Batman #703

I've read a fair amount of Batman, but it's always been more of the dark knight and less of the Batman and Robin stuff. I'm fairly new to the mythos and all, but I've been catching up recently, especially after watching the absolutely fantastic Under the Red Hood.

I really like the character of Dick Grayson. He bring a completely different atmosphere to the caped crusader. Dick is funny and easygoing as opposed to Bruce's general brood and gloom. It's great that he's finally getting some time in the forefront.

The relationship between him and Damien (the current Robin) is incredibly tense. Damien is Bruce's son, raised by the daughter of Rhas al Gul. Essentially, he is a tiny little stoic badass. He speaks without contractions, uses the term "unwashed masses", and does a lot of flips. Damien and Dick really help flush out the character of Bruce, and it's important because right now the idea of Bruce is really the focus of the Batman series.

I'm hoping to read more about Dick (haha) in the next few months, especially what will happen when Bruce returns. Anyway, Dick Grayson is awesome.

Batman: Under the Red Hood

I know that this a bit late for a review, but it was new to me, so hush.

This weekend I saw Batman: Under the Red Hood. It's a DC Direct-to-DVD animated film based on the Batman Storylines Death in the Family and Under the Hood. Death in the Family is one of the quintessential Batman stories, concerning the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin. Flashbacks to this story set the stage for the movie, so take notes.

This is not a movie for kids. Granted, it is animated Batman, but this is not the Brave and the Bold. This is kind of Dark Knight. There is blood and violence, including headshots and a person getting his head slammed into a bottle. Granted, it's pretty badass. If it was not animated, this movie would be as well recieved as The Dark Knight. It is suspenseful, and the Joker is just as unnerving as he is in The Dark Knight.

It's a shame that so few people are going to see this movie. It's really good, to say the least. Batman fans need to watch it. It's the best of DC's animated films, and sets a good precident for the future. 5/5 stars or whatever.

Wade Wilson's War

I am unabashed Deadpool fan. I think the character is absolutely hysterical and innovative (even though he is kind of a rip-off of Deathstroke). I like the consistent breach of the fourth wall and his obvious insanity. It's a good read when you've been neck deep in "serious" stuff or floating in a sea of crossovers. I really enjoyed Merc with a Mouth, and Suicide Kings is hilarious as well. So, months ago when I first saw Wade Wilson's War, I figured it would be a good, fun, read.

It starts out with Wade testifying before the Senate. It ends... I can't really explain it. It's way different from any other Deadpool story I've read. Deadpool is insane, sure, but it leaves you questioning the very nature of the book. But it's a Deadpool story!

Issue four is honestly thought-provoking and deep. It's sad and serious, but with that same Deadpool attitude that counters the actual depth of the story. It really leaves you questioning which story is true, and if Deadpool even exist in this world at all. It's got a sort of cliche ending, but in the way that is not at all pretentious. It's rather moving. I don't want to spoil it because I really do reccomend reading it, especially for fans of Deadpool.

Deadpool quotes David Simon at the end of book four, and that dialog right there sums up the book. Again, the stark contrast of the creator of Homicide: Life on the Streets and the Wire with Wade Wilso is incredible. This is it right here:

"See, I wanted you, dear reader, to hear the truth. Or parts of the truth anyway."

"Hey! Don't get your panties in a bunch. This is drama, not a documentary. As writer David Simon once said, "We know more about human pride, purpose, and obsession from Moby-Dick than from any contemporaneous account of the Nantucket whaler that was actually struck and sunk by a whale in the nineteenth-century incident on which Melville based his book. And we know how much of an affront the Spanish Civil War was to the human spirit when we stare at Picasso’s Guernica than when we read a more deliberate, fact-based account... Picasso said art is the lie that allows us to see the truth."

It's good stuff. Read it, especially if you're a Deadpool fan. If you're unfamiliar, it's a powerful story on its own. If you don't like Deadpool, this is Deadpool as you've never seen him before.

"All I can tell you... and this is the honest truth... life's what you make of it."