AND I'll deserve it....
Batman and Robin #19 $2.99
Art by Scott McDaniel and Rob Hunter
Cover by Patrick Gleason
1:10 Variant cover by Gene Ha
Batman and Robin have found The Absence, but a deathtrap awaits them. How do you prove a negative? How do you escape nothing? When there's nothing at the center of a life, madness can stick its claws in!
The book's holding up well with out Grant Morrison, at least so far. The whole multiple Batman/Batman Inc. stuff still rankles me, but, yeah, I have to admit the Dick Grayson/Batman & Damian Wayne/Robin team is a heck of a combo. It's just fun to watch them bounce off each other, with Robin being the darker of the two, for once.
I'll hand it to Morrison, this was a smart, non-continuity-busting way to bring back a Silver Age-like, more light-hearted Batman. We all know how Morrison loves him some Silver Age weirdness. I just can't help wondering what's going to happen when they FINALLY take Morrison off the Batman books. Will Damian remain? I can't see Bruce putting up with his crap for half a second, yet, on the other hand, I get the impression Damian would be much more deferential to Bruce...Er, Daddy...
Booster Gold #40 $2.99
Art and cover by CHRIS BATISTA
& RICH PERROTTA
Coming to grips with reality at last, Booster Gold steps up his game and finally accepts the fact that his best friend, Blue Beetle Ted Kord, is dead. This is bad news for the villain who shows up this month because they're about to face an angry Booster Gold…
And so, we move on. As I mentioned with the last issue, really happy to see the Ted Kord thing take a back-burner. I'm interested to see what Giffen and DeMatteis will do with a Booster released from that obsession. It'll be nice if we can get back to a more mission-oriented book, let's see Booster defending the time-stream of the DC Universe, again. That's supposed to be his job, and what makes this book unique.
Oh, I know they'll get back to Ted. I'm not naive enough to think he'll stay dead. thing is, by backing off a bit, it's gonna have more impact.
Red Robin #19 $2.99
Art and cover by MARCUS TO & RAY MCCARTHY
When Red Robin and his friends are trapped in the unknown world of the Unternet by the Calculator's fail-safe program, it's Batman and Robin to the rescue – but which Batman and Robin is it? If the Unternet is a telepathic communications gestalt where the villains' dreams come true, can Red Robin become its waking nightmare?
Wow, that solicitation synopsis is far more "out there" than this series usually is. Excellent! What's nice about having Tim Drake no longer have to be "Robin," but a new persona that isn't trapped under a million marketing deals, is the ability to really play around with it. Also, with Tim being a computer whiz, the plot fits well with his skill set.
Frankly, I just love this book. That was unexpected, and it didn't start off as strong as it ended up being. This should sever as notice to DC. Let things build with time, and find their footing. This books has evolved into one of the most consistent in your line. It sad to know that, without the Batman tie-in, it would've never gotten the chance.
Side Editorial Comment:
I am loving the special covers this month. The "iconic" poses, and the white backgrounds, really let the characters "pop." Now, of course, you wouldn't want to do this all the time, but it does give a sense of how the covers should feature the stars of the book prominently. I mean, we all buy a Comic Shops now, not on the newsstand, but...it's still a wall of books, and this month it's been easy to zero in on my characters and it's stood out form the competition.
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