AZRAEL: AGENT OF THE BAT #90
"Denial"
Not Recommended (2/10)
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DC Comics
Writer: Dennis O'Neil
Pencils: Sergio Cariello
Inks: James Pascoe
Colors: Rob Ro & Alex Bleyaert
Letters: Jack Morelli
Editor: Mike Carlin
Price: $2.50 US/$4.25 CAN |
Without a doubt, Dennis O'Neil was one of the most influential figures in comics in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, be it as a writer or as an editor. He helped to breathe new life into the Batman, overcoming the camp of the 1960s, and he retooled the notion of the super-hero and the problems he could face in Green Lantern/Green Arrow. However, there's none of that strength and innovation to be found in this issue of Azrael.
Jean-Paul Valley is not feeling like himself. He's forgetting things and becoming more aggressive, and even worse, he's far too open to suggestion from the manipulative and dangerous woman known as Lihly. Nightwing tries to track Azrael down to help him, but he may be too late. Azrael is drifting into a dark place, one that's not entirely unfamiliar to him and the rest of the Batman family.
Cariello and Pascoe's collaboration here reminds me of Joe Kubert's work. And Bill SIenkiewicz's. And Rodolpho Damaggio's. And Jim Balent's. In other words, the art is all over the map. It boasts an inconsistent tone, and the backgorunds are sorely lacking. To their credit, though, when the artwork impresses, it really impresses. Their castle-like interpretation of Wayne Manor on page 16 is striking, and I do like their take on Nightwing.
The story seems to just gallop along. The shifts in the title character's personality come to quickly that it's hard to see the tragedy in it. He comes off as just plain crazy as opposed to a hero who's had to follow a tragic path. The rushed feel of the story doesn't allow a darker atmosphere -- one I'm sure O'Neil intended -- to creep into the book.
To O'Neil's credit, though, he does offer up a thoroughly accessible read. I've given this title but the barest of glances in the past, yet I had no problem getting up to speed on the plotline. The writer also seems to have a good grasp on Nightwing; I got the feeling that this was the same character we've seen Chuck Dixon developing in Nightwing for years now.
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