Aquaman #31
Writer: Jeff Parker
Artists: Paul Pelletier, Alvaro Martinez, Raul Fernandez, Sean Parsons, Rain Beredo
Cover Artists: Mike Allred, Laura Allred, and Wil Quintana
Publisher: DC
If there were ever a case of misplaced aggression, this issue would be the perfect example. Noticing a cloud-like mass of plant life attacking the sea creatures, Aquaman sets out and attacks Swamp Thing. Considering how much time Aquaman spends preventing the Atlanteans from attacking the land-folk and vice versa, it seems rather impulsive and out of character that he would not only attack Swamp Thing unprovoked, but that he would also take no heed to Swamp Thing’s explanations. Meanwhile, deep down in the oceans, Mera is dealing with an unprovoked attack of her own. Apparently being of an ancient race doesn’t make you any less racist. With every issue, Mera is becoming more and more the star of the series. Her journey to find out who is killing her, as well as her transition into being the queen of Atlantis, is easily the most interesting aspect of Jeff Parker’s run. 3.5/5
Batman #31
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artists: Greg Capullo, Danny Miki, and FCO Plascencia
Cover Artists: Greg Capullo, Danny Miki, and FCO Plascencia
Publisher: DC Comics
With Zero Year winding down, Scott Snyder is kicking up he action a couple notches. In one of, if not the best issue in the Zero Year story, Batman rallies up his team and they start the attack on Riddler, together. There’s always been talk of Batman being this solitary hero that works alone, and when it comes to the superhero community that tends to be true. However, amongst the human community, he’s always had a very strong support team behind him, including the rest of the Bat-family, Alfred, the Commissioner, and Lucius Fox. Zero Year has done an amazing job of expanding and developing these key relationships that have made Batman successful. In this issue, Gordon and Lucius work hard to track down The Riddler’s location, while Batman faces down a couple of angry lions. This creative team has done a remarkable job this entire run, but these last couple of issues have been exceptionally fantastic. 5/5
Nightwing #30
Writers: Tim Seeley and Tom King
Artists: Javier Garrón, Jorge Lucas, Mikel Janin, Guillermo Ortego, and Jeromy Cox
Cover Artists: Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferreira
Publisher: DC Comics
For almost a year, rumors of Dick Grayson’s presumed death circled the net, and while we all now know that’s not the case, this issue bridges the gap between the final issue of Forever Evil and Grayson, the upcoming series. In fact, this issue reads less like a final issue to the series and instead more like a prologue of the upcoming one.The story goes, Batman has uncovered some nasty truths about the secret organization Spyral, and unfortunately for Dick, there’s no one Batman trusts more or is in a better position to infiltrate this super secretive organization. The brunt of the issue is Bruce and Dick sparring and arguing about whether or not Dick would take the mission and everything that would entail, including having all his family and friends believe he is dead. The two writers did a really fantastic job setting up the upcoming series, though not without potential problems that will eventually need to be flushed out. Like the Justice League members knowing Dick Grayson is alive, while the Bat family is left in the dark. That being said, though his time as Nightwing may be over for now, his stint as a super secret agent looks surprisingly promising. 4/5
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Arnab Pradhan
arnab@comicattack.net
