Month: September 2024

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

Written by Mark Waid.

Art by Dan Mora; Travis Moore; Tamra Bonvillain; Steve Wands; & Aditya Bidikar.

Collection Cover Art by Dan Mora.

SUMMARY:

Released by DC Comics in 2023, this 176-page hardcover compiles Batman/Superman – World’s Finest # 6-11 from 2022-2023.  As previously established, writer Mark Waid’s Silver Age-inspired storyline occurs in the unspecified yet not-so-distant past.  Hence, Dick Grayson’s Robin and Supergirl are still teenagers yet comfortably experienced as Batman and Superman’s protégés      

In a cliffhanger from Issue # 5, Supergirl inadvertently loses Robin during their time-traveling mission, with seemingly no way to locate him in the timestream.  In 1892 Corto Maltese, Robin has since joined a traveling circus where he is investigating multiple bloody murders being blamed on the show’s caged lion.  Having discovered Dick’s landmark clues, Batman & Superman arrive undercover at the circus to assist the Boy Wonder’s sleuthing and bring him home.

On a doomed parallel Earth, married scientists Gayle and Asher Sikela send their teenage son, David, in a rocket ship towards another dimension to ensure his safety.  Arriving on DC’s primary Earth, a bewildered David discovers he now has heat-generating powers he neither understands nor can control.  As uniting David with his still-living parents in this reality isn’t an option, Robin enlists the Silver Age Teen Titans to befriend and tutor David.  Donna Troy’s Wonder Girl soon confides in Robin that David’s unstable personality is concerning.  Nonetheless, the Titans dub David as ‘Boy Thunder’ – Superman’s reluctant new protégé. 

Having consoled David about his guilt-ridden ‘survivor’s remorse,’ Supergirl goes on a failed date with Robin.  With Batman backing up Superman as David’s mentor, both heroes witness David faltering under crime-fighting pressure and struggling to uphold their non-lethal code.  After a series of Key-related emergencies, David’s conscience prompts him to at last reveal to Superman the tragic reason for his ongoing anguish involving his parents.    

Meanwhile, the Key and the Joker abduct and subsequently torture David to extract vital secrets about Superman and Batman.  With the Teen Titans’ help, Batman & Superman attempt to rescue David.  Boy Thunder’s vengeful grudge against the Joker is now established. Given David’s ongoing psychological trauma, Superman & Batman agree de-powering the boy (at least, for now) makes the most practical sense – especially, if he were to suffer a psychotic break.  

A showdown with the elusive Key at the Fortress of Solitude, however, leaves David’s fate uncertain.  Still, the last page is a pivotal hint.  David Sikela’s storyline resumes in Batman/Superman – World’s Finest, Volume 4: Return to Kingdom Come.

Notes: This title is also available in trade paperback and digital formats.

REVIEW:

Though David Sikela’s destiny isn’t a shocker, writer Mark Waid concocts a terrific World’s Finest adventure.  Frankly, the best storytelling comes in the first half with Robin’s rescue and appearances from Supergirl and The Teen Titans.  Otherwise, Waid’s ‘Boy Thunder’ storyline wouldn’t be nearly as appealing, if not for the art team’s high-caliber artwork.  For instance, a bleeding David’s torture, for instance, conveys nasty inferences of child abuse. 

Apart from that icky sub-plot, Waid is very much on his creative game.  Volume 2: Strange Visitor isn’t necessarily a must-have, but it is a welcome option to consider at the library.        

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

Dan Mora’s full-page cover precedes each story. In terms of intriguing padding, Volume 2: Strange Visitor delivers plenty in that regard. The flip side is that most of these covers are non-applicable to the actual plot. In a full-page format, its 24-page variant gallery consists of:

• Issue # 6 (Supergirl & Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl) – artists: Terry Dodson & Rachel Dodson;
• Issue # 6 (Superman & Batman) – artists: Trevor Hairsine & Arif Prianto;
• Issue # 6 (Superman & Batman vs. Lex Luthor) – artists: Nick Bradshaw & Nathan Fairbairn;
• Issue # 6 (Wayne Manor pool time, including Krypto) – artists: Rafa Sandoval & Matt Herms;
• Issue # 7 (Silver Age Teen Titans) – artist: Dan Mora; 
• Issue # 7 (Batman & Superman) – artist: Joshua Middleton;
• Issue # 7 (Batman & Superman) – artist: Pete Woods;
• Issue # 7 (homage: Bat-Family & Super-Family protégés) – artists: Todd Nauck & Hi-Fi;
• Issue # 8 (Superman & Batman) – artist: Taurin Clarke;
• Issue # 8 (Superman, Batman, & their arch-enemies) – artists: Clayton Henry & Marcelo Maiolo;
• Issue # 8 (Joker & Punchline vs. Lex Luthor & Mercy Graves) – artists: Travis Mercer & Jordie Bellaire;
• Issue # 9 (Superman & Batman help cave-in victims) – artist: Paolo Rivera;
• Issue # 9 (underwater demon – possibly a demonic Aquaman) – artist: Steve Beach;
• Issue # 9 (Batman & Superman) – artist Afua Richardson;
• Issue # 9: (Superman & Batman – ‘90’s rewind) – artists: Mario “ Fox” Foccillo & Prasad Rao (Pressy);
• Issue # 10 (Superman: The Movie & Batman ’89 homage) – artists: Dan Schoening & Luis Delgado;
• Issue # 10  (eight mini-portraits) – artist: Brandon Peterson;
• Issue # 10 (Joker & Doomsday) – artist: A.L. Kaplan;
• Issue # 10 (Batcave holiday party with Paul McCartney) – artist: Dan Mora;
• Issue # 11 (Batman-Superman-Mr. Mxyzptlk playing card) – artist: Juni Ba;
• Issue # 11 (Huntress & Power Girl two-page spread) – artist: Jonboy Meyers;
• Issue # 11 (Wonder Woman, Batman, & Superman) – artists: Claire Roe & Jordie Bellaire; and
• Issue # 11 (‘Jack White III’) – artists: Rob James, Emery Swirbalus & photographer David James Swanson.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                           7 Stars

Written by Geoff Johns.

Art by Phil Jimenez; George Pérez; Jerry Ordway; Ivan Reis; Andy Lanning; Oclair Albert; Marlo Alquiza; Marc Campos; Wayne Faucher; Drew Geraci; Jimmy Palmiotti; Sean Parsons; Norm Rapmund; Lary Stucker; Art Thibert; Jeromy Cox; Guy Major; Rod Reis; Tanya Horie; Richard Horie; Nick J. Napolitano; & Rob Leigh.

Collection Cover Art by (Uncredited – probably Phil Jimenez).

SUMMARY:

This 264-page hardcover is a 2023 re-release of DC Comics’ collected seven-issue Infinite Crisis series from 2005-2006.  Intermingled throughout Infinite Crisis are scenes looping from numerous DC tie-ins: The Rann-Thanagar War; The OMAC Project; Day of Vengeance; and Villains United, among them. 

At the end of 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, Earth-Two’s elderly Superman and his wife, Lois Lane; Earth-Three’s Alexander “Alex” Luthor; and Earth-Prime’s Superboy had willingly departed for a heaven-like limbo.  Subsequently, they observed DC’s newly consolidated Earth for years, as dark events unfolded: i.e. the murders of Jason Todd, Superman (by Doomsday), Ted Kord’s Blue Beetle, and, most recently, Maxwell Lord.  More so, Batman’s OMAC technology has been seized by Lord and an unknown enemy for worldwide terroristic purposes. 

Feeling they have no other option, the four escape limbo to enforce supposedly positive changes.  For Earth-Two’s Superman, it’s about somehow restoring a non-existent Earth-Two to save his wife from dying of old age.  He is willing to sacrifice the current Earth to do so.  Unbeknownst to this Superman and Lois is that Alex and the teenage Superboy-Prime have already been for months pushing forward their own ulterior motives. Among their crimes is the destruction of the JLA Watchtower and, with it, the abduction of the Martian Manhunter. 

Hence, Alex’s impersonation of this Earth’s Lex Luthor has since egged the homicidal Secret Society of Super-Villains into trying to seize the world by force.  With the leadership of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman currently at idealistic odds, DC’s heroes have never been more vulnerable.

Meanwhile, a recently resurrected Donna Troy leads a team into deep space to combat an interstellar crisis linked to the Rann-Thanagar War.  Upon a corrupted Spectre’s killing of the wizard, Shazam, the selection of his new human host has begun.  Booster Gold tracks down Ted Kord’s lost Blue Beetle scarab to find its new possessor: teenager Jaime Reyes. At the North Pole, Lex Luthor’s effort to confront his ongoing impersonator finds that he can’t match the enemy’s multi-universal technology.  Superboy-Prime’s jealousy towards a passive Conner Kent finally erupts into a brutal showdown against an army of young DC heroes.

Unaware of Power Girl’s abduction (along with other beings once associated with other parallel Earths), Earth-Two’s Superman becomes desperate to save a dying Lois.  Once Alex’s cosmic scheme is unleashed, DC’s super-heroes still on Earth must unite to face a simultaneously threefold challenge: an unhinged Superboy-Prime; the deadly OMAC robots; and a rampaging Secret Society.  Heroes will fall and lives will be irrevocably altered (at least, for now), as DC’s possibly sole Earth faces its worst-ever crisis.      

Note: This title has been re-released multiple times since 2006.  The currently available formats are hardcover and trade paperback.

REVIEW:

Let me first acknowledge that I previously submitted a harsh critical review of Infinite Crisis on a different consumer website years before. By now re-reading Infinite Crisis, I sought to confirm whether or not my impression of utter disappointment still holds true.  My assessment of Phil Jimenez’s penciling, in that regard, stands.  Even if his handiwork isn’t as endearing as George Pérez’s one-man show from Crisis on Infinite Earths, this book’s best asset remains its high-caliber visuals. 

As to writer Geoff Johns’ scripting, at times his effort proves better in various scenes than I remembered.  Yet, DC’s tone-deaf enthusiasm to exploit the 1985 Crisis’ 20^th Anniversary remains bewildering.  Clearly, there was no intention of reaching the same all-ages audience as Crisis on Infinite Earths.  What this project’s creative team (Johns & Dan DiDio, among them) instead concocted is a bloated, bloody, and ultimately hollow sequel unworthy of its predecessor. 

Think of Infinite Crisis this way: its vastly complicated story and sub-plots collapse under too little substance and a reliance upon shock value to hide gaping plot holes.   

The misconceived Infinite Crisis starts with its primary multi-universal refugees.  Aside from Earth-Two’s Lois Lane, how Johns warps Alexander Luthor, Superboy-Prime, and, to a degree, an implausibly misguided Earth-Two’s Superman into villains is a major disservice to their valiant prior incarnations in Crisis on Infinite Earths.     

Note: Reading DiDio’s introduction and the post-game round-robin interview spells out that DC’s creative team had few, if any, qualms over Infinite Crisis’ dubious content.

Make no mistake: various scenes (i.e. Power Girl’s family reunion with Earth-Two’s Superman and Lois Lane; Earth-Two Superman’s failed recruitment of Batman; the anti-OMAC counterstrike mission; and Earth-Two Superman’s last scene with Power Girl) are still generally excellent.  Unfortunately, they are overwhelmed by bloodthirsty fight sequences more akin to senseless ‘shooter’ video games than DC’s lost reputation for classy storytelling.  Infinite Crisis’ gratuitous violence, suffice to say, is appalling – no matter the generation reading it. 

Battles, such as the Freedom Fighters massacre; Superboy-Prime’s panic against the Teen Titans and their reserves; Black Adam’s two-finger dispatching of Psycho-Pirate; and the Earth-Two Superman’s senseless demise come off as grisly excuses for supposedly ‘ain’t it cool’ moments.  Considering Marvel and DC’s icky zombie projects, such unrepentant gore isn’t a shocker today, as opposed to two decades ago. 

Given the release of 2004’s questionable Identity Crisis before Infinite Crisis the following year, DC’s cynical money-making strategy becomes exposed. Its stoking of tasteless controversy for the sake of controversy is no different than the same desperate junk that the WWF/WWE and the now long-defunct WCW deployed in that era’s pro wrestling.  Cheap publicity, therefore, becomes priceless – it all just depends on the bait being used. 

Despite teasing nostalgic nods to the original Crisis (i.e. welcome cameos from Barry Allen and Earth-Two’s Wonder Woman; the current Flash’s disappearance; the death of one of Superman’s protégés), Johns falls far short on co-mingling coherent plot complications with plausibility. 

An initial red flag is the sanctimonious dialogue exchange between Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman on the decimated JLA Watchtower.  Pitting them against each other’s ideals for dramatic purposes, Johns conveniently ignores why they made recently controversial decisions.  Instead, their verbal face-off is a three-way blame game over being smugly perfect heroes.   

Another example: Gardner Fox’s dubious Silver Age depictions of science (i.e. Batman punching anti-matter) are practically real-world physics … as compared to the ludicrous sight of Alexander Luthor’s climatic ‘perfect’ Earth-shopping.  Or devolving Superboy-Prime and Alexander Luthor into whiny brats in this epic’s second half to sell them as being corrupted beyond hope of redemption.  This list could stretch awhile – I prefer not to completely rehash my prior critique.   

No matter how stellar Johns’ DC gems (i.e. Green Lantern: Rebirth; JLA: Crisis of Conscience; Wally West’s Flash, etc.) previously were, this time he foolishly squanders the art team’s excellent work.  All Johns conjures up is a super-hero dumpster fire promising a ‘can’t miss’ epic again resetting DC’s status quo. Unlike the practical reasons necessitating the first Crisis, its sequel aims for little more than blowing stuff (and various characters) up.  

In conclusion, my prior assessment hasn’t shifted: Infinite Crisis, as designed, too often crosses the ‘good taste’ line into the territory of being both unnecessary and repugnant. Its classy epilogue scene with Diana Prince, Clark Kent, and Bruce Wayne setting up the weekly 52 series is one of this would-be epic’s few saving graces. Unfortunately, this smart bridging scene proves far too little too late. 

Note: As fair warning, Infinite Crisis doesn’t include a much-warranted parental advisory label.  It’s unsurprising, given that DC expressed the same stance towards its controversial 2004 Identity Crisis. 

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

Preceding each issue are full-page renditions of the variant followed by the primary cover.  The cover art teams are George Pérez & Tom Smith (variants), and Jim Lee, Sandra Hope, & Alex Sinclair.  DC’s then-Senior VP/Executive Editor, Dan DiDio’s two-page introduction penned in August 2006 for this compilation’s first release is included. 

A sketch art gallery includes: the first issue’s Jim Lee cover and a quartet of panels (Issue # 3 – Lee; Issue # 4 – Lee; Issue # 5 – Pérez; and Issue # 6 – Lee).  Entitled ‘Infinite Discussions,’  DC’s Collected Editions Editor, Anton Kawasaki, hosts a roundtable interview with Geoff Johns (via speakerphone); Phil Jimenez; Group Editor Eddie Berganza; and Assistant Editor Jeanine Schaefer to review the project.  Including artwork (both in color and sketches), this insightful behind-the-scenes group discussion goes on for twelve pages.    

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                        3 Stars