Scans: Batman, Superman/Batman
Batman #1: Written by SCOTT SNYDER; Art by GREG CAPULLO and JONATHAN GLAPION
Superman/Batman #87: Written by JOSHUA HALE FIALKOV; Art by TOMÁS GIORELLO
So I've been trying to post scans from my two favorite comics each week so far. Sadly, last week only two comics didn't make me unhappy! (It was not a good week!) One was Birds of Prey, which was quite strong but I confess I'm not terribly invested in the characters. So I'm going to post scans from the one I really enjoyed and then also post scans from the last issue of Superman/Batman from before the reboot, to get caught up!
Scott Snyder has a lot of buzz going for him right now after a much-acclaimed run on Detective Comics (which I confess I didn't read as it seemed really dark and gloomy) and his Swamp Thing is supposed to be one of the best titles in the relaunch. His Batman last week was a strong first issue that introduced all the main characters and the themes of the first arc, ending on a nice cliffhanger.
Oh, and did I mention the art makes Bruce Wayne look like a total dreamboat? Yes, I'm shallow, and any book that has a lot of Bruce in a tuxedo looking great is a big plus for me.
The book starts with an unlikely pairup: Batman is fighting most of his rogues in Arkham, and the Joker comes out of his cell and helps him, to the rogues' shock. But things aren't quite what they seem in this arc, as we see when Batman goes back to the cave:
*boggles at Bruce's gorgeous face* Ohhhhh, that's nice.
Dick has been in Arkham for a while now, pretending to be Joker in preparation for this evening. I suspect this is going to be an important plot point later!
Bruce's "magic contact lens" is a clever way to put in introductions to the main characters--it links up to the computer and gives information about people. Examples below:
Heee, Damian's sneakers!
The one complaint I've seen with Capullo's art, which I think is pretty reasonable, is that Dick is so tiny compared to Bruce! And Bruce isn't a towering guy, either--the mayoral candidate he meets later looms over him.
Also, I don't have the panel here, but when Bruce first sees Alfred in the book, the caption says "Alfred Pennyworth. Caretaker, Wayne estate. Access level: Highest." Awwwww.
So Bruce heads off to give a very optimistic, positive speech to Gotham's finest. It seems clear that optimism and faith is going to be once-again tested in this arc...
How about another shot of Bruce looking pretty? Yes?
Near the end of the party, Bruce is called away to a murder scene (Capullo's Batman is also lovely, by the way!) The victim was killed very slowly with throwing knives that have an owl on them, and Bullock and Batman refer to something called "the court of owls," but don't explain it yet. The first issue ends with a wonderful stiletto-stab combination of Bullock's words and the images:
Man, the touch of the little drops of sweat on Alfred's brow...
I'm pretty sure the time of death of the victim matches up with when Dick was in Arkham pretending to be Joker, but of course he can't use that as an alibi, right? (My personal theory is that someone was trying to frame the Joker and stole some of Dick's DNA, thinking he was the Joker...) I do hope Bruce doesn't doubt Dick too much, but Snyder has talked a lot in interviews about how he loves Dick and Bruce's relationship, how Dick is what holds Bruce steady in this world, and how he wanted to explore and test their relationship, so it might get messy!
The wrap-up in Superman/Batman starts with Joker about to whack Superman with a mallet. Not a physical fear for Clark, but I really love the way the storyline finds Superman's other vulnerability, his secret identity and the need to keep it secret. As the mallet comes at him, we see him calculating how to respond to keep from tipping Joker off:
He dodges the mallet and keeps dodging, much to Joker's annoyance. I do love how cool and collected he is here...
CLARK, YOU DON'T NEED TO BE SO POLITE WITH THE JOKER. :DDD
Batman arrives to save Clark! Of course, it's not necessary, and they both know it...
Joker parachutes off and leaves Clark falling toward the ground, which is the real threat here--not to Clark's life, but to his life.
I admit it, I went awwwwwww out loud when Batman came charging in to save Clark's secret. I also went awww that Clark was worried Bruce hadn't gone after the bombs first.
Also, a little art touch--I wasn't a fan of a lot of the brawniness of the dudes in this one (and the Superman is even brawnier), but I did like the little detail of how Clark lands so weightlessly on the roof.
In the wrap-up, it turns out that Martin Mayne, editor of the Gotham Gazette, was selling information to the Joker and got his reporter killed. I'm sorry, Martin! When I gave the author your name, I didn't know he'd make you an accessory to murder! D: In order to keep Bruce's involvement with Batman covered up, they let Mayne simply retire rather than having him arrested. This doesn't make Clark happy:
Well, that's a kind of ambiguous ending, but at least it's not openly hostile?
And so Superman/Batman ends its run. It was a fun comic with an up-and-down record, and I hope DC brings it (or World's Finest) back once the relaunch dust settles. I'd really like it to have a regular writer rather than the rotating cast they had on it for the last four or five years, but we shall see!
Superman/Batman #87: Written by JOSHUA HALE FIALKOV; Art by TOMÁS GIORELLO
So I've been trying to post scans from my two favorite comics each week so far. Sadly, last week only two comics didn't make me unhappy! (It was not a good week!) One was Birds of Prey, which was quite strong but I confess I'm not terribly invested in the characters. So I'm going to post scans from the one I really enjoyed and then also post scans from the last issue of Superman/Batman from before the reboot, to get caught up!
Scott Snyder has a lot of buzz going for him right now after a much-acclaimed run on Detective Comics (which I confess I didn't read as it seemed really dark and gloomy) and his Swamp Thing is supposed to be one of the best titles in the relaunch. His Batman last week was a strong first issue that introduced all the main characters and the themes of the first arc, ending on a nice cliffhanger.
Oh, and did I mention the art makes Bruce Wayne look like a total dreamboat? Yes, I'm shallow, and any book that has a lot of Bruce in a tuxedo looking great is a big plus for me.
The book starts with an unlikely pairup: Batman is fighting most of his rogues in Arkham, and the Joker comes out of his cell and helps him, to the rogues' shock. But things aren't quite what they seem in this arc, as we see when Batman goes back to the cave:
*boggles at Bruce's gorgeous face* Ohhhhh, that's nice.
Dick has been in Arkham for a while now, pretending to be Joker in preparation for this evening. I suspect this is going to be an important plot point later!
Bruce's "magic contact lens" is a clever way to put in introductions to the main characters--it links up to the computer and gives information about people. Examples below:
Heee, Damian's sneakers!
The one complaint I've seen with Capullo's art, which I think is pretty reasonable, is that Dick is so tiny compared to Bruce! And Bruce isn't a towering guy, either--the mayoral candidate he meets later looms over him.
Also, I don't have the panel here, but when Bruce first sees Alfred in the book, the caption says "Alfred Pennyworth. Caretaker, Wayne estate. Access level: Highest." Awwwww.
So Bruce heads off to give a very optimistic, positive speech to Gotham's finest. It seems clear that optimism and faith is going to be once-again tested in this arc...
How about another shot of Bruce looking pretty? Yes?
Near the end of the party, Bruce is called away to a murder scene (Capullo's Batman is also lovely, by the way!) The victim was killed very slowly with throwing knives that have an owl on them, and Bullock and Batman refer to something called "the court of owls," but don't explain it yet. The first issue ends with a wonderful stiletto-stab combination of Bullock's words and the images:
Man, the touch of the little drops of sweat on Alfred's brow...
I'm pretty sure the time of death of the victim matches up with when Dick was in Arkham pretending to be Joker, but of course he can't use that as an alibi, right? (My personal theory is that someone was trying to frame the Joker and stole some of Dick's DNA, thinking he was the Joker...) I do hope Bruce doesn't doubt Dick too much, but Snyder has talked a lot in interviews about how he loves Dick and Bruce's relationship, how Dick is what holds Bruce steady in this world, and how he wanted to explore and test their relationship, so it might get messy!
The wrap-up in Superman/Batman starts with Joker about to whack Superman with a mallet. Not a physical fear for Clark, but I really love the way the storyline finds Superman's other vulnerability, his secret identity and the need to keep it secret. As the mallet comes at him, we see him calculating how to respond to keep from tipping Joker off:
He dodges the mallet and keeps dodging, much to Joker's annoyance. I do love how cool and collected he is here...
CLARK, YOU DON'T NEED TO BE SO POLITE WITH THE JOKER. :DDD
Batman arrives to save Clark! Of course, it's not necessary, and they both know it...
Joker parachutes off and leaves Clark falling toward the ground, which is the real threat here--not to Clark's life, but to his life.
I admit it, I went awwwwwww out loud when Batman came charging in to save Clark's secret. I also went awww that Clark was worried Bruce hadn't gone after the bombs first.
Also, a little art touch--I wasn't a fan of a lot of the brawniness of the dudes in this one (and the Superman is even brawnier), but I did like the little detail of how Clark lands so weightlessly on the roof.
In the wrap-up, it turns out that Martin Mayne, editor of the Gotham Gazette, was selling information to the Joker and got his reporter killed. I'm sorry, Martin! When I gave the author your name, I didn't know he'd make you an accessory to murder! D: In order to keep Bruce's involvement with Batman covered up, they let Mayne simply retire rather than having him arrested. This doesn't make Clark happy:
Well, that's a kind of ambiguous ending, but at least it's not openly hostile?
And so Superman/Batman ends its run. It was a fun comic with an up-and-down record, and I hope DC brings it (or World's Finest) back once the relaunch dust settles. I'd really like it to have a regular writer rather than the rotating cast they had on it for the last four or five years, but we shall see!