Here are today's "Guest Reviews" by Jeremy Sims from Batwatch. Included are DC's; Talon #5, Batwing #18, & Detective Comics #18. 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.
Talon #5 - Churning
The Talon vs. Felix Harmon, a.k.a. The Gotham Ripper!
The bank heist goes terribly wrong. Who will make it out alive—and who is already dead?!
The Talons secret hideout is in danger—and so are all the people in it!
Preview
I've really been enjoying
Talon, and the preview for this latest issue looks promising. The last issue appeared to be a turning point as Calvin met his arch nemesis and finally partnered up with Casey Washington and her daughter Sarah. I also expect, based on solicits, for Sebastian Clark to be a traitor by April, so I'm eager to see how things play out in this issue. Does Talon #5 deliver a thrill a minute, or has this escape artist ran out of tricks?
In this issue,
Batman and
Nightwing try to track down Talon, Calvin, Sebastian and Casey plot the next step of their attack, and The Butcher lives up to his name.
Expanding, Building, Constructing
Talon pretty much does exactly what I wanted it to do by expanding on the universe it has already created. Unlike
Teen Titans where there seem to be infinite loose ends, everything in Talon appears to be done with great care and purpose. Writer James Tynion IV
(former writer of Batman and Detective Comics and current writer of Talon) continues to move the ball down the field going...somewhere. It's not completely clear where yet, but I'm confident this series is going good places.
Casey Washington continues to grow as a character, and I greatly enjoy her. From the way the trio of main protagonists were talking in this issue, it sounds as if Casey might be entering the field herself which could be fun, but this raises questions as to her abilities and whether or not she will need to adopt a persona of her own. We learn a lot more about her history and her connection to the Court of Owls in this issue which adds a lot of intrigue to her past and sets up for a perfect challenge for Talon and his team which will, based on future covers, be the focus for the next two issues. Casey's daughter, Sarah, does not get as much development, but we do see a little of her, and it will be interesting to see how this odd family develops. If I am right about Sebastian Clark's coming betrayal, it could be very interesting to see Calvin, Casey and Sarah on the run without a support network.
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 - 4/5
Verdict - 3.9
Batwing #18 - Grounded
Batwing’s armor is destroyed!
Will the man behind the suit be enough to keep one of his only friends alive?
Preview
I'm pretty stoked about this issue of
Batwing. I enjoyed the Sky-Pirate from last issue, and the creative team is saying that someone will die soon. The obvious choice target for death would be Matu for Heaven knows a hero cannot be allowed to have a father figure, but there are other options. Another intriguing question is what will happen to David Zavimbe and who will replace him? Jimmy Palmiotti
(former inker and cover artist for Catwoman, inker for Jonah Hex, writer for Ame-Comi Girls and current writer for All-Star Western), and Justin Gray
(former writer for Jonah Hex and Power Girl and current writer for Ame-Comi Girls, All-Star Western, and Human Bomb) have made it sound as if he will still be alive in future issues, but supposedly, there will be a new person in the suit. There are not many options. Could Dawn possibly fill the boots, and if not, what role does she play in this story?
At the moment, I have more questions than answers, but that is a good place to be when getting psyched for a comic. Now, it is time to find some answers. Does Batwing #18 add intrigue, action, and suspense to the tale of Batwing, or is this one hero who has had his wings permanently clipped?
In this issue, David Zavimbe faces Dawn while Sky-Pirate destroys Batwing's base gravely injuring Matu.
Bat Droppings
Due to being behind on schedule, I'm going to do things Bat Droppings style because it makes reviews go more quickly.
- We've got a really nice, sharp, content appropriate cover from the artist for this issue, Fabrizio Fiorentino. (former artist of Titans and current artist of Batwing) It's nice that Batwing has finally broken its streak of boring, generic cover art.
- Speaking of Fiorentino, his work looked sharp in this issue for the most part though faces did occasionally look a little off such as Dawn's in her first appearance this issue.
Read the rest of Jeremy Sims' review on Batwatch
My Rating
Cover & Solicit - 45
Art, Colors & Inking - 4/5
Layout & Flow - 3/5
Story - 3/5
Verdict - 3.4
Detective Comics #18 - Return to Roost; A Cut Above
Batman vs. The Penguin!
The stakes are high, and even if Batman wins he loses!
Plus, in the backup feature, it’s the origin of Ignatius Ogilvy, the new criminal kingpin of Gotham City.
Preview
It is time once more for Detective Comics. Unfortunately, I was not able to get this out Wednesday due to my crazy week, so since I am now playing catch up, I will probably cut this review a little short, but still, I'll try to do the review justice.
Detective Comics, with the combined talents of John Layman
(former writer of Image's Chew and current writer of Detective Comics) and Jason Fabok,
(former penciler for Aspen MLT's Michael Turner's Soulfire, Superman/Batman, and The Dark Knight cover artist for Batwing and current penciler of Detective Comics) has been delivering some of the best Batman stories on the market as far as I am concerned, but I'm a little nervous about this issue.
Penguin is returning and
Emperor Penguin is in power, yet Layman must include in this issue the fallout from Death of the Family and
Damian's sad demise, so it is easy to imagine that this story might get a bit cluttered and lost its way, and I've heard some comments from people who have already read the issue say just that. Now, it is time for me to make my judgment. Does Detective Comics deliver another stellar issue, or is this a rambling tale with no real point?
In this issue, Penguin gets burned and does some burning, Batman has to deal with the threat of Penguin and Mr. Zsasz
(I just realized Zsasz is a palindrome. Interesting) while mourning the death of Damian, and Emperor Penguin confronts his former employer.
Moderate Expectations
As I made clear in the intro, I was not expecting great things from this issue because I've heard several negative comments about it, but I think those comments are completely off base. The complaints I heard were that this issue tried to balance too many plot lines and failed in the process, and that sounded plausible considering that issue seventeen suffered from that very problem but Layman seems to have learned to deal with the problem of forced crossovers better in this issue by simply skirting the whole death of Damian.
Damian's death does get the short stick in this issue. We see one full page of mourning, and then the issue moves back to focus on the Penguins, and that might irritate some especially if you buy the issue for this mini-crossover called Requiem, but really, why should we see a lot on Damian mourning in this issue? We are about to have an entire month of mourning. Entire issues of Batman and Robin and Batman, Incorporated will focus on nothing else. Just like most fans were sick of the Joker by the end of Death of the Family, most fans would be sick of the Damian mourning by the end of this month if it was layered on that thick in every Bat book. Instead of falling into that trap, Layman continues to tell the story he was already developing, and the series was made stronger because of this.
Read the rest of Jeremy Sims' review on Batwatch
My Rating
Cover & Solicit - 3/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 3/5
Layout & Flow - 3/5
Story - 3/5
Verdict - 3
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