Batman/Dylan Dog #1

• Comic Series: Batman/Dylan Dog


• Issue Number: 01


• Title: The Shadow of the Bat


• Writer(s): Roberto Recchioni


• Artist(s): Gigi Cavenago & Werther Dell’edera


• Colorist(s): Gigi Cavenago (Prologue); Giovanna Niro


• Letterer(s): Pat Brosseau

This was genuinely one of the most enjoyable comics I’ve read in a while. The dialogue was funny, the art was great, the characters felt alive. And you got 88 pages for $4.99! For comparison, Action Comics #1063, which released the same week, was also $4.99 and only had 36 pages. That’s 5.7 cents per page vs. 13.9 cents per page. I love a great deal almost as much as I love a great comic!

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This was my introduction to Dylan Dog and I’ve gotta say, he’s fantastic. The interactions between Dylan and Bruce immediately showed off the differences in their characters and personalities, giving me a pretty good sense of who Dylan Dog is. Also, Groucho is such a fun character, he plays off of Dylan so well!

And the art! The use of color and shadow was so fun, and every panel was doing something. Also, I didn’t have to deal with the distraction of characters leaping out of the panel bounds every single page like I do for some comics (Looking at you, Batman and Robin).

Now, it was pointed out in some other reviews and commentary that the female characters weren’t treated very well, that they were there to be sexy side dressings, and while I do agree with that, it’s definitely not the worst example I’ve ever seen. Dylan is a little sleazy! He has that film noir-esque vibe to him, but that’s not exactly a negative thing, and while I wouldn’t call the women in the comic to be progressive examples of feminism, I was mostly neutral on the critique. I also thought the plot was a little slim, but I could see all the ways the comic was leading into the next issue, which is great. That’s what a first issue should do!

Why You Should Read This:

(Oh lord, where to start?) It’s funny, and pithy. The comic pokes fun at Batman’s whole brooding loner shtick, but not in a mean way. It has a ridiculous number of pages, but there’s no useless fluff to it. Check it out if you want to laugh and be entertained!

• Comic Series: Nightwing (2016)


• Issue Number: 111


• Title: Nightwing / The Son of Gray, Part 1 of 2


• Writer(s): Tom Taylor


• Artist(s): Sami Basri


• Inker(s): Vicente Cifuentes


• Colorist(s): Adriano Lucas


• Letterer(s): Wes Abbott

Taylor’s Batman is a nice guy who doesn’t have control issues and lets Dick take the lead. This Batman isn’t the Batman who lost his mind and went on half a rampage against Catwoman in the Gotham War arc. If you read at least two DC comics with Bruce in it it’s like a whole new character every time. I am on my hands a knees begging for DC to hire more editors so we can at least get a Batman who is at least a little bit consistent.

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But I digress! This is supposed to be a comic review, not a complaint of DC overall. Here’s what I thought of this issue: Meh. Like I said, I didn’t care for Bruce’s characterization. The dialogue between Bruce and Dick felt really stilted, and the flashback panels felt like filler. I wasn’t a fan of the pacing and layout either, it just didn’t flow well.

So I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that once again, Dick’s tragic backstory was the catalyst for someone else’s backstory. This kid is a Chekhov’s gun, right? I’d bet he’s supposed to be the big bad, Heartless, or something, or maybe it’s Gerald who will turn out to be Heartless.

My complaints aside, I do like the copycat murderer story. Those are always fun in procedural dramas! The backup story for this issue was okay. The story had potential, and I liked the art style enough to want to see a conclusion.

Why You Should Read This:

If you’re a fan of supportive Bruce, check it out!

Batman and Robin #7

• Comic Series: Batman and Robin


• Issue Number: 07


• Title: Cult of Man-Bat: Part One


• Writer(s): Joshua Williamson


• Artist(s): Simone Di Meo


• Colorist(s): Giovanna Niro


• Letterer(s): Steve Wands

I’m an endless optimist which is why I’m still reading this series even though nothing ever happens. What exactly is Shush supposed to be doing again? There’s some kind of evil plot, I think? Can’t remember, don’t care.

I’m happy to see Flatline back! I think she’s fun, and a little teen romance is adorable, plus I’m hoping it will inject some much-needed energy into this comic. Unfortunately, the pages of catch-up between Damian and Nika were slow and meandering and, dare I say, boring. It could have been heavily abbreviated.

A gripe I had that was specific to this issue was where Damian and Nika were discussing Damian's relationship with Bruce, and Damian says that "We have had some... rough moments, but it has been good since I moved back in with him." I just wish that we would have seen some actual rough moments, but as I've said before, Williamson has pretty much skipped over anything that could be interesting in favor of making Damian and Bruce get along pretty much from the get-go with very minimal conflict. Their only real argument was over Damian going to school, and Damian ended up wanting to go to school anyway because of Principal Stone, aka Mistress Harsh, aka Shush. I'm back to my old "it's too nice" complaint.

It’s a little funny re-reading my review of the first issue of this series where I gushed about the art, because my opinion has really changed. I still like the jewel tones, but the more I’ve read it, the harder I’ve found it to read. The panel layouts are sometimes confusing, and most of the time there’s just too much going on for your eyes to easily follow the action. The panels on top of a full image page have gotten a little old.

Wow, this was a really pessimistic review. I do like the comic, it's just that the longer I read it, the more glaring the things I dislike get. The addition of Flatline is one I'm excited for, I think she's fun, and the little glimpse at the real reason why she was in Gotham intrigues me.

Why You Should Read This:

If you really like Damian, and you want to see a teen romance.

Series: Batman and Robin
Issue Number: 2024 Annual
Title: The Most Dangerous Road Trip
Writer(s): Joshua Williamson
Artist(s): Howard Porter
Colorist(s): Rain Beredo
Letterer(s): Steve Wands

Bruce and Damian go on a road trip for some camping and bonding time, and of course end up having to fight off a group of hunters set on killing them to win a pot set by the villainess Roulette.

I thought the story was fun. Maybe not the deepest of content or message, but there were moments I enjoyed, specifically a few that really showed how alike Bruce and Damian are.



Porter’s lineart has a very scribble-y quality to it, like he was working with a ball-point pen, which I thought worked well with Beredo’s moody, earth toned colors. The characters had very subtle expressions, if they had expressions at all, and most of the tone of a scene was imparted instead by the panel layouts and the spoken dialogue.

Why You Should Read This: If you like father-son bonding time and a simple story, check it out!