Batman Incorporated #7 – Ed Brisson, Writer; Veronica Bandini, Artist; Rex Lokus, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: The choice of Professor Pyg as the second villain for this series after Phoenix-One was something I wasn’t sure about, as the character is over-the-top and absurd in a way that even stretches things in Gotham. Fortunately, he’s not the main character here—he’s just the plot that kicks things in motion, as he tears through Gotham kidnapping villains to find who stole his bizarre “mother” figurine. As Ghost-Maker hunts down the missing villains and contemplates whether he should follow Bruce’s code and let them leave alive, Clown-Hunter tries to keep the two idiot thieves who got involved in the heist from getting killed. Clown-Hunter is the best part of this series, as we get some intriguing segments that remind us he’s just a kid lost in a world of violence. Ghost-Maker also continues to be intriguing, caught between villain and hero. The ending gives us the logical outcome of a Batman Inc existing—and features a surprising death. It’s an interesting bridge between the two main arcs.
The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #7 – Amanda Deibert, Writer; Dario Brizuela, Artist; Franco Riesco, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: This issue, the Mystery Machine crew takes on their scariest challenge yet—reality TV! With Daphne appearing in a Gotham-based talent show thanks to her karate skills, the rest of the crew is along for the ride, and so is judge Bruce Wayne. But when contestants start disappearing, the contestants have to investigate the odd vanishings and interview a host of bizarre contestants—including a contortionist and a mysterious cat tamer who never takes off their fur suit. Add in a mercurial judge in a Daft Punk outfit, and it’s no surprise things get weird. This issue has some of the funniest scenes of the entire run, including Velma attempting to do a tap-dancing science demonstration, although once again the mystery this issue isn’t exactly complicated. I was thinking there were very few DC characters in this issue, but the end has some fun twists. Overall, this series knows what its audience is and all the writers hit the right notes.
WildCATS #6 – Matthew Rosenberg, Writer; Stephen Segovia, Tom Derenick, Writers; Elmer Santos, Colorist
Ray – 7/10
Ray: With each passing issue of this series, it becomes clear that this isn’t a series that’s going to pull anyone new into the world of Wildstorm—it’s very much a title that plays to those who love the extreme ’90s antiheroes already. Featuring a sprawling cast drawn from just about every major Wildstorm team, often trying to kill each other, its fight scenes are huge-scale and chaotic. There are relatively few characters to latch onto, with the presumed-dead Grifter being the closest thing to a lead character. As we try to figure out exactly how he came back and who’s trying to kill him, a new leader tries to play the teams against each other. There are some good moments this issue, including an amusing cameo from Batman and Superman and a surprise twist about who’s actually under the mask/face of a major antagonist. Its plotting is just a little too frenzied to really play on those strengths effectively.
Multiversity: Harley Screws Up The DCU #2 – Frank Tieri, Writer; Logan Faerber, Artist
Ray – 7/10
Ray: This latest issue of Harley vs. Starro’s chaotic adventure surprised me for just how… non-chaotic it was. With the hook of Harley saving the multiverse by restoring all the heroes she erased, I was expecting things to get right to that plot point. Instead, this issue is dedicated almost entirely to the scarred, older Harley we met at the end of last issue. She survived the Starro attack and ripped off the creature on her face, but lost just about everyone she loved to the infestation. That means that before she can get to the multiverse, Harley has to team up with Harley to kill all her former friends, now starfish zombies. It’s chaotic and violent and has a few good lines, but overall it’s really lacking the momentum the first issue had. However, next issue promises to send Harley into Superman’s past—and a cliffhanger reveals just how far Starro has gone, so there’s promise for an exciting third issue.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
