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The 4-part Batman "Grotesk" arc by Ostrander & Mandrake |
Nate
Posts: 1099
Location: Cheektowaga, NY
Joined: 29.07.05
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| Posted on 29-11-2006 20:53 |
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This arc will be on the 4-parter Grotesk arc apeparing on the Batman title comic book only.
BATMAN #659
PLOT:
Three horrific murders rock Gotham with only one gruesome connection: parts of the victim's faces have been carved away. Meanwhile, a brutal Russian gangster called Perun threatens Amina Franklin, a doctor working at Leslie Thompkins clinic, which brings in not only the Batman but his bizarre new foe: Grotesk!
REVIEW:
A change in the schelude has given us the 4-part Grotesk before continuation of Morrison/Kubert's time on the title. I wasn't sure of getting this arc as I was more interested in the issue of Joker's return than this. Realizing that it looked good before I ever read it, I decided to give it a chance.
It turned out I was wrong. This issue, and most likely the whole arc, is a pretty neat storyline. Its a mystery as promised, and the villian is one weirdo. Grotesk is a large man with the faces of his victims sowed together to make a face for himself and has a robotic arm with a flame thrower built in. This is someone I did not expect. He kills for his own brand of justice. The mystery of who this guy is deepens with the other characters we go face to face.
Speaking of other characters: the Russian mob is invovled in this story and a doctor named Amina Franklin. At first I thought since it was her clinic that Leslie Thompkins was in this story, returned from the events of the War Games arc, but she wasn't back in this story. Amina is another woman connected to Bruce Wayne (hey he's like James Bond when it coems to women), a doctor who owes the Russian mob money due from her brother who is dead. Her brother, someone Bruce Wayne also met, is considered a suspect because he might not have been killed and could be Grotesk. Odds are he could be, as we don't know who else Grotesk might actually be in this first part. We'll learn more as the story progesses.
Overall, this was a good issue. A mystery, odd new villian, the mob and a doctor all which deals with drugs. We're given enough in both character and plot to set us all up. I was wrong thinking this was going to be something that wouldn't be worth my time and money, but that was because at that time I wanted the Morrison/Kubert Joker issue after the "Batman & Son" arc. Now, I liked it and this four-parter most likely might become a good storyline. I say get it.
RATING: 8/10
You don't get it, boy... this isn't a mudhole... it's an operating table.
(crack!)
And I'm the surgeon.
- Batman - The Dark Knight Returns
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RE: The 4-part Batman "Grotesk" arc by Ostrander & Mandrake |
Darknight
Posts: 1010
Location: NW Arkansas
Joined: 26.06.05
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| Posted on 08-12-2006 08:46 |
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This one is definitely worth getting. Not a lot happened in the first part, but the storytelling and art are really good. The character Grotesk really lives up to his name and he has a really cruel way of punishing people he sees as being evil. Grotesk is out for vengeance not justice as Batman points out.
However, this is a pretty stereotypical Batman story with a new villain/anti-hero whose identity is possibly given in the first issue but things remain ambiguous, but will be revealed in either the next to last os final parts of the story. It is still a fun story worth picking up.
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RE: The 4-part Batman "Grotesk" arc by Ostrander & Mandrake |
spencer1984
Posts: 1271
Location: Upstate NY
Joined: 30.06.05
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| Posted on 08-12-2006 11:07 |
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Agreed, this was a good story. Actually, I'm impressed by how strong all of the Batman titles are at the moment (well, I haven't read Confidential yet; that will be this weekend). |
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RE: The 4-part Batman "Grotesk" arc by Ostrander & Mandrake |
Drunken Fist
Posts: 601
Location: Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Joined: 30.07.05
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| Posted on 08-12-2006 15:54 |
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I was happy to hear about this fill-in as soon as I heard the Ostrander/Mandrake team was doing it. Longtime Batman fans know what they're capable of, and welcomed them with open arms. These guys always deliver the goods. I haven't seen Mandrake's art on anything in a few years, and it's almost astonishing how good he's gotten. This first issue isn't the best thing Ostrander has written, but it was solid storytelling, and I have no reason to doubt that he'll deliver with the rest of this arc. THIS is how a fill-in should be done.
See my Myspace profile!
CHECK OUT MY BLOG! |
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RE: The 4-part Batman "Grotesk" arc by Ostrander & Mandrake |
real-dark-knight
Posts: 726
Location: The Shadow Of St Albans Abbey
Joined: 28.07.06
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| Posted on 08-12-2006 16:25 |
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spencer1984 wrote:
Agreed, this was a good story. Actually, I'm impressed by how strong all of the Batman titles are at the moment
Yep, agreed. Happy days! |
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RE: The 4-part Batman "Grotesk" arc by Ostrander & Mandrake |
Nate
Posts: 1099
Location: Cheektowaga, NY
Joined: 29.07.05
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| Posted on 14-12-2006 22:04 |
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BATMAN #660
PLOT:
As the mystery of Grotesk deepens, a vicious new player enters the game ? a Japanese yakuza named Johnny Kareoke! Batman confronts Karaoke and his murderous Geisha Grrls while the monstrous Grotesk strikes once again!
REVIEW:
After a surprisly good first issue, I waited to see the next issue of this 4-parter. We didn't have to wait, monthly standards, as it came out two weeks later.
The story wasn't like the first issue. It kinda went down a notch. Not that it was a bad issue, it was still good. But unlike the first part, it didn't have that "woah, thats a surprise" feel. To our mysterious villian, Grotesk, there was nothing new about him. He only had one appearence in one shot. The only thing relating to the mystery is that Batman still insists that Grotesk must be the brother to Amina Franklin.
But we did get a development in this issue. The appearence of the other villian in this story: Johnny Karaoke & his Geisha Girls of the the Japanese yakuza. How they fit into all this? Well Johnny bought the I-Gore device and wanted what he paid for. I don't know if he knows it doesn't work. What we know about him: he loves karaoke, as his name, and he fences with his sword, which he is bad at since.....well he foght and lost to Batman. His geisha girls aren't actually geishas. They don't have make-up like real geishas wear. They look and are like japanese models that happen to use swords and guns. At least one girl wore something more in the swordswoman sense. Beyond that, this is all we know for now.
Overall, again, this wasn't like the first issue. It was still good, but no surprises. We got developments and a new villian, but it didn't have that feeling I said the previous issue had. I did one comment to mention: in the last page, Batman says to the russian mob guy "Prepare to Bleed". Now in my mind, when he said that, I thought of Miller's Batman. Because thats something he would say. Of courase, as the lastb page, there was nothing more after that. So I guess we'll find out if Batman turns into Miller mode in the next issue.
RATING: 7.5/10
You don't get it, boy... this isn't a mudhole... it's an operating table.
(crack!)
And I'm the surgeon.
- Batman - The Dark Knight Returns
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RE: The 4-part Batman "Grotesk" arc by Ostrander & Mandrake |
Nate
Posts: 1099
Location: Cheektowaga, NY
Joined: 29.07.05
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| Posted on 29-12-2006 15:23 |
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BATMAN #661
Writer-John Ostrander
Art-Tom Mandrake
Letterer-John J. Hill
Cover Art-Gregory Lauren
Editor-Peter Tomasi
PLOT:
As a blizzard tightens its hold on Gotham, the monstrous Grotesk engineers a bloody confrontation between the forces of Perun and Johnny Kareoke ? with Batman caught in between! The lovely Dr. Amina Franklin holds the key to the mystery, but her silence may seal her fate.
REVIEW:
We're halfway there, one more issue to go. #661, part 3 of Grotesk, continues the mystery and action in this arc. More things happen here to get us ready for the conclusion. I'm glad we got this the same month as the previous issue as this story is very interesting. I will reveal spoilers so if you didn't read this issue and don't want to know them, go "bye-bye".
First off, we get some deaths. Grotesk is very much a killer in Batman's eyes as he considers himself to be a hero, more true than Batman. The I-Gore machine (I still can't believe they called it that because of our Grotesk-ed villian) has been on the minds of Russian and Japanese mafias. Grotesk sets the trap for them and they do pay the price. With the exception of one Geisha Girl, everyone from those two gangs die in this issue. While we won't be seeing that Geisha Girl anymore, this will give us the conclusion between Batman, Grostesk and the sister Amina Franklin.
This was a surprise for me because Johnny Karaoke and his Geisha Girls, I thought, were going to be around after this arc. They're interesting on one hand and generic the next, but good enough to have them again. Not in many stories but in the dark, known to still be around, and come back later in life. But obivious here, he won't be. Unless he's.....(checks pages)....nope, he can't come back. Unless....again, that Geisha Girl herself will come back and we find out more about them Geishas and Johnny but thats 50/50 to a million to oen shot.
Overall, this was another good issue. We got one more to go before Morrison comes back with the issue that will hopefully answer some questions from part 1 of "Batman & Son" but even before that issue comes back, I can honestly say that this has been a good mystery/suspense arc.
RATING: 8/10
What's in store for next issue: Batman vs. Grotesk, the conclusion to the 4-part arc.
You don't get it, boy... this isn't a mudhole... it's an operating table.
(crack!)
And I'm the surgeon.
- Batman - The Dark Knight Returns
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RE: The 4-part Batman "Grotesk" arc by Ostrander & Mandrake |
Nate
Posts: 1099
Location: Cheektowaga, NY
Joined: 29.07.05
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| Posted on 17-01-2007 22:04 |
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Sorry for being so late.
BATMAN #662
Writer-John Ostrander
Art-Tom Mandrake
Letterer-John J. Hill
Cover Art-Gregory Lauren
Editor-Peter Tomasi
PLOT:
The mystery is revealed in the shocking ending to Grotesk.
REVIEW:
As I said before, this arc was thought to be a bad one by me. But when I got the first part, it was actually pretty good. It balanced the detective side and the horror side with the action side. Each issue was like this. And now we are in the finale.
The mystery behind Grotesk kept unfolding issue by issue as more infomation about him was revealed. Now we are given what's left in this issue. Amina reveals to Bruce that she knew about Grotesk being her brother. Now, its obivious since part one that this was the case but they kinda played it off as if she might've not have. Amina revealed that when she was 6 and Wayne (Grotesk) was 10, their father was going to save them by killing them, stating that he wasn't going to be a black man criminal in a white man's prison. But before he could, Wayne killed their father and made Amina tell a lie so what really happen wouldn't be known by police. Now that influences what we see in this issue as that old saying "like father, like son" comes into play when Grotesk wants to escape, kidnaps Amina, and states he "doesn't wanna be a bad man criminal in a white man's prison".
Overall, this was another nice issue. Since the Grotesk revelation was the only thing to be revealed, thats why this review is short. That doesn't mean the issue is short. No, no. Theres alot of action that moves from the Wayne Penthouse, to Grotesk's hideout, to a ship from the portyard to the sea. So this was a nice issue and overall, this 4-part arc was good.
RATING: 8/10
What's in store for next issue: The Joker returns after his supposed death from "Batman & Son" in the issue by Grant Morrison.
You don't get it, boy... this isn't a mudhole... it's an operating table.
(crack!)
And I'm the surgeon.
- Batman - The Dark Knight Returns
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