Hmm, the dearth of Death in the Family titles this week is a little disappointing, with just one title, Teen Titans #15, bringing in the goods. Interesting though how inexperienced the Teen Titans seem to be in the New 52, getting laid in to a trap by the Joker and getting overwhelmed at the same time. The issue does showcase some of Tim Drake’s worth, without him, the Titans do seem a little lacking (Superboy is missing in this title as well), also, Joker seems to be a decent chalkboard artist. 4 out of 5.
Here’s a special mention on The Amazing Spider-Man #700. Most folks speculate that Peter Parker will be back but unlike Batman and Captain America (both have died and came back, with Cap’s body nearly been taken over by the Red Skull), Doctor Octopus seemed to have committed the ultimate switch-a-roo and kill his archrival in the process.
There are no sacred cows in comics, but since the writer has mentioned the impact of Gwen Stacy’s death (and she’s still dead btw) as an influence, I’m thinking Dr Octopus is in as the Superior Spider-Man for the long haul. Furthermore, there’s another character related to Spider-Man who stayed dead for very long, Uncle Ben. I would like to think that in ASM 700, Peter Parker provided Doc Ock the “Uncle Ben” push to do the right thing. The Amazing Spider-Man gets a 5 out of 5.
Batman: The Dark Knight #15 closes the story arc between Batman and the Scarecrow. Even though Batman nearly sacrifices himself when saving Gotham (one wonders whether someone can take his blood and then match it with that of Bruce Wayne, so much for his secret identity huh), the issue lacks impact, more like a cookie-cutter tale of outsmarting the villain, and throwing him back into Arkham. The cover art though, is rather interesting, which just goes to show how much potential this arc had. 4 out of 5.
The New Old X-Men. Time travel can be so messy sometimes but it seems that superstar scribe Brian Michael Bendis has other things in mind as the young teenage X-Men from the past are here to stay in the present, with the aim of righting wrongs. This decision, brought about in All New X-Men #5 is certainly a twist to the usual time-travel stories, and it does present a juicy opportunity for the (young) Cyclops of the Jean Grey School of Higher Learning versus the current Cyclops of the NEW Charles Xavier School for the Gifted. 4.5 out of 5.
