The [Captured] Motion Gallery returns later this week so that your comicsblog's Comics PageTurner can be one of the first to present this advance preview of Batman and Robin Issue #6!
LOL! I wish abbracadabbling could scoop the Big Boys out there with an occasional advance preview!
All fanboy wishes and smiles aside, that's not really our purpose here. Not wanting to compete in the online comics environment is tough, but there are nobler ambitions.
Ours stem from our those things most dear to us: imagination, creativity, an inspiring image, well-crafted stories, smart ideas, the sense of community, a fascination with pop culture and pop-psychology, entrepreneurial spirit, and the never-to-be-understated cool factor of comics and superheroes both. Plus, we just really want to be awesome.
That's the magic behind abbracadabbling, and the same stuff we hope -- nope, scratch that, will pass along you to, if we haven't already.
One sure step towards abbracadabbling appreciation would be to gift your imagination with Batman and Robin #6, the next chapter in the adventures of Grant Morrison, Frank Quietly, and Philip Tan's post-retro Caped Crusaders.
There's a reason this title is DC Comic's best-selling ongoing monthly book, and the answer won't be found in the story re-cap you won't find in our blog tonight. In short, Batman and Robin is the pop-culture soul of the Batman you know reincarnated in a future-spinning pastel world split by one thrill of a wicked grin.
Or, you could say the comic's a viscerally drawn 'What Was is What Could Be Concept' in 32 pages -- that concludes its opening arc Wednesday in the tale The Revenge of the Red Hood. Here's how DC sums it up:
In the startling conclusion to "The Revenge of the Red Hood," Gotham's new "protector" reveals his identity to Batman – and surprisingly poses a heart-stopping question to Dick Grayson about the future of Bruce Wayne! Plus, Robin at the mercy of Scarlet!
Everything after the "--and..." propels the action when the series swings into 2010, and why there won't be a Batman and Robin in December. Grant Morrison removed Bruce Wayne from DC's game play last spring, but whether the original Dark Knight's as dead as his comic book counterparts believe or been sent in to the past as only Tim Drake, the former Robin, purports is still anyone's guess. But he builds it up as Issue #6 wraps, and that's where January's Number Seven kicks off.
Artistic swaps can hurt the flow of any series, and if any fault can be found with Batman and Robin, it's Frank Quietly's departure after Issue #3. Quietly's Morrison's best-suited collaborator, but he's an artist in high demand. Tan's pencils are a good fit here, though his style is a departure toward the darker -- as Issue #6's covers [below] clearly convey. Morrison's stories are multi-layered, and both artists have found inspiration at different points in the thematic spectrum.
Tan's stay is nearly as brief as Quietly's, and December's long time-out will leave a blank page for Cameron Stewart's debut when he comes aboard as co-pilot with Batman and Robin Issue #7 on January 27th, 2010.
The Dynamic Duo's final chapter of 2009 comes tomorrow. Looking at our advance preview below, Bat-fans, expect this fiction to pull no punches or candy-coat Gotham City grit. But if true to form, Revenge of the Red Hood may leave us with questions, but it won't abandon the fun seat of Batman's lasting appeal.
Even as the series sets the stage for January's Blackest Knight, this is one Batman and Robin where the bright spark and humor of its heroes will never be overshadowed by the outrageous.
Batman and Robin #6 - Frank Quietly Cover Art
Batman and Robin #6 - Variant Cover Art by Philip Tan
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A huge thanks to IGN.com for the graphic assist.
For widescreen Batman action, go here.
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