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Hello readers! It’s that time again, DC review time. This week I’ve got three Bat-books for you all, and a Green Lantern Brightest Day book. They’re all great books, enjoy!

Minor spoilers ahead!

Batman #703
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Artist: Cliff Richards
Cover Artist: Tony Daniel
Publisher: DC

Over the past couple of months Grant Morrison has done a fantastic job of developing a story based off the myth of the Batman. With this issue Nicieza does a wonderful job of  showcasing the man behind the cowl. The issue follows the story of a thief who has been stealing priceless objects. When the criminal is able to escape, Dick recalls a case that he and Bruce had taken while he was still Robin. Meanwhile, Vicki Vale’s return to Gotham continues to be exhausting for the Wayne family, as she is hellbent on revealing Batman and family’s secret identities. The actual criminal in the story, who ends up being the daughter of an old nemesis, is actually not a major player in the issue. What stands out is the focus on who Bruce was. Through conversations between Damian and Dick, as well as Alfred and Damian, there is a spotlight on the more human, nurturing aspects of Bruce. In the midst of all the time-traveling and mind boggling stories, this issue was simple and effective. The only real problem that I had with this issue was the art, which I felt was decent when there was no close up of any character. Specifically, there was a moment when Dick looked like a 70-year-old Asian man. 4/5

Batman and Robin #15
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Frazer Irving
Cover Artist: Frank Quitely
Publisher: DC

With the return of Bruce Wayne only issues away, things are heating up in this series. The issue starts off with a short scene where Alfred is shown in Wayne Manor. Immediately the scene changes to Gotham P.D., where Robin has trapped himself in the interrogation room with Joker. With one quick swipe Joker is able to infect Robin with Joker poison and captures the young soldier. Meanwhile, Batman and Gordon are swarmed by an army of Pyg’s men, who ultimately kidnap Gordon. Dick awakens in the Batcave, where Alfred has patched him up. Joker reveals himself to have been plotting against Dr. Hurt and invites Dick to assist him.
This series has been consistently great since its inception. The way that previous plot lines and characters all come together in this issue works out fantastically. Admittedly, I’ve seen previews of what is to come in the future, but even with that knowledge the way the story plays out, and how well it’s written, leaves you wondering just how the Dynamic Duo could get out of this mess. 4.5/5

Green Lantern #57
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist(s): Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy
Cover Artist(s): Doug Mahnke, Christian Alamy, and Ryan Sook
Publisher: DC

This issue focuses on two of the entities that are being hunted down by an unknown creature. The Orange Lantern’s entity, Ophidian, has escaped the confines of the Orange Power Battery and Hector Hammond has become its new host. Soon after, Hammond leaves in search of Carol Ferris. Meanwhile, Carol is in Las Vegas in search of the entity of love, The Predator. She finds The Predator, who has taken a lonely man as his host, just as Larfleeze appears. When she is able to get close enough to The Predator, she kisses the host and frees him of the entity’s grasp; almost immediately she and Hal are transported to Zammeron. There, the queen of Zammeron praises Carol for her devotion to life, and with her dying breath names Carol queen.
It has been previously mentioned that the Green Lantern series is becoming more and more like a Lantern book. Frankly, I’ve been enjoying the appearances by all the other Lanterns. I think they bring a level of depth to Hal that otherwise may not exist. This series, exemplified by this issue, is probably my favorite of Geoff Johns’ series. It’s well written, the story continues to be interesting, and the art is fantastic. 4/5

Red Robin #16
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Artist(s): Marcus To and Ray McCarthy
Cover Artist(s): Marcus To and Ray McCarthy
Publisher: DC

Speaking of consistently great books, Red Robin has been consistent even through a change in the writing staff. Red Robin is well on his way in shutting down every villain on his hit list. Unfortunately, he miscalculated how Anarky would make his first move. It turns out that Anarky, Ulysses Armstrong, had kidnapped Lonnie Machin, the original Anarky, and was killing boys that could be Red Robin. Tim finds out that he had been next on the kill list, but his staged shooting in the previous issue had removed him from that list. When he finds out who the next boy on the list is, he stops Anarky from killing the boy. However, he is unable to capture Anarky because Anarky had Lonnie rigged to be killed. In a split second choice, Tim left Anarky and saved Lonnie.
This series continues to be excellent issue by issue. Nicieza does an excellent job writing Tim. The character development as well as the plot progression are executed effortlessly. The scene at the end, where Tim confronts Captain Boomerang, was awesome and depicts the growth that the character has gone trough since the beginning of the series. 4.5/5

Arnab Pradhan
arnab@comicattack.net