Batman #18
WARNING THERE BE SPOILERS!
Well its that time again, and the aftermath of Batman Incoporated #8 is upon us. To dedicate the life of the brawling Boy Wonder, each Bat-book that was close to the little guy is getting a Robin Reqiuem cover, and will some how address Damian's death. This book is no different, with Harper Row back in the mix and the continuation of her life since we last saw her in issue 12. Batman is hanging on the edge, and will Harper be a voice of reason or just a reason to show that being at B-man's side is a death threat, all within the pages, but on to the review.
PLOT:
THE GOOD:
Last time we had Harper star in her own issue, I didn't really feel that it had a memorable meaning to it. This issue fixes that completely. To have Harper not only confront Batman during his time of despair, but call him out on how he is acting makes for a memorable story. We also get a strong insight on the family dynamic the Row's live with. Cullen is desperate for his father's approval which is not reciprocated, and Harper is trying to make it on her own as an ally to the Bat. A lot of people say that she is a possible contender for Robin, but argue she has no physical training. Well, she is training, and training hard. She even takes a legit punch from Bruce, and to see how is reacting is expected, but being Batman the emotions are fueled to the highest extent. The notion that Harper is now a possible contender for being Batman's sidekick is looking more and more realistic, especially since she will be in Detective Comics in June. This story is a great representation of Harper Row and a nice insight on how Batman is dealing with the loss of his son.
The art, like the last Harper Row story, is not drawn by Capullo and I understand that he needs a rest and whatnot, I don't blame him, but I would love for him to draw Harper again. But I like these two fill in artists more than what Becky Cloonan drew. She is just not my taste, no offense to her at all. I actually liked Maleev's art more, even though he drew the second chapter of the story, which fills in the back-up portion. Kubert did a nice job as well, but I think Maleev stood out more in my opinion.
BEST STORY MOMENT: I actually really like that Harper is legitimately training, and it stood out in the story, but the best moment for me would have to be her interaction with Batman and the reasoning behind why she is doing what she is doing.
BEST ART MOMENT: The final page, hands down. Great story and art moment, that really tied this issue together and pulled on the heartstrings.
THE BAD:
As much as I love the new development for Harper, I have to say that the way Batman interacted with Harper really through me off. I like what she had to say, and her story really stood out, but I think Scott tried way too hard for Batman to pull off distraught. It came off strong in some places, and unwarranted in others. For Batman to open up as much as he did to Harper really sorta undermines his relations with the rest of the family, but I think that is what Scott is trying to do. Joker stuff still happened and for Scott to make Harper is only real outlet, solidifies her involvement with Batman, hell we know she is joining him in Detective, so we know that she is accepted in more than one Bat-book. I would really accept and love that, if the future Bat-stories would feature her. But Batman is going into Zero Year, and Scott won't be able to work with her for a while. Yes, Detective is going to have her, but that is a fortunate circumstance for Scott. This character means a lot to him, and its great to see a deeper interaction between the other titles, especially since I have a problem with so many Batman focused books. I think this a great Harper story, but it really is an open ended Batman story, with no solid direction from the creator of the character. I also have to point out that she is reminding me a lot of Tim Drake who sought out Batman after he realized that something was wrong with him. The other thing that scares me is that Harper will be Steph Brown's replacement, and if you ask me, that better not freaking happen.
Lettering: There is a huge misprint/mistake of one the panels of dialogue. It really is disappointing to see that kind of amateur mistake on a top selling book.
Art-wise, I think Kubert delivered a solid book, and I like how he drew Harper, and most of his Batman portrayals, but it felt messy and all over the place. There was no real clear focus on some pages, and the colorists might have some blame in that. I really prefer, as I mentioned earlier, Maleev. He has a certain gritty style that paints all the characters in a good light, and it is fascinating how he did that. I actually don't mind two artists, as last time someone filled in with Harper Row it was confusing with the last couple of pages and ended badly. There was a clear structure these two guys worked off of, but two artists no matter how well they did still entails inconsistencies and annoyances.
WORST STORY MOMENT: I would have to say for Batman to be so open to Harper, while we won't get much development from Scott on how this relationship will unfold, really is uncharacteristic of Snyder and his take on Batman
WORST ART MOMENT: The fight with the Venom dog owner was really crowded and messy, and stood out as a very obscure piece in the book.
OVERALL:
Solid book, solid story, and solid art. That really is all I have to say, like last time I didn't think this was meant to wow anyone, but just to express how the characters are doing in this point in time. I prefer this issue over issue 12, though I feel that this really made Batman seem over-dramatic. I know Scott wanted to be apart of Bruce dealing with the loss of Damian, and he accomplished that with including Harper Row, but this isn't a Batman focused story. It is an inside take of someone witnessing how Batman is after the loss of Robin. Scott, Andy, and Alex accomplish that. I would recommend this for any Harper fans, and anyone wanting to glimpse how Batman is dealing with the death of Damian.
I would also recommend B&R 18, that really is the strongest book that deals with Damian's death above all others currently out. Tomasi and Gleason really impressed me on that especially after I dropped them because of the War of the Robins and the pointless Zombie story. So, PICK THAT UP!!!
