DC:
Batman #6
Written by: Scott Snyder
Drawn by: Greg Capullo
-Story: Batman decides to fight back against the Court of Owls after getting his ass handed to him by the Talons. A lot of people have said that this script is very Frank Miller in tone and I agree, but it’s filtered through a Scott Snyder lens that gives the book its own tone rather than copying Miller directly. We’re about to see Batman’s big comeback and I love that this book ends on another cliffhanger.
-Writing: Snyder gives Batman his badass Frank Miller-moments whilst delving into some very Miller-esque dialogue for a few pages in the issue. Not only that, but he makes his villains seem scary and straight out of a good horror story, something Snyder excels at. What Snyder does with his script is excellent work.
-Artwork: Capullo has moved on from his Spawn days to give us really graphic, horror-inspired work that also carries a cartoon-sense. His beat-up Batman is a thing of awe and shock and he makes the Court of Owls all, well, Owl-like. His use of heavy lines for the darker parts and thinner lines for the lighter parts give the issue some nice contrast between pages. Capullo is the real star of the book in my opinion, even though Snyder does just as well. 5/5
Nightwing #6
Written by: Kyle Higgins
Drawn by: Eddy Barrows
-Nightwing #5 was the big reveal of the villain, and this is the big reveal of him to Dick Grayson and his motives. Higgins writes tense, emotional scripts that help define Nightwing as his own man rather than a protégé of Batman. Barrows is back on art as boring as ever with his only skill being that he draws movement fairly well. However, he was completely outmatched by Andy Kubert in every aspect on a previous issue. Please DC, can we get Kubert on art here? 3.5/5
Red Hood and the Outlaws #6
Written by: Scott Lobdell
Drawn by: Kenneth Rocafort
-This issue felt extremely unnecessary and is only the second bad issue in the series so far, with the other being the first. This is sure to draw on more criticism of the misappropriated sexuality behind the book but we see plenty of equal opportunity nudeness in Jason Todd as well. Mostly I was disappointed because this serves as a flashback issue and an origin to the team when this sort of thing should’ve been done 5 issues ago. Rocafort’s art and Lobdell’s script aren’t bad; it’s just that this issue was pointless. 3/5
Marvel:
Avenging Spider-Man #4
Written by: Zeb Wells
Drawn by: Greg Land
-I’ve never liked Hawkeye as a character as he always felt dull to me. Well’s script does him no favors except make him a slightly less washed-up version of Green Arrow, and the attempts at giving him a personality are flat and boring. Even Spider-Man himself provides running commentary on how bad his attitude and character traits are. Greg Land draws relatively simple figures but his action scenes are nice, clean-cut and easy to follow. 2.5/5
Venom #13.2
Written by: Rob Williams
Drawn by: Sana Takeda
-The Venom event continues, nothing really happens, etc. However, even though nothing really happens, Takeda’s art is cartoony and everywhere and he draws demons really well. He is a mimic of past artists though. Rob William’s script is weak in a few places but he gives Venom and Rulk some badass moments while X-23 and Ghost Rider get some powerful, emotional moments. This was more of a character building issue to me. 2.5/5