Batman Incorporated #8
Rating: ★★★★1/2
After an incredible run, Grant Morrison’s Batman story is finally nearing its conclusion. The war has begun. Everything Batman Incorporated has been leading up to starts here. I wasn’t a huge fan of Batman Incorporated until the series was rebooted after The New 52. I loved seeing a Batman story on such an epic scale with the entire team together including all of the Robins. There was a great moment between Damian and Nightwing that got me feeling sentimental because I knew what was coming next. Now before I get to the issue’s big shocker; did we all know this was coming? This Tuesday (the day before this comic was released), the issue was spoiled across the web after an interview with Morrison. However, looking back, this has been setup for a while. A “shocking event” has been teased for a while, so could it have really gone down any other way? Either way, I was still surprised that DC really went there. Not only is the boy wonder dead, but Damian was beaten brutally to death, and that was hard-hitting considering his young age, truly proving that no one in Batman’s family is untouchable. This issue proves how risky Morrison’s storytelling is, but I like the fact that he took this gamble. Damian is a fan-favourite (he’s my favourite!), but he had to die. The artwork is as great as usual with Chris Burnham drawing this extra-bloody issue, and the final panel was (although reflective of Death in the Family) something I can see going down as an iconic moment in Batman’s anthology. And this is an iconic issue that doesn’t feel like a gimmick, continues this great story, and is definitely worth your time.
Uncanny Avengers #4
Rating: ★★★★
It’s the final battle between the Uncanny Avengers and Red Skull, whose influence has been taken to the next level after taking possession of Xavier’s brain and the telepathic abilities that come with it. I’ve enjoyed the story so far and was surprised by the last issue in which Red Skull brainwashed innocent bystanders, forcing them to murder any of the new mutants they could find. I found this to be a pretty bold move, and very surprising with new mutants only arriving very recently. I didn’t think they would go as far as to kill off any of these new mutants but I was glad to see them do something so dark without being apologetic about it. It was also great to see Captain America versus the Red Skull in this issue’s climax, and I liked the way Rick Remender emphasized the never-ending war between the two. He did a great job of amplifying how Cap would never be corrupted and would never lose his faith in his country which, at least this is how I read it, is ultimately what defeats the Red Skull. The characters really came alive in this issue and I was invested in them a lot more than in recent issues, specifically Havok after a great flashback to the death of his parents at the beginning of the issue. Overall, I enjoyed this book and I’m glad the war with the Red Skull isn’t quite over yet, as I’ve found him to be a worthy opponent for the Uncanny Avengers so far.
Hawkeye #8
Rating: ★★★★★
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a HUGE fan of Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye. Although I've never been a big fan of the character, after reading Fraction’s series I have fallen in love with Clint Barton. This series has never disappointed me and after reading #8, it is still yet to let me down. David Aja’s artwork is as beautiful and classy as it’s always been and the deadpan humour is spot-on as per usual. It was interesting to see Hawk[guy] out of his comfort zone in that he was essentially committing a crime, and I was glad to see him take the wrap for it for his Valentine, despite the trouble it would get him into. I also thought the comic book covers placed throughout the book drawn by Annie Wu fit perfectly, and their ultimate purpose was also a nice reveal. So far, my only gripe with the series was that if I was going to read long-term, I wanted to see some king of story come together soon. And the last couple of pages suggest that will be happening. I loved seeing the enemies Clint has fought so far come together to recruit an assassin (who will make his debut in #9) to kill an Avenger. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing Hawkeye face “The Clown” next issue, and I also wouldn’t mind seeing another team up like this with Clint and Penny getting into ridiculous situations such as this. Either way, I’ll be picking up Hawkeye again next month expecting another great read.
"Why can't Jeremy Renner be this badass?"
-George
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