DC Comics Rebirth Spoilers and Review follow for Batman #9 with DC Universe Rebirth #1 fallout!
Tom King returns as writer for Batman #9 and the kick off to the I Am Suicide arc, where Batman pulls his own Suicide Squad together from Gotham City inmates, to extricate Psycho Pirate from Bane’s clutches. He is joined by artist Mikel Janin on art.
It is worth re-showing two teaser pages for Batman #9 because they are gorgeous and show the relationship between Bane and Psycho Pirate. Bane no longer uses Venom it seems, but is still a big and powerful guy. Without the Venom, it looks like he needs Psycho Pirate to…
…manipulate his emotions with his Medusa Mask and make him… happy?
Batman agrees to Amanda Waller’s offer at the end of the first arc and will assemble a team to recapture Psycho Pirate because Gotham Girl needs the Pirate yo stop the nightmares she’s having; caused by him in the opening Batman Rebirth arc.
The rest of the issue is Batman’s recruitment drive.
Batman’s first I Am Suicide’s Arkham Asylum Suicide Squad member is Arnold Wesker aka The Ventriloquist. It was a surprise to see him talk as in the old days it was only his 1920’s gangster puppet Scarface that spoke.
We also get to see a few other inmates as Batman ventures through Arkham Asylum. Those other include Julian Gregory Day aka the Calendar Man, Mitchell Mayo aka the Condiment King, Dumfree Tweed and Deever Tweed aka the Tweedledum and Tweedledee or the Tweedle Brothers, and Charles “Chuck” Brown aka Kite Man, but in DC Rebirth they may not know his name as its Kite Man noted on his cell not his last name “Brown” like the other inmates.
Then we get a look at what happened to the Legion of Super Heroes member who popped up in DC Universe Rebirth #1. This Jane Doe is believed to be Saturn Girl. Not clear on how she fits into the broader The Watchmen or Dr. Manhattan arc DC Comics is building to. And, this isn’t a huge development or integral to the plot of I Am Suicide; its more of an Easter Egg.
Batman’s second I Am Suicide’s Arkham Asylum Suicide Squad member is Ben Turner aka the Bronze Tiger. He’s still has his New 52 look, but classic Suicide Squad fans will be pleased to see him on Batman’s roster.
Batman’s third and fourth I Am Suicide’s Arkham Asylum Suicide Squad members are Jewlee and…
…Punch who as Punch and Jewlee were also classic Suicide Squad member back in the day.
Batman’s fifth I Am Suicide’s Arkham Asylum Suicide Squad member is not a surprising one, but am curious what she had to do to get THAT masks on in Arkham Asylum. It looks like…
…Selina Kyle aka Catwoman rounds out Batman’s Arkham Asylum Suicide Squad team! What’s the deal with her killing 200 people?
So…
A pretty solid issue on story and art.
The appearance of Saturn Girl of LOSH fame was interesting, but I thought the DC Universe Rebirth #1 fallout hype for Batman #9 was around The Watchmen. So, there are certainly slow builds as part of DC Comics’ two year plan to pay off several of the one-shot’s developments from the Legion of Super-Heroes to the Justice Society of America (JSA) to the Watchmen’s Dr. Manhattan and the Comedian.
That said, the I Am Suicide arc has an interesting Arkham Asylum cast to support Batman. Next issue probably will reveal more about Bane’s new origin and raison d’etre and Psycho Pirate.
A fun issue despite the non-action and the whole “walking through Arkham Asylum” plot. 8 out of 10.
