NML Crossing, Episode 082 - Detective Comics #735 (1999)

NML Crossing, Episode Eighty-Two

Detective Comics #735 (August, 1999)
“Fruit of the Earth, Part 3”
Writer - Greg Rucka
Art - Dan Jurgens & Bill Sienkiewicz
Colors - Noelle Giddings & Wildstorm
Letters - John Costanza
Edits - Illidge, Vincenzo, O’Neil
Cover Price: $1.99

Wrapping up Fruit of the Earth with a big ol' fight scene... that seems to end just as quickly as it begins! We get some answers as to what Batman had hidden in that cooler, and Commissioner Gordon decides to dissolve his association with his Two-Faced vigilante!

The Bada-Bin!

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NML Crossing, Episode 081 - Batman #568 (1999)

NML Crossing, Episode Eighty-One

Batman #568 (August, 1999)
“Fruit of the Earth, Part Two”
Writer - Greg Rucka
Art - Dan Jurgens & Bill Sienkiewicz
Colors - Noelle Giddings & Wildstorm
Letters - John Costanza
Edits - Illidge, Vincenzo, O’Neil
Cover Price: $1.99

After your humble host rambles on (and on) about his ongoing ocular challenges, we discuss the middle chapter of Fruit of the Earth, wherein Batman and Poison Ivy form an uneasy alliance against the terror of Clayface. We also get more GCPD Wolfpac drama from our friends Petit and Foley... who might just have a third member (but who's side is she on?!)

The Bada-Bin!

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NML Crossing, Episode 080 - Batman: Shadow of the Bat #88 (1999)

NML Crossing, Episode Eighty

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #88 (August, 1999)
“Fruit of the Earth, Part One”
Writer - Greg Rucka
Art - Dan Jurgens & Bill Sienkiewicz
Letters - John Costanza
Colors - Noelle Giddings
Edits - Illidge, Vincenzo, O’Neil
Cover Price: $1.99

After the Bat-Family reunion in LotDK, it's time to follow the Batman & Robin trail, as they head into Robinson Park to see what's going on with the fruit 'n veg biz. We also get some great GCPD drama in the form of a schism and possible splinter group forming!

The Bada-Bin!

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NML Crossing, Episode 077 - Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #120 (1999)

NML Crossing, Episode Seventy-Seven

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #120 (August, 1999)
“Assembly”
Writer - Greg Rucka
Pencils - Mike Deodato
Inks - Sean Parsons
Colors - Pam Rambo & Wildstorm FX
Letters - Willie Schubert
Edits - Illidge, Gorfinkel, O’Neil
Cover Price: $1.99

Quite possibly one of the most vital and powerful single-issue stories of our journey thus far! Today we sit in for a Bat-Family Reunion... the grand unmasking of the new Batgirl, the coronation of a new-new Batgirl... and the first face-to-face meeting between Batman and Jim Gordon since Gotham City fell! If you only listen to one silly marblemouthed No Man's Land podcast this week... it ought to be this one!

The Bada-Bin!

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NML Crossing, Episode 068 - Batman: Shadow of the Bat #87 (1999)

NML Crossing Episode Sixty-Eight

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #87 (July, 1999)
“Claim Jumping, Part Two”
Writer - Greg Rucka
Pencils - Mike Deodato
Inks - Wayne Faucher
Colors - Roberta Tewes & Wildstorm FX
Letters - Willie Schubert
Edits - Illidge, Gorfinkel, O’Neil
Cover Price: $1.99

It's past midnight, and by golly all hell's breaking loose in Bat-Land! Two-Face, The Penguin, and the GCPD claim jump all over the place, while our hero takes a well-deserved (and non-consensual) nap!

The Bada-Bin!

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NML Crossing, Episode 067 - Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #119 (1999)

NML Crossing, Episode Sixty-Seven

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #119 (July, 1999)
“Claim Jumping, Part 1”
Writer - Greg Rucka
Pencils - Mike Deodato
Inks - Wayne Faucher
Colors - Roberta Tewes & WildStorm FX
Letters - Willie Schubert
Edits - Illidge, Gorfinkel, O’Neil
Cover Price: $1.99

Following our recent dips into the one-n-dones, Azrael-land, and Anthologyville... we get a "return to form" in No Man's Land storytelling. A couple of gang-leaders are looking to expand their turf... and, if they gotta break a few bats to do so, so be it! We also bear witness to another big ol' dollop of Gordon family drama. It's definitely a fun one!

The Bada-Bin!

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NML Crossing, Episode 066 - Batman Chronicles #16 (1999)

NML Crossing, Episode Sixty-Six

Batman Chronicles #16 (Spring, 1999)
“Two Down”
“The Comforts of Home”
“Harold”
Writers - Greg Rucka, Scott Beatty, Denny O'Neil
Pencils - Jason Pearson, Damion Scott, Chris Renaud
Inks - Cam Smith, Wayne Faucher, Sal Buscema
Colors - Digital Chameleon, Ian Laughlin
Letters - Rick Parker, Clem Robins
Edits - Vincenzo, Gorfinkel, Illidge, Carlin, O’Neil
Cover Price: $2.95

We're back in Anthology Land, and we're kicking off that other Renee and Harvey partnership!  We also meet a couple of No Man's Landers who happen across a supervillain hideout, and find out a bit about Handy Harold!

The Bada-Bin!

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NML Crossing, Episode 061 - Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #118 (1999)

NML Crossing, Episode Sixty-One

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #118 (June, 1999)
“Balance”
Writer - Greg Rucka
Art - Jason Pearson & James A. Hodgkins
Colors - Rob Schwager
Letters - Albert De Guzman
Edits - Illidge, Gorfinkel, O’Neil
Cover Price: $1.99

Welcome to the one-offs!  Today we start our three-episode dive into some... err, "quirky" No Man's Land tales?  This time out, Alfred dips back into his Shakespearean "Beagle" mode in order to entertain some NML ragamuffins with his tale of a certain Knight and his loyal Squire.

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NML Crossing, Episode 060 - Detective Comics #732 (1999)

NML Crossing, Episode Sixty

Detective Comics #732 (May, 1999)
“Mosaic, Part Two”
Writer - Greg Rucka
Art - Frank Teran
Colors - Gloria Vasquez & Wildstorm Studios
Letters - John Costanza
Editis - Vincenzo, Illidge, O’Neil
Cover Price: $1.99

Wrapping up our story arc, featuring the fall of our "Level Three Boss", Black Mask!  Today we see some MORE marital bliss between the Gordon-Essens, Babs reacting to seeing her replacement, and we get confirmation as to where Batman puts the baddies after he's done dealing with them!

Good stuff all around... now, listen to an idiot talk all about it!

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NML Crossing, Episode 059 - Batman #565 (1999)

NML Crossing, Episode Fifty-Nine

Batman #565 (May, 1999)
“Mosaic, Part One”
Writer - Greg Rucka
Art - Frank Teran
Colors - Gloria Vasquez & Wildstorm Studios
Letters - John Costanza
Edits - Illidge, Vincenzo, O’Neil
Cover Price: $1.99

Kicking off an all-new story arc, featuring our "Level Three Boss", Black Mask!  Today we see some marital bliss between the Gordon-Essens, Babs seeing her replacement, and we get some hints as to where Batman puts the baddies after he's done dealing with them!

Good stuff all around... now, listen to an idiot talk all about it!

NML Crossing on Youtube

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weirdcomicshistory@gmail.com

NML Crossing, Episode 030 - Batman Chronicles #14 (1998)

NML Crossing, Episode Thirty

Batman Chronicles #14 (Fall, 1998)
"Master of the House"
"The Lunatic Fringe"
"Random Encounters"
Writers - Lisa Klink, Bruce Canwell, Greg Rucka
Pencils - David Boller, Jim Aparo, Sal Buscema
Inks - Aaron Sowd, Drew Geraci, James Hodgkins
Colors - Noelle Giddings, Jason Wright
Letters - Albert DeGuzman, Clem Robins
Edits - Vincenzo, Gorfinkel
Cover Price: $2.95

Perhaps the most off-beat issue/episode yet!

Where else can you hear about an old man giving himself a cottage cheese sponge bath, a child who'd rather be eaten than see her captor beaten up... and also have a text-story in a turn of the century comic book?!  It's an odd one, all right!

Plus: A very Jack Drake-focused NMaiLbag!

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Action Comics #875 (2009)

Action Comics #875 (May, 2009)
"the sleepers, Part I"
Writer - Greg Rucka
Penciller - Eddy Barrows
Inkers - Guy Jose & Julio Ferreira
Colorist - Rod Reis
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Assistant Editor - Wil Moss
Editor - Matt Idelson
Cover Price: $2.99

One of the neat things about writing about Action Comics is, even if you're not necessarily in the mood to write about Superman... you can find a bunch of issues that don't even feature him.  Such is the issue we'll be discussing today.

While on the subject... as we draw ever nearer to the end of our #Action100 Endeavor, I am kinda bummed that I didn't get around to covering any Action Comics Weekly.  On the face of it, seems like it would be a good time... but, lemme tell ya... synopsizing those short stories, and making the piece "flow" (not that my pieces ever really "flow") was quite a challenge.  I couldn't tell ya how many times I started writing a piece for Action Comics Weekly #601.  It's one of the very few books that actually "beat" me.

Oh well, maybe one of these days I'll get a running start and give it another go.

--

We open in Sydney, Australia in the office of one Mr. Carter... a big-wig for the Empire Communications Network.  He's on the phone with an assistant and is looking for some sort of a scathing expose on the Kryptonians of New Krypton.  As he wraps up his call, he gets walloped by... Nightwing (not that one)!  Flamebird arrives right behind him and calls him out for his impetuousness.

As they yak, Carter recovers and attacks!  He believes (as does the world) that Nightwing and Flamebird are normal humans in super-powered suits.  He promises that they aren't prepared to deal with what he really is.

A fight rages on... with Carter eventually grabbing Nightwing by the throat.  He is taken aback when the kid starts speaking to him in Kryptonese.  This distraction proves to be just enough for the Kandorian Dynamic Duo to regain the advantage.

They manage to capture Carter, who is in actuality a Kryptonian Sleeper Agent named Tor-An.  Job well done, Nightwing proclaims "One Down, Five to Go!"... before noticing that his partner might be a little worse for wear.  They disappear into the skies before they are spotted.

We briefly check in on Metropolis, where Lois is watching footage of the event we just read.  She furrows her brow.  Thrilling.

We then shift scenes to General Lane's Project 7734, where they too are watching the footage... in an attempt to positively identify Flamebird.  Unfortunately for them, the image is too degraded to match up.

Next stop, New Krypton.  Alura is rather annoyed that her Chief of Security Thara Ak-Var has flown the coop... but not before abducting/rescuing Lor-Zod (Chris Kent) from the Phantom Zone.  They don't yet know that Thara and Chris are currently Nightwing and Flamebird.  Anyhoo, she sends Ursa (Lor-Zod's mother) off on the retrieval mission.

Over at the Fortress of Solitude, Nightwing and Flamebird deposit Tor-An into their version of the Ghostbusters' Containment Unit... or, ya know... the Phantom Zone.

Chris heads off to change clothes, as his current ensemble is in a pretty bad state, and he's too bashful to do so in front of Thara.  While he's off, Thara takes a gander at the rest of their intergalactic hit-list.

Her viewing party is interrupted by an off-panel shout.  It's Chris... who has been struck with a sudden (and apparently painful) growth spurt.  He explains that this might be a byproduct of having spent time in the Phantom Zone.

We wrap up with Ursa's arrival in the Fortress... where she looks to be ready to kill Thara... if not both of our new heroes!

--

Not a whole lotta meat on these bones... but enjoyable enough.

I've said it before, but I didn't stick around all that long for the New Krypton saga... so, it was rather a pleasant surprise to learn that Nightwing was our pal Chris Kent.  I was afraid he was never heard from again after "Last Son".

I think his depiction here was pretty great.  Over-zealous in his attack on Carter/Tor-An... his bashfulness around Thara... even his innocent mention of how pretty she looks in her costume.  Just seems like a really good take on the "kid hero".

I still can't really go "all in" on Zod... any time he's mentioned, I become instantly bored.  At least we didn't get a hilarious "Kneel Before..." bit.  Kudos to Rucka for that.  The story also looks pretty damn fantastic.  Barrows is absolutely wonderful.

Even though I really dug this... the fact that it is so decompressed really hinders my ability to recommend it.  I mean, I've got the next issue within arm's reach... so, I think it might be easier for me to forgive the lack of "meat" here... but, if we were to hop back to 2009... I doubt that I'd have been satisfied.

This kind of book brings me back to a time where I forced myself through my buy-pile.  Just blasting through each book in order to get to the next one... and the next one, and so on.  This book wouldn't have really "moved my needle", and I feel like the most satisfaction it would have given me, is putting it back in the polybag... happily knowing that I can move on to the next book in the pile.

Overall... I liked it.  Not enough really "went down"... but it's a decent enough "part one".  Not sure I'd recommend picking up just this issue... but then again, not having read this through, I'm not sure I'd recommend picking up the whole magilla either!

--

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805

52 Week One (2006)

52 Week One (July, 2006)
"Golden Lads & Lasses Must..."
Writers - Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka & Mark Waid
Art Breakdowns - Keith Giffen
Penciller - Joe Bennett
Inker - Ruy Jose
Colorist - Alex Sinclair
Letterer - Nick J. Napolitano
Assistant Editors - Jann Jones & Harvey Richards
Editor - Stephen Wacker
Cover Price(s): FREE & $2.50

Welcome everyone to my three-hundredth daily post here at the humble blog.  I was racking... or wracking my brain trying to come up with a subject worthy of a "hundredth" milestone post.  After a whole lotta thought, I decided that I should cover part of DC's weekly comics event, 52.  This was an ambitious project wherein DC produced a chapter each week for an entire year... and here I am trying to review a book every day for... an entire year?  Maybe?  Who knows... seems an achievable goal... hell it's only a couple of months more... ehh, we'll see.

I want to take a moment before hopping into the spoilery synopsis to thank anyone who is reading this, or has ever read my ramblings.  This year has afforded me the opportunity to find some true joy in my comics compulsion... and make some great friends.  And though, I'd be lying if I said doing this "on the daily" wasn't sometimes a chore, I'm still very happy to have stuck with this "project".  

Maybe it's the afterglow of Thanksgiving talking... or maybe I'm just a sap... but really and truly... thanks for sticking with me, if'n ya have.

--

We open as the shards of reality swirl in the cosmos... the result of Superboy Prime's incredible temper tantrum during Infinite Crisis.  The shards continue to spin before converging in a brilliant burst of light... when our eyes return to focus, all that remains is the planet Earth... a slightly altered planet Earth.

As we make landfall, we are privy to several vignettes featuring some of our main players... Ralph Dibney, who is still reeling from the death of his wife, now stands among the ruins of his home.  Renee Montoya is drinking her troubles away in a Gotham bar where it is all but confirmed that Bludhaven has been wiped out.  Steel is helping a French officer clear away the rubble of a wrecked school.  This is in the shadow of Infinite Crisis... worldwide chaos and destruction on a scale never seen before.

Over the next few days, Ralph continues picking up the pieces... he receives a call confirming that Superboy did not survive his battle with Prime.  Montoya is still drinking.  Steel brings an injured man, who may have been saved by Green Arrow to medics.

We then get a bit of a teaser... the eyes of the citizens of Metropolis go skyward.  "Look!  Up in the sky!" booms in a tinny robotic voice... why, it's Skeets heralding the arrival of Booster Gold!  Booster has Fearsome Five member Mammoth hoisted above his head... he hurls him into the group... then stops for a primo photo-op with the kiddies.  Of particular interest, Booster's costume is covered in sponsorship logos... real good stuff here.  He actually turns away from the photo op, to hold up a can of "Soder Cola"... all that's missing from here is a gleam on his teeth.

Skeets suggest that Booster wipe the smile off his face, since Superboy just died.  Like a classically trained actor, Booster turns that smile upside down... and even manages to summon up some well-timed tears for the cameras.

As Booster and Skeets leave the scene, they discuss how, if Skeets' records of time are correct, within the next few days Booster will be invited to join the newest (and greatest) incarnation of the Justice League of America... a personal invitation from Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman themselves!

We shift to a hotel room for a rather unpleasant scene.  Ralph Dibney is sitting on the bed with the clipping of his wife's obituary on the nightstand.  He's chewing on mints as his voice mails play.  He places the barrel of a gun in his mouth... however, before he is able to pull the trigger, one of his messages reveals that a message has been found on Sue's tombstone.

We rejoin Steel as he approaches his niece, Natasha... who I think is also going by the name Steel... but we'll refer to her as Natasha to assuage any confusion... mostly mine.  She is headed off to help the Teen Titans.  Steel insists she stay put as there is plenty of debris that needs clearing here.  He continues by claiming that Natasha hasn't earned the right to play superhero yet.  She's obviously offended by this claim, and decides to head off anyway... that is, however, until Steel uses his super-tech to disengage her suit of armor.

Meanwhile, in Kahndaq... Black Adam is addressing his people about their new mission.  His speech is interrupted by a suicide bomber... which, I dunno if you want to intentionally screw with Black Adam... just doesn't sound like a good idea.  I'm also guessing that a TNT vest would do little more than tick Adam off.  Anyhoo, it's a moot point, as Adam snags the creep and heads skyward... tears his arm off... and tosses the TNT far enough into the sky so that it doesn't harm anyone...

We then get an odd little scene in which Doctor Sivana is watching television while admiring his worm in a jar... that's Mister Mind to us mere mortals... his viewing is interrupted by a pair of large scaly individuals who drag him away.

Back in Metropolis, we see the heroes who managed to survive the events of Infinite Crisis gathering.  They're catching up with one another... noting who made it... and perhaps more importantly, who didn't.  We see Bart Allen talking to Alan Scott and Jay Garrick... he turns down the mantle of the Flash while Wally's "away"... which he will obviously reconsider during his fairly bland volume of the title... he does mention that Wally and Linda's twins are annoying... and I couldn't agree more!  They were the dirt worst.

We get a great shot of all the heroes arriving... Booster Gold and Skeets begin their countdown to receiving an invite to the League...

... which doesn't come.  Booster is flustered, Skeets has never been wrong before.  Skeets then appears to begin malfunctioning... his language being interrupted by binary coding... This is all too much for Booster to handle, so he lashes out to the point where he must be restrained.  He knows Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are coming... they just have to be!  Well, no Booster... they're not coming... a young reporter with a name tag reading "Kent" has it on good authority they will not be attending.

Back in Gotham, the Question makes some changes to the Bat-Signal... peeling off the classic bat, and replacing it with a spray painted question mark.  He aims the signal so that it shines right into the apartment of Detective Renee Montoya.  He sees her... and wants to know if she's ready.

--

A great start to this yearlong epic.  So many seemingly disparate story threads coming out of the Infinite Crisis event... but all feeling somehow connected.  This feels as though we are accompanying the creative team as they take part in an interesting writing exercise... and yet at the same time, it yields a wonderful story.  While this was a little bit less "my" DC Universe than what had proceeded Infinite Crisis, it was still just so damn good.

For this review I am looking at the DC Nation exclusive variant which I received when Dan Didio personally invited me to a super secret VIP DC Comics summit during the Summer of 2006.  Either that or I found it in a dollar bin, I'll let you be the judge.  To my knowledge the only difference between the versions is the cover.

So we get a bunch of vignettes here... let's start with Ralph Dibney.  His is a story that really bothers me... like on some sort of visceral level.  I wasn't close with the Dibneys when I first read Identity Crisis... so the events of that story were somewhat lost on me.  Since then I had read much of the tail-end of pre-Crisis and post-Crisis Dibney stuff... not by design, mind... just read a lot of League.  After getting to know Ralph and Sue... I can't even bring myself to reread Identity Crisis.  Seeing Ralph here sitting with the business end of a pistol in his mouth... it makes me kind of sick to my stomach.  Like, it really bothers me... which is weird, because not much in comics really "gets" to me, and yet... this does.  Hate what DC did to this couple... just so unnecessary.

Renee Montoya's life is a wreck... can't seem to find direction nor maintain relationships.  When I think back to 52, Renee's bits with the Question are usually one of the first things that pop into my head.  This was an example of DC organically passing a mantle from one character to another... organic and understandable.  Great stuff here.

Then we've got Booster.  Booster, Booster, Booster... why do I love this character so much?  Such a jerk... but, such a magnetic personality.  We get the sense that there is an underlying altruism to him... it's just buried deep under endorsements and royalty checks.  Him using Skeets as his own Gray's Sports Almanac is an awesome touch.  We get the impression that he's been doing this for quite some time, and Skeets hasn't gotten it wrong... until now.  His complete emotional breakdown... to the point where he had to be restrained... when Skeets' recounting of the present was mistaken was great.  It totally made sense that he would react this way... it also makes Booster's eventual metamorphosis into a true superhero much more satisfying.

Overall... I'm always going to recommend 52 to fans of DC Comics, new or old.  It's both a novelty in its presentation, and an amazing story that is definitely worth a read.  Lucky for most, this is a mainstay in the cheap-o bins... to the point where I would call them "bin cloggers", so they shouldn't be so hard to come by.  If you're interested in checking out this very issue... DC Digital has it available to download FOR FREE.  No reason not to check this one out... or revisit it if it's been awhile.

Before I check out for the day... I would like to once again thank everyone for taking time out of their day to check out my ramblings.  It really means the world to me that anybody would read words that I've typed.  Thank You all!

--

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I usually really dig J. Scott Campbell... but, what in the world is this?

Batman: The 10-Cent Adventure (2002)

Batman: The 10-Cent Adventure (March, 2002)
"The Fool's Errand"
Writer - Greg Rucka
Penciller - Rick Burchett
Inker - Klaus Janson
Letterer - Willie Schubert
Colorist - Lee Loughridge
Associate Editor - Michael Wright
Editor - Matt Idelson
Cover Price: $0.10

After checking in with the Cassandra Cain Batgirl yesterday, I decided to stick with the bat-books of the early 2000's... at least for today.  We're going to discuss the opening chapter to the big Bat-Event of 2002, Bruce Wayne: Murderer?... which would continue into Bruce Wayne: Fugitive.  It's just another reminder of how fresh and interesting the New Gotham era Batman family of books could be.

I remember the price stunt being a pretty big deal at the time... an entire Batman story... that mattered... for one thin dime.  DC would revisit this novelty pricing for Superman: The 10-Cent Adventure and a few years later for Batman: The 12-Cent Adventure, though neither of which were as good as this one.  Even across the street at Marvel they played the game (and one-downed their Distinguished Competition) when they released Fantastic Four (vol.3) #60 for... nine-cents.  The early 2000's were a weird time in comics... much more fun, and much less serious than today, that's for sure.  Anyhoo, let's get down to it.

--

We open on that familiar to the point of cliche scene where a young Bruce Wayne kneels on crime alley before his fallen parents... we've got blood... we've got pearls... you know the story.  That said, I really can't harsh on it all that much here.  This is a 10-cent issue, and as such an invitation to new and lapsed readers to "jump in" on the caped crusader.  What may be trite to seasoned comic citizens like myself, is necessary table-setting for an incoming audience.  Greg Rucka's writing makes this scene more than what a lesser writer might... from that tragic night, we continue through Bruce's adolescence and ultimately to his profound meeting with a certain "rat with wings".  Year One was still a thing at this point.

We move into narration from Sasha Bordeaux, Bruce Wayne's bodyguard... and latest member of the DC Universe to get "the secret".  She found it odd that her client would vanish each night... and decided to follow up on some hunches.  In so doing, she also found herself falling in love with him... that can't possibly end well, right?

We learn that with her newfound knowledge, she has been drafted into Batman's war on crime.  This is a piece of the story that I had completely forgotten.  We get a shot of the Jason Todd's Robin costume to clue new readers in to what could potentially happen to a Bat-associate.

Sasha remarks that every so often of late, Batman has been looking in on a woman called Vesper Fairchild... a former squeeze of Bruce Wayne's.  She continues, stating that Bruce broke things off with her when things were "looking serious", which is pretty much what Bruce does.

Sasha struggles with whether or not she should try and talk to Bruce about Vesper... after mustering the courage to finally say something... well, there's an explosion.  Ain't that always the way?

Down below, the Gotham City Currency Exchange is being raided by some masked thugs.  This provides a great opportunity to present some disposable baddies for Batman and Sasha to take down in tandem.  We see here that Sasha is quite adept in fighting, though I can't remember how much of her past we were privy to by this point.  She'll ultimately head over to another Rucka joint, Checkmate following Infinite Crisis... which, ehh...

The next stop on their patrol is a night club called the Wyld Night.  Batman is able to save all of the occupants... except one.  This appears to deeply affect Batman, which isn't a surprise to us... but, remember, this is Sasha's recounting of the events.  This is likely her first time seeing Batman "miss" one.

Next, our dynamic duo stops at the Zoo where a tiger had gotten out of its cage.  Batman is able to sooth the savage beast and get her to retreat to her pen.  Special attention is paid to Batman's words... he talks as though he's afraid someone would hurt the tiger, and not the other way around.

This is a very busy night... we've got a firefight on a bridge between the GCPD and the Russian mob.  Sasha mentions here that Batman is careful to contain his rage when fighting bad guys... and more importantly, he never kills.  Not sure if this is something she just knows, or something she has gleaned from her recent observations... but it's important.

Next we get to watch Sasha go solo.  There's a jumper across town at the same time as a mugging nearby.  Our heroes decide to divide and conquer.  Sasha takes down the mugger with ease.

Later back at the Batcave, Sasha checks in with Bruce.  Even though the night was a definite success, he can't seem to shake the loss of a single life at the night club.  Again, this is important in illustrating how Bruce/Batman values human life... and is a great way to frame what is to come.

Speaking of "what is to come"... Bruce and Sasha head upstairs where they come across the dead body of Vesper Fairchild!

Just in time for the GCPD to kick in the doors to Wayne Manor.  To be continued...

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What this issue does is pretty great.  It brings elements of the past, present, and future together in an organic way... that didn't feel like we were just getting a pile of exposition dumped on us.  Of course we open with the blood 'n pearls... this is a Batman story, after all.  Being as though this was a 10-cent dealie, you gotta imagine this was intended as a book with which DC wanted to use to grow their readership.  It has to be "new reader friendly".  I definitely feel this issue was successful in that regard.

The present is represented in Sasha Bordeaux, who for a time was Bruce Wayne's bodyguard... if you can believe that.  I always dug her character, she was almost a foil to Bruce in that she got a bit nosy about his extracurricular activities... and was actually able to suss out the secret.  In so doing, she also... falls in love with him.  You know how that be.  I'd actually forgotten that she had taken on a masked identity... though without a proper superhero name, it appears.  I feel she works well both in and out of the costume... and really disliked it when she was pulled from the Bat Family into Greg Rucka's relaunched Checkmate series post Infinite Crisis.

The future is pretty self-evident.  We got us a dead girl in Wayne Manor.  This is the perfect kick off point for a season-spanning whodunnit epic.  This was a joy to read... and I remember back some, jeez, 14 years ago, this was a joy to collect and follow.

Rucka's writing is as good as you would imagine, even during pages of exposition, it isn't dull.  Rick Burchett's art is also perfectly fitting for this story.  I actually had to do a double take at the credits page, I thought it was Scott McDaniel at first blush.  Perhaps it has something to do with the inking and/or coloring... it looks like something out of an early issue of Nightwing... which is a good thing.

Overall... even though I enjoyed this immensely, it's a hard one to recommend.  It is the opening chapter to a... if Wikipedia is to be believed, thirty-nine part story.  That's one hell of an investment of time, effort, and money.  I personally feel it's worth it... but I'd hate to send anyone on a shopping spree.  I will say that both Fugitive and Murderer? are handily available digitally... so if the mood strikes you, give it a go.  If you're still on the fence... The 10-Cent Adventure itself is available digitally... FOR FREE.  Enjoy!

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