Hello again GEN readers! It’s Jill a.k.a. The Nerdy Bird back with this week’s installment of DoubleDCoverage. Batman and Robin feels like Mr. Toads Wild Ride and exactly how has the Earth not gone spiraling out of orbit thanks to New Krypton? Reviews for Batman and Robin #1 and Superman: World of New Krypton #4 are ahead, also, check out my star ratings for my other pulls from last Wednesday!

BATMAN AND ROBIN #1

I’ll be frank (no, not Frank Quietly), I was scared as hell picking up the first issue of Grant Morrison’s Batman and Robin. I’d been enjoying his Batman run immensely until R.I.P. came along and by the time Final Crisis was over I didn’t know which way was up anymore. It absolutely felt like falling down the rabbit hole, including the psychotropic drug imagery. So yes, I was scared before I picked it up but as it turns out, I was scared after putting it down as well, although for an entirely different reason.

Batman and Robin opens with a spectacular car chase worthy of a big budget, blockbuster action film, albeit with a giant toad behind the wheel and a flying Batmobile. Sounds exactly like what I was trying to avoid but bear with me because it was a ride to remember. The dynamic of the Dynamic Duo is much changed. Batman is now Dick Grayson and the new punk in the Robin costume is Bruce Wayne’s son Damian. Dick is busy trying to quell the beast inside the little devil while filling his mentors rather large shoes. It’s hard to tell which is going to turn out to be the bigger challenge.

You can’t expect a new Batman and Robin to face-off against the same, tired old villains and thankfully, neither did Morrison. They deserve a new cast of Rogues don’t you think? The toad behind the wheel was really Mr. Toad and he’s part of a much larger, determined gang of circus folk who aren’t clowning around. His boss? Say hello to your new worst nightmare – Pyg. He’s got a thing for masquerade, donning a swine mask himself but also traveling with a band of hairy henchman wearing matching doll faces. If you’d like to wear one, permanently, feel free to cross him. The frightening images on the last few pages are going to be with me a while.

Although I don’t have much to say yet about my like or dislike of the new team itself, I have boundless amounts of praise to give this first issue. Morrison’s ideas came together with ease this time around. It was simplicity at it’s best – two easily understandable heroes and new, fascinating villains. Frank Quietly’s execution of those villains and action was nothing short of spectacular. I can see how on paper they might come off as a bit campy but one look at those creepy, lifeless masks and you’ll be reminded what the word villain really means. Dick as Batman is a hard sell for me so Morrison still has his work cut out for him on that front but personally, I hope Batman and Robin becomes a recurring nightmare.

SUPERMAN: WORLD OF NEW KRYTON #4 (OF 12)

Forget about the gravitational pull a whole new planet has on a universe (the science geek in me is still annoyed at that one), New Krypton couldn’t stay off the radar of the Guardians of the Universe for long. It was inevitable Green Lanterns would eventually be dispatched there to assess the situation, they just overestimated their popularity.

Hal Jordan, John Stewart and Sodam-Yat have been sent to New Krypton to address the Guardians concerns but are all surprised to find General Zod in charge. At his suggestion, Tyr takes them on a tour of the planet to ease their concerns. They’ve been using Brainiac’s technology to terraform and so far it’s been working quite well. Also, from their talks it looks like Sodam might be paying a visit to Earth soon to see fellow Daxamite Mon-El. Whether this will be a pleasant meeting remains to be seen, we all know Sodam’s hatred for his people.

The tour is cut short when Zod calls Kal back to discuss new information on the Phantom Zone fugitives. He has a plan to apprehend them but Kal’s unit, Red Shard, is charged only with defending the perimeter. Of course the actual plan falls by the wayside when Kal and the GL’s witness an explosion caused by one of the fugitives called Greyline. Turns out he’s on Oa’s most wanted list as well but things get even more complicated when Zod orders Kal’s second-in-command, Lieutenant Nar, to execute him once he’s in custody. She listens to Kal instead and gives the GL’s a chance to put him in green shackles. Like any high-profile arrest, the question of jurisdiction comes into play and Zod winds up taking Greyline into custody. The only thing left is to charge Kal and Lieutenant Nar with treason for disobeying orders.

I expected this issue to be a lot more explosive considering the personalities involved (a fight between Kal and Hal on the cover never happens) but considering the locale not much really could happen without starting a war. Kal and Hal have known each other for a long time but with over 100,000 inhabitants with super hearing not much more could be said than “You’re going to have to trust me on this.” Also, the GL’s are powerful but there were only three of them. Hopefully it won’t be the last time they show up on New Krypton as I can see a lot of potential for conflict down the road. I’m enjoying this book a lot but I feel like its pace could pick up just a bit.

SECRET SIX #10 – Bane and Scandal get in a quick cuddle before the team heads off on their next mission which involves lots and lots of blood. Love the new cover artist by the way.

My pull list for next week:

ACTION COMICS # 878
BATMAN #687
BOOSTER GOLD #21
THE FLASH: REBIRTH #3 (OF 6)
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #37
RED ROBIN #1

Which two should I review for DoubleDCoverage #12?

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