Comic Book Reviews: Batman #6, Nightwing #6, and Red Hood & The Outlaws #6

This has been an excellent week for me so far.

I haven't been at work past 2 a.m. any day this week and don't plan to. I am completing my radio training, which means I'll be on the air at KUNV HD-2 Las Vegas before the month ends.

And the three titles that I follow on the third Wednesday of the month each hit absolute home runs with their issues this week.

Batman #6

I almost feel like I shouldn't waste anyone's time and just say, BUY THIS!!! But you all come for the reviewing, so let's talk about Batman's showdown with Talon.

Where last issue was drawn at various angles so as to disorient the reader like Batman was, this one captured the emotion of the fight by showing the impact of every blow in full detail.

Readers are still in Bruce's head in this one, as when he finally snaps and comes back at Talon, he takes on a quasi-beast form in the book.

I absolutely loved the way Bruce's emotion is shown in this book. If the cover on the right doesn't make you want to pick this book up, I don't know what will.

The art carries over inside the book, as the left eye of the Bat cowl is torn off and Bruce's eye is visibly reddening and appearing more and more panicked. It becomes clear just how important not seeing the eyes is to the mythos of Batman through this because seeing his eye really humanizes him here.

The ending of this book legitimately will be unsettling in multiple ways, but I won't spoil it here. Needless to say, the "Night of the Owls" crossover in three issues is going to be an epic one.

Nightwing #6


This book is getting close to ending its first arc, and I for one can't wait for the conclusion (and subsequent transition to the crossover).

Dick Grayson has been traveling with the circus trying to find this killer named Saiko. What was revealed in the issue before was that Saiko is his circus-mate Raymond, and he is being helped by Raya, another friend (with benefits) of Grayson's from the circus who is also returning for the first time in a long time.

The story in this book revolves around the creation of a Flying Graysons tribute show, where Saiko plans to confront Grayson.

Sadly, this book does not bring anything to a conclusion, but it's clear that it will be happening at the end of the next issue. (This is supported by the fact that a Night of the Owls set-up story is going to be Issue #8.)

Since the last issue was basically filler, this is the issue to start picking up this title. Besides the fact that the art is spectacular (two artists drew it, but you'd never tell with how smoothly the whole thing flowed), the conclusion of this story is now in Gotham, so these next two issues will lead right into Issue #8.

Nightwing is a big part of the crossover, so I'd highly recommend this one.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #6


For the first time in the six-issue run, we finally know how Starfire and Jason Todd met each other, and we know that the Grayson-Starfire romance is still in the canon.

I was impressed by the flashback issue, but it did lead me to ask one question: WHY WAS THIS NOT ISSUE #1? This was the background I cared most about, had an amazing Dick-Jason exchange and set up the actual first issue perfectly.

Nonetheless, it's a better-late-than-never kind of deal and I'm glad this issue exists. Roy was seen briefly in a flashback as Arsenal, but that was the extent of his time in the book.

Actually, I'm ok with that, as it seems like it's tough getting these three to mesh in a book at the same time.

The emotion in the faces was drawn brilliantly, and it makes sense to hearken back to Jason's background in the Bat-verse before he and Red Robin have their run-in at the Night of the Owls.

Overall, all of the Bat-books involved in the crossover are putting their best feet forward and this could very well be something amazing.

Comic Book Reviews: Batman & Robin #6, Batgirl #6, and Detective Comics #6

My first of my two favorite Wednesdays of the month has passed, and that means it's time to review comics. (Oh if only the second Wednesday of each month wasn't surrounded by so much work crap. Oh well, moving on...)

Batman and Robin #6

I have had nothing but positive things to say about this book for the first five issues, but I was a little disappointed in this one. Specifically, the bait-and-switch that Robin pulled on NoBody seemed to be too predictable.

I got the feeling that they wrote themselves into a tough spot, and rather than open up an overarching theme of rebuilding trust between Bruce and Damian that could have fueled the book for possibly a couple of years, they chose to bypass that and give us the payoff now.

Granted, I can understand why they would do this. This book is supposed to be Batman and Robin adventures, so the quicker the two are on the same page, the better. 

That said, I think with a commitment to long-term booking this book could have been milked for two or three films when Warner Bros. reboots the Batman movie series again.

Even so, despite the bait-and-switch, the writing was solid. We got the finish to Bruce's flashback and the emotion Damian showed was consistent with what we saw from him at the end of Batman #5. Artwork for this book has been consistently good as well, and I'm glad that we finally got a cover that isn't red.

Overall, this is setting up nicely for the first major arc to wrap up either in issue 7 or 8. And I'm serious about this becoming a film one day. This has been a fun dynamic (duo haha).

Batgirl #6

A brief, two-issue arc concluded here, as Gretel and Barbara had their showdown quicker than I expected.

Of course, this book will be remembered for Barb's fight with Bruce early on. I'm not sure what to make of it other than the fact that this was a way to get Barbara over as the permanent Batgirl.

Sadly, though, what it did for me is make me wonder what in the world happened to Stephanie Brown. Seriously, after Leviathan Strikes we've gotten no indication of what has happened.

I sincerely hope that this issue is resolved soon. When Stephanie donned the femme-cowl, we got a flashback in the first issue showing Cassandra passing her suit on to her. I still don't know if Spoiler exists in this new universe six months in!

Anyway, the mother-daughter dynamic is moving at a pace too slow for me to care about and the cops in this book need to take a chill pill.

As a whole, I'd say this is a passable issue, but definitely one of the weaker ones of the new series.

Wild Card: Detective Comics #6

As I said before, each month I'll be looking over another book and reviewing it. I figure I'll start with the Bat-books and then expand through the rest of the DC Universe.

This month is Detective Comics' turn. Most of you know this as the flagship, "A" book of the entire company.

When DC chose to reset the book to #1, it drew the eyes of many for immediately using the Joker and concluding the book with the Clown Prince's most deranged act of mutilation yet.

This led to the Dollmaker arc, and that in turn has moved into a storyline with Oswald Cobblepot a.k.a. The Penguin.

In this issue, Cobblepot has opened a new Iceberg Lounge and is working with a group of criminals, who are apparently going to join forces to stop the Bat from getting to them again.

Meanwhile, Bruce's new girlfriend now has a sister in the crime business, and this twisted sister (:D) proceeds to put her in danger. The cliffhanger as to her survival is chilling (if you cared for the romance, that is).

I will say that I enjoy this book as a more cut-and-dry brand of Batman. While Batman has been slowly expanding the villainy with the intent of causing a multi-title climax, Detective seems to be doing the 4-issue, 'wrap it up nicely' style of story-telling.

I like the episodic format, especially since issue #1 sets up one hell of an arc whenever it is revisited.

As for this issue, I felt it was pretty weak, and Batman doesn't seem as crafty as he usually is. I am looking forward to a Batman-Penguin showdown, as I love the villain, but it's still too early in the main feud to be interesting just yet.

If I were you, I'd skim this one in the store and buy next month's, as Cobblepot should be getting a crack at the Bat soon.

See you next week!

UNLV Suggestion Box (Get on this crap so future students don't kick your ass)

So I've come across a few things over my four years in college that I feel should be addressed because they're complete crap.

They're not expensive suggestions. They're not a lot of extra work. Heck, they're so easy to fix, the bureaucratic nightmare that is the student government could do them without cutting into their budget at all.

I go on this rant because I feel like steps could be taken to improve student life and campus unity and it doesn't have to involve spending thousands of dollars on an indoor rave party, or a motivational speaking little person event that draws a couple dozen students AT BEST.

Here are my ideas:

Intramural sports


So going into this final semester, I wanted to do some intramural sports, specifically basketball and sports trivia.

I grabbed the little sign-up sheet and had a $20 in my wallet to pay for my entry, but then I read the sheet and only team rates were available.

When I asked what the cost was for individuals, the girl behind the desk gave me a blank stare like she left her brain in her workout locker and said I needed enough members to form a team myself.

What the heck?

While I am a sexy athletic man who runs, swims and is nearly a black belt, many of my friends generally keep to one sport or are girly girls who don't want to look dumb in public competition.

I ran into the same problem with Oozeball this year. Most of the people I was around at the time (mostly from my job) took issue with either the mud, the volleyball or the day, so I couldn't compete.

I'm sorry, but this is exactly why we're a commuter campus with an apathetic student base. Freshman, transfers and people with busy/non-athletic friends can't fill teams with people they know.

This means they either have to be "that person," randomly asking people in the gym to "be their new buddy" and play with them, or they're completely shunned from competition.

Part of me thinks this is a ploy by Greek organizations (the only organizations capable of consistently fielding teams) to hold these games hostage.

Why not allow for an individual entry and then throw the competitors onto teams at random? It would allow new students a chance to get to know new people, and it would give those who want to play the chance to compete without having the be a creepy talent scout in the weight room.

It wouldn't cost anything. Heck, it would make money because you could gain another $10-$15 per individual. And people could still enter as teams. They might even get a new recruit to their circle by having people added onto their squad.

It just upsets me that there's a real chance to bring some campus camaraderie and yet the choice being made is to be isolationist. But then what else is new on campus?

Rebellion seating


While I'm on the subject, I got to the UNLV-New Mexico game a few weeks ago. Two. Hours. Early.

My hope was to get into the front rows so that my painted face would intimidate the Lobos by, you know, actually being visible to them.

I was one of the first into the arena, literally getting in seconds after the gates opened at 6 p.m. And yet when I got there, all the rows were filled.

As you can imagine, I was not happy. Chet Buchanan (of the Morning Zoo) said that they had been in the building over an hour and a half before game time.

WTF?!?!

So apparently, being in a super-neato club of friends now warrants people getting in LONG before anyone else can.

This genuinely upsets me, as I intend to be painted up in full Ultimate Warrior-esque paint on Saturday for the San Diego State game. But I apparently can't get seated in the GOOD seats because these Rebellion folk are monopolizing the front-rows' seating.

I can live with the first two rows being reserved by cheerleader parents even though they never fill it. I don't like (but won't start a fight over) people who think that their solo presence can reserve AN ENTIRE FREAKING ROW OF SEATS. But I cannot stand people who cheat the system because they believe they are so superior of fans that no one else can be in the spotlight.

Crazy Alabama radio lady, do you have anything to say about this?

I request that the T&M's management disallow this crap from happening, and I request that the so-called "super-fans" get in line and compete for the front seats like everybody else!

It's all our team, not just yours.

New 52's second wave: Why you should be PUMPED

DC Comics has decided the time has come for the first shake-up of the New 52 titles since the semi-universal reboot this past September.

Six titles will be eliminated after they complete their arcs with Issue #8 in April, and then in May, six new titles will replace them.

OK, I am a HUGE fan of this idea. To start with, if DC is serious about not overwhelming their already complicated universe, they can't go bigger than 52 titles. Moreover, it makes sense to kill the titles that are not selling (why you'd give SO MANY titles to Batman is beyond me. Seriously, I can't buy all of these! Do we really need Batwing and TDK?)

Anyway, this has been talked about quite a bit. Here is a good piece regarding it and whether it was planned or whether the poor sales of the six slated for termination was the impetus.

The six going away will be: O.M.A.C., Hawk and Dove, Static Shock, Mister Terrific, Men of War, and Blackhawks. That should not be too bad for the fan base. As these are six of the lowest-selling franchises, they're characters can be placed in other books.

Now, as to the six new titles: The Ravagers should be an interesting title for those who follow the Teen Titans, as this will be a direct spin-off from their crossover with Superboy.

GI Combat will be taking readers back to the old The War that Time Forgot storylines, and along with some other side stories, should be a good way to combine a few GI-based titles.

Dial H was a cult classic in its time, and will provide another string of storylines about regular humans being given random powers for a short time. It should be a fun read, especially for the hardcore fan base.

World's Finest will be one of the titles I think I'll have to at least keep tabs on. Huntress and Power Girl, as will be revealed at the end of the latest Huntress mini-series, are actually from Earth-2 and the two are working to get back. This book will be one of two actively using the multiverse, and I have to say I am excited.

Earth-2 is the other one and is the title I'm actually most excited for. This book will focus mainly on the Justice Society of America, and I personally can't wait to see how Earth-2 has changed since the last glimpse of the world.

Batman Inc. concludes the preview, and I am interested in this one simply to see the exploits of the other international Batmen. Batwing was kind of a hard sell for me when it came to getting his own book (mainly because Cassandra Cain's exploits in Asia as Black Bat would be far more interesting to me), but this is where the international presence shines, and so I'm willing to see how this international war with Talia al Ghul turns out.

I will say that because all these titles will be building the parameters of the new multiverse, new fans may struggle with these titles unless the opening arcs are done properly. That said, there's so much out there in DC at the moment that there should be something for everyone now.

Comic Book Reviews: Batman #5, Nightwing #5, and Red Hood & The Outlaws #5

Sorry for the delay on this one, but the first week of school had me busy. I finally got around to reading these books, so let's get to the reviews!

Batman #5

I know most of you are here to read about this book, but I do hope after I review Batman, you do stick around for the other two. That said, I can't say I blame you - this book was BRILLIANT.

In what has been the best book I've seen since the reboot, this story begins in the Court of Owls' maze, where evidently Batman has been wandering for a week slowly losing his mind.

It's amazing to watch the Batman lose it, realize he's losing it, but still have the Bat-cajones to think he's still in complete control of the situation.

Other reviewers have probably talked the art style to death for this one, but honestly, it deserves all the praise in the world. The panels are flipped so you have to read sideways, upside down and even anime-style (right to left). It really does reflect Batman's confusion, as even I had to read twice just to make sure I read it right.

The best part of this book, though, was the Robin cameo and his obvious worry for his dad really gave this book a great emotional level, and I thoroughly recommend Batman #5.

Nightwing #5

I love the art in this particular installment, but the story just screamed "filler episode."

In this, Nightwing went to New Orleans with the circus and he has to protect one of the circus clowns from a vengeful voodoo-priestess lover and the demon she summoned.

That's pretty much the focus of this whole book.

I love the take on the Nightwing in this title and the main arc has been great, but this was just way too out there.

It felt like they were just looking for a way to delay the payoff for another month, and maybe that's so the arc can finish in time for the "Night of the Owls" special. That's not going to make this a big-deal story, though.

I'd still read this book, especially for the side story with Dick's romantic life and the big cliff-hanger reveal on the final page, but if you don't buy filler books, here's one.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #5

I said in the last review that Red Hood should have his own book if Starfire and Arsenal were going to continue to drag the story down, but this book did provide a glimpse as to how this book could work.

With Starfire powerless and cowering at the mercy of Crux, Arsenal fires arrows and self destructs them to take him out. There's actually some character development on all three characters this go-around, but I still feel like Crux sucks as a villain in general and the Outlaws' side story should have closer ties to Jason's.

Meanwhile, Jason has found new motivation to fight that isn't the Joker and Batman, and his brutal killing of the member of "The Untitled" sparks an angry mob when they see her human form destroyed.

Jason Todd will eventually need to re-learn the dangers of collateral damage, it would seem.

Overall, I liked the story, and it's probably the first or second-best book in the series. The first minor arc really ends here, so I'd recommend getting involved with this book and this is a good one to get a feel for the series before the next arc begins.

Comic Book Reviews: Batman & Robin #5, Batgirl #5, and Batman: The Dark Knight #4

The first superheroes I ever saw were Adam West and Burt Ward playing Batman/Bruce Wayne and Robin/Dick Grayson in the 1960s. Since then, although I love the superhero genre, Marvel and DC alike, I refer to myself as a Batman fan.

My whole childhood, my vision of heroes consisted of the original dynamic duo and the Barbara Gordon Batgirl. This has resonated to the point that the only comics I buy religiously have some connection to those individuals and/or their aliases.

As such, this is my favorite week of the month. Peter Tomasi's Batman & Robin and Gail Simone's Batgirl come out the second Wednesday of each month, and they are definitely amazing titles.

However, as there are only two books this week, each month when reviewing these two books, I'll review a wild card. This week will be last month's Batman: The Dark Knight.


Batman and Robin #5
I will say this many times, but this is the BEST title in DC Comics right now. Damian Wayne in the last few years has been unpopular with readers, mainly because he was almost the straight-man to the more relaxed Grayson Batman and the Stephanie Brown Batgirl.

While it led to some funny moments, and I did love Dick and Steph in those roles, being able to draw on the fact he is the son of Batman and a trained fighter thanks to his family in the League of Assassins has led to a darker, but more dynamic character.

'Nobody', the new villain in this arc, has his background revealed in this issue. Evidently he was the son of Ducard, one of Bruce's trainers, and has been dealing with decades of being butt-hurt that his daddy paid more attention to the future Batman than him. As such, he now looks to take Bruce's son and bring him to his side: Protection via execution.

While most of this story is a flashback, it's necessary for the villain to make sense, and the story ends with a critical decision for Damian (no spoilers here). Overall, this book puts on a clinic as to how to tell a story, and Tomasi, Gleason and Gray should be proud here.

Batgirl #5
Barbara Gordon has had her fair share of challenges trying to get back on her feet (so to speak) since shaking off her paralysis from "The Killing Joke" and regaining the Batgirl mantle for the first time since before my birth.

The first story with the villain Mirror was pretty straight-forward, but the story it told was amazing. The story in Batgirl's second arc is too early in to tell, but it sets a good foundation while frustrating the reader with how little was actually accomplished.

Issue #4 left on the cliff-hanger that Barbara's mother had returned. However, their meeting was brief and left me wanting more.

The same goes for the villain. Evidently, this 'Gretel' has an obsession with the number 338, but it wasn't explained nor was it explained how she's controlling minds.

It's a nice story (though the whole "villain uses mind control to make people kill each other" thing was used in the second story arc of the LAST Batgirl volume in 2010) but it tries to do too much too quickly.

Don't get me wrong - the story is still fun, the Bruce Wayne cameo is well-done and the art is amazing (seriously, LOOK at that cover!), but it's so busy that the explanation of how she regained the use of her legs was a throwaway line in the opening monologue.

The writing needs to take the advice Barb needs to take: Focus on one main story and don't try to over-exert yourself.

Wild Card: Batman: The Dark Knight #4
If Vince Russo (of WWF, WCW and TNA fame) attempted to write a Batman comic, I imagine it would look like this one.

Story-telling is clearly a secondary feature in this series, as things seem to happen for no apparent reason. A girl in sexy white garb who calls herself the White Rabbit and makes presents appear out of nowhere diverges a little too much from reality for my tastes.

Mysticism is a base in any comic, but it's rarely so out-in-the-open as it is here.

I'll say this: If you like things blowing up, the classic villains popping up one after the other, and a book that actually attempts to work in the other comics' storylines (albeit poorly), then this is one to look at. It will be completely incoherent, but at least it'll look pretty, as the artwork in this book just OWNS.

This is more a critique on the series and not the individual book, mainly because I lost it when Batman and Alfred sat around in the Batcave randomly eating ice cream and sharing dirty jokes. I'm just glad they remembered:

I honestly tried to make myself like this book, but it's just so over the top that I will probably give up on this one to buy Detective Comics. The Penguin is involved, so look for that one next month.

Comic Book Alert: Batman Universe is getting bombarded by Owls!!!

So as I was checking Google News for stuff on South Carolina primaries, MMA and such, I ran a search for Batman and saw news that the Court of Owls from Snyder's Batman title will be expanded into the first bat-universe-spanning cross since the New 52 universal reboot.

"Night of the Owls" will be covering nine titles starting in May, eight of them in the Bat-universe and one strangely in the All-Star Western title.

For those who haven't been following the New 52, you are MISSING OUT. The true title of the Caped Crusader has been searching for a group responsible for some recent deaths. And they are none other than Gotham's legendary Court of Owls.

The Court, and leader Talon, had been believed by Bruce Wayne to be a myth (mainly because he had searched for them as a child and couldn't find them). However, recent events have shown that they not only have existed long before Wayne was born, but that they do not consider Batman a threat at all. (They allowed him to run around for years out of amusement and don't appear interested in even knowing the Bat family's respective identities.)

This is building towards the conclusion of the story in May (Issue #9) and has gained the support of nearly all the Bat-verse. Three titles will be sticking with their respective stories, but that should be good to allow some variety for those people who for some reason can't get into this storyline.

Now, this will not be a true crossover storyline (in that you don't have to buy all the titles in order for the story to make any freaking sense), but it is being cross-promoted. Besides Snyder's title, Batman & Robin, Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood & the Outlaws, Catwoman, Birds of Prey and Batwing will all be part of the process.

Since the New 52 started, I've gotten 30 Bat books spanning across eight Bat titles, and thanks to this storyline, I'll finally have to invest in the three I hadn't looked into.

Don't get me wrong, every Bat title has a place, but I'm not emotionally invested into the Batwing character, Catwoman never excited me enough to buy a solo title, and BOP just doesn't warrant a purchase when team books like the Justice League and Teen Titans exist.

At least that's my view. That may well change in May when I make my first voyage into these titles since the reboot.

I was going to review three books in this blog, but it would be an eyesore to read at this point, so for those of you waiting for my B&R, Batman: The Dark Knight and Batgirl reviews, they'll be up later tonight. (Can I just say I'm REALLY glad TDK will not be inserting itself in this crossover? Thank you!)

Of course, you don't have to invest in all the May Bat books for the Court of Owls storyline to work for you. Actually, each of the titles is doing a different aspect, so no book necessitates the other. And Batman's arc can be figured out without going into any other side story (so for those of you who can only afford one Bat book, you'll be OK sticking with Snyder's arc).

Personally, I can't wait for May! I buy five of the titles anyway, so I look forward to all of them getting involved. Plus, with my graduation that month, I'll need a LOT of entertainment over the four-hour ceremony.