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Batman: Gates of Gotham #5
Writers: Scott Snyder, Kyle Higgins, Ryan Parrott
Artists: Trevor McCarthy and Graham Nolan
Cover Artists: Trevor McCarthy and Dustin Nguyen
Publisher: DC

As Gotham’s history comes crashing down, the sons and daughter of the Bat step up and save the day. The Architect, who turns out to be a descendant of Nicholas Anders, is attempting to carry out his crazy ancestor’s vendetta. Unfortunately for him, he’s also losing it because of the suit he’s been wearing. Batman arrives just in time to stop the Architect, while Robin and Black Bat do away with the bomb. The end of the issue works as a segue into the new DC, with Bruce’s return.
I thought that this mini-series was great, mainly because it worked on many levels. The story is really smart, like the way it incorporated Gotham’s history, with the present, and the future, in the form of the Bat-kids. The Architect himself wasn’t the greatest new villain, but he worked. My favorite parts of this book, and this series really, wasn’t the action or the fight scenes, which there were many of; it was the interaction between the members of the Bat-family. Damian and Cassandra had great chemistry and it’d be nice to see them paired up in the future. Tim and Cassandra had a nice scene as well. At the very end, the scene with Bruce and Dick was excellent. It perfectly displayed their relationship, as partners and as father and son, plus it gave readers a hint at what is to come. 5/5

Batman: The Dark Knight #5
Writer: David Finch
Artist: Jason Fabok
Cover Artist: David Finch
Publisher: DC

The five issue series comes to an end in the most unexpected manner. The issue starts off with Batman and Dawn being attacked by an army of demons. A fight ensues in which Dawn gets recaptured, but Etrigan regains the use of his rhyme. Dawn’s father reveals himself as the ultimate villain and goes through with his mission, only to be stopped by Batman and the newly re-powered Etrigan.
Although this turned out to be more like a mini-series than an actual series, I thought it was really good. David Finch did a really nice job of bringing multiple plot points together in this final issue. Not only that, he did something at the very end that surprised me and impressed me. Mainly because it’s not something you see very often in a Bat book. Jason Fabok has done an impressive job ever since he took over the art duties in the last issue; his art style blends perfectly with the story and mimics Finch’s art, to be honest. 4.5/5

Batman Incorporated #8
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Scott Clark
Cover Artist: Chris Burnham
Publisher: DC

Batman and Oracle have created the Internet 3.0 and Batman’s alter ego, Bruce, is attempting to sell his ideas to potential investors. The entire issue takes place in the realm of virtual reality and is actually a really intriguing concept. One of Bruce’s guests turns out to be a fraud and is actually attempting to take down Internet 3.0; unfortunately for him, he completely underestimated Oracle’s brilliance.
By far this has to be the weirdest yet interesting issue of Batman Incorporated yet. For one thing, the idea of this Internet 3.0 is really cool, especially with regards to what Bruce has been trying to do with Batman Inc. As I mentioned, the entire issue takes place in the virtual reality realm, so naturally the art followed in concept. Unfortunately, the art was just too strange for me. Often, some characters looked like other characters, and in some cases the characters blended into their surroundings so much that I almost missed them. Not to insult the rest of the issue, which I enjoyed, but my favorite part had to be at the very end where we get this simple teaser that was really just a couple of lines, but the implications of those lines were fantastic. 4.5/5

Gotham City Sirens #26
Writer: Peter Calloway
Artists: Andres Guinaldo, Lorenzo Ruggiero, and Raul Fernandez
Cover Artist: Guillem March
Publisher: DC

The fight you knew was coming ever since the very first arc of this series is here. Harley and Ivy, who feel betrayed by Catwoman, try to take her out, permanently. However, when Catwoman reveals what Dick did, which was to have Catwoman watch over Harley and Ivy, in the guise of teaming up with them, Ivy becomes infuriated.
While this series has had its ups and downs over the years, I thought this final arc was great. Ever since Dick has taken up the cowl, I feel people have been constantly harping on how he’s not Bruce, that they overlook just how smart he is. But this isn’t a Batman title, so I’ll move on. I love Catwoman, and my reviews probably reflect that, but what I think is really great about her is that she straddles the line between good and evil and is comfortable with that. If you really think about it, because of that, this conclusion makes perfect sense. When it comes to fighting for what she believes in, Ivy has no limits. She will do whatever, kill whoever, and she’ll do it with no regrets. Harley tends to be the same, the only difference being that in the past she’s never been the one to create the plans, just follow directions. That’s just not who Catwoman is. But after everything, I loved the fact that she lets them go. It shows the reader that she’s an independent strong woman and that regardless of the “job” Dick gave her, she did care for her Sirens. 4.5/5

Green Arrow #15
Writer: James Patrick
Artist: Agustin Padilla
Cover Artist: Javier Tartaglia
Publisher: DC

The Reverend Billy Miggs and his followers attempt to make their voice heard as they go after three senators. Green Arrow, who has been recruited by the government, races against time to defeat the zealots and save the senators. In the process he makes a friend, an ally really, maybe even a future romantic interest.
I thought this issue was good. As a standalone issue it felt a bit action heavy. However, if you take into consideration the entire arc, it fits. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I’ve felt for a while now that all the DC books I read outside of the Bat-universe have been very event heavy; the minute one ends another is starting. And what I really liked about this arc is that Green Arrow wasn’t suffocated by an event he really had part in; yes Brightest Day, I’m talking about you. This was a Green Arrow story that was just about Green Arrow, and I thought that was great. Plus, I thought the art was really nice. 4/5

Teen Titans #100
Writer: J.T. Krul
Artists: Nicola Scott, Doug Hazlewood, Jack Purcell, and Greg Adams
Cover Artists: Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood, with Jason Wright
Publisher: DC

A supremely pissed off Superboy Prime, who’s trapped in this universe, brings together a league of villains of his own to take down the current team of Teen Titans. What he didn’t realize, is that if you take on one team of Teen Titans, you take them all on. The Teen Titans of past and present pick off each of the villains until only Superboy Prime is left. Superboy and Wondergirl have a special end in mind for him as they take him to the Source Wall and leave him trapped.
I’ve been on the fence with Krul’s run on Teen Titans. Some of his arcs have felt overly drawn out, while others were cut short. However, I thought that this final arc was the perfect end to his run and the series in general, really. His choice to bring in Teen Titans of the past, while slightly predictable, was a great idea. The Teen Titans have always reunited when necessary, so even though it is predictable, it is also a vital aspect to who the Teen Titans are. They take care of their own, they’re a family, and that’s important. Overall I thought this was a nice ending. The story was strong, the art was quite nice, some of Nicola Scott’s best work in the series if you ask me, and just a really good read. 4.5/5

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Arnab Pradhan
arnab@comicattack.net