Puppet Pals
Zatanna #10
Zatanna may be one of the top spellcasters in the DC Universe, but she’s apparently not the smartest person around. Last issue, she was menaced by the murderous puppet Oscar Hempel — this issue, she invites him into her ancestral home, which is stuffed to the gills with magical artifacts. She learns that Hempel is definitely a psycho, but then he gets his wooden hands on a bunch of artifacts and uses them to make things a whole lot worse for Zatanna. Not a smart move, Zee. Meanwhile, the evil Brother Night is stirring up more trouble back in San Francisco.
Verdict: Thumbs up. Paul Dini may be writing Zatanna as uncommonly stupid, but Cliff Chiang’s gorgeous artwork makes it all seem okay.
Batman and Robin #21
This new guy called the White Knight has targeted someone else for a mysterious angel-themed death — in this case, the wife and children of Kirk Langstrom, the Man-Bat. Batman and Robin are able to rescue them, luckily, and they soon learn the identity of the first victim — he was the brother of Batman foe and serial killer Victor Zsasz, which means that the White Knight is targeting innocent family members of Batman’s rogues gallery. Who’s next on the hit list?
Verdict: Thumbs up. Great story, fantastic art, a nice mystery, and a neat twist. I’m enjoying this one a lot.
Today’s Cool Links:
- Comic artists are doing what they can to raise money for Japanese earthquake/tsunami relief.
- Texas Tech librarian/cultural historian Rob Weiner on 1960s Batman vs. modern dark Batman.
- If this is true — and I have no idea yet if it is — but if it’s true, DC should be impossibly ashamed of themselves.
- This particular picture is a bit old, but Nextwave fans, this will make your pants happy.
- Here’s a long but very enjoyable article about H.P. Lovecraft and the impact of his Cthulhu Mythos.