Pick of the Week
What did the
iFanboy
community think?
Pulls
Size: pages
Price: 3.99
What a great time to be reading comics, in general; and what a great week to be reading comics, specifically. There were so many great books this week that did so many different kind of things, and did them so very well. It’s one of those weeks where the person tasked with the solemn duty of choosing the Pick of the Week agonizes and paces and tries in vain to figure out a way to spread the Pick of the Week love around to multiple books.
But no, this isn’t pre-2006 anymore. One man, one book, one Pick.
Among all the books that did so many things so well this week, the one book that did everything well was Detective Comics #858.
Since taking over this title with Detective Comics #854 (itself a Pick of the Week), Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III have been teaching a masters level comic book class with every issue. They’ve been so good that they immediately entered the “it’s so consistently good there’s nothing left to say” zone that we here at iFanboy dread. It usually takes a book a couple of years to get there (i.e. Captain America) but with Detective Comics, Rucka and Williams III got there after just one month.
J,H Williams III’s extraordinary art — more on that later — has been so good that it has overshadowed Greg Rucka’s writing which has, except for a little bit of wonkiness in the middle of the last arc, been intricate and interesting. He has taken a character in Batwoman, a character that most readers know nothing about, and in the first story arc began to sketch a personality and a backstory, not through blocks of exposition but through dialogue and story.
Detective Comics #858 kicks off Batwoman’s origin story arc and it does so many amazing things that I scarcely know where to begin. Through a series of flashbacks intercut with a very brief bit from the present, we see scenes from Kate Kane’s childhood — her life with her (future evil) twin sister Beth and her career military mother and father. In the beginning we see the emotional hardships that living the life of an army brat has on two little girls. Your parents are never around as much as you want them to be (they tend to miss the important days), and it’s hard to forge any emotional bonds with people at school when you’re always moving. But those problems are a walk in the park compared to a bunch of armed gunmen attacking your car as you’re driving to celebrate your birthday in Brussels, kill your bodyguard, and kidnap you, your twin sister and your mother.
And then it only gets worse.
Rucka does a masterful job with all of these scenes. You feel for the little girls who just want to stay at their school with their friends and just don’t want to move any more. And just as we are cruising along and getting to know these girls and their lonely life that comes from having an important military father, Rucka abruptly switches gears on us and we are thrust into a violent and well executed kidnapping. And if that isn’t enough, the eventual rescue operation is shown completely from the point of view of one of the girls, and because she is blindfolded there is a full page of black panels and we have to follow the action completely through dialogue balloons and sound effects. In the very next page, the blindfold is removed and we get to see if every horrible thing we think happened, actually happened (it did). This is a comic book master at work. Rucka plays us like a fiddle, introducing us to these character and their lives, immersing us in their world and emotional relationships, and then pulling the rug out from underneath us all — characters and readers alike — at the end. Just from a story standpoint, it was an astoundingly constructed single issue.
But, oh, the art.
Oh, J.H. Williams III you brilliant bastard.
I think that my favorite thing about the art in this issue is that every setting is done in a different style. The brief bits from the present are done in crazily laid out, almost painterly style that as most prevalent in the last arc. The scenes with the family life are drawn in a deceptively simple style that recalls David Mazzucchelli’s Batman: Year One. And the scenes with the father fighting in Afghanistan are done in a third, grittier style whose panels are laid against a backdrop of the American flag. I now we’ve said it about every issue so far, but what J.H. Williams III is doing here is a joy to behold. Every page is interesting and exciting, not just for what is being drawn but how it is being drawn.
If all this comic book brilliance from Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III in the main story wasn’t enough, in the co-feature starring The Question and featuring art from Cully Hamner, we have a kick ass finale to the human trafficking story that has felt much more like a Queen & Country story than anything I’ve read since… well, Queen & Country went on break. It was a taut little back-up tale that made this great book even better. It’ll be really fun when The Question gets to take center stage when the stories swap places.
Here at iFanboy we often say that when you have a book that is consistently great, something really special or amazing needs to happen in order to capture our attention. It’s the curse of perpetual greatness — it becomes expected. Here with Detective Comics #858 we have that extra level of amazing and I, for one, definitely noticed.
Conor Kilpatrick
That ending — yikes!
conor@ifanboy.com
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Subscribe to our RSS Feed
Some rights reserved.
I was kind of hoping you would make this issue the pick and only talk about the story about Rene Montoya.
really excited for this book.
What are the ifanbases thoughts on this compared to Batman and Robin? they’re are both fantastic but which title is rocking your world more?
and i’m not trying to be funny or annoying but was there a reason the review changed to italics half way though?
"They…. they could go all the way with this"
"Huh"
"This could be a no hitter!"
"Wha?"
"They could go all eight issues without picking it!"
"Don’t jinx it!"
Liking Blackest Night and GL (especially since I started reading Johns’ Teen Titans run last week) but you cannot argue with this pick. Beautiful, beautiful stuff.
It cracks me up every time Blackest Night isn’t picked because I know out there somone thinks you’re doing it on purpose.
Man, this issue was fantastic. Loved it. Maybe it was the fact that I only just finished QUEEN & COUNTRY vol. 2 earlier this week, but the ending of the Batwoman story felt like it was something out of that book.
And J. H. Williams changing his art style with each section? Brilliant. I flipped backwards between pages to compare and I was surprised that he’d done all that work on his own. Great stuff.
All that hyperbole I showered on the last issue can just be dragged over onto this one.
@edward – This book is doing more for me than BATMAN & ROBIN, but they’re both solid.
@Edward: Red Robin is my favorite of the Bat books. The book also has the biggest upside of any comic out right now.
I though for sure Blackest Night #4 was going to be POTW, guess I was wrong.
It is time for the Blackest Night POTW any month now; any time now. There was the 3 Geoff Johns triple Superman Secret Origin 2, Blackest Night 4 & Green Lantern 47 & neither of them gets the iFanboy not. UGH!!!!
Matthew
Is Batwoman going to be the main story for the full 12 issues and then the Question takes over or is it going to happen sooner than that?
I dropped this book . . . only cuz the story wasn’t blowing me away. The story sounds more interesting now.
I haven’t gotten my books yet. I think my comic shop went out of business between last Wednesday and this one. I called to have them make sure they pulled my books because I was going to come in later in the week and the number was disconnected . . .
Maybe I’ll pick this issue up when I check on my store tomorrow and hit up my backup store if they are gone.
Great choice for the pick. I love Detective Comics these days. However, until this issue I really don’t think Rucka was doing anything special. You write that Rucka’s so-called he "in the first story arc began to sketch a personality". I agree, but I think that in order to have been deemed a success he should have been able to do more than just "sketch" a personality. He had four damn issues, and we still didn’t really get to know the character. And the character wasn’t new. I dunno. I find the decision to hold back Kate’s origin for so long to be puzzling enough, but why Rucka basically held her personality as well…I think that was a very poor decision. One thing’s for sure, though: Rucka could have waited until 2012 to give us a Batwoman origin, and I’d still be just as interested in sometime getting to know the character thanks to Williams’ art. Like you said, every single damn page is interesting and exciting, and I’d add that each page is unique as well. (Please, people, if you haven’t read Promethea, pick that up for more of the same…er, "more of the different", er…) Anyway, finally with this arc, as far as I’m concerned, Rucka is starting to pull a major portion of the weight. I definitely wouldn’t have already put this title in the same league as Brubaker’s Cap, but…it’s definitely on its way in that direction.
*Blah, I meant "You write that Rucka’s so-called success is due to how he ‘in the first story arc began to sketch a personality’."
I pulled only four books this week. All four were ridiculously awesome (and five stars). One was Detective. Josh has got that covered (in italics) above. Another was Fantastic Four. Hickman is going to have a legendary run on FF. I guarantee it. So good. Then we get to the two Punisher books (#10 and then the List). In the first something ridiculously character changing, fucked up, and totally memorable happens that will make you never look at Frank the same way again. Then in the List, well, they even top that. Which is fucking crazy. Frankencastle has a lot to live up to.
Shame I am trade waiting for this series. Oh well.
Pick was Blackest Night #4; Geoff Johns is a brilliant man when it comes to events. Sure the story still is kinda moving a bit too slow….But there was enough plot development to make this stand out. Also, seeing Scarecrow go up against the original Azrael was badass.
haven’t read it but it just makes me even more excited to get my books on Friday…right on!
Does Kathy still look like an bulemic circus clown without the costume? I hope she doesnt…
I really enjoyed the change in art styles…by the same artist!
The story’s been solid and I love that every issue is different in it’s own way.
I’ve also gotta agree on The Question Co-Feature. It gives the book a little extra and is one of the few titles to carry a Co-Feature where I really feel like I’m getting two for the price of one!
She never did.
@conor
Agreed.
She’s very pale, skinny, and her hair is a mess.
Looks like a bulemic circus clown to me.
@TNC: nope. she just doesn’t look like how most comic artist draw women? you know, like pornstars from the 80s
And most redhead women are pretty pale. And she is trying to make herself look dainty (hence the skinniness). She does her hair and everything on purpose to look nothing like Batwoman.
on the topic of hair again. it is stupid to have a superhero identity with a wig that is exactly the same colour as your naturally disstinctive hair
@miyamoto: If she’s doing it on purpose then I can understand it. Still, it’s very off putting to see these beautiful background and fighting sequences…..and then you see a panel with this…..creature. lol
I wrote this long response of what I felt about this comic (both the issue and the last arc) but I decided to simplify it to:
I actively hate this comic.
@TNC: she’s not unattractive
@edward
I’d hit it with the power of Thor.
Damn fine issue indeed. J.H. is killing it and you summed it up quite nicely in the review.
whoa I actually have a pick that lines up with the POTW.
I don’t see how Batwoman looks like a bulemic clown..but thats just me.
@Ed, and @ miyamotofreak…
So, you realize… she’s not… oh forget it. I’d hit it with the all the power of the Avengers, F.F. , Teen titans, etc…
Okay, back to talking about the book!
sorry, conor, i won’t get to read the actual issue until tomorrow so all i can do is talk in generalities. Like this…
@DenverDave: Realize what? she’s gay or a cartoon?
I have no idea what is going on in this book. I feel like I should have read 52 first. but it is certainly beautiful. And I haven’t read this particular issue yet.
@John
This issue requires no prior knowledge at all.
@miyamotofreak
I wish the first issue of the series was like that.
I don’t think the first issue required much prior knowledge at all. I hadn’t read the sections of 52 relative to her story at that point, and I didn’t find it all that murky. The context was there.
I can confirm 100% that no prior knowledge is required. My wife read it and liked it and she had no questions for me. She had only read the free issue of Detective 854 that we got at Fan Expo prior to this.
To go along with JohnVFerrigno this was the first issue I picked up for this series because DC’s trade policy says I don’t get the first run till JUNE 2010?!? Anyways this isn’t about the poor DC trade system this about a great book. I will admit having never read anything to do with Batwomen I was a little confused, but like any great book or The Godfather, just when I thought I was out. It pulled me right back in. I will continue to read this one in issues and pick up the pieces along the way.
Great pick and great book so far…I dont like the way Kate is drawn to look anemicm but thats only a minor art gripe as everything else, like the layouts, are so innovative and fun. Really liking the direction of this book!
Oh and one more thing…I love the way Williams portrays the past with old looking comic art. It’s a familiar device, but it’s pulled off with efficiency here!
@TNC — HER NAME IS KATE!
And this was an amazing issue, a very worthy pick.
@Edward- "on the topic of hair again. it is stupid to have a superhero identity with a wig that is exactly the same colour as your naturally disstinctive hair"
Hannah Montanna is even smarter than that!!!!!!!
Oddly enough, this is the second week in a row in which an outstanding issue by a favorite writer of mine working on one of my very favorite series came out (Detective this week, Iron Man last week) –and I went with a Bendis-written Avengers book as my PotW. I’ve only been lukewarm on his Avengers work until recently, but suddenly it’s pushing all my buttons. The scene with Jessica Jones and Carol Danvers gave ‘New Avengers’ the edge, for me, because it was so cool to see Bendis go back to that relationship which he established in ‘Alias.’ Plus, it was just damn good plotting and some excellent fights.
‘Detective’ still rocked, don’t get me wrong. Those pages of the two kids were incredible. I love the way Rucka’s story and Williams’ technique are coming together.
It says a lot when I pay full price for a comic that I’m only going to read half of. Couldn’t care less about the question. Was going to try it but the art is atrocious.
The batwoman story/art is well worth the price though.
@clintaa I can understand Cully Hamner’s art style not being to someone’s taste, but ‘atrocious’?
I’m just a big fan of overstating things.
Oops, sorry I was thinking of the wrong Batwoman. My apologizes.
Especially to @ohcaroline, who seemed really pissed. lol
@TNC Looking back, I realize Conor said it to. And I was just being silly — but I don’t think this version of the character has ever been called ‘Kathy,’ so I figure Rucka had a reason for that.
@ohcaroline: Whatever happened to Kathy? Oh wait…..I think she’s dead….
It’s often overlooked, but I think Hamner’s pencils are great. Solid storytelling. I wouldn’t have paired him up with J.H. in the same book though. It forces people to compare the two, and I don’t think that’s fair.
@drakedangerz: I agree with all of this.
To clarify, it’s perfectly OK to compare two artist, but these guys are trying to tell two seperate stories in entirely different ways. I think people forget that.
I’m pretty sure Kathy Kane was a pre-Crisis character and so doesn’t actually exist anymore? But I’m never clear how that works. If Kate is based on her, it only seems to be in the loosest way.
Considering how Morrison and Johns write now a days; I wouldn’t be surprised if Kathy just suddenly appears out of no where. lol
Kathy Kane is indeed a pre-Crisis character who was wiped out in CRISIS and she appeared once, awesomely, post-Crisis when they were playing around with Hypertime. She briefly flickered into existence in front of Batman (who, after a few beats, recognized her) and then she disappeared again. It was heartbreaking for a longtime Batfan (they were in love pre-Crisis).
Involved with the Crisis? Oh yeah…..Morrison will definitely bring her back 🙂
@drakedangerz – totally agree. Hamner is a respectable talent. I was just reading the Question story and thought it looked great. it’s definitely tough to compare to Williams, who is offering up, like, four different styles per issue, but Hamner’s no slouch. I’d completely buy a Question ongoing by him and Rucka.
@ohcaroline – also agree. It’s definitely a reinvention of the character. I don’t think "Kathy" exists post-Crises…
@tnc – However, I suspect Kathy is alive and well on Earth-2. 😀
(wait… is there an Earth-2? I’m not sure anymore.)
@daccampo: Earth-2 is no more; cause the only survivors was Superman, Lois Lane, Superboy, and Lex Luthor of that Earth.
That doesn’t mean anything to DC writers though. Especially with Multiversity coming soon.
I’ve been picking up this comic based solely on Williams art and have found Rucka’s writing to be a little convoluted and hard to get into. That changed with this issue. The art continues to be great, and Rucka hit all the right notes on this one. Great issue, just barely inching past Fantastic Four for my POTW. 5/5. As for the Question "co-feature", it hasn’t really grabbed me yet. I have no background with the character, nor do I feel I know much after the first arc.
@Kickass: i have found that hannah montanna has many lessons for life
What’s the etiquette for pointing out that Conor used the wrong word in his review? Not a big deal or anything; it was "taught" instead of "taut".
Stupid spellcheckers and their inability to read minds.
Otherwise, you nailed it on the head about Rucka and Williams III. These guys are churning out a kick-ass crime book on a continuing basis and I’m absolutely loving it.
Lots of great books this week. My favorite was Fantastic Four.
This was a beautiful book in every way. Simply beautiful.
@ultimatehoratio – agreed. FF was, well, fantastic. And I haven’t been the biggest fan of Hickman’s execution on books, and even on this very storyline. Great end to the arc, closed on a very small moment. Loved it.
(not sure if it’s my favorite, though. I loved this, New Avengers, and Detective.)
@TNC – yeah, but that was in Infinite Crisis, right? Wasn’t that before the 52 universes? Seems to me that one of ’em those could have been called Earth-2, right? Maybe it’s not the SAME Earth-2…
(brings up a new point. If you have x number of earths, and one is destroyed, do they all get re-numbered?)
@daccampo: That’s an interesting question. I would think the numbering stays the same, or maybe a new earth pops up to fill the void.
In JSA, Geoff Johns explained the new Earth 2 with Power Girl. Remember when Starman (sane at the time) told about the ramifications of Infinite Crisis? So yes I think Earth 2 is back, but we have seen very little of it.
Totally loved the story and the art 5/5 but sometime JHW 3 has those beautiful 2 page spreads that are hard to follow. Took me a while to review it because I was whiping a tear from my eye.
And is ut just me or did her mom look like Alice?
Not just you, she totally did.
Saying I didn’t understand what was going on was a poor choice of words. i UNDERSTAND the plot fine. I just don’t care. There is obviously some kind of backstory with all these characters, which I do not know. So I get the plot, I just have no context to put it in. I don’t care about any of the characters. Greg Rucka is one of my favorite writers. the art is obviously stunning. This is a book where the talent on display is clearly top notch. It’s an amazingly well constructed book that I just don’t care about enough to continue reading.
My PoTW week also & this week had some stiff competition!
Sorry Scalped, but Detective is now the best comic book out there (IMO).
@JohnVFerrigno — to each their own, of course, but I’ve never felt the need to know all the backstory first in order to care about something. I know Rucka did this on purpose. Was it the right choice? I dunno. I didn’t mind it. I like the way you just *feel* the backstory first — you know there’s a lot of stuff going on, and it bleeds through all of the character interaction while still remaining murky and slightly insubstantial.
Obviously, now Rucka’s going back and giving context to everything we’ve seen. So I think that, even if folks didnt’ like the first arc, this arc will be the deciding factor. Hmm, that said, maybe it was a misstep by Rucka to have the adventure before the origin. After all, origins are a HUGE part of the Bat characters…
@daccampo I’m imagining ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ coming out today, and somebody storming out during the opening sequence because we have no idea who this Indiana Jones guy is and what he’s doing there or why he became an archaeologist.
I think patience is not a bad thing, sometimes. I see how comics can sometimes work against it, by dropping us into a confusing situation and never explaining it, or seeming to set up things that don’t pay off. But Rucka’s certainly a guy who has earned my trust and (like with the opening sequence of ‘Raiders’,) I’ve enjoyed the journey.
@ohcaroline – great point re: Raiders. That’s the thing with a LOT of fiction; you don’t always start at the beginning. You follow the characters actions, and that’s how you are introduced. The opening of Raiders tells you EXACTLY who Jones is — by this actions. I think Kate was fairly well-defined by her personality and actions in the first arc of this series, but i have to admit that it did get a little murky at times. It wasn’t as crystal clear as your Raiders example.
Besides, you’ve got to admit, in the world of Batman, the origin is always a huge deal — for both hero and villain. Moreso than an Indiana Jones type character.
@ohcaroline: Exactly. Batman’s origin wasn’t revealed until well after he was introduced. Sometimes you just have to go with the story. Worrying about knowing every little detail about every character and story is a thoroughly modern comic book reading mindset.
@daccampo I agree, it’s not a perfect example. The first arc probably could have been shorter or better balanced. But it does seem people sometimes get disappointed when everything isn’t explained right off. And this isn’t necessarily irrational because a lot of comics earn our frustration by not giving us a payoff. But Rucka’s like the cylons. He has a plan!
@ohcaroline- I’ll definitely agree with that.
Is this a good jumping on point or do I have to pick up previous issues?
You can jump on here.
Excellent, then I guess I shall go pick up the issue now.
I don’t know what it is about this book. I normally am very patient with stuff and don’t need all my questions answered right away. But for some reason, I just can’t get into this book. Now I know how Josh feels with everybody always yelling at him about how great hercules is, he reads it, and goes "Eh, it was ok." That’s me with Detective. Everybody raves about this book, and I can see why, but I can take it or leave it. With money being what it is these days, I’ll be leaving it. You all have fun though!
I liked the first story but the Question tale was just dull, capping five issues of competently scripted, nicely drawn boredom featuring a character who was once unique but is now a faceless follower.
@Mart I think it”s a little early to write off the Question features. I think the first arc is there to establish a baseline and then we’ll see it get changed up in the future. Having the story split into such short chunks may be hurting the momentum, but it’s not as though the character’s uniqueness has been destroyed.
@ohcaroline, nicely put! I’ll keep reading as Rucka and Hamner are quality creators and Renee can be fascinating, so you may be right. It’s just that we’ve had 50 pages so far and the story felt completely run of the mill.
And I know we’re meant to be discussing the comic, but Conor, that’s a really smart review. Nice one.
I really like the Question parts of the books, if they were their own book they’d be on my pull list. Great book, probably the best comic being made.