Batman Vol. 3: Death of the Family (DC) review

Batman Vol. 3: Death of The Family (The New 52)

Joker takes the worst selfies.

Writer: Scott Snyder

Artists: Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion

Background Information:

Do I need to explain the Joker?

No? Good.

Review

This is actually the second Death of the Family tie-in that I’ve read. My first was Nightwing, which I wasn’t particularly impressed with. Batman’s foray into the crossover gave me a greater understanding of what was going on in Nightwing, but its best achievement seemed to be making me enjoy Dick Greyson’s story more.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a stellar story; but as with all stories that have been hyped to the nth degree, there’s been a fair bit of hyperbole that has infected a lot of the writing regarding the volume.

What? Oh yeah! The story. Sorry, this is a review, after all!

That awkward moment when...

The Joker is back in town and he has his eyes firmly set on destroying the Bat-family of Nightwing, Red

Hood, Red Robin, Robin and Batgirl. Joker’s of the mindset that Batman should only work alone, that he’s at his prime when he doesn’t have all of these darn kids to worry about!

The Joker here is many things, and it’s really the strong part of Snyder’s work. For starters, there’s a bit of Batman fanboy in the Joker. Go online and you’ll see plenty of comments about how the Robins/Batgirl are the weakest parts of the Bat franchise. How Batman’s always better as a loner. How having a partner just cheapens the effect of caped crusader. Snyder captures that attitude perfectly in the Joker’s character, and thankfully proves it wrong by the end, showing a Batman who becomes greater than ever for his ability to care for his Batkids.

Then there’s the idea of Joker being Batman’s court jester, with other Batman villains represent the “bat-kings” other court members. It’s here that Snyder really gets to the heart of things; why are these incredibly dangerous and terrifying villains after a man who, lacking any actual superpower, shouldn’t be seen as a threat at all? It’s not a question that we get to see answered, unfortunately, but at least Snyder doesn’t pretend that the question doesn’t exist.

Finally, and perhaps most interestingly, there’s the idea that Joker has a kind of “love” for Batman. This has been criticized by the Comic Book Journal as being reflective, and encouraging of, a perceived “gay scare”. The argument seems to be that because the Joker can be interpreted as being homo-erotic, the book seems to have some unwitting homophobic agenda behind it.

Because, apparently, the LGBT community must only be victims- THAT’S the sort of uninspired typecasting a forward-thinking man can get behind.

Sarcasm aside, I really don’t think that there’s much to these claims (shocking, I know). See, if we are to perceive homosexuality as normal and as present in all factors in our society, we must assume that it extends beyond misunderstood heroes. We must be ready for the idea that there are gay villains as well, and, supposing that we can really read Joker as a character with any sexuality at all (he even implies that he never found Harley Quinn attractive, which is by far one of the most poignant scenes in the volume), that a homosexual villain would express his sexuality as rampantly as heterosexual ones.

But I don’t think there is much of a sexual love in Jokers obsession with the Bat. To me, Snyder’s Joker takes the role of 50s television housewife, whose function seems to be less romantic, more domestic and motherly. Sure, he uses romantic terms like “darling” and even calls one action by Batman a sign of “love” (I won’t spoil it, though), but that seems to be a weapon more than anything- a tool to disgust Batman not because Joker’s another man, but because Joker’s a murderous psychopath. In this way, Joker’s romantic references are no different to say, Poison Ivy’s sexualisation of multiple dangerous scenarios. All up, though, it makes for a read that it truly terrifying.

Like I said in the beginning, though, the real value of this volume is that it makes me appreciate Nightwing’s crossover into it all that much more. There’s some substance to it now; substance that wasn’t there when I read the volume on its own, and that was greatly appreciated. The problem though is that I found myself liking Batman less here. He doesn’t develop at all in this volume and considering how the character grew in the first two volumes, that’s pretty disappointing.

That even awkwarder moment when your butler is
creepier than your nemesis.

Batman fans should be warned that the best scene in this volume, the emotional core of it, really doesn’t feature Batman at all, but rather focusses on Alfred and the rest of the family. I won’t give it away, because it’s a rather odd inspiring moment in a book that is otherwise chilling and terrifying, but will say that it places Alfred firmly as the bat-family’s “mother” figure. A scene where the whole family is picking itself up around the butler is evocative of a “family hug”. A great moment, but one that seems wired as the true hero of the book doesn’t seem to be its titular character.

That said, though, the family truly is dead by the end of this volume, or at least seems to be. I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t see many Batman family crossovers for a while. This is something that actually gets me excited for the few volumes of the bat-books.

Batman Vol. 3: Death of the Family gets a four out of five bouts of uninspired typecasting.

****

+ Joker is characterized brilliantly

+ Makes me appreciate Nightwing’s crossover more.

- I can’t say this book does much for Batman.

Alternate Option: The Joker: Death of the Family

All you really need to read are the Batman titles, but this one will definitely help you appreciate the impact of the story more.

Batwing Vol. 1: The Lost Kingdom (The New 52) Review

Batwing Vol. 1: The Lost Kingdom (The New 52)

Metal Batman outrunning Apache
helicopters in Africa. Your argument
is invalid.

Writer: Judd Winick

Artist: Ben Oliver

Collects: Batwing #1-6

Background Information:

There was a time when Bruce Wayne had disappeared from Gotham City, leaving his protégé Dick Greyson to take the mantle of Batman. When Bruce returned, he returned with a vision: a global network of Batman allies- people who had taken the mantle of the bat all over the world. That’s where Batwing comes in. Batwing is David Zavimbe, a former child soldier for an African Warlord in the Congo. Long since escaped from his oppressors, David takes on the tech-armour of Batwing to take down those who would let the Congo descend into war again.

Apparently DC’s Congo is more peaceful than the real one.

Review:

At first, it struck me as strange that Batwing was still going while Nightwing was getting cancelled. Surely, Nightwing is a far more popular character than this African knock-off, right? After reading The Lost Kingdom, however, I have conceded that Batwing has definitely earned his place in DC’s New 52.

If you're a bat-character, you need to have a
statement to that effect.

So in this volume, Batwing’s chasing someone called Massacre; a guy wielding dual machetes who really wants to see a former superhero group called The Kingdom dead. As he tracks Massacre down, Batwing  gives us glimpses into his past as a child soldier and starts to discover the ugly truth about The Kingdom.

Alright, when dealing with race in comics, you have to be careful these days. Somehow, you need to make your lineup diverse without it seeming like gratuitous “diversity for the sake of it”. Never mind the fact that white characters need no justification for their race; if you’re an Arab, Asian, Hispanic, or anything other than a white American, you’d better have a damn good reason for not being so, or you’re just playing the race card. Batwing gets around this by its very unique setting. Africa is full of, well, Africans, so the most likely candidate for a superhero is probably going to be black. But David isn’t a hero just because there is no white guy around; his skill comes from his time under a warlord. This is one of those times when race actually does matter; I doubt Batwing would have had the same punch if David were a white dude who ended up a child soldier, so the whole thing feels rather natural. Not even the most arrogant racist could fault this one artistically.

But that isn’t what makes The Lost Kingdom great. While reading, you get the feeling that writer Judd Winick actually understands the Congo; he seems to get the great political unrest and the many dangers that surround that part of the world. Granted, this is coming from a guy whose only knowledge of African warlords comes from the Kony 2012 campaign and The Gods Must Be Crazy, but it’s still one of the rare comics that actually makes you feel smarter for reading it. You somehow feel like you’ve gained a greater insight into the world just by finishing this volume. Marvel fans often boast that because much of their action is based in New York, rather than, say, Gotham. But I would be so bold as to say that there is more of the real world in Batwing than in any Marvel comic currently on the shelves.

I know DC said you'd get your own book,
but...

My only qualm with Batwing is that it feels like it has to include Batman to be legitimate. DC were so close to having a great, relatively new, ethnic character who didn’t need to stand on the shoulders of other characters, but ruined it a little by reminding readers that DC also does Batman. And no; he doesn’t actually need to be here. It may as well have been one of The Kingdom, which I would have liked to see more. I like Batman, I really do, but if DC keep using him everywhere, he’s going to turn into Wolverine; which would cheapen the guy beyond belief.

Art by Ben Oliver is perfect considering the setting. Somehow, you can feel the African dry heat radiating off the pages. Straight away, you can tell that you’re not in the US- it looks like what you would expect Africa to look like.  Some fairly minimalist background designs in parts helps keep the focus on the action, and Batwing looks just as dynamic and awesome as you’d expect.

The Lost Kingdom does diversity perfectly. Batwing almost stands entirely on his own two feet here, and that’s insanely refreshing. It gets a four and a half out of five race cards.

**** ½

+ Diversity done right

+ Excellent setting

+ Art conveys a real sense of the location

- Does Batman need to be in every DC book? NO!

Alternate Option: Static Shock

Okay, it’s actually nowhere near as good, but if you’re desperate for a non-white hero, you could do worse (you could do Mr. Terrifc... urgh, what a train wreck).

Talon Vol. 1: Scourge of The Owls (The New 52) Review

Talon Vol. 1: Scourge of The Owls (The New 52)

I thought Superman was the one who was
unchained

Writers: Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV

Artist: Guillem March

Collects: Talon #0-7

Background Information:

The final review in Scott Snyder week!

If you want to know more about this character, it’s best you read the Batman Vol. 1 and Vol.2. It deals with a group known as the Court of Owls who rule Gotham City from the shadows. Talon is the name they give to their main assassins who they lift directly out of Haly’s circus. In Snyder’s Batman, the court was handily defeated, but not destroyed, and that’s where we take our mark.

Review:

It’s hard to get people on board with a new superhero. It’s the reason there have been so few genuinely new names in comics for the last fourteen years. Unless the name was seen in the nineties, you can pretty much kiss a new character goodbye. Such has happened to Talon; which is a pity, because the book is really an amazing read.

Scourge of The Owls introduces us to Calvin Rose- an escape artist adopted by the Court of Owls to be the next Talon. It’s a mantle that his better nature wins out over, however, and he flees the court; hiding for years until he hears that Batman has dusted the clocks of various Court members. Coming back to Gotham, Calvin meets Sebastian Clark. Clark is a former member of the Court and he has a job for Calvin; become the Talon again, and use his skills to take down what remains of the Court of Owls. This means hitting places that hold a large amount of the Court’s wealth, and taking on a few of the sixteen remaining Talons.

Now, if you haven’t read any of the New 52 Batman firstly... what got you interested in this character in the first place? Secondly, and more importantly, you should know that most of the Court’s Talons have developed healing factors. Calvin, unfortunately has missed out on this upgrade and therefore has to fight a little harder for his life as he sneaks into various court strongholds. This has the potential to result in a no-holds-barred gorefest, or even worse, Wolverine-style violence. Thankfully, Calvin doesn’t fight like that. For him, fighter harder means fighting smarter; Calvin uses diversion tactics, his environment and basic physics to outwit his opponents and it makes for battles that are actually more satisfying than anything seen in Batman.

Equally admirable is the fact that Calvin is a good person at heart. Instead of trying to kill opponents, Calvin tries to negotiate with the remaining Talons; more interested in turning them to his side than killing them. It would have been so easy for Calvin to become a tough, grizzled soldier, but amazingly Snyder and Tynion move away from that and give Calvin a real human side; one that doesn’t want to take a life- something that actually formed the basis of his escape from the Court. The comic book industry has enough Wolverines, and it’s refreshing to see a nice guy who’s also really good at dishing out pain.

The only problem I have with Scourge of The Owls is where Calvin has his obligatory meet-up with Batman. Batman had a huge part to play in the fall of the Court, but I think more could have been done by having Nightwing meet Calvin instead. Both of them have pasts that are directly connected to the Court and Haly’s Circus, and both have worked hard to reject the heritage that they were “supposed” to embrace. I really think a great team-up book could have happened here (were both titles not cancelled or getting cancelled), and it feels like a missed opportunity.

The art by Guillem March is fantastic, using a lot of browns and greys. It looks different to any of the bat-books out there now. In most bat-books, grittiness is achieved through use of shadow and dark tones. It’s effective, but March’s approach is significantly more clever. March creates darkness and grittiness by making everywhere Calvin goes look dirty and unsavoury. It’s a nice touch and real helps Talon feel like its own series. The pity though, is Calvin’s costume design. It looks great from the toes up, until you hit that mask, which looks more than a little silly. Considering that this book has a lot of dialogue, and therefore focuses a lot on Calvin’s head- that’s a problem.

Overall though, Scourge of The Owls is a brilliant read that fans of Snyder’s Batman should definitely pick up. It’s sad that this series ends with the next volume, but don’t let that stop you from reading one of the best original characters to come out in a long time. It gets a four out of five nice guys.

****

+ A nice character who’s awesome because of it

+ Smart, satisfying fight scenes

+ Art is distinctive from all other Bat-books

- Batman scene feels unambitious

- Talon’s mask looks silly.

Alternate Option: Nightwing: Traps and Trapezes

A story about the Court of Owls and Haly’s Circus- if Scourge of The Owls sounds good to you, this one should, too.

Batman and Robin Vol. 1: Born to Kill (The New 52) Review

Batman and Robin Vol. 1: Born to Kill (The New 52)

There is nothing- NOTHING you can
do to make that logo look cool.

Writer: Peter J Tomasi

Artists: Patrick Gleeson and Mick Grey

Collects: Batman and Robin #1-8

Background Information:

Before you dismiss this title, let me assure you of one thing: this has absolutely NOTHING to do with the awful 90s movie Batman and Robin- they aren't even using the same Robins (the one in the movie is now Nightwing; y’know, the super-cool dude who had surely had nothing to do with the Bat-nipples/crotch).

This Robin is Batman’s son, Damien Wayne. Damien in the son of Bruce and Talia Al’ Ghul (daughter of Ras Al’Ghul) which makes for a family more messed up than anything you’re likely to see in The Simpsons. Damien has a severe little prince syndrome coupled with an innate desire to kill everyone he doesn't agree with (gets that from his mother).

Damn, now I want a Batman version of The Simpsons.

Review:

On its surface, Born to Kill looks like any of the multitude of Batman titles out there, which makes it sound like you could dismiss the book without missing out on anything. But that would be doing yourself a disservice. Though Born to Kill doesn't hit all the marks, it’s definitely one of the better bat-titles out there.

So Damien is a sadistic devil-child who has the potential to turn very dangerous and Batman really hopes he doesn’t. Things get complicated when a guy by the name of NoBody tries to take Damien in as one an apprentice of sorts. What follows for Damien is a Luke Skywalker-style story where his is forced to choose between unleashing his inner sadist or becoming the hero he dreams of being.

The lights never work at the Wayne household... NEVER!

Okay, so a few things to say about characterisation; firstly, the whole story is peppered by these great moments where Bruce Wayne tries his best to be the father he thinks Damien should have. He gets him a dog, and wishes that he could just spend a day playing ball with his boy. It’s hard to do fatherhood right in the superhero genre; like marriage, being a dad ages a character. Somehow, though, writer Peter J. Tomasi manages to hit Bruce in just the right places to make him entirely relatable without losing the maturity that fatherhood forces upon you.

Damien is a decent character here, but there are better versions of the fourth (or fifth, if you’re picky about Stephanie Brown) Robin out there. Damien works best when he doesn’t get what he wants. Being hamstrung is meant to allow Damien to be at his wittiest and somehow Tomasi doesn’t really let that happen. We get a Damien who is innocent (to a degree), and a Damien who is angry, but never one that makes you laugh due to the extent of his frustration. This Damien isn’t bad, but he’s far from the best version of the character.

Finally, NoBody here has an amazing backstory that hearkens back to Bruce’s training before being Batman. It makes for this great, three-dimensional character that I wanted to see more of. Unfortunately, that isn’t likely considering how this book ends, but I honestly loved this take on not only a new villain, but a part of Batman’s history.

The characterisation here is mostly good, but unfortunately, the subject matter of Born to Kill is more than a little overdone. Damien’s hero vs. killer struggle is one that has been played out in books like Grant Morrison’s Batman and Son. It’s starting to look like the only story Damien has is about his mother issues with Talia Al’Ghul. It’s entertaining, but hardly a new direction for the character.

He didn't leggo my eggo...

Art here is as dark as you would expect for a book about the Wayne Family. Different-coloured light works Batman, but Gleason and Grey pull off with aplomb here. The book also feels like it truly has its own artwork, and it manages to stand out among the rest of the Jim Lee-styled artists that DC tends to employ.

well here, and helps to accentuate the darkness that Damien is battling. Character designs are also good here. Damien looks young, Bruce looks like a dad- something that Greg Cappullo never bothered with in

Though Damien could have been fleshed out better here, Born to Kill is hugely entertaining. It gets a four out of five bat-simpsons.

****

+ Bruce is a real father

+ NoBody feels fleshed out

+ Art is dark and distinctive

- Damien is underutilised

- Does Damien do anything other than fight his past?

Alternate Option: Batman Incorporated: Demon Star

If you want another Damien book, read one by his creator, Grant Morrison.

Bstgirl Vol.2: Knightfall Descends (The New 52)

Batgirl Vol 2: Knightfall Descends (The New 52)

Is it just me, or does someone at DC have
a thing for redheads?

Writer: Gail Simone

Artist: Ardian Syaf, Ed Benes and Vicente Cifuentes

Read as hardcover collection

Background Information:

One of the best things about Batman comics is how much DC have extended the Dark Knight’s group of allies. Names like Nightwing, Catwoman, Batwing, Red Hood, Talon and Batwoman have found their ways into their own, self-titled series. And that’s just the New 52; before, Robin and Red Robin have both had their own titles in days long past. Batgirl is one of these. First-time readers probably have heard Batgirl/Barbara Gordon’s name before in the animated series from the last couple of decades, where Batgirl played a fairly minor role, often in the shadow of Batman and Robin. She’s the son of Commissioner Gordon (cop with the moustache in the movies), and is smart, quick-talking and a joy of a character.

Before the New 52, there was a Batman story known as The Killing Joke that saw Barbara get paralysed from the waist down.  After that a different Batgirl took the name while Barbara took to administrative duties as Oracle; giving Batman vital information for his missions. The New 52 decided to bring Barbara back, removing her from the wheelchair that bound her (and apparently doing it in a completely believable way, though I don’t know what that is), prompting this heartbreaker of a cartoon from The Gutters. She is Batgirl once again, and taking on a new series of adventures.

Review:

If there’s one thing that I can praise the New 52 second volumes for, it’s for their inclusion of the zero issues. They’re not always perfect, but including them in the second volumes allows for readers to quickly adapt to the characters. Knightfall Descends is a perfect example of how to make this work. You don’t need to have read the previous volume to get what’s going on here, because the book is very accessible.

As I’ve hinted, that’s partially because the zero issue is included right at the start. While the issue isn’t a fantastic story, it gives new readers just what they need; an introduction to the first female caped crusader. As a result, reading this one feels very much like reading a first volume, which means anyone can pick this up and love it.

Batgirl’s biggest triumph is the way that writer Gail Simone handles a female lead. I know how sexist this is going to sound initially, but hear me out; doing female action characters is hard, especially when you’re trying to do so in a way that is empowering to women. Unless you over sexualise a character like Catwoman, there are often two over-done ways of creating an action hero that is a woman. You can either remove the femininity of the character and make her a man with a different anatomy, or you can make her adamant about the fact that she’s a woman fighter and have her spurt out lines like “you got a problem with that?”

Thankfully, Batgirl does neither. She’s a tough character because she’s feminine, not in spite of it. She feels emotions, and suffers for her traumas, but the real satisfaction comes in the way she overcomes it. Indeed, I became convinced that what was happening in Barbara’s head took more courage than what was happening with the book’s multiple villains. This is made better by the fact that she’s still very much a girl-next-door character, but (and this is important) without the love interest. That’s right; she spends her time talking about something other than her relationship with men. She has a sweet disposition, but this does not make her a pushover, actually, Batgirl is stronger for her ability to show compassion, and it plays out perfectly over the two major story arcs of this volume. I won’t go into the plot of the story arcs, because they’re honestly not the star of the volume- that spot goes to the characterisation of Batgirl; she’s insanely likable- a former victim struggling to regain her courage.

The art here is as good as you can expect it to be in a bat-family book; plenty of dark colours and moments of physical pain. It’s not anything that you can really separate from titles like, say Nightwing, but it does a good job. Batgirl’s emotions are portrayed well, here. And, since her emotions are by far the biggest element of this trade, that’s a very good thing.

My only qualm with Batgirl is the one-issue Night of Owls storyline. It doesn’t fit. The end of the Owls issue sees Gotham getting bombed. The next one, all is well. I know it’s part of a bigger event, and can only assume this crisis gets resolved, but in this volume, it just seems that Batgirl puts the bombing under “things I don’t want to deal with” and moves on.

Knightfall Descends is a great story about personal strength. It gets a 4 and a half out of five items on a list of things I don’t want to deal with.

**** ½

+ Batgirl is written brilliantly.

+ Incredibly accessible for a second volume

- Night of Owls issue doesn’t make sense.

Alternate Option: Batgirl: The Darkest Reflection

You can probably pick this one up really easily too.