Joker: One Operation Joker, Vol. 1 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

After falling into a similar vat of chemicals that changed the Joker into the madman he is today, Batman reverts into the form of a baby. The Clown Prince of Crime is tempted to just kill the child but he sees a greater chance at revenge by becoming the tyke's father and raising him as his son. The Joker feels that it would be a moment of great irony if someone as sick and twisted as the Joker could raise Batman into becoming a symbol of justice. 

However, raising a one-year old isn't all it's cracked up to be and it's eating into the Joker's day job as a master criminal. Hopefully, the Joker can get the child he calls 'Batbaby' into a premium daycare so the fiend can resume plotting his numerous heists. It costs a lot of money to keep a toddler in diapers and with all the sleepless nights and new found responsibility, Mr. J's bank account is just about at zero.

Joker: One Operation Joker was originally a 21-chapter manga that ran in the pages of Morning KC. Published by Kodansha under an agreement with DC Comics, the series appeared sporadically from 2021 until about early 2023. It was written by Satoshi Miyagawa (Space Battleship Tiramisu). The art is by Keisuke Gotou (sometimes spelled Goto), who is perhaps better known as the voice of Beni in the 2014 anime series DRAMAtical Murder and it's subsequent video game spin-off.

While not officially canon, Joker: One Operation Joker culls from over 80 years of Joker appearances in comics, television and movies. For example, in the first chapter, the staircase the Joker uses to exit the Gotham City subway are the very steps Joaquin Phoenix dances on in 2019's Joker. Even if you're not a big fan of manga, fans of the Joker and DC Comics will enjoy the many, many Easter eggs hidden throughout this paperback edition that contains chapters 1-7.

Don't be fooled into thinking that because this story is set in Gotham City, that it is not a traditional manga. This book is very much Japanese in terms of both the art style and the culture. The process the Joker must go through to get Batbaby into daycare is based on Japan's points system that is determined by an applying family's financial hardship and other social factors. Also, like a traditional manga, this book has to be read from right to left.

The entire Joker manga storyline was published in 3 volumes and all 21 chapters can be accessed through the DC Universe Infinite website. 

Completing this review completes Task #35 (A Manga Work) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Batman: Hush, Vol. 2 (A Madman Re-Read)

Volume 2 opens with a night at the opera. Only this isn't the stuff of the Marx Brothers or Queen. What starts as a refined charity event for a community hospital ends in bloodshed when Harley Quinn and the Joker robs the event and murder Bruce Wayne's best friend from his childhood. Only the Clown Prince of Crime claims that he didn't pull the trigger. That doesn't stop Batman from almost killing his most hated foe!

As the story progresses, Loeb's storytelling gets much more complex. So much, that I'm still not 100% sure what one of Batman's allies did wrong. Did they do wrong at all? I've researched for an answer and I am still not all that sure. 

Jim Lee's artwork continues to evolve. Batman looks resplendent by the end of Hush. So do Catwoman and Robin. 

The biggest disappointment is how it feels that by the end of this book, every criminal in Gotham City should know that Bruce Wayne is Batman. They really can't all be that ignorant. Or does the criminal element in Gotham just choose to ignore the truth. New villain Hush, enlists several baddies to make Batman believe that Jason Todd is actually Hush. I find it unbelievable that none of these hired goons went snooping and put two and two together that Bruce Wayne's deceased ward, Jason Todd was the second Robin who died at the hands of the Joker! I don't buy it!

A good story with great art, that just finishes in a way I find implausible. Batman's Rogue's Gallery cannot be that blind!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Batman: Noel (A Madman Re-Read)

When I first read this book, it was 2012. The copy was property of my local library. I wrote up a review as I normally do. Then I apparently forgot all about it.

I think it was last year or maybe 2020, when DC Comics reissued this Gotham City take on Dicken's A Christmas Carol. My favorite comic book shop held me a copy just in case I needed it for my collection; which I did. I recalled having read this holiday graphic novel as I remembered coming across my review in the database of my blog. Yet, I still couldn't remember anything about this book.

During the past couple of weeks, I've been re-cataloging my comic book collection. With it being the holidays, I decided to tackle my Christmas and Thanksgiving books for a while. It's where I came back across this book. Noticing that I hadn't even taken this hardcover out of it's protective plastic wrap, I decided it was time to stop having my mind come to a total blank when I try to remember what occurred.

Batman: Noel retells the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge with Batman in the miser role. As Batman tracks down his arch enemy, the Joker, the Dark Knight is visited by a trio of characters that represent his past, present and future. 

The Bob Cratchit role is played by a down on his luck father who joined the Joker's gang in hopes of raising some cash to bring his crippled son, Timothy, some holiday cheer. However, when the cash drop goes horribly wrong, Bob and his son will find themselves stuck in the middle of a final showdown between two mortal enemies on Christmas Eve, of all times and places!

The artist behind this graphic novel is the amazing Lee Bermejo (Joker). I've been enthralled by his work for a very long time. His covers are so detailed and lifelike. It is hard to believe that Lee Bermejo is self-taught. If anyone can draw Batman as a living, breathing entity, it's Bermejo. Batman: Noel marks Bermejo's writing debut and I think he knocked it out of the park. I just can't understand why I forgot having read this book previously.

I know I've read a lot of comic books in the past. But usually, if I've forgotten having read something previously, I wind up at some point finally remembering it. Not this time. This makes me wonder if when 2032 comes around that I'm going to have to read this festive fight fest again just to jog my memory. 

A gritty holiday fable that doesn't disappoint.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Gotham City Villains Anniversary Giant One-Shot

2021 was a milestone year for several member's of Batman's Rogues Gallery. With a Penguin story by one of the actor's who have portrayed the villain, Danny DeVito, I was excited for the special. And I was very much willing to pay the full $9.99 cover price. 

I won't be making that mistake again.

The DeVito story was all over the place. It should be considered a cautionary for allowing actors free range to craft stories that stroke inflated egos. (Danny Devito played the Penguin in 1992's Batman Returns) I don't want to spoil this story. But it's definitely a fantasy story that never, EVER would happen in legitimate Batman canon.

I'm not ragging on just Danny Devito and what I assume is his comic book writing debut. Ms. Marvels' G. Willow Wilson's story starring Poison Ivy was confusing and too artsy-fartsy. And the Scarecrow story by Wes Craig (Deadly Class) makes an odd left turn and implicates Nightwing as some sort of chosen one in Dr. Crane's bizarre plans which were already too spastic to understand. 

There were some good stories. I loved the twist at the end of the Ra's al Ghul story. The Talia story was decent as well. I enjoyed how Stephanie Williams' (Wonder Woman: Black & Gold) take on the Red Hood kinda had a take on the villain's legend similar to that on Gotham. 

The Mad Hatter story was just fantastic. It would have made a great segment on an episode of Batman: The Animated Series. But the story that shined the most starred the villain that gets so little respect that cover artist Lee Bermejo (Batman: Noel) didn't even bother to put him on the cover: Killer Moth!

Killer Moth gets a bad rap mostly because he gets his butt kicked in Batgirl's origin story. And then by the hero again and again and again. Still, his short story, which was way too short was the cream of the crop! Mairghread Scott crafted an epic in less than 10 pages. If DC would greenlight a Killer Moth series written by the Transformers writer, I would request it in my LCS pull box in a heartbeat!

There's a big difference between this special and the most recent DC holiday special I read in Decmber, is that the festive book tried too to be relevant for just about every race, gender and creed instead of focusing on quality. In this special, I feel that the writers were trying to get too much into the psyche of the characters. Thus storyline suffered greatly in many of the stories. Many of Batman's arch-enemies are insane. If you try to craft a tale from the point of view of a madman, things aren't going to make sense and that's what happened with the Scarecrow, Poison Ivy and Al Ghul stories. I have no idea what Danny DeVito was trying to do with the Penguin. 

While this special was much better than last year's holiday annual, I'm still disappointed. To have to give up a Hamilton plus tax, I'd expect perfection from DC Comics. I hate to not support new comics in a day and age where consumership is greatly waning. But I can't afford to keep throwing my money away on sub-par works. Especially these pricey ones.

Do better, DC!

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars

 

Joker (2019)

DC and Warner Bros. makes it's first foray into R-rated live action film. Their first combined offering is what might of might not be the origin of Batman's arch-enemy: The Clown Prince of Crime, Joker.

Joaquin Phoenix stars as Arthur Fleck. Fleck is a fledgling stand-up comedian with a history of mental illness. The lines between reality and delusion meld as Phoenix's character is beaten, mocked, and lied to as the city he loves turns it's back on him, cutting the funding for the out-patient care he needs to stay lucid. 

Though Joker takes place in early 1980s Gotham City, this movie has ties that are eerily similar to today. While riding the subway home dressed as a party clown, Arthur Fleck is beaten by 3 drunken white-collar workers. Having previously been mugged, Fleck pulls out a gun and kills the men who it turns out work for Wayne Enterprises. 

Gotham is a city on edge, with a garbage strike entering it's third week. With reports of a masked clown having killed these symbolism of elitism, the lower class see Fleck's act as inspiration for a movement for change and riots beleaguer the boroughs. Too bad Gotham city doesn't have a Dark Knight to defend it...

Joker is not an action film. It's more of a psychological thriller that has the viewer seriously doubting the validity of any and all of Fleck's interactions throughout Gotham. That doesn't mean that this isn't a comic book movie. There's definitely echoes of Alan Moore's The Killing Joke and Frank Miller's Batman: Year One. But like FOX's Gotham, Joker proves that you can do Batman stories without the Caped Crusader. 

A very disturbing film that will keep you guessing, this is an entertaining film about the Batman's chief foe. The only question is: is this the real Joker? Or like with Jerome Valeska, is Arthur Fleck the inspiration for the genuine article?

Oh, and parents- don't take your Caped Crusader loving children to see this film. Tons of F-bombs and a lot of violence, and unsettling death and gore! 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Batman: War Games, Act 2: Tides

     The way this current Gotham City gang war is evolving seems too eerily familiar to Batman. That's because when Stephanie Brown was given her packing orders to vacate the Batcave as the new Robin, she stole a war game scenario from the Dark Knight's Bat-Computer. 
      The fallen sidekick hoped that if she could bring the gangs of Gotham under control, she'd win favor with the Caped Crusader and be given a chance to be Robin again. However, there was one little factor that Stephanie wasn't counting on and the entire scenario blew up right in her face.
     Now Batman must race to protect the new gang leader known as Orpheus if the hero has any hope of restoring order to the city. Orpheus was being set up as Batman's de facto leader over organized crime in Gotham so that the Dark Knight could control the gangs. Orpheus is the key to the plan's success. However, a long thought dead enemy of the Bat's is hiding in the wings and he has his own plans for Orpheus. 
     Whomever gets to Orpheus first will have control of the board when the War Games enters Act 3!
     I think the second act of War Games was just as good if not better in terms of story than Act One. But the artwork... well, it needs work. There's a couple of chapters that focus on Catwoman and whoever had the duty to render the feline anti-hero made her look like a frog in a black rain coat wearing Madonna's pointy bra. Plus some of the poses of Nightwing and Batgirl swinging through the Gotham skyline are just not physically possible in nature. What's up with that?
    A great story with some so-so art.

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Batman: War Drums

    Tensions among the gangs of Gotham City is at an all-time high. From the shadows, Batman seeks to control his city's organized crime by putting another vigilante hero named Orpheus as head of one the crime families. 
    Meanwhile, Tim Drake has retired as Batman's partner as a promise to his father. Thus, the Caped Crusader is in need of a new sidekick. Enter Stephanie Brown, AKA Spoiler to take up the mantle of the Boy Wonder. But can she make the grade, especially with an assassin in town seeking to take down her predecessor. 
    War Drums is the preface to a trilogy of Batman acts called War Games. I've been sitting on this and the trilogy for 2 or 3 years now. I inherited these books from the wife of my best friend Todd. These aren't really volumes I've been looking for or had on my list, but they were his and I thought that these would make a great read. So far, good. 
     I've been hesitant to read this. I guess it's been my way of not letting go of my best friend or not accepting that he's gone- or something. Well, my shelves are overflowing and if I want to add new stuff to my permanent collection, I gotta make room somewhere...
     My only problem now- I'm not sure I wanna give this book up. It's that good.

    
     Worth Consuming!

     Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.  

Happy Halloween 2016!

May your Halloween be long and fun...

Gotham Central: Book One: In the Line of Duty

   Explore the series that inspired the FOX series GOTHAM. Written by Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka, Gotham Central focuses on the men in blue who keep Gotham City safe when Batman is busy.

    I love this series, it's like Law & Order meets Batman. In this volume, the night and day shifts of the GCPD work together to bring down Mister Freeze for killing one of their own before the sun sets and the Dark Knight clocks in for his shift. Then the night shift works overtime to solve a kidnapping ransom gone sour in the midst of a fire bug's reign of fiery terror. This volume wraps up with the day squad and Rene Montoya being outed as a lesbian. But things get even worse for the detective when the creep who is blackmailing her ends up with a bullet in the back and all evidence points to Montoya as the prime suspect. 

    I just recently completed my run on this groundbreaking series. It's been on my radar for quite some time after  I read a couple of issues reprinted in a Batman 100-Page Spectacular a while back. Plus, I am such a huge fan of Brubaker's work on Captain America and his ICON crime series Criminal. I'm not so familiar with Rucka's body of work, but that's actually going to change as I recently bought the Han Solo tale he wrote for the 'Journey to the Force Awakens' series of novels published in time for next month's release of Episode VII.

    One of the neat things about this series is that not only are the stories  separated by night and day shifts at Gotham Central, but each shift is written by just one author. Brubaker writes the night shift tales while Rucka tackles the day shift adventures of Montoya and partner Crispus Allen. The writers did manage to join forces in the opening storyline that joined the two squads together and introduced all of the major players. 

    Though the two squads are as different as night and day, the title's transitions appear seamless thanks to the striking artwork of Michael Lark. His gritty style looks like a series of courtroom sketches were married with the timeless design appeal of Darwyn Cooke's 'New Frontier.' It was both classic and modern at the same time, much like how the sets and costumes on the TV series GOTHAM is designed.

     If you like Gotham for its superhero-less approach, you'll love Gotham Central which has limited amounts of Batman Family sighting. On the flip side, if don't like that elements of classic and new Batman stories got melded together then you'll love this series which has Gordon as an old man instead of a rookie cop under the tutelage of Montoya and Bullock.

   A great series that didn't get much love when it first came out in 2002. Find it now in bargain bins before the popularity of GOTHAM and next year's Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice sends this sleeper into the stratosphere. 

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.
   

Batman, Volume 6: The Graveyard Shift (New 52!)

One problem I have with the New 52 Universe is that the timeline of stories is so skewed. Justice League and Action Comics take place 5-years ago whereas Wonder Woman is set in the present and God knows when and where Earth-2 is really set. The Batman Family stories are just as bad. 

    Think of it like this- in the supposed 6 years of Bruce Wayne's tenure as the Dark Knight, he's gone through not one, not two, but three Robins. No, wait, I forgot Damien- 4 freakin' Boy Wonders as Batman's sidekick. That's an average of 1.5 years per teammate- that's just ridiculous and that insanity is highlighted in this edition.

    This volume is a collection of short stories that take place in the past, present, and future. Essentially, every story is quite good and lots of great background detail is revealed in them. For example in a story set during the Zero Year storyline, we learn a little of the past history of Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and Tim Drake before they each become Robin. 

   But the stories that take place just prior to last year's Batman Eternal event (and occurs at least one year into the future with numerous flashbacks) are jumbled as best. I know that the 52-issue series is supposed to contain a bunch of twists and turns, but some of these shockers seem out of place. For example, Selina Kyle has become the crime lord of Gotham. That's all well and good, but again it jumps the Catwoman comic a full year into the future meaning once again, DC played fast and loose with continuity with very little notice (or concern for the fans.)

   That's one thing that Marvel NOW! doesn't seem to do wrong. They do an amazing job keeping almost every one of their titles set within the same week that the issues drop new in stores. Yes, there is one or two exceptions to that rule but their core timeline is a lot easier to decipher. Unlike the DC timeline in which I once saw a diagram that tried unravel the whole mess. At the end of all the timelines, there was a giant ball of 'wibbly-wobbly, timey wimey... stuff' that just pointed to a giant question mark.

   Where's the Riddler to answer this humongous puzzle when you need him?

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Jada's Leaving Gotham but is Fish Mooney Doomed?

   This week the news broke that Jada Pinkett Smith is leaving the hit TV show Gotham. So, while I feel that we will all be missing out on her tremendous presence on the show, I don't think this is the end of the criminal Fish Mooney.

   My theory contains some spoilers so, if you don't want to know my theory, I suggest you leave now (but please feel free to stick around my blog and check out some of my other articles and reviews.)

Spoilers begin now...

   See, Fish has fled Gotham after her plans to dethrone Boss Falcone backfired. She took a boat out of town. But safety was not to come as Mooney's boat was attacked and she was shanghaied to a mysterious island compound. There, her and other prisoners are to be used for medical experiments and as forced organ donors.

    Recently, Mooney was taken to a medical ward and told that her eyes were to be harvested for a paying customer. Given the option of blindness or death, Mooney chose option 3 and scooped out her own eye with a spoon and squashed it flat. She woke up from her trauma to discover that she was given a new eye but due to a supply shortage on pupils, the emerald-eyed villainess was given a crystal blue eye. So, like a Saluki, she has mismatched colored eyes now.

  On last Monday's episode (that I just watched on my DVR today)  Fish was later given a tour of the facility where she and the head doctor of the facility stumble upon a patient of the clinic. The woman is in a wheelchair with a wrap over her face. The doctor reveals that she was given a new kidney and he threw in a new face for free as the patient's previous one was old and wrinkled.

   When I first heard of Jada Pinkett Smith leaving the show, I was convinced that she's going to die in some tragic way. But after watching the latest episode, I'm convinced that is not the case.

   So, here's my theory-

   On a classic episode of FRIENDS, the character Joey learns that he will be assuming the role of a veteran actress being fired from the soap opera Days of Our Lives. In a weird twist, Joey's Dr. Drake Ramoray will be given a brain transplant- thus Drake will now be the actress' character Jessica!

 So, I think Fish Mooney is going to remain on the show but she'll be played by a new actress! The woman in the wheelchair from last week was an Easter egg! The facility has perfected face transplants and in order for Fish Mooney to ever be able to show her's in Gotham City again, she must assume a new identity.

I'm willing to bet that on the last episode of this season, we'll see Fish 'dying' at the hands of the mad doctor or the raging prisoners being harvested for organ transplant. But in the very last scene, we'll view a woman looking over Gotham Harbor. She'll say something like "It's good to be back," but we will not know who see is. The camera will then pan around and we'll see this new woman's face only it have one green eye and one icy blue. Fish Mooney will have returned.

So, what do you think? Does this theory have merit? Have I hit the nail on the head or am I way off? Let me know what you think...

Gotham Underground #7

  With The Penguin bringing the gang war to Whale's front door, the Dark Knight has seen enough and finally reappears. With him is a slew of members of the Batman Family to assist him. Robin, Nightwing, Jim Gordon, the GCPD, and many more are ready, willing, and able to take out both sides. The fate of Gotham is in their hands. Special guest appearances by some unaffiliated players such as the Vigilante and the Spoiler.

   Issue #7 has lots of action in it. Short on story progression but then again, there's not very much left to more forward here. I enjoyed this chapter, but there was just something missing which is weird because the Batman finally shows up after weeks in deep cover.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.
 

Gotham Underground #

   In the 80s, there was a short-lived comic called Vigilante. A district attorney named Adrian Chase, whose family was killed by mobsters, found that doing things the legal way took far too long and sometimes it didn't do enough with loopholes and corrupt cops letting crooks run free. Donning a fancy biker's suit and an arsenal of elaborate guns and ammo, the Vigilante was essentially a poor man's Punisher.    

   Over time, Chase would give up the mantle but other troubled lawmakers bear the helmet and take aim on the Big Apple's criminal syndicate. At the time of this 2008 miniseries, the latest Vigilante was named Dorian Chase, a long lost brother of Adrian's.

   Dorian also operated out of New York like brother Adrian but upon seeing the lawless situation in Gotham, he's decided to pick up where a seemingly absent Batman left off. Unfortunately, for Nightwing, under the guise of one of the Penguin's goons, he's the latest target. It's a good thing Dick Grayson decided to rely on the Riddler for assistance, right?
 
   I enjoy the twist of the placing the Vigilante within the story. I've only read a couple of stories about him but the ones I did were fantastic. There's one tale in particular by Alan Moore in which the Vigilante protects a woman from an abusive husband. Yeah, this isn't the same anti-hero but he adds a new dynamic to this already thrilling story.

  Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Gotham Undergound #5

   In the gang war building in Gotham City, the edge has been going to Tobias Whale. That all changes when a renegade crime lord from Whale's days in Metropolis and Intergang makes moves in the city. Only this new player by the name of Johnny Stitches doesn't care who wins or who's on his side as long as he gets to kill the Whale.

    From the origin of how Johnny got his new moniker, I can empathize. Well, that is until I saw how bat crap crazy this guy is. The Joker might try to leave you in stitches while he commits his heinous crimes, but there's nothing funny to the surgical procession of Johnny Stitches' bloodbaths.

    After a rough patch in the previous issue, the excitement and thrills return. Though I must admit, I was actually grossed out by a couple of scenes in this issue. But it's some of the best and gritty storytelling I've read in a while. Wow!

   Worth Consuming

  Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Gotham Underground #3

  

   This miniseries has been a who's who of Batman characters. But one heavy hitter has been noticeably absent until now- the clown prince of crime: The Joker! With criminals disappearing left and right by refusing alliance with Tobias Whale, the Joker sees the writing on the wall and has punched his ticket out of Gotham. But before he leaves, he decides to enjoy one last meal at Penguin's Iceberg Lounge.

    While the Joker dines, another ally of Batman's has gone undercover. This time, Nightwing has donned a suit and enlisted as one of Penguin's goons. But the Riddler has seen through this disguise and threatens to unmask him, unless Nightwing teams up with him to solve the mystery of the missing villains.

    Lots is going on in this issue along with Batman in disguise as Matches Malone fighting for his life against Mr. Zsasz in Blackgate Penitentiary. All three issues have been excellent, but this one just has so much action, great dialogue, and villains, villains, and more villains that it's my favorite thus far.
   Worth Consuming.
 
   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Gotham Underground #2

   Tobias Whale seeks out the Penguin in hopes of swaying him to become of one of his lieutenants. But Penguin points out that whales are the mortal enemy of penguins. I thought that was polar bears! Anyway, with that little bit of information exchange it now divides the Gotham underworld into 2 camps with countless petty thugs and costumed villains left to choose sides.

   Meanwhile, the question as to where is the Batman is answered. That mystery didn't take long- only 2 issues!!! Though the rest of the Batman family and the Gotham City Police Department are still left in the dark as to Batman's undercover mission, we the reader learns of the Caped Crusader's whereabouts.

   Another fantastic chapter in the Gotham Underground miniseries.

   Worth Consuming.

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Gotham Underground #1

Oh, there's Batman!
That's the only place you'll find him in this issue though!

   

  With the Batman MIA, some heavy hitters are moving in and within  Gotham in hopes of carving their piece of the action. The Penguin, Scarecrow, and others in the Dark Knight's Rogue's Gallery are fighting amongst themselves to the brink of a gang war, especially with a newcomer from Metropolis named Tobias Whale claiming all of Gotham as his turf. Those who refuse his gracious terms are known to disappear and it's proving that there's no honor amongst thieves in a city without its protector. It will take the combined might of Commissioner Gordon, Robin, and the rest of the Batman Family to keep the peace in the Caped Crusader's absence.

   As they say "when the bats away, the rat will play."

   This premier issue to this 2007 9-part series was fantastic. Lots of great action and with many a classic Batman story, it's got a great mystery. This puzzle just happens to be "Where's Batman?" Fantastic art byJim Califiore along with what should be a really engrossing story by  Frank Tieri. I hoping for 8 more great issues.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of  stars.

Batman: Arkham Unhinged, Volume 4

 The closing chapter to the digital comic series based on the hit game Batman: Arkham City. In this volume, the Mayor of Gotham has rounded up the worst Gotham has to offer but that's still not enough. Thus, he's finding every way possible to incarcerate anyone who doesn't agree with his agenda. The hired police of the Arkham City project are rounding up the city's poor, political protestors, even city councilmen. Thinking they've a right to life, liberty, and freedom of speech, these new 'felons' find that they've now become Arkham City's newest batch of prisoners. Angered by this abuse of power in the corrupt corridors of City Hall, a new villain named the Bookbinder arises, quoting John Bunyan and punishing the morally bankrupt of Gotham. Now Batman must hunt down a serial do-gooder while getting to the hidden truth behind the Arkham project.

    I've really enjoyed this series and the final volume doesn't nothing to dissuade me of any previous praise I've given it. The art was fantastic, but the real star of this book is the fantastic prose of novelist Karen Travvis. She does a masterful job crafting a tale that not only challenges the wisdom of the Bat, but the reader as well, with Bookbinder's riddles. This is even a tale in which the non-superhero aspects are just as good if not better than the scenes starring the Dark Knight and Catwoman.

    I only wish that this series ended with a finalized completion. I guess since this digital comic is based on a video game, it's now up to the reader to become the player and to finish all the loose ends themselves through the virtual avatar of Batman. Regardless of how that plays out, I hope that this isn't the end of the Bookbinder and that he'll show up in the pages of the New 52! He's perhaps the freshest villain to challenge the Caped Crusader in years and DC would be insane if they didn't keep him around to plague Gotham City for years to come.

  

  Lastly, I want to explore the overall theme of the abuse of power. It's really scary how much this book is reflecting the current societal issue of race and class discrimination and the militarization of our police forces. In this story, peaceful protesters are being rounded up for practicing their constitutional right to protest. The police are ordered by the Mayor to ramp up charges to get the protestors off the street because he considers them to be the dregs of society. 

   My wife and I recently watched a documentary about privatized prisons and how they look at prisoners as a commodity. That's how Mayor and the prison guards view the inhabitants of Arkham City. 

  

  It's funny that the average video gamer is playing a game thinking it's just that: something to escape from the troubles of the day. Yet secretly there's a hidden message with a moral in between leveling up! Remember that the next time someone says video games have no moral compass or benefit to society.

   Worth Consuming

  Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Legends of the DC Universe #6

I kinda feel like I’ve read this story before. In this issue we see the first time Robin meet Superman. When the Dark Knight is away on a mission, it’s up to Robin to defend Gotham. When a bunch of Metropolis thugs come looking to make Batman’s city their new turf, Superman teams up with the Boy Wonder to take them down.

Now, Legends is supposed to be a series in which never before told tales of your favorite DC heroes is revealed. But I know I’ve read this story before. In Nightwing: Year One, Dick Grayson reflects on his past history that led to him becoming his own man. He used the name Nightwing after a Kryptonian legend Superman told him about as a child. I’m more than certain that Superman mentions this during their first ever meeting. Now mind you, in that story Batman was present. But still, this is not an ‘untold legend.’

So, the ever intrepid (and aspiring) comic book historian, I did a little research. Despite the fact that I read Nightwing: Year One years before this issue, LOTDCU #6 was published 6 years before the Year One mini-series. Thus, this series inspired the retelling of Nightwing’s origin!

This issue and that mini were fantastic reads. If you love the Man of Steel or are a member of the Batman family, I highly recommend both. The stories are expertly crafted. There are lots of great ‘easter egg’ moments. The art is superb although, I am not a fan of this issue’s cover. Robin looks like he’s wearing a thong. That’s an image I don’t want burned into my brain.

Worth Consuming regardless

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Detective Comics, Volume 4: The Wraith

An interesting take on some major players occur in this volume of Detective Comics. Keep in mind that this is the New 52 universe and thus some characters are going to be re-introduced while some didn’t change at all. One character in particular is Kirk Langstrom (and his wife!) in which Batman must save a neighborhood in Gotham from a virus that is turning the residents into giant bat-like creatures. So, Man-bat gets an all-new origin as Langstrom’s cure for deafness turns into his curse.

Then the Emperor Penguin storyline gets a unique plot twist as the original Penguin looks to regain his Empire while his usurper goes through some changes of his own. As this storyline wraps up, someone is killing off Gotham’s Finest. Thus begins a unique multi-issue arc that explores Batman’s relationship with his city’s thin blue line. But what makes this story so engrossing is the various opinions of the Gotham PD which range from costumed nut to worse than the Joker to one of the good guys.

In my opinion this volume is how Detective Comics should be. These issues harken back to the original days of this series where Batman was the lead feature and then several B-listers finished out the issue with a variety of 1-7 page stories. Only in this Detective Comics, the back-up stories star some of the colorful citizens of Gotham; so you know quite well, some you’ve never seen this way before, and some are just the average Joe trying to survive the concrete jungle of Gotham.

I hope this format continues for quite some time!

Worth Consuming

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars