Comics Reviews: Batman 372, Detective 539, Batman & the Outsiders 11, Firestorm 24, Vigilante 7

Batman 372 coverBatman #372 – “What Price, the Prize?” – Doug Moench/Don Newton/Alfredo Alcala

This one gets heavy into the world of boxing, so I assume Doug Moench (and maybe Don Newton, since he’s credited as co-plotter) were big fight fans. Dr. Fang is still hot to fix a championship bout and make a ton of money betting on an underdog. Fang settles on an up-and-comer named Tommy Dunfey, currently ranked tenth in the boxing scene. He sends his goon to talk to Dunfey’s trainer (Rudy) and suggest that Dunfey might have a chance against the champ. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 372, Detective 539, Batman & the Outsiders 11, Firestorm 24, Vigilante 7”

Comics Reviews: Batman 371, Detective 538, Batman & the Outsiders 10, Firestorm 23, Vigilante 6

Batman 371 coverBatman #371 – “Nine Cradles of Death” – Doug Moench/Don Newton/Alfredo Alcala

This one starts with Thomas Blake (aka Cat-Man) in prison in some kind of trance-like state, a condition he’s been in for weeks. The prison doctor diagnoses cataphoria or catatonia (Doug Moench really goes overboard with the cat stuff in this issue) and tells Blake’s cell mate (Collins) not to worry about it. Collins is a little freaked, but goes about his daily life and ends up talking in his sleep about some loot from a big robbery that he stashed in some catacombs. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 371, Detective 538, Batman & the Outsiders 10, Firestorm 23, Vigilante 6”

Comics Reviews: Batman 370, Detective 537, Batman & the Outsiders 9, Firestorm 22, Vigilante 5

Batman 370Batman #370 – “Up Above the Sin so High” – Doug Moench/Don Newton/Alfredo Alcala

As we saw last issue, Batman is in Montreal helping Alfred and Julia, so Jason (Robin) Todd is on his own back in Gotham. He gets tired of studying, so he heads out on patrol and finds a couple of thugs busting up an arcade. The thugs work for Gotham’s newest crime lord, Dr. Fang, and they’re trashing the arcade because the owner bought his machines from someone other than Dr. Fang. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 370, Detective 537, Batman & the Outsiders 9, Firestorm 22, Vigilante 5”

Comics Reviews: Batman 369, Detective 536, Batman & the Outsiders 8, Firestorm 21, Vigilante 4

Batman 369 coverBatman #369 – “Target Practice” – Doug Moench/Don Newton/Alfredo Alcala

This one starts with Julia and Alfred in Montreal. Julia is telling Alfred how her adoptive father, Jacques Remarque, died of a supposed heart attack, falling off a bridge into the river. His body was never recovered and Jacques left a letter telling Julia that Alfred was her biological father. Julia suspects Jacques may have been murdered and it seems she may be right, as a sign above her and Alfred is shot and falls toward them. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 369, Detective 536, Batman & the Outsiders 8, Firestorm 21, Vigilante 4”

Comics Reviews: Batman 368, Detective 535, Batman & the Outsiders 7, Firestorm 20, Vigilante 3

Batman 368 coverBatman #368 – “A Revenge of Rainbows” – Doug Moench/Don Newton/Alfredo Alcala

This one starts with Jason Todd (who’s now officially Batman’s new sidekick) still trying to come up with a name for his costumed identity. They’re stuck until Dick Grayson shows with a suggestion of his own. Across town, Crazy Quilt is talking to a scientist named Kinski who’s built a device to help Crazy Quilt regain his eyesight (which he lost fighting Robin back in Batman 316). Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 368, Detective 535, Batman & the Outsiders 7, Firestorm 20, Vigilante 3”

Comics Reviews: Batman 367, Detective 534, Batman & the Outsiders 6, Firestorm 19, Vigilante 2

Batman 367 coverBatman #367 – “The Green Ghosts of Gotham” – Doug Moench/Don Newton/Alfredo Alcala

This one starts at a once-elegant Gothic mansion in Gotham;s slum. The mansion has seen better days, but was recently purchased and we see a purple cloud of spores being released from the skylight. The spores—six million strong—drift across Gotham, but luckily only fifteen end up doing what they were designed to do. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 367, Detective 534, Batman & the Outsiders 6, Firestorm 19, Vigilante 2”

Comics Reviews: Batman 366, Detective 533, New Teen Titans 37, Firestorm Annual 1

Batman 366 coverBatman #366 – “The Joker is Wild” – Doug Moench/Don Newton/Alfredo Alcala

Last time, Batman and Vicki Vale both ended up in Guatemala, where Joker has been stirring up trouble between the government and some rebels, hoping they’ll decimate each other so he can take over the country and turn it into a gigantic theme park. Batman and Vicki escaped Joker’s hideout in an ancient Mayan temple, but Joker still plans to kill a top General (Diaz) and make sure the rebels are blamed. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 366, Detective 533, New Teen Titans 37, Firestorm Annual 1”

Comics Reviews: Batman 365, Detective 532, Batman & the Outsiders 4, Firestorm 18, Vigilante 1

Batman 365 coverBatman #365 – “Ruins” – Doug Moench/Don Newton/Alfredo Alcala

Last time, we saw Vicki Vale heading to Guatemala for a hot story. She tracked down a shipment of guns from the USSR, funneled through Cuba, and intended for rebels in Guatemala. As she’s taking photos of the rebel trucks, another convoy shows up to hijack the weapons. The newcomers aren’t government soldiers … in fact, they seem like rebels themselves, just with newer equipment and perfectly coordinated moves. Vicki wonders if these new “rebels” might be a CIA-trained team out to expose the rebels’ connections to Cuba. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 365, Detective 532, Batman & the Outsiders 4, Firestorm 18, Vigilante 1”

Comics Reviews: Batman 364, Detective 531, Batman & the Outsiders 3, Firestorm 17

Batman 364 coverBatman #364 – “The Man of a Thousand Menaces” – Doug Moench/Don Newton/Alfredo Alcala

This one starts with the Brewster family attending the circus in a small Indiana town. Mr. Brewster has his wallet lifted while waiting in line, but his wife convinces him to see the show before reporting it. Unfortunately, the pickpocket is after more than just petty cash; he gets the Brewster’s address from the wallet and goes to break into their empty house. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 364, Detective 531, Batman & the Outsiders 3, Firestorm 17”

Comics Reviews: Batman 363, Detective 530, Batman & the Outsiders 2, Firestorm 16

Batman 363 coverBatman #363 – “Elegant Night Crimes” – Doug Moench/Don Newton/Alfredo Alcala

For the past week, a mysterious man in black (Night-Thief) has been committing robberies around Gotham. Batman has had no luck catching him, as Night-Thief is well-trained and seems to be at one with the darkness. Night-Thief turns all his acquisitions over to his lady, Nocturna (aka Natasha Knight), who he worships—rather creepily—as the Mistress of the Night. Nocturna is pleased with his gifts, but tells him it’s time to strike at her employers … and she knows the perfect occasion. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 363, Detective 530, Batman & the Outsiders 2, Firestorm 16”