Aquaman #45
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artists: Trevor McCarthy, John Dell, Art Thibert, Vicente Cifuentes, and Guy Major
Cover Artists: Mikel Janin and Jeremy Cox
Publisher: DC
For a man who’s just been raped by his wife’s sister, Aquaman seems to be handling things fairly calmly. At this point in time rape in fiction, even if it is rape by deception, is rarely a necessary plot device. Rape that serves no actual purpose, and is then completely avoided in the following issue, is just lazy writing. Speaking of this issue, Aquaman “coincidentally” finds himself accidentally transported to another world where he learns that the Thule have been colonizing other worlds. The issue seemed abruptly out of place and overall felt like an unnecessary plot twist. 2/5
Grayson #13
Writers: Tim Seeley and Tom King
Artists: Mikel Janin and Jeremy Cox
Cover Artists: Mikel Janin and Jeremy Cox
Publisher: DC
Undercover spy Dick Grayson is pretty much awesome Dick Grayson. Tim Seeley and Tom King continue to impress with their run on this series. Dick has been remarkably well written this entire series: he’s witty, ridiculously charming, and he’s skillfully efficient. Essentially, he’s everything you would expect Batman’s first Robin to be, which, interestingly enough, tends to be something that other writers tend to underplay. The inclusion of Tim Drake into the story is a welcome one, as their relationship from Pre-Flashpoint has been sorely missed from the comics. The two of them were as close as brothers at one point and now only see each other during crossover events, but hopefully things continue to change for the better. Midnighter also makes a welcome appearance, the two of them are always entertaining when they partner up. 4.5/5
We Are Robin #5
Writer: Lee Bermejo
Artists: Jorge Corona, Khary Randolph, Patricia Mulvihill, and Emilio Lopez
Cover Artists: Lee Bermejo and James Harvey
Publisher: DC
With the last couple of issues, this series is doing a much better job of handling its cast and developing them into fully rounded characters. By focusing on just a handful of characters at a time, Lee Bermejo is giving himself the chance to give each of these Robins a distinct identity. They’re all Robins but they’re not all the same people and for this series to last, it is essential for them to be more than just replaceable cogs in the Robin machine. The only part of the series that remains both unsettling and yet interesting at the same time, is Alfred’s involvement in all of this. Given the history of being against children vigilantes, especially considering what happened with Jason Todd, it seems completely out of character for this to be something that Alfred would initiate. However, at the same time, considering everything that has happened to him and how helpless he must have felt, this is also a rather exciting chapter for his character. 4/5
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Arnab Pradhan
arnab@comicattack.net
