Here are today's "Guest Reviews" by Jeremy Sims from Batwatch. Included are DC's; Batman #17, Batgirl #17, & Batman and Robin #17. I have also added my rating after each review. If you have any questions about my rating or want to discuss anything just leave me a comment.
Batman #17 - The Punchline
This is it: The stunning conclusion to “DEATH OF THE FAMILY”!
Who lives? Who dies? Who laughs last? Find out as Batman and The Joker face off one last time!
Preview
In this issue, Joker throws a family dinner for Batman where he must decide who lives and who dies.
Let's Just Get This Out of the Way
I figure some of you are eager to know the big revelations of the story, so this section is going to be all Spoilers. If you want to be surprised, then skip this section and start with the next.
(Spoiler) Does anybody die? No. Does
Joker know the identities of the Bat Clan? Almost certainly not. He knows the location of the cave, but he does not want to know who
Batman or the family truly is. Does anybody lose their face? No....except for Joker when he falls off the waterfall. Does the Bat Family die in some form? I do not think they die, but they are definitely wounded psychologically, and it seems they will need to evaluate themselves as individuals before they are able to come back together as a family.
Well, That Was Awesome
I've had mixed feelings on this whole run. The art has been amazing, the dialogue is nearly flawless, many of the set piece battles were inspired, and the tension has been handled very well. On the flip side, Joker is capable of doing way too much damage even ignoring all the cross over events where he is able to be everywhere at once. Saying that Joker can single handedly take out a dozen or so armed, alert police officers or that he can kill off an entire apartment complex without alerting the authorities is really stupid, and similarly, Bats was a bit overpowered in the last issue taking on seventy plus Arkham inmates at once and performing several other ridiculous feats in the last issue alone.
Read the rest of Jeremy Sims' Review on Batwatch
My Rating
Cover & Solicit - 3/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 3/5
Layout & Flow - 5/5
Story - 4/5
Verdict - 3.7
Batgirl #17 - Endure the Flame
Barbara Gordon must deal with the fallout from “DEATH OF THE FAMILY” in this issue that will forever change her status quo in The New 52!
What does James Gordon Jr. have planned for his sister, Batgirl?
Preview
Still, it's time to find out what James' angle is. Does James serve as an excellent villain for
Batgirl, or is this just a confusing nonsensical story?
In this issue, Barbara is lured into a twisted game by her brother and
Commissioner Gordon sics the GCPD on his own flesh and blood.
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
I was kind of excited to see an interpretation of Batgirl from somebody other than Gail Simone because though I've liked Simone's recent issues, I still feel Babs is being presented as a very stiff, flat character, and I really want to see her feel more like a person.
Fawkes, in my book, succeeds in doing just that. I actually enjoyed Babs as a person more in this issue than I have in almost all of Simone's issues. Babs here is still calculating and somewhat reserved, but she also shows some willingness to get outside her comfort zone and flirt, and she makes a nice gesture, though perhaps misguided, by trying to get the cops to reel in Joker's henchmen as a sort of confidence booster for them. These little things make her feel like a developed person rather than just a victim.
Read the rest of Jeremy Sims' Review on Batwatch
My Rating
Cover & Solicit - 4/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 5/5
Layout & Flow - 4/5
Story - 5/5
Verdict - 4.7
Batman and Robin #17 - Life is But a Dream
Batman and Robin gear up to protect Gotham City in the week leading up to the 300 anniversary of the city’s founding!
It’s a who’s who of Gotham City’s worst against The Dynamic Duo!
Preview
Damian is alive! Rejoice Robin fans...at least until Morrison completes his run on
Batman, Incorporated and murders the brat there. Relax, I'm just kidding. I love the brat as much as the next guy, and let's hope he has not been spared Joker's crowbar to die at the hands of Leviathan.
I really have no idea what to expect from Tomasi anymore. His run started off amazing, became mediocre, got down right shoddy for awhile, and then boosted back up to being really great, so I am officially labeling this series a wild card. Does our young hero use his new lease on life to have an inspiring adventure, or is this a muddling story written just to string as along the series until Robin's soon coming death?
In this issue, Robin, Batman and Alfred are all haunted by their own nightmares.
Odd
This was a very odd issue, so I'm going to use a fairly odd reviewing pattern and just break up my reivew into the different sections of the story.
First, Tomasi seems to be keeping with the same strategy he used in the Batman and Robin Annual of focusing on the Damian, Bruce, and Alfred. Though he is still the least focused on of the three, it feels right for Alfred to get a little more of a starring role in a Batman series, and it makes sense that it would be in this book which is the most family based title in the Batman lineup. It's about darn time somebody started writing some good Alfred stories, and I hope Tomasi continues to deliver.
Read the rest of Jeremy Sims' Review on Batwatch
My Rating
Cover & Solicit - 3/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 4/5
Layout & Flow - 4/5
Story - 3/5
Verdict - 3.4
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