Superman/Batman #79

         The past issues of Superman/Batman have been incredibly fun reads. They've had fairly simple story lines, but they have all been really good. Superman and Batman are two very popular characters and there's a reason. Both characters are brilliant, and it is because of appearances like the past couple issues of Superman/Batman that made the characters so famous.
         In this issue the Superman and Batman are the ones from DC One Million. A villain called Epoch stole the anti-hourglass, and took down the Flash and the Atom. Superman and Batman take him down fairly quickly. When Robin takes him to the asylum planet Pluto, Epoch disables him and escapes. He goes to the Batcave  and steals a battle suit, and escapes by means of a boom tube. He then runs to the JLA headquarters and steals the anti-hourglass, and escapes Batman again, and goes to the fortress of solitude. At the fortress of solitude he steals the chrono-cube, and escapes Superman and Batman to modern day, where he meets Superman, Batman and Robin.
          This review and this story seemed like a bit of a travel map, showing off what all the places, like the Batcave and JLA headquarters looked like. That is cool, but it hurt the story. A guy had all of this stuff, lost it and gained it back in the same issue, there was no real development. Like the other issues of this series it was a fun, and very enjoyable read, but there is no plot development. DC One Million was created mainly to compete with Marvel 2099, I could go back and forth saying how Marvel stole things from DC, and how DC stole from Marvel, but this one is very apparent, but that doesn't effect the enjoyment of the comic.
           If you are tired of trying to keep up with over complicated story arcs, that branch out over many series. Then pick up this issue, and this series. It's full of fun, very simple books.






Grade: 7/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Batman and Robin #14

          I thought my subscriptions had ended for this series, but then this arrived in the mail. I absolutely hated the previous issue, It was one of the worst things I've ever had the misfortune of reading. I hated the plot, the art the writing, I vented to one of my friends about it for an hour straight. I didn't like that Pyg was in it, I didn't like defacing Thomas Wayne, and even suggesting that Joker wants to repent and become a hero was just distasteful.
          In this issue, you find out that "Thomas Wayne" is actually the "Black Glove" (whoever that is) and he tortures Pyg into joining his side, against Batman the Joker kidnaps and beats Robin. Joker puts Robin up for ransom, so that he can have Batman stop Pyg and the Black Glove. Pyg and BG capture commissioner Gordon and are giving him a contagious narcotic when Batman comes in and joker gas' some people.
          I hated the last issue, but I loved this one, and I now understand the last one. Morrison and Irving are doing something really good. They are showing Gotham in as realistic a way as possible. It's villains, and the heroes. This has been tried before, several times. It has never worked out perfectly, Frank Millar's Daredevil did it pretty well, you can argue that Batman the Dark Knight Returns, and Strikes again did it well to, but this is done particularly well. I didn't like his work with Arkham Asylum, it looked like he was trying too hard, but he's doing a much better job with this one.
         He did a great job with the Joker in this issue, especially when he said he liked a Robin that brought his own crowbar. That and Morrison of course made him more realistic. So now that I understand what Morrison is doing with this arc, I like it a lot. This arc is a must buy.




Grade: 9/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Batman and Robin #13

                 13 is an unlucky number, even for Batman and Robin. All right, I know I usually have an introduction about the series right here, but I have a lot of angry venting to do so I'm going to dive right into the synopsis. Joker reviled himself to be Osborne Sexton. That is what happened in issue 12 that is very important to know. This issue started off with Thomas Wayne coming back, apparently he hired someone to kill his wife and then he disappeared and then came back and killed Dick Grayson. The comic then flashes back to three days earlier. Commissioner Gordon and Batman apprehend the Joker after through a monologue about how careless he was in leaving his clues, which he apparently likes to do. Okay clues are Riddlers thing. Turns out that Joker killed Osborne Sexton and took his identity so that he could help Batman, and be a good guy? You can't do that to the Joker it just doesn't work, unless you have some devious plot for later on. Then there is something with Professor Pyg doing something with addictions. But back to Joker, he asked to see Robin. Robin is not convinced that Joker is on the straight and narrow, so he tries to beat the truth out of him with a crow bar.
               I like the crow bar thing, beating Joker just like Joker beat Jason Todd, but that was the only good thing about this issue. If Morrison makes Thomas Wayne come back, he would have killed off the real Batman (Bruce Wayne) and ruined what Batman worked for. (avenging his parents) So if you put those things together: No more Batman. Grant Morrison would be responsible for finally killing Batman. My main problem with this book is the art. I do not like Frazer Irving. I think he should draw horror comics, not Batman. I had the same major problem with Bruce Wayne Returns #2 and guess what, it was also drawn by Frazer Irving. I liked the old artist Andy Clark, he made this series different, but his art was still good. I also like Frank Quitely, If it weren't for his cover I doubt this issue would have sold more than a hundred copies (an exaggeration I know). If I were buying this series at a comic store this would be my jumping off point, unfortunately I have to wait for my subscription to end, which will be soon.  I have read other reviews of the same comic, and I know I'm in the very small minority (if it even exists beyond me) but I stand by what I said. At IGN they loved the art and said it made it creepy and powerful, I thought it looked like it was being forced to be creepy. If it is over done, it looks fake, and it did. There were a couple pannles that I thought were really good, but the rest of it was contrived.

Grade: 1/10
Do Not Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Batman and Robin #12

                 Origionally I didn't like this series at first, but now that I've cancled my subscription, I'm starting to like it. Any way... in this issue Slade is controlling Robin and making him attack Batman. Finally when Batman defetes Robin/Slade, a wierdly dressed thug comes and steals something that Batman was holding. To be honest, I was really confused, but I know that will be important later. Then Robin visits his mother who then said that Robin is an enemy of Al Ghul. After that Alfred, Batman, and Robin were exploring the caves again, when they find a Batman costume hanging on what look like deer antlers, when Alfred notifies the JLA. Then Batman revisits Sexton, this is the shocking twist is.
                  This comic does not compare with Batman and Robin 10 nor does it compare to number 11. The caves were just revisited so it wasn't cool like that, and there were no revealing things except the one thing I can't tell you because it would ruin the comic. I would recommend reading this, just because you'll be lost without it. It just wasn't a good comic and it was disappointing.
 (Again the shocking twist was really cool)

Grade: 4/10
 buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Red Robin #12

                The whole Batman family is having a very good thing going with their comics. I didn't like it very much when Bruce Wayne was sent back through time, but recently I've barley noticed. (I still wan't Bruce Wayne back) In this comic Red Robin tracks down Ra's Al Ghul and fights with him, and Ra's also finds out that the plans he made to have everyone Bruce Wayne loved was killed, had been thwarted. Drake had people like Huntress and Man-Bat (who I thought was a villain so that was confusing) defend people like Alfred, Vicki Vale, and Lucius Fox. After a fight that was nothing short if epic, Drake revels what he had done to Ra's. He explained that Wayne had left a will giving all his shares to Wayne enterprises to Tim, so Hush didn't have control and Ra's was ruined. To be honest I was confused with Ra's's motives, did he want control of the compony? Anyway after Ghul kicks Red Robin through a high up window Batman saves him and brings him back to the Bat Cave, where there is a big emotional scene. The last page of the book showed a picture of a boy sitting on the ground saying this isn't happening with a picture of one of Bruce Wayne's ancestors (or even Bruce himself) and he said "He's alive,"  Which confused me.
                  As I said earlier this comic was good, not perfect like the most recent issue of Detective Comics, but it was good. I was confused by the plot, but I liked the appearances of Drake's friends, and the battle between Ra's and Drake was so cool.
                  I have to say one last thing. People don't like Damian Wayne. People say he isn't a good Robin, I disagree. He's now Dick Grayson, but he's pretty good, and his retorts are always funny.
                   Also: good bye Chris Yost, you were good, but it's time for something new.



Grade: 8.5/10
buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Batman and Robin #11

         This comic was good, but like in #11 I'm confused to who this "Wayne" (I think) , impersonator type person is. Normally I would say it was Jason Todd, but he has already made an appearance in this series and he looks very different. But that was only the first couple pages. The rest of the comic was not as good as Batman and Robin #10 but it was still pretty good. It started with Damian and Sexton fighting in a cemetery, after a very good fight scene, and one or two people being hit on the head with a shovel, you see Dick Grayson exploring even more of Wayne manner that nobody knew about. After finding a demonic figure, and year old paint on the wall, Grayson, continues down the halls and out where Sexton and Robin are.  While Batman is exploring the tunnels Robin figures out that Osborne Sexton is not english and nor is he a writer, and then not a heart beat later Robin knocks  Sexton out, and threatens to kill Batman.
                   I love the exploring of the mansion, and I love the fight scene in the cemetery (which was next to Thomas Wayne's grave, which is also the door that Batman used to get into the cemetery) and I liked the fact that the person actually controlling Robin (physically) was not his mother, but Death-Stroke, making Robin deadlier than usual. Besides that there really wasn't much else to say about this comic, except to complement the simplicity which I Just mentioned, I'm exited to see how this concludes.
               But I'm even more exited to see the six issue series coming in May: The Return of Bruce Wayne. Every time I see an ad for it I get more and more exited. When he comes back, I am concerned that it will disrupt this series, which is pretty good, but it will be worth it.


Grade: A-
buy at: www.mycomichsop.com

Red Robin #11

            The combination of Batman & Robin and the Red Robin was next to brilliance, I just wish it had the writing to back that up.
            This particular issue started with a fight scene that I have seen before, Batman has many moves and the fight scenes are always entertaining, Red Robin has around five moves in his arsenal, There has only been 11 issues and I have seen him do a flying kick off his staff approximately eight times. Anyway after the fight scene, Drake and Pru go to the top of a building and interrogate one of the Seven Deadly Assassins. (the villains that were in the original fight scene, who work for Ra's Al Ghul)   when I say interrogate, I mean beat the living crap out of. They continue this until the member of the S.D.A  tells them a list of people close to Tim Drake that they are planning on assassinating. While this is happening, Tam is outside of Wayne manor with Vicki Vale, who is trying to get answers out of her, until they are almost killed by an assassin, after they get away nothing else really happens. Except when Batman and Robin come down and talk to Red Robin, overall the comic was really dull, and in the beginning when I said the crossover was next to brilliance, I did not say the comic was next to brilliant.
             One thing that I saw in the comic that was not really included in the comic (Advertisement) for a comic that was the return of Bruce Wayne By Grant Morrison, I just really hope that this is not false hope, where we find out that Bruce Wayne is gone forever, but I am really happy for the hope, and probability that Bruce Wayne will come back.

Grade: B
buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Grant Morrison's Batman and Robin issue 7 (and others)

I subscribed to this series thinking it would be about either: Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, or Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake. This made me very exited, I really wanted (and still want) a return of Bruce Wayne. I did not look to see who the author was. If I had seen Grant Morrison's name written I would have immediately have known it was going to be Dick Grayson and someone else, and I would have not subscribed. I have been putting these comics aside to collect dust until today. I picked up issue 7, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed it. It was a story about the potential resurrection of Bruce Wayne, and it featured the Knight and the Squire. (see Grant Morrison's The Black Case Book to be as exited as I am) I will give any readers a fair warning: I was a little confused, but the comic explains the plot later on.

After reading this issue, I went back to my comic collection, and pulled out others in the series. These were also very good, some were even better than number 7. I do hope that Bruce Wayne returns to a full series, but this is a good space filler. (for the time being)

Before issue 7, the stories were about Jason Todd. (Aka: the Red Hood) His returns are

always dramatic, but never as serious as this. He took the name as the "Red Hand of Justice" and the motto "Let the punishment fit the crime." With his guns and knives he runs around the streets killing all major, and minor criminals.

These early issues go into: Jason Todd's resentment toward Batman, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson and even him self. He toys with the new Batman and the new Robin, until he goes [even a little more] insane [that he already is]. I thoroughly enjoyed every issue of this series [that I read], and do recommend buying it at a comic store. I do not recommend subscribing, I do not think these are the best comics I've ever read, and will probably get board with them relatively quickly.

Issue Grade: B

Series Grade: C+ (issues 1 through 3 lowered the grade)

Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com