Batman 343 (January 1982)

Yuck. Conway’s Detective is so good and his Batman is so bad. And he’s even got Gene Colan and Klaus Janson on the art here. With Janson’s inks, Colan doesn’t exactly look like himself. Everything’s a lot sharper, a lot more defined. It’s a good looking issue, but I don’t know if there’s a single panel I’d point out as Colan. On the other hand, I’d have easily been able to guess Janson worked on it.

The story’s atrocious–Batman versus some moronic new villain. The bad part isn’t even the plot, it’s Conway’s writing of the character. He’s got Batman talking to himself for a few pages, explaining everything for the reader… but not discovering some clue, it’s Batman describing swinging from a rope.

On the other hand, the Robin backup is well-executed. None of Conway’s problems in the feature show up in the backup. Maybe he’s overextended.

C-

CREDITS

A Dagger So Deadly…; writer, Gerry Conway; penciller, Gene Colan; inker, Klaus Janson; colorist, Adrienne Roy; letterer, John Costanza. Odyssey’s End; writer, Gerry Conway; penciller, Trevor von Eeden; inker, Rodin Rodriguez; colorist, Carl Gafford; letterer, P. Bernard R. Editors, Dave Manak and Dick Giordano; publisher, DC Comics.

Batman (1940) #342

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Conway’s promise of a Man-Bat story–the one he basically wasted the entire previous issue setting up–is not realized here. And I make that observation even with the issue having two fight scenes between Batman and Man-Bat and a bunch of flashback recapping his origin. It’s a silly story, requiring the reader to once again accept Batman is out of the loop.

I think some of the issue is with Conway trying to humanize Batman. He gives him faults and failings, but they’re contrived ones. Somehow the only faults Batman has are the ones moving the issue’s plot lines along.

Speaking of plot lines, this issue concentrates a lot on the mayoral race in Gotham. It’s not good or bad so much as a nice use of subplot.

Novick’s art is occasionally annoying, never spectacular.

The Robin backup’s just strange. Conway’s decided to write Robin’s narration like a Raymond Chandler detective.

Batman 342 (December 1981)

Speaking of plot lines, this issue concentrates a lot on the mayoral race in Gotham. It’s not good or bad so much as a nice use of subplot.

Novick’s art is occasionally annoying, never spectacular.

The Robin backup’s just strange. Conway’s decided to write Robin’s narration like a Raymond Chandler detective.

CREDITS

Requiem for a Hero; penciller, Irv Novick; inker, Frank McLaughlin; colorist, Adrienne Roy. Burn, Robin, Burn; penciller, Trevor von Eeden; inker, Frank Chiaramonte; colorist, Carl Gafford. Writer, Gerry Conway; letterer, Shelly Leferman; editors, Dave Manak and Dick Giordano; publisher, DC Comics.

Batman (1940) #341

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It’s the ghost of Wayne Manor! Actually, it’s just Man-Bat. It’s Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon bickering! Actually, they’re both just upset about politics. It’s a guest appearance from Dr. Thirteen! A really boring one.

Apparently, Conway wanted to do a Man-Bat story but also had an issue to fill. He pads this issue with a ludicrous “haunted” Wayne Manor mystery. Lots of things don’t make sense–primarily, Batman dismissing the idea of someone creeping around Wayne Manor. Or what about Batman not having a security system in place–even though he has a computer monitoring all Wayne Manor Batcave entrances, it doesn’t alert him when they’ve been breached.

The Novick art is a disappointment. Man-Bat looks silly.

There’s a two page Batman mystery–the Adrian Gonzales art is better than the feature’s.

Then the Robin backup with somewhat loose Trevor Von Eeden art, but not bad.

Batman 341 (November 1981)

The Novick art is a disappointment. Man-Bat looks silly.

There’s a two page Batman mystery–the Adrian Gonzales art is better than the feature’s.

Then the Robin backup with somewhat loose Trevor Von Eeden art, but not bad.

CREDITS

The Ghost of Wayne Mansion; writer, Gerry Conway; penciller, Irv Novick; inker, Frank McLaughlin; colorist, Adrienne Roy; letterer, Ben Oda. Murder Will Out; writer, Robin Snyder; artist, Adrian Gonzales; colorist, Roy; letterer, John Costanza. Night of the Coven; writer, Conway; penciller, Trevor von Eeden; inker, Mike DeCarlo; colorist, Carl Gafford; letterer, Oda. Editors, Dave Manak and Dick Giordano; publisher, DC Comics.

Detective Comics (1937) #507

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Conway doesn’t do much with Gotham City this issue, instead it’s just Batman in pursuit of the villainous Manikin. Except, of course, it’s not clear how villainous the reader is supposed to find her. She’s a tragic villain–Conway doesn’t give her any resolution past surviving, but I suppose there might be an insanity defense in her future.

Unfortunately, when it does come back to the prologue to the previous issue–Batman saved the Manikin (I assume the spelling is so DC could trademark the name) from a car bombing–there’s no real reaction from Batman. It’s all in a day’s work; Conway taking the time to make the Manikin and Batman have some history is pointless.

Still, it’s competent and nears being touching. Or at least implies nearing it.

The backup stories work. Barr’s regular people of Gotham is fanciful real life. Rozakis’s four page mystery is decent filler.

Detective Comics 507 (October 1981)

Still, it’s competent and nears being touching. Or at least implies nearing it.

The backup stories work. Barr’s regular people of Gotham is fanciful real life. Rozakis’s four page mystery is decent filler.

CREDITS

Dressed to Die!; writer, Gerry Conway; penciller, Don Newton; inker, Dan Adkins; colorist, Adrienne Roy. The Pursuit of Joy; writer, Mike W. Barr; artist, Dan Spiegle; colorist, Tatjana Wood. Diamonds Aren’t Forever!; writer, Bob Rozakis; penciller, Trevor von Eeden; inker, Steve Mitchell; colorist, Roy. Letterer, Ben Oda; editors, Dave Manak and Dick Giordano; publisher, DC Comics.

Green Arrow (1983) #4

Wow, what a weak ending. The issue is mostly action, which makes it completely different than the previous three. And it’s weak action with an absurdly weak bad guy. But weak or not, Green Arrow still needs to bring in Black Canary and some CIA agent (they quickly and inexplicably disappear) because he can’t handle the pirate guy alone.

Seriously, the big bad guy who gets at least a ten page fight scene is a pirate. It’s so lame, Green Arrow mocks it in the narration.

So the issue is atrocious on that front, but it doesn’t get any help from von Eeden’s crazy approach to action illustrating. He spends more time establishing something explodes than showing where the object is in relation to the characters. It’s impossible to follow.

The mystery’s resolution, once Barr remembers it, isn’t nearly worth the price of admission.

It’s a very disappointing last issue.

Green Arrow (1983) #3

At least in the eighties, people took the time to make the oil companies the bad guys. Now, when they’re even more clearly the bad guys, no one ever uses them. Except Syriana, I suppose, but I doubt Green Arrow’s solution will be to blow them all up.

One can hope though.

This issue just makes it all the more obvious how little it matters Green Arrow is the lead… It basically could be any superhero–and it only needs to be a superhero for a couple scenes, when Green Arrow beats up some oil company thugs.

It does open on a specific scene though, with Green Arrow torturing Count Vertigo through a perverse version of shooting an apple off the head.

Lots more impressive narrative illustrating from von Eeden here. I’m not even sure I’m fond of him, I just love how he and Barr make the story move along.

Green Arrow (1983) #2

I kept meaning to count panels per page, but I never paused and did it. I’m guessing the average page has twelve to sixteen panels. And it’s not a talking heads book. The amount of work von Eeden does here–the issue has town and country settings, not to mention some hallucinations–is incredible. Especially for a mainstream book with a mainstream artist.

Barr is pretty straightforward this issue with the narrative. No flashbacks, only one character appearing out of nowhere (Count Vertigo, one of Green Arrow’s regular villains–who knew Green Arrow even made regular villains?). It’s mostly just a mystery story, with a murder needing solving and characters revealing secret agendas.

It’s a compelling way to approach a limited series, because the mystery is what’s important, not the titular character. I mean, he’s sort of important, but it gets an otherwise uninterested reader on board.

Even if Count Vertigo is goofy.