Review: Superman '78 #4

This issue opens with a brief exposition on Brainiac's past, then cuts right to Jor-El passing the leadership reins to Kal-El.  But Kal feels completely out of place, and decides he needs to find a way to get back to Earth.  Meanwhile Luthor, with Lois, are able to place a really long distance "phone call" to Superman, thanks to the little receiver he planted on him.  Brainiac notices the transmission, and heads back to Earth to confront Luthor.  Jor-El also notices the transmission, and says that this is the missing piece of technology he needs that could free Kal-El from the bottle city.  However Brainiac has begun to levitate the entire city of Metropolis.

Once again, Robert Vendetti turns in a great script that captures the magic of the movies, and delivers a lot of fun character asides, especially for Gene Hackman's version of Luthor.  Wilfredo Torres' art seems to get better with each issue. This issue earns yet another A.

Review: Superman '78 #3

This issue picks up right where the last issue left off, with Brainiac's robots accepting Superman's surrender. The citizens of Metropolis attempt to defend Superman, but he reasons with them not to invite danger. Superman hears Lois' heart racing, and bids her farewell.  Luthor congratulates Brainiac and pats Superman on the the back (perhaps slipping him something to help him escape later?).  On Brainiac's ship, Superman sees a collection of shrunken civilizations in bottles, including Thanagar with a cameo by Hawkman and Hawkgirl.  Brainiac shrinks Superman and he find himself face to face with his very much alive parents in Krypton's bottle.  Back in Metropolis, Lois writes the article of Superman leaving earth, and there is an Easter Egg of Bruce Wayne returning to Gotham and a mysterious Bat-Man terrorizing Gotham.  However, the magazine cover with Bruce looks nothing like Michael Keaton.  In the bottle city of Kandor, Kal-El hangs up his Superman costume and dons traditional Kryponian garb, and speaks with his mother, telling her- via Superman The Movie flashbacks- how he was raised by the Kents.  Then she tells him how Brainiac captured and shrunk Kandor just after they launched Kal-El's rocket.  Jor-El asks Kal-El to assume the leadership role he has held, and Kal-El agrees.  Back in Metropolis, Lois receives a message that someone knows where Superman is.  She finds out it is Luthor (that pat on the back must have been to plant a super-GPS), and Luthor is going to bring Superman back.

Once again, writer Robert Venditti and artist Wilfredo Torres deliver.  One can imagine the Salkinds delivering this movie with the return of Marlon Brando as Jor-El. Now, having Jor-El and Lara surviving Krypton's explosion messes with the comic book legend, but again, I can definitely see the Salkinds doing something like this to get Brando back for another film, had they had the opportunity.  Issue 3 keeps up the high standard of this series, and earns another A.

Review: Batman '89 #3

We are at the mid-point of Batman '89, and it's not looking like things will get better.  The story opens with Dent carrying an unconscious Drake out of the burning building. Subsequently the media treats him like a hero, as he contemplates his gubernatorial election run.  Time jump one year later.  Dent is governor and Barbara Gordon is police commissioner. Barbara comes in with the info that Bruce Wayne has been funding the Batman project, who is a small army of mercenaries wearing the costume. But then Dent gets confused and starts to black out.  

We see it is not one year later, but still at the scene of the fire. Dent has been hallucinating. He is pulled out of the fire by Bruce and Drake. As Dent regains consciousness, the spectators gasp in horror as the left side of his face is burned down to the muscles and tendons. Drake reveals he was on the roof feeding his pet birds when the fire broke out, and thinks he saw the arsonists.  Bruce wonders if Drake also saw him with Catwoman.  Dent is rushed to the hospital.  Reporters start hounding Bruce, who does not want to be photographed.  Harvey Bullock shows up and starts questioning Bruce about the fire, but Drake responds he saw the arsonists. Another officer replies they found the suspects in a dumpster (courtesy of Catwoman).  

The press continues to hound Bruce as a hero, as Dent survives the night.  The arson suspects are released on bail, and a nasty "no justice, no peace" mentality starts among the Burnside area.  Meanwhile Bruce offers to fund Dent's reconstruction surgery, while Dent, in his hospital bed, starts to develop a split personality via more hallucinations. When he wakes, he asks Barbara for his coin, and he scratches up one side.  Later, Batman meets Catwoman, hoping to start a romance, but Catwoman gives him a woke lecture while admitting she's seeing a shrink.  Batman wonders if it is Harleen Quinzel. They are interrupted by antifa-like firebombings in the neighborhood.  In his hospital room, watching the news coverage of the riots, Dent flips his coin.  It lands scarred side up. 

As with the previous issues, Dent is the main character, while Batman plays a supporting role. This issue has more plot advancement than issues one and two, but again, Sam Hamm is infusing this story with topical woke-ism. It almost seems like he is using this mini-series as an audition to get hired by Greg Berlanti as a scriptwriter for the DC television shows on the CW.  Yeah, that's the level this comic book is sinking to. In my review of the first issue, I mentioned how years...decades... of anticipation have built up for Sam Hamm to write Batman again.  But after all this time, all this waiting, if this is the best Hamm can come up with- Greg Berlanti type scripts- then I regretfully have to retract my statement from my review of the first issue where I say I would like to see Hamm become the regular writer on the main Batman title.  On the other side of the coin, Joe Quinones is still turning in good artwork. This issue gets a C+, bumped up slightly for more plot advancement, and Bruce given a little more to do, even if he's still in the back seat of the narrative.

Review: Superman '78 #2

This issue picks up with Luthor, fresh out of jail, trying to get a job at Kord Industries, only to be offered a job in the cafeteria. Crestfallen and grumbling (can just imagine Gene Hackman's voice), he returns to his small, dumpy apartment, where Superman is waiting for him. He asks Luthor to help him with the disembodied head of Brainiac's robot scout. Back at the Planet bullpen, Clark tries to ask Lois out, only to be brushed off.  He "overhears" that there is a signal coming from deep space.  Back at Luthor's laboratory, he is able to reactivate the robot scout to receive a message that Brainiac has arrived.  Brainiac sends out dozens of his robots to capture Superman.  He threatens to obliterate humanity in order to cage Superman.  Just as Luthor arrives at the scene, Superman surrenders to Brainiac to spare humanity.

As with the previous issue, the script by Robert Venditti, is excellent, and continues to capture the classic Superman film series tone perfectly. Wilfordo Torres turns in very good artwork, if slightly on the cartoony side. It's interesting to see how polar opposite Superman '78 and Batman '89 are from each other, with Superman '78, so far, getting everything right, and Batman '89 getting everything wrong.  This issues earns another A.

Review: Batman '89 #2

Once again, the main focus of issue 2 is on Harvey Dent.  The story opens with a task force trying to bring in Batman, but the guy who was stealing baby food for his kid ends up getting killed. Dent and Barbara play with a batarang and then Dent gives a political speech at his old neighborhood, Burnside.  We are introduced to Drake Winston (the role Marlon Wayans supposedly would have played in Batman Returns, although in that script he was only referred to as "The Kid"). He stops a robbery dressed in a weird poncho-like costume, revealing he was the costumed figure at the end of last issue. There is a word play on robbin'...Robin.  Racked over guilt about what happened earlier, Bruce offers to give every kid in Burnside free education. The garage where Drake works is set on fire by the robbers he stopped earlier.  Bruce (in a ski mask) heads that way but is intercepted by the return of Catwoman. Dent, meanwhile goes into the burning garage to save Drake, only to be knocked unconscious. 

Joe Quinones' art keeps the quality from the previous issue: well done if somewhat streamlined, with somewhat vague likenesses of the actors. It is curious that much of the unofficial, personal art he has posted regarding the Batman movies over the last several years looks much more detailed with pin-point likenesses of the actors. It seems like Sam Hamm continues to be more influenced by Daniel Waters' Batman Returns script than his own 1989 script. He is also making the same mistakes DC made with their Batman '66 comics, by abandoning what made it what it was, and trying to graft elements of modern DC continuity onto it. In the case of Batman '89, we are introduced to Dr. Harleen Quinzel.  Unfortunately we also get a lot of the current political climate grafted onto the story.  Sorry, but I'm not a fan of this approach. When I read a comic that is supposed to embellish and follow the spirit of the Michael Keaton Batman movies, the last thing I want is preaching about political and social issues that are constantly on the news in 2021.  I want to get lost in that timeless movie world, not be hammered by Hamm-fisted opinions and commentary about 2021 topical sociopolitical issues.  Batman '89 is quickly becoming a huge disappointment. This issue gets a C-.