AZRAEL: DEATH’S DARK KNIGHT #3 (OF 3)
Fabian Nicieza (Writer)
Frazer Irving (Artist)
Guillem March (Cover Artist)
If murder and suicide are sins before God, then what if you were asked to kill in the name of God and by doing so, it would ultimately kill you? To reclaim his damaged soul, to redeem the mistakes of his past and to make a difference in a Gotham City that has been torn apart by the death of The Dark Knight, Azrael must make a fateful decision – become a hero and die, serving in Heaven or reject the opportunity and live, damned to suffer in Hell.
And while large issues of life and death, morality and eternal salvation are weighed, Azrael must also confront the two parties interested in regaining the Suit of Sorrows: Talia al Ghul and Nightwing!
Issue three ends the mini series introducing the new Azrael (former Dr. Hurt created Batman) to the DCU, and it ends on a bit of a limp note for me.
After last issues “Cliffhanger” with Nightwing, Dick and Azrael exchange dialogue with Michael explaining he didn’t kill the cop as he’s a former officer himself. Dick believes him, Drug Ex Machina’s his memory to forget the Batcave (and all the “Bat-Stuff, also explaining what happened to all the ninjas and new criminals from the tail end of Morrison’s last Bruce Wayne/ Batman arc). Dick lets him keep the newly acquired gear, despite the warning that it’s cursed, and the character is set up for future stories.
Over all, I wish this could have been done in an oversized one-shot in 40 so pages. As a “Secret Origin” of sorts, I don’t think it really needed to be a full three issues, and it may have served the character better in a shorter and tighter story. True, there’s a lot of exposition going on with the “Orders” and the League of Assassins and beautiful artwork to boot, but with all the characters surrounding the title character, I don’t really feel Michael Lane had much time to shine.
With the introduction now done and the promise of a new series, hopefully we’ll see more of the character rather than the circumstances surrounding him. Regardless, I still like this Azrael far more than the previous Jean Paul Valley.
FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: ESCAPE #1 (OF 6)
Ivan Brandon (W)
Marco Rudi (A)
Scott Hampton (C)
In this all-new 6-issue miniseries, Nemesis awakens to find himself held captive by the Global Peace Agency inside the walls of the mysterious Electric City. His fellow prisoners are all members of the superhuman intelligence community, and they’re subjected to systematic torture in an attempt to siphon the secrets of the DC Universe heroes in an effort to destroy them. As Nemesis works to escape, he finds few people he can truly trust. But nothing could prepare him for the hideous truth behind his situation!
Head trip to say the least. In both writing and art.
Remixing Kirby’s DCU contributions for the 21st century has resulted in the mining of some of “The King’s” greatest concepts and creations. True, if internet message boards are any indication of success, it’s been a mixed bag of results (of which I may not necessarily agree with).
“Escape” is touted as a DCU version of “The Prisoner”, big shoes to fill considering the show was one of the greatest Sci-Fi concepts to ever be on broadcast television. On another interesting “Prisoner” note, Kirby had in fact completed pages for a Prisoner comic issue (assumed to be a licensed series) for the “other publisher” across town. Unfortunately, the issue never saw completion (though 17 pages exist) and Kirby moved on to DC, where he explored similar themes within OMAC, Kamandi, and his “4th World Saga” (New Gods).
Much like “Number Six”, Thomas “Tom” Tresser AKA Nemesis is drugged while feeding his cat, awaking in unfamiliar surroundings but wearing his familiar “Union Suit”. He finds himself being surrounded by three “Lila” model “Build-A-Friend” Psudo-People (android automatons) who offer to be his “Friend” while serving him his favorite breakfast. Then things get really bizarre!
(for more info on Psudo-People, pick up JACK KIRBY’S O.M.A.C.: ONE MAN ARMY CORPS HC at your local comic shop)
As things get really trippy, Tom encounters a faceless Global Peace Agent (GPA) who states that they’re all “Big Fans” of Nemesis. It also appears that Tom’s not the only guest of the GPA, as he encounters Amanda Waller, Count Vertigo, Rick Flag (all of whom are fellow Suicide Squad alumni), Cameron Chase (of the highly underrated “Chase” series) and others, including a new type of OMAC. After the OMAC informs Tom, Chase, and a unnamed man that they are not in fact prisoners, one of those three finds themselves involved in a gruesome fate involving trying to leave (two hints, one, the person who gets it isn’t “named”, and second, no one “kills” said person).
Mysteries aside, I wonder how this will all tie into Final Crisis, the Question (last seen as a GPA) and the new “Kirby Earth”
SECRET SIX #9
Gail Simone (W)
Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood (A)
Not one, but two members of the Secret Six feel they deserve to wear Batman’s cowl, and they return to Gotham City with a semi-delusional Ragdoll determined to be the new Boy Wonder! Unfortunately, everybody in Gotham has other plans!
A fine little self contained jaunt of violence and mayhem, despite the “pure” and “heroic intentions of Catman, Bane and “Boy/Girl Wonder” Ragdoll. Often writers are thrust into crossover events beyond their control, and not unlike Garth Ennis’ run on Hitman, Gail manages to take the “Battle for the Cowl” backdrop and use it as a vehicle for the “two of Six” with connections to Batman in a great stand alone issue.
The boys night in Gotham sees them “protecting” the families of “Capitalists” targeted for kidnapping and extortion with their children (something the Six members got wind of when the job was offered to them). Out of Bane’s sensibilities regarding “saving the innocent children” and a motive to “make good” in respects to Batman and what he stood for, the two debate back and forth whether or not either of them would make a good replacement Batman (whereas Ragdoll has already christened himself as a new Robin).
Even amongst the “black-humored” carnage, there’s still great site gags and dialog in references to the Batman Legacy. As they leave the scene of the first attempted kidnapping, the three are seen walking up the wall via rope in a nod to the Adam West/ Burt Ward Batman show of the 60’s. As always, the issue is brutal mayhem, violence and black humor at it’s finest.
Solicitation info via- dccomics.com
DC COMICS AVAILABLE ON 5/20/2009
DC/ JOHNNY DC
* BATMAN: BATTLE FOR THE COWL #3 (OF 3)
* BATMAN: MAD LOVE AND OTHER STORIES
* BOOSTER GOLD VOL. 1: 52 PICK-UP
* THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #23
* FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: DANCE #1 (OF 6)
* GREEN ARROW/BLACK CANARY #20
* THE OUTSIDERS #18
* RANN/THANAGAR HOLY WAR VOL. 1
* SCOOBY-DOO #144
* SUPERGIRL #41
* SUPERMAN/BATMAN #60
* SUPERMAN: ENDING BATTLE
* TINY TITANS #16
* TINY TITANS VOL. 2: ADVENTURES IN AWESOMENESS
* TRINITY #51
* VIGILANTE #6
VERTIGO
* AIR #9 (MAY-20)
* HELLBLAZER #255
* JACK OF FABLES #34
* TRANSMETROPOLITAN VOL. 2: LUST FOR LIFE
WILDSTORM
* EX MACHINA #42
* GEARS OF WAR #7
* HEROES VOL. 2
* KILLAPALOOZA #1 (OF 6) Preview Available
* MYSTERIUS: THE UNFATHOMABLE #5 (OF 6)
* RESIDENT EVIL #2 (OF 6)
* WORLD OF WARCRAFT #19
Check out dccomics.com for more DC news and info, including their blog, The Source!
And as always, thanks for reading!