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Good day all! I’ve got three books for you and they are all quite different from one another. That being said, they’re all great reads, so enjoy.

Minor spoilers ahead!

Detective Comics #873
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Jock
Cover Artist: Jock
Publisher: DC

If anyone still had any reservations regarding Dick remaining as Batman upon Bruce’s return, this book coupled with Batman should be more than enough evidence to prove his worth. The issue starts with Dick, intoxicated by a poisonous gas and trapped in a madhouse filled with sadistic, warped Gothamites, relying on his basic instincts to survive. After only hours of escaping the crazed inhabitants of Gotham, Dick races to prevent the Dealer from escaping Gotham. What he finds, however, is a deranged man who has injected himself with an early stage Manbat serum.
Snyder does some fantastic stuff in this great issue. The beginning of the issue where Dick battles off the effects of the poisonous gas by going through a process that his parents taught him was great. The conversation between the Dealer and Batman was also great, as the Dealer touched upon the belief that both he and Batman need one another to survive. The Dealer, in what he does, almost embodies the scum of Gotham in a singular form, which works in contrast to the fairly optimistic outlook Dick has had for most of his life. Though his run-in with the crazed Gothamites may soon alter that view on life. 4.5/5

Green Arrow #8
Writer: J.T. Krul
Artists: Diogenes Neves and Vicent Cifuentes
Cover Artists: Mauro Cascioli and David Mack
Publisher: DC

After months of existence, the magic forest’s mystery may soon be uncovered. Attracting the likes of Doctor Mid-Nite, Mister Terrific, and the amazing Lois Lane, the forest is garnering attention from all around the world. Inside the forest, Green Arrow continues to question the validity of Galahad’s claims. Their solitary way of life is interrupted by the appearance of Jason Blood, now separated from the demon Etrigan. Green Arrow, Galahad, and Jason fought the demon only to be surprised by a seemingly random visit by the Phantom Stranger at the end.
This issue is the start of a new arc in the Green Arrow series, and it was pretty good. Since his introduction, I thought that the Galahad character was pretty interesting, and it was nice to see some development of that character. The bits of information we received about his past lead me to believe he’s got a couple screws loose in his brain, but overall he brings humor to the book which contrasts well against Ollie’s brooding behavior. I don’t know much about the Phantom Stranger, but his appearance in both Superboy and now this leads me to wonder why he’s hopping around the different series. 3.5/5

Teen Titans #91
Writer: J.T. Krul
Artists: Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood
Cover Artists: Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood
Publisher: DC

We last left the Teen Titans as they struggled to defeat an army of teenagers without causing them any harm. Ravager and Robin team up against a cafeteria filled with possessed teenagers, and minor quips aside, the two are quite successful. Meanwhile, Bart is brought back to the real world and helps control the black hole being created by Headcase. When Headcase attempts to siphon knowledge out of Raven’s mind, she uses her powers to subdue the crazed teen. Back at Titans Tower, the overwhelming pressure of the superhero job, coupled with the desire to be normal, ultimately leads to Superboy and Wonder Girl’s break up.
Overall I thought the issue was OK. It started off with a strange sequence of events where one kid poisons another kid, seemingly just for the fun of it, which leads into a page depicting Caligan in a red and yellow robe, looking all kinds of crazy. These pages felt completely out of place with regards to the rest of the book. Conner and Cassie’s breakup was expected, given what has been occurring in recent months. The winners of this issue were Robin and Ravager. The two of them working together, taking verbal jabs at one another, is great entertainment.  3/5

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Arnab Pradhan
arnab@comicattack.net