BATMAN ODYSSEY #1 Review

RATING 3.9 out of 5

Neal Adams...what else do I need to say?
Awesome Neal Adams... also comes to mind.
This is a twelve issue storyline. I love this first issue and hope the others live up to my expectations.

FULL REVIEW some Spoilers

When  reading this issue, you've got to think YOUNG.  Bruce Wayne is so...so...Young.  He reminds me of how Nightwing use to be, except a little more serious and more focused.  Those first few pages is a reflection to back when he first tried the Bat costume, and it is a story that he is recounting to Robin (Dick Grayson), so he is even younger.




Neal Adams addresses Batman carrying a gun, right in the beginning of the issue.  Why wouldn't Batman carry a gun, so many other crimefighters,  from The Phantom to the Lone Ranger... have chosen the gun.  A gun surely would be more efficient... then a boomerang, and Bruce being the smart man that he is, has to see that.

In the story, before the fight, Bruce has serious doubts about the costume, but the gun he didn't have any doubts about, and the gun was the first thing he pulled out to use.  When he confronted the bad guys,  the costume worked, it terrified and confused them.  The Bat costume needed adjustments to make sure it stayed on, but nevertheless worked. The batarang test model number 37, also worked "like a charm."



The gun? It was in the way.  Bruce says, "...now I have to climb with one hand...stupid."
...and when it was needed the most, when there was a train full of lives at stake, when his life was at stake, when his identity was at stake..., he couldn't pull the trigger... to kill the one life that was a threat to so many.  The gun was useless.   As the under cover agent in the story said, "You should not pretend to be what you are not... You are not a killer."

The rest of the issue reminds me a little of All Star Batman and Robin, without the crudeness and the harsh craziness.  Batman is trying to teach Robin, to become better, to out think their opponent, the Riddler.  Kirk Langstrom as Man-Bat is trying to warn Batman of something but can't seem to get it across.
There is a mystery that started on the train, yet at this point, Bruce has no ideal what the mystery was, or that it would cause his world to come crashing down.

My favorite parts of the issue .. were the Gadgets. I love gadgets, especially the four wheeled kind... that is ..the sleek...Fast... sexy...and ...cool four wheeled kind.  Yes ...I'm a girl...and it's all about...the car ... and I wouldn't be caught dead in the current flying reverse ladybug, but this one...um um um...mama like.  This one flies too..AND turns into a boat, but with style.
BUT I wouldn't mind if it was just... a little bigger.


I really enjoyed this issue and highly recommend it. I hope the rest doesn't disappoint...What am I talking about? This is NEAL ADAMS...the AWESOME NEAL ADAMS.





PS:
Note that the Blue Narrator Dialog is in current time with the first page, and is a recount of what is happening in the whole issue, it is not Bruce's thoughts during the story.  It is recounting about the time he told Dick, as a child, about the Train car.  So this Narrator Dialog is not part of the story, even when it looks like the story is back to current day where Bruce and Dick take off to get Riddler.  It is still coming from Bruce's recount from the first page.


Questions came up on the forum on Man-bat and I thought I would help with answers and maybe the enjoyment of the book.

Why did Man-bat have access to the cave?
Man-Bat was created by Neal Adams and Frank Robbins, it really shouldn't be a surprise to see him in the  mini.
Man-Bat use to have access to the cave, in the good ol' days, and knew Bruce's identity. In bat form the sensors see him as just another bat so the security measures don't activate. He is also a member of the support of the Bat-Family network.
Also... another reason for him to be there is that Bruce asked him to analyze something. Bruce asks, "Have you verified my suspicions Kirk?"
When Man-Bat is in human form he is Kirk Langstrom a brilliant scientist (he developed the bat-serum), in which, and at times, Batman  relies on his expertise. This is not the first time that Bruce has asked for his expert advise. Unfortunately Kirk is not nearly as smart in Bat-form.

Who is the big Man-bat with the earrings? I don't know. But since he is a BAT the sensors won't detect him either.


BATMAN ODYSSEY Part One.
Writter: NEAL ADAMS
Penciller: NEAL ADAMS
Inking: Neal Adams with
Inking Associate pp 19 and 20: Michael Golden
Color: Continuity Studios
Letters: Rob Leigh

Publisher: DC Comics
Sep 2010


WHAT'S NEXT

BATMAN ODYSSEY Part 2
Intel from DCcomics.com >

The Caped Crusader slowly but surely loses control. A dark presence lurking in the background begins pulling Bruce's strings...who is responsible? This second chapter is a tour de force of action as the greatest crime fighter on earth displays his vicious combat skills. What else can you expect? Adams's art at its best!

BATMAN ODYSSEY  Part 3

Intel from DCcomics.com >

In the third chapter of Adams's epic Batman tale, Bruce Wayne and Alfred strategize the next steps on The Dark Knight's odyssey…but appearances by both The Riddler and Talia al Ghul might spoil their plans!

BATMAN ODYSSEY  Part 4
Intel from DCcomics.com >

The fourth chapter of Neal Adams' epic Batman tale sees Bruce Wayne confronted with a terrible moment that harks back to his origin. Will this shocking episode derail Batman from his Odyssey? Guest-starring Aquaman, Deadman, Talia and Man-Bat!