Review: Batman-The Dark Knight #1

Batman is, by far, the most prolific character in the DCnU, appearing in at least 8 of the newly released titles, 3 of which bear his name.  As we close out September with the final week of #1s, The Caped Crusader finds time to make one more appearance before the #2s hit shelves.

In addition to being the final week of #1s, Week 5 also saw the biggest turnout of artists-turned-writers.  Joining fellow artists Francis Manapul (The Flash #1) and George Perez (Superman #1), David Finch throws his hat in the ring and takes a stab at storytelling in Batman: The Dark Knight #1, the relaunch of the short-lived series from earlier this year.  However, while his name appears first on the cover, Finch provides the pencils, but is only credited as “Co-Plotter” alongside Paul Jenkins, who receives the actual writing credit.  Regardless of whoever penned the story, Batman: TDK maintains the tone set by Batman & Robin #1 and Batman #1, but loses points when it comes to originality.  The book kicks off with Batman channeling his inner Yoda, delivering an internal speech about fear, describing it as a cannibal as it feeds upon itself.  In addition to sounding like a lecture from everyone’s favorite diminutive Jedi, the narration also evokes memories of Batman Begins, the Christopher Nolan film that explored the theme of “fear” as the backdrop to Batman’s origin.

As Batman wraps up his soliloquy, he quickly ditches the cape and cowl, and arrives at a Wayne Industries function.  Not unlike Tony Stark’s more public arrival to the Stark Expo in Iron Man 2, Bruce Wayne, in a glaringly uncharacteristic move, swings down to a balcony and enters the event.  I’m sorry, but Bruce Wayne does not Bat-grapple across rooftops in a tux.  That aside, it is at this gathering that the reader learns of the newest threat that Batman must face – Gotham PD Internal Affairs!  Wait, what?  Apparently, a suspicious GCPDIA officer is accusing Bruce Wayne of funding Batman’s vigilante activities.  Sound familiar?  If you saw The Dark Knight, the sequel to Batman Begins, you might have an idea of where this is going. 

As if that wasn’t enough for Batman to handle, there’s been a breakout at Arkham Asylum….again.  We follow our hero to the front gate of Gotham’s notorious nuthouse just as several of its residents are busting out.  In a stunning two page spread, David Finch depicts several Bat-villains, including Mr. Freeze and Clayface, as they assault Arkham security.  Batman arrives to diffuse the situation, and upon entering the asylum, we can clearly see that Finch has taken inspiration from the enormously popular Arkham Asylum video game.  From the guard uniforms to the distinctive corridors, it is definitely the same environment established by the game.  For the book’s cliffhanger ending, Jenkins and Finch (whether intentionally or not) take one more cue from both Arkham Asylum and its upcoming sequel, Arkham City, but you’ll just have to check the book out for yourself to see if you agree.

Breakout at Arkham Asylum!

Scott Snyder’s Batman #1, was a hard act to follow, but that’s no excuse when your book is a mishmash of concepts from other material.  Batman: The Dark Knight #1 has potential with the IA arc, and Finch’s art is definitely a boon to the project, but unless the book finds its own rhythm soon, it might be as short-lived as its pre-New 52 run.

Review: Nightwing #1

Dick Grayson has been called many things.  Acrobat. Boy Wonder. Batman.  But deep down, Dick prefers one moniker over all others – Nightwing.   

With Bruce Wayne back in the picture, Dick has relinquished the cape and cowl, handed over Damian’s leash, and returned to his solo crime fighting career as Nightwing.  However, instead of taking up his old beat in Blüdhaven, Dick remains in Gotham.  Immediately, writer Kyle Higgins gets us inside Dick Grayson’s head, exploring how thrilled he is to be himself again, now that he is not filling in for Batman.  Dick does, however, acknowledge that the experience made him stronger, brought his technique to “flawless” levels, and granted him a new perspective.  As Dick delivers this soliloquy, artist Eddy Barrows depicts him leaping, bounding, and swinging his way across the rooftops of Gotham, artistically capturing the character’s exhilaration.  At key action points in the issue, Barrows also chooses to illustrate within diagonal panels, emphasizing the constant, dynamic motion and combat.

Echoing Bruce Wayne’s desire to make peace with his past and move on in Batman & Robin #1 and Batman #1, Nightwing #1 finds our hero facing a specter from his own past, struggling with how to confront it.  Haly’s Circus, the troupe with which The Flying Graysons toured, has returned to Gotham City for the first time since Dick’s parents were killed.  Drawing upon his newfound personal strength and choosing to face his fear, Dick visits the circus, even taking to the trapeze for old time’s sake.  It is the perfect parallel to Bruce’s decision to tear down and redevelop Crime Alley, the scene of the Waynes’ murder.  Both men have chosen to acknowledge their respective pain, and to stop running from it.  Kyle Higgins allows Dick to sum it up brilliantly – "...my past isn't my biggest weakness, it's my biggest strength - it's what makes me who I am."

Things look to be on the up and up for ol’ Dick Grayson!  That is, until a masked assassin attacks him in the streets of Gotham.  Confronting him as Nightwing, Dick dukes it out with the mystery man, only to learn that this particular villain is out for blood.  Why?  You’ll just have to read Nightwing #1 and Batman #1 to see how this particular crossover gets off the ground, and why Dick earns yet another label – “The fiercest killer in all of Gotham.”

Review: Catwoman #1

Holy fan service, Batman!  DC’s most famous femme fatale has returned, but while Catwoman #1 takes off at top speed, this oversexed issue struggles to humanize DC's favorite feline. 

Starring in her own ongoing title for the first time since 2008, Selina Kyle begins this new chapter right where we expect to find her – waist-deep in trouble.  The first few pages are a whirlwind of action and close-ups as Selina races to don her Catwoman suit and escape her apartment before a group of thugs bursts in.  She leaps out the window, half-dressed and clutching a crate full of her cats, stopping only to watch her apartment explode and burn.  If that opening doesn’t grab you by the throat, I don’t know what will.

Even as Catwoman barely escapes certain death, writer Judd Winick tries to keep the tone light.  Selina maintains a very flippant attitude as she watches her home burn, even cracking a joke to herself and focusing on the fact that she just needs to keep moving.  She seeks help from a friend, which, in and of itself, seems out of character.  Selina herself comments on how odd it is for someone like her to have an actual friend.  The internal monologue, as well as the actual exchange between the characters, emphasizes the loneliness that Selina experiences every day, a theme that will more than likely be the focus of this arc.  Judd Winick looks to be laying the groundwork for some honest-to-goodness humanity in the fiercely independent criminal/anti-hero.  Follow that up with some detective work in a Russian mob bar, a flashback to Selina's youth, and top it off with her brutally beating a man in a bathroom, and we are reminded that Catwoman is still a predator at heart.

The issue closes out with a very surprising encounter with the Dark Knight himself.  Not unlike Superman's appearance in Supergirl #1, Batman shows up right at the end in what seems like an effort to remind the reader that we're still in the same universe.  We get it.  However, the real surprise comes when the lonley and frustrated Catwoman throws herself at Batman and the two end up knocking boots.  Shock value?  Yes.  Necessary? Probably not.  It's the capper to an issue that definitely wanted to reestablish one of DC's most sexually charged characters.  

While the overt sexuality might seem excessive, you have to hand it to artist Guillem March for pulling off both amazing action and gratuitous fan service.  The best example of both is Catwoman's half-dressed leap from her exploding apartment.  But if this book expects to earn a following, the creative team will need to work a little harder to get the readers to care about Catwoman again.

Review: Batwoman #1

Batwoman: the black sheep of the Bat-Family.  No, not the character, the book.

Batwoman is a DC heroine who dates back to 1956, when the original Kathy Kane debuted in Detective Comics #233 as a means to dispel the rumors of a homosexual relationship between Batman & Robin.  Nearly three decades later, the character was one of the many casualties of the continuity cleanup event, Crisis on Infinite Earths.  Skip ahead to 2006. The new Batwoman, now Jewish, lesbian heiress Kate Kane, burst onto the scene in 52 #7, this time to fill the void left by an absent Batman.  She then spent the next several years making scattered appearances throughout the DCU, most notably as the lead character in Detective Comics for 10 issues.  Eventually, Batwoman was due to receive her own ongoing title.  However, by the time it was ready to get off the ground, the New 52 were on their way.  Enter J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman, the co-writers bringing Batwoman into the new era of DC Comics. 

If you’re a fan of Bat-Family stories, you probably expect the usual gritty, urban tales of crime, corruption, and super-villainy in the seething cesspool of Gotham City.  So far, Detective Comics #1 and Batgirl #1 seem to be in that vein.  Batwoman #1, however, kicks off with a very supernatural feel, opening with a kidnapping perpetrated by, what appears to be, a ghost.  Batwoman appears on the scene, fails to prevent the kidnapping, but promises the parents that she will find the children and bring them home.  Sweet! A detective story with a supernatural twist! Right? RIGHT?! …… No such luck.  What follows is a mess of overt sexual byplay, inconsistent art, and jumbled storytelling. 

For the first step in her investigation, Kate Kane, who is portrayed as whiter than a bleached sheet and bears a striking resemblance to Batman Beyond’s Dee-Dee twins, stops in to visit veteran detective, Maggie Sawyer.  However, instead of furthering the plot with a discussion of the mysterious crime, the two engage in a coy conversation that goes out of its way to remind you that both Kane and Sawyer are gay.  (The last thing I want to do is sound insensitive, but there’s a fine line between addressing the fact subtly and tastefully, and beating you over the head with it.)

Kate then recruits her cousin, Bette Kane (formerly Flamebird of the Teen Titans) to assist her in her investigation.  I’m hard-pressed to call it an investigation since the pair’s evening exploits consist of arguing about Bette’s new codename and costume, beating up some billiard-themed street thugs, and arguing some more as they return to Kate’s Bat-Penthouse.  The only ones who seem to be doing any actual detective work are Maggie Sawyer and Jim Gordon.  If the GCPD is actually doing some legwork to solve a case, you know the hero is slacking off.

Even the book’s art can’t save it.  J.H. Williams III, who provided the pencils as well as half the story, and inker Dave Stewart seem to fluctuate between two distinct styles.  One is reminiscent of Frank Quitely (All-Star Superman), minus the doughy-ness and funny mouths.  The other is more detailed, featuring more prominent shading and texture.  It is used primarily when illustrating Batwoman herself.  These two styles are clearly evident in a spread that attempts to cram Kate Kane’s entire history into two pages.  It’s a jumble of images covering her childhood, her time in the military, the alleged death of her deranged twin sister, her mother’s murder, and her career as Batwoman.  For a reader unfamiliar with the character’s past, it’s a very confusing clutter of faces and events.  Not the kind of thing you want to be throwing at your target audience of new readers.

Batwoman's history, juxtaposed against an argument illustrating her Daddy issues.

Even the book’s cliffhanger falls flat.  The final page finds Batwoman poking around a snowy riverbank, which is apparently a crime scene.  Is it related to the child-swapping ghost?  We have no way of knowing.  Oh, and Batman shows up at the last possible second with a “proposition” for Batwoman.  That’s the cliffhanger.  The whole page seems like an afterthought.

I don’t see how anyone would want to come back for more from Batwoman.  She’s angry, unlikable, and a really crappy superhero.  If this book has to rely on Batman showing up in order to draw in readers, then it defeats the entire purpose of giving a solo title to a character who has a great deal of her own potential.  Batwoman can make a great impact as both a socially-relevant character, and as a mainstream superhero, but she can’t make any progress if her custodians won’t give her the chance.