I started reading Batman and the Outsiders only because there was a tie-in to “Batman RIP”. I have to say that I was pretty disappointed when it came to the importance of BatO, but amazed at the coolness of the Outsiders. I have since bought all of the Batman and the Outsiders comics and added them to my collection. After BatO 14, the disappearance of the Bat caused the Outsiders to disband. But have no fear, the Dark Knight had a plan even in death for the Outsiders. The one shot special released in February officially launched the Outsiders as their own group, without the Caped Crusader.

Reading through this issue, one gets the feeling that they have done this before. The special involved Alfred traveling all over the world, to gather the seven Outsiders. All had been involved in an Outsider group before, except for one new vigilante. The bulk of this issue is spent reintroducing these characters and explaining the mission. Little felt new after reading the special, but the one amusing thing that did was the feeling that the Outsiders were something of a James Bond with Alfred as their M.

All of these new members were chosen because they each represent a different aspect of Bruce Wayne’s Batman that was needed in the world outside of Gotham. Because so much of the issue was spent on introductions, it would only be fair for me to do so in this review, without giving anything away of course.

First there is Geo-Force, a veteran member representing Batman’s hardened psyche and physical toughness.

Katana is a traditional samurai. She represents the warrior in Bruce and his strong connection to family.

The Creeper is one of the more interesting characters to be put in this team, because one of his dual identities seems to be more like a villain than any hero I have seen. Is his connection to Batman obvious yet?

Black Lightning is another familiar veteran who embodies the grounding force in the team. He was the only member to second-guess leaving his life for the Outsiders’ mission.

Owlman is the new guy and an obvious choice because of his detective skills, not to mention the way he got out of his day job was very Bruce Wayne-like.

On the surface Metamorpho was chosen because of how gosh darn useful he is, but to the reader writer he is the source for the solitary side of the team.

Lastly, there is Halo. Her godlike power potential doesn’t seem to fit here, but to me her light personality kind of makes her the Robin of the squad.

Though it seems redundant, this issue was still pretty fun. There is obviously a lot in store for the outsiders, and it did well to get me excited for all of it. Tomasi makes this introduction fun and exciting, while Lee Garbett’s art makes the issue look like it’s already a classic.

(3.5/5)

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Because of my new found fondness for Green Lantern, I made the decision during the whole “Faces of Evil” event to delve into Green Lantern Corps. So far I haven’t really been disappointed with my choice, but it has yet to exceed my expectations as Green Lantern has.

I picked up starting with the “Sins of the Star Sapphire” story line, and so far I have liked that one much better than “Emerald Eclipse”. The events of SotSS introduced to me what seems like a well-known concept among GL readers: the detachment of the Guardians from the Green Lanterns they order around. As of yet, I am not so sure what the point of this arc is. Maybe there is no point, and DC just needs an A-to-B vehicle to bring the GLC to Blackest Night.

Green Lantern Corps 33 picks up right where 32 left off, with the extremely powerful Sinestro Corps member Mongul descending on the peaceful planet (and home to Green Lantern Ion Sodam Yat) Daxam. Immediately following is a conversation of the events of “Sins of the Star Sapphire” between lanterns Kyle Rainer, Guy Gardner (my least favorite lantern), and Natu. Basically, there is some tension in the Corps 1-because of the amount of recently retired lanterns due to the Guardian’s no-love-rule and 2-Kyle is a bit depressed because of the violence lately and might only be cheered up by the prohibited love of Natu (his “one true love” according to the Star Sapphire’s sapphire). Meanwhile there is something going on with Green Lantern Saarek in deep space (don’t ask because I don’t know), and a power struggle on Daxam between self-proclaimed Sinestro-Corps leader Mongul and rival Arkillo.

So now I have done my duty as far as representing the content, but I feel the need to make a couple of complaints.

Firstly, why is Tomasi feeling the need to include so many plotlines into this story? While swine flu ravages the southwest, a bad case of Morrison flu is attacking DC headquarters. I think I would enjoy this story more if it focused on just two or three plotlines, so that I can devote some brain power to other endeavors.

Secondly, if we are going to have so many plotlines, can we make each scene in a single plotline consist of a bit more than two or three pages? Sure, a one-page scene for a unresolved ending is pretty cool, but if you are going to bring this Saarek guy into the equation, I would like to have a bit more girth than his obvious lonliness.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Peter Tomasi as a writer (his work on Robin made me love a character I used to absolutely despise), and the artwork by Patrick Gleason is amazingly deep and rich with detail. I just don’t see the point of this issue other than staying in the loop for Blackest Night.

(2.5/5)

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Momma always said that honesty is the best policy, so let’s start this one off with a bit of truthfulness. I am pretty new to the Green Lantern world. When I started reading comics, I stuck pretty closely to the Batman side of things. Then, I entered a comic book shop and saw all of the Final Crisis stuff going on, all of the shoot-offs, the minis, the tie-ins; but one title and cover caught my eye more than any other: Rage of the Red Lanterns! I thought it would be a good way to acquaint myself a bit more to the Green Lantern without committing to put Green Lantern on my pull list. Boy was I wrong!

The Rage of the Red Lanterns single included plenty of stuff that was new to me and probably confusing to even the most avid GL reader. For example, there was one page that had nothing to do with the rest involving some dudes in funky collars talking about taking something and an orange voice protesting that it belonged to him. The end of that one-shot was a big fat cliffhanger that introduced the Blue Lanterns. As soon as I saw that page, I thought to myself, “Those tricksy little hobbitses!” I knew it was a marketing plan and I knew that I fell for DC’s dirty little trap. But hey, as long as I am enjoying it right? Let’s start with a recap of the GL goings-ons since Final Crises.

In the havoc of Rage of the Red Lanterns, Sinestro was released (was I supposed to know he has a daughter? Oh Yah, Sinestro has a daughter, but who is it?). The Blue Lanterns, led by guardian Ganthet, draw their power from hope; but hope needs will, so they have chosen Hal Jordan to head up their team. This couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Green Lanterns, as they are in a rebuilding stage thanks to the massive body count amassed during the Rage of the Red Lanterns story arc.

Enter Agent Orange. GL 39 opens with the Controllers (remember those guys in snazzy collars I just mentioned?) arriving on the barren planet Okaara, looking for a source of power to rebuild their position rivaling the Guardians. Unfortunately, the source of power there is an orange power battery that is evidently controlled and protected by the Orange Lanterns (hence Agent Orange), whose orange power is derived from avarice (greediness, to the layperson). And if there are two things in the entire universe that don’t mix, they would be Controllers and greedy Orange Lanterns.

Meanwhile, Hal Jordan is struggling with his need to help the GL Corps and the need of the Blue Lanterns to have a source of will to help fuel their crusade to bring hope back to the universe (the Obama Spiderman issue did pretty darn well in stores, I say DC should go for it).

For me, reading Green Lantern is like watching action blockbuster movies; the material itself isn’t going to win any Oscars, but I’ll still buy the ticket knowing that I’m about to be taken for one hell of a thrill ride. This issue of GL is fulfills that need just fine!

Geoff Johns shows off his talent of making a big plot (confusing and farfetched as it may be) come together through several issues while still delivering good, stand-alone episodes that keep me entertained and satisfied. The problem is that he is writing so much for DC right now that issues are coming in way later than acceptable, especially in reference to FC: Legion of Three Worlds. Final Crisis is supposed to be over by now, hurry up with Lo3W already!

Along with GL Corps’s “Emerald Eclipse”, “Agent Orange” is the official prelude to Blackest Night (possibly the most anticipated comic event to date). Obviously, this is a must-read if you plan to delve into that. Otherwise, pick this one up for an action-packed read and some good ol’ Green Lantern fun.

(3.5/5)

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Since writing my review on Gaiman and Kubert’s , I have seen plenty of negative buzz about the two-part series. Most of said buzz complains that Batman writers (and DC writers as a whole, for that matter) haven’t been very forthcoming to their loyal readers. We have seen these problems manifested in the first part of this series: a blatant lack of answers, no hope for Bruce’s return, and a general stomping on every virtue the Dark Knight has had over the years to keep him alive and in control. Nobody wants to see the bat legitimately outmatched. Personally, the feel good moment of all time in my comic book experience is when all hope is lost and there is no conceivable way to beat a villain, but ol’ Bats utters that line or gives that look that lets everyone know he has it all figured out.

Don’t get me wrong, that feeling can definitely not be found within the pages of “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader”. I am the epitome of despair and frustration, I am confused, I am a Batfan! So how could a work like this send endorphins to my hypothalamus?

Let’s talk about Part 2. I have to say, the very first page represents the underlying exercise that Gaiman and Kubert are practicing here. Each frame has a different character approaching the casket filled with a Batman of a different look, paying tribute to our favorite Batman artists of all time. The first half of the issue finishes (continues at least) what the first page started: different takes on Batman, both artistically and thematically.

But then the story takes a turn. The turn that we all asked for, I think. We start to get some answers. Sure these answers aren’t THE answers, but they are answers nonetheless. I can tell you the questions that will be answered and the one that will not, but that isn’t important. This last portion came close to provoking a single tear.

So let me ask this question to the nay-sayers out there: Why do we read comic books? Unfortunately, my answer to this question is found in the age old journey-vs-destination cliché. If I went through all of the comic book material I owned, I might find that about half of it contained the conclusion I wanted, and about 90% were enjoyable reads. That is why I read comics; for the thrill, the heartbreak, the wonder, the moments that make me pump my fist when I’m alone, or rub Alfred’s two-dimensional face and say “Everything is going to be alright.” What? You don’t do that?

That being said, Part 2 of this two part series wraps everything up nicely. Kubert and his art team carry on everything they started in Part 1 and then some. The tribute artwork is amazing and the sketch work included at the end is some neat material. Neil Gaiman shakes things up a bit from the first part, but the writing is still far better than average, and the content itself will leave you feeling like you got your four bucks worth. Personally, I feel like I have made a steal even at the upped price.

The cover shows a couple of thugs firing away at Batman as he chokes out a dude in a Kobe Bryant jersey. It makes me wonder; if Kobe got traded tomorrow, would this criminal still tune into Laker games?

(4/5)

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In the wake of Batman’s death, everyone is asking, “Who will be the next Batman?”, “Is he going to make a comeback? When?”, or “Why in god’s name would you kill the Dark Knight?”.  Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert seem to be the only ones asking, “How was the funeral?”

Though the Final Crisis is for the most part over (where the hell is the rest of Legion of Three Worlds?), the events of FC #6 and #7 are not yet clear to DC readers (especially bat-fans). Starting with Batman Detective #851, Bat comics seem to be answering the question: What if Bruce Wayne really is dead? Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert’s “Whatever Happened to the caped Crusader?” does just that, but puts a different spin on the question. How would Bruce Wayne imagine his own funeral?

First of all, we know the Dark Knight’s funeral would take place in the backroom of ratty dive bar in what looks like downtown Gotham. At the outset, we see a few of Bruce’s and Batman’s friends and enemies enter the establishment, each treating the boy out front in their own way. It is both amusing and interesting to see the authors’ takes on each character and the interactions with the boy. We know there is something surreal about all of this because the late Joe Chill is the bartender (”I was here at the start of it all…I’m not going to miss the end.”).

After some interaction between the various characters, the remainder of the first half of “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?” is broken into two halves: “The Cat-Woman’s Tale”, narration provided by Selina Kyle’s eulogy; and “The Gentleman’s Gentlemen’s Tale”, eulogized by none other than Alfred Pennyworth. Each tale describes a different life and death of Batman, and represents a different layer of the Bat-universe. During the funeral there is an additional layer of narration provided by a possibly post-modem conversation between Batman and an unknown omnipotent voice, and therein lies the cliff-hanger. Who is this person that Batsy is talking to? Is this a coma dream, a manifestation of Bruce’s afterlife, or something else?

Overall, this issue comes together quite nicely. The art (pencils by Kubert, inks by Scott Williams, and colors by Alex Sinclair) pays tribute to a few different artists in Batman’s long history. Gaiman’s writing and Kubert’s art work amazingly together to create a separate and unique feel for each component of the story. Usually, inconsistency in a comic book bothers the bajesus out of me, but here it is absolutely necessary and is pulled off flawlessly.

Beyond depression at Bruce Wayne’s possible death, the story invokes a sense of nostalgia that rewards long-time Bat-fans with that familiar yet seemingly long-lost noir feeling that we started to love this character for. The story displays the not only the depth that Batman has accumulated over the years, but also that of his costars Alfred Pennyworth and Selina Kyle (Catwoman). Both of their eulogies seem to put an emphasis on guilt and the responsibility that each character has to Batman and his mission.

If you haven’t yet, go out and buy this issue right now! It’s a must have for the avid collector or the guy who just likes to have cool comic book stuff. The book was released in two covers; my personal favorite is the line outside of the funeral building posted above. Both are amazing, but when Andy Kubert and Alex Ross join forces, how could they not be? Also worth mention are a couple of pencils by Kubert that are included in the last few pages. Many comic readers are used to seeing sketches like these included in compilation works, but having it included within an issue is a nice little gift.

(4/5)

Part 2 can be found in Detective Comics 853.

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