Grayson #19
Writers: Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly
Artist: Roge Antonio
The penultimate issue of the series that redefined Batman’s first apprentice nicely expands upon concepts Grant Morrison introduced in Batman Incorporated such as Spyral and Doctor Dedalus – who has found a vessel in the form of Helena Bertinelli – and should satisfy any fan of Dick Grayson, regardless of whether he is wearing a domino mask or not.
Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly recently took the reins from original series writers Tom King and Tim Seeley – who are no doubt getting some lead-in time on their upcoming relaunches of Batman and Nightwing, respectively – and have not missed a beat. Roge Antonio contributes the artwork to round out this Batman and Robin Eternal reunion, crafting some explosive action scenes that are equal parts superhero and James Bond, with a nice nod to The Dark Knight Returns. Jeremy Cox’s colors especially shine during the car chase scene.
Revelations abound in this issue as Maxwell Lord lets the cat out of the bag and Dick learns the shocking truth regarding one of his closest allies. It all looks to come to a head in next month’s concluding issue, which I can only assume is the ending King and Seeley originally ended.
Cyborg #10
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Artists: Felipe Watanabe, Daniel HDR, Julio Ferreira
Let me start out by saying that I love Guillem March’s cover for this month’s issue. It kind of reminds me of the concept art Geof Darrow did for The Matrix movies, specifically anything having to do with the machine world. Interior art is handled by no less than three pencilers, yet comes across quite seamlessly.
I figure that writing for Cyborg must be like riding a bike for Marv Wolfman. For a guy who is more machine than man, Victor Stone’s latest adventure has a lot of heart and showcases his humanity in the most optimistic of ways. I like seeing his joyfulness when learning new applications and making the best of his situation. When you think about it, he’s one of the only members of the Justice League with some kind of semblance of a family life, something that happens to be explored in depth in this issue.
While Cyborg does learn the valuable lesson of never trusting an evil corporation that wants to see what makes you tick, we do get to see him outsmart his captors in almost Batman-like fashion. Plus, you should never underestimate the cool things of which this character is capable – and apparently some new abilities are on the way!
