Batman Incorporated #2
14 Feb 2011 Leave a Comment
in Batman Incorporated, DC, Reviews Tags: batman, batman incorporated, catwoman, DC, japan, lord death man, tokyo
Cover
Writing: Grant Morrison
Pencils: Yanick Paquette
Ink: Michel Lacombe
Colour: Nathan Fairbairn
Letters:John J. Hill
Ressurector
Mr. Unknown is dead. His sidekick, Jiro, wants to prove he’s worthy for Batman’s offer and bring honor to Mr. Unknown’s death.
At least I got a nicer looking cover than the previous issue. Getting right down to things, though, this was more disappointment. The business with Jiro was interesting, but seemed to easy. Batman was too quick in accepting him after harshly turning him down because he used a gun. I just can’t buy that. If you are gonna make a point that using a gun broke the number one rule and that’s why you won’t be accepted. It doesn’t make sense how that you didn’t use a gun on your next crime fighting event warrants an instant acceptance. How is that one time you didn’t use a gun proof enough for redemption? The reason he gives Selena isn’t good enough for me. It just really makes Batman look stupid to me.
He faked his own death because he wanted to become someone else and start fresh.
Really? Was that really the reason? I remember Jiro making a big deal of joining him because he had nothing left and wants to avenge Mr. Unknowns death and make him be remembered as an honorable super. Selina chewed him out for being to harsh and Batman made a comment about him taking his chance, but it doesn’t lend any credit to his scolding. Why go about it that way? All of it eded up being unbelievable to me.
The octopus thing was still retarded, too, despite that one humerous frame of it hanging out the window. The book still dosn’t manage to balance light-heartedness with seriousness. I’m not sure what the problem is, but I’d guess they either can’t make up their mind, or are trying too hard. We have this silly tentacle monster trouble in the form of a giant octopus after Catwoman flips through that tentacle manga. There’s no punchline, either. She just complains of water, but no further connection is made to that chain. Later on in this issue we get serious again and have Lord Death Man blowing up a bus of disabled children.
I hate how Selina and Bruce interact, also. Is he gay? It sure seems that way seeing as how he doesn’t acknowledge her affections and I know how’ve they been in other books. I just don’t buy it. What the hell is up with that? There’s not even any tension in that, at all. So awful.
The whole idea that Batman is making his own vision of an international JLA thing, still seems kind of dumb to me. They will be using the bat signal and everything. While I’m curious how all of that will work out, I don’t think I can actually go through with it.
Batman Incorporated #1
09 Feb 2011 Leave a Comment
in Batman Incorporated, DC, Reviews Tags: batman, batman incorporated, catwoman, DC, lord death man, modern, mr unknown, tokyo
Cover
Writing: Grant Morrison
Pencils: Yanick Paquette
Ink: Michel Lacombe
Colour: Nathan Fairbairn
Letters:John J. Hill
Mr. Unknown is Dead
Batman hás plans to train Mr. Unknown to be Japan’s Batman. However, Lord Death Man got to him first and is bent on killing all Japan’s crime fighters.
The cover is hideous. I hate it. I hate that I got stuck with that one, and it doesn’t make me feel any hope that this book will be good. I had read several articles regarding this shifting of Batman, and I’m terrified that it will ruin my beloved super. I even had butterflies when I sat down to finally read it. It’s sad, I know. However, the articles I read did not actually explain what was going on, it was mostly complaining and whining, so I had to see for myself what’s happening.
I’m not given much hope, either, when I start reading this. Mr. Unknown is getting really messed up by Lord Death Man. Someone walks in on it and escapes and Lord Death Man screams out “kill all japanese crimefighters!” I wanted to laugh so hard, but I was too depressed.
Then we have Catwoman and Batman dealing with robots and the theft of something that looks like a diamond labeled “project x” and then we’re whisked away to a hotel with Bruce and Selina talking about him training a new Batman while in Tokyo. So, Bruce seems to have seen the bigger picture. Well. I have a hard time dealing with this issue when you have other supers organizations in play, like, oh, the JLA. Lord Death Man has plans for killing Japan’s crime fighters, so why do they need their own Batman? Why couldn’t we just have some new crime fighter hitting the scene?
The book just was so typical of the genre. There was nothing that happened that didn’t surprise me. It has this serious tone, but they inject this odd humor into it that just doesn’t work for me, like the giant octopus monster at the end and an earlier part Catoman sees the poster for some tentacle rape manga in Mr. Unknown’s comic store. and ponders the appeal taking the book. There’s a panel where she’s holding the book sideways with an interesting expression on her face.
I’m not impressed at all, but the issue doesn’t give me enough to tell whether or not this is actually going to be crap, or not. If the series is just Batman going around training the best crime fighters to be him, it just seems stupid. Why can’t they just stay being their own heroes? If it’s Batman just making a global hero organization, that has more promise in that he’s not really creating batmen, just recruiting. That seems more interesting, but still, why not just have JLA affiliates with other countries?
I want a better idea of what’s going on, so I’m going to keep reading until I find out. I’m hoping it will get better and I hope the answer is not something stupid. The art is at least pleasant, and the writing isn’t terrible, but as I mentioned before, it doesn’t mesh seriousness with light-heartedness very well. I cross my fingers and hope for the best.
Batman Confidential #3
10 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
in Batman Confidential, DC, Reviews Tags: batman, Batman Confidential, crime, DC, lex luthor, super-hero
Cover
Writing: Andy Diggle
Pencils: Whilce Portacio
Ink: Richard Friend
Colour: I.L.L.
Letters: Rob Leigh
Rules of Engagement. Part Three
Batman infiltrates Lex Corp for some answers.
Holy crap! Is it me, or does Batman’s muscles look weird on the cover? Wow. I really can’t get behind this artwork. I’m started to get irritated that my favorite super is so ugly. How can this happen? The plane looks pretty retarded, too.
Barely into the issue I chuckle when Batman uses his tech to watch a security guard enter a “27 digit alphanumeric sequence” floor access code. The keypad in the next frame is entirely numeric. Aside from that, more mystery elements come into play. Luthor’s plan is pretty detailed, using Crabtree’s DNA to artificially inseminate a hooker that wanted out and pretty much destroy his career and family. That as a nice connection for the dead hooker at the beginning of this series. The end result of all this is really intriguing me. At any rate, I’m always happy to see more of Lex Luthor.
You’re supposed to be my head of security, which implies that my property should be–
what’s the word?
oh yes…
–SECURE!
The story still had me going wondering what Luthor’s master plan was especially now after getting the defense contract. I’ve always been partial to the evil billionaire genius, and I’m hoping this will turn out good. My hopes filled with worry, though when I got to the end. A metal bat? Seriously? And it looks retarded.
I just don’t know about this, now. That metal bat is almost enough for me to quit, but Im going to cling to hope, and buddy Lex, cross my fingers and duke it out a bit longer.
