Jock

After Spider-Man, John Constantine is probably my favourite character in comics. I have a theory about this. (Bear with me, we'll get to the review.) Whereas Peter Parker is the character I aspire to be - the one who selflessly sacrifices himself for others and is forever striving to do his best and live up to his responsibilities... John Constantine is the character I'd be if I gave up trying. The character who says - "hey, the human race is a bunch of selfish bastards, so I'm gonna be a show more selfish bastard too. I'll help out if I can... but I'm gonna put myself first and not worry too much about breaking a few eggs as long as there's an edible omlette at the end of it". Or something. Along the way I'd get to smoke and drink and shag whatever I wanted and tell anybody who didn't like it exactly where to go. I'd get to thumb my nose at authority and even stick two fingers up at the devil himself. I'd still get to be a hero - I just wouldn't give a toss about what anyone else thought about it. Hmm... when you put it like that... Peter Parker looks like a lot of hard work for not much reward.

Most people consider John Constantine to be an Alan Moore creation, but though Moore did conceive the character and give him his first few outings in Swamp Thing, it was Jamie Delano who made him into a lead man. Although Delano hasn't written the regular book for about 20 years, but he does return to the character every now and then for a new mini-series or original graphic novel, and the latest of those, Pandemonium, has just been released in softcover.

This time Delano takes Conjob somewhere he's never been before - to wartorn Iraq, where he ends up facing off against one of his oldest enemies in a bizarre poker game for his life. The most interesting part of this story is the set up, a honey trap involving a mysterious Muslim woman that breaks taboos revealing John's weakness for women wearing burkas. It's witty and irreverent and reminds me of a 21st Century take on Raymond Chandler.

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It’s been a long time since I’ve read Hush or The Long Halloween, so the following statement might be incredibly present-biased:

Scott Snyder writes Batman better than anyone else.

I know people have issues with how dark Snyder likes to go, but that’s exactly what I love about it. Last I checked, Batman was dark. Gotham is dark. It’s supposed to be. If it’s light-hearted Batman you’re looking for, then I suggest looking up Adam West and Burt Ward. Otherwise, Snyder is definitely show more the way to go.

There are a decent handful of villains that Batman (Dick Grayson) has to chase after over the course of The Black Mirror - even the Joker shows up with a short cameo. It’s James Gordon, Jr., however, that steals the show. A psychopathic serial killer to beat all psychopathic serial killers, James Jr. is creepy to the bone. (No pun intended.)

I refuse to better-or-worse The Black Mirror with The Court of Owls, but they are both on my top 5 graphic novel shortlist.

Scott Snyder, my marriage proposal is still waiting an answer. show less

Really loved this TPB. Seeing Dick as Batman was actually fun, as he is his written as much more fallible than Batman, and that made some scenes much more interesting. I also couldn't wait to see the resolution of the son of Gordon arc. The penciler really managed to convey to us that he was a psycho trying to appear innocent. Loved it 'til the end. Ending sucks as usual, with an unresolved story like most comic "ends., so there is room for more afterward. American comics sucks hard because show more of that. Still a great read though. show less

This was probably the easiest 5 stars I’ve ever awarded a book.

I’m not someone who follows Batman on a regular basis so I really appreciated the short blurb at the beginning bringing me up to speed on what’s been happening in Gotham leading up to this arc. Basically, Bruce Wayne was thought to have been killed. In his place, the original Robin, Dick Grayson, took up the mantle of The Dark Knight. Alongside Oracle, Commissioner Gordon and Tim Drake as the new Red Robin, Batman once show more again tries to bring a feeling of safety to the streets of Gotham.

Dick is still trying to get comfortable under the cape and cowl when Gordon’s son, James, resurfaces. Commissioner Gordon has his doubts of his son’s true intentions but wants to believe he’s cleaned up his act. How can you blame him? James even admits to taking steps towards becoming more mentally stable by entering into voluntary medical trials regarding a new drug tailored specifically toward psychopaths. Barbara believes he’s more the same than ever and refuses to see anything positive in his sudden reappearance still fearing what she had seen in him as a child.

The collection takes you through several stories all connecting through a larger arc dealing with James’ return. This is some amazing work here produced by Snyder and I can easily see it becoming an instant classic. As usual, when a graphic novel is this strong, you can’t give all the credit to the writer. The artwork provided by Jock (a pseudonym for artist, Mark Simpson) is simply stellar. It reminded me a lot of Frank Millar’s work in Year One giving Gotham that gritty feel that stayed away from a more polished representation of the Caped Crusader's city.

Speaking of Gotham, like China Mieville’s presentation of New Crobuzon, Gotham is a central character in this tale. With characters often referencing the dangerous and unforgiving nature of the city, at times almost feeling that there is a living, beating evil heart below the buildings in concrete, tainting everyone and everything existing on top. It’s awesome stuff. It makes sense that with Bruce Wayne’s recent creation of Batman Inc., he would leave the toughest city to someone he trusts the most.

I like Dick as Batman just fine even though I initially had my doubts. It made me realize that someone else can inhabit the legendary crime fighter and still get the job done. I even enjoyed the wise cracking and acrobatic style that he brings to the character, something that surprisingly worked on a traditionally darker, more serious role. Synder lets Grayson’s personality shine through the cracks without going overboard, something Kevin Smith implored a little too much of with his portrayal of a "happier" Bruce Wayne in his second effort, "The Widening Gyre".

I’m shocked that Gordon’s son, James Jr., had gone unused for so long as Snyder’s version of this character is downright chilling. More specifically, the scene involving father and son sharing a conversation in a local Gotham diner was unsettling. I wondered if Miller’s Kevin from Sin City provided any inspiration for the character. Granted Kevin didn’t have a speaking role but I can imagine if he had any lines, he would have a similar tone.

Look, if you read any of my reviews and you share a love of Batman, you need to get this. It might be a little early to say so but I would put it up there with Miller’s epics from the 80s in terms of quality, it’s just that good. What are you waiting for? Go get this now! show less