Comic Mini-Reviews Week of March 21st, 2012

This week: Wonder Woman wows, Batman ka-pows, and Justice League grows.

Batman #7 – Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman has been one of the strongest relaunch titles so far. Issue seven continues their strong run but takes a few interesting turns. It focuses mostly on the Talons—Batman learning about them and the Court of Owls awakening them. There's one somewhat baffling moment where Bruce punches Dick for no apparent reason. I get the feeling that the purpose was lost in Capullo's art but I am not exactly sure. Despite that, Capullo's art continues to impress. He has a distinct style that feels cartoony on first glance but belies a significant amount of depth. The last few pages are an exciting lead-in to the coming war between Bruce and the Court that has been building since the genesis of the title.

Batman Beyond Unlimited #2 – Batman Beyond is a simple formula. Take 1 Grumpy Old Bruce Wayne, add 1 Spider-man dressed as Batman and you get a recipe that is hard to mess up. Two issues in, Batman Beyond Unlimited is a book that reminds us why animated shows like Batman: the Animated Series and Batman Beyond were so popular. Simple stories, told well with interesting characters. Batman Beyond Unlimited isn't as good as Wonder Woman or the other top New 52 books, but doesn't need to be. It's a fun book, telling comic book stories, starring cool characters in a mostly positive near future setting. Sounds like a fine series to me.

Birds of Prey #7 – Mindcontrol is one of those tropes that can become very tiresome, very quickly. Especially in the superhero world where every good guy has been possessed by some villainous spirit at some time or another. So it's a credit to Duane Swierczynski's writing ability that the first seven issues of BoP have been filled with mindcontrol without feeling hackneyed and old. The villain's (barely) scientifically plausible method and the creepy poem triggers make for an interesting balancing act where anyone can turn at any moment. Jesus Saiz's art is, as always, great.

Green Lantern Corp #7 – What the heck? If people thought that last week's Pete Tomasi penned Batman and Robin was overly emotional and trying too hard then what are they going to think of GLC #7? A one-off story about John Stewart escorting the body of a fallen Green Lantern to his home-world, it deals with death, honor, and people with disabilities. Yet, it completely lacks the necessary pathos to successfully pull it off.

Justice League #7 – Alright, everyone, you're not going to believe this but Justice League #7 was...pretty good. After the “free with this box of cereal” feel of the first six issues, Geoff Johns seems to actually be settling into a story that is a bit closer to his normal style. It wasn't perfect, but my threshold for good Justice League stories is pretty low at the moment. Hopefully, this series is out of the woods and headed toward greener pastures.

Star Trek/Legion #6 – Look, I would be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy Star Trek/Legion, but I'm not exactly sad to see it go. It was a fun idea but there wasn't really much that could be done with the two casts of characters. The Legion barely used their powers because that would have left the crew of the Enterprise with nothing to do but twiddle their thumbs. The final issue, needing to set the two universes back to their normal state, used the mother of all magical macguffins to save the day. It wasn't great but it was completely enjoyable. The reality is that crossovers don't need to be great because most of us are just excited to see two properties we love on the same page.

Wonder Woman #7 – Instead of continuing to gush over just how good Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang's Wonder Woman has been, allow me to forecast doom for a moment. It's great, go read it. Anyways, this is what I am worried about. A few months ago, I predicted that Amazing Amazon's series would be the litmus test for the New 52. This is what I am worried about: Wonder Woman has rarely been this widely read in her history. Sure, the George Perez and Gail Simone years were well received but, with the New 52, Wonder Woman's audience is nearing its deserved size. However, Azzarello and Chiang's mark is so deep on the book that I fear for the next creative team. The revamped Greek pantheon is brilliant but brilliant characters are rarely successfully passed from one creative team to another. If Wonder Woman is to maintain any semblance of momentum, the writers and artists that take over next will need to be top notch. OK, enough doom and gloom. The book is brilliant—it's easily my choice for the best in the New 52—and Azzarello and Chiang aren't going anywhere for now. So, let's enjoy it while it lasts.