Swamp Thing 1 (November 2011)

Swamp Thing is not a series with many weak writers. It’s had a couple recent ones, but then Josh Dysart resurrected it. So Scott Snyder’s got a difficult task—how to make Swamp Thing part of the DC Universe without getting rid of everything good about the series.

This issue suggests it’ll be a bumpy ride. Superman shows up (along with some other nonspeaking superhero cameos) and Alec Holland—the resurrected Holland, who has Swamp Thing’s memories and emotions but isn’t Swamp Thing… or something along those lines—spouts all this expository dialogue about how he feels.

It’s okay. It is okay. Snyder nails the emotional state. But why he uses expository dialogue instead of interior monologue (like he primarily does throughout the issue) is inexplicable. Unless he wanted a Superman cameo.

The series could go either way. Though Yanick Paquette is a little too loose for the plant stuff.

C+

CREDITS

Raise Dem Bones; writer, Scott Snyder; artist, Yanick Paquette; colorist, Nathan Fairbairn; letterer, John J. Hill; editors, Chris Conroy and Matt Idelson; publisher, DC Comics.

Detective Comics 875 (May 2011)

Snyder starts the issue poorly. He’s got two pages of Harvey Bullock narration. There’s no point to it. Then he moves to Jim Gordon and I kept waiting for Dick to show up to take over the first person. But he doesn’t; Snyder sticks to Gordon.

The issue is layered—almost confusingly so—between the present, with Gordon dealing with Junior’s return, and a flashback to the past, when everyone thinks Junior killed some girl. It turns out—in a convenient turn of events—maybe he didn’t.

Snyder can still backtrack, but the discovery does—at least in the context of a desperately hopeful father—raise reasonable doubt.

While using Jim Gordon as protagonist has gotten to be a crutch (how can he not be a compelling character), Snyder does well with all the layering. It’s his best issue since his first.

And Francavilla does better real people than superheroes.

CREDITS

Lost Boys; writer, Scott Snyder; artist and colorist, Francesco Francavilla; letterer, Jared K. Fletcher; editors, Janelle Siegel and Mike Marts; publisher, DC Comics.

Detective Comics 874 (April 2011)

I guess the approach is okay—Snyder and Francavilla take over the feature (continuing their backup) and it gives Jock time to do whatever Jock needs time to do.

Unfortunately, the one thing Snyder can’t do in dialogue is banter between Dick and Tim. Maybe it’s because Dick’s calling Tim “Red Robin” and it just sounds stupid. A lot of syllables and whatnot. Or also because the issue’s so fractured.

The opening is Jim Gordon meeting up with his kid and we find out the kid is trying to get better (I guess he’s a psychopath or something… kind of like when Alan Alda’s kid was a Republican in Everyone Says I Love You). It’s talking heads. Pointless talking heads, but not bad talking heads..

The Batman and Red Robin on patrol part of the issue is bad. It’s an elongated cliffhanger.

Snyder should be doing a lot better work.

CREDITS

Skeleton Cases, Part Three; writer, Scott Snyder; artist and colorist, Francesco Francavilla; letterer, Jared K. Fletcher; editors, Janelle Siegel and Mike Marts; publisher, DC Comics.

Detective Comics 873 (March 2011)

So the editor at DC read this script and said, “Yeah, this is good enough.” Interesting.

I don’t even blame Snyder because it’s clear he digs the early eighties Batman and he’s sort of modernizing it (with continuity adjustments). Oh, and referencing Misery. Got to have a major motion picture scene rip in each issue apparently.

Snyder skips explaining why Dick’s forgiving of the Gotham blue bloods. He also skips explaining Dick’s escape from them, which is a bigger deal.

He needs to save room for the showdown and Jock drawing a giant mutated Man-Bat variant? Very boring. Jock got famous for doing iconic action, not for doing creatures ripped off from Alien 4.

There’s not even a Jim Gordon backup this issue, which isn’t so much bad as awkward. I was expecting one.

Snyder’s actually good at characterizations and dialogue. He’s just a terrible plotter. He needs help.

CREDITS

The Black Mirror, Part Three; writer, Scott Snyder; artist, Jock; colorist, David Baron; letterer, Jared K. Fletcher; editors, Janelle Siegel and Mike Marts; publisher, DC Comics.

Detective Comics 872 (February 2011)

Unfortunately, the most interesting thing about this issue is Snyder revealing the Commissioner Gordon backup runs concurrent to the feature story. The Gordon backup, all talking heads and decent art, is a bore. All talk is no way to do a backup.

The feature, with Dick pursuing the evil auctioneers, rips off Eyes Wide Shut. Dick discovers Gotham society is secretly devoted to evil. If Snyder were commenting on rich Republicans being secretly demonic, it’d be funny. He’s not. He’s acting like no one would have noticed—in twenty years—the blue bloods were funneling their money into terrorist activities.

Someone like, you know, Batman.

The character stuff with Dick and his supporting cast is fine. Snyder writes a good Dick Grayson as Batman. Though all his internal angst is the same as it was in the eighties.

It’s inoffensive, unoriginal mainstream Detective.

Shame Jock’s art isn’t more impressive too.

CREDITS

The Black Mirror, Part Two; artist, Jock; colorist, David Baron. Skeleton Cases, Part Two; artist and colorist, Francesco Francavilla. Writer, Scott Snyder; letterer, Jared K. Fletcher; editors, Janelle Siegel and Mike Marts; publisher, DC Comics.

Detective Comics 871 (January 2011)

Snyder opens the issue with narration from Dick playing over the storyline’s inciting action. Still, it took until Alfred shows up in the next scene, talking to Dick in the penthouse, for me to realize Snyder and Jock’s Detective Comics is about Dick Grayson as Batman. I was honestly expecting him in the pixie boots.

It’s a straight mystery issue, with some superhero strangeness—one victim is Killer Croc Junior, another’s a Mad Hatter drone, the third has Poison Ivy’s vines growing out of him.

Where Snyder does well is with Dick acclimating to being Batman with Bruce around, learning to work with Commissioner Gordon—both as Batman and as Barbara’s ex-boyfriend or whatever. It’s good, though Jock’s art doesn’t seem suited for a procedural.

The Jim Gordon backup—with another Snyder script, but Francesco Francavilla on the art—is fine too. Though I never remember his son exists.

CREDITS

The Black Mirror, Part One; artist, Jock; colorist, David Baron. Skeleton Cases, Part One; artist and colorist, Francesco Francavilla. Writer, Scott Snyder; letterer, Jared K. Fletcher; editors, Janelle Siegel and Mike Marts; publisher, DC Comics.