By: Tony Daniel (writer and artist), Ian Hannin (colorist)
The Story: My favorite Batman (Dick Grayson) tackles the reaper with Robin. Catgirl. A poseur follower of Catwoman’s gets in the way. She’s going to be a problem, because Bruce wants her off the streets. In the meantime, bigger fish are showing up.
What’s Good: Daniel delivers classic Batman: weird criminals, capes and cowls, clever tech gimmicks and a rich, playboy secret identity. Throw in a femme fatale (check!) and you have everything you need. The issue is fast-paced (take down Reaper, lose Catgirl, get new instructions, head off on missions, deliver message, get caught in the middle, all in under 30 pages) and the writing is brisk and smart. On the dialogue, I loved the responsibility that Bruce lays on Dick (“Gotham is your city when I’m not here”), but nuanced by the clever, exuberance that Dick hasn’t outgrown (“That was a Bruce move…”).
Artwise, Daniel puts dynamism on the page. Check out Batman and Robin leaping across the rooftops, or Batman taking down Reaper. He also does beautiful detail, as in Selina Kyle, or the textured detail of Catgirl’s boot in Reaper’s craggy face (or the wrinkles in the clothing, the dust, the dirt, etc…I could go on). The effects of the rain, on the fight scene and on Dick running cast a cool, threatening mood over the Gotham that Dick now owns (when Bruce isn’t there….).
What’s Not So Good: Reaper, even as the required bad guy that needed to get his ass kicked in order for the story to open on an action sequence, was weak. Not power-wise. He seemed to have enough of that. He was a filler, without any motivation or drive other than being loonie. I thought Daniel could have done better with a criminal who had more to do with the story.
Artwise, while Daniel gets dynamism right, sometimes his characters stand around waiting to have their picture taken. I saw enough gratuitous posing in the 90s that we don’t need more here. Save it for poster art. In terms of facial expressions, Daniel really isn’t my guy either. While writing my reviews, I like to scan the panels for particularly evocative examples to talk about. As I scan the entire book, looking at each expression, what do I see? A bunch of expressionless people, although we see Dick’s gritted teeth twice when he’s straining or angry. Does that count? No, sorry. It doesn’t.
Conclusion: As Mr. Grayson is my favorite Batman, I know that I’ll be able to come to Tony Daniel for my monthly fix. He’s selling what I want. Go pick it up. You’ll see.
Grade: B+
-DS Arsenault
Grade
Conclusion