Time to take a spin around Dave-El's Good Ol' Spinner Rack. Let's see what's new with Batman by Matt Fraction, Jorge Jiménez and Tomeu Morey.
Issue #5 starts with Bruce Wayne and Dr. Annika Zeller going out on a....
Is it a date?
Let's see if our billionaire philanthropist and our brilliant neuroscientist can figure it out.
OK, there seems to be some debate on whether or not this is a date.
Well, the good doctor and her "not a date" Bruce Wayne have other things to worry about when she is targetted by assassins.
Specifically a horde of ninjas with swords on motorcycles and a woman who can transform in to a flock of birds.
Just another goddam night in Gotham City.
Car chases are not an easy thing to effectively pull off in comics but damned if Jorge Jiménez and Tomeu Morey don't draw up quite a doozy of a car chase.
With split seconds to respond to save Dr. Zeller's life, it's up to Bruce Wayne, not his Dark Knight alter ego, to take action. With super fast stunt driving, running, fighting... careful, Bruce, your cape is showing.
Actually, we go through the whole issue without Batman and it's such a whirlwind of action, mystery and witty banter, I didn't miss 'im.
Hey, are they on a date?
Bruce observes, "Skirt. Heels. You absolutely thought this was a date."
Since every appearance of Dr. Zeller before now had in her baggy pants and crocs, yeah, he may have a point.
Issue #6 gets the Bat back in action as Hugo Strange turns up with his butt ugly Monster Men.
Batman also has to contend with Robin problems.
Damien Wayne is in the shit for calling Bruce Wayne "father" while Damien was dressed as Robin.... right in front of Dr. Zeller.
Later Bruce gives his son a stinging rebuke like something Dr. House would say. “Science has yet to conceive of a device so sophisticated as to calculate the massive sum of things that you... don’t... know.”
I know some commenters online think Bruce was being too hard on Damien but given Damien's penchant for arrogance and overconfidence, I think he had it coming. It's not the sort of thing he would say to Dick, Jason or Tim.
Speaking of Tim...
And Tim Drake announces he's taking a break from being Robin to spend more time with Bernard, his boyfriend.
Issue #6 ends with the revelation of a current guest in Dr. Zeller's lab where she is working to help cure violent psychosis: it's the Joker.
The Joker is so damn unbiquitous in the DC Universe, it's hard to be too surprised by this revelation.
But I've been more than happy with Matt Fraction's take on Batman so far.
I'm more than willing to give him to benefit of the doubt.
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Next week in Dave-El's Spinner Rack, you can just go to hell!
With the Justice League!
What happens when Mr. Terrific leads a team into the very pit of damnation?
We'll find out next week.
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