Batman #683 (SPOILER ALERT)

Well, didn't those pieces fall nicely into place? Wow...

SPOILERS AHEAD...

I loved how Bruce just reaappears in the Batcave, lamenting to Alfred over the loss of his dad's bat-costume that Hurt was wearing, and never even explaining how he survived the helicopter explosion - of course, Alfred's the last person who should be surprised by that.

It was so nonchalant - I can just imagine Grant saying "of course he didn't die in the helicopter explosion - who seriously thought he did? I just spent all of #681 emphasizing that he's prepared for anything, and you expect a little boom-boom to take him out? Please..."

So I gather that, since he appears in Final Crisis after the explosion (as shown in this issue), everyone knows he didn't die then, and his real disappearance will take place in Final Crisis #6 (next month). Let's see...

Mark Waid chat at CBR - fantastic!

You must read the chat with Mark Waid at Comic Book Resources - it is fantastic. His comments on the Legion re-boot and the "Lightning Saga" alone are worth the price of admission.

Comprehensive Batman history at CBR

Comic Book Resources just wrapped a three-part history of Batman (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) - well worth looking at. It discusses the various pop culture incarnations of Batman, as well as the changing tone of the comics over the years.

Thoughts on Secret Invasion/Dark Reign (SPOILERS)

I have very mixed feelings about the "resolution" of Secret Invasion and the transition into Dark Reign. BEWARE - SPOILERS FOLLOW.

First, why did Janet have to die? Did there have to be a "big death"? Couldn't they take Hank? Or when he came off the Skrull ship, couldn't they just throw him back? I may not be a Marvel zombie, but even I realize how important the Wasp is to the heart of the Marvel Universe. You already took Steve, you ripped Peter and MJ apart - enough already. (At least Reed and Sue's kids survived - can't be so sure about Luke and Jessica's, though - really liked the latest New Avengers, by the way.)

Second, I think it seems a bit drastic to pile everything that happened on Tony. The Skrull plot was in place for years before Civil War. And even if the Civil War did open the door for the invasion, it is by no means obvious that he is to blame for the war, much less everything that occured afterwards. (This is actually part of the topic of my planned chapter for Iron Man and Philosophy.)

But even if people do blame Tony, fine, get rid of him. But... Norman? Just because he shot the big bad? Hello?

All that said, I'm somewhat curious about some of the contents in the Dark Reign preview - though I'm very reluctant to buy Dark Avengers at $3.99 for 32 pages. (I may buy the first two issues, leading up to New Avengers #50 and the apparent big throwdown between New and Dark, but it's probably trades after that.)

In general, I'm really not looking forward to months/years of darkness in the Big Two comics universes. Evil won in DC, darkness reigns at Marvel. It's enough to make a guy read Donald Duck.

Batman #682 (SPOILER ALERT)

Wow, it's Batman weekly, at least for two weeks. (Wouldn't it have been great if "R.I.P." had appeared weekly?)

This frankly blew my mind (again). It definitely raises a lot of new questions about what's been going on with Bruce Wayne - in both Batman and Final Crisis - as well as what will happen with him in the near future. But the most fascinating part of it was the historical survey of Batman - we saw his early persona (with the wider ears), his early days with Robin, his cartoonish days (incorporating elements from the Adam West TV series), Alfred's temporary death, up to his move out of Wayne Manor and into Gotham City proper. It covers his original experience with Doctor Hurt, as well as the always-shifting persona of the Joker.

Best of all (or worst of all, depending on how you look at it), it introduces an old flame into current continuity - I won't spoil that. You must read this.