12.24.2008
Tonight you get your Christmas Gift from Darkseid Revenge. I give to you an in-depth review of Batman #683 which is part of the Last Rites arc and serves as the bridge between the Batman R.I.P. story and Batman’s place in the Final Crisis event. The story is told from Alfred’s perspective and given to the reader as we follow a origin story in Batman #682 to the present condition of Batman in #683. I’m home for the Holiday so I am going to give you the down and dirty on this. Grant Morrison is back at what he does best and that is making Batman more Godly than the Gods wreaking havoc on the world in Final Crisis, before I get to that let me spin this web for you of how we got where we are.
Okay so what did we really get out of R.I.P.? Nothing! Batman went through the ringer at the hands of the Black Glove and came out virtually unscathed. In the minds of Morrison no harm could possibly be done to the caped crusader because given enough time Batman beats anything and everything you can throw at him right, wait for it because that is going to ring so true in mere moments. Last Rites #682 is really nothing more than a crossover and Morrison’s way of putting a stamp on the character as he gives Batman a clear origin story and a very tight alibi for a timeline that gives Batman fans a sense of relief, finally! This story moves right into Final Crisis on the last couple of pages as we get to see Batman encased in some sort of deprivation tank or another. I could have sworn Batman just went through something like this? I am pretty sure this is how he was able to beat the Black Glove, so why not use it again against the gods of Apokolips.
In Batman #683 it is more origin story and perhaps the best couple of pages where Talia and Batman are getting it on and obviously in the throes of procreating Damian. The better part of this issue though is the mix memories as compared to what Morrison laid for a foundation of the character in #682 tearing down that fine timeline we all thanked him for. Under Torture Batman is still invincible Desaad even in his new disguise can’t compete with Batman because Batman is able to make his memories weapons as he puts it. Why would the Apokolips gods led by Darkseid view Batman as the ultimate genetic material to breed an unstoppable army? I’m thinking your best bet would be Superman, who knows maybe even Captain Marvel, but like I said Morrison feels Batman is the strongest one there is. And Batman proves it by beating the Lump (Clayface) in his mind and then managing to get the Lump to help him free himself from his bondage. Batman’s memories are obviously even too stressful for clones to handle, it smells of one of those cliché moments we have seen before with very powerful characters and their powers overloading a person trying to steal them. I love Batman, but word of advice Morrison, if we are tired of seeing Superman perform unimaginable feats only to then lose in battles thanks to a piece of rock, I definitely don’t want to see Batman, a peak human doing the unimaginable.
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Finally for the day we have Justice League of America #27 and I had to do a little research on this one because I do not read very much Milestone Comics. I remember collecting some issues of Hardware when that first came out and I may have issues #1 of some of these characters because my uncle dropped them in my lap, but not that I was excited about reading the series. This is a sighting’s issue so obviously there appearance is a major event in the DCU. Dwayne McDuffie should be well-versed in writing for these characters since he was around when they were first created back in the 90’s. I love the interaction of the characters in this series. The best moment of the issue is Black Canary walking in on the secret meeting room of the Big Three. You know if there was a female in the real world that looked like Black Canary in that uniform I would be a stalker. Seriously, I love Benes’ artwork on the series and while many may not like it, I am all for it. His superhero characterization often fall right into that area where they look superhero for a comic, but they do what I often did not like about Michael Turner’s artwork, god rest his soul, and that is make characters look different and unique from one another. Big question here is what does the Shadow Cabinet want with Dr. Light? Even bigger question is will Versus System get the license’s back for the DCU so we can have these characters printed on cardboard. The DCU has definitely been taking care of business by shuffling and reimaging the DCU, bringing in characters who look like they have potential to move comics and making character’s who were already potential movers more prominent taking away a lot of the focus from the Big Three a.k.a. The Trinity! Enjoy!
On Another note, check out Chaotic Reigns Versus System MWS tourney on TCGplayer hosted by the one and only Mike Lopez.
The age is modern. The event is Random Punks, why cuz its hella fun thats why!
1st Place: 3 packs of MEV
2nd Place: 2 packs of MEV
3rd place: 1 Pack of MEV
Registration Due by the 3rd of January with decks submitted to me for approval. Tourney begins on the 4th of January. Have fun and good luck!
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JSA #21 reeled off out of nowhere because to be honest you feel a little out of the woods with the story after the pass couple of issues that have dragged this story on for so long, so much filler that has focused so little on the main story and instead on character development. Sandman finally wakes up from his sleep and details just what Gog has done, and what evil he brings. He has formed a parasitic bond with the Earth and if he leaves he will destroy the Earth, he seems content to stay so long as everyone kneels and worships Gog, well our heroes are not the kneeling type, especially in the face of false gods. They rally to fight Gog and those from among the ranks who have been following Gog, until Magog is forced to see the truth that is Gog as he takes away all that has been given to the heroes. Starman’s insanity, Atom’s face, and more are returned to them in kind for their disobedience, but the worst is the death of Magog aka Lance. There is more afoot as well in this issue as Jay Garrick is definitely doing more than riding the lightning here, he is literally being transformed into lightning by Gog. I am not sure how this is going to play out with the speed force, but lets find out together is issue #22.
On Another note, check out Chaotic Reigns Versus System MWS tourney on TCGplayer hosted by the one and only Mike Lopez.
The age is modern. The event is Random Punks, why cuz its hella fun thats why!
1st Place: 3 packs of MEV
2nd Place: 2 packs of MEV
3rd place: 1 Pack of MEV
Registration Due by the 3rd of January with decks submitted to me for approval. Tourney begins on the 4th of January. Have fun and good luck!
Vote for Darkseid Revenge and/or
