READING THE CLASSICS: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #250

 

Published on March 1st, 1984

    The big #250 issue wasn't even double or triple size or anything. And nothing really "big" happened in it. Were anniversary issues not a big deal back then? They do mention the reason in the letters page. They said it was because this Hobgoblin story was big enough for 3 issues and thus wouldn't fit in a double size issue, anyway. Hmmm. I think this is the only #250 of The Amazing Spider-Man, isn't it? I don't even think they ever get near #75 or #100 again before they re-booted it. Currently they're on volume 6. That means they re-booted it five times. It looks like they originally went to #441 in 1998. So they've had five #1's since 1998...that's five new starts in 24 years. I wonder if they're going to keep doing that forever, because lately they go back to #1 every time a new writer comes aboard, which is getting ridiculous. Either way, #250 definitely feels like a golden era of the book, with writer Roger Stern and artist John Romita, Jr. on board. This issue picks up from #249 where The Hobgoblin was blackmailing some people like J. Jonah Jameson and Harry Osbourne. Spider-Man visits each person being blackmailed to try to find out more info on The Hobgoblin. Eventually he just uses the spider tracker that The Kingpin put on The Hobgoblin to track him down. There's a big brawl at The Hobgoblin's base of operations, which ends up catching on fire. Also, J. Jonah Jameson writes an article about how he funded The Scorpion and he gives it to the printer to publish. That's how the issue ends, with pretty much everything up in the air. I'm not entirely sure why they didn't just wrap this story up in this issue, considering it's the big anniversary issue. Great art and cover by JR JR and the writing is top notch. The great thing about this book is that it's a classic serial...meaning you really can't wait for the next issue since all of the storylines have been slowly built up so great. I really should just go and read the whole original run of this book. ***

READING THE CLASSICS: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #249

 

Published on February 1st, 1984

    This was a fantastic issue. The book was so engrossing back then, it's kind of hard to even fathom how awful it is these days. Back then, the book seemed to be more coherent. Now it seems like it constantly changes and thus there's no long term build and very few side characters of note that don't disappear for long stretches. John Romita, Jr. did the "breakdowns" in this issue and Dan Green did the "finishes." I don't know if that means Green just inked it or he basically drew it. It is crazy that John Romita, Jr. is currently drawing The Amazing Spider-Man. This book came out almost 40 years ago. And The Hobgoblin is still around these days...so they've pretty much run out of ideas. In this issue, we find out that Harry Osbourne and J. Jonah Jameson are being blackmailed by someone. It turns out to be The Hobgoblin, who invites everyone at a rich, members only club to a private meeting. The Hobgoblin wants their money to keep their secrets. Harry's being blackmailed because The Hobgoblin knew his dad was The Green Goblin, and if that got out I guess the Oscorp stock would fall apart. J. Jonah Jameson is being blackmailed because he helped create The Scorpion and nobody knows that. There's a brief fight between The Hobgoblin and Spider-Man and Spider-Man gets a tracker on The Hobgoblin thanks to The Kingpin's help. The Kingpin is still a bad guy, but doesn't want The Hobgoblin to meddle in his crime business. We also get a meeting between Mary Jane and Parker at Harry and his wife's bbq. Mary Jane turned down Parker's wedding proposal in #183 but she's still around. Shockingly, Mary Jane is still hovering around Parker's love life in 2020. It's almost as if Marvel can't make a decision about those two. Considering this will-they-or-won't-they end up together storyline has been going on for like 50 years, it's past the point of ludicrousness. That's probably one of the many reasons The Amazing Spider-Man hasn't been a great book in years. The book worked back in the day by being a continuous soap opera but now it's just been glazed and locked down in amber with no hope of growth. It's a shame, because back in '83/'84 the book was glorious. ***1/2

READING THE CLASSICS: PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #85

 

Published on December 1st, 1983

    This was the B Spider-Man book at the time. Surprisingly enough, they really worked hard at making both books pretty much run concurrently. When The Black Cat was injured in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Spider-Man visited her in the hospital in Spider-Man. And this issue picks up The Hobgoblin storyline from Spider-Man. You can tell this is the B book, though, because the writing and art aren't as good. Bill Mantlo wrote the issue with a plot assist by Roger Stern. Al Milgrom penciled it. We get a scene where Harry Osbourne and his wife announce that she's pregnant. We also get a dinner date with The Black Cat and Spider-Man which is hilarious because Parker sits down and eats without taking his costume and mask off. Then we get a battle on a rooftop between The Black Cat, Spider-Man, and The Hobgoblin. Before the big fight, The Hobgoblin jumps into a tank of chemicals to transform himself into a powerful, new version of The Green Goblin. The Hobgoblin loses and flies away after the battle. Parker would've captured him but The Black Cat got in the way. The one good thing about this issue is that there's a lot of meat to it. I've said this before, but it takes awhile to read these old issues because of all the words in them. These days, most books are pretty brief and can be read in a few minutes. At $3.99, most comics now feel like a rip off. Other than that, this isn't a great issue or anything, but definitely has that old school, classic, comic book feel. **1/2

READING THE CLASSICS: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #245

 Published on October 1st, 1983

    All of these issues of 1983's The Amazing Spider-Man have been published on the 1st of the month. Was there not a new comic book day in 1983? That's kind of weird that books would just randomly be published on different days of the week, right? I do remember new comic book day used to be on Friday back in the early 90's when I started buying comics. I'm not sure when they changed it to Wednesdays. Now DC books come out on Tuesday. Anyway, the cover to the issue has Spider-Man unmasking The Hobgoblin. He does...but it's kind of a trick. Lefty Donovan, a local criminal working for The Hobgoblin, is hypnotized by The Hobgoblin and dresses up as him and goes to Times Square to cause havoc. Spider-Man saves the day and unmasks The Hobgoblin but realizes that Lefty isn't the real one. Then The Hobgoblin, working from a remote lab, drives The Hobgoblin's glider into a building, killing Lefty Donovan. This was a great issue. I wonder if Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movie took their Green Goblin Times Square battle from this issue. Although I'm sure there's been plenty of Times Square battles in this book before and after this. Before the big battle, Peter gets set up at a dinner with Mary Jane. Peter, in a thought balloon, mentions Mary Jane had previously turned his marriage proposal down. Really? When did that happen? Sadly, the saga of will Peter and Mary Jane get together is still up in the air these days. They've been together and been apart countless times, so much that's it gotten extremely ridiculous. If Marvel had any balls, they would've been married with kids by now. That would have given the book a ton of potential storylines...but Marvel just wants to keep Peter in the ageless, gray zone of life. One reason this book used to be stellar was that it seemed to actually be a real life, real time soap opera chronicle but now it just seems frozen in time. But alas, we can always go back and revel in the glory days by reading issues like this. ***1/2

READING THE CLASSICS: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #244

 

Published on September 1st, 1983

    I'm not sure if every comic book back in the good old days felt like a soap opera...but this book certainly does. When I say "soap opera" I don't mean love and romance...I mean a slow drip storyline that takes time to develop while introducing a plethora of characters each with their own storyline. These days it seems that the big superhero comics are all fast paced and they never take the time to develop anything long term. That's just evolution, sadly. Everything these days, thanks to the internet and everyone being instantly connected, is short and fast. Kids would rather watch a short Youtube video then sit down and watch a 2 hour movie. Short attention span is the norm, and thus a great book like 1983's The Amazing Spider-Man probably wouldn't fly these days. I'm not saying it wouldn't be as great, I'm just saying that it might not be as popular. Who knows, though? Great comic books are usually great whenever you end up reading them. And while this issue isn't fantastic or anything, it's totally engrossing. You really get wrapped up in the story. Since comic book writers don't last long writing the same book these days, this old-school, world-building, long-form storytelling is pretty rare. Saga from Image is one of the few, current comic books that still subscribes to this. That's one of the most popular and talked about books out there. In this issue, Peter Parker quits grad school. Mary Jane goes on a date with some guy. Spider-Man kisses the Black Cat in the hospital. Hobgoblin hires a criminal to steal Osbourne chemicals for him. And there's a fight at a warehouse between Spider-Man and the criminals trying to steal the chemicals. The art by John Romita, Jr. is great. Roger Stern's writing is pedestrian but it works. Just reading these old books keeps making me realize how fucking God-awful Spider-Man books have been lately. I wonder if that'll ever change. **1/2

READING THE CLASSICS: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #239

 

Published on April 1st, 1983

    This is the second part of the original Hobgoblin story. I'm not sure how many Hobgoblins there have been over the years, but in the current run there are two Hobgoblins. Writer Roger Stern does an incredible job setting up the mystery of who the Hobgoblin is in #238 and #239. I guess we'll see if the big reveal is a disappointment eventually, although since I didn't read the book back in the early 80's, it could be some character I don't even know. The only suspicious character so far is another photographer for The Daily Bugle. His name is Lance Bannon and he's kind of a jerk. There's also a bunch of other stuff going on in this issue besides the Hobgoblin stuff. While the current run of TAS does have some side characters that seem to be setting up future storylines, current comic books don't seem to really do the long-term, world building storytelling you need to do to produce great comic books. The one reason is probably that writers don't stay on the same comic book for very long anymore. Jason Aaron has been writing The Avengers since #1 and they're at #61 now...but that's almost an anomaly. And Aaron isn't exactly a "world builder." But The Amazing Spider-Man #239 is a perfect encapsulation of the world-building strategy. Introducing various characters, various plot points, and using those to anchor the book for future payoffs that reward the reader and mean something. Spider-Man visits the Black Cat in the hospital after she was shot in The Spectacular Spider-Man #76 (which, surprisingly, hasn't been digitalized by Marvel yet...meaning you can't buy that issue online unless you somehow track down a rare hard copy). He also visits Madame Webb who's in the hospital from a Juggernaut battle in a previous issue. Then there's Lance Bannon's female friend that calls Parker for a dinner date. He rejects her ass! Parker then goes to visits two of The Green Goblin's secret hideouts that are, shockingly, still around ten years later (granted, Parker doesn't exactly age much in the book...he's supposedly in grad school in #239...and he's out of school currently but not exactly old). The Hobgoblin just happens to be at the second of The Green Goblin's secret lairs, trying to pilfer some old tech secrets or something. And then we get the first big battle between Spider-Man and The Hobgoblin. What's unique is that The Hobgoblin admits in thought bubbles that he's not up to the task of defeating Spider-Man just yet. He actually is...gasp...a real person with...flaws! I loved this issue. The artwork by John Romita, Sr. is pure, classic, old-school Marvel style. And the way the book is laid out it feels like a great, long-form serial that you get immersed in and by the end you're dying to read the next issue. The next issue has The Vulture...which I actually really want to read even though I kind of started this just to review The Hobgoblin issues. I probably should just give up reading the current issues of The Amazing Spider-Man. It pales in comparison in pretty much every conceivable way. ***

READING THE CLASSICS: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #238

 

Published on March 1st, 1983

    Zeb Wells is writing The Amazing Spider-Man these days, and he just started a new arc featuring The Hobgoblin. John Romita, Jr. is drawing the book, and his dad was penciling the book when The Hobgoblin was first introduced in 1983. Currently, The Amazing Spider-Man is not good at all. It's kind of hard to even remember when it was last any good. Marvel and DC books are really in the doldrums these days, for whatever reason. Neither company is putting out a great, must-read book. You have to read something from Image or Boom for that. It wasn't always like this, though. I'm not sure what the reason is as to why they can't put out a great Spider-Man book. Is it because it's all been done? Maybe, although Marvel isn't doing any favors considering Norman Osbourne is still a main character in the current run even though he was killed off in 1973. Hobgoblin showed up in 1983. Did they actually go ten years without a Goblin nemesis? That's hard to fathom. I thought I'd read the original Hobgoblin story and see if it's actually as good as everyone says. The one thing that's obvious when reading old Marvel comics is that there's a ton of words in the books. They actually take a while to read and you actually feel like you get your money's worth. I can read a current issue of The Amazing Spider-Man in like two minutes. The Hobgoblin makes his debut in The Amazing Spider-Man #238. John Romita, Jr. did the pencils and Roger Stern wrote the script. The title page says that John Romita, Jr. and John Romita, Sr. did the art...so I'm guessing Jr. did the inking? It's crazy that Jr.'s still working at Marvel fifty years later and drawing their flagship book. How old is Jr.? 66. His dad was a better artist, although the artwork back then wasn't as dynamic or flashy as it is now. The art in TAS #238 is pretty by-the-numbers, though it's got that classic, comic book feel. The story isn't all that special, either, but it works. This is why I'm baffled why no one these days seems to be able to write a great Batman or Spider-Man run. It's not fucking rocket science! The great, classic issues, like #238, weren't even anything spectacular. The basic premise is that Spider-Man chases some robbers around NYC. One gets away in the sewers and ends up finding one of The Green Goblin's hideout labs in an underground bunker. The robber ends up selling the lab stuff to a mystery man that turns out to be...The Hobgoblin! The other stuff in the issue is basic Peter Parker stuff. He sells some pictures to The Daily Bugle. Aunt May is working at a homeless shelter or something...then goes to Florida on vacation where she runs into Mary Jane. I know not every back issue of TAS is a classic...but reading these old issues just makes you realize how bad the current issues are. It seems like the artwork has gotten better but the writing has gotten worse. And even that's not even accurate, as I kind of love the old, comic book style that's basic but doesn't feel rushed. Supposedly the mystery behind "who is The Hobgoblin?" was a big thing in this storyline. Since I'm not reading the whole run, I'm not sure if the guy revealed was even a major character or anything. And that last page...when The Hobgoblin is revealed in costume in full...fuck... it makes you realize how great comic books can be. ***1/2

DETECTIVE COMICS #1058

The Tower

Part 12 of 12

    Weird, but I didn't realize that everything pretty much ended in Part 11 last week and this issue is, sadly, just an epilogue of sorts. Everyone got out of Arkham Tower and the Bat people saved the day? I kind of barely remember that. There's not much in this issue. The last page has The Riddler talking on the radio which leads into the next issue. Batman dresses up like Psycho Pirate to trick The Penguin's thugs. The art, by the poor man's Greg Capullo, is actually pretty good in this issue. Granted, it just reminds me painfully how there hasn't been a great Bat book since Capullo was the artist and writer Scott Snyder was fucking killing it. This issue has an ad for the 3rd Batman series that Sean Murphy is writing/drawing. His first one was phenomenal, so there are, I suppose, good Batman books out there sometimes. It's just a bit rare, which is strange, because Batman and his rogues gallery are such compelling villains. There's also an ad for the next big Batman event, a 9 part, Joshua Williamson written mini-series that goes through a bunch of the Bat books. It's called "Shadow War." I really hope it's a lot better than this. I should also mention that in the backup, the kid is shot and killed by The Penguin. What an uplifting ending! And I should also mention that, as usual in this epic serial, the cover is atrocious. *

DETECTIVE COMICS #1057

The Tower

Part 11 of 12

    Sadly, this book never "got better." The first issue was great. Then when the action started the book got worse. The big climax in this issue, the penultimate one, has the mayor's wife putting on Psycho Pirate's mask. Yeah, that's the huge cliffhanger. Jesus Christ. At least Batman is in this issue. He was missing from parts 1 to 9. It makes sense to have Batman in a Batman book...especially since The Batman is in movie theaters right now so his presence should be, well, known. The artist on this issue is Amancay Nuhuelpan, who I've mentioned before being a poor man's Greg Capullo. While I think his art is actually pretty good, there is one panel that is God awful. Batman and his crew finally find Scarecrow to confront him. In the panel, Batman and his crew are standing literally inches away from Scarecrow. Like...fucking punch him or something! I get it...the artist wanted to fit everyone in the panel...but still, it looks ridiculous. The other things that go in this issue: Penguin sends in a bunch of his soldiers to Arkham Tower. Also Lady Clayface saves Harley Quinn. Lady Clayface is yet another character who has apparently been in the "trapped" building all along. Sigh. This book's a complete mess. 1/2*

DETECTIVE COMICS #1056

The Tower

Part 10 of 12

    The whole premise of this story is that the crazy patients of Arkham Tower have taken over and locked the outside world out so that it's mayhem inside. Okay, so why do new people keep showing up inside the tower? In the last issue it was Scarecrow. In this issue it's Harley Quinn. Batman even shows up in this issue, saving Nightwing when Scarecrow throws him out of the tower. Batman, in Batman, had left Gotham to solve a murder that involved Batman, Inc. and Lex Luthor. That's going on in the flagship title. He's not back in Gotham in the flagship title, which makes it weird that he was gone because of the story in Batman but now he's back even though he's not in Batman. There's no logic, idiots. I had earlier mentioned this book should fire its editor. That's not good if I have to mention it again. I just looked at the credits and this book has three editors; an editor, a group editor, and an associate editor. They're all to blame! I had kind of thought once the action heated up in this book it would become great like Die Hard...which is what this storyline is kind of like. But nope! The quality has kind of gotten worse. They still haven't explained how Scarecrow got in or why he's there. And the book opens with the Mayor of Gotham's wife talking to Psycho Pirate and it gives a short backstory of her. Since when was she ever in the tower? This is a weekly book and I've already forgotten what happened last week. I think that tells you something about the quality of this book. *1/2

DETECTIVE COMICS #1055

The Tower

Part 9 of 12

    Finally this book is heating up. Sadly, though, the action involves Mr. Freeze firing his freeze gun at Huntress and Nightwing. Mr. Freeze was a patient and now all of a sudden he's in his costume with his gun. They do explain this. Mr. Freeze says, "Huntress, look what I found. They kept all our equipment." Hmmm. That's not the only ridiculous plot point. The big climactic ending has Scarecrow showing up holding a tied up Nightwing in his grasp. How is Scarecrow in Arkham Tower? I mean...he could've been a patient and they just never mentioned that nugget or he snuck in for unknown reasons. The other big thing is Dr. Wear, who was the head of Arkham Tower, is thrown out a window and dies. This issue starts with him falling. Was he thrown out the window last issue? Funny, because I read the last issue last week and don't recall that. The other new thing in this issue is a new artist on board: Amancay Nahuelpan. Sounds like a Sherpa. Heh. The art is pretty good, though, actually. There are some panels that are fantastic. It kind of looks like a poor man's Greg Capullo. Although, that sounds like it's awful. It's good. In the backup, the "kid" (does he even have a name?) is...eh, who the fuck cares? This "House of Gotham" backup is terrible. It's shocking because the backup writer, Matthew Rosenberg, is also writing the best comic book out there right now, Image's What's the Furthest Place From Here? I don't understand it either. **

DETECTIVE COMICS #1054

The Tower

Part 8 of 12

    What a horrible cover. I actually really liked the last cover, the one with Penguin. This one is Batman's mask. Ugh. Whoever is editing this book needs to be fired. And, honestly, DC books have been pretty awful for awhile. There's so many Batman and Superman books that you'd think at least one of them would be awesome but you would be wrong. At least the storyline is heating up in this issue. Finally Arkham Tower gets locked down and the inmates take over. I had noted that Psycho Pirate was a bad villain because it's impossible for a hero to beat him. Nightwing literally beats up instantly when Psycho Pirate just can't mentally control Nightwing any longer. Literally he can only do it for like two pages. What the fuck? In the backup story, we get a scene with Azrael during the infamous "Knightfall" storyline. Honestly? That storyline might suck if I read it now...but when I was a kid I loved that storyline and remember it being a huge deal. I still have that issue of Batman where Bane breaks Batman's back. I wonder if it's worth anything? Probably not, as comics in the early 90's were the most popular they've ever been in history and thus there's so many copies of all of those books. I think one reason comic books started to become popular was because of Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film. Was that the catalyst? I'm still kind of surprised comic book stores still exist. No one ever talks about comic books. You never hear about comic books. They're like in the shadows. Weird. *

DETECTIVE COMICS #1053

The Tower

Part 7 of 12

    The climax of this issue has Nightwing sneaking into an off limits room at Arkham Tower only to find Psycho Pirate there. So of course Psycho Pirate freezes Nightwing with his words. Here's the thing about these mind-control villains (Marvel has one, The Purple Man); how the fuck are you supposed to beat them? You can't. I forget how Jessica Jones beat The Purple Man. Will power? Psycho Pirate was in Tom King's Batman run and I don't remember how he defeated him. I guess we'll find in next issue how Nightwing defeats him. Or we'll have to wait awhile, as this storyline is moving molasses slow and we still have 5 parts left. In other storyline bits, Dr. Wear gets a loan from The Penguin. And Dr. Wear also owes money to a group of super villains that end up attacking Oracle's Bat person hideout. It's kind of weird that Batman isn't a part of this storyline, right? I read Batman books all the time and have for years but barely know who half of these Bat people are. Who's Huntress? Why is there a Batwoman and a Batgirl? In the backup tale, the boy escapes Arkham thanks to Bane. The backup has just turned into a monotonous villain of the week serial. **

DETECTIVE COMICS #1052

The Tower

Part 6 of 12

    I'm starting to think that 12 parts to tell this story is too long. This issue, as the last couple have been, feels like a morsel of story stretched out. In the last issue, Psycho Pirate, the villain that is using mind control to sedate the patients in Arkham Tower, fainted and the patients all broke free and went wild. Well Psycho Pirate wakes up and hypnotizes the patients again and the higher ups blame a "gas leak" on everything. Yeah, not much story to fill and issue. There is a weird tangent where the Bat gang go and bust up a drug bust that's going on with The Party Crashers. No, I don't know who the Party Crashers are. Here's a line of dialogue that Batwoman says: "One of them is Siphon, Cass. Siphon worked for the Party Crashers. Post-sorcery." What does that even mean? Cass is Cassandra Cain, aka Batgirl. I had to look that up. Why are there so many Bat people? I'm guessing the argument is that Batman is so popular, why not make heroes from his world? I kind of doubt any of the non-Batman books sell very well, though, especially the Batowmen books. As for the backup story: the boy is working for The Penguin but betrays him and gets sent back to Arkham. I'm truly baffled by this backup story and can't even fathom where it's going or what the point of it is. *

DETECTIVE COMICS #1051

The Tower

Part 5 of 12

    I haven't mentioned the covers for this event book yet. They've all been painted covers usually dealing with Arkham's inmates. This issue's cover, by Irvin Rodriguez, is just baffling. Who is it even supposed to be? I'm not sure who the editor for this book is, but these covers are epically disappointing. Besides the weird, obtuse cover artwork, the covers all have "Shadows of the Bat" written on them even though the title of the story is "The Tower." I mentioned that before and still have no idea what that's all about. This issue is by far the worst so far. Excellent artist Ivan Reiss has finally left the book, and now we have Max Raynor on art. His stuff isn't terrible, it just pales in comparison to Reiss. Mariko Tamaki wrote this issue as well as the previous four. Unfortunately, her story is just getting even sillier. We learned last issue that the magical cure at Arkham Tower was actually just Psycho Pirate controlling the crazy patients through mind control to make them happy and docile. We get more of that backstory in this issue and learn that Dr. Wear is basically a conman and drug dealer who just happened to be friends with Psycho Pirate from childhood. I wonder if his name was Psycho Pirate in childhood? Even the backstory, "House of Gotham," is falling apart in this issue. There was an orphan at an orphanage that Scarecrow worked at...and now the kid is adopted by Penguin and has to work as his iceburg casino. I thought that perhaps this backstory was going somewhere but it's obviously not. *

DETECTIVE COMICS #1050

The Tower

Part 4 of 12 

    Damn...1,050 issues. That has to be a record, right? Or is there, perhaps, some manga that's gone longer than that? Detective Comics started in 1939. That's insane to think a book started in 1939 still exists. Batman didn't even show up until #27, now on the cover it says "Batman: Detective Comics." I was reading the Wikipedia page for Detective Comics and it's pretty fascinating. They introduced Batwoman in 1956 because Frederic Wertham, an author and psychiatrist, said that Batman and Robin were homosexuals. But...it's not like Batman or Robin dated Batwoman, did they? Who the fuck knows what was going on back in 1956? Comic book stores didn't exist, I know that. I don't think I ever remember a time when comic books were sold in grocery stories and pharmacies. And I'm 42. Anyway, this landmark #1050 issue isn't really a "special" issue or anything. The only difference is that it has a second backup, which is a preview of Mark Waid's new Batman/Superman book. In "The Tower" part 4, we finally find out the secret behind Arkham Tower magically transforming their crazy patients into docile, controllable, regular folk. Turns out it's Psycho Pirate. The only time I remember him in a comic book is when Tom King used him in his Batman run. Psycho Pirate uses mind control. So that means the new Arkham Tower is using mind control. Okay. Kind of a lame reveal to be honest. Also in the story, Nightwing gets a job as a janitor at Arkham undercover. Batwoman also has a job there. Do they really need two undercover people? Kind of ridiculous. This issue also makes a big deal about Huntress, who was a Bat hero but is crazy and now in Arkham. I don't know Huntress. What books has she been in? I've been reading Batman books for 30 years and have no idea who she is. Writer Marika Tamaki and artist Ivan Reiss did this issue again. That's four straight weeks with the same creative team. Nice! The backup, with Scarecrow and his drug-fueled children attacking Wayne Manor, is good as well. The final backup, the Batman & Superman: World's Finest preview, isn't bad. I was trying to think what Mark Waid's been writing since he left Daredevil and I couldn't figure it out. I know he was writing an Archie re-boot awhile back so I guess that was it? So this was a good landmark issue. Crazy to think kids in the 30's were reading the same book I'm reading now. Worried about Hitler then...now me worried about the pandemic. And reading an engrossing fantasy to escape the world's horrors. Nothing changes, I suppose. **1/2

DETECTIVE COMICS #1049

The Tower

Part 3 of 12

    Writer Mariko Tamaki and artist Ivan Reiss are back to do this issue. That's a surprise. I'm curious how long we'll get those two on this book and if it'll get better or worse when they depart. The one problem with this issue is that this story is a bit too slow of a burn. Really, this issue seems ultimately pointless. Batwoman disguises herself as a psychiatrist and gets a job at Arkham Tower to look into what's going on there. Yeah, so? We kind of already went through that in the last issue when she had a job interview. One of the patients at Arkham Tower is The Huntress. I'm assuming The Huntress is, like Batwoman, a superhero in Gotham City. The problem is I have no idea who she is nor why she's in Arkham. I might know who The Huntress is if I had watched the Birds of Prey movie but after five minutes of watching it I decided that it was unwatchable. And remember how the studio figured the reason the movie didn't make that much money was because of the title so they actually changed it the second week it was out? That was weird. As for the backup this week, we get more of the kid whose parents were killed by The Joker. He's now in an orphanage that just happens to be run by Dr. Crane. The boy wakes up in the middle of the night to find Dr. Crane dressed up as Scarecrow doing fear experiments. That was a pretty creepy page. Kind of sad when the backup is more interesting than the main story. **

DETECTIVE COMICS #1048

The Tower

Part 2 of 12

    This issue, like Part 1, is written by Mariko Tamaki and drawn by Ivan Reiss. I wonder how many issues Reiss is going to draw, because he's obviously not doing all 12 since this is a weekly series. Reiss is one of DC's best artists. I'm not sure I can even think of another good one. In this issue, we do get a brief backstory of Arkham Tower's boss, Dr. Wear, but for the most part the book is set in the present. The big mystery behind Arkham Tower is what's the secret behind Dr. Wear's new patient remedy? The Dr. has all the crazies, like Dr. Freeze, walking around Arkham free as birds with unlocked cells. We do get a hint at the end of this issue that Dr. Wear is villanious. As a kid, Dr. Wear's mother was crazy and got sent to a psychiatric ward. The end of this issue has Dr. Wear as a boy saying, "Fuck her. Fuck them all." Meaning...fuck crazy people. Also in this issue, Batwoman goes incognito to get a job at Arkham Tower and Dr. Wear shows her around. So this issue has zero action in it, if that's your thing. In the backup, we get Bruce Wayne taking the boy, whose parents were murdered by The Joker, to Gotham Academy. Remember that short lived Gotham Academy book? I actually really enjoyed that. I also am really enjoying this book. The last time they tried doing a weekly Batman book it was kind of forgettable. It was called Batman: Eternal. It was so great I forget what happened and who the villain was and who wrote and drew any of it. Will I remember The Tower in the future? Even though this particular issue isn't fantastic or anything, the book is great so far so I'm going to say yes. **1/2

    

DETECTIVE COMICS #1047

The Tower

Part 1 of 12

    This is the first part of a weekly 12 part story called "The Tower." It's weird that it's called that, though, since it never says "The Tower" on the cover, it says "Shadows of the Bat." Either way, DC's idea to do a weekly event in Detective Comics got me to read this book, so perhaps it worked in getting more sales on this book. I have read Detective Comics off and on for the last few years and it's never been any good. The last time this B book was any good was when Scott Snyder and Jock were on it, and that was at least a decade ago. And while it's still early and this book could become a massive trainwreck super fast, so far this story is excellent. The basic premise is that Arkham Asylum is now a skyscraper tower led by a fashionable doctor with questionable beliefs and history that's trying a new way to reform the insane inmates. Quickly the book jumps into the future where Arkham Tower is in chaos and taken over by the inmates and the doctor is dead and Nightwing, among others, is trapped inside. I'm not sure if this first issue is just a glimpse into the future for one issue only or if perhaps they're going to split the book into an amalgam of past/future sequences. While it might have worked better to build up to the destruction and failure of Arkham Tower, immediately showcasing that did make this issue highly entertaining. The writer for this part is Mariko Tamaki and the artist is Ivan Reiss. Considering this is a weekly book for the 12 parts, I doubt we'll get the same writer/artist throughout. That's a shame, as Ivan Reiss really knocked it out of the park here (I still fondly recall how awesome his Geoff Johns written Aquaman was when the New 52 debuted). There's a backup in this book that's also going to continue for 12 parts. It deals with a child whose parents are murdered by The Joker and the kid is sent to Arkham Asylum for some reason. Matthew Rosenberg, who's writing one of the best comic books out there at the moment with What's the Furthest Place From Here?, writes the backup and it's at least readable and interesting. I haven't really enjoyed much of anything from the big two lately, so reading this book was a surprise because of how good it is. *** 

The Best Comic Book of 2021: THE NICE HOUSE ON THE LAKE

     

Kind of surprising that writer James Tynion IV wins the Best Book of the Year in back to back years (his book Something is Killing the Children won in 2020), considering most of what he writes I'm not a big fan of. His Batman and Joker books in 2021 were very mediocre, yet this book, The Nice House on the Lake, felt like one of the best Twilight Zone episodes ever written. The premise is fantastic; it's the apocalypse, end of the world, and a group of friends up alive, somehow, and safe, somehow, in a nice house on a lake. It turns out that one of their friends has been an alien all along that took part in the Earth's apocalypse. So...why did he save them? Why was he pretending to be their friend all these years? What's going to happen next? The first issue was one of the best first issues of any series I've read in a very long time. Yes, the book is super dark and bleak, but Tynion has a knack for writing catchy, fun, amusing dialogue for everyone. This makes the book feel like a Richard Linklater film...in a Twilight Zone episode. The art by Alvaro Martinez helped set the mysterious mood, and the covers, especially for the first issue, truly knocked it out of the park. Just a huge triumph all around.

The Best Writer of 2021: ED BRUBAKER

 

    Nothing changes, apparently. Ed Brubaker won Best Writer of 2020 by writing two issues of Friday, his college girl noir detective series, and writing two graphic novels. This year he also wrote two issues of Friday and two graphic novels. Maybe the one reason he's the best comic book writer working today is simply because he doesn't fuck around with the mainstream superhero books anymore and he doesn't stretch himself too thin by writing too much. In Friday we got the death of the main character's partner and the fallout from that. Friday isn't bonkers, but it's in a weird plane of existence where fantasy and reality merge. Brubaker's two graphic novels this year both featured his Ethan Reckless character, a sort of gun-for-hire/detective dude back in the 70's and 80's L.A. scene. Everything Brubaker writes is not only interesting and creative, it's super readable. You really can't put down his stuff or wait for the next issue/installment. Dude's a legend.

The Best Artists of 2021: DAVID FINCH & DAVE McCAIG

  

   I remember when David Finch jumped from Marvel to DC and it was this huge deal. Now, Finch doesn't even draw a monthly book anymore. This past year he only did covers for the colored version of The Walking Dead. Now, granted, we all know that publishing The Walking Dead in color is simply a money grab and utterly pointless, but at least we got Finch (and Dave McCaig, who colored them) to do some badass covers all year long. 

The Best Cover of 2021: POST AMERICANA #3