Batman #19 - "Yeah, well, sometimes being a hero gets old."
What madness is this? We join Commissioner Gordon and Sgt. Bullock as they are attempting to negotiate in a stand-off with a bank robber who's taken hostages, some of whom are already dead! Who is robbing a bank in broad daylight in Gotham City? None other than Gotham's favourite son, Bruce Wayne?!?
Wait, wait...that can't be right. Can it? Clearly there's a mystery afoot.
If that's not enough, there's also a cool back-up story wherein Batman and special guest Superman confront what, for all intents and purposes, appears to be a HAUNTED APARTMENT! Ooooh, spooky...
Fun issue overall...of course it deals with the ongoing mourning period for poor Damian Wayne...but it is also fast-paced and high-action, with an intriguing story. It's nice to read a Bat-title that's not entirely dark and heavy and grim...it's been a little while!
More from Gotham with Batgirl and Batman and Robin plus MORE after the JUMP!
Batman and Robin #19 - "I am a freak of forbidden science and what you plan on doing--is unholy!"
It's a great time to be a Batman fan when I can't decide which title is best from month-to-month! Batman and Robin continues to be a strong contender, really getting into the heads of the characters in a way that the other Bat-titles lack. This issue, Bruce continues to deal with the death of Damian "Robin" Wayne, or to NOT deal with it, as the case may be. The name of the issue is "Denial" and it's a fitting title, as Bruce is refusing to accept Damian's death and has instead come up with a scheme worthy of a mad scientist!
Step One: Locate and abduct Frankenstein's Monster.
Step Two: Take said monster to Castle Frankenstein and begin dissecting him, in hopes of learning the secret to reanimating the DEAD!!!
Of course, the Monster in question may disagree. The plot thickens as Alfred contacts Tim "Red Robin" Drake to track Batman down and see if he can talk sense into the clearly desperate Dark Knight.
Oh, all that and Carrie Kelley (of Dark Knight Returns fame) shows up too! Her first in-continuity appearance ever! Of course she's not the "New Robin" (not yet at least) but she did have some mysterious connection to Damian! Stay tuned!
Batgirl #19 - "I'm going to let you live, you know that? But I want you back in the chair. So much more manageable..."
Batgirl is trying to put her house in order after everything that's happened to her recently. That means she has to deal with a few loose ends...she needs to explain things to her roommate, Alisia...she needs to help her recently returned and now-short-one-finger mother...and most of all, she needs to deal with her psychopath of a brother, James Jr.! He knows his sister is Batgirl...he knows everything about her...and he's out to..do what? Kill them all? Prove a point? Something in-between?
Family matters and psychosis don't mix well, and to complicate things even further, this time James Jr. invited their daddy Commissioner Gordon to play too! It's going to be a busy night for Barbara!
Superboy #19 - "My name is Harvest. I created the clone known as Superboy--a living weapon forged by the burning hatred within my heart..."
We finally learn the secret origins this issue of not only Superboy, but also of his creator, Harvest! Superboy has no idea of the back story and intrigue that has resulted in his existence, as we are told a tale of tragedy, terror and time travel! Harvest, it seems, is from a future where the super powered meta-humans have taken over the world and at least some of the "regular human" population are engaged in a war against them. Harvest's own young son becomes a victim of that 30th century war, planting the seeds that lead to the super-villain and head of N.O.W.H.E.R.E. we all know and love to hate...Harvest has come back in time to stop the war by attacking the FIRST meta...Superman! What better way to do that than with his own DNA..and perhaps that of the human being he loves the most!
Suicide Squad #19 - "Nothing says l'chaim like a girl dressed in a stripper clown outfit wielding a hundred-pound mallet."
Amanda Waller has personally shown up in the field with the Suicide Squad to help rescue Kurt Lance from Regulus! Of course, that would have been easier before the top of the building they were in got blown up, necessitating a hasty retreat through both garbage chute and sewer! When you're a member of this particular Squad, you do whatever you need to, I suppose...
Since this mission isn't exactly regulation, Waller decides to disable the neck-bombs that are forcing the members or the Suicide Squad to play nice, allowing them to choose whether or not to help her. Of course, she threatens to hunt them down and kill them later on if they choose poorly...the Squad's all-in anyway...what else are they going to do? Their plans hit two snags regardless...the first in the form of a horde of gross sewer monsters. The second, in the form of a bandaged mercenary known only as the Unknown Soldier!
The Ravagers #11 - "Security in this place is a joke. Did you actually feel safe here?"
The Ravagers had things finally going their way lately, as they managed to help save that town in Colorado, they somehow recovered their M.I.A.-thought-dead member, Lightning, and their lizard-monster teammate, Ridge, found he could shape-shift between his monstrous form and his actual form, a completely normal human child! Good news all around! Unfortunately, it may be the last good news any of them ever get, as this issue their safe-house is invaded by Rose Wilson and Warblade, still on the run from the wrath of Harvest! They want to kill or capture the Ravagers and return them to Harvest as a bargaining chip for their lives!
This turns out to be the least of our heroes worries, however, as all these invasions trip the safe-house defenses and activate the seemingly unstoppable Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man, who attacks everyone indiscriminately!
Oh and I didn't mention the most dangerous part of all. There's more than one member of the Wilson family invading the Ravagers' home...Rose's father has also become involved. Not everyone is going to survive when Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke enters the ring!
All right, that's it for this week! Oh, in case you missed it, check out my bonus comic for the week, Batman: Lil' Gotham! I won't review every issue but it's worth checking out in any case.
New Comic Book day tomorrow brings us new issues of Catwoman, Justice League, Red Hood, Supergirl and more! Always lots to look forward to, and only ever a week away!
In the meantime, of course I wrote something or other for Stryder's Dementia...
Hope everyone's having a happy and germ-resistant April! It's more than I can say(cough cough AhCHoo!). Have a good one! Peace!
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