Rumor or truth? You decide!! Glapion was fired!!

Rumor or truth? You decide!!

Remember this is just a rumor and I heard it through the grapevine. If the creators or people behind this would like to add their input it would be great, if not this is what I heard.

Rumor has it that Jonathan Glapion was fired from Batman when a fan had pointed out a ugly drawn face in one of the panels within a certain Batman issue, over twitter. This actually agitated Capullo so much when said fan had pointed this out, that he would turn around blame the inker for doing a poor job. Eventually the Inker Glapion knew this would be a disaster if he did not defend himself, and could potentially make him lose his job or prohibit him from getting future gigs.. Thus he had posted many of the original pages he had inked from, thus showing that the ugly face originated by Capullo’s poorly drawn Robin face. This only added insult to injury and was the seeds of Jonathan Glapion’s departure on the title.  

A few months would go by from what I learned, that eventually Glapion thought that the bad blood had passed, but eventually he would learn when Capullo would talk about how great his art would look colored. This made Glapion think he better go check his dropbox. So when Glapion checked his dropbox he noted there was no art. Finally he would contact his editor about where the pages because it had been nearly 2 weeks and no pages had come in. Well he would be told that moment that he was off the book.

Meanwhile Miki didn’t renew with Marvel, and he had contacted his old pal Capullo saying he wanted in Batman to make the big books, and this is when Capullo seized this moment to get Glapion booted from the title due to the insult.

The bad thing here is that Glapion had been friends with both Greg Capullo and Danny Miki, and had even helped Miki start his Inking Studio years earlier, but now  he was backstabbed by his two friends over this entire incident because egos were bruised.

Luckily for Glapion, as soon as he was let go he got a hold of Jim Lee, and was given carte blanche on any title he wanted to work on or so says my source. J

Jake Estrada

CoW: Cover of the Week 2/28/13

Batman Inc. #8

There isn't too much to say about this cover, outside of the obvious. But it's taking home a Golden Udder for what it represents, more than the artistic skill and sweat that created it. It's very Spectre-esque.  Damian, floating there like an angel and an open view into the darkness. It's poetic. As is the lettering on 'R.I.P.' If that doesn't get you to look into this issue. I don't know what will outside of a few spoilers.

Laid Back Comics: Batman Inc. #8

To say that below my following review will be full of spoilers is pretty redundant at this point seeing as we got the new from the New York post about the big moment in it. We will get to that a little bit later as there is a good amount of story that happened as well.

Batman Inc. has seemed like a slow beast getting to this point of the Leviathan Story line but we are soon getting to the end and here is one of the, if not the darkest chapter in it. Do not be fooled by the title of the series, this is a straight Damian story from start to finish. While the rest of the Batman Inc group is struggling to fight their way to get to Batman, currently trapped, it is Robin who comes flying in to suddenly even the odds, taking the fight straight to the tower. And while this is going on, it shows how far Damian Wayne has gone as a character in the books. He might have first shown up and pushed the idea he was ‘the proper’ person to become Batman and take control of his legacy, here it is more about wanting to save his father and call off his mother in her actions.

The best scene in the whole Book is when Nightwing and Robin get to work together again even for the briefest of moments. They lay down the feelings on how much they meant to one another. It is a wonderful written scene harking back to the period of time Nightwing was Batman. Times almost forgotten now save for Morrison who wrote it. It also has this wonder action quality to it all with them sitting and talking this out while hail of gunfire is upon them, before moving out with smoke bombs and classic 60’s style fight sound affects right out of Adam West show.  But, with the knowledge we knew going into this, it was bitter sweet as we knew what would be coming very soon.

Everything this issue had leaded up to was Damian fighting against his much larger self, The Heretic. And it is a brutal one at that. It was more than really just a drawn out fight, this move was enough of a distraction for the group to grab what Heretic was holding and stop Talia if only for a brief moment. And Damian went down swinging and insulting his mother’s followers. And hopefully in this last effort try and convince her to stop this brutal fighting between this and his father, though that may have cost him his life in doing so.

The art work put forth by Chris Burnham in these last few pages is what sells this as not just some would be comic stunt, but a genuine moment in the history of Batman. Yet another tragedy in an already tragedy filled world of Bruce Wayne. And while the cynics of the world may have this off as another Robin dying, we soon forget this was a blood relative of Bruce, and the last time he lost one of these was when his parents died on that night in Crime Alley.

While the artwork though out by Burnham was all around wonderful, there is a credit to Jason Master who did a few pages as well. And while there is a moment where he tries to use the same style, it is slightly noticeable in the two change overs. It isn’t bad art work in any shape, but if you are flipping through it would be little jarring.

The whole series and death is very sad, Damian when introduced was an unlikeable character at first, but the more he was used and groomed under Alfred, Dick, and then later Bruce he was a fresh voice to the Batman Family, he was accepted as well by the fans slowly. So for him to be ‘gone’ is a sad one even it was planned for a while. Will he stay; well I don’t want to be one of the few who says it will only be a matter of time before his return happens. But, never can really say in the world of comics anymore. Though if this is the finale story of this Robin, then it would be a fitting one.

-TT-

OVERALL 8.5 out of 10

Bryan "BAC" Clendening

Twitter: BAClend

Comic News: Robin Damian Wayne Will DIE!

  Funny thing happened on the way to writing a storyline. Damian Wayne had been introduced at the beginning of his run on Batman about 7 years ago now. Time has flew by. Initially, Morrison had stated that he was gonna kill Damian at the end of his run. And that will come to past.

   Leaked by DC Comics themselves, Morrison will kill Damian Wayne, the current Robin, in Batman Incorporated # 8, also finishing off his run with the Dark Knight. Damian Wayne, who is Bruce Wayne's & Talia Al Ghul's son, will be MURDERED, according to multiple sources. And this will not end the Batman & Robin title. It will merely switch up to a team up book for a while.

   Confirmed by Batman & Robin writer Peter Tomasi, Bruce Wayne will go through the 5 stages of mourning. Fresh from the end of Death of the Family, Bruce's own allies have decided to keep their distance from him ... even Jason Todd having a burned face. Damian Wayne will die at the age of 10 years old.

Laid Back Comics: Batman #17

Death of the Family has been played along these past few months bleeding outwards into the other Bat family books, but all that came back to head in to the latest and finale issue of the story in the Batman proper. And….Holy S&*%! Sorry that is a bit of an unprofessional way to examine a comic. But really, this was just a story that had amazing journey to it and to get to the end of it, you just wanted to sigh and fall down in the chair you were reading it in and take it all in. And in some sick and twisted fashion this story was not just a Batman vs the Joker, it was a love story between them.

A jaded lover that wanted nothing more than to see his 'King' returned to the glory that he knew. To remove the weakness of him, to be the only real member of his family.

Synder has been teasing the readers with each different step of the story and hinting at certain items. Where is Alfred? What is Jokers plan in all of this? Does he truly know everyone behind the mask? What is under those tray covers! And in a rare time for me as a reader I couldn't guess and point it all out. That shows the writing put together there. And with each little page turn and reveal left me with sighing in relief or back to the edge of my seat. For fans of Alfred everything is well with our favorite butler, there was a time I thought he would not make it out of this alive or in great condition. Then you have to think though with a title of story being ‘Death of the Family’ and here it stands with no one actually dead what seemed to be the point of it all.

Well, in some way Joker has if only a short amount of time killed the idea of the family aspect of Batman. His family was taken to the edge and some learned many things about one another, this has left them separate from one another, a metaphoric death in them working so close together if even for a small amount of time. And speaking of metaphors about the relationship between Joker and Batman is getting titled to one side in this, the idea of why Batman just doesn't kill the clown is brought up and examined from Jokers eyes as well as forcing Batman to admit that simple idea that killing him means the Joker wins. But, that is laughed off and added that there is maybe even a fear behind killing the Joker. That keeping him alive is the safer route than killing him and something worse come after him.

It sounds like something discussed before by fans and creators alike, and this isn't to say this is the right version, but with how the story unfolded it makes sense for Batman to have these thoughts and the Joker to challenge him on it. And the reveal towards the end that Joker is it this for the long game, he doesn't truly care about who Batman really is or who is family are. He just wants Batman.

And never before have had I really seen art work put together like this book. Greg Capullo has taken scenes that would scare even the most harden people and having us yell. HOLY S&*$%! Dang I did it again. But when you see Joker finally reveal what was on the trays and you see the eyes of the Bat family around them finally having the idea they were victims in all of this Or Jokerfied Alfred coming on to the scene. If really there is only one item I may not like about Capullo’s is his Bruce Wayne, he tends to give him this odd sleepy eyed look to him, but even then that could be a another mask he wears during the day.

Synder and Capullo have made Batman theirs, each time it seems like we might know where things are going or things might be the same old same old. They throw you into a brand new direction like this one and floor it all the way. It is cliché to consider how great Batman is now, but with stories like this, you can see why we say it.

OVERALL: 9.5 out of 10

Bryan "BAC" Clendening is a comic reviewer and sometimes video producer, you can follow him on Twitter by clicking Here

This Week in Awesome # 1 (Volume 2)

Welcome  ladies and gent to This Week in Awesome. It has been a long time since we did one of these. And To celebrate, This Week in Awesome comes back hard. We aren't just covering comics anymore. We are gonna cover the geek spectrum. Comics.. Anime. Games. Toku. If it is awesome, we'll cover it. So let's get to it?

Wheelchair 21:

    Del Rio (from WWE) became World Heavyweight Champion this week. And he beat the Big Show in a Last Man Standing Match. Del Rio used the announcers table to hold him down for the 10 count. Yeah. That was awesome!


Visible Ninja: 

    The best stuff for me this week was getting my Super Best Double Driver from Kamen Rider W, Super Best Deca Driver from Kamen Rider Decade and my G2 Big Bad Toystore Bruticus.

Darkon633:

   I found a game that I lost YEARS ago. Thunder Battlezone 2. I love that game. And now I have it again.


Hector Ramirez:

My Moment of Awesome this week is from Batman & Robin 12. Batman flies off in his batarmor to divert a missle and the 4 generations of Robins watch in awe.



Jeremias de Leon: 

 I'm going to go with MMA and say Andrei Arlovski's quick victory from the recent World of Fighting event.   Why? Because it looks like Arlovski is building momentum 2013 after a previous win at the end of last year and before it looked he washed up losing all his previous fights. In case you need an explanation, the fight he had last night makes it look he might be having a comeback.


Devin Walker:

The Introduction of Kamen Rider Beast. His belt is just too cool.


EIC Frankie Rodriguez:

Words cannot express how epic THIS is (from Screw Attack) :

Your Weekly Dose of Meme 11-15-12

Holy Cockblockers Batman!

Joker Returns & Goes For Broke In "Death of the Family"

Creepy Ad for "Death of the Family"

 

   Just shortly after the end of the recent Night of Owls storyline and the Court of Owls epic in Synder's Batman, he drives readers right back into the fire with the upcoming "Death of the Family" storyline in his book. Yet, like Night of Owls before it, the story will spill into other books while following the same structure as Night of Owls, making them connect to the main storyline but still stand alone if need be.

The main storyline will be in Batman, starting in issue # 13 and running to it's double-sized conclusion in Batman # 17. Meanwhile, the books along for the ride with tie-ins are as follows: Nightwing, Batgirl, Catwoman, Batman & Robin, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Teen Titans & Suicide Squad.

  Synder has not hide his love for the longtime enemy of Batman, stating that "Death of the Family" is his love letter to the Joker while opening so many things for other members of the Bat-Family.

Synder commented to Newsrama the following about how Joker looks after the villain had his face cut off at the end of Detective Comics # 1:

   "He really is going to, obviously, have a new look. At the same time, we want it to echo his iconic look. So it's Joker in a much more horror movie fashion.

But, without giving too much away, you will see the iconic face and the grin, and he might look a little bit different and scarier. But you'll find that he's still himself at his core. And he's really here in his blood-stained clothes going to work."

So, a new, horrific look for the Joker but what else does this story line have? There will be personal effects to many in the Bat-Family; particularly Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl, who will have her first face to face with the Joker since being able to walk again. Batgirl writer Gail Simone hinted to Newsrama about the encounter and Batgirl's state of mind will be:

"There's definitely a feeling out there regarding this stuff that someone is fixed or not fixed, like an on/off switch. It's not that binary, but she is facing this stuff head on. And I am pretty sure a Joker/Batgirl story is inevitable, but I can't say more than that. Think of two trains on the same track facing towards each other...there's nowhere for either of them to go but towards collision. 

It is the once-and-for-all confrontation between the Batgirl and the man who shot and paralyzed her. It does not go as he expected.

This story starts in issue #14, and I have to say, it's pretty shocking. That's all I'll say right now, however."

  And Harley Quinn, Robin and all the other members of the Bat-Family will get affected by Joker's return. Synder commented to Newsrama again on Joker's plan for revenge during "Death of the Family":

 ". . .this is the Joker having been away for a year planning all of this stuff, like planting traps and seeds and all kinds of stuff that are going to come to fruition in this thing.

A year ago, Joker decided, I'm going to walk away from Gotham, I'm going to plan my revenge, and I'm going to come back in a year and bring it all back. So this is what he's been planning to do for a long time. And all of those things are set in motion.

 . . .But because the story is so big, and because Joker is attacking all those members of the Bat-family, essentially, to prove this point that he's come back to Gotham to prove and to expose this secret that he has, you will see Joker attack Nightwing in Nightwing. And you'll see him come after Batgirl in Batgirl. And you'll see him go after Damian in Batman and Robin. And Tim, even, in Teen Titans. And Jason in Red Hood [and the Outlaws].

So there will be issues of those books that feature the Joker coming after him in ways that will be part of the moving parts of the bigger story. But they will all be self-contained, so you don't need to read other books to follow the series that you love.  . .

But this story is much darker and much more personal.

Joker is coming after the Bat-family in ways where, it really is almost like when you think about it.... he hasn't faced off with those characters, essentially, or directly, before.

People will say, "Oh, well, he came after Batgirl in The Killing Joke," but he was really going after Commissioner Gordon. So when Batgirl realizes that here, too, it's almost like the Joker is staring at her saying, "I'm coming after you this time. I'll kill everyone and burn down everything in your life to do what I did to your father, but to you." You know?

So in that way, he's saying that to every member of the Bat-family. To Nightwing and everyone, saying, "You've never faced me before. I've never actually targeted you. I've only used you as pawns to get at Batman. So welcome to your worst nightmare." "

With all this, This might be the Joker's greatest caper yet.  Who will live? Who will die? How will the Bat-Family will be changed by this? And how will Bruce face his greatest enemy when he comes for everyone he loves?

"Death of the Family" starts in Batman # 13 this October, written by Scott Synder with art by Greg Capullo, for $3.99.

CoW: Cover of the Week 6/13/12

by Darryll "YTC" Carter

Batman & Robin #10

Golden Udder Winner

       I have been waiting for this issue to come out so I could post it as cover of the week. Incidentally, it was almost beat out by the X-men Legacy cover featuring Frenzy. But the powerhouse and brick-house that she is, was not enough to stand up against a cover with; Bruce, Dick, Jason, Tim and Damian on the cover. Not to mention the cover is letting on that Tim and Damian's hate and more hate relationship may have been revived. As of post new 52 it seemed to have gone with the birds, or Robins in this case.

X-Men Legacy #268
Second Place

COMICS ON SCREEN: THE ROBIN MOVIE

The Robin Movie: An Unhealthy Obsession
Film by Saul Kramer
Review by Hector Ramirez




So Frankie and I were enjoying Free Comic Book Day when I’m approached by one Mr. Saul Kramer. He had noticed me in my Robin caped t-shirt and figured me a Robin fan. So, he came up to me and pitched this movie that he posted on youtube to me. Well, I went online and looked it up.

Ok. Jay is a young man whose father left him with nothing more than an obsession with Robin the Boy Wonder. None of his friends understand why he likes Robin so much and the neighborhood bullies don’t make life much easier. Jay gets sick of the bullies and decides to put on his father's old Robin costume and take care of the bullies himself. Of course, he didn’t stop to think that all those to take on the mantle of Robin went through vigorous training whereas he thought he could simply beat the guys with a broomstick. His sister-in- law explains to him that he took things too far; that being kind and generous is heroic in its own right.

I’ll start off by saying it was well made for an independent film. The acting wasn’t bad and the camera work was great. The theme “you don’t have to be a superhero to be a superhero” was pretty cliché. If I recall correctly, it’s the slogan for the current DC charity campaign. The story was kind of weak.  It was like the beginning of Kick-Ass; a comic loving nerd tries to be a superhero and gets beaten senseless. At least he wasn’t crippled like Kick-Ass. Another thing, his sister-in-law tells him he went too far; yet him standing up to the bully was her idea. And I may be knit picking but he goes on and on about how Dick Grayson is the best Robin yet all his posters and comics are of Tim Drake or Damien Wayne and his costume was similar to Jason Todd’s. All in all, it was good for what it was but not great. I give it a Tim Drake Robin (3 out of 5). Next week, I take a look at Tokusatsu Spiderman as part of our year long celebration. Until then friends, keep clashing.

DCnU Special # 3- What we thought of DCnU WEEK 3?

Here are some thoughts on the book. from the third week of the DCnU.

BATMAN & ROBIN


Gerald Williams of Hemstead, NY

Interesting book. Batman is a very imposing figure. He has always used fear to intimidate his adversaries and allies. He is a control freak as evidenced in Grant Morrison’s run on JLA and how he deals with his Bat family, so it is very strange to see him give Damian so many passes as Robin in what he says and how he acts. If Dick, Jason, or Tim had acted the way Damian acts in this book, he’d never have a cape on his back again. It’s as a friend said to me, in the past all of Batman’s allies and protégés had to gain his respect. In this book it is Batman who has to gain Damian’s respect.

CBC's Hector Ramirez of Philadelphia, PA

 Good action. Decent story but I cannot stand Damien Wayne and for that reason alone, I probably will not read Batman and Robin past this issue.

CBC's Frankie Rodriguez of Vineland, NJ
 
  This was a great new beginning. It established a lot in those few pages. Batman Inc is very much alive and well and someone . . . well NOBODY likes it. We get to see Bruce go through a major character change as he has decided to let the past go and celebrate the lives of his parents instead of his death. God, I hope they use the letter from Flashpoint #5. Anyway, Tomasi did an excellent job showing that this Batman & Robin will be very different from any other considering that this time . . . it is full fledge father and son. And Damian wants to play by his own rules but he and Bruce will have to learn to get along. Gleason & Gray give us some great art to look at. truly a feast for the eyes.

BATWOMAN


Eric McLeod of FL

Batwoman was easily my most anticipated title of the relaunch because the book had been delayed countless times before the relaunch. This book is a great continuation of her run in Detective Comics and does a great job of setting up a story and character relationships. The introduction of Bette Kane (Flamebird) as Batwoman's sidekick seems like a natural progression and the dialogue between the two is great. My only problem with the book is that to get the full enjoyment out of it, you need to be already invested in Kate's character. The book does a good job of establishing who she is and some of the things she's been through, but they do leave some details of her past vague enough that only people familiar with her character would get. I think some people can get into this book without doing some prior reading, but I do recommend you pick up the Batwoman: Elegy tradeback if you really want to know more about Batwoman.

Dante Franklin of Baltimore, MD

Coupled with Wonder Woman, Batwoman had to be one of my more anticipated books. I was a big fan of Greg Rucka's great work with the character in Detective. And his collaborator there, J.H. Williams, continues what was started with a pretty good debut issue. We see Kate with her father as well as the relationship with her cousin, Bette, the former Teen Titan known as Flamebird. Plus, Batwoman continues encountering some of the more creepy and supernatural aspects of Gotham City, which I find appealing and a departure from the usual vigilante fare. I thought it was a good first issue that sets things up nicely, including establishing relationships and new threats. Definite recommendation.

Gerald Williams of Hemstead, NY

DC has finally released this book. This was the story that I’ve been expecting since Batwoman’s run in Detective Comics and it picks up where that left off. JH Williams does a great job of picking up where Greg Rucka left off, the only issue is not how Batwoman fits in the new 52 but how her cousin Bette Kane (Flamebird) does. Interesting is how Batwoman treats Bette the way Batman treats his protégés/sidekicks.


DEATHSTROKE

Louis Laughton of Chicago, IL

    Okay. Slade Wilson is awesome. Most readers who know the character know that. For new readers, they would have to learn that. But do you have to remind us of that every 5 minutes Kyle Higgins. SERIOUSLY. Every 5 minutes or less, we are getting told how awesome Deathstroke is in caption boxes or other people say it. You know, action speak louder than works at times but you know . . . there were some awesome moments in it. It was just kinda of . . . annoying to get constantly bombarded with the fact that we are being TOLD that Slade Wilson is bad***. If he really is, then show us. Yesh.










DEMON KNIGHTS


Eric McLeod of FL

Finally, there's Demon Knights. Okay, I wasn't too familiar with Paul Cornell's work before the relaunch, but his work on Stormwatch and this book make me want to check out more. Demon Knights is a fantastic swords and sorcery book featuring some of DC's most famous mystical characters such as Etrigan the Demon and Madame Xanadu, but fortunately you don't need to know anything about the characters prior to the story to understand everything. The artwork is great, the character interaction and dialogue are great, and the book is full of awesome Arthurian lore and Conan the Barbarian-esque scenery. If you're one of the people who avoid DC comics because you don't like superhero books or just love swords and sorcery fantasy, you need to pick it up. I really hope this finds an audience and continues for a long time because honestly it's one of my favorite books of the relaunch so far.

CBC's Hector Ramirez of Philadelphia, PA



 Another story that started at the core beginning and it spins an interesting tale. It’s refreshing to see Etrigan with a crew but one thing that got me was Etrigan wasn’t speaking in rhyme. Still not sure if it’s a good thing or bad thing.



Derrick Jones of Brooklyn, NY

Let me start off with I am a huge fan of Dungeons and Dragons, Middle Earth type

genre. All that sword and sorcery jazz really speaks to me, so I was very excited

when I heard that part of the NU52 was going to include Demon Knights, The first

issue did not disappoint.

I am not familiar with Paul Cornell’s previous work but I will be looking for

his name from now on. He has a very good grasp on the lore of that time period

and he manages to introduce the characters of the book quite well. It takes a lot

to write Jason Blood/Etrigan as a combo and make both characters likeable, or

most importantly not make Etrigan a standard demon who is only let out to fight.

If I have one complaint, and it is a small one, it is that this version of the demon

Etrigan does not rhyme, which is as much a staple of the character as Zatanna

speaking backwards.

Diogenes Neves provides pencils for our first issue, someone else I am not

immediately familiar with but he seems quite talented and the rest of the art team

very much compliments his work. He is not a lazy artist, his attention to detail is

quite good and I for one like that he did not take the easy way out and make all the

women waif model types wearing next to nothing.

All in all I found that the introductory issue more than serves its purpose (unlike

some other NU52 #1’s) you get some nice character intro and the pacing is good

so that when the end of the book comes it is not jarring. I will definitely be coming

back next month for more.

FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E.

CBC's Frankie Rodriguez of Vineland, NJ


   This series interested me because of the Flashpoint miniseries & the recent appearance of the Creature Commandos in JL: Generation Lost. It felt like a great new beginning for Frankenstein as he meets his new team, becomes a leader and we see the base for SHADE all in one foul swoop. Jeff Lemire is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers and this book is just adding to the awesome that he writes. The cast were distinct, the art was kind of gloomy at first glance but grows on you and find it sets the tone of the book perfectly. The characters were all fun to watch . . . including a certain person who has the ability to shrink and is a scientist. Between this and Animal Man, I am now with Lemire for the long haul.
   








GREEN LANTERN


Gerald Williams of Hemstead, NY


As expected, not a reboot and all I can say is well done. Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke have remained the creative team, picking up from the Aftermath of the War of the Green Lanterns. This book continues the upheaval that the Green Lantern Corps has been experiencing since the Sinestro Corps War and based on what I read in issue #1, there is more on the way.


CBC's Hector Ramirez of Philadelphia, PA



Well seeing as I didn't read Flashpoint (or War of the Green Lanterns) there were some things that I didn’t understand and there was very little action. But the cliffhanger ending guaranteed my purchase of at least issue 2.

Derrick Jones of Brooklyn, NY

I have to admit I was not overly excited about this one. Don’t get me wrong, I have been

enjoying the Lantern saga pretty much since Hal came back to life. And I knew that the Lantern end of the universe was going to pretty much remained untouched after all the work done to it over the last three years with the “Wars of light”. So I figured I would keep right on reading but the coming of the NU52 would bring nothing new. Sometimes I love to be proven wrong!

Geoff Johns brings it in the first issue and does it with very little action. Yes the story of Sinestro is interesting and I think it is supposed to be the main focus of the story but for me this book is all about Hal (and trust me as my least favorite of the Earth bound lanterns I never thought I would say that). What does a man do when he can no longer do what he is clearly born to do?

That is what this story is for me. Let’s face it Hal Jordan is good at two things, Slinging the green and flying planes and now you are living a life where you can’t do either. And because you have lived your life doing just those two things how do you cope when there gone.

Doug Mahnke brings his usual movie like panels and if you have read any of my other reviews you know I am a stickler for backgrounds. Well there are backgrounds without intricate backgrounds but it is not noticed because you’re either on a close up of a character or you’re in space and space should be the background. I will be back if for no other reason than to see if how low Hal will fall before he gets desperate. This one is going on the pull list.

GRIFTER


CBC's Frankie Rodriguez of Vineland, NJ


 Now this book was interestingly good. It wasn't great but it was good. It gave us our man character who more than lived up to his name. It gave us an interesting premise . . .being able to see Aliens that no one else can see. And it gave us a realistic reaction . . . going commando cause you see aliens and then being labeled a terrorist/ serial killer by the media. Edmonson & CAFU set up the story well enough to be interesting but not OMG .. . this is great. Not yet anyway. The potential is there and I am looking forward to more as another Wildstorm Alumni, Max Cash (aka Condition Red) has been sent after his brother. This is gonna be good.






LEGION LOST


CBC's Frankie Rodriguez of Vineland, NJ


 I love Fabian Nicieza. I like the LSH. So I grabbed this book and it was good. It was nearly great. My problem . . . I felt like I stepped in about halfway through the story when it first started. The story got wheels quickly and great characterization. The stakes were high. The cast was good. Just felt lost. Like these Legionnaries. I guess that is what Nicieza is going for but not sure. We'll have to see. I did enjoy the book.




MISTER TERRIFIC


Gerald Williams of Hemstead, NY


In this one issue, DC has given Mister Terrific a better developed history of how he became a hero than his entire time in the JSA. I hope that the writing in this series stays at the level that of the first issue so that it can be around for a while.


CBC's Frankie Rodriguez of Vineland, NJ


I loved this issue. This was definitely one of the best first issues, not only of the new 52, but  that I have read in a long time. It gave us a small but solid history/origin of the character, introduced us to Michael Holt in the present with all of his intelligence and charm, intro us to his supporting cast, show us where one other JSA member ended up at and dealt with status, race and politics added with a mystery that was easy and fun to read. Kudos to the entire creative team. This is a book I will be following for a while to come. 


RED LANTERNS


Gerald Williams of Hemstead, NY


Ed Benes is one of my favorite artists ever since his days on Birds of Prey so I would have pick this book up just for him. Peter Milligan is telling a good story but I’m not sure that there characters can support a book. Miniseries, yes but not an ongoing title.






RESURRECTION MAN


Louis Laughton of Chicago, IL


 You know, this was actually pretty good. Mitch Shelly seemed very interesting as a character . . . not only for dying a lot but coming back with new powers to learn each time and a slight variation of the character. This kept the book interesting and the art made the book very wonderful to look at . DnA, as the writers are known at times as, have a solid new beginning for the character they created back in the 1990s. Mitch Shelly is back and it seems to be pretty good.








SUICIDE SQUAD


Gerald Williams of Hemstead, NY


Same concept as the last run of Suicide Squad, just different characters. The only thing that has changed is how they are selected.


Louis Laughton of  Chicago, IL


   I want to say good stuff about it but . . . it's torture porn. Seriously . . .it's TORTURE PORN. Sure, Deadshot, El Diablo & Harley got great amount of character development and the ending was kinda cool and horrifying at the same time. This just makes me miss Secret Six even more which made you care about the characters but over all . . . it's Torture Porn . . . and it's not bad. It's gonna have to do something a bit better to impress me. And did Amanda Waller go on Weight Watchers?!




SUPERBOY


CBC's Hector Ramirez of Philadelphia, PA



 They show Conner from his very roots which I loved but it played out a lot like the Dr. Manhattan sequences from Watchmen still it’s safe to say I’ll be following this series.




CBC's Frankie Rodriguez of Vineland, NJ


  Superboy ended up being very intriguing, very well written and wonderfully drawn. The team of Lobdell and Silva give us a new Superboy who is just learning to deal with his powers and finding out who and/or what he is. There is a solid cast with some twisted motives and development here. It also ties in directly into Lobdell's Teen Titans, which comes out in 2 weeks. Definitely a lot going for it. A great job and I definitely want more.








And those are the opinions for this week. Seems like fans really love Demon Knights and Batwoman. Hmm . . . wonder what will next week will bring. Well, till then, this is CBC. Keep Clashing.

Batman: The Eye of the Beholder

            And after dealing with Marvel’s iconic web-slinger, we go over to the latest DC Comic’s Dark Knight. We take a look at Dick Grayson as Batman in the beginning of the Batman Inc. Era as we review:

BATMAN

Issues #704 – 707

Story (arc) Title: Eye of the Beholder

Written & Penciled by Tony Daniel

DC Comics

by Frankie Rodriguez

            Unless you don’t collect comics or just completely out of time with Batman, Dick Grayson took up the mantle of Batman (again) once we thought that Bruce Wayne had died at the hands of the evil Darkseid. Bruce was actually thrown back in the past till he got back to the present recently. Yet, instead of Bruce having Dick return to his Nightwing persona, he insisted that Dick stay on as Batman to protect Gotham City and train Damian Wayne, the latest Robin, while Bruce franchises Batman all over the world in order to make an army against crime. Yes . . . this is not something out of some crazy fanfic; this is from the genius of Grant Morrison. Cause of this, the Bat titles have split with whichever Batman to being the leading man; Detective Comics, Batman & Batman and Robin have Dick being the leading man while the new titles Batman Incorporated and Batman: Dark Knight has Bruce being the main bat there.

            So Dick protects Gotham City as Batman and we look at the jump on point for the changes brought about with Bruce’s return. And if you figured that just having Bruce back didn’t give creators a chance to add on to Dick Grayson’s Batman, you are sorely mistaken. So let’s see how Batman #704-707 measure up as now Tony Daniel is now both artist & writer of the title; much like he was for Battle of the Cowl.

            Batman #704 opens up with some kind of mysterious call, dealing with what seems to be a group of people charged with protecting something. A person on one part of the phone says he is not going to give anyone information and has what seems to be a . . . swastika . . . that he beats through then reveals some kind of Asian lettering. The other man who was asking to give out information and help a mysterious visitor seeming dies. And that is just in the first 2 pages.

            Next we open up to see Batman (Dick Grayson) swinging with Robin (Damian Wayne) have a small exchange to a splash page of a character named Reaper & Catgirl fighting each other. After a brief fight with Reaper, who seems to be a bit loco about right and wrong and willing to kill heroes cause they get in his way; we see Batman looking for Catgirl, who slipped away. Before Batman & Robin give chase, they get stopped by a familiar face . . .Batman. Yes. Batman. Batman meet Batman.

            Bruce came to Dick telling him that he needs to get rid of Catgirl. Dick says he would. We go back to where the guy with the swastika (?) is to find him with his head . . . falling off. WHAT?! Then a bomb that goes BOOM!!

            Dick and Lucius Fox are in Wayne Tower doing business with a beautiful asian business woman known as Sasha Lo and her little brother, Luki Lo. She asked to buy the Crime Alley, particularly the eight block radius where Bruce’s parents were killed and was the main catalyst for the birth of Batman. Dick says he can’t.

            We then see Selina at a benefit dancing with a . . . nerd (?) . . . when Dick came in underdressed. Dick told Selina that she needed to get rid of Catgirl. Selina demanded that if Catgirl goes, so should Damian. When Dick told her this came from Bruce, Selina mocked Bruce and calls him the “Ultimate Hypocrite.”

            Dick drove off only to run into Sasha Lo again, with her begging to buy Crime Alley, even offering a bribe to Dick. Dick says no then asks way before an arrow comes their way; and Sasha stopped it . . . with one hand. As she ran off, Dick went the other direction, ordered a drone, got a Batman costume and changed. As Batman (Dick) arrived on the scene as a woman dressed in a blue outfit, peacock feathers & a mask appeared to trying to find Dick & Sasha’s attacker. As an assassin prepared to strike the woman with an arrow, Batman came in and knocked down said assassin. Batman gazed at the woman fully and if anyone with a brain has been following, you know that this was Sasha . . . introducing herself to Batman as Peacock. Before readers get any more in depth information on Peacock, there is another attack . . .from Sensei. Wait . . . wasn’t he killed off during the Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul crossover from a few years ago?

            Apparently not as the next issue opened with how Sensei came back to life as he was given water from Nanda Paradat, which has its own Lazurus pits and has more mystical abilities that was seen in 52. Sensei was back and after Peacock for they are both after something called the Beholder . . . which we find out some of its origin here to Gotham City and a secret society called Jade Compass Society when Peacock & Batman got another ally from I Ching, who told them the origin. Peacock reluctantly takes Batman help (at I Ching’s request) as they try to follow where Sasha’s limo, with her brother Luki, in it was going to. Alas, when they get to it, the limo’s been blown up. I-Ching rejoins them and they try to figure out where Luki is and the rest of the Jade Compass Society when Dick figured out that the society had another member . . . Lucius Fox.  Dick ran over to the Fox’s place to check to get stuck by a bomb. After Batman landed onto a car and come to find out that the bombs were set by . . . The Riddler. Oh and NOT just the Riddler . . . but his daughter, Enigma too? Wait . . .What?!

            Yes. Last seen during the Teen Titans “Titans East” arc, Enigma (aka Riddler’s Daughter) returns with her daddy to cause Batman trouble . . . and ??? wait. WHAT?!  Not sure as to why he shows up but it has to do with the Jade Compass Society. Riddler and Enigma have Batman on the ropes till Robin came in. Batman and Robin quickly deal with Riddler’s men as the Enigma family makes a break for it. Sensei is torturing Luki and Lucius for information and our heroes find out about it . . . through a weird telepathic like connection between Luki & Peacock. For those of you reading, if you hadn’t figured out that Peacock is Sasha, then you are clearly not paying attention.

            Speaking of Luki, after he’s tortured by Sensei, Lucius gets tortured as well. Sensei eventually gets the location of the Beholder, a mask of immense power. I-Chiang gives back grown on how the mask went from Asia to Gotham decades ago and why Sensei wants it so badly. Batman, I-Ching and Peacock all split up once more. Batman returns to see Reaper, who gives him one clue while a visit to Kitrina Falcone aka Catgirl gives him the last clue he needs. I-Ching enters an abandoned building only to fall to a trap. Batman soon goes to the same building and seemingly is trapped as well by Sensei. It looks as if Lucius, Luki, Lucius’s daughter Tamara & Dick are drowning towards their deaths yet we see Dick jumping into action, getting them out, and with I-Ching’s help, defeats most of Sensei’s assassins.

            Meanwhile, Sensei find the Beholder and is about to put it on. He is stopped, seemingly by one of his own henchmen who turn out to be Sasha in disguise. Sensei says he plans on killing her but recognizes her face as the woman who gave her the water in Nanda Pardat. This pauses Sasha long enough for Dick to swoop in but Sensei puts on the mask, enjoying its power. Yet, sooner rather than later, the mask begins to start killing. Sasha and I-Chiang explained that Sensei, in his own hubris, was NOT worthy of the Beholder, only Luki was. A battle ensued in which Batman held his own against the powerful Sensei till Luki takes the mask then Sensei tries to kill Luki but only breaks the Beholder into pieces. Batman tackled Sensei through a window only for Sensei do a disappearing act. Sasha and Batman say quick goodbyes as Luki gets a flash of Dick & Sasha making out. The storyline ends with Riddler and Enigma reporting to the person who hired them to the job, who wanted files on the Jade Compass Society. We see a female’s lips but then she flips a coin stating she had another job for the father-daughter team.

RATING SYSTEM:

Once again, here is the break down of how things are rated. Look at the ratings as if 1 was the worse to 5 being the best:

Ubersuck Crown – Run away from the story &/or book. It is bad. Treat it like the plague. Think of it as a 1 or 1 star. Pretty much VERY BAD.

Cruiserweight Contender – A book that has some great flash and ability to entertain for a while. Not a definite buy but still not too bad. It’s ok. Aka 2 stars.

X Division Contender-  Something that is out there. Brings out something a little different. Something entertaining and over all enjoyable but still not enough to make a huge impact.  3 stars or Average.

Intercontinental Contender – Something polished, some what thought provoking. Great story telling. Fair characterization but things not completely utilized to the best of their ability more than it should. Something that is on the verge of greatness but just falls short. Good or 4 stars.

World Heavyweight Contender – Outstanding. Great art. Great characterization. Great storyline. Excellent plot. Outstanding use of characters, area. Great use of new concepts or old concepts in a new way. Frellin’ awesome or 5 stars.

So you got it? Good. Onto:

CLASH TACTICS:

            This wasn’t the first time Tony Daniel was writing  & drawing the Batman books but is doing so this time on an ongoing basis. With that said, Tony has done a good job. Tony introduces the world of Gotham City today and while it may not seem too different from the Gotham that Bruce Wayne protected, it is radically different. Gotham City now is much more violent then it was before Bruce Wayne had “seemingly” died.  Dick Grayson has grown as a character and Tony Daniel has shown that in a variety of ways. He is not trying to be Bruce, which is evident in his quips and how artistically how Tony draws lots of aerobatics on Dick’s part to show that this Batman is different. Tony does an excellent job of showing Dick being able to handle Batman throughout the storyline . . . with one MAJOR exception.

            Having Bruce show up after Dick and Damian deal with Reaper was kinda of a reminder to readers that there was 2 Batmen. Great. Fine. Yet the fact that Bruce felt the need to make a personal visit and tell Dick to get rid of Catgirl, who he and Dick agree is being reckless was kinda of a slap to the face. While I understand that this is a new era, the Batman Incorporated era, that fact that Dick had his “dad” show up and personally tell him something was kinda of bull. There have been plenty of other issues and books that had Bruce “evaluate” Dick & Damian. This whole Bruce coming to see them personally felt kinda like . . . yeah, I trust you to mind the store but only so much. And honestly it wasted time that could be used to develop Dick more.

            That wasn’t my only problem with the storyline. Another issue was the inclusion of Riddler & Enigma. I did like the fact that the 2 were together. I liked that fact that Ridder was now again a villain. What I didn’t particularly like was that it seemed to be a hiccup. Considering that this is set up to other storylines was fine. Yet it was confusion with the actually main storyline with the fact that it seemed to show up in the middle of Batman’s investigation of Lucius Fox. And that wouldn’t have bothered me so much if it didn’t come so . . . abruptly in the middle of the main storyline. I like having future storylines set up. And I can understand the whole Jade Compass Society thing would lead to more stories. What I found a probably was that Riddler & Enigma showing up how they did then disappearing til the end of the storyline. I read the storyline twice and both time it just felt awkward having them there in the MIDDLE of the main plot line. I originally thought that Sensei had joined with them; and was disappointed that they didn’t show up again till the end. It almost felt like filler. There have been other writers who have done similarly things but at least the inclusion of other storylines with the main plot seemed to flow a LOT better than when it did here. But it did make me intrigued about them and an eventual show down.

            My final problem was that there was just so much focus on the storyline and the world of Batman, we have not really seen the world of Dick Grayson. The only real moments of Dick Grayson time we’ve seen was him at Wayne Enterprises with Sasha and his little warning to Catwoman. Let me talk about the latter before I get into the former.

            The fact that Bruce ordered Dick to get Catgirl gone was pretty damn wrong. And then Tony set up one of the best scenes in #704. Selina Kyle aka Catwoman flat out called out Dick and Bruce’s hypocricy.

            Dick: She has to go, Selina. She nearly got herself killed chasing down the Reaper . . . for the reward money the Feds put up.

            Selina: I wouldn’t approve of that behavior.

            Dick: It’s what a younger Catwoman would have done.

            Selina: If she has to go, then so should your pompous little brat.

            Dick: Kitrina (aka Catgirl) needs to be in school. Not playing superhero with homicidal maniacs. Bruce made it clear  .”

            Selina: Bruce, the Ultimate surrogate, the ultimate hypocrite.

            That was one of the best exchanges, showing how times and everyone had been changing. Dick following orders and getting his own personal life neglected seemed to be a bit much. Dick had his own identity and some much of it is now part of what Bruce had designed. Not him being Batman but him being Dick Grayson. And that is something that I hope that Tony can touch on more soon.

            Otherwise, Tony being both writer and artist really was spectacular. Seeing how much Tony Daniel has evolved over the years has been great and he really did a great job with writer & art for the storyline. It opened lots of new elements. And Tony established what could very well be Dick’s Selina or Talia to Bruce’s. Peacock aka Sasha Lo was both an interesting fighter with an attitude but understandably so. Particularly enjoyable was Peacock’s exchange with I-Chiang and Batman after the first escape in #705. Peacock states that he is not the real Batman and that he speaking juvilen is one of those indicators. I-Chiang replies with a simple fact that this was indeed Batman and she’s benefit from his help. The chemistry between Batman and Peacock was well develop and continued to grow during the storyline. Again, Dick and Sasha’s chemistry is hot and look forward to more Batman and Peacock in the future.

            Tony wrote us a very confident Dick Grayson. He was used to being Batman and while he and Bruce were both Batman now, Dick was more than up to the task. Dick didn’t flinch when he was ordered to look after Gotham and that Bruce personally gave him Gotham. There was no doubt. Not in any of the narrative did we see Dick Grayson doubt himself as a hero and that made a great impression on me. This wasn’t the person who was very against taking the mantle nor the man trying to live up to Bruce’s shadow. Dick Grayson here was indeed a man who is confident and comfortable of being Batman . . . but being Batman his own way. These issues showcase that perfectly. Another example of that was when Batman when into Arkham to speak to Reaper and Batman easily convinced the Doctor to let him see Reaper.

            The colors were grim enough to show the grit and grime of Gotham but did a great job showing that this was indeed a whole new era as this was the Batman Inc era and Dick was fully taking charge of himself as Batman. As hookey as Sensei’s resurrection was written out, it was done well. The backgrounds were all amazing and the characters were full of life. Luki was a little stiff in my opinion but still, artistically a great job for the beginning.

            Tony Daniel artistically and verbally added much to the new mythos of the Dick Grayson Batman. Gotham is a very dangerous place but the new Batman was more than up for the challenge. Dick seemed made for it. Kudos to Ian Hannin for his colors in all 4 issues as well as the assist inks by Sandu Florea & Ryan Winn for their great inks on the storyline. Each character seemed to have defined faces that matches their personas. This was a great introduction artistically.

            Overall, while this wasn’t a grand slam for Batman Dick Grayson, it was still a great home run. The Beholder, the Jade Compass Society, Peacock, Sensei and even Riddler & Enigma all became part of Dick’s new rogues gallery and made welcoming first impressions. Tony Daniel takes the reigns aggressively in this new run with a solid introduction. It is just said that we don’t see more of the Dick Grayson side of life. And Tony needs to work on making sure the flow of the overall plot line is not so interrupted by his foreshadowing the future. It is more a matter of over all flow. Still, it was a solid read with great dialogue, action, adventure and a look into Gotham City at the beginning of the Batman Incorporated era. There were lots of introductions and even set up for both Dick and Damian that this should be an enjoyable run.

            Given all this, Eye of the Beholder gets placed in the Intercontinental Contender bracket. A very good start but could be better. Still, read it and enjoy the Peacock. 

And Now CLASH:

               VS.

MY WINNER:

            Amazing Spider-man Big Time! Slott gave us a new beginning . . .not just for Spiderman but also for Peter Parker. And the fact that the new Hobgoblin is a dark mirror of Spiderman really helped. While Dick gained a bunch of new rogues and mythology, we barely got to see Dick Grayson. Slott balanced between both while Daniel was very Batman heavy. That is why Big Time beats out Eye of the Beholder in my opinion. 

While I gave MY OWN ratings . . . What do the rest of you think? Who should come out on top?

BATMAN’s Eye of the Beholder or AMAZING SPIDER-MAN’s Big Time. Post your comments and votes on here. The winner will get to advance to the Summer Tournament in July.  Next Week, I will post the results of the winners in both your opinion.