Title:
Batman: Family (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s):
John Francis Moore (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source:
Tony Whitt (Don't click it, read the review here...
)
Review:
BATMAN FAMILY #1 ( of 8 ) Don't be fooled by the title of this miniseries: this is not your father's BATMAN FAMILY, or your older brother's (or older sister's, either). The '70s series of that name was camp, fun, and stand-alone, the only thing linking the stories together being the lead characters' ties with Batman. In those days, of course, inclusion in the Bat-Family meant having the word "bat" somewhere in your name - unless you were Robin, naturally. On the whole, the series was like a Chinese meal: enjoyable while you're eating it but totally forgotten an hour later.
BATMAN: FAMILY isn't quite so forgettable - at least, not in every way. The eight-part story opens with Bruce Wayne discovering he's been voted out of Wayne Enterprises in the wake of the Vesper Fairchild murder scandal. That's not the least of his problems, though, as a new vigilante known as the Tracker is intruding on the Batman's turf, making life even more difficult for the crime bosses of Gotham. But unbeknownst to Batman, the appearances of a new vigilante and a new villain called the Suicide King are just the beginning, as another shadowy figure is behind it all - a figure who plans to bring Gotham to its knees.
The idea of a multipart Batman "saga" outside the regular run of the Batbooks isn't a bad one - if nothing else, it saves us all the trouble of having to buy all of them just to get the general idea of the story, and it allows the new BATMAN creative team of Loeb and Lee a chance to create their own saga in relative peace. But the idea of featuring a different member of the Batman Family in each issue may not be as compelling as it once was - as I mentioned earlier, that Family is a very different group of people now than it was in 1975. Back then, it would have been exciting to have an issue each devoted to Batman, then the Dick Grayson Robin, then the Barbara Gordon Batgirl, then perhaps even Man-Bat. But the mere fact that the next issue of this series will feature the Spoiler - you'd be forgiven for asking "Who?" if you wanted to - speaks volumes, as does the inclusion of the Huntress and Black Canary in the following issues. And they'll feature before the current Robin does? We can assume the Bat himself will make an appearance again by the last issue, and of course Nightwing's eventually going to be in there too, but my guess is that only the most avid Bat-Fan will be able to resist the urge to skip the intermediate issues and come back to this one on the eighth installment.
That may also happen because the first issue doesn't inspire the most confidence. John Francis Moore is a competent writer, but he's under pressure in this first issue to pack as much plot in as possible, and even the doubled size doesn't keep the whole thing from feeling too cramped. There are some wonderful moments, of course - Bruce's ouster from his own company is a great scene, as is his talk with Celia Kazantkakis about his mother - but they're buried in a whole lot of other stuff, including several fight sequences that don't have the vibrancy or immediacy they should have. In addition, the artwork by Rick Hoberg and Stefano Gaudiano is a letdown - not only are they often unable to cope with the sheer amount of verbiage Moore's given them to illustrate, their artistic style varies wildly throughout the book. There's really nothing that can be used to distinguish their artwork from that of other artists, save that those other artists are generally pretty good.
For better or for worse, though, we have seven more issues of this coming, and we can only hope that the events of this series aren't referenced too much in the other Bat-Books in years to come - the continuity references here alone are enough to make you cry out for a Bat-Encyclopedia. Otherwise, this is one Family reunion you might decide to skip...for a little while, anyway.
Here is a interview from Comicon.com, BY JENNIFER M. CONTINO:
John Francis Moore is used to putting a different spin on characters and is going to be working his magic this fall on the Batman crew in the eight issue miniseries, Batman Family.
THE PULSE: What is Batman Family?
John Francis Moore: Batman Family is an eight issue miniseries introducing a cadre of elite criminals called the Network, who have infiltrated the both the Gotham underworld and the Gotham business world.
It also introduces a new vigilante called the Tracker who's disrupting a prominent Gotham mob. The series also explores the relationship of Bruce Wayne's mother to a criminal family of the past and a dangerous threat in the present.
THE PULSE: What members of the Family are present in this series?
JFM: Batman, Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, Oracle, Catwoman, the Spoiler, Orpheus, Black Canary and Alfred.
THE PULSE: How is it similar to the '70s Batman Family series?
JFM: The '70s series was simply an anthology of the Gotham vigilantes which featured some great stories: The Batman leads by Denny O'neil and Michael Golden (with Craig Russell inking Golden's pencils--oh yeah, sweet); and some goofy ones: Batgirl and robin stop the ghost of Benedict Arnold from sabotaging the bicentennial.
This story explores the way Batman interacts with the heroes with whom he works. One of the many irony's of Batman's character is that while he is unquestionably a dark and brooding loner, he surrounds himself with comrades-in-arms. Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, Alfred and Oracle are his surrogate family. (The Huntress is probably the black sheep, the errant daughter, if you will.) Is it a dysfunctional family headed by an emotionally distant and often absent father figure? Sure, but Batman's concern for his brood is genuine.
This contrasts with a group called the Network who are a closely knit cadre of criminal orphans and dangerous misfits who are a different sort of family, led by a manipulative and mysterious matriarch named Athena.
THE PULSE: What are some of the goals of this series?
JFM: The primary goal was to introduce an elite group of supercriminals to Gotham, a group that are an even more dysfunctional family unit.
Batman's very memorable rogues gallery is made up primarily of lunatic sociopaths, but he doesn't have an opponent who is as brilliant and dangerous as he is that isn't a psychopath. (Let's face it, every psycho bad guy in comics is just a pale imitation of the Joker.) I wanted to create a villain who could be Batman's Moriarty, and I thought it might be interesting if she were female. Hence, Athena.
Further, I hope that I've laid the groundwork for current and future Batman creative teams to use the characters.
THE PULSE: What do you like the best about the Batman Family?
JFM: Batman and his supporting cast are some of the most interesting and challenging characters to write in the superhero genre. You can't change Batman too much, you have to change his circumstance and explore his reaction to those changes.
THE PULSE: Why should people check out this project?
JFM: It will explain what a lot of new villains who have appeared in one form or another in recent Bat books are doing in Gotham city.
Its got almost all of the Batman supporting cast in one way or another.
THE PULSE: Who else is working on Batman Family?
JFM: The art is by Stefano Gaudiano and Rick Hoberg who are working together, sharing both pencilling and inking chores. They are doing an amazing job bringing the story to life.
John Workman is lettering the book, and he's hands-down one of the best letterers in the business.
As for the editorial office, itís been great to work with Matt Idelson who took over the project after Joe Illidge left DC.
THE PULSE: When does the first issue come out? How many issues is it?
JFM: The first issue comes out in late October and I believe an issue comes out every following week. All totalled there are eight chapters, the first and last books being double sized issues.
THE PULSE: Which supporting members of the Batman Family are favorites?
JFM: Currently, I like them all. I have a great fondness for Dick Grayson (Nightwing) and Barbara Gordon (Oracle), both in their current identities as †Nighwing and Oracle and in their past ones as the original Robin and Batgirl. However, I've really enjoyed the development of the current Robin and Batgirl, Tim Drake and Cassandra (Cain).
The Huntress is the most interesting to write because, unlike the other members of the Gotham vigilante fraternity, she's the most screwed up. She's also the character who has the most potential to grow and change.
Catwoman on the other hand is the most fun to write. I've always maintained that she's a criminal motivated by the love of danger more than the need for profit--Not that she doesn't want the spoils of her late night breaking and entering.
THE PULSE: Which wouldn't you touch with a ten-foot pole?
JFM: Bat-mite. After Evan Dorkin's World's Funniest, there's nothing more to say about that character.
THE PULSE: What other projects are you working on?
JFM: I'm helping Art Thibert relaunch his Black & White series for next year. Kieron Dwyer and I are shopping some creator owned properties. And I'm slowly working on a surreal western for Larry Young's AiT/Planet Lar imprint. A two issue Batgirl/Catwoman/Oracle prestige project drawn by Darick Robertson (Batgirl/Catwoman) and David Ross (Catwoman/Oracle) and inked by Jimmy Palmiotti is supposed to be out sometime in winter I think.
More info:
Writer: John Francis Moore
Artists: Rick Hoberg, Stefano Gaudiano
