While readers are waiting for Geoff Johns & Gary Frank to finish Doomsday Clock before the end of the year, and for Johns to either find another writer to take over Shazam! or finish the current storyline then hit the reset button, an even busier writer has authored the best mystery story arc of the year.
That, of course, would be Brian Michael Bendis, who has written some compelling stories in this genre (i.e. Jinx) in the past. Bendis is shepherding DC's Event Leviathan, a six issue miniseries that has ties to Greg Rucka's Lois Lane 12-parter, which bowed last month.
Leviathan had been an organization under the direction of Talia al Ghul, daughter of Ra's, ex-girlfriend (sort of) of The Batman, a neo-terrorist in a fashion model's body, so why has Bendis steered Leviathan toward Superman? Your guess is as good as mine. Paired once more with artist Alex Maleev, with whom he'd helped bring Daredevil back to the top of the best seller list at Marvel, Bendis is challenging the reader as well as the heroes in trying to unmask the new leader of Leviathan, who has overthrown Talia.
However, I for one wouldn't be at all surprised if they went to a predictable suspect that no one thinks of. Ra's is appearing in Batman & The Outsiders as part of the Year of The Villain event, but I wouldn't rule him out of taking over his daughter's group, too.
Rating: Incomplete.
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Speaking of Ra's & Talia, the former's first appearance in Batman was selected as the first of DC's facsimile edition reprints. Batman #232, first released in 1971, has been reprinted a few times before, but, as is the case with Marvel's facsimiles, not with the original ads and letter column pages included. Denny O'Neil & Neal Adams created the first iconic villain of the 70's, and the fact that Adams' forthcoming Bat-miniseries with Ra's is due soon helps suggest that Ra's will have a bigger role than you think going forward.
However, this classic tale is Adams at the peak of his powers. As a writer, he's questionable. As an artist, he is non-pareil.
Rating: A.
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Today, Jim Cornette is a commentator with Major League Wrestling (check your listings). In the 80's, he went from a photographer to becoming an iconic rule-breaking manager for the Midnight Express, a wisecracking, tennis racquet carrying loudmouth playing the part of a spoiled rich boy from Louisville. Today, he has a podcast or two that has excerpts on YouTube, filled with blue language, but deep down, Cornette is also a wrestling historian.
Cornette, aided by writer Brandon Easton, moves into the world of comic books, thanks to IDW, with the graphic novel, Jim Cornette Presents: Behind The Curtain--Real Pro Wrestling Stories, in which Cornette discusses a number of legendary tales of the business. From a 1975 plane crash that nearly ended Ric Flair's Hall of Fame career before it really got started to the infamous 1997 Montreal Screwjob in the WWE, Cornette lays out the details, including one factoid about the Montreal '97 incident that you probably didn't know about.
Oh, yeah, he also manages to discuss his time as a member of the WWE creative team without mentioning fanboy-turned-pariah Vince Russo by name. Just as well.
Rating: A+.
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