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"Batman & Robin" offers fresh take on old characters
In the interest of helping comics fans who see so many titles on the shelves but have only so many dollars to spend, I thought I'd make a few recommendations of books that are really, really worth your money and help you save yourselves from the oh-so-familar disappointment that comes from shelling out $4 for a title you're not sure about, only to have your suspicions confirmed later on when you get home and find that it just ain't up to snuff. Below, please find three series I think are standouts (at least over the last several issues)
*DC's Batman & Robin: What if Batman weren't the brooding Hobbesian character we've all come to know and love over the decades and instead took a certain joy in his work? And what if Robin swore off all the "Holy frijoles, Batman!" smartassery and instead was the brooding member of the pair? Writer Grant Morrison gives this reverse dynamic a thorough exploration in "Batman & Robin," and is essentially rebooting the character and his environs with new villains, new vehicles and new gear. How many times, after all, can we swoon upon seeing Batman take on the Joker or the Penguin, characters who have been around for at least 50 years? It's all pretty old and been-there, done-that. Morrison is able to take advantage of the fact that DC has - at least for the moment - killed off the original Batman, Bruce Wayne, instilling the original wisecracking Robin, Dick Grayson, in his place. And with that one move, you've essentially got a new character, paired with a brand-new Robin who is gruff and distrustful (and who does not have a talent for funny jibes). I don't know how long DC will keep Bruce Wayne hidden, but while he's gone, "Batman & Robin" shows that, yes, you can offer fresh takes on stale characters and give readers something new upon which to chew. And the art by Frank Quitely - last seen in the award-winning "All Star Superman" - is really something to behold.
*Marvel's Ultimate Comics Avengers: Marvel's "Ultimates" series has been a favorite for years. It reimagines the famous "Avengers" team if it were created in the here-and-now, not burdened with decades of rules and the fallout of old adventures. The group took a turn for the awful when Marvel allowed Jeph Loeb to take the helm of "Ultimates 3"; why they didn't wait for more work from original "Ultimates" scribe Mark Millar. Loeb crafted a tale that was all shock and no value. Thankfully, Millar is back in great form in this new ongong series, and hopefully can salvage the team after it was put through such damaging paces by Loeb. After just one issue, I'm already fascinated with the possibilities: Captain America and Hawkeye take on a helicopter full of rogue agents, and Cap discovers that his greatest enemy, the Red Skull, is actually his son (cue the soap-opera music!) and then goes underground. Sure, this all reads like some movie script, but Millar has a talent for treating his characters like they are human beings. They aren't noble or infallible and have as many problems as anyone else might While the original "Ultimates" artist, Bryan Hitch, isn't on hand this time around, I found Carlos Pacheco's pencils to be quite excellent, if not as eye-popping as those from Hitch. It's hard to endorse a series after just one issue, but for now Ultimate Comics: Avengers is worth the cash.
"JSA" examines what happens when a super-hero group gets too big to handle
*DC's Justice Society of America: It's no easy task to take over a fan-favorite comic series, but Bill Willingham and Matt Sturges have handled the task with great aplomb on JSA. For those of you not in the know, JSA is one of DC's oldest concepts - the team first formed waaaaay back in 1940; the idea was to feature as many characters as possible within one book (the better to get fans to buy). Since that time, the JSA has faded and reappeared many times. A recent reboot led by DC uber-scribe Geoff Johns has garnered some critical acclaim. But now Johns has departed and Willingham and Sturges have to keep things going with a dauntingly large group of characters. For two issues, they have, smartly letting us see the problems of trying to manage such a big assemblage (just last issue, Mr. Terrific got knifed pretty badly) and some fo the toll it takes on the group's ability to tacke care of business. DC has already said it's goign to split JSA into two groups, but for now, I'm enjoying seeing the roster being put through its paces by outside threats even as it tries to keep a lid on internal ones.
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