Preview of Batman: Death of the Family

As someone who has come to love Scott Snyder as a writer, I was seriously excited to find out that for his second arc on his Batman run he would finally be re-tackling the Joker.  This promises to be brilliant, as Snyder has previously stated he has an immense love for the character, stating that “Joker is my favourite villain of all time.”  The storyline will once again feature the fantastic, moody artwork of Greg Capullo, and the artist himself has shown his excitement for finally drawing the Clown Prince of Crime.  “Talk about a dream come true!  For me, the Joker is the ultimate rogue and the villain I most wanted to draw.”

 

This has all the workings to be another fantastic story arc by Snyder, who has yet been able to write a story I could fault.  We've already seen briefly what Snyder could do with the Joker in just a few issues of his run on Detective Comics last year, (which produced one of the most frightening Joker’s I’ve read on paper in the past few years) and if Snyder’s saying Joker will be at his most fearsome in this next arc, I may have to brace myself for what’s about to come.

This new arc in Snyder’s run on Batman will also cross over into the various Bat-titles at DC, just like the previous storyline did with “The Night of the Owls”.  It will be very interesting to see the consequences of Joker’s actions and how they affect the Bat family, and I think it’s guaranteed we’re in for a fair share of shocks and surprises, with the way Capullo and Snyder are discussing the book, I think I might actually be afraid to pick up #13.

 

As someone who has mostly drifted in and out of the New 52 in the past year I must say titles like Batman, and the upcoming Justice League of America series may just be what I need to reinvest some time and love into the medium again.  Snyder is always a writer you can rely on to tell a fantastic story without neglecting the characters we all know and love, and I haven’t managed to fault him on any of his works so far!  This surely promises to be one hell of romp, and I think I’d be slightly insane if I chose to pass on reading this arc.

Batman: Death of the Family begins with #13 of Batman, which hits comic book stores everywhere next Wednesday.

Batman backups and crossover coming soon

I spoke to Scott Snyder for Starburst Magazine before Christmas and it looks like the Bat-crossover he was hinting at has finally been announced!

BATMAN #8 will feature the first of a series of back-up stories exploring the dark history of the Court of Owls, the mysterious and malevolent secret society wreaking havoc upon Gotham City in the ongoing series.
The back-ups will bring together the fan-favorite writer/artist pairing of Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque, whose ongoing collaboration on AMERICAN VAMPIRE has made the critically acclaimed title one of the iconic series of the Vertigo line. James Tynion IV will co-write with Snyder.
These back-up stories with continue to reveal more about the Court’s sinister agenda as we move toward “The Night of The Owls” – a massive crossover event coming in May, which will span the Bat-books and reveal the full breadth of their master plan. With their claws sunk into Gotham history, the Owls represent a threat unlike anything Batman’s faced before, threatening to tip the city’s balance of power once and for all.
“The first backup, in issue eight will give a sense of the terrifying scope of the Court of Owls’ attack on Gotham. This really will be the first shot in a war for the soul of Gotham City,” said Snyder. “And then, starting in issue nine, we’ll begin a three part story called ‘The Fall of the House of Wayne’ that will investigate the secret history of the Court of Owls and its relationship to the Wayne family – particularly to Thomas and Martha Wayne, Bruce’s parents. The story will be told from the point of view of Jarvis Pennyworth, Alfred’s father, and offer some big surprises and shocks about the forces that shaped the bat-mythology as we know it. Can’t wait for you all to see these stories!
“I’m also excited to be co-writing with my friend, James Tynion IV, a young writer I’m extremely excited about. Especially in the spirit of the New 52, it’s a real thrill to get to give someone new and talented a chance to get his foot in the door, and James is a writer to watch and expect great things from!”
“And of course, I’m over the moon about getting to work with my good friend and AMERICAN VAMPIRE co-creator Rafael Albuquerque on the some of the very first ones!”
Check out the cover for BATMAN #8 (by Greg Capullo) – along with some of Albuquerque’s character sketches for the back-ups – right here on THE SOURCE.

SOURCE

Batman Inc art preview

Cameron Stewart has tweeted a slew of preview images from December's Batman Inc: Leviathan Strikes one-shot. They appear to show Stephanie Brown undercover at an English boarding school. That's a sentence I never thought I'd write.

Source: twitter

DC Comics' New 52 Weeks 1 & 2 review round up

I have chosen key titles to do full reviews of rather than try to review every title (not going to happen).
You can read the full reviews by clicking the 'Reviews' tag underneath this post.
Below are my thoughts on the books that I've managed to pick up or read in store that I won't be doing full reviews of (I'll do the same thing at the end of week 4, setting you a fortnightly review rundown).

Week 1

ANIMAL MAN #1

Dark and engaging. Animal Man looks and feels like an indie book and that works really well with the character. Excellent: 8/10

BATWING #1

The art was really pretty, but lacked much sense of storytelling or progression from panel to panel. Judd Winick's writing on the book is much better than it has been for years. Average: 5/10

GREEN ARROW #1

I like the new direction and take on Green Arrow, but the creative team really dropped the ball. Probably why they have been replaced as of issue #4. Weak: 3/10

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #1

The book doesn't really deliver on the action expected from a League book, but it was fun and the characterisation worked well. The art suited the book perfectly. Promising: 6/10

STATIC SHOCK #1

Another fun adventure that sets up things to come. McDaniel's artis back to it's best. All the bases were covered by this book. Promising: 6/10

STORMWATCH #1

A disappointing start to the series, I think that the book suffered from trying to throw everything at us at once rather than focusing on a few things and building out. Disappointing: 4/10

SWAMP THING #1

 The yin to Animal Man's yang, I was very pleased that these two books were both good. Swamp Thing unfortunately weakens the start of it's run by having Superman deliver exposition. Good: 7/10


Week 2

BATMAN AND ROBIN #1

A book of two halves. Tomasi sets up the characters and new direction and then takes us to the action. He tells us who the characters are and then shows us. This made the book feel a litle unbalanced, however the characters are spot on. Promising: 6/10

BATWOMAN #1

The main sell for this book is the art. It is absolutely gorgeous cover to cover. The story however isn't great and I find it hard to warm to the lead character. We'll see how long I keep following it; nearly gave it a five, but the art pushes it up to a : Promising: 6/10

DEMON KNIGHTS #1

A really well paced first issue that sets up the characters and ends with a severed head thrown through a pub window. Lovely. The art is fantastic and moves the story as much as the text. Excellent: 8/10

LEGION LOST #1

A rare miss from both Fabian Nicieza and Pete Woods. Both the writing and the art seemed a bit off. There isn't anything wrong with the book, but there isn't much to get excited about either. I suspect it will read better when collected. Average: 5/10

RED LANTERNS #1

This book is everything that I feared it would be. A mess. The entire issue centres around that fact that the book has no real mission and the one they come up with at the end is weak. Dropped: 2/10

SUPERBOY #1

The big surprise of the fortnight. Scott Lobdell overcomes the first issue syndrome with eventful exposition and jumps in reality. Whilst the art could be better, I can see potential in it. Good: 7/10

Cover reveal: Batgirl rejoins the Birds of Prey in issue #4

I think that this is likely a colouring error rather than a new costume.

Review - Batgirl #1

BATGIRL #1
Written by GAIL SIMONE; Art by ARDIAN SYAF and VICENTE CIFUENTES; Cover by ADAM HUGHES

Of all the New 52 titles, Batgirl has had the most hype, controversy and curiosity surrounding it. Taking a character like Barbara Gordon back out of her wheelchair (and a role in which she has shone for 20 years) was always going to be tough. Gail Simone has written Babs as Oracle for years in the pages of Birds of Prey with great success, and she has done so with great love for the character. So there was no doubt that she would be the one to bring her back as Batgirl.

It's a shame then, that the first two pages of this new Batgirl series, rather than setting up a terrifying villian, come across as goofy. It's unfortunately a combination of the art (comedy eye-bulge) and the writing (yapping dog, death by hose and 'to-kill' checklist). This really is a shame because both art and writing have improved by page three.

Bab's Batgirl interrupts a gang of home invading would-be rapist-murderers (who Gail makes us want beaten up) and succeeds in taking the gang out, but at the same reveals just how rusty she has become. Batgirl has to haul the gang-leader back into the building after he nearly sends them both plummeting for the street. The middle of the issue sets up the book's supporting cast, including Jim Gordon and Barbara's new room-mate (whose name we don't get, despite her appearing on three pages) who bears a striking resemblence to Bridget Clancy (former Nightwing supporting cast).

We return to the villian, who refers to himself as Mirror, from the prologue who arrives at the hospital where the police are guarding the gang leader from earlier. Mirror storms through the hospital security and shoots the police guard. Batgirl arrives just in time to experience a crucial moment of self-doubt and fear.

Overall, the story and art do their job well, but inconsistencies and plot-holes niggle. The fact that we have referenced the Killing Joke, but not any physical therapy or recovery time (other than 'miracle') is fine, as I'm sure that will come. The bigger question is; If Mirror is hunting people who "shouldn't have survived" from a list, then how did he ge the name of, and find, the gang-leader so quickly? His fall and subsequent rescue by Batgirl was less than 24 hours previous and he's been moved to the top of the list? Odd and disappointing, as I expect so much more from Simone.

My rating:
An off-kilter start to one of the biggest hyped New52 books. There is potential here, but it doesn't hit the ground running; more a jog.

Oracle - Why they endure

Newsarama continue what I believe is their best editorial series, Why they endure, with a look at Oracle.

As a result, the newly "healed" character appears today in Batgirl #1 as a woman who can walk again. That is thrilling Batgirl fans, but the move has angered advocates for the disabled.
"[Oracle] is about as ideal a disabled character as you can find," said Neil Kapit, who writes about disabled issues and comic books on his Handi-Capeable blog. "I have the suspicion that it was an executive decision to bring Batgirl back, as these characters are meant for franchising first. They likely believe they can sell more T-Shirts, statues, graphic novels, etcetera, with an able-bodied character than with a character in a wheelchair."
James B. South, chairman of the Department of Philosophy at Marquette University, who examined the Oracle character for the book Superheroes and Philosophy, said the change from Oracle to Batgirl seems like a backward step.

ENLARGE

"We are losing a major example of an adult woman in comics as well as an example of someone who can be a string leader while finding herself physically incapacitated in certain ways," South told Newsarama. "It does seem to be sending the message that DC thinks readers of comics are more interested in traditional superhero activities and are not able to handle a strong, disabled woman doing things in her own way."
Perhaps anticipating the anger from some fans, DC has incorporated Barbara's former disability into the new Batgirl comic. For example, Barbara Gordon will still have to undergo physical therapy, and she'll deal with her recovery within the story.
Plus, DC has tapped writer Gail Simone for the new Batgirl title, which even blogger Kapit admitted to Newsarama is a good thing, since Simone was instrumental in developing the Oracle character while she was disabled.
"Believe it or not, this was the more difficult choice to make for us, because we saw what the benefits of the Oracle character were, we saw what the challenges of making this change were going to be," DC Co-Publisher Dan DiDio told Newsarama. "What we needed to do was to continue to make Barbara Gordon one of the strongest characters possible, in or out of the wheelchair. And we felt that this was a strong direction for us."
So why all the outrage? While other comic characters were maimed and killed over the last 20 years, why did Barbara Gordon endure as such a beloved icon for DC?
To understand the controversy and Oracle's endurance, it's important to review Oracle's history. After all, it was controversy that birthed Oracle in the first place.
The character's switch today to the "Batgirl" mantle is actually a return to her roots. Barbara Gordon was introduced as Batgirl in 1967, both on television's campy Batman show and in the comics, to provide a female counterpart to Batman. She was the teenage daughter of police commissioner Jim Gordon, but she secretly dressed up as Batgirl to patrol Gotham City.
Twenty years later, that all changed with the 1988 story by Alan Moore,Batman: The Killing Joke. After Barbara Gordon had become an adult and retired from crimefighting, Moore's story showed her being shot by the Joker.
While The Killing Joke was critically acclaimed, it was controversial — particularly among female readers — because it victimized a female character in order to forward the story of male heroes. That controversy moved two writers to transform her into the hero known as Oracle.

ENLARGE

"My late wife, Kimberly Yale, and I were not crazy about how Barbara was treated in The Killing Joke," comic writer John Ostrander told Newsarama. "Since the Batman office had no further plans for her at the time, we got permission to use Barbara in Suicide Squad, [another DC title at the time]. We felt that the gunshot as seen in Killing Joke would leave her paralyzed. We felt such an act should have repercussions. So... we took some of her other talents, as with computers, and created what was essentially an Internet superhero — Oracle."
Because Barbara had been established as having a PhD in library science, Ostrander made her a genius at accessing computer information. She adopted the secret code-name "Oracle" as she used her intellect to assist heroes throughout the DCU.
Dennis O'Neil, a Batman editor for DC at the time, said Ostrander's respectful treatment of Barbara, allowing her to continue fighting crime despite her disability, made her a beloved character almost immediately among DC fans. "I think it was a real inspiration on John's part to come up with Oracle, and she became one of my favorite characters in the whole Bat-stable. She was unlike anything else," O'Neil said.
O'Neil eventually made it official in the comics that Oracle was Batman's sole source of information. "It was logical for her to be there in Batman's world," O'Neil said. "Batman would need someone like that."
The editor said he believes she has endured because with her change to Oracle, she gave the DC Universe a new type of hero.
"We had hoards of people in spandex beating up criminals," he said. "We didn't have anybody like Oracle, who overcame a disability and was just as valuable and just as effective in a way that didn't involve violence."

ENLARGE

In the 20 years since then, Oracle has been depicted in comics and other media as a super-intelligent yet anonymous hero who supplies information and guidance to superheroes, including the Justice League. Oracle also starred in the long-running Birds of Prey comic, where she was the leader of a group of female superheroes.
"When Barbara Gordon became Oracle, she went from a character who was of neutral worth to one utterly priceless to the DCU," Kapit pointed out. "From her chair, Barbara has formed connections with the entire DCU, revolutionized the technological infrastructure of crimefighting, and helped found the all-female Birds of Prey, a team which has been consistently high-quality and beloved by men and women alike."
O'Neil said that he never considered changing Barbara Gordon back to Batgirl, despite there being the technology in comics that could have explained it. "Giving her her legs back, in addition to being a kind of deus ex machina, would have subtracted from the uniqueness of Oracle," O'Neil said. "And at the same time, I didn't see anything to be gained by bringing back that version of Batgirl. Even in the stories I wrote, Batgirl was usually just a pale carbon copy of Batman and didn't have any of that mythic back-story that gives the whole thing resonance, like Batman's, which has lasted what.. 72 years now."
Professor South agreed that Oracle's back-story as a hero who overcame disability gives her a strength that Batgirl never had.

ENLARGE

"[Barbara's evolution] shows her developing her own way of being a superhero," he said. "While she seems to develop her own style of fighting as Batgirl, she's still basically following in Batman's footsteps. Once her life is shattered in The Killing Joke, she has to become, in some ways, a more independent woman who uses her own native skills and intelligence to develop a way of fighting crime that complements Batman's rather than copying his way. In Birds of Prey, we see Barbara Gordon as a team leader and her transformation from a girl into a woman."
But that strength isn't going away in the new Batgirl series. In today's new comic, no explanation is given for her miraculous recovery from paraplegia, but her disability is not forgotten.
But some of the character's age and years of experience are being erased with the reboot, according to writer Simone. "We are seeing Barbara at an earlier starting point," Simone explained to Newsarama when the change was announced.
"She's been removed from the action and danger for a long time," she said. "With this relaunch, she is still very much Barbara, but she can reclaim a part of her history and legacy with modern stories, in her own book and elsewhere."
DiDio said the decision to change Oracle was because, while other people had taken up the mantle of Batgirl, Barbara Gordon was the strongest character for that title with the relaunch. "When you talk about Batgirl, whether it's with a casual fan or even to somebody who just knew the Batman character, Barbara Gordon is always the one people default to as 'who Batgirl is,'" DiDio said.
O'Neil said he can understand that the icon of "Batgirl" is most associated with Barbara Gordon. "You can't ignore things like that," he said. "But it comes down to is, are we making this change because we see a brilliant way to reinvent this character? Or is it just that this is the one that we loved in the past? But Barbara Gordon's perception in the mainstream public as Batgirl would be a very valid consideration."
Even Kapit can put aside his role as an advocate of the disabled and see the business side of the decision. "I can understand, but that doesn't mean I agree even slightly," he said.
And even O'Neil admitted that, "from a fan standpoint, I'm kind of sorry to see her go."
Ostrander, who created the character, said he believes Simone will do a good job with the task of reintroducing the former Oracle as a new, younger Batgirl. "I've been quoted as saying that I think Barbara was a stronger and more effective character, a more important part of the DCU, as Oracle than she ever was as Batgirl," Ostrander said. "Do I still feel that way? Well, of course. Kim and I created Oracle.
"Times change and characters and people evolve. I changed things when I wrote characters, including changing Barbara to Oracle. Others do the same for this era," he said. "Gail Simone is a good friend and a wonderful writer and I'm sure her work will be wonderful."

A hoard of preview art pages from the New 52