The Batman and Scooby-Doo Mysteries #5 – Sholly Fisch, Writer; Dario Brizuela, Artist; Franco Riesco, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: This series has always been at its best when Sholly Fisch is doing deep dives into DC continuity, and this issue he takes on the tangled Batwoman legacy. While Kate Kane has been a big part of this series, this issue we’re introduced to Bette—the former Bat-Girl, who is the niece of the retired Kathy Kane. Kathy’s mansion has been burgled by an army of rat-faced bikers, and they seem to not be masked crooks after all—a divergence from the series’ usual fare! The mystery is revealed fairly quickly, and brings back an obscure Bat-villain, but the real joy here is watching the whole Batwoman family reunite. It’s fun to see Kathy—a very rare older female crimefighter—get back into the fray, and the series does a great job of simplifying some of the continuity beats while leaving more than enough room for some classic silly jokes. The ending in particular is just the right level of ridiculous for this book.
Batman: Beyond the White Knight #8 – Sean Murphy, Writer/Artist; Dave Stewart, Colorist
Ray – 7.5/10
Ray: The conclusion of this latest round of White Knight minis is basically all action, all the way down. The Bat-family is finally united, including new recruit Terry McGinnis and the computer program based on Jack Napier who has been haunting Batman. The target? Supervillain Derek Powers, in an explosive final showdown. There are some surprisingly good moments here, especially involving Terry as he finally makes the choice of which legacy he actually wants to follow. The banter between some of the Bat-family is fun, and new Robin Gan is a blast. It seems like there’s so much going on that it’s hard to believe the series is wrapping up—because it’s not. The final few pages of the oversized issue are basically a barrage of cameos that seem to be setting up a shared universe of spin-offs, new heroes, and an alternate DCU that doesn’t fit at all what we’ve seen before. Just an odd alternate universe all around.
I Am Batman #18 – John Ridley, Writer; Christian Duce, Eduardo Pansica/Julio Ferreira, Artists; Rex Lokus, Colorist
Ray – 7/10
Ray: This was a series with a lot of promise, although its pace could be a little deliberate at time, but the move to New York did a lot of good. This is the final issue, without much fanfare, and unfortunately I feel like the last act reveal sort of undid much of the progress. The reveal that Jace is the adopted son of Tanya and was the product of an affair between Lucius and another woman (who is Asian, something that was never reflected in Jace’s design) seems to mostly make him isolate himself from his family again—with one exception. The final issue is pretty busy, with a large battle against Ezekiel King, a new hero appearing on the scene, and a lot of major character developments for Jace and his inner circle. But as the series fades to dark and we’re left with a new crimefighting team, it leaves a lot of questions unanswered—possibly permanently—and Jace largely doesn’t feel like he has a key role in the universe going forward.
WildC.A.T.S. #4 – Matthew Rosenberg, Writer; Stephen Segovia, Artist; Elmer Santos, Colorist
Ray – 7.5/10
Ray: Matt Rosenberg is really embracing the old spirit of Wildstorm comics with this run, just a little more tied into the current DCU. That means some great action scenes, but it also means that just about every major character feels pretty devoid of nuance. Most of this issue is devoted to Cole Cash, alone and without backup in a foreign country as he tries to pull off a daring rescue and comes under assault by an army of assassins. Angel Breaker, the new head of the League of Assassins, makes a good foe, but she doesn’t get too much to do here. Meanwhile, Zealot and Fairchild (who seems to be a size-changer here) pull off an infiltration mission that takes them into a gallery where a new member of the WildCATS is finally introduced. Overall, this series is a fun, fast read, but its huge cast of characters is probably the main thing holding it back from being a more ambitious one. It feels like it could have come from 1995.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
