Batman and Son Review

Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Andy Kubert

I have been going through as many of my Batman stories from both comic and graphic novel collections, focusing on the key stories from Hush and on to the start of the New 52. This however was one that I was really looking forward to re-reading as bar the fact it's the first story by my favourite Batman writer Grant Morrison, it is also one of my favourite Batman stories written by him, if not my most favourite written by him. This is also my eleventh Batman review since Hush.

Plot

On a visit to England, Batman has to face a group of Man-Bat's from the League of Assassins, who are sent by Talia al Ghul. Talia would also bring Batman's son Damian Wayne along to meet his father for the first time.

Review

This was a phenomenal story, and a brilliant introduction to both Grant Morrison's run as well as Batman's son Damian Wayne. Morrison does a great job of making this story many things at once, as there are times where it's slightly humorous, times where it's really gritty, and others were it's very emotional. Throughout this Morrison managed to make this a very dramatic and suspenseful story as well, and I loved the overall tone and atmosphere throughout. I also felt that this was a very refreshing change for Batman, as although there were a few interesting stories following Hush, there wasn't really any as unique as this story was, and it would also have very big development points that were handled well. Morrison also managed to keep this very balanced, having a mixture of brilliant action and fantastic dialogue, both of which kept the story very exciting and entertaining.

The art on this book was also amazing, and this was some of the best art that I've ever seen from Andy Kubert. The detail in Kubert's artwork was simply brilliant, as although there may have been very minor imperfections they were very hard to notice. I also loved how Kubert managed to make Damian look both innocent and mischievous at certain times in this story, and the character emotion in general was handled perfectly, adding a lot of depth and drama to the issue. I also loved the action sequences in this issue, as it and the dynamic layouts were the two best things about Kubert's artwork, with the action sequences being very explosive and exciting. I also really enjoyed the artwork from John Van Fleet during The Clown at Midnight issue, as it was simply stunning, and really helped with the telling of that unique story. I did however find his facial expressions to be a bit awkward at times though.

This story would feature the first appearance of Batman's son Damian Wayne, who would eventually become the fifth Robin. Damian was a character that grew on me over the years, as although I always enjoyed him, I used to find him slightly annoying. I am however happy to re-read his introduction now that I enjoy him as a character more, as his characteristic shines through more as the child that wants his fathers approval and respect rather than the annoying character he appeared when I first read this. I also loved the way that Damian wanted to assert his dominance in this story as well, as well as the interaction he would have with Batman, and the way Batman reacted to his sudden arrival.

This story would have an interlude that would feature the Joker called The Clown at Midnight. Now this short story stems back to the start of the book where Batman appeared to have shot the Joker in the face. This story would then see how Joker has managed to recover from this. The short story itself was very interesting, and one of the most unique ways of storytelling that I've seen in a comic book, as although a lot of people will feel that this isn't a proper comic book I enjoyed the uniqueness of it. I also felt that for a short story that it was very well paced, managing to have excitement and suspense at certain points. It was however still much overshadowed by the rest the main story.

The second half of this story would see Batman worrying over three ghosts of Batman, showing three different possible Batman, two of which have came to life with one being the Batman who shot the Joker, and another who resembles Bane. Now this part of the story wasn't as good as the first, as it would have been much better if Damian was involved. I did however still really enjoy it loving the mysterious nature as well as the way it caught the dark nature of Batman perfectly. I also enjoyed that we saw an injured Batman, as this reminds us how human he is, and that although he's very well prepared he can still make mistakes.

The last issue of this story would see a glimpse into a possible future seeing Damian as Batman. Now with the Damian: Son of Batman series out this month I was very interested in re-reading this, the original tale from Damian's possible future. The story itself was simply amazing being very unique and interesting, as well as being very exciting. I also loved the dark tone and how it played of the three ghosts storyline, being some what of a continuation of it. It was also a brilliant teaser leaving the question of whether this is the actual future or not, and what else Damian has done as Batman, something that I look forward to seeing in the upcoming Damian: Son of Batman series.

Final Verdict

This was a very interesting book that would change Batman's world forever, being the start of a seven year run from Morrison, as well as introducing Damian Wayne. The story itself was also very exciting and entertaining being very dramatic, and unique. It also had some marvellous interactions and one of the most unique interludes that I've ever seen. Due to all this I'd highly recommend this book, and especially if you've read the more resent stories in Morrison's run.

Rating: 10/10

The next Batman book I'll be reviewing will be Batman: Death and the City.

Batman: Face the Face Review

Writer: James Robinson

Artists: Leonard Kirk & Don Kramer

I'm back to doing my Batman reviews, and I still plan on reviewing the remaining key Batman stories up until the start of the New 52. This is also my ninth review on the series with my last review being on Batman: Face the Face.

Plot

It has been one year since Batman left Gotham City in the hands of Harvey Dent, but when Harvey is a key suspect in a series of murders following Batman's return it makes things difficult, and it's questionable whether he'll fall back into darkness or not.

Review

This was an amazing story, and one of my personal favourite One Year Later stories. James Robinson did an amazing job with this story, and although he isn't quite as good at writing Batman as he is writing Superman, he did a brilliant job with the character. I especially loved the tone of this story, and enjoyed how Robinson took us back to a more classic Batman story, having it filled with mystery, and detective work, both of which added a lot of suspense, and drama to the story. I also loved the dark tone of this story, as it added a lot of depth to the story. I also loved the dialogue that Robertson added to this story, as it was very interesting, especially the dialogue from Batman. I did however feel that it dragged slightly at times, which reduced the overall quality of the story a bit, but besides that Robertson did a fantastic job of giving us a unique Batman story that was extremely interesting.

The art on this story was also very good, and both Leonard Kirk, and Don Kramer did an amazing job. I did however prefer Kramer's art overall, as I felt it suited the story more, with the dark, and gritty sequences really standing out during his artwork. Both artists work was however highly detailed, with little to no imperfections. There was however one small thing that I disliked about the art, and this was another reason that I preferred Kramer's overall, as I didn't like how Kirk drew smiles, as they looked very awkward, and unrealistic. I also loved the highly detailed backgrounds that both artists drew, as they were very realistic, and along with the layout added a lot of depth to the story. I also loved how both artists drew the characters throughout this story, with everyone looking amazing, though I did especially enjoy Kramer's artwork on Harvey Dent.

This story would come following the big Infinite Crisis storyline, where all the main heroes left for a year. Now they didn't leave in publication wise, as this would come straight after that event, but story wise one year had passed. I loved the changes that happened in that time, and how Gotham took a dramatic change, reverting itself back to the Gotham that it truly should be, with James Gordon as Commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department, and a lot of villains roaming the city. I did however feel that it was good that Robinson didn't have too many Infinite Crisis references, as although that was a good story, it had passed, and it would ruin it for Batman fans who don't care for Infinite Crisis. At the same time the few references were nice.

With a title like Face to Face it would be obvious that Harvey Dent, better known as Two-Face would make an appearance in this story. Two-Face is one of Batman's biggest villains ever, and like most of Batman's classic villains back then he needed a big development, and turning him back to Harvey Dent was that, with the Hush storyline revealing that. I did however love how this year without Batman around changed Harvey, as due to being put in charge of protecting Gotham, to then be accused of multiple murder on Batman's return would be a big blow for him. I also enjoyed how this story showed Harvey wrestling with his thoughts, not wanting to turn back to Two-Face, but at the same time furious about being accused of such a thing.

This story would see Batman, and Robin (Tim Drake) working together throughout, something that I was extremely happy about as prior to the Batman and Robin series there wasn't a huge amount of teaming up between the two (and the Batman and Robin series was also technically two different characters in Dick Grayson, and Damian Wayne). I also really enjoyed seeing the chemistry between the two, and how they are working better together than they ever have before. I also felt that this was a key point for both Bruce, and Tim, as with the recent events affecting Tim so much he needs someone to look up to, and Bruce also needs the same as to avoid possibly loosing another member of his Bat-Family.

This story would also have villains galore, having an array of Batman rogues making  appearances, with Poison Ivy, Mad Hatter, Ventriloquist and Scarface, Killer Moth, Killer Croc, Mr. Freeze, Firebug, and more being featured throughout. Batman has some of the best villains ever, so with all these amazing villains gathered in the one story it's bound to make things interesting. There was however a small part of me that felt that it was just a little too much, as although it was fun to see all these amazing characters, if it was slightly fewer it would allow them to do more, as most landed up being short cameos. I did however love the line Gordon spoke about Arkham Asylum having a revolving door, as these villains seem to have no trouble escaping time, and time again.

Final Verdict

This was a fantastic book, and was one of the better One Year Later stories. It showed Batman at his best, having his detective skills at the max, whilst also showing him taking out bad guy after bad guy. There was also some brilliant teamwork between the Dark Knight, and the Boy Wonder, and the turmoil that Harvey Dent was going through was outstanding, adding a lot of suspense. Due to all this it's extremely easy to recommend this story, and if you've read Infinite Crisis, 52, or any other One Year Later stories then you should definitely give this a try.

Rating: 8/10

The next Batman book I'll be reviewing will be Batman: Detective.

Batman: War Crimes Review

Writers: Bill Willingham, Andersen Gabrych, Bruce Jones & Will Pfeifer

Artists: Pete Woods, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Eddy Barrows, Ron Randall & Tom Derenick

I'm back to doing my Batman reviews, and I still plan on reviewing the remaining key Batman stories up until the start of the New 52. This is also my eighth review on the series with my last review being on Batman: Under The Red Hood.

Plot

It's one year since Gotham City's Gang War, and Arturo Rodriguez is reporting new information surrounding Stephanie Brown's death. There is also someone out to give Batman a bad name, going around dressed as him, committing terrible crimes.

Review

This was a fantastic story, and a terrific follow-up to the War Games crossover. The main writers on this book would be Bill Willingham, and Andersen Gabrych, with Bruce Jones, and Will Pfeifer also working on short stories at the start of the book. Both Willingham, and Gabrych did a terrific job of continuing from where War Games left off, as although a year has past, it felt very natural, having the exact same feel as it. The storyline itself was also very exciting, and dramatic, having a lot of suspense, and mystery around it. I also loved seeing Batman doing some detective work, as although it's not uncommon, it doesn't happen too regularly, and at the time due to having Oracle (Barbara Gordon) he didn't need to be a detective as much, so it was nice to see this again. The earlier stories in this book were also interesting, especially "Taking Sides" which was also written by Gabrych, but they were overshadowed by the main story.

The main artwork on this story would be shared by Pete Woods, and Giuseppe Camuncoli, with Eddy Barrows, Ron Randall, and Tom Derenick also working on the short stories at the start of the book. I felt that both Woods, and Camuncoli's art was amazing, but this time round I much preferred Camuncoli's art, as although I preferred Wood's art on Batman: War Games Act One: Outbreak, Camuncoli's art much suits Batman as a character and was only slight poorer that Woods during War Games due to his art focusing on Robin (Tim Drake). Both artists put a tremendous amount of detail into their artwork, and I really enjoyed how they managed to give the dark, and brooding tone to the Dark Knight (especially Camuncoli). I was however not a fan of Wood's Joker, and also felt that besides Batman that the characters expressions looked a bit awkward in Camuncoli's art, but besides that both were brilliant.

The main story in this book was remembering the gang war that happened throughout War Games, with it being one year since all that carnage. I personally really enjoyed War Games, with it being one of the better Batman crossover events, so the fact that they made a follow-up to it was amazing. I especially enjoyed how they went on to talk about Stephanie Brown more, as this would be the first sign that her death has had an affect on people. I also enjoyed seeing Arturo Rodriguez, but found his complete change of attitude strange, even though it was apparent that his views on Batman were different.

There would be a key question made throughout this story, and that was whether it's right for Batman to have all these children fighting crime in his name? Now in the real world this would be a simple no, but due to it being Batman's world things are different. To be fair he shouldn't have kids fighting alongside him, especially considering how many of them have died (three since Damian Wayne died). I do however feel that for his character he needs these children working with him, as having grew up with no parents, he feels the need to be a father figure, and feels the affect of every death. It is still a sticky question however, but due to it ultimately being fiction it doesn't really matter as long as we get great comics out of it (which we do).

A familiar villain from War Games would feature in this story, with the Black Mask once again making life difficult for Batman. This Black Mask was such a great villain for Batman, and I loved how he managed to get involved in so many stories. I also loved his character, and this story would continue to show it perfectly, showing how he's both power hungry, whilst deep down a bit of a coward. I also loved seeing Black Mask battle Batman in this story, and especially considering the amazing dialogue that was written, with the brilliant references to War Games.

Black Mask wasn't the only villain in this, as Batman's greatest nemesis the Joker would also appear, having a mysterious objective. It's always nice to see Joker, and especially when he's used properly. Now this may not go down as one of Joker's greatest appearance, but I actually rather liked seeing him take a back seat, especially considering he still had a lot of attention, as most writers that add him without making him the main villain neglect him, which ultimately ruins his characteristic in the story. The witty dialogue from Joker was also amazing, and when his real agenda was revealed I was so excited, with it adding a lot more tone, and drama to that part of the story.

Final Verdict

A brilliant story, and a fantastic follow-on from the outstanding War Games crossover. This showed just how much War Games affected the Batverse, and how everyone is dealing with it one year later. It was however still a very unique story, not just using the event of War Games for the sake of it, being very deep, and independent. Due to all this I'd easily recommend this to anyone, especially if you've read War Games, and if not I'd also recommend reading that as well.

Rating: 9/10

The next Batman book I'll be reviewing will be Batman: Face the Face.

Batman: Under the Red Hood Review

Writer: Judd Winick
Artists: Doug Mahnke, Shane Davis, Paul Lee & Eric Battle

After spending time reviewing other series I finally come back to doing my Batman reviews, as I plan on reviewing all the remaining key Batman from this till just before the start of the New 52. This is also my seventh review on the series with my last review being on Batman: War Games Act Three: EndGame.

Plot

When the mysterious Red Hood starts taking over Black Mask's turf it draws the attention of Batman, and Batman can't help but notice something familiar about the Red Hood.

Review

WARNING: THIS REVIEW WILL SPOIL THE IDENTITY OF THE RED HOOD!

This was a fantastic story, and in my opinion one of the best Batman story in the last decade. Judd Winick did a tremendous job of producing a story that wasn't just suspenseful, but interesting, and exciting. I also loved how Winick opened it with Batman discovering the identity of the Red Hood, then flashing back before the reader knows, making the built up to the reveal much more suspenseful. The drama, and action was also handled very well, and Winick handled the interaction between Batman, and other character's perfectly, showing a fun jumpy Nightwing (Dick Grayson), and a brooding Batman. I also loved how Winick showed that Batman had a clear idea of who the Red Hood was, but that he didn't want to believe it. Winick also did a brilliant job with the crime element, which is needed for a good Batman story, and overall his work on this story was amazing.

The art on this story was mainly done by Doug Mahnke, with Shane Davis, Paul Lee, and Eric Battle doing stand in issues. Mahnke's art was amazing, and wonderfully detailed. The way he drew all the character's was brilliant, but the Red Hood had to be the one that I liked the most, which was good considering he's the central character. Mahnke also did a great job of showing emotion, as you could easily tell what the character's were thinking, and I found this especially interesting for Black Mask who's face doesn't make that easy. The action was also handled perfectly, adding drama, as well as more suspense, which really helped the tone of the story. The layout was also brilliant, adding more depth. The other artists all did a great job, and although I would have preferred Mahnke doing all the art, there contributions were nice, with Davis' being the most impressive of the three.

Before getting to talking about Red Hood himself, I thought I'd talk about the trouble he was causing, and more importantly how Black Mask reacted to this. The way Black Mask's been hit just after War Games was very interesting, and I loved seeing the mighty falling so fast. I also liked how he had a gangster mentality about the entire scenario, by initially wanting him dead, to wanting him to work for him, to eventually just wanting rid of him one way or another, and it made for some intense, and amusing sequences, which were extremely entertaining.

Now Black Mask wasn't the only person that Red Hood was messing with, as Batman was also all over the place when it came to this character, especially when it came to his biggest fear about who he might be. In fact he was that worried that he went to both Green Arrow, and Superman asking how they managed to come back from the dead. It was however his conversation with Green Arrow that interested me the most, as you get to see a more humble side to Batman, which is very rare. Besides all this I loved how Winick showed the conflict in Batman's thoughts, without making them obvious.

Now I come to Red Hood himself, and here is where the spoilers lie till the end of the review. Most people will however know who the Red Hood is whether you've read this story or not, with only new comic book fans probably not knowing, so it won't be a surprise. Anyway the Red Hood was revealed to be none other than Jason Todd, the second Robin who was killed by the Joker. Now I loved this, and I've loved the character since (especially when Winick's wrote him), as I never liked Jason as Robin, whereas I do like this new Jason, who's much cooler, and less whiny, and rebellious. I also loved how there was emotion in this character, who couldn't take in the fact that Batman never avenged him, which added more depth, and showed that he did care.

This story would also have a story showing the Red Hood's origin following his death, till this story, which featured in Batman Annual #25. Now this was handled very differently than the rest of the story, but in a good way, as it showed how Jason managed to rise from the dead, and how he became the Red Hood, showing emotion, and passion, in a very subtle way. It was however not quite as good as the main story, but none the less a great addition, which makes the story feel more whole.

Final Verdict

This was a brilliant story, and one of the best Batman stories in the last decade, being in my opinion slightly underrated. The story itself was very interesting, with some amazing action, whilst being very suspenseful. The mystery of the Red Hood itself was also amazing on my first read through, not knowing who he was. Due to all this it's easy to recommend this story, as it's one that any comic book fan should read, and especially if you've been enjoying Red Hood and the Outlaws, but have never read this.

Rating: 5/5

The next book I'll be reviewing from this series will be Batman: War Crimes.

Batman: War Games Act 3: EndGame Review

Writers: Andersen Gabrych, Dylan Horrock, Devin Grayson, Bill Willingham, A. J. Lieberman, Ed Brubaker
Artists: Pete Woods, Brad Walker, Sean Phillips, Tom Derenick, Al Barrionuevo, Mike Huddleston, Paul Gulacy & Kinsun Loh

I've recently decided to go through my entire Batman collection, and review them, but in graphic novel form as it'd take ages otherwise. This is my sixth review on the series now, and I'm onto the third part of the epic War Games crossover, which was a big changing point in the Batman series.

Plot

Black Mask reveals himself, putting his final plan into action. With this also revealing that Orpheus is dead Batman has to find a way to end this war, and quickly.

Review

This was a brilliant finale to what was a brilliant crossover event. Like my previous reviews on this crossover I won't go into detail about every writer, and artist involved, but I will say about the ones I preferred, and things I liked or disliked in general writing, and art wise. I will also list the writers, and artists, and what issue they worked on in case you're wondering what issues I'm talking about. The writers were, Andersen Gabrych (Part 1: Detective Comics #799), Dylan Horrock, (Part 2: Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #184, Part 6: Batgirl #57), Devin Grayson (Part 3: Nightwing #98), Bill Willingham (Part 4: Robin #131, Part 8: Batman #633), A. J. Lieberman (Part 5: Batman: Gotham Knights #58), Ed Brubaker (Part 7: Catwoman #36). Like the entire story arc, the writing in this book was overall brilliant, and it was full of ton's of action, whilst continuing to provide plenty of drama, and emotion. For the first time during this story arc, Willingham hasn't made it into my favourite two writers of the book, and although his work on both Robin and Batman were brilliant, the writing from Gabrych, and Horrock at the start of this book was phenomenal, and really kicked this final Act into it's top gear, setting the scene perfectly. I wasn't overly fond of Horrock's work on the previous two issues, as although not bad, the Batgirl issues didn't stick out, and although Batgirl once more wasn't phenomenal, it was better than the previous two issues, but were Horrock surpassed himself was with his writing on Legends of the Dark Knight, which continued the shocking events of Gabrych's Detective Comics issue perfectly, also continuing the action brilliantly, and smoothly. It was however like I hinted in my previous statement Gabrych's work on Detective Comics that stole the whole book, as it dropped the bombshell that set all of this book up, giving a brilliant start to what was a fantastic finale. All the other writers did a brilliant job, and although none were quite as good as Gabrych, or Horrock this time round, they were all fantastic, and made the story flow smoothly, and continue the suspense perfectly. Willingham did however come close, as Robin once again was very exciting, and Batman was a brilliant end to this astonishing story, even if they weren't quite as good as Gabrych, and Horrock's starting issues.

Like the writing, there were ton's of great artists working on this book, and it was all fantastic, but obviously some were better than others. The artists that worked on this book were, Pete Woods (Part 1: Detective Comics #799), Brad Walker (Part 2: Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #184), Sean Phillips (Part 3: Nightwing #98), Tom Derenick (Part 4: Robin #131), Al Barrionuevo (Part 5: Batman: Gotham Knights #58), Mike Huddleston (Part 6: Batgirl #57), Paul Gulacy (Part 7: Catwoman #36), and Kinsun Loh (Part 8: Batman #633). Once more the art was brilliant, and very detailed, and most of it was very good, but like the previous Acts there were certain artists that I liked more, and certain ones that I liked less. The art that I preferred in this book was from Woods, Walker, Derenick, and Barrionuevo, as their art was much more detailed, and dynamic, looking much more realistic. Most of this list are artists that have worked on their respective series throughout this story, but it was Derenick, the third artist to work on the Robin series throughout this story arc that stood out, as although his art wasn't as beautiful as say Walker's, it did have a lot more emotion in it, and the way he drew the facial expressions was brilliant, really making the issue feel more alive. The rest of the art was good, but I still wasn't too fond of Gualacy's art, as it continues to look very awkward around the characters facial features, and although it is better than a lot of other artists it was still disappointing. The other artist that I wasn't too fond of was Phillips, as I felt it was a bit too unrealistic, as the characters looked too serious, but with this being a crossover story you expect the art to be varied in quality, and to be honest it could have been worse.

The Black Mask revealed himself in the last Act, and due to it being a bit of a surprise for people who haven't read the story before I decided not to spoil that, but due to him playing a much bigger role through this book I felt that it'd be hard to review without spoiling. Prior to War Games I wasn't much of a fan of Black Mask as a villain, and I actually didn't know much about him, as I didn't have many comics at the time, and mainly focused on the more well known villains that appeared in the 90's Animated series. Anyway, this story showed that Black Mask has gotten his game together, and that he's planned everything, and it shows. What I really liked most about Black Mask throughout this story was that he didn't really seem to care about what happened, as long as it helped his cause, which showed exactly what type of character he is.

The other surprise at the start of this Act is that Commissioner, Michael Akins orders a shoot to kill on anyone wearing a mask, whether hero, or villain. To be honest I'm not surprised that this happened, and the first time I read this story I was thinking that Batman was pushing it a bit by taking control of the police force, under-minding Akins, and making him look like a fool. Besides that with the question of whether the vigilantes are a helping, or just making things worse being one of the key focus points of this entire story, it was eventually going to come to a point were they were seen as bad guys, not any better than the villains they were trying to stop, and although it's obvious that they're working for the greater good it's easy to see why people would feel negativity towards these crime fighters, especially when they are partly the cause of the deaths of innocent citizens.

Although this didn't really have a huge affect on the story the chase/fight between Robin (Tim Drake) and Trickster was brilliant, and a really fun sequence. What I really liked about this sequence however, and the main thing I liked about the Robin issue as a whole was that Tim was very focused, and although it'd be wise to have a break, he just wanted to be useful, and play his part. The Robin issue also featured a brilliant sequence between Tim, and his father, Jack Drake, as with the hard decision to break his promise, you can still see that Tim is slightly ashamed of himself, whilst also seeing that despite being worried for his son, that Jack is also proud of what he's doing, and overall I felt that this was a really nice moment, especially considering it came during a terrible time like this.

There were casualties during this story, and although I won't mention names of anyone that died in this Act as to avoid spoilers for people who know nothing of this story, I will say what I though of these casualties of war, and how they affected the Batverse. I've already said that Orpheus died, but he wasn't the only casualty in this gang war, as there were more hero's to die. I know that this may be a spoiler in it's self, but it's a subject that I want to discuss, and I'm sure most readers, and Bat fans won't even need me to hide the name of the victim, as they'll probably know who I'm talking about. When I first read this story I was a little shocked by this death, but after reading through this story another couple of times I can see that it was pretty obvious from early on that the victim was either going to do something truly heroic, die, or both. The affect that this death had on the Batverse wasn't quite as huge as I'd have expected, but it did take it's toll, and lead to some interesting character development.

I'll also add my thoughts on the epilogue issue in Batman #634, as although it didn't feature in this book, or any collected work, I do own the comic, and felt that it was a brilliant epilogue, but felt that it was the right thing to leave it out of the final Act, as the Act finished very dramatically, and the epilogue would leave the book on an anticlimax. Gabrych (writer of the Detective Comics during War Games), did a brilliant job of writing the issue, and Paul Lee's art really suited the tone of the issue, and overall looked amazing. I loved how the issue was very emotional, and both Gabrych and Lee did a brilliant job of showing that, and although I agree that it's the right thing to leave it out of the collection I'd still recommend getting a hold of a copy if you plan on getting this story, as it was very moving.

Final Verdict

This was a brilliant conclusion to what was an epic story arc. It was a very entertaining book, as well as being very interesting, and dramatic, and I'll have fond memories of this story arc, as it was one of the first epic Batman stories that I read (following Hush). I would easily recommend both this book as well as the entire story arc, as it was truly outstanding, and created big changes for Batman, and his associates.

Rating: 4/5

The next book I'll be reviewing from this series will be Batman: Under The Red Hood.

Batman: War Games Act 2: Tides Review

Writers: Andersen Gabrych, A. J. Lieberman, Devin Grayson, Bill Willingham, Dylan Horrocks & Ed Brubaker
Artists: Pete Woods, Brad Walker, Mike Lilly, Al Barrionuevo, Jon Proctor, Mike Huddleston, Paul Gulacy & Kinsun Loh

I've recently decided to go through my entire Batman collection, and review them, but in graphic novel form as it'd take ages otherwise. This is my fifth review on the series now, and I'm onto the second part of the epic War Games crossover, which was a big changing point in the Batman series.

Plot

The war for Gotham City continues, and there's been a major fatality, and people start to question are the vigilantes to blame. Also a big player reveals themselves.

Review

This was a brilliant continuation of this brilliant crossover event. Like my previous review I won't go into detail about every writer, and artist involved, but I will say about the ones I preferred, and things I liked or disliked in general writing, and art wise. I will also list the writers, and artists, and what issue they worked on in case you're wondering what issues I'm talking about. The writers were, Andersen Gabrych (Part 1: Detective Comics #798), A. J. Lieberman (Part 2: Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #183, Part 4: Batman: Gotham Knights #57), Devin Grayson (Part 3: Nightwing #97), Bill Willingham (Part 5: Robin #130, Part 8: Batman #632), Dylan Horrocks (Part 6: Batgirl #56), Ed Brubaker (Part 7: Catwoman #35). Like Act One the writing was overall brilliant, and although overall not quite as driven, or exciting as Act One, this was still a very good book, and there isn't much I can fault about it apart from it not being quite as exciting, or shocking, even though it had it's moments. The writers that I felt did the best job in this book were once again Willingham, but this time he is joined with Brubaker. Every writer did a brilliant job, but these were the two that stood out a little more, as the issues they worked on had more surprise, and were overall more entertaining. Also like last book the best issue was Robin, by Willingham, and although I'm slightly biased towards Tim Drake as Robin, due to him being my favourite Robin, it doesn't mean I'm actually biased towards the comics as there have been fabulous stories featured throughout his time as a member of the Bat-Family, and terrible stories as well, but I felt that like the previous volume this issue had the most suspense, and overall shock, making for a very interesting read. Willingham also did a good job on Batman, but unlike his Batman issue from Act One this one wasn't quite as exciting, and didn't leave me needing to read Act Three as quick as possible, unlike Act One. Brubaker was the next best writer in this book as he continued the suspense from Willingham's Robin issue perfectly, and although Horrocks worked on Batgirl between that it didn't quite continue the suspense and drama that the Robin issue had. All the other writers also did a brilliant job on this book, and although as I already said overall it wasn't quite as exciting as Act One there wasn't actually anything writing wise that I didn't like.

Like the writing, there were ton's of great artists working on this book, and it was all fantastic, but obviously some were better than others. The artists that worked on this book were, Pete Woods (Part 1: Detective Comics #798), Brad Walker (Part 2: Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #183), Mike Lilly (Part 3: Nightwing #97), Al Barrionuevo (Part 4: Batman: Gotham Knights #57), Jon Proctor (Part 5: Robin #130), Mike Huddleston (Part 6: Batgirl #56), Paul Gulacy (Part 7: Catwoman #35), and Kinsun Loh (Part 8: Batman #632). Overall the art was brilliant, and very detailed, and I liked it all to a certain extent, but like Act One there were some artists work that I liked more, and some that I liked less. The art I liked more were from Woods, Walker, and Barraionuevo, as I felt their art was much more realistic, and dynamic, and stood out a lot. more. It was mainly the way they draw the characters that made me prefer their art, with the facial expressions that Barraionuevo showed being what stood out from his art, as loved the way he was able to show shock on Spoiler's (Stephanie Brown) face even though she has a mask covering everything. Besides them that stood out the art was overall good, and better than most people, but I did however feel that Gulacy, and Proctor's artwork looked a little awkward, and unrealistic at times, which was a bit disappointing, but it was however still decent, and better than a lot of other artists work, and didn't ruin the story.

The first Act of War Games ended with the notion that vigilantism isn't good for Gotham, and the way this story has developed it would seem that way. The question of vigilantism in comics has been shown way before this story, but it hits the nail, giving the question of would there be all these super villains if there weren't people like Batman around, and if Gotham would be better without them. I've always felt that hero's are needed, and although there are villains that exist cause of Batman there would be plenty others that would pray on the innocent otherwise. I do however like how this story has shown that though as it brings despair and uncertainty to the characters involved.

The return of Robin. The first issue of this Act sees Tim return as Robin, feeling that Gotham needs him as Robin more than his dad needs him to keep his promise. I won't go into much plot detail whilst talking about this as to avoid spoilers, but I was happy to see Tim back as Robin (even though this is an older event, I can still remember how I felt when I read it in conjunction with Robin), as he was brilliant as Robin, and although Steph's short tenure was interesting, Spoiler is where she belongs. What I liked most about the return of Tim as Robin was how he handled himself, feeling upset that he broke his promise, but at the same time seeing that he was doing this for the greater good, and that without him more innocent people would die that already have. I also loved how Tim interacted with Batman, and Nightwing (Dick Grayson) throughout this book, as you could feel that he'd been absent for a while, and although they were happy to see him return, it felt as if he'd never left to begin with.

James Gordon makes an appearance in this book, and it was nice to see him involved in the story, as although at the time he was no longer Commissioner, he still had a lot of experience in this type of situation, and it was nice to see him offer his help to the new Commissioner, Michael Akins. What I liked most about Jim's appearance was that you saw a difference in the way he saw Batman, actually not agreeing with him for once. Besides Batman: Year One Jim has been a big supporter of Batman, but his actions of late have been questionable, and he feels that Batman's trying to make Akins look like a fool, which in a way reflects on him. I also found the way Batman reacted to this interesting, and the change in Batman overall was interesting, showing that drastic times can change a person, even if only slightly.

This book also introduced a big player to the story. I won't name the person as to avoid spoiling anything fro anyone that's not read this book, or anything about it, but I will talk about his presence. I already knew who this person was, having read this story before, as well as stories that preceded this story, but I was still shocked to a certain point on my first read through, and it's remained as dramatic, and suspenseful with each additional read through. There was a sequence in particular that interested me, and it wasn't only dramatic, but a bit gruesome at the same time. Again I won't go into details but it was very exciting, and suspenseful, and made this book better than it was. The thing about this character that I loved the most however had to be the way they were written, as you could tell that the situation that the War Game has put everyone in has played right into their hands, and that they see this as the perfect opportunity to make something for themselves.

Final Verdict

Although not quite as exciting as the first Act, this was still a very dramatic book, and had a lot of emotion throughout. I would highly recommend this book, as it was a brilliant continuation to the story arc, which itself created big change. I would also recommend the other War Game Acts, but I will be reviewing the remaining one soon so you can see exactly what I think of them. You can however read my thoughts in my Act One review here.

Rating: 4/5

The next book I'll be reviewing from this series will be Batman: War Games Act 3: EndGame.

Batman: War Games Act 1: Outbreak Review

Writers: Devin Grayson, Andersen Gabrych, A. J. Lieberman, Bill Willingham, Dylan Horrocks & Ed Brubaker
Artists: Ramon Bachs, Pete Woods, Brad Walker, Mike Lilly, Al Barrionuevo , Giuseppe Camuncoli, Sean Phillips, Paul Gulacy & Kinsun Loh

I've recently decided to go through my entire Batman collection, and review them, but in graphic novel form as it'd take ages otherwise. This is my fourth review on the series now, and I've finally came to the first part of the epic War Games crossover, which was a big changing point in the Batman series.

Plot

After a meeting between all the gangs of Gotham City goes horribly wrong, a gigantic gang war breaks out, and Batman along with as many people as he can get to help must stop it.

Review

This was an amazing book, and the perfect way to start such a big crossover event. With this crossover having so many writers, and artists working on it I can't go into detail about every one, but I will say more about the ones I prefer, and the things I didn't like from certain writers. I will also list the writers, and artists, and what issue they worked on in case you're wondering what issues I'm talking about. The writers were, Devin Grayson (Prelude: Batman: The 12 Cent Adventure, Part 3: Nightwing #96), Andersen Gabrych (Part 1: Detective Comics #797), A. J. Lieberman (Part 2: Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #182, Part 4: Batman: Gotham Knights #56), Bill Willingham (Part 5: Robin #129, Part 8: Batman #631), Dylan Horrocks (Part 6: Batgirl #55), and Ed Brubaker (Part 7: Catwoman #34). The overall story of this book was brilliant, and I loved that each issue intertwined with the previous, even if it did take it's own path. There are too many crossovers out that have multiple side stories happening at once so it's nice when you find one that has so much continuing development as this one. I've read this about three to five times now, and it never gets dull. The writers I felt that did the best job in this book were Willingham, and Grayson. They all did a very good job at developing the story, whilst also giving something interesting, and dynamic. Willingham's job on Robin was probably the best throughout as that involved the real turning point in the story (I won't say as to avoid spoilers), and he handled it well. He also did a marvellous job of finishing the Act in Batman, giving a very interesting ending, making you want to read Act Two straight away. Grayson also did a phenomenal job of kicking the whole thing of in the 12 Cent Adventure, and although people owning, or seeking the comics could skip this issue, I'd advise not, as it really set everything of nicely. His work on Nightwing was also very interesting, and showed the tole the recent Nightwing events had on Nightwing (Dick Grayson), whilst also continuing, and developing this story nicely. Brubaker, Gabrych, and Lieberman also did a brilliant job on there issues, but Horrocks didn't do as good a job on Batgirl. Noting against his writing, it's just that it didn't really develop the story much, and really felt like a filler issue that could be easily skipped.

Like the writing, there were ton's of great artists working on this book, and it was all fantastic, but obviously some were better than others. The artists that worked on this book were, Ramon Bachs (Prelude: Batman: The 12 Cent Adventure), Pete Woods (Part 1: Detective Comics #797), Brad Walker (Part 2: Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #182), Mike Lilly (Part 3: Nightwing #96), Al Barrionuevo (Part 4: Batman: Gotham Knights #56), Giuseppe Camuncoli (Part 5: Robin #129), Sean Phillips (Part 6: Batgirl #55), Paul Gulacy (Part 7: Catwoman #34), and Kinsun Loh Batman #631). The art was overall very detailed, and I loved it all to a certain extent, but it was the art from Bachs, Woods, and Walker that stood out in my opinion. The way they all drew the characters was phenomenal, and the detail they put in was beyond anything acceptable, making for some very beautiful art. All the other artists did a decent job however, and I was happy with it all, but if I had to make one negative comment it's be about the way Gulacy draws people. It just feels a bit rough, and awkward at times, and it doesn't look as natural as the others, but it's still very good, and better than a lot of other artists.

As I already said the way the war started was brilliant, and really showed that DC knew what they were doing. Having read both prior issues of Robin, and Detective Comics I've been able to enjoy this story more this time round, as you really get to see why Spoiler (Stephanie Brown) wants to impress Batman. Besides the prelude issue Stephanie doesn't really appear much in this story at all, making a small appearance in Batgirl, and a slightly longer one in Catwoman, but her part in the prelude was enough. I don't want to talk as much on the events in Batgirl, and Catwoman as they would reveal spoilers (no pun intended), but having seen Stephanie as Robin, and how the detachment from both Tim Drake (former Robin), and Batman has had it's toll on this young heroine. Even though Stephanie's involvement was the star of the prelude, it was still an overall brilliant issue, and the perfect fuse for this explosive start. Catwoman's involvement also made the Catwoman issue more enjoyable, due to Stephanie making an appearance in that also.

It was also interesting to see Batman with a lack of help at the start, and when he needed it the most. At the start of the book Batman only has the help of Batgirl (Cassandra Cain), which wasn't much. He did however know that Catwoman would defend her turf, and also had a couple of inside gang members, but I won't mention who they are to again avoid spoilers, but Bat fans will know who they are. This showed how much affect such a catastrophe could affect Batman alone, let alone Gotham as a whole. It was also nice to see Nightwing, and Batman working together, especially knowing what happened in Nightwing not long before this (Nightwing killed Blockbuster).

Another thing I liked about this book was the way the gang war itself was handled. I really liked that it focused on the newer crime families, and although it did feature the likes of Penguin, and Scarface, it focused more on the newer families, including the Mafia family lead by Henry Aquista, Akahara, Las Arañas, and the Odessa gang. I also liked how the gang mentality was shown in this book, as you had gangs wanting to kill other gangs, attempted truces, and overall chivalry. It was also nice to see the involvement of Hush, all be it small, and who he was taking to (people who've read after this may know who this is). Overall the gang war was brilliant, and it was very explosive, and full of action, and the best part, with this being only Act One there'll be more to come.

As I said earlier my favorite issue in this book was Robin #129. I'm a big fan of Tim Drake anyway, and having been slightly disappointed with his New 52 changes I'm happy to see the Tim I grew to like. This was probably the most interesting time in his series, as not long before this he quit being Robin after his dad requested it, and like I said Stephanie became Robin. I'll try not to spoil anything, but I will still speak of some of the stuff I liked, which shouldn't contain any real spoilers. What I liked about this issue was how Tim was put into a position where he had to use the skills he learned whilst being Robin. It was brilliant seeing Tim flying about, attacking bad guys, as although I see that in the current New 52 I have read all the Robin issues so know when this took place, and remember how I felt when he quit being Robin. I also loved how he used some detective skills during this, and how he managed to surprise his friends whilst not giving everything away. Willingham did a brilliant job on this issue, and it really stuck out as the highlight of the book.

I'll finish by talking about the character I found most interesting in this book, who was surprisingly Arturo Rodriguez. Now Rodriguez does next to nothing in this story apart from reading the new, but I felt that he was the perfect character to show how the opinion of how someone see's Batman can change, or be questioned. At the start of this story Rodriguez believes that with the Batman out there it's safe, and that it will end fairly peacefully, but as things start getting out of control, becoming even more than Batman can handle, he starts to think if the involvement of vigilantes help or not. This is a good question, as a gang war is nothing too big, and some could say not needing of superheroes, or vigilantes. Okay, it'd help the situation, but you can see how it can change the thoughts of normal people, and it's this that stuck out to me, making Rodriguez a interesting character, even if he didn't have a huge contribution.

Final Verdict

An explosive, and entertaining start to the War Games crossover, this was a brilliant book, and it was very interesting, and exciting throughout. I would seriously recommend this as it was a brilliant start to a crossover that would create big change. I would also recommend the other War Game Acts, but I will be reviewing them soon so you can see exactly what I think of them.

Rating: 4.5/5

The next book I'll be reviewing from this series will be Batman: War Games Act 2: Tides.

Batman: As the Crow Flies Review

Writer: Judd Winick
Artist: Dustin Nguyen

After reading, and reviewing Batman: Hush I decided that I'd gradually go through my Batman collection which I own nearly every issue since Batman #608 (only missing one) but in graphic novel form as it'd take ages otherwise. Anyway this is my third review, having also reviewed Batman: Broken City, and I hope to do as many as I can as soon as possible, but due to only reading them casually (a story here and there) it might take a while to review them all.

Plot

Penguin is using Scarecrow to make a new Fear Toxin to use on people, but a mysterious new monster with similar abilities to Scarecrow appears.

Review

This wasn't a bad story, but it was far from brilliant. Judd Winick has done some tremendous Batman stories in the past, with Under the Hood being one of his best, but this was far from that. Don't get me wrong it wasn't terrible, but not startling at the same time. For the first three issues of this story it's quite slow, and tedious, and doesn't have much of a mystery towards what's about to happen. The story did however get better in the last two issues, and I was very interested. Winick did a marvelous job near the end of the story, and it was very entertaining, whilst also showing signs of things to come, but unfortunately it was too late to make a huge effect on the overall quality of the story.

Dustin Nguyen did a brilliant job on the art in this story, and although he's not one of my favourite artists on Batman I do like his style. His art is marvelous, and the detail in it is outstanding. What I really like about Nguyen's art is the way he draws ordinary people. Although there are a lot of artist that draw Batman, or Robin (Tim Drake) better, I couldn't be more happier with the way he drew the ordinary people, like Alfred, or the mobsters. The character that I felt Nguyen drew best however was Penguin. I loved how he made him look awful sinister, and haggard, as it really mad him look more menacing. I also liked the way he drew Scarecrow, and the Monster Scarecrow, but there were a few people I didn't like his art on. The main one's are Tim as Robin, and Scarecrow as Crane. I felt that Crane did look realistic enough out of his Scarecrow costume, as I felt Nguyen's art made his face look awkward. I also felt that Tim looked too young in this story, and although Robin's meant to be you he looks even younger than he's meant to be.

I'll start by talking about the new Scarecrow monster. I liked this new Scarecrow monster, but felt that it didn't add much mystery. To be fair it had the slight questioning of who the creature really was, and if it was Crane, or some how connected to him, but it still wasn't much of a mystery. I did however like the extravagance in the look of this new Scarecrow monster, and liked that it's attitude was to simply create fear, and kill. I also loved the reaction to anyone that meet this creature, as besides Batman, Robin, and Alfred, everyone was in hysterics, like they should be. It was however nice to see a Scarecrow frighten people again.

This story also marked the first appearance of Fright (Linda Friitawa). To be honest due to forgetting what Fright's real name was, as well as forgetting she appeared in this story I didn't recognize the character. In away this made the re-discovery of Fright enjoyable as if I'd remembered that she was in this story I wouldn't be surprised. The thing I liked about Fright, or should I say Linda Friitawa, as that's what she's called, in this story was that she appeared all innocent throughout, and seemed to do nothing more than help Crane. I did however have my suspicions of her throughout, but it was for a different reason than the one revealed. When you have a character that appears so innocent, along with a bunch of known criminals, and add the fact she has a checkered past it's obvious that she isn't a saint. But overall it would have made a nice surprise to people who haven't read the story, or like me forget she was in it.

Batman vs. New Scarecrow

There was a huge fight between Batman and the new Scarecrow, which was amazing. The thing I liked most about this sequence was the thought boxes, as Winick did a brilliant job of showing how an expert like Batman thinks in situations like this, whilst adding in something unexpected. The fight was also brilliant visual wise, as Nguyen did a fabulous job of drawing the action. I do however think that the core of the fight was nothing overly special, and if it wasn't for the good art, and thought boxes it wouldn't have been as exciting. There was however another fight between the two that was much better, and very exciting. It was also written, and drawn very well, and Winick couldn't have ended the story any better.

Batman in the Batmobile

Although the first three issues in this story was good I liked how Winick used Batman. The thing I probably liked the most was that Winick made him scared, with the new Scarecrow monster affecting him. With most modern Scarecrow stories Batman doesn't get affected as he's found antidotes to the toxins, whereas this time he is. This added for what I classed the most interesting sequence in the story, in which Batman sees his fears. Besides that I also liked how Winick wrote Batman, as he showed him as the great tactician he is, and that although he was affected by this new Scarecrow that he still had some tricks to combat him.

Like Batman: Hush this story also gave hints towards the Under the Red Hood story, which like I said was also written by Winick. Whilst affected by the new Scarecrow Batman starts to see his nightmares, and when Tim comes to help him he sees the former Robin, Jason Todd. It's fitting that Winick would add this in this story, as the next Batman story he wrote was Under the Red Hood, which featured the returning Jason Todd. The sequence in this story was however still very emotional, and it shows that despite acting strong that Batman does have regrets, with the death of Jason being the biggest. I also liked that this showed question in Tim, as he questions whether he's still be Robin if Jason was to return.

Final Verdict

Although not brilliant this was still a good story. It shows a new Scarecrow, and puts Batman in unexpected situations, making for some interesting sequences. It also gives some brilliant hints for things that would happen in a late story. I would recommend this story, but unless you're a huge Batman fan I wouldn't rush to buy it, as there are plenty of better stories out there.

Rating: 3.5/5

The next book I'll be reviewing from this series will be Batman: War Games Act 1: Outbreak.

Batman: Broken City Review

Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Eduardo Risso

After reading, and reviewing Batman: Hush I decided that I'd gradually go through my Batman collection which I own nearly every issue since Batman #608 (only missing one) but in graphic novel form as it'd take ages otherwise. Anyway this is my second review, and I hope to do as many as I can as soon as possible, but due to only reading them casually (a story here and there) it might take a while to review them all.

Plot

Batman is on the hunt for Angel Lupo, the brother of a murdered woman named Elizabeth Lupo, trying to piece together what happened to her. On the way he runs into some familiar faces, as well as some new ones including, Killer Croc, Penguin, and Ventriloquist (Wesker) and Scarface.

Review

This was a very good story, with lot's of pro's, but a few to many con's to be amongst the best Batman stories. I'll star by saying that although I know that Brian Azzarello is a highly praised writer, I've not really read much of his work, having only read more recent things like his current Wonder Woman series, and his Before Watchmen series Rorschach, and Comedian, with this being the only story that I've read prior. I have however ordered some of his other work including Superman: For Tomorrow, Joker, and Luthor, which I'll hopefully enjoy. Now I can't say that Azzarello's writing is bad, as the way he progresses the story through monologue narrative is brilliant, but unfortunately not my favourite type of story. I also loved the dark tone to the story, and loved that Azzarello continued this throughout the story. Although the overall story was good, and I loved that it showed Batman as a detective, it wasn't anything startling, and easily forgettable.

I'm not overly familiar with Eduardo Risso but I'm not too sure if it suits Batman. There are a lot of artists that I like, but don't like their work on Batman so Risso isn't the only one. The main person that I consider to produce fabulous art, but not on Batman has to be Mike Mignola famous for creating Hellboy, and there are similarities between his and Risso's work also. I liked Risso's art in Before Watchmen: Moloch, and the limited series Logan, and he's a brilliant artist, but it's just not appealing to me in this story. I did however love that his art was very dark, and violent, and it complimented Azzarello's story brilliantly. His art is however very detailed, and he shows the characters emotions brilliantly in his art, especially Batman, but overall his art just doesn't suit Batman in my opinion. I also felt that his version of Killer Croc was very different, and unusual than the normal look for Croc, but I'll talk more about that later.

In this story there is a lot of flashbacks to Batman losing his parents when he was a child. This is probably the defining thing in Batman's entire story, as it's the thing that made him what he is, and what shapes his life, even now. I have felt in the past that this is overused, and I still agree with that, but when it's used in a unique way, or a way that helps the story I'm always happy to see it, much like I was happy to see it in this story. Batman keeps thinking back to his past when he thinks about Elizabeth's unborn child being killed with her, and it makes him think of what life could have been like if the killer hadn't killed his parent's or if he died with them. I really think that this helped with this story, as it really helped to shape out the tone, and mood of the story, adding to the already dark tone.

Flashbacks

Killer Croc appeared in this story, and he appeared to be the most featured villain from Batman's rogues gallery. As I said earlier though I wasn't overly keen on this version of Croc. It's not so much the writing that I don't like with Croc, it's the artwork. Now although there's nothing actually wrong with the art on Croc, I did think that he looked too different than his normal look. Whenever I look at Croc, or envision Croc, I always think of this gigantic reptilian like creature that's green with a bit of a snout. This version of Croc just had very pale skin, and looked like some one with bad acne. Although this can be perceived as a more realistic take on Croc, it just wasn't the Croc I know. I did however like the art feeling that he was the best drawn character, along with Margo Farr, but he just wasn't the Croc I know. I did however like that the story started and ended with Croc, giving a full circle feel to the story.

Killer Croc

As I said earlier I was very happy that this was a detective story. Although this takes away from the excitement of the story I'm not overly upset, as I've felt that there aren't enough Batman stories that have him doing proper detective work. In saying that the lack of excitement is probably the reason for this, as it fans weren't excited whilst reading a comic, especially one like Batman then they probably wouldn't continue buying it. It is however still nice to see a proper detective story every now and then, and this has to be one of the best detective stories I've read in a Batman series. It feels very Sherlock Holmes like, and being a huge Shelock Holmes fan, considering him the worlds best fictional detective (sorry Batman, you're great, but Sherlock's astonishing) that's saying something. I really liked that like any good detective story, and mainly a murder mystery story (which this essentially is) it's very gripping, and suspenseful. We do however come back to the lack of excitement, as although it's a brilliant detective story, the lack of excitement means that it's not as brilliant as it could have been, at least in my opinion.

Margo Farr

Margo Farr was an interesting character, and probably the most interesting in the story. I felt that besides Batman, Margo was the best character in this story, and very crucial to the overall story. I usually don't like it when woman are shown as tramps (couldn't think of a better word) in comics, but I think that this actually helped with Margo's character. Throughout the story it's obvious that Margo is the type of person that doesn't mind using he looks to get what she wants, and I actually found the sequences were she flirted with Batman comical. This however isn't all that is shown of Margo's characteristics throughout the story. Azzarello does a brilliant job of showing that she's a desperate woman that cares for Angel, willing to do anything for him. The story also shows that she's a bit conflicted at times, but overall a very strong, and competent woman. I think that Azzarello did a fantastic job of developing her as a character throughout this story, which shows more that although the story wasn't as exciting as I'd hope, that he's still a good writer.

The absence of the Bat-Family was probably the most noticeable thing in this story, and especially the absence of Alfred. Although I like seeing Batman supported by his family it was nice to see him on his own for a change. I did however think that Alfred could have been used at times, as there is a sequence were Bruce is grilling steak. Now this isn't anything big, and Bruce is probably more than capable of cooking some food, but I just can't imagine Alfred taking no for an answer, and cooking it for him. Besides that small thing it was very nice to see Batman going fully solo, giving a Batman: Year One feel towards the story.

I'll finish by talking about the amount of villains in this story. Like the previous story Hush this story feels the need to inject itself with a good few of Batman's villains. There are only two returnees from Hush, Killer Croc, and Joker, but there are also other Batman villains including Penguin, and Ventriloquist and Scarface. The story does however also have a forgotten villain in the form of Fat Man, with a new character Little Boy. Having multiple villains, with many of them being high profile doesn't necessarily mean that it'll make the story better. Although I like seeing well known villains in Batman stories, there wasn't the need for all of the villains featured in this. Most of the villains did have a valuable purpose towards the story, but the one that didn't was the Penguin. Although it was nice to see him in the story, and although he did progress the story during his sequence he wasn't really needed, and they could have used someone else quite easily. Besides that I really liked all the villains in this story, and it added a bit of excitement back to the story, although not enough to change my mind on my overall opinion of the story. Also the villains I liked most in this story were Fat Man and Little Boy, because they were something I hadn't seen before, and a different type of villain for Batman to face. I don't however see them becoming huge well known villains.

Final Verdict

A brilliant story, but not one of the best Batman stories ever, and very forgettable. It doesn't help that this story comes after a very memorable story like Batman: Hush, but that's life. I would however still recommend this story, as it is well worth a read, and still very good.

Rating: 4/5

The next book I'll be reviewing from this series will be Batman: As The Crow Flies.

Batman: Hush Review

Writer: Jeph Loeb

Artist: Jim Lee

Being a huge Batman fan I decided to start reviewing my collection in trade form (as it'd take forever to do individual reviews) starting with this volume. I also hope to eventually getting round to reviewing the entire collection till at least the start of the New 52.

Plot

Batman starts to notice that his rouge gallery of villains start to act different than their usual M.O. After noticing this with Killer Croc, and Poison Ivy Batman deduces that he's got either a new villain against him, or an old villain with new tricks. As the story takes him through other villains including, Harley Quinn, Joker, and others he can't quite grasp at who this new villain is. So the question is, who is Hush?

Review

WARNING: THERE MAY BE SOME MINOR SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW!

(The books been out for a long time, and it'd be hard to give a proper review without talking about subjects that have spoilers. The biggest spoiler will be Hush's identity, but besides that the spoilers aren't that huge)

As you'd have gathered from my introduction I think that this is a mindblowingly brilliant book, and have enjoyed reading it several times. A lot of people give Jeph Loeb a hard time saying that he's a bad writer, but he's not. Okay he's done a few bad stories in the past, with some of them being horrifically bad, but you can't expect everything a writer writes to be perfect, and you've got to remember the good stuff he wrote. Besides this brilliant story Loeb has also done other great stories including, Batman: The Long Halloween, Batman: Dark Victory, Superman for All Seasons, Wolverine: Evolution, and Ultimatum just to name a few, but lots of people only seem to remember the bad stories he produces. In this story Loeb has managed to give a huge elaborate mystery, that's gripping, entertaining, interesting, and fun. Mysteries that are left open for twelve issues can sometimes become slow, and boring, but Loeb manages to avoid that by keeping the story interesting, whilst throwing in some action to keep the reader both intrigued, and entertained. Another thing I liked about Loeb's writing was how he was able to utilize all these great Batman characters. Not many stories manage to involve as many characters both heroes, and villains and pull it off, but this does.

Now Jim Lee, where do I start when talking about him. As some of you that have read my Justice League reviews may know is that Jim Lee is my favourite artist, and I just think the man's a genius. To be honest this was the first time that I'd seen Lee's artwork, but since I have managed to see his art in lots of different series' from this, to Justice League, to X-Men, and even recently I've bought Superman: For Tomorrow due to looking forward to his upcoming Superman title that he's working on with writer Scott Snyder. I just love that nothing lacks detail. To say that Lee's art was full of detail would be an understatement, as there isn't any page or panel that isn't oozing with detail. Over the years I've learned that Lee can draw any character, and make them look amazing, but for me I have always considered his drawings of Batman as his best. Maybe it's due to my love for the character, or that this story was where I saw his artwork first, but I've always especially liked Lee's art on Batman even more than his art on other characters, even when Lee was working on the Justice League. Anyway Lee did a brilliant job on all the characters, as he made them look perfect, with them both being highly recognizable due to him keeping their characteristics, whilst adding his own style. I also think that the inks from long time Lee inker Scott Williams, and colours from Alex Sinclair helped make Lee's already brilliant artwork even better than it already is. I'll finish of talking about the art by saying that my favourite artwork throughout the story was actually the flashback sequences. The way Lee drew it, along with Williams' inking, and Sinclair's colours made it look beautiful, and detached it from the other artwork, making it obvious that it was a flashback.

Thomas Elliot

Now I'll talk about the start of the book. The first issue is quite normal with Batman chasing Killer Croc, who is acting strange. Before the end of the issue whilst chasing Catwoman, Batman's batrope is cut and Batman falls hard, fracturing his skull. After being rescued by Huntress (Bertinelli) he is saved by childhood friend turned famous surgeon Thomas Elliot Bruce is healthy again. I've decided to talk about this first as it's how the character Tommy Elliot is introduced. Although Batman has been around for a long time, there aren't many stories that talk about his childhood, besides the ones that involve the death of his parents. I found it interesting that after years of not seeing each other that a manipulated accident could bring these childhood friends together. What I liked most however was how big a role Tommy would become, and how his relationship with Bruce, and their childhood would have a large affect on the story.

Lets talk about the characters in this story. As I said earlier in my review Loeb has included nearly every known Batman villain, and ally in this story, and that was one of the best things about the story. Although the mystery and suspense was the overall best thing about the story, it was all the different characters popping up from time to time that keep the story fresh, and exciting. As I also said having lots of characters in one story doesn't always mean that it's bound to be better, actually the opposite. With many different characters, all having their own fan base you have to portray them in a way that both their die hard fans, and newer fans can enjoy, whilst also working to the overall stories best advantage. I think that Loeb did this, as whether it was Batman against Killer Croc, or Batman interacting with Nightwing (Dick Grayson), or even the romance between Batman and Catwoman, it was all done perfectly, and helped the story out in more ways that you'd expect.

Batman and Catwoman Kiss

That last sentence moves me on nicely to my next topic, the romance between Batman and Catwoman. It's not a secret that there have been sexual tension between these characters in the past, and they have had ton's of on, and off relationships, but in my opinion this was the best relationship they had in a story. Batman's relationship with Catwoman in this story gave him some hope into his life. With most of his other relationships he can't keep up appearances as he has to go of and fight crime, whereas with Catwoman he can always bring her along with him. Although this isn't the first time that Batman has had a fellow superhero as a romantic companion it was in my opinion the most interesting, and I feel that Catwoman is the character that best suits the role as Batman's girlfriend cause she's both different, and similar to him, whilst being a strong, confident woman, not needing Batman to look out for her, or tip-toe around her. Anyway I really enjoyed seeing this in this story, and between Loeb's writing, and Lee's artwork I felt that these sequences were magical.

Batman vs. Superman

Now I'll talk about the best fight in the story, which was Batman vs. Superman. Although Batman and Superman have fought each other before this was probably the most interesting one. Superman has been put under Ivy's spell, and like any other man he has to submit to her whim. Batman isn't beaten easily as he came prepared with the Kryptonite ring that Superman gave him in Action Comics #654 (or at least I believe this is when he gave him it). Anyway, the fight was brilliant, and very exciting. I liked that it showed both characters advantages, whilst also showing that there was no reasoning with Superman. Although Loeb wrote the dialogue, and Batman's thoughts brilliantly during this sequence, it is Lee that makes the sequence phenomenal. To be fair due to comics being a visual medium, comics have to be visually stunning, and more so in huge action sequences. Basically if you have a good artist it's the art that will always shine in big action sequences no matter how good the writing is. There was also other fights that were very good in this story, but this was the best.

This book also left a hint for a following story, Under the Hood. During the later half of the story it was revealed that Jason Todd was back from the dead using a Lazarus Pit, and was in fact Hush. It was revealed that this person was neither Jason or Hush, but Clayface (Karlo) disguised as Jason. Whether it was already decide to bring Jason back from the dead at this point or not, DC landed up bringing the character back in the Under the Hood storyline as the new Red Hood, and he was brought back the same way as he supposedly returned in this story.

Hush

Now I'll finish my review by discussing who is Hush? This is the big mystery throughout the story, and although the identity is revealed several times the actual identity isn't revealed until the end. Any Batman fan will know the identity of Hush whether they've read this book or not, but just for the reviews sake I'll still talk about it (as the mystery's what the story's based around). I have to say on my first read through of this story I wasn't entirely sure who Hush was. I had hunches throughout, and although my first guess was eventually right Loeb did a brilliant job of making me question myself, which in turn kept the mystery. It was issue 613 during the opera sequence when I realized that Tommy was Hush. The way he got angry made me think that not everything is right with this man, which lead me to think, is Tommy Hush? Loeb however made me question this when he killed the character off, but he later brought him back revealing that the dead body was Clayface, in a similar role as he was when impersonating Jason. After another couple of read through's I notice some telltale signs from earlier in the story, but overall I have to say that Loeb did a good job of keeping it a mystery. Besides the mystery element of Hush, I think that Loeb created a brilliant villain, and one of the best new villains in the last 10-20 years. I have really enjoyed seeing Hush become a part of the Batverse since then, and hope that he manages to make his way into The New 52 at some point, preferably in the not too distant future.

In the introduction to volume one of this story Loeb says how his dad wanted the picture on his television to be just right during the Adam West Batman series, and that Loeb hoped that readers would see this story as just right. Well I have to say to Mr. Loeb that from this fans point of view that his wish has been granted then some, as this story isn't just right, it's phenomenal.

Final Verdict

Defiantly one of the best Batman stories of all time. This story didn't just introduce me to comics, it made me fall in love with them, and if ever Leob and Lee were to reunite to work on another Batman story I'm sure it'd be fantastic (although I don't see that happening). I would highly recommend this story to anyone, as it's beyond brilliant, and I'd be very surprised if you were disappointed by it.

Rating: 5/5

The next book I'll be reviewing from this series will be Batman: Broken City.