BATMAN #26 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo
This isn't exactly what I expected from the "Dark City" portion of "Zero Year". I expected to see Batman saving a blacked out city and solving elaborate puzzles created by The Riddler. Other than delivering a printed riddle, he's entirely absent from this issue. Instead citizens of Gotham continue to get boned, so to speak, by Dr. Death. Other than making his victims suffer gruesome deaths, I haven't found him to be a very interesting character. We have two more issues of "Dark City" to go, so maybe Snyder will impress me.
The Bruce Wayne/ Jim Gordon dynamic is the backbone of this issue. We get flashbacks to their earliest encounters when Bruce was still a child in what could be called "Gordon's Coat: Secret Origin". The Jim Corrigan cameo was a nice touch. Whenever he pops up in anything now I hear Jon Polito in
The Spectre animated short shouting "Corrigan, get your ass in here!" Despite the fact that Gordon is now beginning to trust Batman, Bruce hates Gordon. He even implies that he's corrupt! It will be interesting to see how their relationship plays out and how it got to the point where they trust each other implicitly.
Despite not being the best installment of "Zero Year" (see
Batman #24), it's still a pretty strong issue. Snyder has proven himself to be one of the definitive Batman writers of the past decade, so I have faith that all the parts will form a respectable whole. Capullo puts forth yet another valiant effort as an artist and FCO Plasencia is back to give us an atypical, yet wonderful color palette. Memo to DC: Batman action figures featuring him in his "Zero Year" costume can't get here fast enough.
Score: 8/10.
SUPERMAN/ WONDER WOMAN #3 by Charles Soule and Tony Daniel
This is what superhero comics are all about. How Charles Soule can write so many books and churn out one that's this good is commendable. The fact that everything he does is highly acclaimed means I'm having a hard time finding the proper adjective. Tony Daniel continues to raise the bar when it comes to artwork and Tomeu Morey continues to be the jelly to his peanut butter with more of those sublime colors.
After delivering two action packed issues that found the time to still have substance to go with the style, this issue takes the time to focus a bit more on character. I believe this will make for a very well-rounded read when it's collected in a trade. We're treated to a very pleasant scene between Batman and Superman in which Bruce gives Clark some sage advice pertaining to his personal life. It manages to capture the Batman/ Superman relationship even better than the actual
Batman/ Superman title that's currently in publication. I really hope Soule one day gets the chance to write a Batman monthly.
Zod arrives on the scene in a big way when he takes several members of the Justice League of America to the limit. To say that he is formidable is an understatement. The New 52 version of Martian Manhunter is extremely powerful and Zod nearly killed him. That's definitely no easy feat. Another highlight of this issue was Wonder Woman's presenting of a Christmas gift to Superman. I may favor Lois Lane when it comes to an Earthling romancing an alien, but this installment really showed why getting these two together will one day be looked upon as an important era in DC history.
It's important to note that this arc takes place before
Trinity War. Believe it or not, it somehow has surpassed the quality of the first two issues. In the past few months, I've said it's the best Superman book within New 52 continuity and one of DC's best books. This month, I think it surpassed
Smallville to become my favorite Superman book on the market. For those that know me personally, that's really saying something.
Score:9.5/10.
SMALLVILLE: ALIEN #1 by Bryan Q. Miller and Edgar Salazar
This month begins the new status quo of
Smallville, meaning that each arc will be a uniquely numbered mini-series. I'm pleased to tell you that the inaugural issue of "Alien" is the best issue of the main series in a while; specifically since the "Haunted" arc. The title "Alien" has a significant, dual meaning. Not only does it reference the fact that Superman has finally confessed to the world that he is an extraterrestrial and is dealing with the ramifications, but a Monitor has fallen from the sky and landed in Russia. Yes, we're talking
Crisis Monitor. Clark and Lex are each on a mad dash to recover his body for their own purposes.
Highlights of the issue include a flashback to Clark in elementary school in which Jonathan Kent delivers one of those moments that shows what every father should be. Fans of the television series will no doubt eat this up. Not only that, we get some interaction between Lex and Clark that hearkens back to the days when they were best friends. It was entertaining to see the amnesiac Lex unable to figure out exactly why he likes Clark, but hates Superman. If you're a fan of the Rocket Red Brigade, you will see their introduction toward the end.
I'm not sure how much longer
Smallville Season 11 will carry on for, but I'm glad the it's been given to the chance to continue as a series of mini-series rather than be cancelled. Hopefully Bryan Q. Miller still has a few surprises for us before it's all said and done. Here's me crossing my fingers for a
Smallville interpretation of Green Lantern.
Score: 8.5/10.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #25 by Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke
It's three weeks late, but we've finally gotten the Owlman origin that I and no doubt many others have been clamoring for. We still get that scene in a dark alley, but it's Thomas Junior and Alfred (The Outsider) that kill Thomas, Martha, and Bruce Wayne. Thomas Junior even gets somewhat of his own "I shall become a bat" omen featuring an owl. When we flash forward to the present on this Earth, Owlman can be seen taking over the organized crime element in Gotham. What came very unexpectedly was the New 52 origin of Plastic Man. Yep. It's in there.
The second major draw of this issue is the insight that's finally given as to why Owlman has empathy for Dick Grayson. The Graysons of Earth 3 are shown and apparently corrupt parenting is the rule of thumb on that planet. An uneasy alliance is forged between Owlman and Nightwing as T-Wayne has designs on ruling Earth that are entirely different from that of Ultraman's and the rest of the Crime Syndicate.
Frequent Geoff Johns collaborator Doug Mahnke handles art duties for this issue. Regular artist Ivan Reis still contributed cover art and will be back in two weeks for issue #26, which I'm pretty sure focuses on The Grid. Make no mistake,
Justice League is THE tie-in when it comes to getting the full
Forever Evil experience.
Score: 9/10