Brian Russell Comic Reviews

I'm surethere are some Stephanie Brown fans out there wishing she was still Batgirl " andI think I may agree " but it's hard to miss Steph when Simone and Syaf makeBarbara's return so damn entertaining. Set aside your concern and give Barbaraanother spin as Batgirl. Heh. Spin. Like wheels. Wheelchair. Goodness.

Unlike a few other titles in the relaunch, Batman #1 shows us exactly where this comic is headed " as well as dropping a couple bombs on us as well. If the end doesn't leave you excited for what's to come, you must have read it wrong. If this issue does nothing, it should at least gives those wary of Snyder taking the reins some comfort that the series is in very capable hands.

There is a lot to get you excited about this series here. TheCourt of Owls is still a mystery, though we finally see a member in action.Apparently, Bruce's strong stance that the Court does not exist may be a littleoff. But, he's the World's Greatest Detective, I'm sure he'll figure it outsoon.

Batman and Robin#2 suffers from the sophomore slump only slightly. I would have liked to seesome more action, as well as a bit more in terms of story progression. What you'llget out of this issue is the status of Bruce and his son's relationship, aswell a glimpse of what's to come. If you're expecting a cliffhanger similar towhat you got in Batman Detective Comics #2, you will be sorely disappointed.

In terms of the story, the elusive Dollmaker and his goonsare fully revealed and they're creepy as hell. For example, there is a fullsized cymbal monkey among their ranks. A full sized cymbal monkey. This wasreally just an introduction to the villainous group, but it was enough to getme interested in what they're going to do next. If the group themselves weren'tenough to get the reader excited, the final page leaves us with a cliffhangerthat will make waiting for next month incredibly hard.This is all around a great start to the series. We're two issues in, and if Tony Daniel can keep the great writing and art as good as it has been, Detective Comics should remain in the top of the New 52 heap.

It's hard to really gauge where Johns plans on taking thestory after this issue, but it is certainly indicative of how well Johns knowshis characters. The relaunch may have messed with a lot of the DCU, but the Green Lantern series appears to haveemerged from the chaos unscathed and ready for a whole new volume.

The prospect of having Sinestro and Hal team up for a while is an interesting one. I'm sure there will be a lot of readers wondering how long Sinestro can stay on the good side, and I'm right there with them. I definitely see him staying Green for a decent amount of time, but we'll have to keep reading to be sure. Thankfully, the series remains great, so keeping interested shouldn't be hard in the slightest.

If you areat all interested in iZombie, now is the perfect time to start reading it as themeat of the story is just now kicking in. I would definitely recommend startingwith issue #1, though, as this wacky cast of characters really deserves yourtime in getting to know them better.

Geoff John's seems to have a handle on this whole relaunchthing. He's writing some of the best titles of the New 52, and Jim Lee's artisn't exactly hurting this series. The last page also gives us a hint of what'sto come in issue #3 - Wonder Woman.

Penguin: Pain and Prejudice #1 is a great start, and reallypulls you into a character you may not have been interested in before. Though alittle slow moving and lacking action, the pace is precise and the comic demands yourattention the entire issue. And then the last page hits, and you'll be wishingthat this wasn't just a five issue mini-series.

Overall I thought this was a really great start for the series, even if the art wasn't my thing. The action was certainly there, and Kirkman's writing had a nice pace to it. I do wish it didn't jump around as much as it did, but this comic definitely comes with a recommendation for those who like time travel arcs, or maybe those that wish they could team up with their younger selves. Think of a time traveling Lethal Weapon, but instead of Riggs and Murtough, it's Riggs and Riggs. If that sounds interesting (and how could it not?), you should definitely grab this one.