Oh Brightest Day

But first...

Detective 876
This is a perfect example of everything I love about Dick Grayson being Batman. The commissioner shows up to get Dick's help with a whale that appeared in the middle of a bank. The age-old question of whether or not Gordon's figured out Bruce was Batman and Dick now is is, of course, still unanswered, though I'm sure he knows or is nearly certain. But he does know there's a new Batman, so you've got to give Gordon credit for being a fairly astute, intuitive investigator. He rose to his rank and has stayed there for a reason. And there he is, talking with Dick about more than the whale's sudden appearance. He has to tell Dick the case is connected to Zucco, the man who killed Dick's parents. And after that bit, which throws Dick for a bit, Gordon asks him to meet with his son James. I just don't see this scene happening with Bruce as Batman, or not with the emotion that fills most of the panels. This just felt so real. I don't see Gordon asking Bruce to meet James. Bruce is the father figure to Dick and Tim, and he's a playboy and he just isn't someone you'd want to casually get to hang out with your son to see if he's changed for the better. But you do ask Dick, who's more a contemporary of James and who can relate better. And I just got such a warm fuzzy from the scene. It might go down as one of my favorite scenes in the Bat books.

Dick, of course, is not quite the seasoned Batman Bruce is, and he's not quite the automaton Bruce can be in the cowl, so he makes a few more mistakes, which lead to the inevitable issue-ending cliffhanger with his life in great danger, which makes him a very human hero who continues to impress me in his new role.

Scott Snyder, who wrote the issue, deserves kudos, and I hope the story gives me the emotional payoff I'm now expecting. And I can't say enough about how perfect Jock's art is. The 2-page spread showing the whale in the bank is impressive and the facial expressions on Dick and Gordon during their conversation are perfect.

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I loved the original Swamp Thing. Swamp Thing was Alec Holland, no ifs, ands, or buts. I didn't read the Vertigo version, but I've read how he was changed into being some sort of plant that thought he was Holland, possessing somehow, Alec's memories. And that was just wrong. It took away the human part of the equation, a beast who was once a man and who can't reverse what happened to him. Alec had to cope with his loss of humanity while somehow retaining it. He couldn't become a monster, but he could never again be truly human. He was a tragic, yet noble character. A plant, no matter who he thinks he is, is not and never was human. He couldn't be tragic. So I am very happy that Johns and Tomasi restored Alec to the Swamp Thing entity.

I was, however, pissed at Shiera being dead and Carter without his love. We'd better get a Hawkgirl/Hawkwoman back soon. And while I loved Kendra, I prefer Shiera.

I wasn't happy to see poor Boston die again, but he is destined to be Deadman, I guess. But we do have Aquaman and Mera together, so that's nice.

Was this a big deal, year-long EVENT story, worthy of capital letters? Maybe. It sure seemed disjointed at times and a bit obvious, with the resurrected characters getting the chance to tie up loose ends, so to speak, and ultimately, the story was about bringing back the one, true Swamp Thing. I'm glad I read it, but it really didn't have to be drawn out like this.

More Catching Up

Hurt my shoulder, so I've been reading comics instead of playing Facebook games! Am all caught up on Green Lantern which is fitting in nicely with Brightest Day. I'm really loving Carol Ferris as a Star Sapphire. She has a real identity now and she's not a villain. Now if only they'd fix that costume. And Larfleeze is such fun. And Sinestro has become a wonderfully complex character. Good stuff here.

Caught up on the Bat books, too. Wow. I'm in awe of the details Grant Morrison worked into the books over time and how he set things up. Both Batman and Detective have been great and I especially enjoyed catching up with Batman and Robin. I loved The Return of Bruce Wayne and the way everything tied together with the other books. I was less impressed with the Return One-Shots, especially since I thought they were each standalones and got the ones with the characters I like only and didn't get the others. I could try to find those, I guess, but the overall story didn't thrill me. I was mostly interested in seeing everyone react to Bruce's return, and I got enough of that in what I did read. The scenes in Batman and Robin were my favorites. Dick's injured, Damian is ... well, Damian, and Bruce shows up. Great stuff there.

The only One-Shot I really enjoyed was the one with Batgirl. Bruce was right. Steph did need to prove something, to him, to herself, and it was a nice recap of their history together and taking things to the next level. She's now accepted by him as a member of the Bat team, which is awesome. She was never a character I cared about one way or the other, since I didn't really read her when she was Spoiler. I only started reading the Bat books again (other than Catwoman and Birds of Prey and Nightwing) when Dick took over as Bats. But I did read the crime war story and thought Steph got a raw deal. If Bruce had trusted her, she would never have done what she did and started the war. That's when I started to get interested in her and she was killed, so I was glad when she was brought back and became Batgirl. She's become a strong character and a fun one. She deserves this chance.

I liked the first story in Batman Incorporated, but will reserve judgment before deciding if it belongs on my pull list. I like Bruce, but he doesn't interest me as much as Dick. I guess it depends on the Bat folk Bruce recruits, what their stories and personalities are, that will decide it for me.

Now to figure out what to read next. The stacks are still rather tall.

Bright Reviews

Well, 2 of 3 are bright.

Birds of Prey 1 is billed as a Brightest Day tie-in, but it's all Birds and it's all good. Art-wise, Benes is better than ever  and story-wise, it's great to have Gail back on this book, not to mention having the book back. The Hawk and Dove story arc promises to be intriguing. Gail excels at intriguing. Best of all, she's bringing me Zinda once a month! Zinda is a great character. I do hope, though, that this go 'round, Gail sneaks in some mention of Roy, because he's a big part of Dinah's life.

Brightest Day 1
I can't decide if I like this. It looks good. The writing is competent. There's a mystery surrounding the back from the dead dozen. Boston Brand is alive if not visible. Arthur and Mera are together again. Carter and Shiera are together again. There are weird goings on. What's not to like, even love? But something feels off. Maybe I'm just tired of big event books. I wanted some of the dead characters back. Aquaman. Shiera. But I also wanted the Dibneys. I had no desire to see Firestorm messed with and I can take or leave the Martian Manhunter.

And I don't want to see a return of the DCU circa the '70s. I was upset to hear that Ryan Choi/Atom was killed off. I don't need or want Ray Palmer back as Atom if it means Ryan had to die. There are a bunch of Green Lanterns and no one minds. I do want comics to be fun, but retreating into the past isn't how to do it.

So, yes, bring back BoP, which never should've been canceled. Bring back Bruce Wayne. Dick Grayson has proved himself worthy of the Cape and Cowl, so there's no reason why Bruce can't return to claim it.

But I don't want to lose all the good that's happened in the DCU over the last decade or two. I don't want to lose the diversity. I don't want to lose the hope and promise. I don't want to lose the chance of being surprised, in a good way. So far, the "surprises" have been dark (the killing of Lian Harper and Ryan Choi) and Lian's death was telegraphed well in advance.

I have no idea where Brightest Day is heading, other than it being a misnomer because it isn't all that bright so far. Give us danger and intrigue and suspense, but give us hope and awesomeness, too, DC. Here's hoping the DCU will be a better, diverse place at the end of this storyline.

And yet...

Secret Six 21 is dark. And yet, most likely due to Gail Simone's writing skills, there's an odd level of hope. These characters might be criminals. They might break the law without a thought, but they have their own code of ethics. They're three-dimensional. They're complex. And in their own way, they're loyal to each other.

This issue continues the storyline focusing on Catman and the flashback to his childhood is telling. Thanks to Gail's writing, he's become one of my favorite characters and this has become one of my favorite books. If you want to write dark and creepy, you would do well to follow this example.