Batgirl #6
Writer: Gail Simone
Artists: Ardian Syaf, Vicente Cifuentes, and Ulises Arreola
Cover Artist: Adam Hughes
Publisher: DC
The mind controlling villainess, Gretel, has Bruce Wayne under her control, or at least that’s what she thinks. However, as Batgirl well knows, Bruce’s mind is near impenetrable and he’s just faking it. That little bit of trickery is enough to give him time to suit up, and before you can say Gotham, Batman and Batgirl are fighting side by side to defeat Gretel. Understanding what she’s gone through, Batgirl tries to reason with her and get her some help. This series isn’t what I was expecting, and by that I mean it hasn’t given me that “Wow” feeling. I don’t necessarily need shocking cliffhangers, or uber creepy villains, just a simple issue or even a moment that leaves you thinking “that was fantastic/amazing/brilliant.” Gail Simone’s story has been decent and improving with every issue, but there are still some issues. Scenes with Barbara’s mother, for one, end up just being awkward and almost unnecessary. Gretel is a superior villain to the previous Mirror, but even she lacks a certain quality that makes her stand out amongst Gotham’s finest rogues. The art continues to be strong. Syaf’s pencils and Cifuentes’s inks are a wonderful team, and coupled with Arreola make for a fine creative art team. Overall the series has been a steady, decent read, but has yet to stand out of the crowd for being amazing. 3.5/5
Batman and Robin #6
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artists: Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray, and John Kalisz
Cover Artists: Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray, and John Kalisz
Publisher: DC
There are two things that I immediately thought of when I finished reading this issue. The first was that I was right: Damian was lying. The thing that I enjoyed most about that, was even though he was lying to help Batman, he still kept Batman out of the loop. One of the things that differentiates Damian from the previous Robins is that he wants to work alone. He enjoys working alone, it’s how he was raised. It’s going to be very interesting to see how Batman handles this, seeing as he’s not much of a team player either. Regardless, this issue was still quite interesting. The second thing I took notice of was that reading about a kid getting beaten to a pulp is still cringe worthy. Considering I read as many comics as I do, violence is to be expected, but even then I found myself feeling really weird knowing it was Damian being beaten and not some older individual. This series, though it had a rough start, is now doing a remarkable job in both storytelling and art. The only thing that I didn’t particularly care for in the issue were the flashback scenes. While I completely understand the purpose behind the flashbacks and maybe even the necessity for them, they just feel out of place and forced. 4/5
Batwoman #6
Writers: J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman
Artists: Amy Reeder, Richard Friend, Rob Hunter, and Guy Major
Cover Artists: Amy Reeder, Richard Friend, Rob Hunter, and Guy Major
Publisher: DC
For the first time in months, I’m not gushing over a Batwoman issue. Amy Reeder takes over art duties on this issue, and while her style is different than J.H. Willams III’s style, it is extremely well done. There are some panels that aren’t as polished as others, but for the most part I was thoroughly impressed by the art. Unfortunately, the story was a bit of a let down. While I do commend Williams and Blackman for taking chances with the writing, I don’t think it worked out in this issue. The issue was broken up into multiple points of view and multiple time frames. In the end, it didn’t really read as one cohesive story, but rather little bits of many stories. 3.5/5
Superboy #6
Writers: Scott Lobdell and Tom DeFalco
Artists: RB Silva, Rob Lean, Richard Horie, and Tanya Horie
Cover Artists: Shane Davis, Jonathan Glapion, and Barbra Ciardo
Publisher: DC
Starting up right after the end of Teen Titans #5, Superboy is lost. Not literally, but mentally and spiritually. Ever since he was created he’s been lied to, and now he’s not sure who he can trust. While he’s on his way to have a very meaningful (read: violent) confrontation with N.O.W.H.E.R.E., he is interrupted by Supergirl, who is pissed because Superboy is wearing the mark of the house of EL. She grabs him and we learn of a new power that Superboy has, which is some sort of contact memory, psychic power that allows him to speak Kryptonian as well as see the planet’s history. It turns out the Kryptonians also made clones, which turned out badly, so Supergirl treats Superboy sort of like a leper. I think it’s great that Supergirl has made an appearance in this book. I’ve always felt that even though they all shared the “Super,” for the most part it didn’t really feel like a family, not in the way the Bats feel like a family. Also, I don’t read Supergirl, but that character feels nothing like the Supergirl pre-reboot. She’s much colder, almost robotic, and she also feels older, I don’t care for it. This was an interesting, but fairly actionless issue. With Rose coming in to stop Superboy, as seen in the cliffhanger, the next issue promises to be much more action packed. 4/5
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Arnab Pradhan
arnab@comicattack.net
