Comic Related - If It's Comic Related, You'll Find It Here!

Bill Gladman on the issue

Sometimes I feel as though I live on an island. I very small island on which I find myself surrounded by nothing more than an overwhelming supply of coconuts and beyond that, in the turbulent waters that lap at my toes, thousands upon thousands of hungry, man eating sharks. They circle my little island and wait patiently for me to step foolishly into those hostile waters, to take a bite out of the good ol' G-Man.

They wait for the perfect moment to strike. Moments when I brave the water just long enough to run out into the sea until it comes up to about my waist and shout things like...

"I liked the Spirit movie!"
"I thought Jersey Girl was awesome!"
"I don't see what's so special about Blackest Night!"
"Deadpool gives me a headache!"

And then I quickly run back to my sand filled sanctuary before the aggravated sharks can get me.

Today I brave those hostile waters once more.

"I Like Batman-The Widening Gyre!"

Oh crap! Here they come....whew...that was too close for comfort!!

Anyway...Batman Widening Gyre #5 by writer Kevin Smith, artist Walt Flanagan, and Andy Thibert on the inking chores makes my pick for Hot Shot of the Week. Yeah, I know it's a D.C. book...live with it.

I personally like Kevin Smith's comics much more than I do his movies (and I love his movies...most of them ...didn't care for Zack and Miri). Kevin's story telling on this book has been great. It's been a slow, methodical read that reminds me in some ways of that classic Master of Kung Fu stuff. Every detail in the story is there for a reason and you can just feel the story coming to a slow boil as it simmers from issue to issue. And in issue #5 you get the feeling the pot is really going to boil over with issue #6, the last issue of this limited series.

This story has been a great introspective look at Bruce Wayne, and Batman. They are very much two different people, yet the same. I find the most interesting aspect of this story to be the difference in Bruce as in regards to his love life, when the mask is on and when it is off.

As Bruce Wayne he's involved with an incredible woman and fascinating character from his past, Silver St. Cloud, which I was so happy to see Smith bring back. She's everything that Bruce Wayne needs in a woman and he's damn lucky to have her. And he knows this. She knows he's Batman, accepts that fact, plus she's drop dead gorgeous and intelligent. Bruce actually finds himself thinking about possibly giving up the Batman identity and letting a new, mysterious crime fighter that has appeared in Gotham take his place as the city's protector so he can spend the rest of his life with Silver.

But at the same time, when he's Batman...and prowling the rooftops and streets of the city he has sworn to protect he seems to forget about Silver altogether and finds himself in the arms of another woman that truly understands that side of him better than anybody else. That woman being Selina Kyle, Catwoman.

Talk about being caught between the hammer and the anvil.

A great story filled with great Batman back story, rich characterization and more obscure villains you can shake a batarang at.

I'm loving this book, and have no complaints. I'll hate to see it end. I know there are several die hard fan boys out there (also known as sharks or coconuts in my previous metaphor) who do not like Walt Flanagan's work on this title and think he only got the gig because he's a close personal friend of Smith's. Personally I think Walt's work on the book is better than 80% of the art out there in other books.

Damn here come those sharks again.

Seriously, Walt if you're reading this, you can draw for me any time. Yes that's a serious offer. Look me up.

Everybody else. Bite me.

Batman The Widening Gyre-#5 well worth each of the two hundred and ninety-nine pennies you'll pay for it. Check it out.

Writer: Kevin Smith
Art: Walter Flanagan & Art Thibert
Cover: Bill Sienkiewicz
Variant Cover: Gene Ha
Publisher: DC Comics

As Batman and a new partner-against-crime tackle the streets of Gotham City, Bruce Wayne's personal life takes a step to the side as the women in his life force him into an awkward position.

PRICE: $2.99
IN STORES: March 10, 2010