Comic Report: Batman: Detective 27

Because Graphic Novel Report just sounded stupid. ;-)

I did some heavy reading last week to catch up on a few weeks worth of comics. One of the things in my stack was this "Elseworlds" graphic novel.

Since I'm the most rabid of the rabid Deadlands fangirls, anything with Lincoln, Pinkertons and Southern plotting has my attention. This didn't disappoint.

Our story combines Southern sympathizers, genetics, assassination plots, secret societies, seriously long-term plans and a host of real-life and DC celebs from the 1860s to the late 1930s.

Bruce's parents still die, but their deaths are more than a simple robbery -- it's all part of the grand scheme. Bruce Wayne becomes more than a playboy, but somehow less than the Batman we know and love. It's fun to see some of Bats villainous rivals in a new light, and Detective 25! We never knew!

And while I'm on the subject of comics ...

Some things I'm digging lately (in no particular order): Fables, Jack of Fables (love it!), Girls, Spike vs. Dracula, Batman Detective Stories, Ms. Marvel, Black Panther, Boys, Astonishing X-Men, Moon Knight, Angel: Spotlights.

I'm still annoyed that The Legion of Super-Heroes, a title I was enjoying, has added Supergirl and turned stupid. I've dropped it.

Most of the Civil War titles are pretty cool, but I've got some quibbles:

• Why are the cape-killers so intent on hunting heroes? Luke Cage was just chilling in his house when the deadline passed. Cap was first attacked *before* the law was passed. If they hunted super villains with half this ferocity, there would be peace on our planet.


• The writers have made little attempt to make the pro-registration side sympathetic. That's lazy. The original school incident also didn't have the impact it could of had.


• Reed Richards' actions in Civil War are inconsistent with the guy who has repeatedly flouted governmental authority for what he thought was right.


• There's some continuity errors that are lazy editing. Sue Richards' departure from the FF is significantly different in Civil War No. 4 than it appears in the latest issue of Fantastic Four.


• Just when I wonder if Iron Man can be a bigger bastard, there he goes cloning Thor, freeing villains from jail or locking people up in Guantanamo Bay ... excuse me, the Negative Zone. I'm wondering how Marvel is planning on redeeming this character, because you don't want to make a $100 million movie about an asshat that fans don't like.
  
  I also think it would be cool if Doom showed up to slap Tony around for stealing his moves. There should only be one armored despot in the Marvel universe.


• Stop beating me over the head with the "message." My head hurts.


• Poor Speedball. He deserves A-list status after all this shit.

But I'm still reading, and I want to find out how it ends, so ultimately, the writers have done their job.