Category Batman

A Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #13 Micro-Review – Refresher Course

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Batman Superman World's Finest 13, cover, March 2023, Dan MoraTITLE: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #13
AUTHOR: Mark Waid
ARTISTS: Dan Mora, Tamra Bonvillain (Colorist), Steve Wands (Letterer)
RELEASED: March 21, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This issue dives into Metamorpho’s origin story. It’s a nice little refresher course for readers who aren’t familiar with him.

Waid, Mora, and Bonvillain also give us some quality work with Jimmy Olsen here. Hat-tip to them for that. A more modern take on Jimmy Olsen can be tough to get right. They do a pretty good job, though.

Also? Batgirl is in this issue. Very nice to see Mora and Bonvillain work on her.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Batman: The Adventures Continue – Season Three #3 Micro-Review – A Debate Club Meeting?

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Batman the Adventures Continue Season Three 3, cover, March 2023, Baldemar RivasTITLE: Batman: The Adventures Continue – Season Three #3
AUTHORS: Alan Burnett, Paul Dini
ARTISTS:  Ty Templeton, Monica Kubina (Colorist), Josh Reed (Letterer). Cover by Baldemar Rivas.
RELEASED: March 14, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

There’s a scene in this book where Batman is getting beat up by Joker’s  henchman Straightman, and he laments that Robin is away at a debate club meeting. Mind you, the scene presumably takes place late at night. Strange time for a school club meeting, huh? Unless he’s away on some kind of club-related trip. But that’s not what the book says…

Task Force X, a.k.a. the Suicide Squad, is in this issue. I get confused about the timeline of this book. Is it supposed to be before or after the events of Justice League Unlimited?

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Batman #133 Micro-Review – Alfred With a Sword?

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Batman 133, cover, March 2023, Jorge JimenezTITLE: Batman #133
AUTHOR: Chip Zdarsky
ARTISTS: Mike Hawthorne, Adriano Di Benedetto (Inker), Tomeu Morey (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer), Miguel Mendona, Roman Stevens (Colorist). Cover by Jorge Jimenez.
RELEASED: March 7, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Does Alfred have a sword on that cover? Uh, why? I mean, he doesn’t wield a sword in the issue…

I go hot and cold on this  “The Bat-Man of Gotham” story. Some months I’m into it, some months I’m not. The art is fine. But from a story perspective, I’m waiting for something to really pique my interest, and thus far I haven’t seen it.

I found myself wishing the Tim Drake back-up got a little more page time. Or at least this segment of the story with Toyman.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #5 Micro-Review – Stupid Batgirl

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Batman and the Joker the Deadly Duo 5, cover, March 2023, Marc SilvestriTITLE: Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #5
AUTHOR:  Marc Silvestri
ARTISTS: Silvestri, Arif Prianto (Colorist), Troy Peteri (Letterer)
RELEASED: March 7, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

There’s a scene in this issue where Batgirl fights and interrogates an imprisoned Joker, and he chastises her for not having shackles on like he does. So what does she do? She puts shackles on. In the ensuing fight, Joker actually gets the upper hand for a time.

There’s a difference between writing heroes as honorable, moralistic, and principled, and writing heroes as stupid. This fell hard into the stupid column.

There’s a panel during said fight where Batgirl throws a kick at Joker’s face that, from a kinesiology standpoint, just doesn’t work. You’ll know it when you see it.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface #1 Micro-Review – Getting Cute with Clay

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Batman One Bad Day Clayface 1, cover, February 2023, XermanicoTITLE: Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface #1
AUTHOR: Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing
ARTISTS:  Xermanico, Romulo Fajardo Jr. (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer)
RELEASED: February 21, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This issue gets cutesy at certain points, with Basil Karlo working on movies based on The Killing Joke, and then the Grey Ghost from Batman: The Animated Series. Actually, this issue reminds me a lot of a B:TAS episode.

All in all, this is pretty solid. Definitely one of the better One Bad Day issues. It dives in the bitter actor/artist side of Clayface as he tries to get his big break as a performer. It all goes about the way you’d expect. But that isn’t a bad thing. Xermanico and Fajardo also make it look great.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Detective Comics #1069 Micro-Review – Friends and Comrades

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Detective Comics 1069, cover, February 2023, Evan CagleTITLE: Detective Comics #1069
AUTHORS: Ram V, Simon Spurrier
ARTISTS: Dexter Soy, Stefano Raffaele, Miguel Mendonca, Adriano Lucas (Colorist), Ariana Maher (Letterer), Caspar Winjgaard, Steve Wands (Letterer). Cover by Evan Cagle.
RELEASED: February 28, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

These back-up stories we get in Detective Comics are hit-or-miss for me. This month we start a new one centered around Mr. Freeze. Thankfully, it looks like it’s a hit. Especially when it comes to Caspar Winjgaard’s art.

Meanwhile, Ram V is gradually adding a newish dimension to Batman’s relationship with Jim Gordon, expanding on their relationship as friends and comrades. While his larger story isn’t landing for me, his take on the Batman/Gordon dynamic is interesting.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Superman: Space Age #3 Micro-Review – The Batman Trap, Continued…

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Superman Spage Age 3, cover, February 2023, Mike AllredTITLE: Superman: Space Age #3
AUTHOR: Mark Russell
ARTISTS: Mike Allred, Laura Allred (Colorist), Dave Sharpe (Letterer)
RELEASED: February 21, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This one actually made me angry. Like, physically angry.

Superman: Space Age had an amazing first issue. As in, one of the most amazing starts to a Superman story I’ve read in quite some time. But both this issue and issue #2 fell into what I’ll call the “Batman trap.” In essence, Batman was introduced and took center-stage for enough pages that Space Age could qualify as a Batman/Superman story, as opposed to just a Superman one. It’s an easy trap for DC Comics writers to fall into. But I thought Mark Russell was better than that.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #12 Micro-Review – One Bad Date

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Batman Superman World's Finest 12, cover, February 2023, Dan MoraTITLE: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #12
AUTHOR: Mark Waid
ARTISTS: Emanuela Lupacchino, Wade Von Grawbadger & Norm Rapmund (Inkers), Tamra Bonvillain (Colorist), Steve Wands (Letterer). Cover by Dan Mora. 
RELEASED: February 21, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This is a comedic issue about a first (and presumably last) date between Supergirl and Robin. How comedic is it played? There’s an avalanche of bowling balls released from a truck into oncoming traffic. And it’s caused by a monkey.

As a point of trivia, I didn’t know Kara Zor-El and Dick Grayson were around the same age. I just naturally assumed she was younger than him.

Dan Mora is strictly on cover duty this month. But Lupacchino, Von Grawbadger, and Rapmund do a fine job. I’d be open to seeing more from them on this book.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Batman: The Adventures Continue – Season Three #2 Micro-Review – That Certain Look…

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Batman the Adventures Continue Season Three 2, cover, February 2023, Kevin Altieri, Monica KubinaTITLE: Batman: The Adventures Continue – Season Three #2
AUTHORS: Alan Burnett, Paul Dini
ARTISTS: Kevin Altieri, Monica Kubina (Colorist), Josh Reed (Letterer)
RELEASED: February 14, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Kevin Altieri’s art is reminiscent of the original Batman: The Animated Series, as opposed to the subsequent show, The New Batman Adventures. That’s not a bad thing, per se. But aren’t these Adventures Continue issues are supposed to look like the latter?

This issue is largely about Harley Quinn, and incorporates her bisexual nature into the story. I have to assume that’s been formally done in the BTAS universe before…right? It’s certainly been done in the main DC Universe.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Batman #132 Micro-Review – “In Any World, I Love Her”

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Batman 132, cover, February 2023, Jorge JimenezTITLE: Batman #132
AUTHOR: Chip Zdarsky
ARTISTS: Mike Hawthorne, Adriano Di Benedetto (Inker), Tomeu Morey (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer). Cover by Jorge Jimenez.
RELEASED: February 7, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I don’t necessarily notice this kind of thing often. But that red dress Selina’s wearing in this issue? Killer.

Bruce has a great line about her, too. He’s in an alternate universe, and sees this alternate version of Selina. He thinks to himself, “In any world, I love her.” Beautiful.

I’m starting to get into one of the central ideas of this “The Bat-Man of Gotham” story: An older Bruce Wayne forming his Batman identity again with all his memories from his old life intact. To an extent, he’s getting a chance to start over as Batman. I’m intrigued.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.