During his time as an artist and writer, Neal Adams has worked on numerous series, including Green Lantern, Brave and the Bold and X-Men. However, he’s known best for his Batman covers. This makes his return to the character, this time in his very own series, “Batman Odyssey,†that much more notable.
However, while the first three issues of the series take you on a retro-ride with fantastic art, the story itself is a bit bland.
It starts off strong, with Bruce Wayne telling Dick Grayson the story of his first night as the Batman, gun in hand and a utility belt with not nearly enough goodies. This is easily the most enjoyable part of the first three issues and is reverted back to often through each. This spices things up a bit and creates a nice smooth pace. The only problem is that away from this flashback, Batman is way too chatty. Gruff and rude to everyone while under the cowl, he even calls Robin the boy blunder and kid. His nasty tone to the people he’s saving as well feels very different from the silent treatment or quick one-liners we’re used to hearing from him.
This element hurts the first three issues substantially, as the Caped Crusader doesn’t quite feel right. On the other hand, seeing him discuss his beginnings with Grayson has a cool “’80s sitcom montage episode†feel to it at times and ends up working. Through this, we see another side of the character that not many other writers would ever attempt to get close to. One scene in particular is a prime example of this, as Wayne, getting bandaged up by Alfred after his first night out, is complaining about how it went. Rather than rub his belly, Alfred is honest and lets him know he has to man up and ask more of himself. If Adams can find a way to convey this type of emotion while Wayne is under the cowl, the last ten issues of this series will be a blast. If not, it will end up being remembered more for its artwork than anything else.
At 69-years-old, Adams has seen a lot happen during his time in the industry and while his writing isn’t quite up to the same level as some of the younger writers in the business, his penciling is still fantastic and extremely fresh. Looking like he’s taken a page out of Todd McFarlane’s and combined it with his own, Adams’ work here is top notch. The fighting scenes are bloody and visceral, while the conversations between characters and shots of Gotham City are dark and grim, yet full of vibrant color. Again, while the writing feels like it’s from a book from 20 years ago, Adams proves here that he’s still got the goods.
As a result, “Batman Odyssey†may not go down as a great mini-series in comic book history, but it should serve as a notice to DC comics. Get Adams back on a series full-time if possible and let him draw until his hands get tired. With a unique look and plenty of pizazz, this series is one of the best looking out right now and despite the weak writing, can still be fixed.
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