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Hey guys! It’s a new week and I’ve got a great bunch of DC books reviewed for you all.

Minor spoilers ahead!

Bruce Wayne: The Road Home – Oracle
Writer: Derek Fridolfs
Artist: Agustin Padilla
Cover Artist: Shane Davis
Publisher: DC

If there was one person Bruce was not worried about, it was Barbara. Ever the survivor, Barbara has only thrived in the year after Bruce’s disappearance. This issue mainly follows Vicki Vale, who is now being targeted by Ra’s Al Ghul. What that means, is that Barbara must call on members of the network to assist in stopping Ra’s’s men.
I thought that the interaction between Bruce and Barbara was handled very well. There was also some nice character interaction between members of the network. Unfortunately, thought the cover may indicate it, this isn’t really a one-shot. This issue reads like a part one of two of the Vicki Vale’s final story. Also, as a result of this strange release order, this issue revealed a fairly major plot point with regards to Batman and Robin #16. Overall a pretty good issue. 3.5/5

Bruce Wayne: The Road Home – Ra’s Al Ghul
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Artist(s): Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens
Cover Artist: Shane Davis
Publisher: DC

This was one of the strongest issues of the entire series. Vicki Vale has been running around town with privileged information, and unfortunately for her Ra’s Al Ghul isn’t going to have any of that. Ra’s, out of respect of his arch-nemesis, orders the death of Vale in order to maintain Bruce’s reputation. Bruce, still in the guise of the “Insider,” prevents Ra’s from doing so and then does the unthinkable – he removes his mask in front of Vale.
Ra’s was portrayed perfectly in this issue. There was a combination of both arrogance and a sense of respect in the character that captured the essence of the character, in my opinion. I am not sure that I liked the resolution to the Vicki Vale saga. Personally, I can see no use for the character’s involvement with Batman. Frankly, my anticipation with the escalation of action and violence with every issue was that she would be killed because she knows way too much. 3.5/5

Green Arrow #5
Writer: J.T. Krul
Artist(s): Diogenes Neves and Vicent Cifuentes
Cover Artist: Mauro Cascioli
Publisher: DC

This was a slightly strange issue, which I’ve noticed tends to happen when the Brightest Day plot is tied in. But first, the action starts with Ollie going after Star City’s new villain, Nix. During the fight, Ollie makes a rookie mistake and as a result a bystander is killed. In a rash judgment call he takes the body to the forest’s healing waters. Though Galahad warns him it is a mistake, because the man is dead, Ollie ignores his warning and as a result Black Lanterns begin sprouting up. After a quick message from Black Lantern Firestorm, Ollie is able to use wood from the White Tree to destroy the Black Lanterns.
While I understand that this is a Brightest Day title, the portions of the series that tie back to Brightest Day have not been great. On the other hand, Krul’s depiction of Ollie and Star City’s interaction continues to be the highlight of the series. 3/5

Teen Titans #88
Writer: J.T. Krul
Artist: Nicola Scott
Cover Artist(s): Nicola Scott, Doug Hazlewood, Jaon Wright, and Adam Hughes
Publisher: DC

For those of you not reading this title, this would be a great place to join in. This marks the first issue by the creative team of Krul and Scott, and I like the direction this is headed. This issue is clearly meant to be a set up and reintroduction issue, where we get a feel of the characters and the looming threat. The lineup is pretty solid as far as power set and history, with almost the entire group having worked with one another before. Cassie said it best when she explained that the Teen Titans are always right there along the rest of DC’s heroes, and for right now she needs a group of veterans.
I think Krul has a pretty good handle on these characters. There were quite a few decent character developing moments that work out pretty well. I thought the art looked great in this issue. My favorite part would have to be the final spread, of someone who may or may not be the newest Teen Titan. 4/5

Time Masters Vanishing Point #4
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Artist: Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund
Cover Artist: Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund
Publisher: DC

I feel as though I am going to sound like a broken record when I tell you that this book has little to no connection to Batman. What started out as the search for Batman, who is lost in time and space, has turned into a struggle for the group of  heroes’ lives. The heroes are caught by two powerful sorcerers and are mentally imprisoned in groups of two. The heroes break free of the mental prisons only to be caught in a time stream. In another time and place, Black Beetle and some other unimportant villains release the remaining two Linear Men in an attempt to go after Rip Hunter.
I really enjoy the character interaction in this mini-series. I think that Jurgens does a great job with the story and dialog, and I also thought that the art was particularly nice in this issue. However, the biggest problem I have with this mini-series is that it seems to have no apparent necessity. They stopped searching for Batman in issue #1, they are battling sorcerers in the distant past, and there are a bunch of villains who I’ve never heard of. There seems to be something big happening, or at least I’m led to believe there is, I’m just not quite sure what it is yet. 2.5/5

Be sure to check out previous editions of Crisis of Infinite Reviews by clicking here!

Arnab Pradhan
arnab@comicattack.net