Batman and the Outsiders #8 (1984)

Batman and the Outsiders #8 (March, 1984)
"The Hand that Rocks the Cradle..."
Writer - Mike W. Barr
Artist - Jim Aparo
Colorist - Adrienne Roy
Editor - Len Wein
Cover Price: $0.75

Welcome to the first day of Christmas on Infinite Earths... in July!

Figured this would be a fun little diversion... from this diversion I call blogging.  I've always enjoyed Christmas stories in comics.  They always take me back to my childhood... back when we would only be able to see Holiday programming around the holidays.  No on-demand or streaming video back then.  We'd actually plan a night around watching Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer or A Charlie Brown Christmas.  

The comics would either take the month off from crime-fighting to hit us with a character piece or morality play... or would just add a few snow banks to the backdrop as the heroes went about their usual business.  I appreciated it either way, as it gave me something where I could "place" the book in time.  Not always the best stories... usually, quite the contrary... but I enjoy many of them anyway...

Also, let's face it... what better to do on horrendous triple-digit Phoenix summer days than talk about snow-filled Christmas comics, right?

This is only the start... next month I'll be dreaming of these "mild" temperatures!

I've been looking forward to this theme-week for a little while now, and I'm excited to beat the heat and share some Holiday tales.  Hope you enjoy!

--

We open with a monologue from the Phantom Stranger.  In the foreground, we see the Outsiders team (Batman included) being mobbed by what appear to be feral toddlers.  As we enter the story proper, we join a pair of expectant parents (Ted and Carol) as they finish up their Christmas shopping.  When they arrive home, they are surprised to see the police at their next door neighbor's house... and so, they pop in.

Inside, they meet Gotham Lt. Freeman, and Batman.  As it turns out, their neighbor's infant child has been kidnapped!  The widowed neighbor, Mrs. Deb Whitfield, explains that when she was checking in on her child she was kayoed by an unseen intruder.  When she came to, the nursery was a wreck and her child was nowhere to be seen.  Ted and Carol take Deb home with them while the police (and Batman) conduct their investigation(s).

We shift scenes to Outsiders Katana and Halo in their civilian garb as they do some Christmas shopping of their own.  It's a fairly depressing scene, as both lament the fact that they do not have any family to celebrate with.  This time of year is especially difficult for them both... and so, they return to Outsiders HQ and go about their "Danger Room" exercises with the rest of their team... minus Black Lightning...

Who is visiting the grave of Trina Shelton, a former student of his who was killed by a stray bullet.  In the distance, we see Trina's parents.  They appear to hold Pierce responsible for the death of their daughter, and as such have paid a very 1980's looking woman called New-Wave to have her Masters of Disaster "disappear" Pierce.

Batman follows up on a tip in regard to the missing Whitfield child.  His lead brings him to the Gotham City Police Department where he is shown an elderly fellow who cannot speak or walk... but whose prints were found at the scene of the crime.  As it turns out, this old fella isn't a kidnapper... he's actually the child who was believed to be kidnapped!  This is revealed when Batman, on a hint from the Phantom Stranger, cross-references some fingerprints.

We get a brief vignette showing both Metamorpho and Geo-Force unsuccessfully attempt to connect to their loved ones.  Rex is call-blocked from talking his lady love, and Brion is unable to get in touch with his brother.

Back to Batman, he visits the Happy Time Nursery School, and finds out that all of the children who were checked in that morning are now inhabiting the bodies of the extremely aged.  As Batman pauses to process the information, the Phantom Stranger appears to him once again.  They conclude that the next site of these strange aging occurrences will be the Gotham Children's Hospital.

We rejoin Geo-Force, who comes across the expectant couple from the beginning.  Their car is stuck in the snow, and Carol's about ready to pop!  Brion lifts their car and flies them to the hospital.  Once there, Carol gives birth to a bouncing... grown-up?  

The child is delivered... and is instantly transformed into the villainous Tannarak!  The Phantom Stranger is Johnny on the spot, and the two enter into a mystical battle.  Luckily, as this is all going down, the Outsiders are delivering gifts to the hospital on behalf of the Wayne Foundation... and Batman is there following up on his hunch.

We get a brief recounting of recent events in Tannarak's life.  He was de-aged to the point where he no longer inhabited a body... he was nothing more than a mass of life-essence... who preyed upon the essences of infant children to get back to the point when he could make a return to a flesh form.

The Outsiders get in on the action, and are soon swarmed by that group of feral children from our opening page.  The team carefully neutralizes the threat.

The Stranger and Tannarak continue their fight, and ol' Judas decides he's just had enough of Tannarak's crap.  He kills the villain... and in so doing, returns all of the sapped life essence he'd stolen back to their proper owners.

Moments later, Carol begins delivering another baby!  The doctors are shocked, as she was surely only carrying one baby this whole time.  The Stranger is not surprised, and offers that perhaps a "higher good" intervened to "balance the scales" on this day.

We wrap up with the Outsiders looking through the hospital nursery's window.  Moments such as this make them put their own problems into perspective.  They decide that this may just be the most perfect Christmas present of all!

--

Now, I love Christmas stories and really dig The Outsiders... but, yeah... this was a bit of a dud.  I felt like I was missing something the whole time I was reading this... like, why did the babies attack... because they were shot with a ray?  What did the Phantom Stranger do to kill Tannarak?  Did he really just decide not to screw around anymore... and just off him?  I dunno, maybe I'm just dense!

The character bits strewn throughout this issue is where it truly shined.  Katana and Halo playing their game of "can you top this" in regard to their lack of families was nice to see, as it came across as quite human.  We all know that person who we can't ever seem to complain around... because, regardless of how bad your day was, you can bet your bottom dollar that their's was worse!  It makes you feel silly and even a bit angry... like sometimes, you just need to vent... and want somebody to listen.  Maybe Halo and Katana just aren't "there" yet...

Rex and Brion's problems getting in touch with their loved ones was interesting to see as well.  We really get the feeling that they are hurting... The holiday season can be especially brutal when you're away from your family.  We come to understand that all of these characters are not Outsiders "in name only"... and it really endears them to this reader.

Jim Aparo's art is, ya know... really really good.  Not a whole lot more to say about that... it's just a really pretty book to look at!  From facials to action... incredible!

Overall, I enjoyed this for what it was... but, like I said above... it is kind of a dud.  I felt no connection to Tannarak... or the Phantom Stranger.  Throughout the action scenes, the Outsiders could have been interchanged with any superhero team without losing much.  Though, the character pieces and art are wonderful.

--

Letters Page:

--

Interesting Ads:

I gotta see one'a these...

LIFESIZED photos of King Kong???

DC/Marvel All Access #2 (1997)

DC/Marvel All Access #2 (Early February, 1997)
"Two Sides of the Same Coin"
Story - Ron Marz
Pencil Art - Jackson Guice
Finished Art - Joe Rubinstein
Colors - Lee Loughridge
Separations - Digital Chameleon
Letters - Bill Oakley
Associate Editor - Chris Duffy
Editor - Mike Carlin
Omniversal Monitor - Mark Gruenwald
Cover Price: $1.95

Happy 4th of July to any and all folks from the USA... and anywhere else for that matter.  Shouldn't leave anybody out.  When I was trying to think of what to cover to commemorate Independence Day, my mind immediately went to this issue.  I figure discussing and issue with Superman standing in front of the flag, or an early-80's Freedom Fighters issue would be a bit too obvious...

So instead... we're focusing on fireworks!  Lucky for me, there's this guy called Access who can bring characters back and forth between the Marvel and DC Universes... it's because of him that we can read a story about X-Men/Generation X member Jubilee in the DC Universe!

I guess this also provides me with the opportunity to drop a mention of Marvel Mondays over at Weird Science DC Comics.  I will be their resident "X-Men guy"... so be sure to check that out.

--

It's established during the open that all the Marvel and DC characters are back where they belong.  There's no more Amalgam Universe, and everything is back to normal.  We join Axel Asher, the man known as Access on a date with a woman named Ming.  They're sharing a carriage ride through (Marvel's) central park.  Axel is nebulously apologizing for his recent bout of disappearing acts when he becomes startled by a scattering of fireworks lighting up the night sky.

He eventually gets over it, and goes in to kiss Ming.  This romantic moment is immediately ruined by Generation X member Jubilee!  She drags him away in an odd scene that makes Ming think ol' Axel's been making it with a teenager.  He tries to deny it, but is jettisoned from the carriage before he can finish.

As the carriage rides away, Jubilee and Axel have themselves a walk 'n chat.  Jubilee doesn't dig the way things ended during the DC vs. Marvel/Marvel vs. DC event (yeah, take a number kid!) and wants to back to the DC Universe so that she can once again meet Robin.  Most of the heroes have forgotten the event entirely, but not Jubes... she had the foresight to keep a diary!

With her Generation X class/teammates Skin, Husk and Synch watching in the distance, Jubilee makes ol' Axel an offer he can't refuse.  If he takes her back to the DC Universe, she'll make things right between he and Ming.  Axel, who's never thought of buying a bouquet of roses as an apology, decides to take Jubilee up on her offer.  He "suits up" into his Access-Wear (right in the middle of the park!), and readies for teleportation.

After a brief goodbye to her friends, Access and Jubilee leave the Marvel Universe and as luck would have it, wind up in Gotham City... on the same rooftop that Robin is currently conducting his patrol (with the Bat-Signal lit in the night sky).  Robin must've been keeping a diary too, as he instantly knows who Jubilee is!

The hold hands, as kids do... and it begins to rain.  Jubilee leads Robin to a covered area of the rooftop where they can talk, and instructs Access to hit the bricks for a few minutes.

Access begins his soggy walk throughout downtown Gotham all the while lamenting his inability to understand women.  As he slumps against a brick wall to be all morose and introspective he is attacked from behind, pistol whipped, while the Bat-Signal still glows!

Back on the roof, the kids get reacquainted.  Jubilee immediately tries to snare Robin into a long-distance relationship... and is disappointed when she finds out that Tim's already gotta gal... Ari.  Their sorta romantic/sorta awkward conversation is sadly short-lived... interrupted by Two-Face!

Dent lunges at the Boy Wonder, and is fed a fistful of fireworks for his troubles.  The brightly colored teens run across the roof, dodging gunfire all the way.  As they approach the end of the line, Robin grabs Jubes by the arm... and, much to Jubilee's surprise, they jump to the next rooftop.

Having bought a minute, Tim rapidly concocts a strategy.  He tells Jubilee she must trust him, refers to their own battle from Marvel vs. DC/DC vs. Marvel, and leads her to an illuminated Gotham Savings & Trust sign shaped like a giant coin.

Momentarily, Two-Face arrives.  He sees Robin standing in full shadow in front of the giant coin.  He asks where his "girlfriend" is, and is advised that she's gone.  With a flip of a coin, Two-Face begins his approach.  As he draws nearer, it becomes clear that his bounty is not the Boy Wonder... but Jubilee in Robin's cape!  It's a good thing they have a similar haircut... the ruse wouldn't have worked otherwise!

Amid the confusion, Jubilee blasts Dent with a face full of firework plunder... and Robin swings in and dropkicks Two-Face into the giant coin.  Finally, Jubilee nails a leg sweep sending Harvey into the spotlight below the coin, rendering him unconscious.

As the pair celebrates, Access finally arrives on the scene.  He's anxious to get Jubilee back to where she belongs.  She argues, claiming she hasn't yet gotten any "quality time" with the Boy Wonder.  This conversation is also interrupted... by a very 1990's looking Scorpion!  And we are... [to be continued...]

--

There are a few different ways to judge an issue like this.  First, on the novelty of it all.  Growing up in the 90's, we couldn't help but notice that there were a few... similarities between Robin and Jubilee.  Everything from their color scheme to their haircuts... and the fact that they were sidekicks... Robin to Batman, naturally... and Jubilee to Wolverine.  There was definitely a whole lotta Robin taken into consideration when the character of Jubilee was conceived.

During DC vs. Marvel (or Marvel vs. DC, if you prefer), it seemed almost natural that these two would face off.  I don't recall if this is one of the fights we got to vote on... but, we/I were looking forward to it regardless.  What I didn't expect was for the pair to wind up sorta-kinda crushing on one another... which is the plot point that brings us to this issue.  I always enjoy when inter-company "non-canon" stories have ramifications that follow the characters back to their "home" universes... for that, I really dig this issue.  Like, rights issues aside, why wouldn't Superman remember his adventure(s) with Spider-Man?

Following that entire event, the universes merged into something call the Amalgam Universe.  This fella, Access had his powers awakened by the cosmic representations of the Marvel and DC Universes... the "Brothers".  It was left to Access to keep the two universes separate... to stop them from re-amalgamating... 

This story comes a little bit after all that, and as mentioned above, follows up on the puppy-love subplot.  This series feels like sort of a port-mortem for the entire DC/Marvel endeavor, and really helps (or at least helped me) draw a neat line under it all.  Ron Marz delivers a great script... which may have been difficult under the circumstances of this mini-series.  Jackson Guice, as per usual delivers wonderful art.  My only nit to pick is, and this is my usual complaint for books of this vintage... the coloring is a bit muddy.  This is a couple of years into the "slick paper era"... and it really does show.  I had a hard time coming around to this new-fangled paper, even at the time.  I hated the X-Men Deluxe line for this... and would have preferred to get the newsstand editions, if only I knew where to find one!

All told... fun issue... but, really for those who've dipped more than a toe into DC and Marvel's universes.  Newcomers (if there is such a thing) would not get a whole lot from this.  Not an indictment on the book, mind, just a case of Marvel and DC "knowing the audience" for a project such as this.

Apropos of nothing... gotta wonder what's going on with ol' Access nowadays.  Since the turn of the century, he's done (with a few exceptions) a helluva job keeping Marvel and DC apart... I know he's a "co-owned" character... Marvel and DC both own him... which kinda means Disney and Warner Bros. both own him... now that's a strange thought!

Wonder if it came down to it... would either company fight for full ownership?  Or if asked, would all involved raise their hands up and say "Not it!"???

Anyhoo... Happy 4th y'all... tomorrow we'll start our Christmas on Infinite Earths... in July spectacular.

--

Interesting Ads:

Batman #454 (1990)

Batman #454 (September, 1990)
"Dark Knight, Dark City: Part III"
Writer - Peter Milligan
Pencils - Kieron Dwyer
Inks - Dennis Janke
Letters - John Costanza
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Assoc. Edits - Dan Raspler
Edits - Denny O'Neil
Cover Price: $1.00

Alrighty... let's get straight to it...

Of course, if you need/want to catch up, you can check out the previous two chapters here and here.

--

When last we left Batman, he was about to perform a tracheotomy on a newborn.  Armed only with a dirty butcher's knife and his wits... he cuts a hole in the baby's throat... before rushing out of the sewer and delivering him to the hospital... where he would lay on life support.

Batman meets up with Jim Gordon at the hospital, and we learn that the baby is named Michael and is only eight days old.  On his diaper was pinned yet another clue...

Only one left, a little boy crawler...

You'll find lots of him, though shorter and taller...

Well, my mind went straight to fun house mirrors, howsabout you?  Batman has the same idea in mind... though he humors Alfred's attempt at referencing a Thomas Pynchon novel.  When Cooney's Circus Land is popped into the Bat-Map, the locations of the last several riddles appear to be an unfinished question mark, hmm... When Batman proactively "finishes" the question mark, he believes the Circus is just one stop before the final showdown... Stockman's Square.  Hey, where have we heard that name before?

Oh yeah... back in 1793, we visit with our old friend Jacob Stockman... he's busily jotting away into his journal.  His mind keeps going back to "that night"... no, not the one where he and his parents went to see Zorro... the night when him, Thomas Jefferson, and some other wigged goobers locked a poor woman (who'd undergone preparations to become a "human bat") in the cellar with the daemon Barbathos.

Back in the present, we join Batman at the circus.  He heads straight into the Hall of Mirrors... where he finds himself standing before the baby and... a goat?  A confused Batman is then shot with a flamethrower by one of Riddler's men.  He narrowly avoids the flames by engaging in some aerial antics.  When the smoke clears, Batman finds himself alone with the goat... and the final (unharmed) baby.  He sits in a disturbing silence looking his surreal surroundings... shattered mirrors, a baby... and a goat.

Batman hands the tot off to a passing squad car and, remembering that the question-mark labyrinth on Gotham City map ends at Stockman's Square, makes haste.  Minutes later, he finds himself standing outside of Q&A Storage.  Inside, the Riddler's goons are surprised when Batman leads with a goat!  In the distraction, Batman swoops in and kayos one of the henchmen but good.

This must be a pretty old building... Batman's batline breaks one of the rotting beams near the ceiling, and he crashes to the ground.  Just before the Riddler's flamethrower goon barbecues the bat... the Riddler shoots him in the gut.  If it hasn't been made clear already... he needs Batman alive.

Some time later Batman wakes up.  Before him stands the Riddler, who is wearing some sort of robe... and reading from an old tattered book.  We pan out and come to find that Batman has been tied to an altar... and there's some symbols on the wall behind him.  Riddler explains that the book is in fact the journal of Jacob Stockman... the same journal we've been visiting on and off throughout this tale.

He explains to Batman about the sacrificial ritual that was never completed... even going as far as showing him the skeletal remains of the poor young lady from our flashback bits.  He continues, telling Batman that the young lady had been prepared... prepared to become a "human bat".  She completed several trials, willingly, to be the sacrifice... we learn that all the hoops Batman has been put through over the past several chapters were fulfilling those same requirements.

The first step... kissing the lips of a hanged man... which Batman unwittingly did when he gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the hung security guard at the Gotham University Library.

Next, bathing in blood... which Batman did at the transfusion center.  Third, taking part in a danse macabre... which occurred at the Gotham Military Cemetery when the zombies attacked.  Fourth, slaying a wild dog (hopefully not that Wild Dog!) with a silver knife... which happened when Batman stabbed the attacking pit bull terrier.  Next, and perhaps the most disturbing slitting the throat of an unbaptized child... which Batman had little choice but to do when that child is choking on a ping pong ball.  Finally, a "Black Sabbath Dance" (I... am... Iron Man) which is when you dance before the devil (in the pale moon light?)... which is a bit of a stretch here... Batman did acrobatic maneuvers to avoid flamethrower fire... in front of a horned goat?  Ehh, why not?

Now, Batman is fully "prepared" to be sacrificed.  Before the Riddler does the deed, Batman asks him what's going on.  In a really neat bit, he plays to his rationality... offering that he always thought they had a kind of respect for one another.  The Riddler, however, ain't buying it... just as he's about to plunge the blade into Batman's chest... a "presence" makes itself known.

The Daemon Barbathos begins speaking to the pair.  He mocks the Riddler, claiming he was nothing more than a means to an end... what it wanted was the Batman.  The Riddler frantically beats a hasty retreat... and re-boards up the underground temple, leaving Batman to die alongside the poor sacrificial woman from two centuries prior.

Barbathos turns its attentions to Batman, who by now has freed himself from his bindings.  It shows Batman the events of that tragic night in 1765.  Stockman, Jefferson and the whole gang all flee like cowards... and leave the young woman behind.  We watch her scratch at the door until her fingers bleed.

We learn that the bat-shaped figure that swooped into the unholy temple was... get this, just a bat.  These geeks ran away from a normal bat.  Barbathos uses the skeletal remains of the bat as a means to communicate with Batman.  It laments the fact that it has been trapped in this underground temple for 200 years... and demands that Batman finally free the young woman, and in so doing... free Barbathos.

Batman and the woman, who we come to find is called Dominique share a moment's conversation.  They feel a sort of kinship between them... almost as though they share a bloodline.  As they chat, smoke starts billowing through the cracks in the hatch.  The Riddler has set the building on fire!

A few panicked moments later, the hatch opens.  Alfred has saved the day!  Batman takes Dominique in his arms, covers her with his cape... and runs out of the burning building.  Outside, when Batman opens his cape, we find that he was carrying Dominique's remains.

Time passes, and we join Batman at the Wayne family crypt... where he'd had Dominique interred.  On her plaque, she is referred to as "My Sister".  We learn that the baby, Michael survived... and may just get a visit from Mr. Wayne the next day.

--

What a crazy story!  This is one of those gems that it's so fun to revisit once every bunch of years.  As I think I'd mentioned previously, it's been about a decade since I last read this... so, most of the finer points of the story were forgotten.  I had a blast experiencing this bugger again.  The main thing I remember from my last read through was that I walked away from it satisfied.  It was a tight, well-paced, beautifully rendered tale that made sense and ended with a pay-off.

I know there'd been mention of Barbathos during Grant Morrison's run on Batman & Robin before Flashpoint, which isn't much of a surprise.  I remember hearing that before taking over the Batman-ship, so to speak, Grant Morrison read every single issue that came before.  I could definitely see this Peter Milligan story catching his eye... I can't remember just how deep the mention went, and I would have to dig through many longboxes to find the answer.

It was interesting that Batman was sorta-kinda given a sorta-kinda sister at the end there.  I cannot find any reference of Dominique "Wayne" following this story... but I think it was a pretty neat addition to the mythos.  If I were to guess, I'd figure there may have been an "Easter Egg" or two referring to her the the subsequent decades... but I cannot say for certain.  Maybe one day we'll get another visit to the Wayne family crypt and see if she's still there.  Do the Waynes have a crypt?  I always thought they just had a grave site... hmm...

I suppose I gotta mention the man of the hour... The Riddler.  Wow, what a take on this classic character.  Truly disturbing... and a fun approach to Nigma.  I really appreciate how the entire event was weaved through riddles... I would say that the Riddler would be an odd fit for such a dark and occult tale, but given the circumstances, I really dig it.

Even though I just spoiled the entire thing... this one should definitely be tracked down.  There is such a wonderful flow throughout these three issues, that I'm sure my spoilery synopses didn't do proper justice to.  This is a story all Bat-fans should experience!

That's gonna wrap up our impromptu Bat-Week... we'll do something special for Independence Day tomorrow... and then...

Christmas on Infinite Earths... in July???

--

Letters Page:

--

Interesting Ads: