Comics

Detective Comics #24

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Detective Comics #24The Wrath storyline wraps up here with the villain’s convoluted grand scheme to kill cops forcing them to buy defense armament from Caldwell’s firm defense which he will now activates to slowly kill them (so slowly it will in fact give Batman time to save everyone). As genius plans go, this one needs a little work.

After unceremoniously abandoning the cliffhanger of Alfred in the super-villain’s clutches, we get an air battle between Wrath and Batman followed later by a heavily-armored fist fight between the pair in the wreckage of the 13 Precinct where the Dark Knight leaves the bad guy at the mercy of James Gordon and a whole bunch of ticked off members of the GCPD.

The entire arc has felt largely uninspired, so I guess it’s no big surprise that the conclusion is a letdown as well. One interesting note: the main story ends on Officer Wallace’s “oh, shucky-darns Batman, you’re awesome” apology that I certainly don’t mind except that such unbridled naivete feels completely out of place in the gritty 90s realism of the New 52. Pass.

[DC, $3.99]

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Green Hornet #6

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Green Hornet #6Reunited once more with the Green Hornet, Kato discovers how his friend has kept busy in the six weeks since their falling out. After hitting up various low-rent locales for protection money and information, the pair final turn their attention the the people actually behind The Voice and the various bombings around town.

Writer Mark Waid continues to play on the subterfuge the Green Hornet creates while masquerading as the city’s most notorious crime boss. Although Kato is still not sure about the lengths Britt Reid is willing to go to in order to sell the charade, he must admit his admiratation with the network the Hornet has been able to put together in such a short time.

The final sequences gives us the Green Hornet and Kato finally confronting the businessmen behind the bombings (featuring a great splash page by artist Daniel Indro), and the comic ends on a cliffhanger as we will soon see just how far Reid is willing to go to sell the Hornet’s act when he is tasked with killing and FBI agent. Worth a look.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]

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The Shadow Now #1

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The Shadow Now #1The problem with taking an iconic figure out of his element and reinventing him is that there’s often too much of an attempt to keep as much of his past as possible when a clean slate may work far better. Although Batman Beyond keeps Bruce Wayne around, by shoving him into the Alfred role the series gives the new Batman room to flourish. The same can’t be said for The Shadow Now.

The first issue opens in present times where Lamont Crantson III returns from overseas after learning to halt the aging process and appear as a much younger man to take up his fight against crime once again. This means checking in on his intelligence network, donning his trademark costume, and even visiting and old enemy in prison.

Although Cranston’s return mirrors The Shadow’s return, no one (not even those within his organization) think it suspicious. The plot of someone deliberately setting traps and taunting a vigilante who hasn’t been seen in decades also seems problematic. Also troubling is the appearance of Margo Lane‘s granddaughter whose role is all to easy to guess.

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Batman: Black and White #2

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Batman: Black and White #2The final story in the latest issue of Batman: Black and White is worth the price of the comic on its own. Designed in the style of an old Fleischer cartoon, writer Michael Uslan and artist Dave Bullock produce the amazing “Silent Night… Unholy Night!” with marvelous artwork I would gladly frame and old-school spirit and adventure that seems long lost in the current version of the DCU.

Other highlights include Jeff Lemire and Alex Nino’s snowy tale of the Dark Knight battle the cold and memories of his father to rescue Commissioner Gordon and Rafael Grampá’s misdirection tale of how Batman lays a trap to catch a troublesome group of bank robbers.

Although I appreciated J.G. Jones’s art in Dan DiDio’s Man-Bat story, the hamfisted themes and Batman’s questionable morality at the end left me cold. In much the same way, I liked the art and idea behind writer/artist Rafael Albuquerque Limbo storyline more than the final execution. Worth a look.

[DC, $4.99]

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Fairest #20

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Fairest #20Prince Charming and Nayalani’s story arc concludes with some background on Singh, the former maharaja who is responsible for all of Charming’s recent troubles, and a final showdown between the pair that leaves the villain dead and Charming with a roguish pirate look.

From the epilogue it appears Nayalani and Charming are both staying together and sticking around. I’m looking forward to the pair heading to Fabletown, and an inevitable confrontation with Charming’s ex-wife Snow White.

Although I thought “The Return of the Maharaja” got a little bogged down in the middle issues of what I felt was an unnecessarily long six-issue arc (four would have done just as well), the storyline ends with a pair of strong issues and characters I will look forward to seeing more of in the wider Fables universe. Worth a look.

[Vertigo, $2.99]

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