Comic Mini-Reviews Week of May 23rd, 2012

This week: BATMAN INC RETURNS...also, other stuff.

All Star Western #9 – As good as All Star Western has been, this issue could be, perhaps, the poster child for how frustrating a crossover can be. It may have always been Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti's intention to return the story to Gotham and tie into the Night of Owls, but it felt rushed. After spending the last several issues in New Orleans, the story is quickly ended and the characters suddenly return to Bat-city. It wasn't bad (a book written by Gray and Palmiotti with art by Moritat could hardly be called bad) but it felt stretched too thin by the desire to participate in the rest of the Bat-family of books.

Aquaman #9 – Brace yourself: of the three books Geoff Johns is currently writing, Aquaman is the most well thought out and engaging. Once Johns got off of his “See!? Aquaman is awesome!” kick, the book has been pretty great. If anything, the series reminds me of his pre-Relaunch Green Lantern—tight and (for the most part) creative. There's nothing magical happening here, but Aquaman is a sharp book that reinvigorates a long dormant franchise. Of course, all of this is helped by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado's stellar art.

Batman Inc #1 – It's finally back! The one series that I was actually sad to see go during the Relaunch has returned! Grant Morrison's Bat-epic enters the New 52 with the help of Chris Burnham's pencils. The return of Morrison's highly stylized Batman storytelling is a welcome addition to the New 52's canon of mostly similar Bat-centric books. The first issue is unlike anything that we have seen since the Relaunch—it's frenzied melange of crime-fighting, Goatboys, and pentagram-branded cows. I have been effusive in my praise of Batman and Batman and Robin but the return of Batman Inc reminds me why Morrison is one of the biggest names in comic books.

Captain America #12 – One of the fascinating things about my recent explorations into the Marvel universe after years of only reading DC is my sudden increased understanding of why some non-comic readers might have trouble getting into comics. That's not a dig at Marvel, they just happen to be the company I am less familiar with. Ed Brubaker ends this issue of Cap with what I am sure is supposed to be an emotionally resonate moment but, because I have no idea who the character is or why he is important, it's a scene I don't fully comprehend. For the first time in a long time, I can see why continuity-heavy comic books can be so daunting to new readers. Regardless, as a long time consumer of the medium, Captain America #12 does not discourage me from reading more. I know that I can trust Brubaker to explain why these things matter and I can trust my continued reading of Marvel products to flesh out the dramatic beats I am currently missing.

The Flash #9 – The Flash is something of an outlier. The art is so good that it's hard to not like the book. Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato's work is gorgeous and fits the character perfectly, but the actual scripting leaves much to be desired. There's nothing wrong with it, but it reads like a checklist. Mention X, check. Mention Y, check. Go back to so-and-so for a moment, check. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but the book struggles to build any sense of atmosphere because of it.

Justice League Dark #9 – Jeff Lemire's first issue brings a fresh approach to DC's magic superteam. I like Peter Milligan but Lemire's straightforward storytelling and clear premise is something of a relief after the purposefully mysterious earlier issues. The characters are more clearly defined and the group seems more like a team. I realize that Milligan wanted to cultivate a ragtag set of misfits as opposed to a full-blown superhero team, but it kind of made for a frustrating read, in my opinion. In issue nine, Lemire sends the team to South America and places the team in conflict with one of DC's mystical Big Bads, Felix Faust. Constantine garners the most attention, finally taking his rightful place as a team leader. A strong first entry and I am excited for more.