Today we continue with my new found love for DC's New 52!
Batman & Robin vol. 1 - In case you haven't been following Batman in a few years, at some point Bruce Wayne had a child with Talia Al Gul (you know, the woman in Dark Knight Rises who literally stabbed him in the back) named Damien. Damien Wayne is now 10 years old and has spent the past 7 or so years being trained to become a master assassin. Now in the custody of Bruce Wayne, he must learn to control himself while taking on the role of the new Robin. There is plenty of action in this story, but it is first and foremost a story about a father and son trying to learn to connect with each other. Damien has never known parental kindness, and Bruce isn't exactly soft and cuddly either. It creates a truly fascinating dynamic because for the first time, Batman can't just be a cold mentor. He has to learn to be a father. It's funny that I picked this book at this time because it happened to coincide with the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode I just watched where Worf has to take custody of his son. The stories have some striking similarities, and it was a nice complimentary experience. Anyway, the first volume ends with Bruce finally trying to open up to his son and we learn that he and Damien are both struggling to control the same instinct to kill. And there's a puppy, so that's always fun. 9/10
Batgirl - Vol 1 & 2: Batman is great for dark psychological brooding, but Barbara Gordon's Batgirl has him beat in the personal trauma department. While Bruce was a helpless child when his parents died, Barbara was already a superhero on the day she answered her door only to be gut-shot through the spine by the Joker. The circumstances of her becoming paralyzed are so disturbing to me that I haven't been able to make myself read The Killing Joke. Somehow, Barbara survives, and even continues to fight crime as a member of the Birds of Prey. As Oracle, she uses her genius intellect and eidetic memory to provide technical and tactical support to her fellow crime fighters. But this is not and Oracle book, it's called Batgirl. We learn early on that Barbara has regained the ability to walk thanks to a new medical procedure, which I'm sure was explained in greater detail somewhere else, but I don't really need to know the details. The point is A) Batgirl is back but B) there's a chance the procedure won't be permanent. Now we have a woman who has survived unspeakable horror and the loss of her legs, regained her power, but still has to deal with the scars.
Her first big test is a man who has decided to kill miraculous survivors. Turns out his whole family was killed and he somehow survived. The survivor's guilt drives him insane and he decides to kill anyone who has beaten the odds when they should have died. Her next foe is a woman who survived a brutal attack ending in 3 shots from a .38. She lost everything, but gained the ability to control minds with the trigger phrase "338". In all of the best Gotham stories, the villains are a reflection of our hero, and I really love what they have done with Batgirl. While not many of us saw our billionaire parents gunned down in front of us, it's much easier to relate to a character in there mid-twenties who is trying to overcome a tragic setback. Be it medical, financial, or criminal, we all know someone or have seen the stories of good people brought low through horrific circumstances beyond their control. So while Batman's struggles seem enormous and mythic, Batgirl's problems are smaller and more personal. She's also a fantastic character. She's smart, funny, confident, but has some serious stuff to work through. Oh, and she doesn't need a man, which is nice. We get an acknowledgement that she harbors a secret crush on Dick Grayson, but it's a fleeting moment. It's a part of who she is, but it's only a part, and right now, she has much bigger issues to face than romance. Things like finding an apartment and a room mate, not getting killed, and dealing with her estranged mother suddenly showing up on her doorstep tend to push romance to the back burner. It's an exquisitely written book and so far my favorite title in the New 52 lineup.
10/10
Small side note: Batwoman makes a brief cameo in this story, and it's one of my favorite cameos I've seen. For the first time, it became very, very clear to me that she's no one to mess with. Batgirl, Nightwing, and the other sidekicks and members of Batman's team all have a certain charm and sense of humor. Batwoman is more along the lines of Bruce Wayne. She also doesn't work with any of them and is a trained soldier, meaning she doesn't necessarily hold to the whole "no killing" rule. She's a wild card in Gotham, and the more I see her show up, the more interesting she becomes. It's a shame the writers for that book have just resigned due to DC's meddling in their story...
No comments:
Post a Comment