Batman and Robin- Ra’s al Ghul #23.3
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artists: Jeremy Haun and John Rauch
Cover Artists: Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray, and John Kalisz
Publisher: DC
When it comes to the Bat-villains, few have a higher profile than Ra’s al Ghul. Ra’s is internationally successful, hundreds of years old, and always happens to have an army of soldiers fit for a small country. That being said, he’s almost exclusively interested in just one man, Batman, which makes him all the more interesting. This issue does a great job of showing just how formidable of a villain and opponent Ra’s is, with even the Crime Syndicate taking notice of him and the fact that he spends nearly all his time fussing over Batman is an indication of how important Batman is. People inside the comic universe and in the real world like to debate whether or not Batman is actually good for the world and this issue does a great job of showing how villains such as Ra’s or Joker or even Penguin are infinitely more ruthless, more intelligent, and more strategically powerful than the other villains of DC, and the only thing keeping them from conquering the world is Batman. 4/5
The Flash- The Rogues #23.3
Writers: Brian Buccellato
Artists: Patrick Zircher and Nick Filardi
Cover Artists: Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato
Publisher: DC
The Rogues are in many ways Flash’s version of Catwoman, just without any of the sexual tension and romance. They are villains with a conscience, which at times can make them remarkably unpredictable. This issue does two things particularly well. The first thing that this issue accomplishes is that it humanizes these individuals. We not only get a recap as to why these individuals are the way they are, but we’re shown that they’re not the ruthless villains that they might come off as. As a group, they are almost as powerful as the Justice League, any of the Justice Leagues, and the only thing that’s really keeping them from taking over the world is their own conscious effort to not harm civilians. Which brings us to the upcoming Rogues Rebellion mini-series, which this issue does an excellent job of introducing. Much like during Final Crisis, the Rogues have no desire to live in a world ruled by villains and will do anything in their power to fix things. 4/5
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Arnab Pradhan
arnab@comicattack.net
