Category: Comic Books & Graphic Novels

Written by John Ridley.

Art by Christian Duce; Ken Lashley; & Stephen Segovia; Rex Lokus; & Troy Peteri.

Collection Cover Art by Olivier Coipel & Alex Sinclair.

SUMMARY:

Released by DC Comics in 2024, this 144-page trade paperback compiles 2021-2022’s I Am Batman # 6-10.  In the Next Batman’s alternate future timeline, Tim “Jace” Fox’s billionaire family has recently relocated to New York City from Gotham. 

With his attorney mother (Tanya) busily establishing political connections to expedite new social programs for the needy, Jace’s younger sisters: Tam and Tiffany have their own struggles acclimating.  Jace’s Batman, meanwhile, has drawn the attention of the city’s Mayor Villanueva, not to mention the less-than-thrilled and evidently ultra-bigoted Police Commissioner Pete Becket. 

Prompted by Villanueva, Deputy Mayor Carmichael recruits ex-GCPD Detective Adriana Chubb to command the  police’s new Bat-friendly special cases task force.  Joined by her ex-partner, Whitaker, Chubb senses that Carmichael’s dubiously handpicked recruits are really the police department’s castoff trouble magnets.  Now a deputized lawman, Fox’s Batman builds an alliance with a skeptical Chubb to corral a dangerous band of gunrunning thugs. 

Far worse is the rise of an ultra-sadistic serial killer (later dubbed ‘Man Ray’), whose first grisly and surrealistic ‘art display’ is dismembered philanthropist Devlin Rubel.  Between Batman and Chubb’s team, their search for ‘Man Ray’ has mixed results.  Still, Jace’s closest friends: Russian computer hacker, Vol, and Jace’s would-be girlfriend, Hadiyah, have better luck connecting potential clues towards ‘Man Ray.’ 

Humiliated in combat by ‘Man Ray,’ Batman redoubles his efforts to hunt down his elusive adversary.  Jace’s father, Lucius Fox, offers to enhance his son’s Bat-weapons, but it isn’t revealed if Jace accepts. The discovery of another eviscerated high-profile victim indicates that the enemy has no fear of the police.  More so, others within the NYPD intend to seek fitting vigilante revenge against ‘Man Ray.’

After Batman and Chubb’s task force realize that Mayor Villanueva is the killer’s next target, a lethal showdown soon commences at City Hall. This storyline is entitled “Empire State of Mind, Parts 1-5,” with Issue # 10 serving as the current plot’s conclusion.

Note: This title is also available digitally, along with the 2023 hardcover edition.

REVIEW:

It’s a shame that relatively high-caliber visuals are squandered on this icky and genre-clichéd storyline.  More specifically, Volume 2’s art team can’t hide writer John Ridley’s underwhelming excuse for a Bat-thriller. 

While Ridley conveys sufficient depth in various scenes depicting Jace’s family and friends; the police; and the Mayor’s Office, his take on Jace Fox’s Batman is all too generic.  Obvious elements of Jace’s Batman/Black Panther-like amalgam aside, there’s little, if anything, compelling, about this alternate Batman’s war on New York crime. Ridley essentially does too little developing the ‘Next Batman’ further as a pivotal lead character. 

Having his friends and the cops conduct most of the actual sleuthing doesn’t help Jace’s characterization, either.  Case in point: Jace asks his potential girlfriend to research a supposedly tantalizing hint referenced as ‘The Hotlist.’  Yet, Ridley doesn’t explain how or where Jace got this particular clue from.  Instead, it’s Hadiyah who casually deciphers the more pivotal info related to the enigmatic ‘Man Ray.’ 

Describing Ridley’s sociopath as ‘artistically minded’ really means that ‘Man Ray’ conveys nothing more than horrific crime scenes and an intent to eviscerate corrupt individuals alive.  Hence, displaying dismembered body parts in surrealistic ‘portraits’ is this new Bat-villain’s sickening trademark.  If Ridley thought he would impress readers in a twisted Saw-like manner, his creative intuition falls far short.               

Furthermore, implying the villain is inspired by and named after real life artist Man Ray (not to mention, mimics elements of the notorious Black Dahlia homicide) is an exercise in bad taste.  Adding to the antagonist’s lack of depth, Ridley also doesn’t explain this villain’s inexplicably superhuman attributes (i.e. strength, invulnerability) in action scenes. 

Having Jace later vanquish ‘Man Ray’ in a street fight and then have the killer await imminent arrest is an utter contradiction of their prior encounter.  Hence, ‘Man Ray,’ makes zero sense, in terms of plausibility.  Jace’s multi-ethnic supporting cast, by comparison, is at least admirably textbook excellent for any ongoing Bat-series.      

Serving as a tone-deaf exclamation point, what spells out Volume 2’s mostly deplorable plotting is a grotesque effigy ending Issue # 6 accompanied by the self-congratulatory banner of ‘DC Comics Proudly Presents.’  The fact that there isn’t a DC Comics parental advisory anywhere in sight for Volume 2, unfortunately, speaks for itself. 

Though this art team’s visual style is appealing, I Am Batman, Volume 2: Welcome To New York, otherwise, concocts a disappointingly repellant misfire.         

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

Each full-page cover precedes its story.  Primary cover artist teams are: Issue # 6 (Olivier Coipel & Alex Sinclair); Issue # 7 (Ken Lashley & Diego Rodriguez); Issue # 8 (Stephen Segovia & Rex Lokus); Issue # 9 (Segovia & Lokus); and Issue # 10 (Christian Duce & Lokus). 

An excellent eleven-page variants gallery (all in a full-page format) consists of these artists:

1. Issue # 6: (1. Francesco Mattina; 2. Khary Randolph & Emilio Lopez; and 3. Alexis Franklin);
2. Issue # 7: (1. Mattina; and 2. Dike Ruan);
3. Issue # 8: (1. Coipel & Sinclair; and 2. Mateus Manhanini);
4. Issue # 9: (1. Gerardo Zaffino & Rain Beredo; and 2. Manhanini); 
5. Issue # 10: (1. Taurin Clarke; and 2. Manhanini).

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                     3½ Stars

Written by (See Below).

Art by (See Below).

Collection Cover Art by John Van Fleet.

SUMMARY:

Re-released by DC Comics in 2024, this 432-page trade paperback reprints four one-shots, plus, a pair of two-parters, that were all published between 1996 and 1998.  Specifically, they are: 

Notes: The 2024 version of this anthology is also available digitally.  This book was first released in 2016; however, its exact page count is unconfirmed.  DC’s website claims 424 pages while another source says 377 pages.  Even so, both the 2016 and 2024 editions supposedly share the exact same content.      

1. Elseworld’s Finest # 1   (Page 7).

Writer: John Francis Moore.  Artists: Kieron Dwyer; Hilary Barta; Gloria Vasquez; Heroic Age; & Bill Oakley.  Cover Artists: Dwyer & Barta.

Set in the spring of 1928, intrepid Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent and pre-teen orphan Jimmy Olsen accompany Clark’s childhood friend, Lana Lang, on an Indiana Jones-like quest to save her archaeologist father from Ra’s al Ghul and his League of Assassins.  For the invaluable prize at stake, roguish mercenary Bruce Wayne becomes their ally for a dangerous Egyptian rescue mission.  Awaiting these adventurers is the Captain Nemo-like pirate, Alexi Luthor, who also covets the secrets of the lost ancient city of Argos. 

One pertinent enigma is the true allegiance of the seductive Talia al Ghul.  Hints of Clark’s otherworldly origin and Bruce’s bat-related destiny are teased.  Cameos include: The Newsboy Legion; Selina Kyle; Alfred Pennyworth; Perry White; Hal Jordan; Carter Hall; Dan Turpin; and a sly Marvel Family homage.

• Elseworld’s Finest # 2   (Page 56).

Writer: John Francis Moore.  Artists: Kieron Dwyer; Hilary Barta; Gloria Vasquez; Heroic Age; & Bill Oakley.  Cover Artists: Dwyer & Barta.

In the remote mountains of the Brazilian jungle, all parties converge in their quest for the lost city of Argos.  Rivals Alexi Luthor and Ra’s al Ghul have different destinies in mind for the all-powerful Godstone, as its origin is revealed.  Also revealed are origins for Luthor, Clark Kent, and an enigmatic Egyptian-themed Batman.  Ultimately, the world’s fate rests in the hands of two men at last discovering their true natures.   

• The Justice Riders (one-shot)   (Page 105).

Writer: Chuck Dixon.  Artists: J.H. Williams III; Mick Gray; Lee Loughridge; Heroic Age; & Bill Oakley.  Cover Artist: John Van Fleet.

In the American Old West, Sheriff Diana Prince sets out on a vengeful quest for justice upon the annihilation for her secluded frontier town, Paradise.  She subsequently recruits a makeshift Justice League (i.e. Wally West’s Flash; Hawkman; Martian Manhunter; Ted Kord’s Blue Beetle; Booster Gold; and possibly Guy Gardner).  Against railroad baron Maxwell Lord’s strangely high-tech forces and immortal outlaw Felix Faust, the odds appear heavily stacked against justice.  The epilogue includes a sly cameo from Clark Kent.

Note: This reality’s Diana Prince has resurfaced in other DC projects (i.e. the 2007 DC Countdown: Arena mini-series).

• League of Justice # 1 – Stove One: Hero Quest   (Page 170).

Writer: Ed Hannigan.  Artists: Ed Hannigan; Dick Giordano. Tom McCraw; Cynthia Morris; & John Constanza.    Cover Artists: Hannigan, Giordano, & McCraw.

In Brattlesboro, Vermont, three youths and a drug-addicted thief are magically transported into a medieval fantasy world where a Justice League faces its darkest hour.  Among the bizarre counterparts the kids meet are: Batman; the Flash; the Atom; Green Arrow; Wonder Woman; Hawkman & Hawkgirl; John Stewart’s Green Lantern; Black Canary; Martian Manhunter; Aquaman; Lobo; and Superman. 

• League of Justice # 2 – Stove Two: Hero War   (Page 219).

Writer: Ed Hannigan.  Artists: Ed Hannigan; Dick Giordano. Tom McCraw; Cynthia Morris; & John Constanza.    Cover Artists: Hannigan, Giordano, & McCraw.

The battle continues, as League members fall.  The question becomes: in this reality’s time of need, who can replace them?

• Wonder Woman – Amazonia: A Tale of the Wonder Woman (one-shot)  (Page 269).

Writer: William Messner-Loebs.  Artists: Phil Winslade; Patricia Mulvihill; Digital Chameleon; & John Workman.    Cover Artist: Winslade.

In a dark alternate-reality Victorian England, Amazonian vaudeville performer Wonder Woman rises to face multiple threats – among, them, this world’s Jack The Ripper.

• Titans: Scissors, Paper, Stone (one-shot)  (Page 318).

Writer: Adam Warren.  Artists: Adam Warren; Tom Simmons; Joe Rosas; Digital Chameleon; & Chris Eliopoulos.      Cover Artist: Warren.

Styled as Japanese manga, a futuristic quartet of original Teen Titans are evidently their world’s only hope.

• Elseworld’s Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl  (one-shot)  (Page 367).

Plotters:  Barbara Kesel, Matt Haley, & Tom Simmons.  Writer: Barbara Kessel.  Artists: Matt Haley; Tom Simmons; Moose Baumann; & Bill Oakley.    Cover Artists: Haley & Simmons.

In an alternate reality present-day, Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl is the Dark Knight defending Gotham City.  Even a passive Justice Society/League is reluctant to tread on Gotham’s turf without Batgirl’s permission.  Against a Bane-like Joker obsessed with her, Batgirl reluctantly teams with Kara (aka Supergirl/Power Girl) to rescue the abducted tech-billionaire, Lex Luthor.  Yet, Kara slowly realizes that her beloved Lex is hiding a horrific secret from her.     

Note: In 2007, for its third Elseworlds wave, DC Direct released Elseworld’s Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl as high-quality action figures.

REVIEW:

This anthology is far more a page count than a cohesive read.  For starters, no matter its slew of familiar pulp elements, the unpredictability of Elseworld’s Finest # 1-2 is still welcome.  Along with its generally appealing artwork, Volume One’s first two installments rate a semi-enthusiastic ‘7’ out of 10 stars. 

By comparison, The Justice Riders is also riddled with movie clichés (i.e. The Wild, Wild West; The Magnificent Seven; and even The Terminator).  Still, Chuck Dixon’s Old West caper is at least readable and easy to grasp.  Despite relatively good visuals and some entertaining twists, this unoriginal Justice League take on Westerns lands squarely as a ‘5½’ on a 10-star scale.  As stated in my separate Justice Riders review, reading Dixon’s story in this anthology frankly makes more sense than seeking it out by itself.   

Unfortunately, afterwards, it’s a sharp descent from ‘merely average.’  The two-part League of Justice would-be fantasy epic might prove appealing to some Dungeons & Dragons addicts.  For casual readers, though, this ghouls, goblins, and sorcery adventure drags on far too long. 

Regarding Wonder Woman’s Victorian-era showcase, Amazonia: A Tale of the Wonder Woman, its mostly bleak storytelling proves a bore.  Further, perhaps other readers might have better luck fathoming Titans: Scissors, Paper, Stone.  For all this story’s vivid colors and hip originality, I found myself immediately tuned out.  How exactly this hyperactive tale pertains to the Justice League is beyond me.

Lastly, there is Elseworld’s Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl.  As with The Justice Riders, I’ve separately reviewed this Elseworlds adventure before.  My thumbs-down opinion hasn’t shifted.  Aside from the eye-rolling premise of Batgirl bullying an entire Justice Society/Justice League, this storyline’s climatic plot twist is beyond tasteless.  Still, consider this irony: Barbara Kesel’s ludicrous plotting is a more coherent read than time wasted on a fantasy Justice League, a Victorian Wonder Woman, and manga-style Titans unrelated to any League. 

For curiosity’s sake, let’s just say the disappointing Elseworlds: Justice League, Volume One is best found treading at the library.       

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

There’s a table of contents.  Each full-page cover precedes its issue.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                 3½ Stars

Written by Geoff Johns.

Art by Ethan Van Sciver; Patrick Gleason; Carlos Pacheco; Darwyn Cooke; Prentis Rollins; Christian Alamy; Jesus Merino; Mick Gray; Marlo Alquiza; Moose Baumann; Dave Stewart; Rob Leigh; Phil Balsman; Jared K. Fletcher; Pat Brosseau; & Travis Lanham.

Collection Cover Art by Ethan Van Sciver & Peter Stiegerwald.

SUMMARY:

Released in 2024 by DC Comics, this 400-page trade paperback compiles Green Lantern: Rebirth # 1-6; the feature story from Green Lantern: Secret Files and Origins 2005; Green Lantern Corps: Recharge # 1-5; and, in the wake of Green Lantern: Rebirth, Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern # 1-3 – all originally published between 2004 and 2006.

In deep, deep space, Kyle Rayner’s Green Lantern stumbles into a catastrophic discovery linked to planet Oa revealing the truth behind the Parallax entity.  On Earth, Green Arrow and his teenage protégé, Mia Dearden’s Speedy, are startled by Hal Jordan/The Spectre’s chilling punishment of Black Hand’s attempted theft of Oliver Queen’s power ring (kept hidden away for emergency use). 

Elsewhere, John Stewart and Guy Gardner find that they have been targeted by Hal’s sinister alter ego, Parallax.  Poignantly making amends with Carol Ferris, Hal’s ghost is caught between his opposing incarnations as The Spectre and Parallax.  Despite Hal’s pleas for the Spectre’s intervention, it appears that Parallax’s evil has resurfaced.  Even the combined Justice League/Justice Society is no match for Parallax’s intense yellow firepower.

Beaten and battered, Green Arrow and Kyle Rayner are stunned by a supposedly dead Sinestro’s return aboard the Justice League Watchtower.  Their only hope comes, as Hal Jordan’s defiant spirit at last reunites with his preserved mortal remains.  Facing off against Sinestro, Hal Jordan’s revitalized Green Lantern confirms how and why Parallax had successfully corrupted him. 

Hal and his Green Lantern colleagues: John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Guy Gardner, and Kilowog subsequently force a climatic showdown to thwart Parallax’s vengeful scheme.  Along the way, Hal Jordan reestablishes that he is the universe’s premier Green Lantern. 

Entitled “Flight,” the primary feature of Green Lantern: Secret Files and Origins 2005 reveals three pivotal phases in Hal Jordan’s life.  Idolizing his test pilot father, young Hal gets an exhilarating first taste of his dream: flying.  Soon afterward, Hal (along with Carol Ferris) among the witnesses of a fiery tragedy that forever shapes Hal’s destiny.  Years later, Hal rips a page from his father’s playbook to concoct a nocturnal joyride.  It makes for a breathtaking first date with his new boss, Carol.  In the days (or weeks) after Rebirth, Hal now takes his new friend, Kyle Rayner, for an aerial adventure where their power rings are left behind.  

Following Rebirth, Hal Jordan and John Stewart are designated as Earth’s two Green Lanterns.  Kyle Rayner and a reluctant Guy Gardner are simultaneously assigned to Oa as instructors under Kilowog’s command.  Their indefinite mission: to train new Green Lanterns currently being recruited to eventually double the Corps’ original 3,600-member size.  Kyle & Guy lead a team to halt a dual incursion upon Green Lantern Mogo (a planet).  Meanwhile, a handful of Kilowog’s inexperienced recruits find themselves in deep trouble in different corners of the galaxy. 

The use of multiple black holes plays into the sinister Guild’s invasion scheme.  Hence, the short-handed Corps must make a desperate return to planet Oa for a last stand.  Hal Jordan and John Stewart appear in the bookend segments of this five-part Green Lantern Corps: Recharge storyline.   

Back on Earth, Hal’s shared investigation with John Stewart of a mysterious alien spacecraft stalls.  In the meantime, having rejoined the U.S. Air Force as a test pilot, Hal resumes his old life as Captain Hal “Highball” Jordan.  His new Coast City supporting cast is subsequently established: i.e. Col. Shane Sellers; Capt. Jillian “Cowgirl” Pearlman; General “Herc” Stone; and possibly Hal’s brother, Jim. 

Linked to his origin as Green Lantern, the Air Force’s experimental new aircraft sets up Hal’s intense showdown against two Manhunter robots reminiscent of alien-caliber Terminators.   

Note: This title is also available digitally.

REVIEW:

Twenty years later, Green Lantern: Rebirth # 1-6 and his follow-up tale from Green Lantern: Secret Files & Origins 2005 remain two of Geoff Johns’ career highlights.  Frankly, both of these entries exploring Hal Jordan are masterpieces. 

With welcome visuals from a top-caliber art team, Johns effectively reverses almost two decades (1986-2004) of Jordan’s misuse by DC Comics.  While there were still occasional glimpses of Jordan’s legendary status before his replacement by Kyle Rayner, DC inexplicably squandered the Silver Age’s most influential super-hero.  Hence, Johns deserves considerable credit for reigniting the Green Lantern franchise.  More importantly, he finally rights the misguided course far too many Green Lantern writers before him had gone depicting Hal Jordan. 

The first five Green Lantern Corps: Recharge issues, by comparison, aren’t must-haves.  Make no mistake, though: Johns and the art team concoct an entertaining edge to the short-handed Corps.  Like Hal Jordan, the Corps concept had grown increasingly stale post-Crisis.  Hence, fans of Kyle Rayner, Guy Gardner, and Kilowog should be pleased.  Rather than banishing them from Jordan’s primary title, giving them a shared spin-off makes good creative sense. 

Having John Stewart (and, to a lesser degree, Jordan) gravitate between the two titles (plus John & Hal soon sharing Justice League duties) makes for insightful forward-thinking.  The same applies to bringing back Carol Ferris as a potential recurring character.  Johns, suffice to say, proves very much on his game.      

As for the first few issues of the Green Lantern reboot, it’s a fresh take imagining Hal’s vigorous new life mirroring his past.  Incorporating nostalgia-friendly sub-plots (i.e. Carol’s re-launch of the Ferris airfield; Hal’s remaining family; bringing Hector Hammond back into the franchise) with a 21^st Century polish consistently works on all thrusters.  More so, it’s a necessary storytelling upgrade given Hal’s forgettable adventures dating back to the post-Crisis mid-80’s/early 90’s where he, John Stewart, and Guy Gardner awkwardly time-shared Green Lantern.

Either, as a gem of a library find, or as a superb enhancement to any Green Lantern fan’s bookcase, this book supplies 400 pages of emerald dynamite.  Green Lantern by Geoff Johns, Book One is highly recommended! 

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

Each full-page cover precedes its story.  Green Lantern: Rebirth # 1-6’s cover artists are Ethan Van Sciver and Peter Stiegerwald.  Cover artists for Green Lantern: Secret Files & Origins 2005 are Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Merino.  Green Lantern Corps: Recharge utilizes two slightly different cover artist teams.  Specifically, they are Patrick Gleason, Christian Alamy, Mouse Baumann; and then it is Gleason, Prentis Rollins; and Baumann.  For Green Lantern # 1-3, the cover artists consist of Pacheco, Merino, and Stiegerwald.  

The brief full-page variant cover gallery supplies Van Sciver & Baumann’s Green Lantern: Rebirth # 1 followed by their Rebirth collection cover.  Also included are the Alex Ross Green Lantern # 1 variant; and an unused (inks-only) Van Sciver cover for Rebirth # 3.  The last page depicts Van Sciver’s black-and-white ‘turnaround’ designs for DC Direct’s Hal Jordan/Green Lantern action figure.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                     10 Stars

Written by Tom Taylor.

Art by Travis Moore; Bruno Redondo; Vasco Georgiev; Adriano Lucas; & Wes Abbott.

Collection Cover Art by Bruno Redondo & Adriano Lucas.

SUMMARY:

Released in 2024 by DC Comics, this 176-page hardcover compiles 2023’s Nightwing # 101-105. Fallout from the recent Dark Crisis continues, as Dick Grayson intends to build a new Titans Tower in Blüdhaven. The team’s previous Tower in New York City lies in ruins after Deathstroke’s deadly attack. The Titans are soon startled by the discovery of a mystery corpse left deep within the wreckage.  

Continuing the storyline from Issue # 98, Dick Grayson and his perennial fellow Titans (Starfire, Beast Boy, Donna Troy, Cyborg, Raven, & Wally West’s Flash) are also protecting a nine-year-old orphan, Olivia Raymond.  Recently, unexpected magical intervention (and help from Dick’s puppy, Bite-wing) allowed Olivia to humiliate Neron’s demonic minions.  As it’s revealed, Neron seeks to collect Olivia’s innocent soul to complete a contract made with her late father: Blockbuster. 

With the shape-shifting Grinning Man now deployed, at least one homicide soon sets up the Titans taking on Dick’s own treacherous impersonator.  Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl joins Starfire & Donna Troy in defending Olivia on Themyscira.  Raven leads the other Titans on a raid into Neron’s underworld tower in Hell. 

Discovering the startling identity of Olivia’s mother, Nightwing must improvise a legal loophole to hopefully thwart Neron’s efforts to steal Olivia away.  Worse yet, Neron’s demons are simultaneously attacking Themyscira to abduct the child. Neron soon baits Nightwing with an offer of Superman-like powers in exchange for Olivia’s soul.  Dick explores his temporary powers knowing that Neron still awaits him and won’t be taking a simple ‘no’ as a reply. 

With Olivia’s fate evidently settled (at least, for now), Dick & Barbara soon find themselves assisting Aliki of the mercenary Double Dare rescue her abducted twin sister.  Per a Blüdhaven pharmaceutical CEO’s ruthless shakedown of a vulnerable nation, Dick confronts an old nemesis from his childhood.  More so, he must rely on an undercover Barbara to hold off a horde of corporate goons to rescue Aliki’s sister, Margot.  

Note: This title is available in both hardcover and trade paperback formats.  Presumably, DC Comics will release a digital edition at some later date.

REVIEW:

For afficionados of the classic Teen Titans/Titans line-up, Time of The Titans will take them for an entertaining ride.  Make no mistake: Tom Taylor’s two storylines in Volume 5 are really far more average than must-have.  Still, in the absence of genuine suspense, his playful storytelling and the art team’s high-caliber visuals mesh exceptionally well together.

More so, Dick Grayson’s chemistry with Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl; his Titans teammates; and Superman, unsurprisingly, delivers on all thrusters.  The presence of Olivia Raymond and Bite-wing adds a further element of innocent fun making Time of The Titans a welcome pivot from Batman’s gritty Gotham City epics.

Accordingly, Nightwing, Volume 5: Time of The Titans concocts a recommended library find –  if not, a long-term bookshelf option.  

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

Bruno Redondo’s full-page cover precedes each story – though Issue # 105 (this book’s cover image) is co-produced with Adriano Lucas.   Also, a full-page variant cover gallery consists of these seventeen full-page entries:  

• Issue # 101 (Titans): artists Travis Moore & Tamra Bonvillain;
• Issue # 101 (Nightwing): artist Jamal Campbell;
• Issue # 101 (Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, & Bite-wing’s Nightcycle repairs): artist Vasco Georgiev;
• Issue # 102 (Titans at the malt shop): artists Moore & Bonvillain;
• Issue # 102 (Nightwing): artist Campbell;
• Issue # 102 (Nightwing): artist Georgiev;
• Issue # 103 (Titans’ seated portrait): artists Moore & Bonvillain;
• Issue # 103 (Nightwing): artist Campbell;
• Issue # 103 (Nightwing’s friends & enemies): artist Georgiev;
• Issue # 103 (Nightwing & Superman): artists Nicola Scott & Annette Kwok;
• Issue # 104 (Titans & Bite-wing’s reflection): artists: Amancav Nahuflpan & Adriano Lucas;
• Issue # 104 (Titans Together): artist Campbell;
• Issue # 104 (Nightwing & a silhouetted Batgirl): artist: Georgiev;
• Issue # 105 (Nightwing’s side profile): artist Dan Mora;
• Issue # 105 (explosive high-rise rescue): artist Campbell;
• Issue # 105 (Nightwing unmasked): artist Georgiev; and
• Issue # 105 (DC Pride – Nightwing & Red Robin’s workout): artist Yoshi Yoshitani.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:              8 Stars

Written by Ed Brisson.

Art by John Timms; Michelle Bandini; Rex Lokus; & Clayton Cowles. 

Cover Art by John Timms. 

SUMMARY:

Released by DC Comics in 2023, this 213-page hardcover compiles Batman, Incorporated # 1-7 from 2022-2023.  In addition to Ghost-Maker, the team includes Chief Man-of-Bats, and his son, Raven Red; the Batman of Japan; the Bat-Man of China; the Knight (formerly the Squire – sidekick of the original Knight); Dark Ranger; El Gaucho; Nightrunner; Wingman; and Ghost-Maker’s reluctant protégé: the teenage Clownhunter.  They are subsequently joined in Eastern Europe by Gray Wolf – previously recruited by Lex Luthor.    

Note: This team’s machismo quotient is considerable, as its sole female member (The Knight) ruefully notes.

A brief flashback (as the prologue) has a masked Bruce Wayne and ninja-like Ghost-Maker teaming up to thwart a terrorist group in Madrid, Spain, to rescue hostages.  It’s emphasized that the duo has a conflicting viewpoint on the lethal use of force. 

In the present-day, Batman Incorporated now has an underwater secret headquarters.  Batman subsequently shocks his international alliance of Bat-associates by anointing the controversial Ghost-Maker as their new leader.  Ghost-Maker then splits the team into international and local divisions.  Essentially, the international squad is under his direct command while the others are assigned smaller-scale cases.

The international team probe multiple locales overseas to seek out Lex Luthor’s renegade Batmen that he has since abandoned.  More so, varying degrees of damage control becomes necessary.  Meanwhile, the Knight alerts Ghost-Maker to a murder in Dublin, Ireland.  It appears to be the latest grisly entry in a series of high-profile homicides of expert criminals linked to Ghost-Maker and Batman’s shadowy pasts. 

Per a mysterious adversary called ‘Phantom-One,’ Ghost-Maker’s own death will become the climax of a personal grudge.  Worse yet, the vengeful Phantom-One is hardly alone, as Batman Incorporated must face its own treacherous team of imitators.   

In Gotham City, the insidious Professor Pyg is abducting various Bat-villains thinking one of his rivals ripped him off or knows who did.  He intends to brutally kill them to get back his most prized possession.  What Pyg doesn’t realize is that two teenagers looking for a fast and easy heist have unknowingly crossed him.  It becomes a team game across Gotham City to win this game, as Clownhunter’s instincts play a pivotal role.  A grim last scene sets up the next storyline, as a longtime Batman Incorporated member is ambushed and evidently assassinated. 

Apart from the Dark Knight’s brief presence (in Issue # 1 only), subsequent Gotham City cameos include: Nightwing, Batwoman, Tim Drake’s Robin, Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl, the Signal, and Stephanie Brown’s Spoiler.

Notes: This title is also available digitally.  DC Comics will presumably release a paperback edition in the near future.

REVIEW:

Including its high-caliber artwork, this latest incarnation of Batman, Incorporated mostly delivers the necessary goods.  Still, what readers are getting is Ghost-Maker’s glorified answer to the Jason Todd/Red Hood saga.  Writer Ed Brisson’s dense storytelling, in that sense, is neither always cohesive nor particularly original. 

By conveniently linking Batman and Ghost-Maker’s backstories so closely together (as rival students to all these criminal underworld masterminds), the premise is far-fetched.  Brisson at least concocts enough twists to make riding this storyline to its finish line a worthwhile experience.   

With DC Comics retroactively inserting additional Bat-mentors (i.e. the recent Batman: The Knight series), most readers won’t be able to identify so many new characters.  This muddling of Bruce Wayne’s past is further exacerbated by his otherwise non-presence – as if Phantom-One’s homicide victims were solely created as fodder for this one storyline. 

Had the murder spree exclusively involved Ghost-Maker’s old associates, Brisson’s premise would make more sense.  More so, No More Teachers’ ante could have been logically upped as a personal threat to Ghost-Maker – without questioning the future Dark Knight’s own dubious choice of international crooks as mentors. 

One can also surmise that there is a glut of Bat-associates working in Gotham City, i.e. Batman’s growing army ought to be practically bumping into each other. Upon this volume’s plentiful cast being further expanded by Lex Luthor’s rejected Bat-commandos, only the more astute readers can keep track of them all (at least 16-17 Bat-characters) – no less, by name. 

In spite of various plot contrivances, Batman Incorporated, Volume 1: No More Teachers makes a great read for Bat-fans, ages 15 and up. Even if this book isn’t necessarily a must-have, its page count alone for a welcome library option.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

Each of artist John Timms’ covers precedes its story in a full-page format.  However, reprints of the credited variant covers for each issue are not included.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                           7½ Stars