Batman 75 Special Review: The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne

Title: The Brave and the Bold #197
Story: The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne
Characters: Batman, Catwoman, Robin (Dick Grayson), Batwoman (Kathy Kane)
Creators: Alan Brennert (writer), Joe Staton (artist), George Freeman (artist)
Publication Date: April 1983
Available In: Print | Digital

Summary: The story begins with an elderly Bruce Wayne sitting behind a typewriter reflecting on his early career as Batman, his adventures with his friends in the Justice Society, and his guardianship of Dick Grayson. He states that all of these individuals have been very important people in his life, but admits that the person who changed his life the most was his one-time adversary and later wife: Selina Kyle, the Catwoman. Bruce then takes us to the moment in his life that forever redefined his life's meaning.

Batgirl #33 Review

Title: Batgirl #33
Story: Deadline, Part 2
Characters: Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), Black Canary (Dinah Drake), Huntress (Helena Wayne)
Creators: Gail Simone (writer), Fernando Pasarin (artist)
Publication Date: July 2014
Available In: Print | Digital

Summary: Batgirl #32 saw the protagonist, Barbara Gordon, on the edge of her limits as a superhero after her arch nemesis, Charise Carnes (aka Knightfall), returned to Gotham bigger, badder, and more powerful than ever before. While Charise essentially shares the same goals as Barbara in that she wants to look out for Gotham's best interests, she also has an extreme and ultimately totalitarian idea of justice comparable to that of a dictator. Barbara is especially weary of her persistent use of violence as a way of getting her message across. The final straw for her was the amputating of Ricky Gutierrez' brother's hand to force the former into dropping his lawsuit against Barbara's father, James Gordon, for a shooting incident involving the GCPD. 

Knowing that she has to take things a step further if she is to take down Charise once and for all, Barbara recruits the help of her oldest and closet friend, Dinah Drake-Lance, who operates as Black Canary and the current leader of the Birds of Prey. Barbara fills her in on her case with Knightfall, and Dinah feels that she is embarking on a suicide mission, but agrees to help her out regardless. At the end of this conversation, they gain the support of one more individual, Helena Wayne, who chanced upon their meeting in one of her rare visits to Gotham.

Worlds' Finest #25 Preview

WORLDS' FINEST #25
Written by PAUL LEVITZ
Art by TYLER KIRKHAM
Cover by STEPHEN SEGOVIA
Power Girl and Huntress return to the ruins of Earth 2, but they question whether their trip was worth the effort as they discover the state of their former home and friends.
JULY 09 | RATED T | $2.99 | PRINT | DIGITAL

Batgirl #33 Preview

BATGIRL #33
Written by GAIL SIMONE
Art by FERNANDO PASARIN
Cover by ALEX GARNER
The deadline for all criminals to leave the area is fast approaching, and anyone left will be killed on sight. Knightfall lays down the law, but Batgirl has a plan of her own.
JULY 09 | RATED T | $2.99 | PRINT | DIGITAL

NOTE: This issue is part of the Batgirl: Deadline storyline (Batgirl #27-34).

Batman/Superman #12 Preview

BATMAN/SUPERMAN #12
Written by GREG PAK
Art by TOM RANEY & KEN LASHLEY
Cover by JAE LEE
A new arc begins following the events of “FIRST CONTACT.” The worlds of Batman and Superman come to an explosive clash as something terrible happens to the World’s Finest team, and a Dark Knight who is not quite himself must team up with Lois Lane to find a missing Man of Steel. Meanwhile, Selina Kyle encounters a person of amazing strength who has no idea who he is.
JULY 02 | RATED T | $3.99 | PRINT | DIGITAL

Worlds' Finest #24 Preview

WORLDS' FINEST #24
Written by PAUL LEVITZ
Art by SCOTT MCDANIEL
Cover by BARRY KITSON
Get ready for action as Power Girl and Huntress begin their journey back to Earth 2.
JUNE 11 | RATED T | $2.99 | PRINT | DIGITAL

Batgirl #32 Preview

BATGIRL #32
Written by GAIL SIMONE
Art by FERNANDO PASARIN
Cover by ALEX GARNER
Clandestine meetings, tapped phones, video surveillance--Barbara Gordon is being watched. Who has it in for her, and how can Batgirl investigate without compromising her secret identity?
JUNE 11 | RATED T | $2.99 | PRINT | DIGITAL

NOTE: This issue is part of the Batgirl: Deadline storyline (Batgirl #27-34).

Five Reasons Helena Bertinelli as a Woman of Colour Matters and More

Earlier this month, creators Tim Seeley and Tom King announced that a New 52 version of Helena Bertinelli would be debuting in the new series, Grayson, which would see Dick Grayson rebuilding his life as a spy after the events of Forever Evil outed him as Nightwing.This week saw the official first appearance of Helena Bertinelli as both an agent of Spyral and as woman of colour in the final pages of Nightwing #30.

As was to be expected in this situation, the change to Helena Bertinelli's appearance in the New 52 didn't go unnoticed. Many people supported the change and there were just as many who didn't. Those who supported the change saw this as a positive development for the character, and those who didn't complained about the change for all of the wrong reasons. Unsurprisingly, most of the complaints were, at best, deeply rooted in ignorance over the diversity of people that exist in Italy, and, at worst, rife with racist rhetoric.

Given the mixed bag of reactions the new Helena Bertinelli got, I decided to compile my own list of reasons for why this change actually works in her favour. Not just to enlighten the unenlightened, but also to express my own excitement for this development as well as address any concerns about where this could go given DC's awful track record with women in the New 52. But first, the positives!

Worlds' Finest #23 Preview

WORLDS' FINEST #23
Written by PAUL LEVITZ
Art by RB SILVA, SCOTT MCDANIEL, YILDIRAY CINAR
Cover by BARRY KITSON
Now that Huntress and Power Girl know their home world still exists, can they return to Earth 2 at last? The heroines debate whether they should go back!
MAY 14 | RATED T | $2.99 | PRINT | DIGITAL

Batman/Superman #9 Preview

BATMAN/SUPERMAN #9
Written by GREG PAK
Art by JAE LEE
Cover by JAE LEE
"First Contact" part 3, continued from WORLDS' FINEST #20. Batman, Superman, Huntress and Power Girl battle a massive new threat to the DC Universe. Meanwhile, Kaizen Gamorra unleashes the means to take down Superman, and an unbelievable discovery is made. Continued in WORLDS' FINEST (2012- ) #21!
FEBRUARY 26 | RATED T | $3.99 | PRINT | DIGITAL

NOTE: This issue is part of the First Contact story arc.