Leviathan’s Triumph
This is gonna be a rough week for comics blogging over here — I got only one comic in the pull-list on Wednesday.
Batman Inc. #7
Batman’s been captured by Leviathan, and the rest of Batman Inc. is in disarray. The Knight is dead. Damian realizes that Talia’s lead henchman is actually his own clone, artificially aged into adulthood and augmented with extra powers. The Hood betrays everyone. Talia tries to blow up Red Robin. Leviathan’s mind-controlled allies, including Gotham City’s children, flock to her crusade. And Batman is stuck in an inescapable deathtrap. Only Damian can save the day — but he’s been ordered to stay in the Batcave. It’s not a good time to be on the side of justice in Gotham…
Verdict: Thumbs up. Outstanding work. Great action, fantastic characterization, wonderful tension, and fun, expressive art. Everyone gets some time in the spotlight, and everyone actually ends up being likeable — including Jason Todd, which I was pretty sure was a complete impossibility. And in among all the betrayals and battles and explosions, we still get some time for great quiet moments, including Damian feeding a cat and Alfred demonstrating why he’s the Bat-family’s best parent. If I’ve got a complaint, it’s that we’ve officially lost the Knight, who was an outstanding, fun, positive character. The Squire is still around, and I hope Morrison has some great moments for her coming up. This might be a good time to go track down the “Knight and Squire” series from a couple years back.
Today’s Cool Links:
- Here’s “Paperman,” one of the animated short films that’s been nominated for an Oscar this year. Go watch — you’ll love it.
- I’ve been reading these issues of “Wonder Woman” and never even realized that one of the characters was based on the late rocker/outside Wesley Willis.
- I always suspected that playing “City of Heroes” (the best danged superhero MMO ever) was making me more like a real superhero. Now there’s scientific evidence supporting the idea…
- Do you borrow fashion, expressions, or habits from your favorite fictional characters?
- The Oatmeal sells out on behalf of the most awesome hotel in Colorado.
- Barnes & Noble wants to close a third of its stores over the next decade? Let’s be honest: B&N is probably going to be closing all their stores in a lot less time than that.