More and more fans are leaning towards the idea that the new blue themed vigilante working closely with Batman as a potential Robin (Damian Wayne) replacement is really Harper Row.
Here's a sneak peek at the upcoming Batman # 28 with art by Dustin Nguyen who I've really missed in mainstream stuff. The book, as usual, will be written by Scott Snyder.
Also thank god for a break from Zero Year, seriously that things becoming too much of a drag now. Too many variables, too many crossovers and too many villains.
Coming out soon for Blu-Ray and DVD is DC and WB's Son of Batman which is a retelling of Grant Morrison and Adam Kubert's Batman and Son story arc. They previewed the trailer first and now here's the actual cover.
"Son Of Batman" hits Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital Home Media on May 6, 2014, and on the year of Batman's 75th Anniversay.
At least we also get to see Man-Bat ninjas in this cover. Hopefully there's truth in advertising here.
Admit it, you miss Damian Wayne as much as I do and while there's a miniseries running featuring an older Damian from DC Comics, it's still not the Damian we all love. Enter Warner and DC's next animated movie, Son of Batman which retells the now classic "Batman and Son" storyarc by Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert.
The story was launched in 2006, Batman #655-658 and #663-666 where Batman has to handle his killing machine of a son while cracking a case involving former paramour Talia Al Ghul and her army of ninja Man-Bats (I shit you not).
Here's the trailer:
OK so why is Kirk Langstrom's involvement downplayed? Why did they add in Deathstroke the Terminator here? What happened to Damian Wayne being a cold killer and his voice is terrible... he sounds... weak?
Listing down the top 5 best moments from Grant Morrison's run on BATMAN in spirit of the release of last week's BATMAN INC # 13. Of course this wouldn't be original since IGN also did their take.
13. Ninja Batmen
Ain't nothing like ninjas getting a dose of the Man-Bat formula to become Ninja Batmen. Totally made my list just for being that. Repeat after me - NINJA BATMEN. 12. The Resurrection of Ras Al Ghul
Ras Al Ghul is a key figure throughout Grant Morrison's run on the Bat-books. And it's not just him but it's actually everybody in his bloodline including daughter Talia and grandson Damian (who also became the new Robin). Resurrection was one of those weird stories which was still fun to read IMHO. Plus we do get to see Batman wearing chainmail and brandishing a sword for a little while. 11. Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?
Another solid story created by the death of Batman in Batman R.I.P. This one brings in Neil Gaiman to the fold as we're offered a variety of character POVs regarding the life and times of then very dead Batman. 10. Dick Grayson Becomes Batman
Batman and Robin # 1 picks up with a new Batman (Dick Grayson) together with a now solid Damian as Robin; Tim Drake goes solo as Red Robin around this time. What's better is that the new dynamic duo is anything BUT dynamic. Morrison in some weird way gave us a bookend to Dick's career as Nightwing for a little while and also proves to be a unique Batman. Really good read. 9. Batman and the Bat Rocket
Sticking to his Golden Age and Silver Age quirks, Batman has a Bat-rocket hanging around the Batcave. It's the same rocket that him and Robin use when they try to stop Talia from taking over the Straight of Gibraltar. Makes you kinda wish you were a billionaire playboy as well. 8. Damian Becomes Robin for the First Time
It was such a great moment for Grant Morrison the moment his Damian Wayne toyed with Tim Drake and called himself the 'true' Robin. Yeah, Morrison was probably smiling when he saw that panel where Damian wore Jason Todd's uniform. 7. The Death of Damian Wayne
Ugh. Can we not talk about the death of Damian Wayne please? Let's just park this entry. If you want to know how the little dude died, here's the SPOILER 6. Talia Al Ghul is Nefarious
Not only is Talia smexy and cunning, she's also the real brains behind "Leviathan", a criminal organization bent on destroying Gotham City once and for all. The reveal was also interesting as it changes the whole dynamics between Bats and Talia. More importantly, it left their son in a very confused state of mind. 5. Bruce Wayne Unveils Batman Inc.
Shortly after his return to the land of the living, Wayne assumed control of Wayne Industries and in a stroke of genius made the startling revelation that he has been funding Batman's operation and that he is also creating Batman Incorporated. This of course leads to a new book with Morrison and various artists. It also expands the Batmen of ... concept by introducing new or revised characters. 4. Batman Dies at the Hands of Darkseid/ Batman R.I.P.
Batman is revealed to be held captive by Darkseid's henchmen after the near fatal crash of Doctor Hurt's helicopter at the end of Batman RIP. The events of Final Crisis transpire and when all hope is lost, Batman re-emerges once more with a gun that can be used to destroy gods. Darkseid's last act before dying is to shoot down Batman with his Omega Effect instantly killing the Dark Knight... 3. Damian Wayne is Batman in Batman # 666
Another awesome moment during Morrison's run was the solo story in Batman # 666 where we find Damian Wayne as the Batman in a very twisted Gotham City. Mayhem and lots of blood letting ensue. 2. The First Appearance of Damian Wayne
So many Damian references in this list. The little scrapper did grow on me. It was a glorious cliffhanger, that issue. Damian getting introduced to his beaten father all the while holding his dad at the pointy edge of a sword. Looking back it was a shared journey between Damian and Bruce during Morrison's run. No wonder we all liked Damian by the time he died. 1. Batman Escapes Death
The old Pinoy adage 'Bahala na si Batman' (translation: It's up to Batman now) is reinforced once again as Bruce Wayne travels forward in time while literally avoiding to getting bitten in the ass by his past (which was Darkseid's parting gift to the Dark Knight). There you have it. Thank you Grant Morrison for the great stories. BATMAN AND ROBIN WILL NEVER DIE!
Grant Morrison bids farewell to the Dark Knight with this week's issue of Batman Inc. # 13 which also ties up loose ends between Wayne and Damien's mother Talia Al Ghul.
Let me start off by saying that the art is just lame for me. Probably really not just my cup of tea, much like how Frazer Irving's work on Uncanny X-Men came off as lazy, this one is just too lame. Just imagine how Batman Inc. started with Yanick P. and it was just off the wall in terms of concept, execution and style. If DC had picked up a different artist to do the interiors I really would've given good remarks for the book. But sadly, we don't live in a world where everything we want comes our way.
Now on to the story and the plot. There's a dead giveaway that it's not over between the Waynes and the Al Ghuls. Batman did a solid in this issue and he's still pissed off at what happened to Damian but honestly its really getting old at this point in time. My personal take is that DC has been spending too much time on the death of Damian they they forgot to move on, either that or I've just moved on faster. Hell at least Peter Tomasi's Batman book has started moving forward in some weird way. Going back, it still feels like Batman Incorporated # 13 simply closes the chapter of Grant Morrison's Batman and Robin but did not go and say farewell properly. As a fan, I'm not insulted. I'm just sad that it ended with so little fanfare and with no proper sendoff. It's like ending a relationship with a long time girlfriend over the phone with barely enough closure and no happy ending. Regardless I will still look at Morrison's run on the Batman books as a fun and engaging ride. It really should be up there with all the greats. Again I cannot stress or reiterate how Morrison's narrative was awesome here. Overall. Plot and and dialogue is good. Damned art sucks. Very little fanfare might hurt fans. Verdict: 8/10 Still available at Castle Geek and Comicx Hub.
Nightwing aka Dick Grayson may have dodged a major bullet back in "Infinite Crisis" thanks to fan support after news broke that Dan Didio wants to off the original Robin; but it looks like the character is in once again for September's Forever Evil event.
\ Bleedingcool ran an article regarding how Nightwing will figure into the whole 'Villain Month' and how Dick would be one of the first few heroes that going to suffer badly from this new rising threat. If this is true then I will seriously hate Didio for his unchecked hatred for Dick. Leave the guy alone Dan. Also this makes me wonder if the guy is either a Jason Todd fan or a Tim Drake one? So far, those two have been left untouched with no threat to their fictional life whatsoever.
Was checking the scans today for Batman # 16 (Sorry the shipments were delayed and I wanted my comics fix already) and it seems like Batman just wore the Batman Beyond suit to save his and Lucius Fox's hide.
Find out about Batman Beyond reference/cameo/ appearance after the cut. Oh and
Spoilers for this week's Batman # 19 from DC Comics; written by Scott Snyder with art by Greg Capullo. It's a new arc and a new villain to boot for Batman who's still brooding about the fallout from Death of the Family plus the untimely death of his son Damian Wayne.
Spoilers up for this month's issue of Batman (Batman # 18) from DC Comics. The book is written by Scott Snyder with art by Andy Kubert and Alex Maleev.
I'm always mystified with the subject of Batman character Harper Row and now that Damian Wayne is Robin, there's a strong rumor going around the comics world that this might be the chance for Row to take center stage as a new replacement for Robin.
She first got a major push from DC Comics back in Batman # 12 which is a stand alone story, a filler issue if you will, between major arcs "Night of the Owls" and "Death of the Family". In this story, she shows that she's a very independent and capable woman living with her brother. She's later seen helping out Batman in the sewers as he tries to do what he does best, kicking badguy butt. Later we also find out that Harper's been invited to a party in Bruce Wayne's house.
Spoilers for Batman Inc. # 8 by Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham and yes you read it right, the rumors and advance spoilers are true, Bruce Wayne's son Damian Wayne who also happens to be the new Robin died.
More details after the cut.
In this issue Damian just goes all out trying to save everybody and anybody he can. He even managed to team up with Dick Grayson and confirm that they were the best Batman and Robin team back when Dick was parading around Gotham as the new Batman.
Following the heavily spoiled death of Damian Wayne in Batman Incorporated # 8 (Don't worry, he'll be back) DC Comics has released the Robin-centric covers for next month's Batman book covers.
It's rare that we get to read some straight out awesome dream sequences in comics these days especially coming from the Big Two. DC's Batman and Robin # 17 however returns to those old segments via Alfred Pennyworth's dream.
In this issue which is sort of a breather in between the story arcs and tie-ins to "Death of the Family", we basically take a look at what each member of the Wayne household dreams up while sleeping.While the dreams of Bruce Wayne and his son Damian might be interesting, the real scene-stealer in this issue would have to be Alfred's dream. Also spoiler alert if you haven't read the issue.
CBR reports that the 'secret' cover for Batman Incorporated # 8 has been leaked weeks before it's scheduled release. The cover is a homage to the Alex Ross drawn "Batman R.I.P." with Robin's "R" logo placed in RIP.
This of course ends speculations that Batman Inc might feature the 'death' of Bruce Wayne's son Damian Wayne. It's also interesting to note that Damian was written in to the Bat-mythos by Grant Morrison himself as a surprise twist for the Dark Knight back when he started with the Batman books a few years ago. There are rampant rumors as well that Batman Inc will feature another death aside from the under-the-radar death of the Batman of England, The Knight a few issues ago (or was that last issue, I forgot). Hopefully this isn't the end for Damien Wayne as fandom has already grown fond of this 'lil scrapper'.
Batman and Robin # 0 made me realize that it's already been six years since the first story arc/ appearance of Damien Wayne.
I'm going to come clean. At first I never did like the guy. That was because at that time, Tim Drake was pretty amazing as Robin. He is after all the defacto leader of the Teen Titans around that time and he was pretty smart to boot.
Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo has been working their buts off with the current volume of Batman and does so by starting "Night of Owls".
Rather than starting the crossover with just talking heads, Snyder and company provides an action-packed issue featuring the Court of Owls and an army of Talons invading Wayne Manor.
At the issue's beginning the owls do not know that Batman and Bruce Wayne are one and the same but later on, one of them finds out.
