Batman and Robin (vol.2) #20 (July, 2013)
"Rage"
Writer - Peter J. Tomasi
Pencillers - Patrick Gleason & Cliff Richards
Inkers - Mick Gray & Mark Irwin
Colorist - John Kalisz
Letterer - Carlos M. Mangual
Assistant Editor - Darren Shan
Editor - Rachel Gluckstern
Group Editor - Mike Marts
Cover Price: $2.99
Had so much fun "meeting" Carrie Kelley yesterday, I decided to check out her next appearance. Was checking all of my normal "archive-y" haunts to see what sort of splash she made in The New 52!, and was pretty shocked to learn that she only made... three appearances!
Seems strange, right?
Anyhoo... figure while I got 'em in front of me, we might as well have ourselves a Carrie Kelley trilogy! We'll wrap her story up tomorrow!
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We open in the Batcave with Bruce trying to locate some bad dudes on the Batcomputer... his search is interrupted by the arrival of Carrie Kelley, who simply refuses to leave. Bruce heads upstairs to see what she wants, and learns that she really misses Damian. It's made apparent that she was giving him acting lessons. I'm not sure if that was made completely clear last issue... or if I was just too dense to see what was on the page.
Bruce informs her that he'd sent Damian overseas to a hoi-poloi boarding school... and tells her she's been more than compensated for her work, and Damian bugging out without notice. She ain't keen on taking money for work she hasn't done... and tells him she only wanted the $1,000 she was owed. This fairly contentious banter is interrupted by the arrival of... Titus, Damian's Great Dane. Carrie immediately takes a liking to him... and seems to know an awful lot about dogs. Something tells me she'd know an awful lot about anything that walked into that room.
Bruce grows tired of her sass, and asks Alfred to show her the door... which he does. Along the way, however, he offers her a job as Titus-handler... dog walker... trainer... feeder... you get the drill. Anyhoo, this is the last we'll see of Carrie for this issue.
Later on, Bruce is visited by Jason Todd. He fills him in on some goings-on in Ethiopia, and asks him to tag along on a mission where he intends to act a bit more ruthless than usual. Ya see, this gang they're tracking down was one of the ones hired by Talia to kill Damian.
Time passes, and the pair arrive in Ethiopia... and really raise some hell. Batman orders Jason to keep his shots aimed only at hands, elbows, and knees... no shooting to kill. Just shooting to... ya know, really wreck a fool's life. Batman even destroys one of the baddies' hands! Funny, last time he was acting this ruthlessly was... after Jason Todd was killed!
With their mission accomplished, Bruce leads Jason to a certain area of Ethiopia... the Magdala Valley. This is the place where Jason was killed by the Joker back during A Death in the Family. Jason's pretty ticked off... and I can't really blame him. He is being used here. Bruce is hoping that being at the place where he was killed might stir a few memories on just how he managed to come back! So, that... ya know, he might apply those to Damian.
By now, Jason is fuming... he starts throwing punches, and Batman replies in kind. Jason demand Bruce remove his mask so he can watch his face while he pummels him.
Jason continues to whale on Bruce's face... only stopping, to leave. He takes the car, leaving Bruce in the middle of the desert.
We wrap up with something of an epilogue... a man flips a coin. Hmm, wonder who that might be.
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This isn't exactly subtle... but it's pretty great nonetheless.
Just looking at the titles of these post-Requiem issues, we're going through the classic Kubler-Ross stages of grief alongside Batman. Last issue was Denial, this one is Rage (Anger)... the next issue is advertised as "The Bargain". Again... not subtle, but pretty great. A very interesting approach... and, when you have like a half-dozen ongoing Batman books, you have the flexibility to takes risks such as this.
This is the sort of book that illustrates to me just how frustrating The New 52! was. I mean, the initiative is in our rear-view by this point, and I'm still unsure which bits and pieces of continuity made it through. Today we get a reference to A Death in the Family... which, as far as "canon" stories go, is as evergreen as any, but my thing is that it is the story that this entire issue is built on. It really bugged me that "some" of the pre-Flashpoint continuity was allowed to stay... and hell, that's not even true from issue to issue.
It's sour grapes, sure, but I just felt like this was DC eating its cake and having it too... which, as a long-time fan, really annoyed me. If you're going "tabula rasa", then... go tabula rasa. We longtime fans kept getting condescendingly told to "go to our bookshelves" when we complained about losing our continuity... it just didn't seem right that DC could play fast and loose with it. Again... my sour grapes.
The bit with Carrie Kelley... hell, the reason we're reading this today... was, "ehhh". She's still really annoying... I mean, nobody likes a know-it-all, right? I'd say the only way this could have been redeemed is if they slotted her in as the new Oracle or something. If I were reading this at the time, and didn't know better... I'd have bet money that's exactly where this was headed!
I'm not sure why her "arrival" feels so truncated... I gotta wonder if Dark Knight III was already sorta-kinda in the works at this point. Perhaps something happens in that story (which I haven't read yet) that made Miller and company want her pulled from these pages. I dunno.
The Jason/Bruce fight was really well done. I've said it a bunch, but I'm a sucker for Bat-Family dysfunction. Hell, I listed Batman #416 as the best comic I'd read in 2016... so this kinda drama is always welcome. I gotta say, it was nice for Jason of all people to be depicted as the "cooler head". Really so well done.
Gotta say, as much as I love Tomasi and Gleason on Superman (vol.4)... their Batman work is just phenomenal! Beautifully written... beautifully rendered... just an absolute treat. I would wholeheartedly recommend this to any Bat-fan out there. I'd say I wish I "discovered" it sooner, but I'm having way too much fun "discovering" it now!
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Channel-52:
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Batman and Robin (vol.2) #19 (June, 2013)
"Denial"
Writer - Peter J. Tomasi
Penciller - Patrick Gleason
Inker - Mick Gray
Colorist - John Kalisz
Letterer - Carlos M. Mangual
Assistant Editor - Darren Shan
Editor - Rachel Gluckstern
Group Editor - Michael Marts
Cover Price: $2.99
Welcome to 2013... the year where I think I was just barely collecting DC Comics. I still wasn't quite over my post-Flashpoint temper-tantrum... and didn't see anything on the horizon that was going to change that. A couple of weeks back, when I "ran the numbers", I was pretty surprised to see that up to this point, I've only covered one book with a 2013 cover-date. It's funny how patterns emerge when you're not paying attention!
Anyhoo... the book we're going to talk about today is notable for a couple of reasons... first, it's "WTF-Certified".
Now, what in the world does that mean? Well... all of the books released in April, 2013 (cover-dated June) had gatefold covers revealing something very "WTF" (which is said to stand for, "What the Fifty-Two", nice try, Dan...). Cooler/smarter heads eventually prevailed, and the branding didn't make it to print. (Un)Fortunately, the Internet never allows us to forget...
The other reason this book is notable is for what the gatefold reveals...
Yup, Carrie Kelley from Dark Knight Returns finally makes her debut in the mainstream DCU.
So, let's take a look at her grand debut... prepare to be, whelmed.
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We open with Squirrel Girl enjoying a slice of pizza while driving through the streets of Gotham... and quoting Shakespeare. Oh... that's not Squirrel Girl? Well, she's pretty annoying just the same. At a stoplight, a creep in the next car over... hits on her, because... of course he does. In response she hurls the entire pizza pie at him. She finally arrives at her destination... Wayne Manor.
Turns out that (the recently departed) Damian Wayne had hired her for... maybe tutoring sessions? She leaves a stack of texts and a note saying she's owed $1,000 for ten sessions.
We jump ahead to later on where Carrie is having a costume party. Bruce Wayne arrives... and knocks on the door. You're never gonna guess who she's dressed as... okay, you almost certainly will. Bruce hands over a red envelope before splitting.
Elsewhere, we watch as Frankenstein... does Frankensteiny things... fighting mushy-looking critters mostly. Batman flies overhead and snatches him with the Batwing's grapple. Alfred has left Batman several messages, all of which have gone unanswered. He decides to give Tim Drake a call to see if he might be able to track Master Bruce down.
We rejoin Batman and Frank at Castle Frankenstein in the Arctic. Batman has nabbed Frankie in hopes that he might... resurrect Damian?! This is weird... both wildly out of character, but also... perfectly in-line with how Batman might respond to such a loss. I'm very conflicted... but really enjoying this. Batman has also brought a few unlucky souls who donated their bodies to science for Frankenstein to... uh, practice with (against his will)? Really gritty stuff here.
Frankenstein is able to fight Batman off for a moment... and good God, is Gleason able to bring this battle to life. It's really a gorgeous few pages of punchy action. Frankenstein holding Batman aloft by his neck is especially great... really shows the size-difference we're dealing with here. Frankenstein attempts to talk some sense into Batman... even sharing his own story of having lost a Son. Batman's not exactly ready to listen, however... and shocks Frankie back into subserviency... subservitude... you know what I'm sayin'.
We join up with Tim Drake, who is about to make his descent toward Castle Frankenstein. This is interspersed with scenes of... stitching... crude surgery. Tim arrives just in time to see... well, this:
Batman explains to Tim what he's planning... even citing how he'd been dead before... and Superman has too (I guess this was one of months during The New-52! where that stuff was in continuity... seemed to change quite a bit). Red Robin argues... even though he once tried to re-clone Superboy... well, I guess that no longer "happened". Can't win 'em all.
The former... er, never-was... er, maybe-was dynamic duo argue a bit more while Frankenstein patiently waits on the operating table. By this point, Frankie's dome has been carved off, revealing his brain. He, again, attempts to reason with the Dark Knight... citing his own being somewhere between "dead" and "alive" as reason not to pursue resurrecting Damian.
Tim then triggers his Titan-jet to... fire into Castle Frankenstein? That seems like a bit of an overreaction... not to mention, wildly dangerous. Batman gives Tim a death-glare before bugging out... leaving him to (literally) pick up Frankenstein's pieces.
We wrap up back at Carrie's place. She and her roommate are playing some fighting game on their WiiStation360... and we learn that the contents of that red envelope Bruce had given her was a check for $10,000.
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This was one helluva(n) issue!
Let's get it out of the way right off the bat (ha!)... Carrie Kelley is annoying. I'll admit it's been a long time since I've even flipped-through Dark Knight Returns... but I don't recall her being this irritating. Maybe that's more me having a problem with "kids today"... but, ho-lee smokes, I did not care for her.
Even her introduction was a bit precious... eating pizza while driving (like a heathen) and... reciting Shakespeare. Is that what "kids today" really act like? If that's the case, I'm glad I grew up when I did! It's really more an annoyance than a complaint... I'm sure there are many folks out there who really appreciated the way she was depicted.
Onto another (minor) complaint... the title here was altered to read Batman and Red Robin... even in the indicia (!!!). Yet, I feel like Red Robin barely played a part here. I mean, this is no different from a normal guest-spot. I guess I just expected more to go along with the one-off title-change.
Onto the "meat" of the issue... Batman is dealing with his loss in very peculiar ways. He goes to, of all people, Frankenstein in hopes that he might be able to resurrect his Son. Now, although these scenes were pretty amazing... I gotta ask... isn't Damian's Grandfather Ra's al Ghul? Like, the dude with the Lazarus Pits? Is that still a thing? Seems like that might be my first stop if I were a Batman looking to resurrect a Robin.
Overall... this was an excellent issue, and I had a great time checking it out. Despite my minor quibbles about Carrie Kelley... I gotta say, as a fan of lore and "everything mattering", I was happy to see her added to the mainstream DCU. They didn't do a whole heckuva lot with her... but, whattayagonnado? I'd definitely recommend checking this one out... I'm even inspired to (eventually) revisit Damian's "final" arc, and see how well it aged. This bugger is available digitally.
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Channel-52! (remember that?)
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The Human Race #1 (May, 2005)
"The Awakening, Part One"
Writer/Co-Creator - Ben Raab
Penciller/Co-Creator - Justiniano
Inker - Walden Wong
Letterer - Clem Robins
Colors/Separations - Chris Chuckry
Editor - Joey Cavalieri
Cover Price: $2.99
Here's one from the... huh? Department. The Human Race is a book I'd never heard of... and when I recently came across it in the cheap-o bin thought it must be some out-of-continuity thing.
My actual initial thoughts were that it must be part of that short-lived DC Focus line... ya know, "superpowers in the real world" or whatever. Boy was I surprised to learn that this actually takes place in the DC Universe!
So, let's crack this thing open and try and solve it... whatever it is.
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We open in Shuster's Glen... a quiet suburb of Metropolis. It's the morning of Ulysses Adams high school graduation, in which he will be speaking as Valedictorian. His parents head toward his bedroom to make sure he's getting ready... and find something rather troubling. Instead of their Son, she finds a disgusting burst cocoon! It really is gross...
We jump ahead to the graduation ceremony where we learn that Ulysses is kind of a success story at Siegel High School. He started off a pretty horrible student before dedicating himself to his education. The Principal (I'm assuming) scans the crowd for him... but he doesn't appear to be present. There are a few more interested parties there however, and they seem to be just as annoyed with Ulysses absence.
We shift scenes to a Metropolis bus terminal where a young man is boarding a bus bound for Star City. He is dressed rather warmly for the middle of June, big coat and a winter hat. He takes a seat next to a techno-loving bad girl.
Along the way, we get a really wonky DC Universe geography lesson. The bus passes a sign which reads: Gotham City: 113 miles, Star City: 253 miles, and Keystone City: 372 miles. Huh? I always pegged Star City as being in the Pacific Northwest... and isn't Keystone supposed to be around St. Louis? Oh well... just thought it was interesting to mention.
Inside the bus, the young man... we'll just call him Ulysses... is being small-talked-to-death by his new lady-friend. She is able to get him to discuss how weird his day has been... ya know, waking up in a cocoon for starters. He lifts his hat and removes his sunglasses to reveal... a rather unpleasant metamorphosis had occurred.
The gal then makes a reveal of her own. She knows who Ulysses is... and is there to protect him. She shows this by... er, triggering an explosive that sends a bus-full of people flying into the nearby woods?
In the woods, she tells him he needs to save the people on the bus... which seems really dumb. He hems and haws, knowing he's not strong enough to do so... but she convinces him nonetheless. He is surprised to find out that he is much stronger than he thought... tearing through the bus as if it were paper.
Before he can save anybody, however, he is nyoinked away by some unseen force. These are, of course, the bad guys we met at the Graduation. They cause his transformation to get even more disgusting... and inform him that he is now property of an organization called the Omega Concern.
Well, not if the good guys have anything to say about it! It's here that we meet our team... and, lemme tell ya, they're kinda bland. Like, Sovereign Seven bland.
This triggers a battle to begin... and we learn that one of the members of the "good" side is an artificial intelligence woman named Delphi... which, for all I know will become an important piece of information later.
The third member is a three-hundred year old man called Sensei... who has some sorta plasmatic powers which tap into his Qi. He pulls Ulysses from his new cocoon.
The battle soon ends... with a bang. It's revealed that the baddies were Bio-Borgs created at a Eugenics Research Collective (the Omega Concern)... they are led by a man calling himself Paracelsus. Ulysses is, as you might imagine, quite annoyed by all of this nonsense... and wants to know what this has to do with him. What he gets instead... is drafted into a war.
It's explained that there is an extinction-level event on the horizon having to do with a Xeno-Virus... heyyy, ya don't think... nahhhh. Their little group calls themselves Delta Chi Delta... and that gal from the bus (who may or may not have gotten a name here) shows off her fraternity tattoo.
We then get the quick and dirty on Paracelsus... and Ulysses new state of being. Delta Chi Delta believes he might be something of a "missing link" in evolution... and one that the Omega's wouldn't mind snuffing out.
We close out with Ulysses, realizing he really doesn't have any choice... joining up.
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This was... weird.
I didn't go into it with any real expectation... which really helped.
I wanna start by mentioning how happy I am to see Ben Raab get a "number one" issue. Poor fella always seemed to be brought on a title just as it's circling the drain... resulting in some rather "lame duck" runs. It's a shame, because I've always dug his work... just seemed to get pigeonholed as the "wrap up guy".
I gotta say, it's unfortunately also affected the way I view his work. When I'd see him announced as taking over a book... I figured it was just a matter of time before it would be announced as cancelled. It's really not fair to him... so, I'm happy to see him get to do his own thing here.
... even if, I don't really dig what he does here. This was... I dunno, bland. From the threat to the character designs... it just didn't "hook" me. Looking back, this really doesn't feel like a book from the mid-2000's. I mean, this hit the very same month as Geoff Johns' Green Lantern #1. This book does not feel like a contemporary to that.
What this does feel like is a late-90's Marvel book. From the designs... to the art... hell, even to the paper-stock. This feels like an anachronistic relic of the previous generation.
I will say... this is the sorta book I had in mind when I started this blog several hundred years days ago. It's an oddity... and a rarity that I'm taken by surprise by a book's very existence. So, in that regard... this was pretty fun. Is it worth tracking down and reading? Well... if you do come across this, it'll very likely be in a cheap-o bin of varying denomination... and if that's the case, sure... give it a look-see. I don't think I'd pay cover-or-above though.
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