Summary: Batman and Two Face continue their road trip for truth, but Killer Croc, King Shark, Cheshire and the KGBeast are out to collect the bounty on Batman's head! 

Plot: While I usually find fault with the way Snyder ends his stories I've never minded his beginnings as he usually finds an interesting way in creating a great mood to his work and the ideas are usually fresh and interesting...but unfortunately I can't say the same here. All Star Batman starts with a fairly interesting premise; there is a cure for Harvey but Two-Face wants no part of it so he puts out a hit on Batman in order to stop him from curing him and ending Two-Face forever. It should be a fun, if slightly simple action piece right?  But it's not. In an effort to give it a feeling of greater depth Snyder introduces a plot line in addition to the bounty on Batman, if Batman isn't stopped Two Face will reveal every dirty secret in Gotham showing that everyone is just like him. Okay, so now it's not just Batman's enemies after him but also just everyday people which although it feels contrived(How does Two-Face know everyone's dirty secrets? Does everyone really have a secret worth killing for?) is alright enough but when he drags in Bullock, Gordon and even Alfred as being among those looking to break the bat Snyder stretches it a little too thin. There maybe some reason given down the line why his friends are apparently trying to stop him, maybe it's part of his "plan" in the end and we the readers are the only ones not in on it but in order for that to work the characters have to be written believably, we have to be given reason for why they'd turn on Batman beyond, "But the Two Face will expose my secrets!", there has to be some kind of empathy and there just isn't so what we're left with are action packed fight scenes with a who's who of Batman villains with nothing compelling really tying them together...all at 5 bucks a pop, so color me way underwhelmed.

Art: I'm not the biggest fan of JR Jr's work, but I have to say that his blocky, cartoony look makes the action scenes with Batman's villains at least fun to look at, but all he can do facially appears to either be a grimace or a face at rest so there isn't much emotion to the quieter scenes which doesn't help Snyder sell why all these people are really after Batman. 


Conclusion: What could have been a fun show case of all of Batman's rogues in the vain of the Long Halloween or Hush really falls flat. Other than the villains there just doesn't seem to be a proper or compelling sense of motivation for the others to turn on Batman and without that I'm left feeling very unmotivated to follow the story to its conclusion, especially at 5 bucks an issue, so unless we strike it big time between now and next month and DC starts sending us free copies to review I will not be picking up another issue.


Grade:4/10

Summary: The newly minted Birds of Prey team up with Jim Gordon and the GCPD to protect a mafioso with information on the new criminal known as the Oracle while they track down leads on the person who has stolen Bab's former identity. 

Plot: In the first issue the Benson's introduced an interesting mystery in the search for the criminal who has stolen the Oracle name and provided a compelling reason for why the Huntress should team up with Batgirl and Black Canary. In this issue they build on that introduction by giving us more time with the three leads and the dynamics they create between them are really fun and the culmination of those bonds creates a believable sense of trust by the issues end which is a great bit of character driven writing. We don't really progress much towards finding out who this new Oracle is, but the characters are really starting to breath on their own and the developments are fun to watch. 

Art: I've never heard of either of these artists and honestly, I can't detect where one ends and the other begins and the back grounds are pretty bland but the energy in the fight scenes has a great kinetic feel to it and the facial expressions on the three leads really give them each a definite sense of personality so although nothing spectacular the art is serviceable. 

Conclusion: "Who is Oracle?" is proving to be a great origin story for the Birds of Prey with the second issue, there's plenty of action, the characters are getting time to come into their own and there feels like there is a real reason for them to be a team.

Grade: 7/10

Summary: Olive is once again stuck at the academy for break but finds she's not alone as she's introduced to her new roommate Amy who leads her into trouble in the school museum where new mysteries abound. 

Plot: What I've always loved most about Gotham Academy is it's strong character focus, through out the first series Fletcher created some great characters and developed some beautiful relationships. During the more anthology styled Year Book phase last spring he strayed from that to a more kooky adventures feel akin to Scooby Doo and while they were fun that strong emotional core wasn't as present but it seems like with the start of this new semester he's trying to bring that back by moving Olive back to the spot light. In this issue, Olive is isolated from he rest of the cast because it's the winter break and she has no where to go being an orphan. She's not alone for long though as we're soon introduced to Olive's new roommate Amy who is brash and destructive which inevitably leads to trouble. While this more singular style does lead one to believe the book is swinging back to its original tone, and the reintroduction to Olive through a new character is a good way to be new reader friendly it comes off feeling a little hollow as Amy feels a little one dimensional with her rebellious spirit but with the other characters returning at the end for the start of school it ultimately left you feeling hopeful for the rest of the second semester. 

Art: Along with the strong emotional resonance the art has always been another strong point and  Archer’s art doesn't fail to impress, especially with the heavy inks of Sandra hope and the amazing backgrounds by Msassyk. Together these artists successfully  create a look that easily distinguishes Gotham Academy from the rest of the DC line by giving the world a style all it's own that crosses hauntingly gothic paintings with fresh, bubbly character designs straight out of a Miyazaki film. It's just beautiful.

Conclusion: While the introduction of the new character Amy is a bit of rough start the promise of returning to that fun Batman meets Harry Potter kind of a book coupled with the beautiful art definitely make this book a worth while read. 


Grade: 7/10

Summary: Diana travels with Steve in the invisible jet to reunite him and his fallen comrades with their loved ones back in the world of men.

Plot: While Rucka's new retelling of Wonder Woman's origin story continues to be an exercise in decompressed storytelling there are some great character moments that really let Diana, Steve, Etta and even Minerva really shine. What's great is that Rucka really makes Steve a compelling character, which is something I've seldom seen before; there was one scene in particular where he sings to the child of one of his fallen friends that really makes you get who Steve is and it's beautiful. So yes, while the story is slow and the see-sawing between the Year One story the present day story is slightly frustrating(on both fronts as both stories are compelling) it's ultimately worth it as the time is well spent.

Art: One of Nicola Scott's greatest strengths is her use of facial expressions is fantastic, their are several panels that are so life like that you just feel like you're watching a live action film. My favorite single panel though was the scene where we see Diana's mugshot on the military base, she looks both slightly confused and yet still full of joy like looking at a child's first photo-shoot. Just pure fun. 

Conclusion: Though the pace is plodding the time used is well spent so you don't miss the action at all.

Grade: 7/10