick up on all the madness that broke out of the lead story last month. Having Johnny’s family find out about his return via the flaming 4 in the sky was a masterstroke. “Here, hold my Annihilus.” I also loved Cap’s response to being introduced to the Midnight Blade, hilarious stuff. And perfect that Johnny’s not-even-short-term strategy results in obliterating the enemy armada but firebombing the planet into extinction, that sounds just about right. Hothead!