Review: Batman: Long Shadows by Judd Winick

Batman: Long Shadows by Judd Winick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Introduction:

Now to be honest, I have never read DC Comics’ major event “Final Crisis,” so I am not familiar with Batman (or Bruce Wayne in this case) being dead during this event and this comic book “Batman: Long Shadows” takes place after the events of “Final Crisis.” However, despite not reading “Final Crisis,” I still thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel (although being a huge Dick Grayson fan also helps)!

What is this story about?

After the events of “Final Crisis,” Batman (Bruce Wayne) is pronounced dead, but in order to prevent the world from knowing that the real Batman is dead, Bruce Wayne’s protégé Dick Grayson decides to take up the mantle himself. Unfortunately, Batman’s old nemesis Two-Face notices that Batman is not himself and he sets out to murder the new Batman!

What I loved about this story:

Judd Winick’s writing: Wow! Can I say that I was truly impressed with Judd Winick’s writing of this short story that takes place after “Final Crisis?” Now as it is known by now, I am a huge Dick Grayson fan and the fact that I am reading another “Batman” comic that stars Dick Grayson taking the mantle from Bruce Wayne (the first comic I read that had Dick Grayson as Batman was “Batman: The Black Mirror”) is just so exciting to me! I loved the way that Judd Winick wrote this story as we actually get to see how Batman’s immediate family (his butler Alfred, Damian Wayne and Dick Grayson) react to Bruce Wayne’s death and how they are trying to cope with the legacy that he left behind as Batman. It was pretty interesting to see how Dick Grayson tries to upheld Bruce Wayne’s legacy as Batman while doing things his own way and I loved how the other characters often commented on how Dick Grayson was a lot more friendlier as Batman than Bruce Wayne was and it was a nice change for the characters, especially for Alfred. I really enjoyed the relationship that Dick shares with Damian Wayne and Alfred as he treats Alfred like a father figure and he tries to get through the hard headed Damian Wayne. Judd Winick’s portrayal of Dick Grayson was fantastic as Dick continues to crack jokes throughout the story while showing great concern and compassion for his mentor Bruce Wayne and that just made me love Dick Grayson even more!

Mark Bagley’s artwork: Mark Bagley’s artwork is truly fantastic, especially during the battle sequences! I loved the way that Mark Bagley made all the explosions look extremely realistic and effective as I really felt the chaotic mood of the battle scenes that Dick Grayson gets involved in. I also loved the way that Mark Bagley drew the expressions on the characters’ faces as they look expressive and I actually felt the same emotions that the characters felt through certain situations, like the sadness that Batman’s immediate family felt when Bruce Wayne died.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story

The reason why I took off half a point from the rating was because the beginning tended to drag on for a while before the story got exciting and I will admit I was a bit bored with the beginning until I got into the actual story as it went on. Also, for anyone who does not like gory violence and language, this comic does have a fair share of violence and language.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Batman: Long Shadows” is an excellent graphic novel for fans who want to see Dick Grayson take up the Batman cowl and own it like no one else!

Secret Origins Vol.2 by Brian Azzarello

Secret Origins Vol. 2 by Brian Azzarello
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It took me several days to read this tombstone. I am just going to do one line impressions of each story, ’cause I’ve had a long day and this is not worth it.

Chapter 1: In which the Stone family is introduced through some lame dialogue and DC screws up their own timeline while Victor deals with anger management issues.

Chapter 2: In which Bruce Wayne has a George Clooney chin but not the vinyl suit and Jason goes for ninja training to deal with anger management issues.

Multiversity

The Multiversity by Grant Morrison
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

(Received from Netgalley for review.)

So. This is a thing that happened, and I read it. That could probably be my capsule review for something like 65% of Morrison’s work, and it would likely be a fairly valid review. I have respect for Morrison as a creator who isn’t afraid to think big, and this is pretty damn big. I also feel a certain level of frustration for his work, as he regularly has ideas that are too big for him to convey effectively. This is maybe one of them, a story so big that it spans fifty realities, with layers of meaning that I’m not sure I was able to penetrate.

So let’s put the layers aside for a moment, and look at the work on the surface. You could essentially read the first and last issue of Multiversity as one complete story and get basically everything it has to offer. Everything in between is sort of filler, except it kind of isn’t, because the filler is kind of the point, I think. Because I do think that at least part of the point, for Morrison, was getting to play in all these different playgrounds. Which he does quite well, actually. The Society of Super-Heroes, Pax Americana, and Mastermen issues were all remarkably well done. Yes, Pax Americana is a sort of Watchmen send up, but it’s a damn good one. If the entire Multiversity event had only been about letting Morrison write every genre of comic in history, I think I would have been pretty happy. The actual event part was, in my opinion, the weakest part of the collection.

The art is uniformly good across the entire series. Not bad, considering the sheer number of artists, well over half a dozen. Not only is the quality consistently high, the styles are perfectly matched to the current story. Unfortunately, Multiversity never quite becomes more than the (admittedly very good) sum of its parts. But that’s kind of Morrison’s thing, isn’t it?

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Batman, Vol.1: The Court of Owls by Scott Snyder

Batman, Vol. 1: The Court of Owls by Scott Snyder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In keeping with our buddyread theme, I’d say this one is like pancakes…the first two are really great, but by the fifth one you’re just wondering what you saw in it…

You know, for a long time, I never understood why Bats was called the greatest detective, because I’ve never actually seen him…detecting.
Never fear, Snyder is here to fix that problem! 

Convergence

Convergence by Jeff King
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is doubtless a book of great importance for whatever is going to happen with the DCU going forward. Make no mistake, there are actual huge, world-shaking changes here. Which makes it such an incredible shame that this book just isn’t good. I guess DC wasn’t expecting it to be, considering that they gave the assignment to a writer who had apparently never written a comic before. Put yourself in the office of DC editorial for a moment and ask yourself why in God’s name they would put a major event that will have huge ramifications for their entire line in the hands of a newbie. I just don’t get it, and probably the book suffers as a result. I mean, I’m assuming this could have been better in the hands of a more practiced and nuanced writer, but who knows.

The biggest problem with the book is that all of the events are entirely lacking in motivation. Why are all these worlds (or rather, cities standing in for worlds) being brought together in the first place? Why do we need to thin the herd to only one? Why the immense battles between them? What is this all supposed to accomplish? The answer, on an editorial and in-universe level, is a the equivalent of a noncommital shrug. This is happening because it’s happening, that’s why. It is incredibly hard to get invested in a story that’s happening not because it makes logical or narrative sense. And in this book, it’s very obvious that the story was haphazardly slapped together around the end result.

I’m not even going to bother talking about the characters. They’re so cardboard that I can’t connect to them, and they spend an incredible amount of time just standing around and talking. For a book that’s centered around a battle between realities, there’s surprisingly little action.

Really, this was all about reversing Flashpoint and, apparently, Crisis on Infinite Earths. It’s far too soon for me to say how I feel about that idea. Yes, that does give DC writers the freedom to do whatever they want without worrying too much about continuity. But since when have comics writers been overly concerned with continuity anyways? And how will the average reader be able to follow what’s going on? Until I see what exactly this means and how it will be handled, I’m not sure yet what the final verdict on this event will be. On paper, DC You could be good. In practice? We’ll see.

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Review: Convergence

Convergence by Jeff King
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2.5 stars

Ok, let’s get started!
*rubs hands together gleefully*
Kidding, kidding… It’s not that bad. Well, it is, but it’s also probably going to be required reading for DC fans.
Sorry, kiddos.
Warning: Spoilers!
But I’m not even really sure what happened, so…*shrugs*

Basically, DC wants to use all of the different versions of all of their characters across the multiverse. Because we were all clamoring for them to Bring back the multiverse!
Well, no. But I think New 52 wasn’t working out as well as they’d hoped, so why not go back in time 30 plus years, and re-do a re-boot. Specifically, Crisis on Infinite Earths, which originally wiped out DC’s bloated multiverse, and gave things a cleanish slate. Sorta like…New 52.

And that’s pretty much what this is about.
Yes, hardcore geeks will certainly be able to go into the specifics of what I missed, but for those of you who are only casual readers, all you need to know is that DC can now tell any story they want to, from any Earth, with any version of any hero that ever existed. Sorta.
And the continuity of the New 52 is still in play.

Does Convergence, as a story, make for good reading?
Hahahahahahahahahahaha!
*wipes tear*
Oh, you’re funny. I like you!
No, as a matter of fact, there are plot holes you could drive a truck through, clunky dialogue, and a weird plot line that gets more and more confusing as it goes along.
But who cares?! Suck it up, buttercup.
Remember, it’s required reading.

Some guy from a {random planet} gets tricked into being Brainiac’s stooge…
Hey you know what? Just think of the Silver Surfer/Galactus origin story, and you’ll get what’s going on with this Telos character.
It’s exactly like that, minus the surfboard.

Most of the story focuses on the Earth 2 heroes, but eventually things branch out to include more and more of the other characters from the multiverse.

How, why, when, where?
Long story short, Brainiac has trapped everyone…like entire cities… (still not sure how he’s done this) on a living planet controlled by Telos. Then he wanders away to do something off-page.
Telos loses sight of his Prime Directive, and starts pitting cities and their heroes against each other in a Battle Royale-style fight for survival.

Of course, there’s an evil sorcerer (Deimos) who is planning to rule the world, sorry, worlds. And has managed to eat a bunch of Time Lords… or something. Then Earth 2’s Dick Grayson has a heart-to heart with Telos, and then Telos talks to Brainiac, and then they all cry and get emotional. It’s…you know what? Fuck it. It’s amazing, they all burn their bras and talk about which brand of tampon is the most absorbent. Next thing you know, good triumphs over evil, and the multiverse is restored.

Ok. that’s it, kids. You can all go back to your regularly scheduled comic books now.

Edit: Everyone is telling me that THIS is definitely NOT required reading. As long as you know that it happened, you can mosey along without ever having to touch this sucker.

I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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*sigh* Review: The Joker: Endgame by James Tynion IV

The Joker: Endgame by James Tynion IV
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

 

 

 

Thanks, DC!
So nice of you to reprint Batman: Endgame, plus in a few tie-in issues, and sell it as a completely different book.
Way to be classy!

The tie-in stories aren’t bad, but they’re mostly about random characters…and then Batgirl.
Considering how much I disliked the New Batgirl, I was shocked that it was my favorite out of the bunch. It was told without dialogue, which worked really well for me, because I absolutely LOVE the art from that title.

The rest of the tie-ins deal with what’s going on for different characters during the Endgame crisis. There’s one nutty set of stories that are all connected, dealing with a doctor at Arkham and some of her loony patients. The Big Reveal at the end of that one left me cold, because I already knew who Eric Border was, and (bonus!) I don’t tend to like tales told through the eyes of arbitrary characters.
I was actually hoping for the Joker’s point of view, because…well, the title says something to that effect. Sadly, no.
I’ve got a better title – The Joke’s on You: We Got Yer Money!

If you haven’t read Endgame, maybe this would be the way to go? Especially if you’re interesting in purchasing. However, if you have read it (or own it), then this probably isn’t going to impress you all that much. Of course, lots of people loved this arc, so…

For me, this was a struggle to get through. I was so annoyed that they expected me to re-read the same shit over again that it took me forever to finish it. And, yes, I read the entire thing.
I kept hoping reading Snyder’s Endgame for a second time might help me see it with fresh eyes (or some other nonsense), and maybe I’d find something I missed that would make me enjoy it a bit more.
NOPE. Still thought it was a turd.

I received a digital copy from NetGalley and the publisher.

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Review: Green Lantern, Vol. 6: The Life Equation by Robert Venditti

Green Lantern, Vol. 6: The Life Equation by Robert Venditti
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This volume did a few things better than the last one.
One of those things was simply not being quite so loooong and rambley. Also, there’s a point in this one when Sinestro points out to Hal that his greatest strength is his unpredictability. And he’s lost his edge, because he’s trying to be a bureaucrat*, instead of just his usually leap first-look later kind of self.
Yay, Sinsetro! Couldn’t have said it better myself!

*Hal is now the leader of the GL corps. – Astonishing Anne

Another thing I thought was nice? This one has little pages explaining the huge hunks of missing information, due to the nature of these crossover events. Otherwise, this volume would have been indecipherable.
So…Thanks!
And even better idea would be to stop have so many crossovers.

Highfather showed up at the end of the last volume, and that storyline is the core of this one. The New Gods have come to our universe to get the Life Equation, and finally have the means to defeat Darkseid. Of course, in order to do that they need to wreck everything on this end.

In order to stop them, Hal has to team up with some really questionable individuals. But desperate times and all that nonsense…

Big Battles! Big Betrayals! Big Secrets Revealed!
Whatever. It wasn’t awful.
Here’s the thing, though. I just don’t like the direction that this title has taken. In fact, the Red Lanterns are the only interesting bunch in the entire group.
Guy Gardner is now officially the coolest Lantern out there.
It’s the truth!
I mean, Carol Ferris is Kyle’s girlfriend now, for God’s sake!
Did you just hear what I said?
What the hell?! Do you not see he’s wearing a Lego mask, Carol?!

Why are you kissing him?! Do you not remember what happened to his last girlfriend?
Wait! Carol! Noooooooo! Don’t open the…

It has cliffhangery sort of ending to this one, with Hal taking off and doing something crazy. It’s enough to make me want to find out what’s going to happen next…I guess. Maybe. I can’t really decide right now.

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Review: Grayson Vol. 1: Agents of Spyral

Grayson, Vol. 1: Agents of Spyral by Tim Seeley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A D-List character buddy read with my Shallow Comic Reading pals!

Ok, I’m really gonna try and not go wall to wall with “Dick” jokes in this one. I promise.

FUUUNNN STUFF! With so many mixed reviews for this book, I had no clue where I would land on this one. Well I like Dick….Grayson….Nightwing…..Agent 37….Whatever. Following Forever Evil, Nightwing takes on a new role as Batman’s spy in the clandestine organization known as Spyral. I won’t get into how this all comes to pass, just in case you missed it, but it made some sense. I’m not really up to date on all the New 52 stuff (including the New 52 Nightwing series) and it really didn’t matter. The beginning of this volume brings you up to speed from the gate.

This volume’s a pretty short and sweet “lay the foundation” kinda book. It introduces the key characters with a cool guest appearance by the Midnighter. Helena Bertinelli (previously the Huntress) takes on a new role in this series as well. So far I’m cool with it. Minimal Batman in this one if that’s a problem for you. Not for me. I prefer my Dick solo. Figuratively speaking. Saw some gripes about the fact that Grayson is using a gun and is a secret agent that doesn’t kill. I totally get it, but it really didn’t bother me. Got the impression they might be working that into the story a little later.

I thought Tim Seeley and Tom King have Grayson’s “voice” down pretty good. He’s a playa and puts that acrobat’s body to good use almost right from the start. Ladies love Dick. The writers kept it lite for the most part with a couple of darker moments. True to form, Grayson bounced back from the grim stuff pretty quick. Loved the “Man-ty Raid” and the resulting cover that Minos (he’s Spyral’s Dr.Evil) comes up with for Grayson as a result. Minos is peaking my interest so far as well. Some potential there. I wasn’t as crazy about the Future’s End issue included at the ass end of this one, but it didn’t suck.

Mikel Janin’s art simply rocks. Love it. Clean lines that I thought were similar to Frank Cho’s with less cheesecake. This one actually seems to be geared a little more towards the ladies with Grayson’s abs oozing out all over the place. The sexy bastard. The other artists that contributed were ok. Nothing special.

I liked this new take on Dick and would recommend it to anybody that isn’t stuck on Grayson as Nightwing or enjoys a more light-hearted kinda hero book. If you’re not into new interpretations of old characters or prefer your spies be more of the “Bond” variety, you might wanna skip it. It’s a completely different direction for the character that I’m on board with for now.

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Review: Lobo Vol. 1: Targets, by Cullen Bunn

Lobo Vol. 1: Targets by Cullen Bunn
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

ARC from Netgalley in exchange for honest review/feedback.

OK, my waiting has finally ended! I’m now allowed to reveal that…Lobo is the WORST New 52 book I’ve ever read.

Cullen Bunn…2 “n”s together look like an “m” so it’s Bum, which is a synonym for “ass” and what comes out of an “ass”? “Shit”.

(Little known fact, Peter Milligan and Cullen Bunn are in fact, clones of Scott Lobdell and Ann Nocenti’s love child).

It’s been over a month, and I can’t recall much now, other than seething rage at how STUPID this was.

I was so fucking happy to get a NetGalley DC book, because they’re usually quite picky about who gets it…so of course, that should have had me worried when I got OK Green light approval…
That should have been more curious when I had a moratorium on comments or reviews until it was published. I tried to save you all…I think I might have prevented one or two reads…

Here’s the deal: Lobo we all “know” and “love” (Hardly do and barely acknowledge actually) the whole of his run, was actually an imposter. He’s decapitated and dispatched by the REAL, TRUE Lobo. Who’s actually quite an annoying shit to be perfectly honest. NO sense of humour at all. DC really cracked down on this. They literally sacrificed Lobo, the sense of humour character (similar to a Deadpool, but not as funny at all) in the opening pages. So DC kills humour. For real. It was like a terror cell showing you they aren’t kidding, no more humour in New 52 DC. Not unless it’s on OUR terms.

Once that apt metaphor is executed…like old Lobo…we get to watch the “real” Lobo go around and do some more killing, following around some idiots towards Earth, there’s some Superman appearance, yawn.

Then there’s some female Lobo-ette type girl, who’s seemingly a ripoff of Nebula from GotG? Or maybe she did exist before. Anyhow, she and Lobo are both apparently the appointed protectors of their planets, but Lobo killed his planetary leader for being evil/immoral/on the wrong path or some shit.
Lobo-ette, well she did the same thing to Lobo’s home planet’s twin planet. So they’re meant to be together? Or at war? Or something.

Honestly, I have such aching desire NOT to re-read this, even to save you all, that I’m just not going to bother trying.

The plot was hackneyed, stunted, idiotic, and chaos of the wrong kind. The character everyone wanted to see and thought they would see, was dead in the first few pages, DC editorial pretty much shitting all over the original creation of Lobo. He’s not a tweaked version, he’s literally a different character.

I didn’t know much about Lobo, but I wanted to know more, and this did NOT help. I’d like to go find old stuff now.

The best part? the moratorium on reviews until publish day (last week) helped my mind forget the pain and stupidity. I can’t pass it all on to you, my loyal reader(z)? and you’re much the happier for it.

DC?

DO. NOT. READ. THIS. PIECE. OF. JUNK.

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