Hello again GEN readers! It’s Jill a.k.a. The Nerdy Bird back with this week’s installment of DoubleDCoverage. When an insane asylum is reborn things are bound to get messy and when heroes team up, asses are bound to get kicked. Reviews for Arkham Reborn #1 and World’s Finest #1 are ahead. Also, check out my star ratings for my other pulls from last Wednesday!
ARKHAM REBORN #1 (OF 3)
Man, that Arkham Asylum is having a tremendous year. First a hit video game, now a fantastic new mini-series. This comes courtesy of David Hine and Jeremy Haun, the creative team behind the one-shot Battle for the Cowl: Arkham Asylum. Which, let’s face it, was the stand-out of BftC. Prepare to fall even deeper into the madness as the asylum is rebuilt.
Arkham Asylum was left a smoldering ruin after Black Mask was through with it. It’s now partially reconstructed and Dr. Jeremiah Arkham is leading a quaint little tour group consisting of Bruce Wayne, D.A. Kate Spencer, Commissioner Gordon, Head of Security Aaron Cash and his new (creepy) assistant Alyce Sinner. It’s got an updated design and technology but the same ol’ crazies. Dr. Arkham seems to have a romanticized the place, calling the patients’ cells “suites,” something that doesn’t go unnoticed by his guests. Speaking of patients, some of the escapees have been rounded up and are already enjoying their new comforts. Clayface, for example, has access to the internet in his cell, albeit with parental controls.
Benjamin Wiley, the Raggedy Man, is one of the first patients Alyce is introduced to. He’s a serial killer who made his costume out of the possessions of his victims. It’s after she makes a mistake with him we find out about her past. She was part of a cult that participated in a mass suicide. She was the only one who wised up and survived but it’s obviously had a lasting effect on her. She’s been secretly dealing with Black Mask and they’ve got something called “the Amadeus code” they plan to use. Meanwhile, Dr. Arkham visits with his extra special patients, the three we first met in the BftC special: Alessio Morandi (No-Face), Myrna Freud (Hamburger Lady), and Narcissus (the Mirror Man). Even in their deep psychosis they know something is inherently wrong.
This issue was so good it makes me wish for an ongoing Arkham book or maybe a second feature in one of the Bat books. Obviously there’s a lot of discovery to be had with just the outlandish patients we’ve already seen but with all the lunatics that flock to Gotham, that could go on forever. Hine and Haun continue their brilliant work from Battle for the Cowl: Arkham Asylum. The inmates are rendered sufficiently creepy and I can’t wait to learn more about them. Now I’m looking forward to Bruce getting his cowl dirty exploring the new building looking for weaknesses.
WORLD’S FINEST #1 (OF 4)
“The next generation of the most famous super-hero team in comics history.” That’s what the promos for World’s Finest proclaimed. But what exactly does that entail? Superman is off-planet, Batman is…not around either, but they both have numerous associates who continue to carry on their work.
In this first issue Tim Wayne (Red Robin) teams up with Chris Kent (Nightwing). Chris’s other half, Thara (Flamebird), has been captured by the Penguin thanks to Dr. Abernathy (the Kryptonite Man). The two were looking for General Zod’s sleeper agents on Earth which eventually took them to Gotham. At first, Tim refuses to help claiming he’s too busy and “saving people isn’t my job anymore.” Chris manages to convince him by telling him all about the Nightwing/Flamebird prophecy and how it could potentially be important for the survival of Earth.
Penguin has set up an impromptu auction to sell Thara to the highest bidder. Tim and Chris quickly gain entrance to the building but their rescue plan hits a snag when Tim is spotted by one of Penguin’s goons. Luckily, something that was keeping them from seeing what was inside the building in the first place, liquefied lead, was what helped them win the day. Chris covers Abernathy in it and Thara is released from his kryptonite prison. She says she had a vision while she was unconscious and that they must return to Metropolis to protect Lois and Tim leaves them to their work. Abernathy has disappeared from the Penguin’s detail and wound up on the operating table of Toyman.
To me, this issue felt like it didn’t do a whole lot but what it did do, it did well. It had a simple plot but the characters are all true to their personalities. Chris is innocent and naive and Tim is moody and determined. One of the best parts of this story was a nod to the whereabouts of Bruce Wayne. When Chris found him Tim was tracking a motorcycle gang who had stolen an antique letter sent from Gotham to Amsterdam in 1809. You can bet it was Bruce that wrote the letter. Next issue, Robin and the Guardian meet for what I’m sure will be a very odd team-up indeed.
AMBUSH BUG: YEAR NONE #7 (OF 6) – Aww, I actually hate to see it end. DC making fun of itself is entertaining.
BATMAN #692 – Now this is what I call a story arc! It’s legacy versus legacy as Mario Falcone finds his way back to Gotham. This is gonna be fun to watch.
BLACKEST NIGHT #4 (OF 8 ) – I really enjoy seeing characters that have different reactions to the Black Lanterns, such as Scarecrow. Oh, and, he better not be dead.
BLACKEST NIGHT: TITANS #3 (OF 3) – Whereas the first two issues felt like they were moving too slowly, this one certainly kicked it up a notch. All I can say is, poor Donna Troy.
DETECTIVE COMICS #858 – Just when I thought this series couldn’t get any better, it blew me away.
GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #5 – I know this is not what happened but it totally looks like Poison Ivy got smacked in the boob by a rubber chicken. Aside from that, this issue was an improvement for me.
GREEN LANTERN #47 – Red. Lanterns. Rule.
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA # 32 – Is it just me or do you feel dirty knowing the price on each JSAers head? Poor Wildcat II.
SUPERMAN #693 – There is so much going on with the Super-family right now I’m starting to lose track. Not sure why Mon-El went from a young handsome fella to looking like a retired army general here.
SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN #2 (OF 6) – Clark gets some hang-time with the Legion but not Lex who’s too busy killing his father to come out and play.
TEEN TITANS #76 – This team is possibly more of a mess than the Justice League right now, and that’s saying a lot.
WONDER WOMAN #37 – A new queen for Themyscira just as Diana and Artemis of the Bana-Mighdall return from their Secret Six cameos.
My pull list for this week:
THE GREAT TEN #1
LOBO: HIGHWAY TO HELL #1 (OF2)
SECRET SIX #15
SUPERMAN: WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON #9 (OF 12)
Which two should I review for DoubleDCoverage #33?
November 4th, 2009 at 5:17 pm