Batman: The Adventures Continue Season 3 #6 – Alan Burnett/Paul Dini, Writers; Ty Templeton, Artist; Monica Kubina, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: This series is getting close to wrapping up—both this season, and apparently the whole saga. It’s picking a good arc to go out on, with crime in Gotham being largely wrapped up and Bruce and Tim taking some much-needed R&R on a Wayne-owned island retreat—that happens to be on an island owned by Ra’s Al Ghul. It’s not long before Talia finds Bruce and convinces him to meet with his father—and a lot has changed for Ra’s. He’s an aged man, confronting mortality as the Lazarus Pit has failed him. Seeking to redeem himself in his last act, he’s created a new grain that could end world hunger, and has invited Bruce to analyze and potentially spread it—as heir to his empire alongside Talia. It seems too good to be true, it probably is, and it’s a great example of why Ra’s was one of the best characters in the original series. With Catwoman, the Court of Owls, and other wild cards lurking in the background, we’re set up for a pretty great finish.
The Riddler: Year One #5 – Paul Dano, Ezra Klein, Writers; Stevan Subic, Artist
Ray – 7/10
Ray: This series has always been an experiment in taking us inside the deranged mind of Paul Dano’s Riddler, and that’s never clearer than in this highly unique issue. Most of this 30-page story doesn’t really qualify as a comic at all—it’s mostly made up of Riddler’s hand-written notes, combined with his crudely drawn sketches, with a few pages at the end as he plans his attack on Gotham taking the form of a regular comic. It’s a fascinating experiment, but it’s more interesting to think about than to read. Some of the sketchy scribblings are hard to make out, and Riddler is a hard character to really get invested in since we know how far he goes. However, this comic takes its gimmick seriously, with a very clever twist—a one-page editorial by real-life journalist Ezra Klein, digging into the phenomenon of Batman and what he means for Gotham. It’s definitely not like any comic you’ll read this year.
DC/RWBY #5 – Marguerite Bennett, Writer; Soo Lee, Artist; Marissa Louise, Colorist
Ray – 7.5/10
Ray: The penultimate issue of this crossover finds the heroes facing their biggest threat yet—Superman, possessed by the deadliest Grimm to invade the world. Naturally, with Superman, it’s not too hard to awaken the hero inside, and the way Lois Lane works with the RWBY girls to save the day is actually pretty clever. From there, it’s on to take on the real mastermind—Lex Luthor, whose semblance is control over portals and who is using it to bring one demon after another into the world. As he builds a cult around himself, it’s no surprise that he’s using his power to build an army—and the cult of personality may be a bigger threat than the monsters. This Luthor does seem a bit maniacal for his usual personality, more inspired by his Silver Age version, but he does make an effective threat with the main villain of RWBY lurking around the corner—as we head into the last issue cliffhanger.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
