DC Comics Review: Batman Confidential # 30

Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics,

Rating: *** 1/2*

This month’s issue of “Batman Confidential” is a big improvement from last month’s issue. Last month we got part one of a two part story entitled “Bad Cop” by Andrew Kreisberg and Scott McDaniel. This was a sequel to Kreisberg’s story which appeared in “Batman Confidential” earlier in the year. As I said, part one was a disappointment to me, but this issue ups the ante with a tense stand off between Jim Gordon and Bad Cop with Gordon’s daughter Barbara caught in the middle.

Kreisberg is kind of creating his own separate Bat-Universe that I wouldn’t mind seeing continue. In his first story he brilliantly told the story of the first time Batman brought the Joker into Gotham PD for booking. I’d like to see some other “first” stories that he could write. Has there been a Jason Todd Year One yet? I think Kreisberg could do some great stuff with Jason.

In the last issue the former police officer Geoff Shancoe had escaped from Arkham and assumed the identity of the villain Bad Cop. He’s angry about the death of his wife at the hands of the Joker and takes it out on rookie cops at the Gotham Police Academy where Montoya is located. Both Batman and Shancoe’s former partner confront him. Bad Cop wants to die. He’s too distraught to want to live after everything that has happened and figured by committing a viscous crime he could get killed in the process. Neither Batman or Shancoe’s former partner oblige him of his wishes. So Bad Cop goes another route.

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DC Comics Review: Batman Confidential #29

Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics,

Rating: ** 1/2*

A bit of a disappointment this time around for the creative team of Andrew Kreisberg and Scott McDaniel.  I’ve been raving about the writing that Kreisberg had been doing with his previous story arc in “Batman: Confidential” which was entitled “Do You Understand These Rights?”.  This was a great story that presented a retelling of the first time Batman captured the Joker and brought him in for booking at Gotham Police headquarters.  The Joker that Kreisberg portrayed in his story was fantastic; funny and evil at the same time; the way you would like to see the Joker in any comic book story.  The peanut murder was a classic!  I highly recommend picking this story arc as a trade or going to your local comic store to get the back issues.

I was looking forward to the “Bad Cop” storyline because it’s a direct sequel to the “Rights” storyline and Kreisberg and McDaniel have returned to tell the tale.  This wasn’t a bad story, but it also wasn’t a great story.  If you’re a Batman addict, I would recommend it as it maybe one of the few Bruce Wayne/Batman stories we maybe seeing for a while.  If you can do without Bats, then I would pass.

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DC Comics Review: Batman: Confidential #25

Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics,

This is the final chapter of the “Batman: Confidential” storyarc, “Rites”.  I’ve blogged about this story before and how it’s been a breath of fresh air over the past few months in contrast to what Grant Morrison has been doing over in “Batman”.  Overall this was a very good story.  It’s a story so good that I think it would be accepted by fans if this story was incorporated into the current Batman continuity.

The story continues with the rogue police officer looking to get revenge on the Joker for tricking his wife into committing suicide.  The story has no surprise endings really.  The cop doesn’t kill the Joker obviously and Batman of course comes in to save the day.  However, there are some cool moments like the birth of Arkham Asylum where the Joker tortures his fellow inmate the rogue cop with cruel jokes about his dead wife. 

The cover of this issue gives away the ending as the story comes full circle and shows the Batman bringing in a new villain to police headquarters for booking - the Riddler. The writer of this story Andrew Kreisberg is a Hollywood writer and producer. I doubt he would give up his day job to come and work for the comic industry full time. It’s our loss as he has done a fine job here. Scott McDaniel is on the money here as always with the art work.

The next storyarc is the introduction of the 1960s Batman TV show villain King Tut into Batman comics.  Whether this story will be in continuity I have no idea.  The story will be written by Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFilippis who wrote the very underrated “New Mutants” relaunch a few years back and its next incarnation “New X-Men Academy X”.  I’ll be sticking around as there won’t be any Bruce Wayne/Batman stories hitting the stands for a while.  Whose idea was it to kill off Batman as we enter his 70th year of publication?  Nice move!

DC Comics Review: Batman: Confidential #24

Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics,

Right now this is my favorite Batman story being published.  I was underwhelmed by Denny O’Neil’s “Last Days of Gotham” and I’m confused with what Grant Morrison is doing over in “Batman”.  So this story has been a nice cleansing of the palette.

As per my previous blog on this story arc, it’s written by Andrew Kreisberg; mostly known for writing various television shows over the past few years.  The story he’s crafted is fantastic.  It’s tight and each issue has ended with me wanting more.

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DC Comics Review: Batman Confidential #23

Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics,

The “Batman: Confidential” series has not been great. The first story arc of Batman vs Lex Luthor was okay. The new Joker origin storyline by Michael Green started off good, but by the end it became kind of blah for me. I read the advance solicitations of the current storyline “Do You Understand These Rights?” a few months ago and thought it sounded interesting. So far, I’m really enjoying it.

The story began in last month’s issue with Batman bringing in the Joker for booking at the Gotham City Police Department for the first time ever. The first issue ended with the Joker stealing the home phone number of one of the detectives who were booking him. He used his one phone call to call the detective’s wife and pretend to be a doctor with the news that she was dying of a disease and that it would be slow and painful death; he said it would be best if she ended her life. One of the cruelest things the Joker has ever done in comics. This issue is part two and is even better than the previous one. With an ending you won’t believe.  It involves the Joker and a peanut. 

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