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| via Comic Book DB |
artist: Patrick Gleason
For the last year Batman and Robin has been dealing with the fact that Robin has, in fact, been dead. The title has revolved on the latest guest-star, at least as the cover is concerned. This issue, as you can tell from the tiny image above, features Wonder Woman.
This is the rare issue of the series I didn't entirely enjoy, and I think I've figured out why. Do I pin it on genius collaborators Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason? Heck no! I think it has to do with the very thing that has plagued the issue's guest-star all along, in that depicting the tribe of Amazons has always been difficult. Along with probably everyone else who regularly reads comics but hasn't particularly regularly read Wonder Woman, I've only sporadically read that series (in any incarnation). I'm one of the few who enjoyed Will Pfeifer's Amazons Attack!, and creators like Greg Rucka and Brian Azzarello have greatly impressed with with their depictions of Wonder Woman's mythology. I was an early (and perhaps remain the only) advocate of Geoff Johns's Justice League as a hidden second Wonder Woman vehicle, which gave birth to an actual second vehicle, Superman/Wonder Woman (a digital-first series is soon joining this line-up, Sensation Comics).
And yet, it's still a difficult proposition to make that this is an icon that has truly found her sweet spot.
As Batman tries to thwart Ra's al Ghul's twisted quest to resurrect Damian (the aforementioned dead Robin) and his mom Talia (this is the third installment of the arc; I've read and will review two others, including the ones before and after), he tries to cut his nemesis off at the pass in every possible location he makes an attempt. This includes Paradise Island, the land where Greek myth still lives.
This means a lot of women who tend to act...kind of manly? In a world devoid of men, the Amazons are all a bunch of warriors (in the original Greek myths, they're far less feminine than they are usually depicted in the comics, and I'll leave it at that). This is not to say that women can't be warriors. But the comic book depiction of them as warriors usually leaves very little of the woman in them, usually only reserved for Wonder Woman herself and her mom, Hippolyta. (The one good Gail Simone story involved a whole plot by other Amazons to take revenge on them.)
This is all relevant because that's what's so wrong about this issue. Batman shows up, Wonder Woman tries to protect him from the other Amazons, Tomasi has to explain why this whole situation is the way it is. And it just doesn't jibe. Even Gleason's work doesn't work very well. I have fond memories of his Soranik Natu from Green Lantern Corps. I know he can draw women pretty good. This is not on display here. Again, because of what Amazons generally bring, or don't bring, to the table. I suspect, and I don't by any means imply that Tomasi and Gleason are the ones who can do it, that to truly redeem them someone will have to spend a concentrated amount of times depicting the Amazons without Wonder Woman or Hippolyta overly involved. We need more distinct Amazons. There was Artemis (the replacement Wonder Woman). There needs to be more. To truly sympathize with Wonder Woman, we need to see her as something other than a champion or exile. She's unique among DC's Big Three. She has someplace she can go back to, an origin that didn't go away.
Anyway, now that I've turned this whole review into my thoughts on matters that don't entirely have to do with the actual issue at hand (other than to explain what went wrong), I will note that once Batman and Wonder Woman are alone, things even out considerably. We get back to Tomasi/Gleason goodness. There's even some good stuff related to Ra's himself when he explains how he found Paradise Island to begin with.
Then a monster has an allegorical epiphany, and Batman declares in the final panel, "...so I can chase down that bastard, Ra's," which evokes Admiral Marcus in Star Trek Into Darkness. I love when that happens.
Bottom line is, survive the first few pages of the issue, and the rest goes down easy.
For the last year Batman and Robin has been dealing with the fact that Robin has, in fact, been dead. The title has revolved on the latest guest-star, at least as the cover is concerned. This issue, as you can tell from the tiny image above, features Wonder Woman.
This is the rare issue of the series I didn't entirely enjoy, and I think I've figured out why. Do I pin it on genius collaborators Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason? Heck no! I think it has to do with the very thing that has plagued the issue's guest-star all along, in that depicting the tribe of Amazons has always been difficult. Along with probably everyone else who regularly reads comics but hasn't particularly regularly read Wonder Woman, I've only sporadically read that series (in any incarnation). I'm one of the few who enjoyed Will Pfeifer's Amazons Attack!, and creators like Greg Rucka and Brian Azzarello have greatly impressed with with their depictions of Wonder Woman's mythology. I was an early (and perhaps remain the only) advocate of Geoff Johns's Justice League as a hidden second Wonder Woman vehicle, which gave birth to an actual second vehicle, Superman/Wonder Woman (a digital-first series is soon joining this line-up, Sensation Comics).
And yet, it's still a difficult proposition to make that this is an icon that has truly found her sweet spot.
As Batman tries to thwart Ra's al Ghul's twisted quest to resurrect Damian (the aforementioned dead Robin) and his mom Talia (this is the third installment of the arc; I've read and will review two others, including the ones before and after), he tries to cut his nemesis off at the pass in every possible location he makes an attempt. This includes Paradise Island, the land where Greek myth still lives.
This means a lot of women who tend to act...kind of manly? In a world devoid of men, the Amazons are all a bunch of warriors (in the original Greek myths, they're far less feminine than they are usually depicted in the comics, and I'll leave it at that). This is not to say that women can't be warriors. But the comic book depiction of them as warriors usually leaves very little of the woman in them, usually only reserved for Wonder Woman herself and her mom, Hippolyta. (The one good Gail Simone story involved a whole plot by other Amazons to take revenge on them.)
This is all relevant because that's what's so wrong about this issue. Batman shows up, Wonder Woman tries to protect him from the other Amazons, Tomasi has to explain why this whole situation is the way it is. And it just doesn't jibe. Even Gleason's work doesn't work very well. I have fond memories of his Soranik Natu from Green Lantern Corps. I know he can draw women pretty good. This is not on display here. Again, because of what Amazons generally bring, or don't bring, to the table. I suspect, and I don't by any means imply that Tomasi and Gleason are the ones who can do it, that to truly redeem them someone will have to spend a concentrated amount of times depicting the Amazons without Wonder Woman or Hippolyta overly involved. We need more distinct Amazons. There was Artemis (the replacement Wonder Woman). There needs to be more. To truly sympathize with Wonder Woman, we need to see her as something other than a champion or exile. She's unique among DC's Big Three. She has someplace she can go back to, an origin that didn't go away.
Anyway, now that I've turned this whole review into my thoughts on matters that don't entirely have to do with the actual issue at hand (other than to explain what went wrong), I will note that once Batman and Wonder Woman are alone, things even out considerably. We get back to Tomasi/Gleason goodness. There's even some good stuff related to Ra's himself when he explains how he found Paradise Island to begin with.
Then a monster has an allegorical epiphany, and Batman declares in the final panel, "...so I can chase down that bastard, Ra's," which evokes Admiral Marcus in Star Trek Into Darkness. I love when that happens.
Bottom line is, survive the first few pages of the issue, and the rest goes down easy.
Weird, I hit publish and my comment disappeared.
ReplyDeleteWhy does Batman not want his son resurrected? That sounds pretty cool to me.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have a problem with strong women. I'm sure a therapist could help you with that.
I don't have a problem with strong women. I have a problem with bad characterization.
DeleteBatman doesn't want Damian resurrected because he's finally come to peace with his death, and doesn't want his life perverted, the way Ra's has with his multiple resurrections.