Come one, come all to the Countdown before Countdown! We are post Identity Crisis, the powder keg paving the way for the event to end all events. I will stand here and say that this era of the DCU might be the most unified and exciting it has ever been (though a close second would have to be 2016-2017 Rebirth era). I would even dare call Countdown itself an event with how much impact it has line wide. With Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Gail Simone, and Judd Winick at the helm maneuvering all the power players into the places they need to be, there's not much that can go wrong!
[Batman - Under The Hood] ~ {Written by Judd Winick}
- Batman #635 - Under the Hood, Part I : "New Business" = In Media Res! As much as I find this device interesting in its application to the mystery of the Red Hood, the scene itself grows its own legs to set the tone of this story extremely well: an unbeatable ghost has emerged from the abyss to test the Batman - will Bruce and his soul make it out alive? Alfred's monologue frames the theme so beautifully, and it is fascinating to revisit this period in Batman's history; possibly one of the darkest eras right before the rebirth/revamp that occurs in Morrison's run. The fact that War Games immediately proceeds this is perfect as well, allowing for a seamless continuity into dealing with the major antagonists of this storyline. As for the back half of this issue, we get the best characterization of Black Mask by Winick, an equal parts sadistic and hilarious secondary antagonist whose presence brings a wonderful contrast to Batman at his breaking point. Who bought out stocks in Waynetech and Kord Industries?
- Batman #636 - Under the Hood, Part II : "First Strike" = I have to admire how Winick does such a good job of giving you just the right amount of catch-up and background of what has led up to this story in order to ease the reader into an engaging experience that doesn't require the massive amount of homework to enjoy. Doug Mahnke's art is on a whole other level. I love his pencils and expressions, and the depictions he gives of each character are so perfect. The last page reveal of Amazo brings a quality to the android assassin that we've never seen in his previous incarnations. An OP roided up alpha-bot who only speaks one language: annihilation. We get some hints scattered across the book, planting the seeds for the eventual reveal of who's under the Red Hood which fits extremely well on this reread. Throwing Nightwing in the mix is a brilliant play by Winick; the golden child vs the prodigal son!
- Batman #637 - Under the Hood, Part III : "Overnight Deliveries" = What a brawl! Although Amazo wasn't at full OP capacity, I enjoyed how Winick devised a realistic and engaging way of having Dick and Bats take him down. The narration by Nightwing was the cherry on top, an awesome evaluation of how Batman operates in high pressure scenarios while giving us some wonderful commentary on the use of Robin in the field as a distraction. Great sequence overall, but the wild card villains bumping heads is so much fun! Mister Freeze is the most interesting I've ever seen him, and his presence is enhanced tenfold by the banter between him and Black Mask. Winick feels so at home with some of these scenes, and I wish some of this stuff made it into the animated movie.
- Batman #638 - Under the Hood, Part IV : "Bidding War" = And here it is! Although I'm sure the reveal with Batman will maintain much more weight and consequence once we return to that flashforward, this Joker sequence was nothing short of excellent. Winick has crafted a sublime character aura around the reborn Jason Todd allowing each scene he's in to produce exciting and intriguing dynamics as he is reintegrated into the world of the Batman. The three-way showdown between Freeze, Hood, and the dynamic duo was way too fun, and Mahnke's art + panel economy births a perfect storm for the prime monthly comic. Kryptonite as the MacGuffin entails insidious designs that are to come, and I'm eager to see how this segues into Countdown.
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