Action Comics #1030
Publisher: DC
Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson; Becky Cloonan & Michael W. Conrad (back-up story)
Artist: Daniel Sampere; Michael Avon Deming (back-up story)
Inks: Daniel Sampere; Michael Avon Deming (back-up story)
Colors: Adriano Lucas; Taki Soma (back-up story)
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Cover: Mikel Janín;
Part one of a new arc, “Warworld Rising” begins elaborating on plot threads hinted at earlier in the Superman titles. Specifically, Jon Kent has knowledge from the future that stories about Superman at one point just stop, and that cessation happens right after Superman’s encounter with the Breach (in Action Comics #1029). While the arc’s title indicates a longer storyline about Warworld, and there are events that take place there, the larger story is about Superman beginning to contemplate his mortality while Batman and Atom debate the scientific readings they are taking on Superman’s power levels. The best part of the issue is a conversation between Jon Kent and Damian, sitting on a rooftop like old days and talking about things going on with their dads. Damian shows a surprising amount of maturity and emotional insight; Johnson has a great handle on writing a less irritating, more introspective Damian, and his friendship with Jon. 4/5 – MT
The back-up story , “Passenger, Part 2” with Midnighter is more engaging and overall more successful than its first installment, although the overly long narration and exposition by the villain could have been cut down to focus more on showing Midnighter switching back and forth between his present and future self while trying to keep that information hidden from his partner, Apollo. 4/5 – MT
Batman/Superman #17
Publisher: DC
Writer: Gene Luen Yang
Artist: Ivan Reis
Inks: Danny Miki
Colors: Sabine Rich
Letters: Saida Temofonte
Cover: Ivan Reis, Danny Miki, Sabine Rich
Yang took this title into an entirely new and refreshing direction with Part One of the “Worlds Collide” story arc last month, and this month’s installment for Part Two is even better, featuring themes reminiscent of both the Golden and Silver Ages with two different worlds (one without Superman and one without Batman), as well as the main universe in which Batman and Superman collaborate to defeat a robotic villain known as the Archivist whose schtick seems to be “collecting” bits and pieces of the multiverse and combining them together to create his ideal best version with the most over-the-top amounts of noir-like drama. Batman and Robin prove once again that they are the greatest detectives on any world, and Lois Lane makes some fun and surprising appearances in both fictional worlds. Yang and the creative team provide one of the most fun DC comics of the week with this issue. 5/5 – MT
Detective Comics #1035
Publisher: DC
Writer: Mariko Tamaki (main story and back-up story)
Artist: Dan Mora; Clayton Henry (back-up story)
Inks: Dan Mora; Clayton Henry (back-up story)
Colors: Jordie Bellaire (main story and back-up story)
Letters: Aditya Bidikar (main story and back-up story)
Cover: Dan Mora
Last issue saw the introduction of Bruce Wayne’s new neighbors after he moved into a townhouse in a wealthier part of Gotham. At the end of that issue, one of his new neighbors, Sara Worth, was mysteriously kidnapped. The hunt for her is on in this issue, with both the GCPD and Batman taking up the case. The Worth family holds a lot of clout among the wealthy elite of Gotham, and the over-the-top patriarch of the family comes across almost villainous in his desire for justice. Mayor Nakana’s ultimate objective for his anti-vigilante stance is still somewhat suspect, and those suspicions are pushed even further in this issue. 4/5 – MT Tamaki also handles the back-up story featuring the Huntress in this issue, and in a nice bit of synergy, Huntress also shows up toward the end of the main story. Both stories show the darker side of Gotham, one without optimism for its residents and where vigilantes operate in the shadows, meting out justice in place of offering hope. 4/5 – MT
Robin #1
Publisher: DC
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Gleb Melnikov
Inks: Gleb Melnikov
Colors: Gleb Melnikov
Letters: Troy Peteri
Cover: Gleb Melnikov
Damian Wayne is a tough character to get right. His cockiness and sense of superiority can be very off-putting, especially coming from a young character whom some may say has yet to pay his dues. Recent events in the Teen Titans series did little to endear him to fans. Williamson skillfully combines these less than admirable characters traits, which are by now part of Damian’s DNA, while also showing a more thoughtful character, one whom holds a conversation with a deceased Alfred in his head and takes time to donate a large sum of money to a homeless family before setting off for the fabled League of Lazarus Tournament. Prior to the main event of the story, Williamson also shows how the rest of the Bat-family is working to find Damian, who has gone off the grid, in a series of lushly illustrated and colored panels that have an almost ethereal quality to them, as if viewed through the lens of a dream. The final panel includes a surprising turn of events, but given Damian’s ingenuity and ability to plan, it’s clear this is a feint to set up Damian’s ultimate goal for having entered the tournament. In the meantime, the tournament does give a lot of fan-service to readers by featuring legacy characters and assassins from the Bat family’s long history, including Rose Wilson and Connor Hawke among many others. If Williamson can continue showing Damian in this manner without resorting to the cocky brat version so often favored by other writers, then Robin could be the series to change how people view Damian Wayne. 4/5 – MT
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Martin Thomas
martin@comicattack.net
