The four page spread in Blackest Night 8 was the high point of the whole event to me. The 12 disparate characters seemingly resurrected at random included some of my favourites; Martian Manhunter, Aquaman and Firestorm have always been favourites of mine. I was over the moon when i realised that they would be the focus of DC's new biweekly and so the debut of Brightest Day has me intrigued and impressed in equal measure.
Aquaman and Mera are the real standouts so far. Their attack on the slaver ship was bad-ass, which isn't something usually associated with poor under-appreciated and oft-mocked Aquaman. Here he shows why he is a force to be reckoned with. He shrugs off a bullet to the head without even passing comment. As to what he accidentally summons to aid him? I don't want to spoil it but the new twist on his powers is disturbing.
Disturbing new development seem to be happening across the board for the resurrected so far. Whether its Boston Brand forced to observe but not participate in the action, Firestorm's inability to power down on J'onn J'onnz's telepathic vision something is clearly wrong with those who came back. Martian Manhunter's scene was tinged with sadness for me, because J'onn has earned some happiness after years of being the Justice League's lovable loner. But if we're judging by the fates of the others, his quest to revive the barren planet Mars will have tragic results.
The art is clear, coherent and consistent. The large number of artists involved could have led to a mess of mis-matched styles, but this was a very good looking comic.
Overall, a very promising start to Brightest Day, and two weeks may be too long to wait for the next dose
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Batman and Robin 12 Review
Well, that was anti-climactic.
I love Grant Morrison and I love the work he's been doing with Batman the last few years. I have awaited each new issue of Batman and Robin in some sort of near religious frenzy. I loved the first arc with Frank Quitely, I loved the second arc despite some unclear and muddled artwork. The third arc was the weakest I felt, but it was still the best Bat book on the shelves. And I had really enjoyed "Batman vs Robin" so far. But the grand finale left me feeling slightly disappointed.
Why?
Not the art, that's for sure. Andy Clarke's art is pitch perfect for this book. His style is reminiscent of Quitely's and it stands out as the best art Batman and Robin has seen since Quitely's departure.
My disappointment comes from the fact that this issue does not really wrap up the first year's worth of stories like I had hoped it would. Yes, the identity of the Domino Killer is revealed, and yes the mystery of Oberon Sexton is unravelled. But these event happen so late in the issue its almost as if they were tacked on as an after-thought. I am extremely intrigued as to where these new developments will take us, but I wish they had been given more time. I would have gladly sacrificed some of the bizarre scavenger hunt in Wayne Mannor for more of Oberon Sexton.
The highlight of the issue is Dick's confrontation with Deathstroke in Talia's hideout. Dick reminds us of the mutual hatred between these two while showing Deathstroke who's boss.
All in all a mixed finale to an outstanding year of Batman and Robin. This issue leads directly into The Return of Bruce Wayne, and I'm pretty psyched (I do wish Dick could have had more time as Batman though). I'll continue to follow Morrison into as he tells his own strange and surreal Batman epic.
I love Grant Morrison and I love the work he's been doing with Batman the last few years. I have awaited each new issue of Batman and Robin in some sort of near religious frenzy. I loved the first arc with Frank Quitely, I loved the second arc despite some unclear and muddled artwork. The third arc was the weakest I felt, but it was still the best Bat book on the shelves. And I had really enjoyed "Batman vs Robin" so far. But the grand finale left me feeling slightly disappointed.
Why?
Not the art, that's for sure. Andy Clarke's art is pitch perfect for this book. His style is reminiscent of Quitely's and it stands out as the best art Batman and Robin has seen since Quitely's departure.
My disappointment comes from the fact that this issue does not really wrap up the first year's worth of stories like I had hoped it would. Yes, the identity of the Domino Killer is revealed, and yes the mystery of Oberon Sexton is unravelled. But these event happen so late in the issue its almost as if they were tacked on as an after-thought. I am extremely intrigued as to where these new developments will take us, but I wish they had been given more time. I would have gladly sacrificed some of the bizarre scavenger hunt in Wayne Mannor for more of Oberon Sexton.
The highlight of the issue is Dick's confrontation with Deathstroke in Talia's hideout. Dick reminds us of the mutual hatred between these two while showing Deathstroke who's boss.
All in all a mixed finale to an outstanding year of Batman and Robin. This issue leads directly into The Return of Bruce Wayne, and I'm pretty psyched (I do wish Dick could have had more time as Batman though). I'll continue to follow Morrison into as he tells his own strange and surreal Batman epic.
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