Batgirl #11
Writer: Gail Simone
Artists: Ardian Syaf, Vicente Cifuentes, and Ulises Arreola
Cover Artists: Ardian Syaf, Vicente Cifuentes, and Ulises Arreola
Publisher: DC
It’s four against one, as Batgirl faces off against a different kind of vigilante, ones who are not opposed to killing. Batgirl has finally regained a majority of the confidence she once had as Batgirl, and her confidence couldn’t have returned at a better time. Throughout the first half of the series, Batgirl had been so worried about doing the wrong thing that she’d make mistakes, and as a result her civilian death toll sky rocketed. In this issue, where she’s arguably in more danger than she’s been all series, she was able maintain focus throughout the fight, displaying a great deal of growth between issue #1 and now. The biggest shock of the series so far was when Detective McKenna comes to Batgirl’s aide. In a series that hasn’t been consistently good, this issue was definitely a highlight. The apparent growth in Batgirl’s character, along with the plot development, and action, does well to highlight everything that has been good throughout the series. 4/5
Batman #11
Writer: Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV
Artists: Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, FCO, Rafael Albuquerque, and Dave McCaig
Cover Artists: Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, and FCO
Publisher: DC
The brilliant first arc of Snyder, Capullo, Glapion, and FCO’s run comes to an explosive finish, literally. As Bruce and Lincoln came to blows, more of Lincoln’s past came to light. Raised from birth to believe he was abandoned by Bruce, Lincoln trained to be a deadly assassin so that one day he could destroy Bruce. His plans fail, however, as Bruce is able to outwit and outmaneuver Lincoln over and over again. Their scuffle ends with Lincoln escaping into the night; whether or not he’s still in good graces with the Court of Owls still remains unclear. As exciting and fun to read as their battle was, the highlight for me came when Bruce and Dick had their heart to heart back home. The conversation flowed from being serious, to humorous, to a heartfelt conversation between father and son. Snyder captures the essence of Bruce and Dick’s relationship better in just a handful of pages than some do in entire issues. Like with any good story, Snyder leaves the door open for both Lincoln and the Court of Owls to return, yet also delivers a satisfying end to story. Capullo, Glapion, and FCO illustrate an amazingly beautiful story here. From the roller coaster fight between Bruce and Lincoln, to the emotional conversation between Bruce and Dick, the art team has created a gorgeous book. 5/5
Batman and Robin #11
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artists: Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray, Tom Nguyen, Keith Champagne, and John Kalisz
Cover Artists: Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray, and John Kalisz
Publisher: DC
With every issue psychopath Damian looks like he’s going to be a permanent fixture in Tomasi’s run. Eleven issues have now passed, and if anything, Damian appears to be losing what little sense of control he had to begin with. This isn’t even considering the amount of growth he went through as Dick’s Robin. Tomasi has created an impossible situation for the previous Robins as they can’t beat up a ten-year-old, nor can they do nothing when said ten-year-old attempts to kill them. All the while, Bruce is sitting back letting his unruly brat roam around town terrorizing good men. Alongside this Damian Crusade, is a story involving some crazy men who want to ruin Batman, big surprise there, and are doing so by branding, yes with fire, the bat symbol onto civilians, buildings, etc. The two plot lines appear to have nothing in relation to one another other than the fact that Damian is involved, both seem a tad unfocused, and both seem like they need more than just the one upcoming issue to resolve. 2/5
Superboy #11
Writers: Scott Lobdell and Tom DeFalco
Artists: R.B. Silva, Rob Lean, Tanya Horie, and Richard Horie
Cover Artists: Scott Clark, David M. Beaty, and Blond
Publisher: DC
Just a month away from DC’s New 52’s one year anniversary, and Bunker is already proving himself to be one of the best things to come out of the reboot. While it helps that he’s been surrounded by a bunch of established superheroes who have had their origins butchered, he’s proven to be the hero on his own. This issue, as you can tell, guest stars Bunker. Outgoing, unabashed Bunker inserts himself into Superboy’s life and begins to educate him on the finer details of being a superhero, such as not robbing from banks, and protecting the weak and innocent at all costs. Scott Lobdell, who is leaving this title with this issue, has done a tremendous job setting up this title. The guest stars haven’t felt forced or overpowering, but rather have been deliberately used to develop the title character. Tom DeFalco has already proven he can write, so expect good things on this title to come. Silva, Lean, and the Hories continue creating a wonderfully delightful, beautiful book. 4.5/5
Be sure to check out previous editions of Crisis of Infinite Reviews by clicking here!
Arnab Pradhan
arnab@comicattack.net
