Hey there comic readers,I found myself extremely conflicted on the matter of which review I would write today. The biggest reason being, a lot of new stuff come out today. In a single Wednesday we had an assault of a lot of my favourite books that I am reading right now all at once. To get some perspective on what I am talking about let’s jump right into my pull list.
Comic Pull List Mar/21/12
Dark Horse
The Goon #38
DC
Batman #7
Batman Beyond #2
Captain Atom #7
Catwoman #7
Green Lantern Corps #7
Justice League #7
Nightwing #7
Red Hood and the Outlaws #7
IDW
Smoke and Mirrors #1
Marvel
The Amazing Spider-Man #682
Supercrooks #1 (Millar World)
So if you have been following the latest major events coming from Marvel and DC you may be able to see why I was so conflicted this week. In terms of Marvel, this week marked the beginning of “The Ends of the Earth” story from Dan Slott in Amazing Spider-Man. In terms of DC, I witnessed the beginning of the “Night of Owls” story coming out of Batman and Nightwing #7 respectively. I gotta say, all three books were awesome reads. At this moment however, I have an obvious dilemma. Which one do I review? After much deliberation, I have chosen to discuss BOTH. Yes. I am pulling out all the stops this week and reviewing “Night of Owls” found in both Batman #7 and Nightwing #7 as well as Amazing Spider-Man #682. Hold on to your hats people. We’re going in.
Batman #7Written by Scott Snyder
Art by Greg Capullo
This is it. Everything that has been building since the beginning of the New 52. Scott Snyder’s epic tale of terror. Snyder’s run at “breaking the bat”. Anyone who is familiar with the phrase knows that it is definitely not a simple task. Batman, a man without any superhuman features, is nothing if not one of the most respected heroes in the history of comics. Bob Kane’s Legacy is very much elevated to a status of near invulnerability. Gotham City. Batman’s city. An avenger fighting for sanity in a place that is shrouded in perpetual nightfall. Now what if you take that city away from him. Turn it against him. Make him doubt everything he has ever known and by doing so, shake his resolve to its core. This is exactly what I feel Snyder has been doing with Batman since issue #1. Taking simple flaws found in the caped crusader, and expanding on them until we have a certifiable weakness. The Court of Owls (his new enemies in the shadows) is entirely prepared to exploit those weaknesses in ways that we have never before seen. Fast forward to issue #7, and the chilling aftermath of Batman’s first real engagement with the Court of Owls has left him changed forever. That is as much as I am willing to tell about this issue. I am entirely happy with everything Snyder has done on Batman since the launch of the New 52. Its bold, refreshing, and gives me an intense feeling of suspense. I can honestly say that this is the most fun I have had reading Batman in a long time. With Capullo on pencils that story is translated word for word in eye absorbing art form. Capullo has a way of showing me a Batman that is visibly distraught and shaken. It’s a Batman I am not normally accustomed to looking at, but one that I would not want to see go anytime soon. A great creative team for one of the best books DC is putting out right now. No question on my mind, this book gets a well-deserved perfect rating from me.
Cosmic Rating 5/5
Nightwing #7
Written by Kyle Higgins
Art by Eddy Barrows & Geraldo Borges
I am going to be completely honest, I have not been enjoying Nightwing as much as I thought I would. I am not going to say I hate this book, because that would be a gross over reaction to my previous comment. I just have not been able to connect to this Dick Grayson as much as I did when I was reading his time as Batman. This issue was the conclusion of current story line featuring the villain “Saiko” and Dick’s return to Haly’s Circus. Among other things, this issue has revealed many dark secrets about Dick Grayson’s past all of which being completely unknown to him until this issue. This issue also served to connect into the “Night of Owls” story, as well as connecting in small part to the events going on in Batman #7. A nice extra indeed. Higgins time on Nightwing has been, for me at least, somewhat boring. I think it is just that I could not take his villain seriously. Possibly because I was reading Nightwing beside Snyder’s Batman and just hoping that they would cross over eventually. In any case I don’t feel like I have given Nightwing enough credit. I caught myself hoping that Nightwing and Batman crossover more than actually caring about what was happening to Nightwing. It’s in this issue I finally caught myself at fault and took the time to go over all SEVEN issues of Nightwing again to get a better sense of the story going on. You know what I realized? Higgins is doing a great job. The Dick Grayson I am reading is a man torn by responsibilities and missed opportunities in this story. The way this issue ended definitely was something I enjoyed. Love how they interconnect and can’t wait to see how the story will adapt moving forward. Art from Barrows and Borges remains solid, providing a lot of great action in the panels of this issue. A great issue from start to finish, looking forward to seeing how this continues in the upcoming story event.
Cosmic Rating: 4/5
Amazing Spider-Man #682Written by Dan Slott
Art by Stefano Caselli
Another highly anticipated story event finally arrives in this week’s pages of Amazing Spider-Man. Dan Slott has been giving us a lot of insight into what he is trying to accomplish in this event, and I think it definitely has gotten me pumped up to dive right into this one. In broad strokes, Dr. Octopus has found himself terminally ill. In one last bid for glory, he gathers the Sinister Six for his master plan. Together with their combined forced, this issue marks the beginning of that final plan and has forced Spider-Man to prepare for a final confrontation between himself and some of his greatest foes. Once again, I am supremely pleased with how this first part of the story was delivered. I was worried that the teasers given over the past few weeks would leave me with a feeling of disappointment after the first issue. I had convinced myself that the first issue would not be able to reveal enough to satisfy me. I am so glad at how wrong I was. This issue was great, full of action, suspense, and that Slott styled Peter Parker monologue that I have come to enjoy thoroughly. I must hand it to Dan Slott for making it so enjoyable to read, because it really is a great reading experience that I would highly recommend to any closet Spidey fan that is curious about jumping into comics. Stefano Caselli’s pencils have become another part of this book that just pairs together so nicely. Thoroughly enjoyed this issue from end to end, the art being no small part in that. The new suit was definitely something that I had been very excited to see as well, as I had done my best to avoid spoiling it for myself once I found out that it was coming in this story line. Such a great issue, and a great start to the “Ends of the Earth” event. Can’t wait for the next one!
Cosmic Rating: 5/5
That was a big review. I can’t believe how much reviewing I got done this week. With story events as big as these just starting, I felt that it was necessary. Hopefully comic readers will enjoy the insight I have offered instead of just thinking TL:DR. Wouldn’t that be funny? Until next week then, take care and happy reading!
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