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10/19/2003: comics! - this week's DC batch
Batman: Gotham Knights #46 (written by Scott Beatty, pencils by Roger Robinson, inks by John Floyd)
The way the assorted Bat-people behaved here towards this The Spook guy is not really how I see them. Basically they harassed him into going back into prison for a crime he didn't even really commit (seeing as he didn't have a weapon like he said, and didn't intend to rob the store), because they convinced him he wouldn't want to deal with the current Gotham, teeming with scary vigilantes. I mean really. I'm not quite sure what this thing with the KGBeast's goons contacting him was about, but he was forced into the car with a weapon after all. Okay, he did try to hypnotize that cashier into giving him more money, but still. I think Alfred had a point that they wouldn't even consider he might have been reformed. Overall I found the vigilantes far more creepy in this issue than the "villain." Maybe that was the point (though if it was that wasn't handled very well), but I didn't like it.
Gotham Central #12 (written by Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka, art by Michael Lark)
I really like the behind the scenes look at the GCPD. Seeing how the Commissioner tries to avoid the budget cuts the mayor wants, the corruption in Gotham's officials, the tensions within the police department -- all that is great. And I overall liked the sniper plot, how it's starts with the mayor and then gets more random and terrifying quickly as the investigation proceeds. The huge cast sometimes still confuses me a bit, but I'm getting to know all these people. And it seems that series will deal some more with the problems that working with Batman poses for the GCPD, and I like that as well. Just -- did it have to be the Joker again? I mentioned here recently how as much as I like the Joker, I think he's overused right now. On the bright side, with Brubaker and Rucka as writers there's at least a good chance that it won't be a sucky Joker story.
Nightwing #86 (written by Devin Grayson, pencils by Patrick Zircher, inks by Andy Owens and Sean Parsons)
I enjoyed this issue a lot more than the last one. It had some problems, in particular I'm a bit puzzled about how the apparently looming breakup between Dick and Babs is handled (though I can see how Babs has an issue with Dick acting as if he was invincible), also Dick was hyper in a really extreme way, which I thought was a bit much, even if it's a reaction to being cooped up, and I had problem following the action scene at the beginning and what exactly this motorcycle stunt with driving through the window was. However, there were lots of other bits I enjoyed. Like Dick occupying his time with cool motorcycle improvements, the reappearance of Yoska Graesinka, the scene between Alfred and Batman in the Batcave, how Dick misses police work and watches America's Most Wanted on tv solving cases for them, and as usual I enjoyed Alfred in general, and though Dick was a bit too hyper, I liked seeing him move in Babs kitchen in his unconventional ways. It would have helped if the longish opening action sequence/plot with the gang had had anything to do with the rest besides serving as a vehicle to bring home how Dick won't give his body time to heal, and hadn't felt so separate, but overall I had fun reading this issue. And at least with Blockbuster now working with/manipulating that reporter, the upcoming vigilante/action plots are bound to be more connected to the rest of the story.
Superman/Batman #3 (written by Jeph Loeb, pencils by Ed McGuinness, inks by Dexter Vines)
I found this issue a bit less enthralling than the last two, but it still had plenty of fast paced action, and I really like the format with the double POV with both Batman's and Superman's internal thoughts running parallel to the action. I think I'm missing some of the general implications of the overall plot, because I'm not that familiar with the details of the Lex Luthor as president storyline, and I don't know all of those superheroes who now apparently work for him and/or the government, nor most of the villains (whether mind-controlled or not). Still it's interesting to see how this will turn out, with all those superhero people trying to arrest Superman and maybe Batman as well.
