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Batman: Detective Comics #8
Writer: Tony Salvador Daniel
Artists: Tony Salvador Daniel, Sandu Florea, Tomeu Morey, Szymon Kudranski, and John Kalisz
Cover Artists: Tony Salvador Daniel and Tomeu Morey
Publisher: DC

Normally a Batman book guest starring Catwoman would be a treat. However, this time around, her appearance was a little strange. For one thing, the DC higher ups made the shitty decision to erase Catwoman’s knowledge of who Batman is. It makes no sense whatsoever, and ultimately nullifies the great stories that involve their intimate knowledge of one another’s lives. What also didn’t help was the choppy transition into this story. In Daniel’s past run on Batman, he did an amazing job transitioning from one arc to another, and then bringing it all together. Unfortunately, with his run on Detective Comics, his transitions haven’t been as smooth. While his intent may be to tie all the stories together at the end, what he’s actually done is move from arc to arc without giving each arc a definitive end. Overall this issue wasn’t bad, however, it’s placement with regards to the previous seven makes it more confusing than it needs to be. 3/5

Green Arrow #8
Writer: Ann Nocenti
Artists: Harvey Tolibao, Richard Horie, and Tanya Horie
Cover Artists: Howard Porter, Richard Horie, and Tanya Horie
Publisher: DC

Green Arrow has been kidnapped and is presumably dead, or at least that’s what Emerson wants to believe so he can take over Q-core. Unfortunately for him, Green Arrow is actually in Alaska having, what can only be explained as, a midlife crisis. While neither of those scenarios seems particularly dull or weird, it certainly read that way. Green Arrow’s Alaskan expedition is terribly paced, has very little focus, and the story seems altogether pointless. Interestingly enough, the best part of this book didn’t even include Green Arrow. His two sidekicks, Jax and Naomi, are consistently interesting to read and definitely carry this overall bland book. Tolibao’s art doesn’t help the book in the least bit. His characters are often strangely posed and oddly drawn, and his Green Arrow looks like a Rat-Man more times than not. 2.5/5

Swamp Thing #8
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artists: Yanick Paquette, Marco Rudy, and Nathan Fairbairn
Cover Artists: Yanick Paquette and Nathan Fairbairn
Publisher: DC

The moment you have all been waiting for has arrived, and boy did it deliver. Having not read any previous Swamp Thing stories, the character itself had always seemed rather peculiar and repulsive. He’s just a gigantic plant man, or so I thought. This issue proves just how much of a powerhouse Alec/Swampy can truly be. He flies, yes flies, directly into the heart of enemy territory, and lays waste to numerous vile and disgusting creatures lurking about. Paquette’s depiction of Swamp Thing is particularly key in demonstrating just how amazing he is. His gorgeous crown, wicked arm-weapons, and his armored breastplate show him to be the fearsome warrior that he’s been made out to be this entire series. With the war between the Rot and the Green finally seeing some action, the next issues are sure to entertain. The artistic team continues to shine here with both Rudy and Paquette making a lasting impression with their illustrations, while Fairbairn’s colors continue to direct the overall tone of the book. 5/5

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Arnab Pradhan
arnab@comicattack.net