Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #5 (of 6)
Art by RYAN SOOK
Cover by ANDY KUBERT
1:25 variant cover by RYAN SOOK
Grant Morrison is joined by all-star artist Ryan Sook in the penultimate issue of THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE! In this story, Bruce Wayne finds himself in the hard-boiled streets of Gotham City's past. Will his adventure as a private investigator help him take one step closer to the present day?
I still am no fan of Morrison's handling of the Batman titles, in a macro sense. His way of dealing with Bruce Wayne, as a character, for me, left much to be desired. That said, I'm actually finding this mini-series to be the best work Morrison has done with Bruce. Yeah, it's a little high-concept for what I want in a Batman story, but I firmly recognize Bruce Wayne in what Morrison is doing. I couldn't say that, consistently, about Morrison's writing since waaay back when he re-launched the "Big 7" version of JLA.
Oh, I still think Batman mopping the floor with the White Martians, after they'd smashed every other member of the team, in the first arc of that series, was one of the greatest Batman moments of all time. That was the Batman I'd expected when Morrison took over the line, maybe a little more sci-fi that we'd been getting, but still about the smartest man in the world. A man always at least 1 step ahead of everyone else in the room. It hasn't felt that way (except MAYBE for Batman's confrontation with Darkseid at the end of Final Crisis) for me until this mini-series.
Booster Gold #37
Written by KEITH GIFFENand J.M. DEMATTEIS
Art by CHRIS BATISTA
and RICH PERROTTA
Cover by DAN JURGENS
AND JERRY ORDWAY
Continually leaping from yesterday to today, Booster Gold finds himself conflicted between reliving happier times with Ted Kord and chasing Max Lord in the present. Is it getting to be too much for our time-spanning hero? Will he pull it together in time to help his friends in the JLI? Or will he spend all of his copious free time rescuing super-models from near-death explosions? Well, this IS Booster Gold, after all…
This is a top-notch series, now that Giffen and DeMatteis have brought their Justice League International-style irreverence to bear. The book is very, very funny, but without losing the dramatic urgency and thrust. It's a really fine line to walk, but one these two guys just seem to do effortlessly, and revel in. I actually greatly enjoyed this new Booster Gold series when it first appeared, with Geoff Johns pulling the strings. He set Booster up as a sort of "temporal cop" for the DC Universe, working with "Time Master" Rick Hunter. Eventually, I dropped it because I felt like it had lost it's identity.
What's nice about Giffen and DeMatteis coming on board is that the series now feels like something different, not just another superhero book with a gimmick. The gimmick being time travel, and playing around in past DCU events. I feel like G&D understand who Booster was, and how events have made him more responsible and trustworthy, and they can successfully merge those two elements into a consistently entertaining whole.
Green Lantern #58
Art and Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
& CHRISTIAN ALAMY
1:10 Variant cover by ALEX GARNER
BRIGHTEST DAY continues as Adara, the Hope Entity, finds a host in a young girl who may be destined to be a great savior. Can this young student hope to contain such a powerful force – and what will drive Hal Jordan on a spiritual journey unlike any he's ever taken?
OK, so...
I'm kinda over Brightest Day. It's not so much that it's bad, it's just...well, it feels like it's getting drawn out far beyond where it needs to. Blackest Night felt like it was here and gone, it didn't overstay it's welcome, and, frankly, the Brightest Day storyline seems far slighter. Yet, I am a Green Lantern fan. I'm curious about how this will all turn out. What is truly annoying is that this book, in particular, has gone from being fairly self-contained, while definitely connected to other titles, to a book that feels like I'm missing at least half the story.
And that annoys me.
Please, Didio, Lee, Johns...whoever, give the crossovers a rest. If you wait 2-3 years for the next one, it'll feel huge and important. This rapid string of "EVENTS!!!" has only served to make brutally apparent that nothing really changes.
Jonah Hex #60
and JIMMY PALMIOTT
Art and cover by BRIAN STELFREEZE
Can Jonah Hex help it if he's good at poker? No, of course not. But some people are sore losers – and sometimes those sore losers have some very rough and violent older brothers who are willing to fight for their little brother's "honor."
Unless you;
A) Have just started reading the blog.
B) Have comprehension issues.
C) are just obtuse.
You ought to know damn well how I feel about Gray and Palmiotti's Jonah Hex.
It's GREAT, go buy it.
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