DC Rebirth review - Nightwing/Justice League

Time for me to review an insane amount of comics all in one go, again. Let’s skip the intro and get on with it

Mini review: Batman vs Robin

Well, you can remember my opinion of Son of Batman, IT F*CKING SUCKS so not surprisingly given DC’s track record, it got a sequel Batman vs Robin. Sort of the Based on Scott Snyder’s the Court of Owls stories, also sort of based on some other stories that have come out from Batman’s line on the New52, whilst also telling an original story, you can tell this story is going to be a bit of a mess. Having said that it’s a marked improvement over Son of Batman. Spoilers to follow

#5 Batman Annual #1 (The New 52)

You've been waiting for it (probably) and here it finally is: Batman Annual #1 (The New 52)

And so we've come to another rather divisive comic. There are people who really like this comic, and there are people, like me, who hate it. I really, really hate it and it's weird because it isn't an all-round bad book. The artwork is good and in spite of it taking place during a crossover event, it is both integrated and self-contained.

Before I can get into exactly what I hated about it, let's give a little background. Mr Freeze's character had undergone radical changes over the years. He debuted as a character named Mr Zero, but then the Adam West Batman series called him Mr Freeze and show was popular enough for the change to stick. Several iterations of his origins have been told over the years but the most famous is the Batman: The Animated Series' Heart of Ice. Where Victor Fries (convenient name) steals resources from the company he works for, GothCorp, to restore his sick wife, who had been cryogenically frozen. But when GothCorp's CEO, Ferris Boyle, discovers what's going on, he causes a cryogenic accident that affects Fries' skin. Now he cannot survive in normal climate and must use a suit to survive.

Batman The Animated Series made an iconic Mr Freeze, and almost every other origin since has p*ssed all over it

This origin has been butchered in the past. Batman and Robin made Freeze a punning psychopath, wanting to hold the city to hostage to complete his cure (because robbing a bank is too conventional, I guess) and any sympathy for the character was lost because you were too irritated at every freeze-related pun and that fact his plan was ridiculously over-complicated.

Even the DCAU made some slip ups with Mr Freeze, having him descend into stealing hope and living for revenge, both of which made him a lesser character (in my opinion). There were also attempts to use Dini's origin in the mainstream DC Universe. I haven't read the issues so I'm not really qualified to comment on it. In September 2011 DC rebooted their line with the New 52. The idea that continuity is the reason people aren't reading comics is ridiculous anyway (I started reading comics with a number 2 issue) but I digress, it was a perfect opportunity to revisit Mr Freeze, and who better to write his origin that Scott Snyder, who’s work with both the Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne versions of Batman have received high critical acclaim.

Now let me summarize the story of the comic and expect a lot of rage this time.