We're doing something different this month so listen up! I'm so overwhelmed with graphic novels and the weekly floppy book review rotation that it's stressing me out like my real job and that shouldn't happen. Anything Batman related shouldn't feel like work. So this month I'm going to review the New 52 books that feature Batman as the star of the show (Batman, Detective Comics, B&R, Batman Inc, and Batman: TDK) but I'm only going to do reviews for 5 other books. JUST FIVE. And these five comics will be voted on by you. Whatever 5 books have the most votes by Wednesday morning will be the comics I write reviews for this month. Will I ever get around to writing reviews for the comics that are left behind? Perhaps eventually. But for now I want to attack this stack of graphic novels. As for the Annuals that are coming out this month...I may review those regardless. Those annuals (Earth 2, Catwoman, and Red Hood) are pricey books that I"m sure many would appreciate a review for before they go out and spend $5+ bucks so we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
You can select up to 5 comics, so be sure to vote for your favorites in the poll below:
Anyway, on with the show: Here are the Bat-titles coming out this week, May 1st, 2013 graded on a scale of my own anticipation.
Hell no! – I’d rather not – Ambivalent – Interested – TAKE MY MONEY
Scroll to the bottom of the page and post in the comments section what books you’re most looking forward to this week!
May 1st
DETECTIVE COMICS #20
Written by JOHN LAYMAN
Art and cover by JASON FABOK
Backup story art by ANDY CLARKE
1:25 B&W Variant cover by JASON FABOK
“We Can Be Heroes” Blank variant cover available
On sale MAY 1 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $4.99
Anticipation Level: Interested
Apparently Ignatius Ogilvy is going to undergo a superhuman transformation in this issue and I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. I found the character to be interesting enough without going so over the top. Just give the guy a better name than "Emperor Penguin" and we have one of the more interesting gangster characters in the New 52. There's really been an absence of a realistic mob boss lately and turning Ogilvy into a red-eyed monster seems like it could actually make him less interesting. Still, it's been an entertaining arc so far and the artwork has been consistently top-notch. So while the concept behind issue #20 has me a tad nervous, I remain confident that the creative team will keep the level of quality up that I've grown to expect.
BATWING #20
Written by JUSTIN GRAY and JIMMY PALMIOTTI
Art by FABRIZIO FIORENTINO
Cover by KEN LASHLEY
On sale MAY 1 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Anticipation Level: Interested
The first adventure with the brand-new Batwing. It's essentially an entirely new series so ignore the #20 on the cover, this is a #1 at heart. If you've never read an issue of Batwing before you need not worry. Everybody should at least flip through this one in the comic shop and give it their consideration.
LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #8
Written by PAUL TOBIN and RICARDO SANCHEZ
Art by TRADD MOORE and SERGIO SANDOVAL
Cover by TRADD MOORE
On sale MAY 1 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T • DIGITAL FIRST
Anticipation Level: Ambivalent
I'm usually very interested in Legends of the Dark Knight. With there being a brand new writer and artist team in every installment there's really no reason not to be curious about what you're going to get in these stand-alone issues. However! In the past couple of months the series has taken a turn for the supernatural and I haven't enjoyed this new direction in the slightest. This month we have 2 short tales, one of which only takes up a 1/3 of the book. The first is about a man who abducts people and leaves wooden replicas of his victim behind and the other is about Batman entering the bizarre world of cryptotaxidermy only to confront a giant creature that is still very much alive. Neither pitch sounds all that thrilling to me and it's probably the least excited I've been for an issue of this series yet, but I'm still as curious as always to see how different writers and artists approach my favorite character.
GRAPHIC NOVEL WATCH!
Believe it or not there are actually no new Batman graphic novels arriving in stores this week. This might not seem like great news to you, but for me it's like the clouds have parted and the sun is finally shining through. For once the mound of graphic novels I need to review will not grow and I stand a chance of catching up on things. I can at last look up at the light and imagine myself climbing to freedom. So easy... So simple...
