Batman Detective Comics #20

Batman Detective Comics #20 or the Emperor Penguin comes to power.  Somehow the Emperor Penguin spends the first half of this comic kicking Batman’s ass.  He hangs Batman from a tree and leaves him to die – always a bad idea to not ensure the job was complete.  How Batman did not notice that maybe the Emperor Penguin would be a threat makes a big case that maybe Batman is not really that great a detective.  Meanwhile the true Penguin Cobblepot gets his out of jail for free card played.  The Penguin then goes and saves Batman from dying and they work together to capture the Emperor Penguin.  It was all a rather routine and boring Batman compared to the more recent stories.  We then get a backup origin story of the Emperor Penguin, the son of a no-body mobster killed for no reason.  Once in Blackgate prison the Emperor Penguin is taken to see the “Boss” of Blackgate prison and kills him after they talk for a bit.  Then on his way back to his cell he tells everyone to call him Emperor Blackgate.

Batman Detective Comics #19!!!

Batman Detective Comics #19 was a Special 80-Page Spectacular! Issue.  What this means was this issue was a collection of short stories that DC Comics has been using as full issues that last two years.  Being short stories some were good some were amazing and some were just OK.  Interestingly enough this issue still managed to advance the Emperor Penguin Storyline.   We also got to see the origin story for the Man-Bat and a Bane against the Court of Owls storyline.  All and all the teaser stories for Penguin and Bane were interesting.  This issue also had a number of one shot splash art pages and a number of these were really well done. 

Batman Detective Comics #18 Requiem Review!

Batman Detective Comics #18 Requiem – was an interesting story as we continue to follow the fall of the Penguin from his position of power.  Though there seems to be a lot of history and criminality this story forgets what has happened since the new 52 began.  There was little here to merit a Requiem or Death of the Family tie in the title page claims.  In the end the Emperor Penguin owns all that once belonged to Cobblepot.  At least the backup story had the Joker show up and that must be the actual Death tie in.  Anyway it was a good main story and the backup story could and should have been part of the main story.  I am getting tired of paying for a full sized issue and instead getting several short stories that could not really support a full book.  In some cases the main story is awkwardly cut up to extend the story ark and sometimes not.  This is deceptive on the publisher’s part and needs to stop unless the two or more stories are mentioned on the cover.  Maybe if there are not enough Batman stories it is time to retire one of the many many many Batman comic books that are published each month.

Detective Comics!

Batman Detective Comics #16 (Death of the Family) contained two good stories, they were excellent stories.  The first story really did not have anything to do with the Death of the Family story.  It was just Batman tracking down the Joker Fan boys and Fan girls.  There is nothing new here and nothing worth tagging as part of the uber story ark.  The second story with the Emperor Penguin taking over the Penguin’s operation and that story is more related to Death of the Family.  But in the end I’m tired of buying a comic with two half stories included.  Frankly I’m tired of DC being lazy and stretching crappy material over several comics hoping no one will notice.

Batman!

Detective Comics Batman continues with issue 15 and another Death in the Family Story.  I kind of liked this issue, but I had to go re-read the previous Death stories to find jar my memory about what happened last time.  It is hard to go wrong with a Clayface & Poison Ivy story line.

And I am now caught up with comics released December 5, 2012.