Hello again GEN readers! It’s Jill a.k.a. The Nerdy Bird back with another installment of DoubleDCoverage. Supergirl pleases this week but Battle for the Cowl makes Jill something, something. (Go crazy!?) Don’t mind if I do! Reviews for Battle for the Cowl #3 and Supergirl #41 are ahead, also, check out my star ratings for my other pulls from last Wednesday! Also, a reminder – new books come out Thursday this week due to the holiday.
BATMAN: BATTLE FOR THE COWL #3
Were you able to predict the ending of Battle for the Cowl months before it was even published? Really? Because I wasn’t. I expected something amazing, something shocking and most of all, something that felt important. The ending of BftC was none of those things; in fact, you could probably skip the whole mini-series and get caught up once the Bat books restart in a few weeks time. That’s not to say there was nothing of value at all in its pages, just nothing that needed three issues to tell.
I’ll get right to it – the new Batman is Dick Grayson. Apparently. I say that because by the end of the issue his face is not shown nor is it clearly stated. Some people would argue you don’t need to have it spelled out. I would say those people are wrong. Forgive me for wanting closure. This is a huge passing of the mantle, why would you not want to shout it from the rooftops? We discover this issue that in his last message to Dick, Bruce specifically asked him not to become Batman. Whether he was serious or just using reverse psychology remains to be seen. Also left unexplained – who is this new Black Mask that’s turned Gotham into a warzone again? No idea, but apparently Jason Todd knows.
Speaking of Jason, it finally seems like he’s gone off the deep-end for good. Can you blame him? In his last message, Bruce told him he was his biggest failure. He also mentioned some horrible secret they kept together about his childhood. Bruce, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Sheesh. Meanwhile, Tim is rescued by Damian (and Squire), in a Robin costume no less. You can blame Alfred for that one. Don’t even get me started on the cliché “grab my hand” confrontation between Dick and Jason.
So why was I confused about the ending of BftC again? Oh right, because the dialogue boxes from one page to the next change from Nightwing’s to Batman’s with nothing to differentiate Dick-Batman’s from Bruce-Batman’s. I actually thought for a minute that Bruce was back already and we could forget the whole ordeal. I even thought I was Batman for a second. Tony Daniel is an outstanding artist. I’ve enjoyed his work on Batman for a while now. I feel bad that this was his first big event writer/artist gig. The writing wasn’t bad, not at all, it’s just that by the end, the story itself comes off as filler. I could let that slide for the various BftC off-shoots, hell it’s almost expected, but not BftC proper. There are a slew of implications by the end of BftC but who knows when or even if they’ll be explored. Nothing that took place during the series warranted the Bat books being canceled or put on hold for months. The transition from the old to new titles could just have easily been accomplished from one month to the next in each title. Bruce, I’m begging you, please come back soon.
SUPERGIRL #41
When we last saw Supergirl she had just revealed Superwoman to be none other than Major Lucy Lane, sister to Lois, sister-in-law to Clark and daughter to Kryptonian hating General Lane. The choices Kara makes now will live with her forever and she’s absolutely alone in making them with Clark off-planet and Lana Lang in the hospital.
It’s still not entirely clear what Superwoman’s motive or mission is by the end of the book and that’s frustrating for both the reader and Supergirl. One thing’s for sure, Superwoman is a murderer and that’s very bad news. She also plans on framing Supergirl for the attempted murder of Inspector Henderson to keep her mission a secret. Supergirl gets to cut loose when she realizes not only is Superwoman replicating Kryptonian powers but that she seems to be one right down to her DNA. I’m very curious to see how that’s being accomplished.
Reactron returns at full power zapping Kara’s away for another fifteen seconds. Miraculously Inspector Henderson is still holding on and takes Reactron out with a bullet to the head. As he falls, he grabs hold of one of the discs on Superwoman’s costume, causing her to short out somehow. Monitoring the whole ordeal from Project 7734, General Lane has the utmost confidence in his daughter coming out on top, even though Supergirl noticed the possible weakness. After ripping several of them off the costume, Superwoman insists they aren’t powering her. We see for ourselves she’s telling the truth, as it’s the “S” that Kara finally rips away from her costume that ends up being her downfall. Superwoman proceeds to rip apart and seemingly die as a result leaving a very distraught Kara and General Lane to question their decisions.
Another stellar piece of storytelling by Sterling Gates. Even though Supergirl’s cast has been extended she seems to be more alone than ever. I wasn’t kidding when I said the choices she makes now would live with her forever. What’s happening now feels like it will absolutely be a part of the character for years to come rather than a fleeting portion of her life soon to be forgotten. Despite Kara ripping off the entire front portion of Superwoman’s costume (what undergarments does one wear under something like that?) it was refreshing to see an artist put her in a bit more than just red underwear beneath the skirt for a change. Fernando Dagnino is also doing an excellent job with expressions. Now, if someone could tell me what’s wrong with Lana I’d really appreciate it. I think I’m more curious about that then I was about the identity of Superwoman!
GREEN ARROW/BLACK CANARY #20 – Ollie and Dinah seek marriage counseling. Get this, the doctor suggests he may be impotent. At least Dinah’s flashbacks were good.
THE OUTSIDERS #18 – This book is such an excuse to show Alfred kicking ass. And I love it. Kudos for the Raiders of the Lost Ark reference.
TRINITY #51 – So many colors, so little story. Fifty-one down, one to go.
VIGILANTE #6 – This final piece was surprisingly much better than the rest of the crossover and a very fitting end for another member of the Wilson household.
My pull list for next week:
GOTHAM GAZETTE: BATMAN ALIVE
GREEN LANTERN #41
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #33
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #27
SUPERMAN #688
TEEN TITANS #71
TRINITY #52
WONDER WOMAN #32
Which two should I review for DoubleDCoverage #10?
May 27th, 2009 at 1:50 am
DamiAn.
May 27th, 2009 at 6:40 am
I have to admit that over the last year or so I have completely lost interest in the batverse. Dick Grayson is one of my all time favorite characters. I read Nightwing for years. I even stuck with it through the Devin Grayson and Bruce Jones eras. After all of that you’d think that Dick becoming Batman would be a moment of glory for me. Not so. In a recent interview on IGN Grant Morrison said that Batman and Robin is going to be like the 60s Batman TV show meets a psychotic cartoon. No thanks Grant i’ll pass. Couple that with the fact that I can’t stand Damien and you have a very unhappy Wingnut. Not to mention that Grant says that a lot of what will happen is foreshadowed in Batman 666. It leaves me to wonder if DC’s next mind numbing move is going to be to kill Dick around B And R 13 to pave the way for Bruce’s triumphant return.
Why couldn’t Dick and Tim be a team? They work great together! Do we really need a Red Robin running around?
Forgive the long rant but I am frustrated with this whole BFTC/RIP/Crisis hoopla. I’ll probably wait until your reviews to decide whether or not Batman and Robin is worth investing myself into. Haha No pressure.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:48 am
“I even thought I was Batman for a second.” LOL
Yeah, Battle for the Cowl had some weird quirks. I enjoyed the mini-series actually, but you’re definitely right about its flaws. Especially the ending—now that was weird, and I don’t get why Daniel did that at all. There’s no indication that just because Nightwing was narrating means he was the one wearing the cape and cowl at the end. The language just isn’t specific, and you can’t see his face. You can’t even tell whether it’s Dick or Tim at the end—trust me, I even tried comparing their hair, and it just doesn’t work.
I am intrigued about the Black Mask and what Jason Todd will be planning next (that guy will never stay dead, ever), but I was a little disappointed in Two-Face in this issue. Was he running away? No clue.
I always feel like giving Damian a swift kick in the butt. Somebody needs to teach that boy some manners.
GREEN LANTERN and JUSTICE SOMETHING for next time?
May 27th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Ollie being impotent… that just sounds so wrong! This is the guy who managed to get Shado pregnant while drugged! But the series continues to be a little disappointing, though I hope the new villain can make things more interesting. Either way, the current team is making Judd Winick look truly amazing. Given how unhappy I was about the sideshow of heroes and metas he turned a good start to the series into, that ain’t a great thing…
As for Outsiders, it’s been pretty cool seeing this team do its thing. Alfred certainly makes for one helluva boss, and Owlman, Creeper and Metamorpho continue to please me. And now I get to see a proper rematch between Deathstroke and Geo-Force, hopefully.
For next week, I second the above idea of GL and Justice something. If Dinah is finally written properly (unlikely with this series), JLA. If not, could be decent to see JSA post-Johns, even if it is just for a 2 story arc before Willingham takes over.
May 28th, 2009 at 5:07 am
I’m so relieved when I read or hear reviews of fans who are much more well-read on the subject matter than I am who also have the same questions or WTF moments. Most of the time, I think it’s me.
I also wanted some sort of Dick to Batman transition. Show him pull the cowl on or something. The lettering - same thing. They could have used gradients for a page or two blending the blue and grey before all grey.
As for next week’s coverage, I vote to include Gotham Gazette in it because I don’t know if I’ll be picking that up for myself. Wonder Woman might be ok to hear about to since I have up on that when Gail Simone took over and left me in a haze the same way Morrison does.
June 2nd, 2009 at 10:11 pm
Ha! Thanks Russ! I’m very worried about Batman & Robin as well.
Steph, Daniel has since said he wanted it to be like we were getting Dick’s view of it all so I can sorta see where he’s coming from with the back of the head thing now but I still am highly annoyed at the whole thing. He even said something about Dick cutting his hair shorter. What?? Ugh. And yeah, I got the impression Two-Face was running off which was odd. One of my worst fears about the B&R series is that I’m going to get too annoyed with Damian and stop reading it.
Beth, I’m curious as to why you gave up on WW.