Batman and Robin #1 Review

If up until a couple months ago you came to me and asked me how I'd feel about Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely doing a Dick Grayson comic, I would probably have been mad at you. Not because of the creators involved, but because it's the ultimate combination for me personally as a comic fan that I wouldn't have even allowed myself to think about it. It would have sounded too good to ever happen, as optimistic as I try to be about the future and all of it's unimaginable possibilities. Then, in February, rumors of Morrison and Quitely on a new Batman book began circling the internet, and it wasn't long before Dan DiDio confirmed it in a DC Nation column.

Basically, you can look at my perspective coming into this comic in two ways. On one hand, you could not possibly describe to me any other combination of creators and characters, short of my name on the creators end, that would excite me more. It just isn't possible. So I certainly came into this book not only wanting to like it, but expecting to like it. But expectations are a tricky thing. Over time, they can accumulate so high that no real product could ever meet their demands. For about four months, my expectations have been mounting, and last night, as I thought about this issue one final time before I would purchase it, after re-reading all of Morrison's Batman run, I was very afraid that this was the exact path I got myself into.

Now I hope you'll excuse all of the anecdotal introduction, but being as this combination meant so much to me personally, I didn't feel I could possibly begin a review of this comic any other way. To make up for it, I'll get straight to the point: this comic is a fresh, fun, accessible, imaginative, and superbly crafted start to what may be the most exciting year of Batman stories to come.

Batman and Robin is not Morrison's Batman. Depending on who you are that is either a really good thing or it's a really good thing. For those of you who could not get into Morrison's Batman because of its dense, psychological, and metafictional narrative, Batman and Robin is fast paced, high octane fun that takes characters you know and love and presents them in a light that was never before possible. It's a story all about moving forward, not looking back or delving into the root of an established icon. A new mythology is forming here and it feels very much like the beginning of something great as opposed to Morrison's Batman, which felt like the culmination of all the great moments in Batman's seventy year history laid out before the writer came on board.

Now if you're like me and you loved Morrison's Batman run, well pretty much everything I said in the above paragraph still applies. Batman and Robin is very different from Morrison's Batman, but just as great, if not, dare I say, even better. And while all the talk so far has been about Grant Morrison, the heights of this comic are equally attributable to Frank Quitely's stunning art, which is no surprise. Quitely has always had an amazing working relationship with Morrison and it shows in his bibliography. The artist, who is notorious for his lack of speed, has worked almost exclusively with Morrison for the last eight years (the one exception being a couple pages for Neil Gaiman's Sandman: Endless Nights). And despite his level of talent, Quitely shows us that he's still looking to grow and explore more ways to convey a story in comics via art. Here, Morrison and Quitely seamlessly incorporate the somewhat tacky and cliche comic sound effects into the actions making those sounds. It's playful and engaging and it sets the tone for this book, which reminds me of when Morrison and Andy Kubert used old comic book panels in Batman #656 to enhance the action of the issue, much as the entire run would be enhanced by old Batman stories.

Now the final part of the equation that had me so excited is the characters, specifically Dick Grayson who has been my favorite superhero for my entire life, and who has not always had the best treatment. Here Dick shines as Batman, as a hero, as a son, and most importantly, as the Dick Grayson fans expect him to be portrayed as. There are moments of banter, moments of respect, and all around, Dick Grayson is a competent, cool Batman who knows exactly how to deal with the cards he's been given, especially the Damian card.

Damian, who has been a controversial character since his introduction, is both the brat we've come to know and then, for brief glimpses, something more. Though Morrison has previously demonstrated the good spirit behind the annoying and sometimes even detrimental Damian, never has he better displayed this paradoxical character who may bring out the most interesting dynamic in the Dynamic Duo since Dick Grayson was Robin himself. It's fun to see Damian try to be his usual pompous self and Dick coolly dismiss his arrogance with a single comment.

The new villains on display have only a couple pages to be showcased on, but already they display a level of character that is normally reserved for established rouges. Mr. Toad is as slimey on the inside as his exterior suggests. Professor Pyg hearkens back to a classic Twilight Zone episode, but with a much creepier twist. They're bizarre, and they're different, but this is a different Batman (in a flying Batmobile!) who allows for a whole new range of Batman villains that may not have been as interesting of opponents for Bruce Wayne.

Batman and Robin #1 is a brand new beginning that allows the standard model of what makes a great Batman story some room to breathe, and hopefully even extend when Bruce Wayne returns. What we get instead is something just as interesting, but genuinely fresh: an element near impossible to imbue a Batman story with after all these years.

Unknown Soldier #8 Review

I have been reading this book since the first issue, but my interest in the book dates back to the New York Comic Con '08 where I attended a Vertigo panel and first met Unknown Soldier scribe Joshua Dysart and learned about his then upcoming series. I was immediately struck with the level of dedication Dsyart brought to this story before it was even a fully formed story!

Dysart, on his own dime, spent months in Uganda, where Unknown Soldier is set, and immersed himself in the cultural and turmoil of this unfortunately typical African nation. Listening to him speak, you could feel a level of passion for the book that went beyond loving the idea and into something that seemed far more personal for Dysart. And not personal in the "this is how my ex-girlfriend dumped me" kind of way, but personal in the sense that he was very profoundly moved by what he experienced in Uganda and writing this comic had forced him to question many of his deeply held beliefs.

Now you may be saying, well this is all well and good, but eight issues in? How am I going to keep up with it all? There's good and bad news there. Of course, missing the first seven issues means you've missed out on something, namely seven great comics, but being that issue #8 begins a new arc, and most of the characters' roles are explained within the issue, this isn't a bad jumping on point. For what you missed, I will provide you with two very valuable sources.

The first valuable resource for understanding this book is the website Dysart operates which provides background information on the country of Uganda. This site is a textbook example of how to use technology to augment a story. Again, Dysart's level of dedication to this book is above and beyond what I can recall any other comic creator providing. Check out the site even if you aren't interested in the book. There's a lot to learn there.

The second valuable source is me, and while I may not fetch you much on eBay, I can give you a pretty good synopsis of the book so far. Dr. Moses Lwanga and his wife are American doctors of Ugandan heritage who decide to dedicate their lives to saving people in the war torn country of their ancestors. Moses, in a fight to save a child's life, has some sort of awakening within him: a voice that tells him how to move and what to do to stay alive. By the end of the first issue, Moses has scarred his face and afterward walks around wearing bandages, which conveniently also help conceal his identity.

So Moses is essentially a superhero, not to far off from the concept of Batman. Uganda, however, is in a far deeper hole than Gotham City in its worst earthquake/random disappearance of Batman. It is a country with areas of true lawlessness and one where it's questionable if a right side exists. But what is for certain is that there are innocent people caught in the middle, dying, and there are children fighting as soldiers. It's a world that needs to be changed desperately, but without a reliable system to even consider working from within. In this respect, Unknown Soldier is able to capture some of the appealing aspects of a superhero like Batman, specifically his realism, and tackle much more complicated, mature, and real issues than Gotham City is ever going to throw at the Caped Crusader. It also avoids the downright silliness of taking Batman, a grown man who dresses like a bat, too seriously when too much realism is applied. Make no mistake about it, this is a serious book about serious issues in a country that really exists, and gun totting Moses Lwanga is no Bruce Wayne. Now is it going too far with a real life situation that in our world will never have such an astute potential savior? Is the book painting itself in a corner for being so closely tied to a real situation that the protagonist must ultimately be doomed to fail to prevent an otherwise cheerful, naive ending that boldly contrasts with the continuing real life strife? I honestly don't know, but I do feel they are good questions to ask, but not reasons to ignore this superbly crafted story.

The book is violent, but not for the sake of violence. It's most sadistic quality is that nothing in these pages, save for the hero, doesn't happen on a daily basis. Which brings me to the art. Alberto Ponticelli has provided pencils for all eight issues and his gritty, harsh style is exactly what this book needs without becoming unappealing on an aesthetic level. I don't want to delve too deeply into art criticism here because that isn't my specialty, but it must be said that Ponticelli provides the perfect visuals for this story and it is refreshing to see his work month in and month out on the series.

If you're looking for a good Vertigo book, I can happily say that Unknown Soldier is not only a great new series, but with eight amazing issues out, it also qualifies as a proven great new series. Specifically, issue #8 is the kind of book that I immensely enjoyed now, but I can see myself going back and enjoying even more on a second read in a year or so.

Everyone bought The Unwritten #1, and It's Sold Out Across the World, Right?

Comic fans, did you buy a copy of The Unwritten #1 by Mike Carey and Peter Gross?

It was only $1 for 40 pages. That's right not $3.99 for 22 pages of story, not $4.99 for a crapload of backups and reprints you don't particularly care about (ahem, Captain America #600), but 100 couch dwelling, drier warmed pennies.

And with a team with as proven a track record as Carey and Gross, how could you possibly have not picked up this book? You did pick it up, right? You didn't pass it by for another issue of your favorite superhero who is never written the way you like them and for whom you've published more message board posts bitching about this fact than there are pages in existence featuring said character that you are pleased with, did you?

I sure hope not. Because, despite the cover price and page count, Vertigo wasn't taking a risk by putting this issue out at $1. They wisely gave full support to a first issue that right off the bat grabs a hold of a modern phenomenon with a fun, parody-like tone, and uses it to delve into a deeper phenomenon dating back to Plato and the foundations of Western thought, weaving in bits of powerful literature and actually using a bible reference in a refreshing way, rather than as an excuse for added depth to a story.

Now I'll be honest, I wasn't as hooked as I am not throughout the entire issue. In fact, after reading the second to last page I was thinking that the series looked interesting and strong, but seemed like a better candidate for reading as a trade. But after reading the last page, the scope and intricacy of what I believe this story will explore crystallized and I couldn't stop thinking about how interesting this story is going to be if it's done right. In other words, I realized I couldn't wait to see what happened next. And being that this is a series, a monthly investment definitely seems worth it being that it may provide me with years worth of entertainment.

Why I'm Tradewaiting: Sea Guy: Slaves of Mickey Eye

It's no secret that Grant Morrison is my favorite writer in comics, and ranks pretty high on my list of favorite writers of anything, ever, period. His newest comic, Sea Guy: Slaves of Mickey Eye, came out today and even though I haven't been able to read any new Morrison material for about two months, even though I enjoyed Sea Guy tremendously, I will not be buying this comic until it comes out as a trade. How can I possible contain myself?

There are a couple reasons, and none of them are linked to any disappointment with Morrison's latest offerings. I thought both Final Crisis and Batman RIP were brilliant and I eagerly await Batman and Robin #1, which I will buy and read first thing on June 3rd. But in these times, a comic buyer has to pick and choose carefully what titles to read and in what format. Some stories read better in one sitting, others are an adventure in themselves just trying to anticipate what comes next. Sea Guy falls within the former category. It is a self contained story spread across three "books" which are further separated into three issues in what will eventually compromise one nine issue story. Essentially, Sea Guy is seeing three release stages: three single issues, followed by a trade containing the most recent three issues, and once those steps have been repeated three times, a complete Sea Guy that will likely be a hardcover with lots of goodies thrown in.

Now the story has to do well enough to warrant that last stage, but Grant Morrison's work at this point always sells well enough to warrant that stage. Hopefully, with recent projects like All Star Superman and his Batman run, we will see that stage sooner rather than later. But with such a short page count for each of the three Sea Guy volumes, and the almost assured future printing of the three books together, was it really necessary to release Sea Guy: Slaves of Mickey Eye in single issue format instead of as a trade when it was ready?

Don't get me wrong, I love the single issue format when it suits the nature of the story. Morrison's run on Batman was a lot of fun to read month-in and month-out. I anticipate Batman and Robin to read in a similar fashion and so that is the format I will choose to buy it in. Big Event stories like Blackest Night tend to read better as single issues, especially with how much that book will tie into Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps.

But mini-series, especially short, self contained, and/or creator owned mini-series, usually read better when collected and their lack of an impact on other titles makes tradewaiting not only easier, more cost effective, and more convenient to store, but I almost feel as though companies at this point are asking us to do so with the price of individual issues a hot topic from here on out. The only danger in it is if publishers aren't paying attention to the trade sales when considering what to publish in the future. Grant Morrison and Dave McKean's Arkham Asylum, Brian K. Vaghan and Niko Henrichon's Pride of Baghdad, and J.M. DeMatteis and Brian Ashmore's Batman: Absolution, among others, are wonderful examples showcasing the fact that sequential storytelling need not always be serialized. And in this economy, the better value and experience of trades versus individual issues for certain stories could go a long way to making room in consumers' budgets for other books that are better experienced in single issue format.

Ha Ha, He He, Ha Ha, Hoe

Britney Spears' controversial new single has finally hit regular rotation at radio stations in my area. I, for one, am disgusted with this song.

Not for the chorus, "If you seek Amy," which of course sounds like "F-U-C-K me." That's just sophomoric at best. No, I'm far more trouble by the fact that the person who wrote this song couldn't find more than one word to rhyme with "go."

I just want to go to the party she gonna go
Can somebody take me home?
Ha ha, he he, ha ha ho

Now "home" doesn't really rhyme with "go," but I'm willing to extend poet... err, disposable glossy-music-writer license and accept that rhyme. But to follow it up with "Ha ha, he he, ha ha, ho?" And to use this exact same block of lyrics twice in the song? I find the shrinking vocabulary of our youth (or our aging youth, in Britney's case) quite distressful, and I would just like to offer Ms. Spears some suggestions to insert into the liv... err, pre-recorded version played at concerts.

1) I like to wipe my ass with your dough.
2) Wow America, your standards are low.
3) I tested clean six month befo. (Note: this one has street cred.)
4) I shot a kid for playing in my snow.

See? They don't even have to be a good or clever combination of words. I'm just asking for words. Try them all out, see what feels comfortable, or perhaps mix and match them every way you can and release all the versions as separate "remixes." The kids'll eat it up if they come from your hyper-produced-and-processed voice, especially the seven year olds.

Battle for the Cowl Predictions

I've done a lot of posts about Battle for the Cowl, at least in proportion to the total number of posts I've made, so I figured it's appropriate for me to put down my predictions so everyone can either marvel at my foresight or ridicule my errors. And by everyone, I think I mean just me...

Issue #1: A lot of what's been stated about Battle for the Cowl is what I suspect will be the first issue, so this is the part I can almost certainly get right. Gotham has fallen apart. The Network shows up to help out Dick Grayson and Tim Drake. Tim finally brings up to Dick that he's overdue putting on the cowl and cleaning up the streets. Dick lets Tim know the idea never crossed his mind and there goes the happy family. The issue ends with Jason on the streets of Gotham as the gun toting Batman.

Issue #2: Tim finds out Jason took it upon himself to seize the mantle and after his conversation with Dick he realizes that it's up to him to keep Bruce's legacy from falling into the wrong hands. So it's Bat-Tim vs. Bat-Jason in issue #2 with Bat-Jason victorious and Dick left having to deal with the consequences of his initial decision.

Issue #3: Like Achilles, the reluctant hero of the story finally jumps into action. After Tim fails to stop Jason, and seeing the chaos that has not been quelled by his previous course of action, Dick accepts his destiny as the heir apparent and puts on the cowl to take down Bat-Jason once and for all.

Somewhere along the lines Damian is brought into the fold as the new Robin and Tim takes on the Red Robin identity to give himself more independence.

Now I freely admit, as a long time fan of these characters this is pretty much exactly how I'd want it all to play out.

But the strongest evidence I feel for Dick Grayson emerging as the new Batman is the structure of the story. If Dick wasn't going to end up as Batman, DC would have started the series out with him attempting to be Batman because everyone expects him to be the next in line. But that isn't what they're doing. Dick begins trying to avoid his destiny, as I mentioned before, like Achilles in The Iliad. This is a clever way for the writer to basically write a longer story. The hero is saved for the big battle at the end with a plausible reason for other characters to have subplots of their own in between. Had Dick started out wanting to be Batman, assuming he is the ultimate victor, Battle for the Cowl would be a one-shot instead of a three issue mini-series and that would give Frank Quitely (wink, wink) no extra lead in time to draw his issues of Grant Morrison's Batman and Robin (nudge, nudge).

Condescening - adj.

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