5/22/13

This is the second of two light weeks, last week we had five, this week we have four. I think that an acceptable amount of books per week should be six. It is a nice number of books to read and review. Before reading every week I always look through my stack and make an order of what I am going to read. This week it was so hard to choose what to read first. Everything just looked so good. I am so much more a Marvel fan than a DC fan right now, it's sort of like DC books are sort of a chore to read rather than a pleasure. This shouldn't be the case. I do enjoy Dark Knight, though this weeks was a touch disappointing. I enjoy Batman, Batman and Robin and usually Batman Inc. I just think there needs to be a little more wow and a little less, just the bare minimum. So, I would like to once again invite you to scroll down the page and keep reading this weeks reviews.

• Batman: The Dark Knight #20

I really genuinely like this series, and I think it should not be overlooked by any Bat-Fan. If you want a more traditional Bat-Story that is still entertaining, go with this title. Gregg Hurwitz is really establishing a nice solid base for Batman's rogue gallery, something that hasn't been done before. I have to say, in contradiction to that, this issue was not very good. The beginning was utterly nonsensical and seemed sort of hackish. I always think that the narrative flows smoothly, but unfortunately I can't say that about this book. I thought the brief connection to the rest of the Bat-Universe with a short, "My son is dead." Was unnecessary and not particularly thoughtful. I thought that SPOILERS the capture of Bruce's girlfriend was handled quite well, less gore and brutality than normal. What really disappointed me about this issue was the lack of a flashback. I guess there isn't a ton more to tell about the Mad Hatter's backstory, but I guess you could come up with something and have it symbolize something else in the Batman story. Just a suggestion. The art was good, a trippy and very dark style. I thought it particularly shined during a torture scene. It gave the scene a grim feel that made me almost sick to my stomach. There was a two-page splash that was just gorgeous. I won't give away the end, I'll simply say it was super predictable and kind of disappointing to tell you the truth. There is one more issue in this arc and I  have to say I am excited, I just think the ending should, and probably will be really good.

• Batman Incorporated #11

I am grateful this issue exists, but not grateful it exists right now. Last issue Grant Morrison got us so riled up about Bruce's next course of action, and this issue had nothing to do with that. For those of you who don't know already, this issue was a stand-alone story of Batman of Japan, Jiro Osamu. The beginning is kind of cute and introduces us to Internet 3.0, a new alternate reality. The dialogue is OK but just that. It is very golden age in a sense with lots of recapping in the dialogue and not taking anything for granted. I.E. ""This isn't over!" "You got that right!" "But they got away." "For now."" Come on, this isn't the '50s. I did, however, enjoy the plot. This new Dynamic Duo was quite interesting and it was nice not to have a story set in Gotham/New York for once. I would have definitely bought this book if it was a one-shot, I am not quite sure I am thankful to DC for sneaking it under the title: "Batman Incorporated." I could definitely see a series where all we saw was different stand-alone stories of members of BI. I just think that this series that they already have going is the right one to do it in. ANYWAYS, the villains in this story were absolutely brutal, which was nice, in a non-sadistic way. These were interesting villain who we didn't quite understand the motives of. Later it is revealed who they are and their behavior is justified. The ending was satisfying enough. I was a little disappointed with the fact that this break from the normal series was not written by Grant Morrison, but it was just fine as an issue.

• Uncanny X-Men #6

I have heard very sour reviews for this title, but I have come to enjoy it. There are already more than one title that showcases the Jean Grey School so it's kind of nice to visit the other side of things for a while. This issue was slow but beautiful in a way. I really enjoyed how for the first time in these six issues the Uncanny X-Men came together as a team. They are an interesting group of kids and adults acting like kids. I think that even though Cyclops is looked down upon in all of the X-Books I feel like he has really matured since AvX. I wouldn't be surprised if he came back to the Jean school to apologize again and the whole school came with him. Although it's not as fun without Emma poking around in peoples head, I'm glad in a way that she lost her powers as well. The ending with S.H.I.E.L.D is pretty good and the dark horse is awesome. All in all there was some great art and some good storytelling in this book. The pace was a little slower than usual but the situation was a cool one. Limbo is definitely a place the X-Men should visit more often. I think Magik is a potentially good character and would prosper under the pen of a skilled writer. I honestly think Frank Miller would write a badass Magik mini-series, just a thought.

• Talon #8

I have been really enjoying this arc but was super-skeptical about the future of the series after last issue. Nothing much happened this issue other than Calvin getting resurrected and turned into a non-human Talon. The court threatens to kill the Washingtons, not gonna happen, and Sebastian is nowhere to be seen. I did like the flow of the story especially a two-page splash that showed Calvin's whole life flashing before him. The art changed this issue which was OK but didn't add anything to the book. I am excited to see where James Tynion takes this book on it's Bane arc.

Tune in next time for more reviews!