Catwoman #77

Issue #75 didn't pull me in enough to put "Catwoman" on my pull list but it did make me want to see where the "Salvation Run" tied-in story was going. Well, two issues later and I can say that it was a satisfying read. The art from Adam Hughes' cover to David Lopez' penciling & Alvarardo Lopez' inking is really good. The covers are always fun - this one especially with the shocked and running Catwoman. The interiors are top notch. This team knows how to draw Catwoman. She stands head and shoulders above all of the other "heroes" in this book. I don't know how regular "Catwoman" readers found the detour over to "Salvation Run", but I was entertained. It wasn't earth shattering writing but it did make for a fun ride.

Batman and the Outsiders #5

This week DC and writer James Robinson announced a spin-off title called "Justice League". The mission of this team would be to be a proactive JL going after criminals. Now, I though that was supposed to be the mission of Batman & the Outsiders. I think that was probably true before Chuck Dixon stepped in at the last minute as writer. Now the Outsiders really serve as Batman's strong covert action team - somewhat related to the JLA. The first six issues of this series have been interesting and I like Dixon's take on Batman's team. This issue brings us one step closer to the launch of the OMAC-related satellites. I won't spoil it here but Dixon throws in a little twist right up front that took me to the reveal to understand what was going on. It will be interesting to see if he chooses to keep these two characters around for the long haul. Julian Lopez, Bit, & Marta Martinez continue to put out excellent art. Lopez does action well and his layouts are pretty good. The pacing throughout this issue is spot on and made the read quite enjoyable.

This is one of DC's best team books, beating out both "Teen Titans" and "Justice League of America" with its great writing and art.

Batman and the Outsiders #4

I'm having fun with "Batman & the Outsiders". Writer Chuck Dixon has done a great job of bringing his team together utilizing Batman as the lynchpin for most of the members being around. Green Arrow is onboard the team, if only temporary, in an issue that has him going head-to-head with new Outsider Batgirl. The confrontation between them is handled well, with Ollie's personality shining through. The overarching story inches forward a little bit in this issue as Batman and his cadre move to eliminate a threat. Dixon's use of nonlinear story telling is good and keeps the suspense up.

I really dig the art in this book. Penciller Julian Lopez, Inker Bit, and Colorist Marta Martinez produce beautiful pages. I like the painted look of the piece and Lopez' layouts are very good. I hope that DC can keep the creative team together on this book for a while. For Lopez, I guess that means getting the book out in a 28 day cycle...and that's not a bad thing for us readers.

Catwoman #75

I don't read "Catwoman". However, in perusing my LCS new comics rack I saw that "Catwoman" #75 was a "Salvation Run" tie-in. Having seen Catwoman fighting alongside the Outsiders in "Batman & the Outsiders", I was wondering how she ended up being sent off planet. After a recap of the events of "Salvation Run" #2, we catch up with Catwoman and Lex Luthor on the jail planet. The question that I have to address is

Is this comic required reading for "Salvation Run"? The answer is No. It provides a good side story involving Catwoman and some of the major players but it isn't critical reading for the miniseries.

It is a decent read and does provide some good character moments. I liked David Lopez's art and thought he did a good job of capturing all of the villains present here. Will Pfeifer's story serves as a connect-the-dots story to explain Catwoman's absence from the main miniseries after her arrival with Lex Luthor. He does a good job of getting Catwoman from A-to-B. The final splash page make me want to get Part 2 of this to see where Catwoman landed and what was going on.

For the long term, this issue didn't impress me enough to put this on my pull list.

Batman and the Outsiders #3

I'm sold on "Batman and the Outsiders". Writer Chuck Dixon is still building his sandbox but he his already having fun playing with what he has. The interaction between the Outsiders and the JLA team members in this issue is done well. However, don't let the cover fool you Black Canary and Martian Manhunter are no where to be scene in this issue. Penciller Juilian Lopez provides some nice panels here - my favorite being the one with Geo-Force, Metamorpho, Katana, and Black Lightening, the original Outsiders on hand. The interlude with Grace, Thunder, and Batgirl, while nicely drawn, left me wondering what it was doing in this book. It seemed to be there to give the reader a little T&A and not much else.

This book is off to a fine start. The art is good and Dixon's writing captures the team dynamics well. "Batman & the Outsiders" is climbing to the top of my must reads from my pull list.

Batman and the Outsiders #1

Of the DC "Trinity", I don't read the solo books of Batman. Growing up I was always a Superman fan and, since the George Perez days, a Wonder Woman fan. I never really got into Batman's solo adventures. I do, however, like seeing Batman bounce off of the other residents of the DCU. That is why you see "Superman/Batman", "Justice League of America", "Brave and the Bold", and, now, "Batman and the Outsiders on my pull list. I wasn't a huge fan of the Judd Winick "Outsiders". Nightwing never came across as strong as he did during the Wolfman/Perez Titans-era and the rest of the team didn't impress me. When I heard that Batman was taking over, I decided to give the title another try.

I was a big fan of the 80s version of "Batman and the Outsiders" and enjoyed seeing Batman quit the JLA to form his own team. While the stories were goofy and the reasons for being a team were weak, the book was a fun monthly read. The new Batman and the Outsiders has Batman establishing a team to take care of business that the JLA or JSA wouldn't want to sully their hands with. The team try out books were interesting but ultimately failed to capture the driving motivation for the team.

Writer Chuck Dixon starts "Batman and the Outsiders" on their first covert op and brings depth of character to each team member. Julian Lopez's pencils along with Bit's inking brings clean lines and outstanding visuals. I especially liked Marta Martinez's coloring. The muted colors fit the tone of the book and bring an almost painted quality to the art. Dixon looks to be taking this team in the right direction. Here's hoping that the creative team can stay together and on schedule.

With an outstanding cover by Doug Braithwaite, "Batman and the Outsiders" #1 is an excellent start to what I hope will be an outstanding team monthly from DC.