The Monitor Tapes for Monday, August 03, 2009

By Martin Dekay on August 3, 2009 in Comics Reviews

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The Monitor Tapes for Monday, August 03, 2009

DETECTIVE COMICS #855

dc855

Written by Greg Rucka; Art by JH Williams III; co-feature Art by Cully Hamner; Cover by JH Williams III

“Elegy” part 2 of 4 by Greg Rucka and JH Williams III! Batwoman captures her enemy, a madwoman known only as Alice who sees her life as a fairy tale and everyone around her as expendable extras – including Kate! But when the tables are turned, Batwoman finds herself in a hallucination slamming the present into a collision with the past, and the hints of a threat that will claim the lives of every man, woman and child in Gotham City.

And in the all-new co-feature starring the Question, Montoya’s quest to find a missing young girl turns deadly.

  • After last issue’s set up’s and intro, Detective Comics #855 jumps straight into action in both the Batwoman and Question features.

    Batwoman, kicks into high gear with Kate Kane roughing up “Alice” in an attempt to get info regarding the perpetual attacks upon herself in regards to the “Cult of Cain”. Since her introduction, she’s not had it very easy, from being stabbed in the chest back in 52, to the recent possession of her body by evil gods in Final Crisis, she’s managed to be on a perpetual end of repeated ass-kickings. Despite not many wins in her book, you’re still rooting for her, even more so now as Rucka’s sent her hell bent on bringing the fight to the enemy rather than wait around for another shoe to drop so to speak.

    Picking up from the first issue of the story, Kate with a fabulous grin no less, stars the issue off with the upper hand, pumping Alice full of pepper spray and whisking her away from her cultist goons. While Batwoman attempts to beat information out of Alice in regards to the previously mentioned attacks, the “Mad” Alice retaliates producing a poisoned razorblade from her mouth, slashing Kate’s face, turning the tide as if she’d been toying with her the whole time. Clearly despite Alice’s presented “madness”, she’s schooled in the “Superman Method” of allowing her opponent to beat upon her to gauge her foe’s strength and ability. Frankly, I personally question her madness, not unlike the Joker.

    On a random tangent, I’m sure due to the white face and madness, she’s liable to be compared to the Joker. I’m not sure if that’s the intention however as Gotham has a penchant for turning out mad monsters like McDonalds pumps out burgers. There’s even a mention by Kate that Gotham already has a devotee to the “Alice in Wonderland” motif in Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter. You might wonder if this will somehow tie back to Hatter, though I’d be more inclined to think it’s more independent “Catcher in the Rye” on acid than anything. With such a new character, it’s unknown if Alice will remain amongst the living after the story. if she does manage though, I want to see Rucka do a romance comic featuring her and the Joker go-a-courtin’ in a mini series! Seriously, I’m in love with this new villain, she almost steals the show in her appearance in just two issues!

    Back to the story it’s self, Batwoman now poisoned manages to slip out of Alice’s clutches sans wig. Along with the poisoning, she takes quite a fall from the high tower balcony, despite the aid of her winged cape and body armor. In the haze of poison and pain (hmm, sounds like a goth band name), Kate begins having fractal flashbacks revealing more of her origins and motivation. Don’t want to spoil it, but I’ll say Kate and Bruce have much more in common than dressing like nocturnal mammals (as hinted at in the previous issue).

    As Kate finds herself in a common state, the Colonel (her father and “Alfred” to her Batwoman) rushes to the rescue when his monitoring of her finds that she’s in trouble. Alice gathers her goons while what looks to be “higher-up” corporate types of “Cain” offer up apologies, thanks, prayers and an opportunity to ease Alice’s frustrations via their wholesale slaughter. Though “Dad” comes to the rescue as Alice and her goons catch up, the worst is yet to come with the arrival of the shape shifting monsters, Whisper A’Daire (the snakewoman), Kyle Abbot (the wolfman), and an unnamed “Octopusman”. Needless to say, the plot gets thicker than blood, which is sure to run next issue.

    DC COMICS for 8.5.2009

DC/ JOHNNY DC

*  BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #32
* BOOSTER GOLD VOL. 3: REALITY LOST
* DC COMICS CLASSICS LIBRARY: FLASH OF TWO WORLDS
* DEAD ROMEO #5 (OF 6)
* THE DEATH OF THE NEW GODS
* DOOM PATROL #1
* FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: RUN! #4 (OF 6)
* FINAL CRISIS: REVELATIONS
* JONAH HEX #46
* JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE #2 (OF 6)
* METAL MEN
* NIGHTWING: THE GREAT LEAP
* THE RED CIRCLE: THE HANGMAN
* SCOOBY-DOO #147
* SECRET SIX #12
* SOLOMON GRUNDY #6 (OF 7)
* THE SPIRIT #32
* STRANGE ADVENTURES #6 (OF 8)
* SUPERMAN: WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON #6 (OF 12)
* THE WARLORD #5
* WEDNESDAY COMICS #5 (OF 12)

Vertigo

* GREEK STREET #2 (AUG-05)
* HOUSE OF MYSTERY #16 (AUG-05)
* TRANSMETROPOLITAN VOL. 3: YEAR OF THE BASTARD-NEW EDITION (AUG-05)
Wildstorm

*  ASTRO CITY: THE DARK AGE BOOK 3 #4 (OF 4)
* THE AUTHORITY #13
* NORTH 40 #2 (OF 6)
* PROTOTYPE #5 (OF 6)

Check out http://dccomics.com for more news, previews, and more!

Thanks for reading!

Mandroid!