Batman

The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #12

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The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries wraps up with the twelfth and final issue offering a smorgasbord of Bat-villains and Bat-Family characters to go off with a bang. It seems nearly all of Batman’s villains have gathered just outside of Gotham City for a convention when Mystery, Inc. arrives confused by all the oddness until stumbling into a ball room complete with everyone from the Joker to the Condiment King. And with so many villains, of course the extended Bat-Family also crashes the party.

While there’s not much mystery here, there’s certainly lots of fun including Catman vs. Catwoman (with puns!). Even Calendar Man and Bat-Cow make appearances. And, of course, there’s only one character who would ever bring such chaos together offering a nice nod to Batman: The Brave and The Bold to end the series with a big win for our heroes.

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Batman #121

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Batman #121 wraps up the odd three-issue Batman Incorporated arc with Batman revealing to Lex Luthor and Abyss that the various members of Batman, Inc. have been secretly working undercover this entire time (including framing themselves for murder) to get close to Abyss and expose some of Lex Luthor’s shenanigans. Oh, and since they never actually signed contracts to work for Luthor (seems like a pretty big oversight), he has no control over the group. To call the reveal awkward doesn’t really do it justice.

In any case, the members of Batman, Inc. switch sides and stand with Batman against Abyss. The comic limps home to a finish with Batman tracking the escaping villain and by teasing the next big arc for Batman on his return home with a cameo by Deathstroke and the latest version of the Secret Society of Super-Villains.

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Batman #121 Read More »

The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #11

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Returning to the Gotham Museum of Culture, where the series began, Batman and Mystery, Inc. reunite for another case. Our detectives are forced to shutdown a gala at the museum prematurely when a mask from the Detectives Exhibit is stolen and ghosts appear to scare off the guests. “Helping” on the case is the Creeper who was in the neighborhood to cover the gala as reporter Jack Ryder but transforms into super-hero trouble-maker/detective to solve the case.

The Creeper fits into the comic’s oddball characters even if the reveal our baddie (a former criminal, now working at the museum), is a little odd. Turns out he is responsible for the theft and appearances of ghostly apparitions inspired by classic detective story characters to scare off others from the exhibit.

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The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #11 Read More »

Detective Comics #1051

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Part of the ongoing “Shadow of the Bat” arc, the Bat-Family (sans Batman) is trying to get a new drug off the streets of Gotham, the supplier of which is Arkham Tower’s Dr. Tobias Wear. He has been selling both real and fake shipments of drugs to criminals all over town who are none to happy. He’s also got Mayor Nakano on his back in terms of the city signing off on his form of treatment. Which is why he’s brought in Psycho Pirate to help control the situation. Turns out putting all your hopes on a emotionally-unstable psychotic in a jester’s costume isn’t necessarily the best plan.

Even several issues into the arc, you can still make out the basics of the plot here (although I’m not sure why so many Bat characters are needed undercover within Arkham Tower). The Psycho Pirate loosing control means all hell breaks loose in Arkham Tower at one point, but by the end the situation is as under control as things get in Gotham City.

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Detective Comics #1051 Read More »

The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #10

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When a number of resorts are terrorized by a series of creatures all resembling a sasquatch, Batman enlists the help of Mystery, Inc. and the Question to solve the case. The reason for the attack comes from the land each of the resorts were built on, as General Eiling was making use of the Shaggy Man for his own devious ends in order to put each of the resorts out of business so he could then plunder an old military cache buried deep underground.

Renee, appearing both as herself and the Question, is a fun addition that fits right in with Scooby-Doo and the gang. Unlike the gang’s usual traps, the one Batman sets captures both Shaggy Man and the General without a hitch (although I don’t know if Batman really needed to surf in able to pull that off, but to each his own). 

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The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #10 Read More »