With the holiday weekend beginning I got an early present going into the weekend with a wrap up of the comics that were released this past week. We had a pretty big week with Batman/Catwoman #11 finalizing the set-up for the big conclusion to Tom King’s Batman narrative. Along with that we had major developments taking place in X-Men #10. Let’s take a look at how these two major comics from DC Comics and Marvel turned out.
In case you missed them reviews with full spoiler synopsis are live for Batgirls #5 and Wonder Woman #786.
BATMAN/CATWOMAN #11
Creative Team
Writer: Tom King
Artist: Clay Mann
Colorist: Tomeu Morey
Review
At this point we know what Batman/Catwoman is all about. You are either all in on the shifts between the three time periods or not. That said, Tom King still has not learned how to best shift between the different timelines. It is by far the biggest narrative problems that Batman/Catwoman #11 has. The flow between timelines is just not there. This ends up impacting the big storyline around Phantasm as you never can get fully invested Andrea Beaumont story as we don’t get to spend much time with her. Instead a lot of Andrea’s character development is through the actions Selina Kyle makes.
Because of this narrative choice what King loses a lot is the sense of suspense with what is going on. All the elements are there for you to be invested in what is going on with Andrea’s story and how Batman, Catwoman, and Joker play such a big factor in it. But because of the way the story is told you aren’t as concerned because King reminds you how Andrea’s story end with her death. Being reminded of that early on in Batman/Catwoman #11 I don’t find myself as emotionally as the scenes with the two timelines with Batman and Catwoman are supposed to be.
That said, where Batman/Catwoman #11 excels is the future setting with Helena Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Selina Kyle. King and Mann do well integrating some Batman Beyond elements to this future time period where Helena is Batwoman. The way Mann drew the interaction between Helena and Dick in particular showed that the former is a mix of both parents, though here she tended to act like her mom more. What was particularly interesting was what Helena and Selina said about how Bruce built a family that Selina didn’t seem to feel part of even in marriage. It makes where the future plotline is going something I am most invested in.
All that said, Batman/Catwoman #11 was more of the same. The pacing is what it is. By far the most interesting aspect of this story is the future Gotham City story with Helena Wayne. The rest of the issue suffers from lack of fully connecting to the narrative because of the lack of tension for what will happen in those two plots. With one issue left I do wonder how King and Mann will tie everything together.
Story Rating: 5 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 6.5 Night Girls out of 10
X-MEN #10
Creative Team
Writer: Gerry Duggan
Artist: Javier Pina
Colorist: Marte Garcia
Review
Finally, after 10 issues of the latest X-Men series, we get a spotlight on Laura Kinney’s Wolverine. Thus far Laura has been mostly the muscle of the team who does a lot of the dirty work with the front line fighting. Best of all is Gerry Duggan and Javier Pina found the exact mission that would best showcase how far Laura she has come while sticking with the long-term Dr. Stasis and Orchis plotline. Lady Deathstrike being involved further drew connections to how personal this mission was.
The surprise twist with Lady Deathstrike’s involvement as she goes through a major change because of Orchis drove home how big of a threat the organization is. Especially with the other major threat of Moira X in the background we are seeing how the fallout from Inferno is continuing to get bigger as it directly impacts all the X-Men teams.
While this was a spotlight issue on Laura we do get to see more of the team showing that they are actively working to stop Orchis. Even if they don’t join Laura on the mission it is clear the X-Men aren’t going to be waiting around for the Quiet Council or others approval to act. They are doing their own work to make sure they are ready for what is coming. Which is incredibly refreshing to see a superhero team portrayed in this way.
Overall X-Men #10 was a strong, character focused issue that served to build up the greater plotline around the Orchis organization. Duggan and Pina worked well together to showcase Laura Kinney’s Wolverine as we see how far she has come. When X-Men #10 is done you are left looking forward to what comes next with the bigger picture being developed in this series.
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 7.5 Night Girls out of 10