March 2013

Batman and Robin #18

/ / Comics

Batman and Robin #18Following the events of Batman Incorporated #8, writer Peter J. Tomasi and artist Patrick Gleason offer us this silent issue of the Dark Knight quietly dealing with the death of his son Damian. Even without a single word spoken (or even showing up in an old fashioned thought balloon) Batman and Robin #18 is the first of the “Requiem” crossovers to focus on the fallout of Robin’s death (and not just stick it in as a B-story).

Although Gleason offers several strong splash pages, some of the smaller individual panels of Batman out and about in Gotham aren’t quite as strong. This is certainly a comic that would have been better off to showcase more than one artist to carry so much of the weight of the storytelling.

On one hand, the issue puts Damian’s loss at the forefront and showcases the toll it’s taking on Batman. On the other hand it’s still a bit of a cheat as the hard but necessary conversations after such an event have still yet to take place. However, the set-up certainly makes the only words we do see, Damian’s final message to his father, certainly have a greater impact. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and the Brain Rapist

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
  • IMDB: link

The Incredible Burt WonderstoneThe Incredible Burt Wonderstone is an odd film about the change in magic from old school tricks and illusion to elaborate and dangerous stunts of endurance during the 1990’s, and the petty jealousies that go on behind the curtain, that feels at least a decade late. Written by Jonathan M. Goldstein and John Francis Daley (who gave us the equally uneven Horrible Bosses) the script is inconsistent, especially during the movie’s third act, but it delivers a surprising number of laughs when it embraces the sheer absurdity of its premise and characters with a gleeful zeal.

The film stars Steve Carell and Steve Buscemi as a pair of old school Las Vegas magicians Burt Wonderstone and Anton Marvelton (think Siegfried & Roy without the tigers) whose act and decades of friendship have seen better days. The pair’s partnership comes to an end when popular new street magician Steve Gray (Jim Carrey as a mix of David Blaine and Criss Angel) forces the pair into uncharted territory doing dangerous stunts that leave Anton severely injured and Burt out on the street looking for a new job.

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Psych – Lassie Jerky

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Psych – Psych – Lassie Jerky
  • tv.com: link

“O’Hara, I forbid you to buy into this load of crap!”

Psych - Lassie Jerky

Shawn (James Roday) tricks Gus (Dulé Hill) into the woods to meet up with a pair of film students (Kate Rogal, Alex Enriquez) attempting to capture proof of Bigfoot on video. Convinced the pair are concocting a hoax of their very own to win a student film award no one is more surprised than Shawn when the foursome are attacked a very large furry creature, but not as surprised as Gus when he stumbles into a shallow grave containing three fresh corpses (and one panicking pharmaceutical salesman) while running from Bigfoot.

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Fairest #13

/ / Comics

Fairest #13“The Hidden Kingdom” concludes with Rapunzel in full control of her bezoars and a war brewing on the streets of Tokyo between two sets of Fables. Not only does Fairest #13 resolve the dispute between the two groups, it also allows Rapunzel to keep a promise to her old lover Tomoko and return her Foxfire (despite Tomko’s attempts to control and kill Rapunzel in this very arc).

We still don’t know what happened to Rapunzel’s actual children, although we do learn that Frau Totenkinder does indeed know their fate (but, despite what her daughter believes, may not actually be responsible for their kidnapping). And I’ll admit I would have liked to see Rapunzel stay with Tomoko rather than return to Fabletown with Joel Crow, but as the saying goes you can’t go home again.

I enjoyed Rapunzel’s story, and hope to see more of her in the future, but I’m glad to see this story arc wrapped up here and move on to something new. The tone of the last couple issues took a darker turn than I was expecting, and, although it works, I’m hoping for a little more wacky fun with Bill Willingham‘s return next issue. Worth a look.

[Vertigo, $2.99]

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Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman
  • IMDB: link

Batman: Mystery of the BatwomanBatman: Mystery of the Batwoman was the third and final straight-to-DVD animated film put out by Warner Bros. Animation following the cancellation of Batman: The Animated Series (Mask of the Phantasm doesn’t fit into this group as it was made a decade earlier and saw a limited theatrical release). The movie keeps the Bruce Timm style of the series as well as most of the show’s regular voice cast including Kevin Conroy returning as the voice of Batman.

The show returns familiar villains the Penguin (David Ogden Stiers) and Rupert Thorne (John Vernon) as well as introducing mid-level gangster Carlton Duquesne (Kevin Michael Richardson) and his impetuous daughter Kathy (Kimberly Brooks), who acts as Bruce Wayne’s love interest for the movie. The movie also introduces a new version of Batwoman (Kyra Sedgwick) who uses lethal force to stop Penguin and Thorne’s illegal arm sales leading her into confrontation with Batman.

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