Batman #18 Review

So, Death of The Family has finished, so lets see what Synder and Capullo had for us in #18. What we saw was another appearance of a couple of new characters that Scott introduced quite a few issues back now. I was very pleased to see Harper back in a Batman issue, and I think the way her character devloping is very intriguing indeed. If you read a lot of reviews on this then you may be tempted to give this issue a miss; but I really highly recommend it a go. Why is that I hear you ask? Will carry on reading and I will tell you.

As mentioned in the intro, we got to see more of Harper in this issue; which is an amazing thing. When she was first introduced a few issues back I really didn't think that we would be seeing her any more. However, when I opened up this issue I was very pleasantly surprised to see her on the first page. We get told what she has been doing for the last few months; which by the way is something that I really liked. It was a great way of showing you just how she has changed over the last few months; meaning we saw exactly how much of a bad ass she is becoming.
I also like the introduction of her and her brothers father in this issue. It adds another layer to the family, and also goes to show just what they have been up against their lives. They are both youngish guys who seem to have some deep personal demons. One of these demons was shown here, and I am really hoping that we will be seeing more of him in the future.

Batman in this issue was also something else. He is still adjusting to the fact that Damian is not in his life anymore; meaning that the bad guys are having a bit more of a harder time than they are used to when dealing with him. I like the way Snyder wrote Bruce here. Admittedly we have seen this before quite a few times, but it is still something that I do enjoy reading. An angry Batman not thinking straight is always good fun.

The last part of this issue saw Harper trying to make Batman change his ways; as she could see that he was destroying himself. Her little speech was rather cheesy, but I think it still fit in quite nicely. It was clear that it gave the caped crusader something to think about, which will mean we will be seeing a different kind of hero next issue no doubt.

I really really enjoyed this issue. Harper is absolutely fantastic, and I am hoping that at some point in the near future Batman will take her under his wing. He mentioned in this issue that it is something he will not be doing, but I am hoping that something will change his mind soon. I am not sure of what Synder's plans are for Harper and her family, but I cant see him developing her for no reason. I guess we will have to see.
This issue needed to be done to show how Batman was dealing with his loss, and I do think everything was handled very well. I am, like everyone else, very excited for #19 where we will be kicking off a brand new arc. Don't be put off by mediocre reviews surrounding this book. Pick it up!

Rating:  8.7 / 10

Batman #17 Review

I have been waiting for this, like everyone else, for months. The conclusion to what has been the most consistent in quality story line I have read for quite some time. Synder and Capullo have so clearly put absolutely everything into this story. They have worked so very hard, and they have been rewarded throughout this story with rave reviews all over the place. This was built up to be another classic Joker story, and even if it will not be looked at in that way in years to come, it will have only just fallen short. So how did this story finally end? Well, it was fantastic, which I am sure does not come as a surprise to anyone.

This issue was very heavy on words, which I did not mind at all seeing as the whole of this story has pretty much been the same. However, before it got wordy, we were shown just exactly what Joker had in store for the Bat family. The situation that Batman and the gang found themselves in was something I really could not see a way out from. I was also shocked to see what was on the plates ( which ended up to be false ), which really made me think that some really heavy **** was about to go down. Luckily for them, everything turned out ok thanks to some very clever writing by Mr Synder. We knew that no one major was going to be killed off, but credit really needs to be given to the writer when explanations and get outs do not feel like cop outs.

So, as I mentioned, it did indeed get kind of wordy in places, but I could not get enough of it. I loved the explanation Joker game for Batman never attempting to kill him. Also, it was great to get a bit of an explanation as to why Joker had taken his own face off. It showed just how messed up he was, and I enjoyed the fact that the reasoning was relatively minimal. I was not wanting a massive explanation for this, as it would have ruined just who the Joker is for me. Yes, he obviously puts a lot of time into his plans, but I like the fact that he can disfigure himself so easily with really loose reasoning.

The final scene of the issue between Joker and Bruce was immense. Bruce teased that he knew who the Joker actually was, which absolutely terrified him. It seems that he has decided to block out who he used to, and he might have genuinely erased it from his memory completely. Bruce ended up to just be bluffing, which I was happy about but also disappointed with. I desperately wanted to know just who the man is, but on the hand it would totally ruin the whole effect Joker has on Batman as well as us readers. This whole scene felt very cinematic and was full of epicness; I thoroughly enjoyed it.
There was also a scene that teased that Joker knew exactly who Batman was. This was also another major highlight for me in this issue. It showed that Joker didn't care who Batman was as it looked like it would have ruined the game for him. This shows again that it is Batman who Joker is totally obsessed with, and how uninterested he is with the man under the cowl.

I have not mentioned everything that happens in this issue in this review, and I have attempted to be as spoiler free as I can be. It is clear that there is going to be some major fallout between Bruce and the rest of the Bat family. I wonder just how long this will go on for? Also, what exactly have they been told by Joker about Batman? I am sure #18 will make things a bit more clear on that. It also looks like Joker will be making a return at some point in the future. How soon in the future is unclear at the minute, but I can guarantee that it will struggle to live up to this storyline. Will it be hailed as a classic in the future? Who knows. However, do I regard it as a classic Joker story? You are damn right that I do.

Rating: 9.5 / 10

Detective Comics #17 Review

Since the new creative team came on this book a few months ago; we have seen a major increase in quality of the overall product. Detective Comic used to be rather boring. In fact, I did not care for it much at all. Now, although it is not at the top of my reading list each week, I know that it will be an above average read every month; this month is no different. This issue is stepping away from the "Death Of The Family" tie ins, and because of this we get a very interesting little one shot story. I say it has stepped away from tie in territory, but there is still a Joker presence lurking in this book.

In this issue we become aware of a group of Joker followers called "The League Of Smiles". The name is pretty lame, but I strangely like it. This group of baddies are being led about by someone called the "Merrymaker". It was obvious throughout the issue who this was going to turn out to be, but as I said earlier it was still enjoyable nonetheless. We knew who the ringleader was going to be all the way through, but we did not know exactly why. I thought the explanation for why was pretty clever, and it was an explanation that I did not think of.

It was just a one shot issue here so there was nothing ground breaking in it; but it is always great to pick up a book and finish the story in one issue. At the end of the main story we also got a little bit of back story about the ringleader of the group. This was something I was not expecting at all, so I was very happy to see it included. It was just a one issue story line, but it is great to see just how detailed an issue this turned out to be. It also leads us to believe that maybe we will be seeing more of the "League Of Smiles" in future issues. Hmmm.

The one thing I did not like about this issue was how Batman seemed to connect everything up so quickly. He told the GCPD to arrive at a certain building as he knew that there was where everything was going to go down. I am not too sure he connected the dots so fast, and that was never really explained. It is one of those things which you just have to accept. Of course this is not a major gripe with the issue, and overall I am happy to accept a detail as small as this one.

So as I mentioned this was yet another fun issue in what is turning out to be a great run this new creative team are putting together. If you want to read good Batman stories, as well as seeing some top drawer art, then I highly recommend this series. Obviously the main Batman book is kicking ass all over the place right now, but who can ever have too much Batman?

Rating: 8 / 10

Batman #15 Review

Death of The Family is heating up very nicely indeed. Considering I am only getting this title along with Suicide Squad, I am really enjoying the event so far. Scott Synder and Greg Capullo are knocking it out the park every month with this book, and they seem to have turned up up to 11 with these last few issues.

This particular issue starts where we left off in #14, with Batman and Joker on top of a dam. The conclusion to this battle approaches quickly, but was very nicely done. However, it was what followed from this that really made this book as good as it was.
We finally learned what Bruce Wayne has been keeping from the rest of his family; the fact that Joker may know their identities due to being in the Bat Cave once. I think this is really clever and a nice idea, however I think that Bruce may end up being right as he believes that Joker is just bluffing. It would make everything much more interesting if Joker has known about everyone's identities for all these year. Not only that, it will also make a lot of sense. However, I get the feeling that Synder will not go with that approach, which is a shame.
The next part of this issue is something which I did not see coming at all, even though it makes a lot of sense. The book ends with Batman entering a certain place where apparently Joker is planning a party of sorts for the caped crusader. This makes the next issue a must read, even though it pretty much is one already.

What I loved about this issue more than anything else is Batman's' internal dialogue throughout the book. He is attempting to convince himself that Joker is human just like himself and all the other villains he has ever fought and defeated. The reason I liked it so much is it gave the impression that Bruce is starting to let Joker get to him. It also makes you think that maybe Bruce is doubting whether he can defeat him or not. It is a side of Bruce that we do not see a lot, and I am sure we will see a lot more due to upcoming events in this new location.

Every single panel in this book is beautiful. Greg Capullo is one of my favourite artists, who I really believe was made to draw this character. In my opinion he is the best artist in comic books right now, and that is relly saying something. He is on another level. A lot of credit should also go to the colourist of this particular book, as the colours really bring out the best of Capullo's work; especially the long shots.

Overall, this was another great issue of Batman. In about 15 issues I think there have only been about two that have been not as good as the rest. This is a great series, and this is a really great event. The Joker is more terrifying than every before, and he is only getting worse. A must read.


Rating: 9 / 10

Batman #13 Review

It is quite rare nowadays to be able to give somebody who doesn't read comic books, a single issue in order to get them interested in the medium. However, I have already pushed this on to one of my friends and his feelings towards this book are pretty much identical to mine on this one. It is incredible. There is absolutely no denying it, the return of The Joker has certainly lived up to the hype.

Scott Snyder has consistently been knocking it out of the park writing Batman in the New 52. In fact, off the top of my head I really do not think that there has been a bad issue. This is the reason so many people have been looking forward to this new take on Batman's mightiest foe. If there is one current writer at the moment who I would feel comfortable in writing a Joker story, then he is the man. Although this is only the first issue of a story arc that is running all the way into February, the foundations and the tone have already been set in this issue.

The scene where The Joker infiltrates the GCPD headquarters to steal back his face is executed to absolute perfection. There is a real horror story vibe about it. This is done not only by The Joker's actions, but also the wonderful art, that builds up a real sense of tension and claustrophobia. Seeing Gordon shining the light on areas that The Joker has just been, killing of his men one by one, is something right out of a horror movie. However, it works so well, and really feels like the perfect introduction for everybody's favourite psycho.  Add Gordons' facial expressions into the mix and you really feel like you understand just how terrible an ordeal this is for him, as you feel The Joker closing in on him.

The Joker manipulating a man into reading out some of his deadly intentions on live TV is also something that is not new. However, it feels so much like something that he would do ( and probably has done in the past ) that you just have to embrace it. The way he saw off the Mayor's men when everybody thought he was going to the kill the Mayor himself, also showed a stroke of genius that we know he is capable of. What was also interesting here was the different effect the famous toxin had on these individuals faces who died at the hands of The Joker. It added to the feel that Scott Snyder is trying to get across. Yes, he is The Joker, but he has come back as something more terrifying than we have ever seen. This was confirmed by the appearance of Harley Quinn as she shared these thoughts with Batman.

It is not quite clear what The Joker's true intentions are just yet. He described going after everybody associated with Batman at one stage in the book, as well as the title of the arc also nodding towards something similar to this. I do think this will take centre stage in the story, but I also get the feeling that there will be a lot more typical Joker mayhem that will have a larger affect on the world he is written in. He may have even got his hands on one of Batman's associates right at the end of the book, so we may even get a key death which will certainly shake things up a bit. However, it may be one I am not quite ready for.

The back up story featuring The Joker and Harley Quinn, showing Harley's first interaction with her idol when he returned from his brief hiatus was also a great little read. It showed how she got involved in the events in the main story, and confirmed just how maniacal this Joker seems to be.

I have only received this book today, so I have been hiding from all reviews on this book all week and I am still yet to have read one. I was also slightly worried that I might be left feeling disappointed, even though I have total faith in the team of Scott Snyder and Gregg Capullo considering their portfolio. However, I never had any need to worry, this is just fantastic. It is the story that a lot of Batman fans having been waiting months for, and even one issue in, it looks like it is going to be a truly thrilling ride throughout.

Rating: 9.5 / 10

New Comic Book Day 10/10/12

Here is a list of titles that I am picking up this week. I will be reviewing 3-4 of these, if anyone wants particular issues reviewed then please let me know :)

DC: Batman #13, Batgirl #13, Punk Rock Jesus #4, Suicide Squad #13
Image: The Walking Dead Michonne Special, Happy #1 ( Think this came out a couple of weeks ago)
Marvel:  AvX Consequences #1, Captain America #18, Secret Service #4, Uncanny Avengers #1, Wolverine and the X-men #18

 I dont actually pick up my weekly books until Friday / Saturday usually, so there will be no new book reviews until the end of the week. However, I will be publishing a couple more reviews from LAST weeks books in the next couple of days.

Hope everyone is having a great new comic book day :)

Detective Comics #13 Review

I am going to be honest from the start here. I have read maybe two detective comics issues at the most in the New 52, and did not like them whatsoever. I found the story a bit overcomplicated, however I think I chose a bad time to attempt to jump on board with it. The book now has a new creative team consisting of Layman and Fabok starting with this issue so I decided to give it another go, hoping I would like it.

Luckily for me I really enjoyed this issue, and I'm hoping for more of the same from these guys. The story focuses around the Penguin who has hired a group of assassins called the "Ghost Dragons" to assassinate Bruce Wayne. This is in order to stop him from attending the opening of the new Martha Wayne children's wing at Neville community centre, so Penguin can have it named after his own family instead. During the night of the ceremony, Batman is away on the other side of the city tackling crimes that have been started by The Penguin's cronies. These have been set up to keep him out of the way of the planned assassination. Batman soon figures this out so leaves Nightwing to deal with the criminals so he can attend the ceremony. We then see the Penguin convincing the head of the community centre to name the ward after the Cobblepots, which he agrees to do out of fear. The Penguin then attempts to call off the hit on Bruce as he was late arriving for the opening anyway due to his Batman duties. However, the Ghost Dragons do not accept failure and seem to like to finish off their jobs...

I think this is a really solid first issue from the new creative team and sets up what looks to be an interesting story arc. Yes, the Ghost Dragons will end up to be no match for Batman, but I am keen to see the inevitable confrontation with The Penguin. Only complaint about this issue is that I'm not too sure about The Penguins' motivations yet ( doing this so people will respect him out of love and not fear) seems pretty odd.. However I see this arc as probably just being used as a jumping on point for people like me who failed to jump on at other points. The back up story, which was also written by Layman, was very interesting and fun. This focused solely on a couple of The Penguins henchmen doing their bit in setting up the operation. It did a great job of showing the individual character traits of both men in such a small space of time, which is obviously pretty hard to do.

Faboks' art was brilliant throughout the book, from the cover to the last page, and I am looking forward to seeing him draw more on this book. There is one panel in particular which shows The Penguin threatening the head of the centre to change the name of the ward, which emphasises the fear on the guys face to perfection.  This has started off as a promising new start for detective comics, from an exciting creative partnership. I encourage anyone to pick it up, even if you have not read any detective up to this point in time.

Rating:  8/10