DETECTIVE COMICS #26 by John Layman and Aaron Lopresti
The Man-Bat arc that began in
Detective Comics #19 and continued mostly in backup stories is given a full issue to conclude. This isn't exactly Layman's best issue on the title to date, but I thought it was a pretty decent read. The first few pages that featured a group of young people exploring a cave only to have something bad happen really reminded me of the opening of any episode of
Law & Order or one of its spin-offs. Of course, that would be if any of those episodes featured a deadly She-Bat. Perhaps
Supernatural would have been the more appropriate show to reference. As you have concluded from either reading previous issues or from the last few sentences, Batman must go up against Man-Bat AND She-Bat in this finale. The deck isn't completely stacked against The Caped Crusader because Kirk Langstrom has better control over his beast within and wants to help Batman stop the threat presented by his wife Francine's bestial mayhem. It's most appropriate that Batman uses his brain to win the day because this is "Detective Comics", after all.
If you came to see the Jason Fabok show, you should know that he sat out this issue for the most part. He contributed the cover art and will be back for some interiors next month. In the meantime, Aaron Lopresti does a fine job of taking the reins. He recently collaborated with Layman last month on
Catwoman #25, which was a
Zero Year tie-in. He will also be back for an issue or two of 'Tec in early 2014, so get used to seeing him. Lopresti's art has a certain quality to it that makes every panel look like a screencap from a DC Universe animated film. It's quite appropriate because this particular issue felt like an episode of
The Batman, at least for me. (That's not a bad thing. I'm someone that really enjoyed that show.)
This isn't necessarily a must read issue of
Detective Comics, but if you're interested to see how the Man-Bat arc ends, then you should pick it up. I definitely would not classify it as a filler issue. The ending also leads into the three issue arc "Gothtopia" that kicks off next month. If you still need your Man-Bat fix, you will be pleased to know that he returns this February in
Batman: The Dark Knight #28 by Gregg Hurwitz and Ethan Van Sciver.
Score: 7/10.
EARTH 2 #18 by Tom Taylor and Nicola Scott
Tom Taylor is on fire! The man who brought us the comic book tie-in for the popular video game
Injustice: Gods Among Us manages to tell a story of another alternate universe without retreading any ground from his aforementioned book. Sure, both titles have an evil Superman, but I guarantee that they are remarkably different interpretations. Putting a fresh spin on what seems like simple concepts of an evil Superman and a new Batman could possibly go wrong, but Taylor makes it work. Not only does he make it look easy, he makes it highly intriguing. I love how the whole issue had this "superheroes in the trenches" vibe as the war with Apokolips begins.
There are some definite highlights in this issue to discuss. First, I'll talk a little about the new Batman. This version of the character seems to be one that hasn't been done before. While the man under the cowl will turn out to be someone familiar, he seems to be somewhat superhuman this time around. His origin will be revealed this January in
Earth 2 Annual #2 and I can't wait. He also seems to be a very focused tactician, if you get the Flashpoint. We also get to see Superman race the Flash, but it's not fun and games like DC has done in the past. You will want to see how this marathon meets its painful end. I hope Taylor eventually details how Darkseid turned Superman. Aquawoman and Jimmy Olsen are also introduced in cool new ways. The Joker makes an appearance, though he's not likely to stick around.
If you haven't been reading
Earth 2, I highly recommend that you pick up this and last month's issue. Some exciting new concepts are being explored and apparently things are really set to hit the fan in 2014. Events on this Earth are supposedly set to have a larger significance in the DC Multiverse this summer. Be sure to get in on the action now.
Score: 8/10.
GREEN LANTERN #81 by Ron Marz and Various
Doing retro reviews is something I have been thinking about for some time now. It's not something I will do on a weekly basis, but you can probably expect to see them from time to time now and I hope CBM readers welcome them. Yesterday I was going through the dollar bin at Back To The Past Collectibles in Redford, Michigan and came across this gem. It first drew me in due to its attractive embossed cover and has a very cool gravestone texture to it. Once I realized that this was a Hal Jordan memorial issue, I knew I had to have it.
The issue is broken into two stories. The first focuses on various DC superheroes getting together to hold a memorial service for the recently departed Hal Jordan. This was, of course, after his demise met during the now infamous Parallax incident. If you like to see superheroes get together outside of their daily adventures and exchange touching moments, then this is for you. I also recommend it for fans of
The Death of Superman and
Identity Crisis. The second story tells of a forgotten adventure from early in Hal's career. While not as engaging, I found the portion of it that hearkened back to the Silver Age to be pretty neat. I understand the nostalgia value of showing Hal's origin, but thought it conflicted with Marz's retelling of Hal's early days not long before this.
Geoff Johns obviously redefined Green Lantern during his incredible nine year run with the character, but Ron Marz also carved his niche in the '90s. I recommend readers go back and read some of his works if you haven't already. There's the obvious introduction of Kyle Rayner, but you should also read
Emerald Dawn. Although it's no longer part of canon due to Johns'
Secret Origin, it did a good job of retelling Hal's origin at the time it was written. (This is what I was referring to moments ago.) It may also interest you to know that it was a huge influence on an earlier draft of the script for the
Green Lantern film. Legion was originally the film's villain, but Johns suggested they change it to Parallax. Hopefully this review inspires you to look into past works in your comic shop's back issue bin or dig around in those boxes marked "$1". You never know what you will find.
Score: 8.5/10