BATMAN #678 RIP
What the fudge, Grant Morrison? Someone get the man an editor, now. After a confusing first issue, and a less confusing, but overly-suspension-of-disbelief-demanding second issue, we’ve got this. Apparently, Batman has been given drugs and is left in the street in regular clothes to, what? Break his will? Chip at his sanity? Destroy the Dark Knight? I dunno.
I had a hard time with the art, too. Robin looks like he’s 20, so I thought he was young Bruce. I guess Tim’s following leads and trying to track Bruce down. He asks Nightwing for help, but that doesn’t seem to work out and something happens with Dick. By the end of it, the Black Hand have “won” and it looks like 3/4s of the Bat-team (including Alfred) are down and out, and some crazy crap happens and I’m just left scratching my head.
What the hell. This thing is totally disjointed and utterly unintelligible if you’ve not read the preceding issues and probably all the weird old Batman issues that he’s referencing, and I honestly think I hate Grant Morrison a little bit right now.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #16
It’s pretty good, but the “Return of Fray!” thing is almost a lie. This is a bridge issue between the previous arc and this arc, and it unfortunately feels like a bridge issue. Things happen, don’t get me wrong, but there’s a lot of stuff that I felt could’ve been replaced with the Indiana Jones red line and dot on a map. It’s worth picking up, if only to see what happens to Dawn, and to find out how Buffy ends up meeting Fray.
AVENGERS INVADERS #3 (OF 12)
This one keeps pace with the previous issues. Namor has a showdown with himself, and Bucky continues his plan to break Cap out of their cells on the SHIELD helicarrier. I’d prefer it if they released these as 6 double-sized issues rather than 12 issues, because it feels like relatively little gets accomplished, but the whole thing is interesting enough to keep in reading.
SECRET INVASION FRONT LINE #1 (OF 5) SI
This book isn’t like Civil War Frontline, in that it’s only one story, and focuses solely on Ben Urich. I didn’t read World War Hulk Frontline, so I don’t know if that was like this, too. It’s a decent enough read, giving more of the man on the street view of the big invasion event, and setting up a few tangentially-related stories that I assume will play out against the back drop of the Skrull Invasion. Definitely not necessary to those only interested in the main SI plot.
ANGEL AFTER THE FALL #10
I’ve been of mixed opinions of the After the Fall series. I feel like they haven’t really gotten back to the feel of the series as well as the Buffy comics have, but I also recognize that that’s kind of the point, too. It’s not the same. They’re in hell, Gunn’s a vampire, Angel’s not, and Wesley’s dead. Oh, and they have a dragon. The story finally picks up after the battle against hell’s lords, and I suddenly realize that I missed issue 9. Nonetheless, I soldier on.
As best as I can tell, Lorne’s now the master of Hell.A., and Angel’s determined to do what he always does: help people that need it, despite no longer being vampire strong, and using magic to cover this fact up. Anyway, the whole thing twists and turns like a Whedon story should, and offers some snappy dialogue, like a Whedon story should, and the end of the book makes me want to keep picking up the series.
