Every Wednesday we take turns to delve into our trusty longboxes, pluck out a dusty back issue, and give you our thoughts. We’ll also try and place it in the context of the time it was originally published.

As Grant Morrison continues to drop hints about “Batman RIP” being “the end of Bruce Wayne as Batman”, it’s worth remembering that – whatever happens in that story – it wouldn’t be the first time that DC have stuck somebody else under the mask. In 1993 and ‘94, the controversial Knightfall storyline saw Bruce’s back broken by the villain Bane, and he – somewhat strangely – chose to entrust the mantle of the Bat to Jean-Paul Valley, a brainwashed nutjob who was the latest incarnation of “Azrael”, a lineage of bloodthirsty “avenging angel” type vigilantes.

In retrospect, it’s easy to see exactly what DC were trying to do (not just with Batman, either, but with Superman) – amid accusations that these characters had become stale and old-fashioned in the wake of the Image boom of the early ’90s, they came up with two almost-parallel storylines that saw the Big Two replaced with almost parodic versions of the sort of “muscles, guns and pouches” characters that Liefeld and co. had made popular, only to prove that such characters could never carry these titles with any kind of weight. It was a canny way of making people appreciate what they had in Supes and Bats by taking them away – but it has to be said that devoid of this context, the Azrael Batman stories in particular can make for a difficult read.

AzBats himself, after all, has absolutely no redeeming features whatsoever. He’s violent – borderline sociopathic, in fact – and driven by the voices in his head that result from his brainwashing. As a supporting character, this might not be so problematic – but having to take over as the “hero”, his stilted speech patterns and general arseholeness just make him irritating, particularly whenever he narrates. This issue, for example, opens with the resumption of a cliffhanger – AzBats, having discovered a secret disused rail line under the Batcave, and a ready-made “subway rocket”, is hurtling down the track at speed towards a hapless subway train. If we actually cared in any way about this character, it might be a pretty neat and tense cliffhanger – as it is, though, there’s a part of the reader that almost wishes he’d just smash into the damned train and have done with it.

As for that whole “subway rocket” thing – well, while it’s a pretty neat little toy in and of itself (I wanted one as a kid), it leads to perhaps one of the worst examples of “oh so convenient plot setup” that I’ve ever seen. For you see, just as Batman has found himself a train-cum-car that can speed around subway tracks… what should be the plan of the newly-formed villain pair the Trigger Twins (and oh, God, the Trigger Twins – two separated-at-birth red-haired twins who dress and talk like cowboys… no words, frankly)? Why, to carry out a mail train heist! And the mail train uses the subway! Fancy that!

This being a Chuck Dixon book, meanwhile, there’s quite a strong focus on Tim Drake’s Robin – in fact, much of the issue serves as a launchpad for his own series, with the closing tagline declaring, amusingly, “Continued in Robin #1! Will there be a Robin #2?”, building up towards his leaving the cave and striking out on his own. Unfortunately, aside from the climactic cave-set scene, Tim’s pages are pretty weak – at this point, the character felt like wish-fulfilment material for teenage readers (”Wow! Not only is he Batman’s sidekick, but he’s allowed to drive even though he’s only 15, and he’s got his own car with his logo on it!”), and was a bit of a goody-two-shoes; and in particular the scene with his curiously-accented housekeeper (I think she’s meant to be British?) is fairly cringey.

I’ve sounded quite negative so far, but I have to admit that – as with many of the early/mid ’90s Batman books – this isn’t actually that bad a read. It relies a little too heavily on its own internal continuity (something that was a real problem if you read these stories in trade – after the two parts of Knightfall, the KnightQuest story that covered most of Valley’s tenure as Batman, and of which this issue is a part, was never collected; making for a jarring jump to the closing KnightsEnd, which referred to some quite significant events and had by then featured further drastic changes to AzBats’ costume and general demeanour) in order for the reader to get a real handle on what’s going on, but it does at least pack a fair bit of story into its page count – we cover not only the initial subway escape, the setup of the mail robbery and Tim’s breaking into the cave, but there’s also a brief seed planted for a subsequent storyline involving the Joker. Graham Nolan’s solid and clear artwork helps it to rattle along at a fair old pace, too.

Indeed, for all the controversy that surrounds both this story and the equivalent Death and Return of Superman, the comics themselves don’t tend to stand up all that badly to a re-read nowadays. Batman comics have, of course, been a hell of a lot better than this, it’s true – but they’ve also been a hell of a lot worse…

It doesn’t take a genius to realise about whom Mark Waid was (somewhat snarkily) talking when he recently said “[Spider-Man]’s dialogue is a joy to write, and if you don’t have your readers chuckling or even laughing out loud a few times per issue, you should go write Thor or something”. But either way, it’s certainly not an accusation that can be levelled at Brian Michael Bendis. One of the absolute cornerstones of his run on Ultimate Spider-Man has been in providing character-driven moments and dialogue that can, on occasion cause you to laugh out loud. It’s one of the reasons why it’s managed to remain so (almost entirely) consistently great for 120 issues and counting, and why it can still on occasion feel fresh.

It’s also the case that some of the very best issues of the series so far have been individual, done-in-one vignettes (it means Bendis can’t have a fight scene last three issues, or whatever), and ones that focus on Peter’s life away from the mask. And what we’ve got this month is an excellent example of that formula. In class, Peter is asked to explain why the dummy baby he and Kitty had been looking after as part of a project has turned up charred and destroyed – it was, of course, because of a supervillain attack, although ironically enough this occurred at the Daily Bugle, and so he’s able to tell the story “as” Peter as if he’d been there watching.

It’s a neat little trick (although more than a bit “Hey, where did Clark Kent disappear to?”), and as Peter’s talking about himself, we’re able to view a fairly by-the-numbers fight sequence (with the faintly ludicrous-looking Omega Red) from something of an outsider’s perspective. If anything, it’s just a shame that Peter’s narration only pops up in a couple of panels – I would have really liked to have seen a bit more of his “describing” Spidey and the battle.

But this shines, as most of Bendis’ best USM stories tend to, primarily because it’s funny. Something about featuring Peter either at high school or the Bugle (or, in this case, both) just brings out the best in him, and after 120 issues of this stuff he can still pull out the trademark Spidey wisecracks (the opening one about personal ads is a classic). Flash Thompson, meanwhile, gets some amusing exasperation at the continued suggestion that he might be Spidey. It’s also neat to see Ultimate versions of Betty Brant and Ned Leeds show up – I honestly can’t remember if they’ve been around before, nor indeed if we already knew that Betty was a reporter rather than a secretary; but it’s good to see, and I wonder if it’s sewing seeds for something.

Immonen continues to bring a vibrancy to his art that has been a major factor in rejuvenating the series lately, and he’s really getting a handle on some consistent character designs – they differ from Bagley’s in places, but they are all recognisable individuals (in fact, when it comes to the high-school kids, they’re arguably more distinct than Bags’ versions). Overall, the feel is still of a team running high on confidence, and continuing to turn out solid, consistent, entertaining superhero work. Despite the early optimism of the Slott/McNiven Brand New Day arc, I’d still put my cross next to Ultimate as the best Spidey book going.

After enjoying last issue a surprising amount, I promised I’d give this one a look too. And here we are.

Thor #8 proves to me that the previous issue was no one-off. The second of a two-part story sees Thor and Odin discuss what is to become of Odin now that Thor is running Asgard. Mixed in with the flashback, we see the story of how Loki came to be Odin’s son, explained in a new light that builds on the original myth in an entirely valid way.

Odin’s eventual plight – locked in eternal combat with Surtur, in which they both die of their wounds and then heal to fight again the next day – is appropriately mythic in scale, and feels almost as if it could have been taken from genuine Norse myth itself. I get the feeling Straczynski is setting up Odin’s situation now just so that we can be sure he’s off the board for the rest of the run – and likewise, so that he can pluck Odin out of the machine when the time comes for him to leave the title.

Meanwhile, Don Blake goes looking for Lady Sif’s Earth-bound Essence, crossing paths with Jane Foster, who he thinks might have some connection. It’s here that Straczynski displays some of the more painful characteristics that I dislike about his writing – after all, the idea that Jane Foster would leave her family and husband just because she heard that Don Blake was back “alive” is a fairly poor suggestion whatever way you look at it. JMS might think it an appropriately grand gesture, but it’s just incredibly distasteful and doesn’t put the character in a good light at all.

Even so, when he’s concentrating on the Asgardian side of things, JMS does appear to have found a voice for Thor that entertains me. I’m as surprised as you are. It’s certainly helped by Djurdjevic’s artwork – the man seems to have suddenly emerged as one of the industry’s top artists, and deservedly so. He’s clearly got a massive range, and in particular his facial expressions have amazing nuance. Marvel would do well to keep him around as much as possible, though in an ideal world, I’d love to see him partner with Brian Wood on Northlanders series and really cut loose on the Norse side of things.

After checking these issues out, I can conclude that Thor is deservedly one of Marvel’s top-selling books, and I’d have to encourage anyone on the fence to at least give it a go. A breath of fresh air for the character and creator.

A busy weekend means a slightly smaller-than-usual column, but luckily Seb’s still around to deliver the goods – an examination of the Spanish Language issue of Blue Beetle, and another Batman theory as Morrison’s run speeds towards the finish line. By contract, I manage to contribute nothing but a couple of links to articles I wrote elsewhere about Spider-Man: Brand New Day and the Iron Man movie press conference! (continue reading…)

The issue opens with the aftermath of the red hulk destroying a helicarrier. Now, I know this isn’t Loeb’s fault so much as Marvel editorial’s, but seriously, how many Helicarriers are there? Seems like half the time the only reason they ever show up is to be destroyed. Let’s just say I’m not the only one who’s noticed. The thing about storytelling is that if you repeatedly destroy a SHIELD helicarrier, it ceases to seem threatening when someone does it, and what’s more, SHIELD start to look like a bunch of muppets. Someone needs to balance this out ASAP by having SHIELD show up and actually do something helpful that doesn’t end with the helicarrier blowing up, for a change. Or maybe they’re took SKRULLY for that.

The rest of the issue – well, it’s just more of the same now. If you were, for whatever reason, intrigued or entertained by the Red Hulk saga, good luck, there’s plenty more of it here. As for who the Red Hulk is, well, with the Rick Jones theory properly debunked, it seems fairly obvious that Loeb is pointing at Doc. Samson, using the same deeply obvious narrative feints he employed in Ultimates of having people say “Doc Samson disappeared, then the Red Hulk showed up!” – as in Ultimates, whether it’s a misdirection or not isn’t clear, but for the sake of good writing everywhere, I hope so.

Now, to be fair, this is by far the best issue of the series, but that’s not saying a huge amount. One definite criticism worth levelling is that there’s not a lot of story here at all. Perhaps Loeb is trying to play to McGunness’ strengths by focusing on splash pages and spreads, or perhaps he’s just gotten lazy. Either way, as a result Hulk #3 is the light comic that won’t spoil – or sate – your appetite between real stories.  To Loeb’s credit, I find myself intrigued by what Banner and Ross might have talked about that they kept secret, but it’s not enough for me.

At the end of the issue, Banner escapes his cell by, er, changing into the Hulk and smashing his way out. At this point, imagine me rolling my eyes. The man destroyed most of New York and enslaved a bunch of heroes and they way they deal with him is to lock him in a cell that can’t even hold him. Really? And the triumphant return of the Green Hulk, who was so vengeful he almost destroyed the planet, is… a return to the old childlike Hulk? Pak’s near-masterful Hulk epic is being effectively erased from history. So much for the “amazing” third act of Planet Hulk/Word War Hulk we were promised Loeb would deliver. The title’s become a complete train wreck and I’d sooner see Loeb off it for good. Avoid. At all costs.

Well, talk about a letdown. Just as Morrison’s Batman run was starting to make sense, and the issues becoming eagerly anticipated, we’re suddenly left with an unexplained delay of a few weeks for #675 – and when it does come out it turns out to be little more than a “bridge” issue between the mystery-unravelling single issues of late, and the upcoming “Batman RIP” storyline. The focus is shifted away from Batman and on to Bruce Wayne – perhaps in a foreshadowing of events to come – but sadly it makes for a pretty uninteresting issue.

The main problem, really, is the focus on Bruce’s current lover, Jezebel Jet. She’s clearly supposed to be an important part of the current run, but in truth has done little more than hover on the periphery, occasionally showing up without ever seeming particularly significant. I can see what Morrison is trying to do in terms of making her a stronger foil for Bruce, but you get the sense that almost all of the development of their relationship has happened off the page – and so it’s difficult to see from the evidence in front of us just why she’s supposed to be so compelling. Besides which, Paul Dini is doing such a good job of setting up a potential relationship with Zatanna over in Detective Comics that it’s hard to really care about Jet. As such, the revelation she encounters at the close of the issue (easy to see coming a mile off, too) lacks the power that perhaps it should.

The issue’s main plot, while it features some trademark Morrisonian villain use (revisiting an old Silver Age baddie he’d previously dug up for 52, thus tying the current arc further in to the weekly series), feels extremely lightweight, and indeed the sort of self-contained mini-story that you’d expect to find in Detective; and in addition, we catch up with Robin and Nightwing bouncing around rooftops, and Talia plotting against Jet. None of these peripheral scenes, though, feel hugely necessary – save perhaps, in the latter case, informing us that Talia and Damian survived the explosion that saw them disappear from view many months back (although this was guessable from Damian’s subsequent “future” appearance in #666). Indeed, Morrison seems to get the pacing and structure a bit “off” here, and none of the disparate threads really feel like they get a chance to settle.

Somewhat surprisingly, and despite all solicitation evidence to the contrary, Tony Daniel is absent from this issue, with fill-in art instead from Ryan Benjamin. And it’s one of the book’s weaker points, really – the style is reminiscent of ‘90s Bat-artist Bret Blevins (certain pages, largely involving Bruce out of costume, feel like they could have come straight out of a Grant/Blevins Detective issue), but there’s very little definition in the character design – something that’s a real problem when your lead character spends the entire issue without his mask on. Furthermore, Benjamin struggles to draw any kind of distinction between Tim and Dick, beyond having slightly different heights. It’s not hideous, and the storytelling is clear enough – but with Daniel having previously begun to settle into a groove as the series’ regular artist, this feels like a step in the wrong direction – and there’s been no explanation forthcoming for his absence, or the book’s delay.

It is perhaps worth remembering that this is far from the first issue of the run to feel distinctly underwhelming on a first read – and with the benefit of context, many of those earlier issues have made a lot more sense. But this does feel more distinctly like filler – there’s a big story coming up, and all this does is add slightly to the setup by changing the dynamic of one of the lead-in relationships. It has little purpose beyond that, and so after the wait we’ve had to endure for it, it’s desperately disappointing. Still, there are apparently only two weeks until the first part of “Batman RIP” – so hopefully this one can be glossed over pretty quickly…