Bruce would have anticipated the trap.

I do apologize in advance for this post being so text heavy. But you guys are here to read not look at artwork anyway.

Batman #698 ****
There is a killer on the loose in Gotham, so what else is new? With the Black Mask's identity uncovered and put away, the next crook is ready to take his place. Murder after murder, this crook is trying left and right to make his murders look like they were done by one of Gotham's regulars. Enter the Riddler, I mean, Edward Nigma, private eye extraordinaire. What we have here folks is just further proof that Tony Daniel is the best man for this job. He just gets it. Daniel's run as well as his portrayal of Dick Grayson as Batman has been fabulous. With his fast paced writing, Daniel weaves his latest story with so much greatness, that you're literally shocked it's over when it is. Guillem March took over art duties for these last two issues, until the epic #700 issue coming up, and while it was good, I personally think he's done much better for Gotham City Sirens. I'm not sure if it's because the focus on Gotham City Sirens are females or if it is because the overall mood is lighter in that title or maybe I just expected more from him, but I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. I'm a little bummed that Tony Daniel will be relinquishing his writing duties to Grant Morrison starting with the epic 700, but at least we've got one more issue of his on the way.


Batgirl #9 ***1/2
Some of you may know that your recently tardy, yet faithful writer remains unemployed. Such as it were, Batgirl has been placed on probationary status. That being said I enjoyed Batgirl. My disdain for Stephanie Brown aside, the Batgirl title has two great things going for it: wonderful writing and great artwork. Bryan Q. Miller, Lee Garbett, and Trevor Scott have done a tremendous job with this title, which makes my job determining whether or not to hang on to it that much more difficult.

It is quickly closing in on the one year mark since Stephanie Brown has taken up the Batgirl mantle and what could possible be her biggest challenge is standing in her way: the Calculator. For those of you who not in the know, the Calculator is pretty much the villains of DC's Oracle. Well he's back now and he's got his eyes set on taking down Oracle. Aided with microscopic robots the Calculator is determined to tear Gotham apart in order to find Oracle. Stephanie definitely has her work cut out for her. And what role will Calculator's daughter play in all of this. You'll just have to wait and see.

Adventure Comics #10 ***1/2
This was probably the best Adventure Comics issue that has come out in a while, but there are still some kinks that keep this from getting a four, or even higher. First of all, they've still got this three in one story going on that's more distracting than helpful. With so many titles involved in this major crossover event, I can't fathom why this format is needed. Now this is where I sound like a hypocrite, there are certain aspects to the individual stories that I did enjoy and found to be relevant information. The first story walks us through how Superman (why he needs a story in this when he's got his own title is beyond me) survives his great fall (not from the graces of humankind, from Brainiac's ship.) Important information? Most definitely. The next story shows my boy Conner get his ass kicked by Zod, followed by Zod and his soldiers escaping the confines of the bottle city of New Krypton. The final story, which surprisingly I have greatly enjoyed, followed Car-Vex on her mission to infiltrate General Lane's ranks. Prior to this story we, the readers, had been led to believe that Car-Vex has won the favor of General Lane by giving up a fellow Kryptonian, and dear friend. However, what we are subjected to is the utter demise of Car-Vex. Unfortunately for her, two of her Kryptonian brethren had been captured, tortured, and she had been named a Kryptonian a long while back. But like any good soldier she went out fighting.

To reiterate, the stories were fairly important, in my opinion, with regards to continuity and storytelling. However, I didn't particularly find the manner in which they presented these stories to be overall compelling in any way. Also, in retrospect, I'm not altogether sure what the purpose of Car-Vex's story was, as she was killed before she was able to accomplish anything.

Brightest Day #0 ****
This was a good start to what I can only hope is a great run. Coming right out of Blackest Night, which was probably one of the best series' in the past year, Brightest Day is filled with some great stuff. Deadman traveling around, catching up on everyone was great stuff, can't wait to see what happens to everyone. That scene with Boston Brand and the Bird was all kinds of exciting. I can honestly say I am intrigued. Other than the god awful cover, the artwork was great. Seeing as this was just a number 0 issue, and therefore setting everything up, I'll leave it at that.

The Flash #1 ***1/2
I'm a big fan of the Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul pairing, as those of you who read this must be aware, and I have high hopes for this title. Seeing as this was the first issue of an already thoroughly established character, the issue had an expected slow but steady pace to it. Francis Manapul's artwork is just beautiful to look at and has developed immensely from when I first saw his work. And while his depiction of Barry Allen does seem quite a bit younger than what one would expect, it works well with regards to the other characters in the title. Geoff Johns, who weaved a great Rebirth story that concluded last month (and was reviewed by our very own Matt,) as well as sparked a new interest in an old hero through Blackest Night, is the perfect man to take on the new Flash series. The Rogues are an interesting bunch, that I am looking forward to getting to know better. And Iris, sweet Iris, not only is she portrayed beautifully but she's got a fire in her that is akin to Lois Lane, and we all know how awesome that gal is. It would be wrong of me to conclude this review without referring to Issue #1's end. So I did.

Green Arrow #32 ***
While I'm all geared up and looking forward to the Green Lantern Reboot, I feel this issue fell a little short. To be blunt, the artwork was painful. There really is no other way to describe it. It is almost as if the artist took minimalism and went even further. Let's just say that I am more than ready for Diogenes to take over. The writing was good. Loved some scenes in particular, especially Ollie's remark to Clark, essentially telling him that he should have been there to save Star City. It's funny, it's almost like JT Krul took a vacation in my mind when he came up with Ollie's judgement. Not guilty, which is personally the verdict I would have come up with had I been on that jury panel. But wait, the Judge wasn't satisfied with that result, so he exiled Ollie from Start City! I mean, how great is that.

New Mutants #12 ****
What an absolute blast Second Coming has been. I mean, literally non-stop action, drama, adventure, what more could you possibly want. The epic battle between mutant leader Cyclops and robotic freak Bastion is on the horizon. With Logan's A-team closing in on Cable and Hope, Cyclops has sent in his band of New Mutants in to run interference. Led by Sam Guthrie, the New Mutants face off a warehouse of anti-mutant, smiley faced, robot wearing freaks of nature. With the element of surprise on their side, the New Mutants are able to make a severe dent on the anti-mutant warehouse. However, much to everyone's disgust, Cameron Hodge integrates himself with a crab-like robot and the tide soon turns. This is the third installment to Second Coming and it's doing great. It maintains the pace that had been set by the previous issues, it remains relevant, and the artwork is just fantastic. Ibraim Roberson does a great job here with the artwork.