Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Annual #28 by Batman Annual #28. This year's Batman annuals collide in a 2-part story involving both and as Batman! In this second part of the story, when a Batman, Inc. recruitment trip to Paris, France leads to a murder mystery, the heroes deduce that the assassinations are connected to a strange cult leader. But will this religious figure take them one step closer to solving the bizarre murders? Or are The , Bruce and Dick getting one step closer to becoming the next victims? Continued from this month's ANNUAL #12! As annuals go, this one isn't terrible, but you can't come away from it without feeling like each story got short-changed a little. The art gets great treatment, however, and picks up the stories very well, so it's not a total loss. Despite the Batman Incorporated stamp, the issue only sticks to that concept half the time, so don't go in expecting a full tie-in. Read Full Review. Weekly Review. By: David Hine (first story writer), Agustin Padilla, Andres Guinaldo, Lorenzo Ruggiero, Walden Wong (first story artists), Tony Avina (first story colorist), Paul Tobin (second story writer), Ramon Bachs (second story penciller), Mick Gray (second story inker), Trish Mulvihill (second story colorist), (third story writer), Trevor McCarthy (third story artist), Andre Szymanowicz (third story colorist) The Story: In the first feature, The Question works alongside both Batmen and Nightrunner to take down a Parisian cult from the inside. In the second, Veil helps humanitarian clinician Leslie Thompson find regret and fulfillment in her work. In the third, Nightrunner finds out how tough it is to wear a controversial icon amidst city riots. The Review: Series annuals are usually a mixed bag. On the one hand, the bigger page count offers an opportunity to tell big stories outside the continuity of the main ongoing. Many times, however, you get a bunch of unrelated short stories from various writers and artists, all cobbled together. This annual definitely falls under the cobbled category. The editors could have taken a little more care at least in figuring out which story gets placed where. The obvious connections between the first and third features make them shoo-ins to be companions, since they both involve the Parisian traceur Nightrunner, but they end up bookending the entirely unrelated second feature instead. This by itself makes the annual a disjointed read. The sense of disconnect invades the stories themselves. The first feature jumps around without offering much in the way of what’s going on, or even who some of the characters are. So much attention gets handed over to The Question (as played by ), it’s easy to forget the story supposedly ties into the Batman Incorporated banner. Too bad Nightrunner, the candidate to be France’s Batman, doesn’t get more page- time or stuff to do than he does in this issue. At least he fares better than Leni Urbana, the high-stakes intended victim of the story—at least, you assume so, because never once do you find out exactly who she is or what she does. If writers want to sell the idea of other heroes taking on Batman’s symbol, then they have to work harder at selling those heroes in the first place. What little Nightrunner gets to do in this issue is rendered moot by the American heroes. Even as the focus of the third feature, Nightrunner’s background remains largely mysterious and his personality gets grossly overshadowed by Batman—either one of them. Kyle Higgins introduces the interesting real-world element of Parisian racial conflicts, then spends too much time talking about them than showing their effects on Nightrunner. Higgins really would have profited from having more pages to tell his story than he got. Continue reading → Batman Annual #28. David Hine concludes his two part contribution to Batman Incorporated and actually tells a far superior story to the two issue opening arc of Grant Morrison's Batman, Inc. Hine hits all the right notes, selling the new Batman status quo better than any writer so far while also introducing an interesting new hero to the mix. Pop culture was the only culture we really got from Grant Morrison in Batman, Inc. But here, Hine dives right into the cultural tensions in France with the new character of Nightrunner, a Sunni Muslim and citizen of France. It is a smart move that simultaneously invests reader in both the country and the character. And the best part is that Nightrunner is not a character most people would have expected for a French version of Batman. The best part is perhaps when he finally becomes a member of Batman Incorporated he is allowed to keep his distinctive qualities. Hine may not have as strong of a grasp of the Question as Greg Rucka did, but it is clear that he appreciates the character of Renee Montoya. He uses her to great effect in this story and gives special consideration to the character's history, both recent and far back. I would be happy to read more Question stories by Hine. Respect also has to be given to writer Kyle Higgins, who has provided some excellent work with the back-up features in this story. In the first part, he gave us some good background on Nightrunner's character, and in this issue, he presents a story showing us where Nightrunner's life leads him from where the main story leaves off. It is a great piece of work that really felt missing from Mr. Unknown's story in Batman, Inc. We Nightrunner's recruitment, training and his early days at work as Paris' chief . It really fleshes out the character and gives us something more tangible about the Batman Incorporated concept to chew on. There is also a back-up story starring Veil by Paul Tobin, but I have to admit to not being interested in that character. It didn't appeal to me, but that is not to say anything is wrong with the story. It may be still early in the Batman Incorporated direction, but this is the best chapter of it so far. Other reviews for Batman Annual #28 - All the Rage, Part Two of Two. Listen DC, Just Give The Question A New Ongoing. The Good: David Hine writes an amazing Wuestion here. All the events of the past year have pushed her to this point, and the emotions are there in full. We see deep into her mind and come out sane and understanding. Batman also notes why he chose her and what one of her greatest attributes is, her control of her own mind. This issue clearly presents all the reasons why The Question is such a great character and why she totally needs her own ongoing. Similarly, the evolution of Nightrunner has be. 8 out of 8 found this review helpful. "You'll excuse my saying so, but. two Batmen!" Batman continues to track down the mysterious murders in France with the help of The Question and also recruits another vigilante for Batman Inc. Pros: Like I commented in Detective Comics Annual, I still wonder why The Question hasn't got her own series yet. She plays a bigger role in this second part than part one. But besides The Question playing a role, the story comes together more quickly than the last issue. The villain Korrrigan is a real trick with an ability to control people. It i. 6 Muslim Superheroes That Deserve a Standalone Comic Book. First off, mad props to the OG comic book fans (all non-Muslim) who educated me on the Muslim superheroes that already exist. It was fun to learn about these six characters, but it’s hard to leaf through the pages of comics to see if a favorite character will make an appearance. The font size is small enough! Plus, the issues are pretty vintage so they are hard to track down on Amazon, the library, and even Marvel/DC comics online. I’d like comics to splash these characters’ faces on the cover, and headline their name in the title, like with present Ms. Marvel comics. These Muslim superheroes, from both Marvel and DC, have been representing for years, and they deserve recognition! And DC needs to level up with Marvel’s diversity and inclusivity. Reboots are in demand and popping up 24/7, so why not reboot these six characters? 6 Muslim Superheroes. Alias: Nightrunner Real name: Bilal Alsselah Powers/Abilities: Parkour Notable Appearances: Detective Comics (1937–2011) Annual #12; Batman (1940–2011) Annual #28 created by David Hine. Nightrunner is a French citizen who joins the masked world after his friend is killed by the police. The cool thing about his debut issue, DC Annual #12: “All the Rage Part One of Two,” is that members of make appearances as well. Oracle and Renee Montoya AKA Question assist and guide Batman as he dismantles an assassin cult. This comic was my favorite of all those featuring Muslim heroes. In “All the Rage Part Two of Two,” Nightrunner’s second appearance, he proves himself worthy enough for Batman to ask for his help. This series has a detective noir vibe that you don’t see often in DC/Marvel comics nowadays. Alias: Dust Real name: Sooraya Qadir Powers/Abilities: Transmorph, Fluent in Arabic. Notable Appearance: New X-Men #133 (2002) created by Grant Morrison. Wolverine rescues Dust from mutant traffickers in Afghanistan. Although the comic cover is dope, Sooraya only utters one word in the whole book. So you’ll have to sift through her other appearances to learn her vibe. Aliases: Josiah X, Justice Real name: Josiah Al Hajj Saddiq Powers/Abilities: Intelligence, Healing, Speed. Notable Appearance: The Crew (2003) #7: “Big Trouble in Little Mogadishu” by Priest. I chose this issue because Josiah X appears front and center on the cover. His chain mail costume looks cool. Yet he’s still part of a group, “The Crew,” rather than headlining his own comic. I still consider this progress. The Crew consists of four members, including Jim “Rhodey” Rhodes (formerly known as War Machine), who reluctantly band together to combat the 66 Bridges Gang. But from the illustrations inside, it looks like these buff guys have a lot of fun together. Alias: Green Lantern Real name: Simon Baz Powers/Abilities: Emerald sight, Driving. Notable Appearance: Green Lanterns Annual Vol 1 #1: “The Lost Lantern” Simon Baz is Lebanese American and was created by Geoff Johns, who is half Lebanese himself. Simon Baz is featured on the cover of Green Lanterns Annual Vol 1 , along with his partner Jessica Cruz. Among these six Muslim heroes, Simon Baz seems to be the character most recently featured in comics. Simon Baz also appears in many comics, most notably Justice League of America Vol 3 # 14 “Debrief.” He is listed as a supporting character and again is actually on the (lit) cover. Among the many other characters on the cover, ’s Katana and Justice League’s look the coolest. Alias: Penance Real name: Monet St. Croix Powers/Abilities: Gestalt Form Notable Appearance: X-Factor #200 by Peter David. To be honest, Monet scares me. She is probably also the Muslim character most like me. She has PTSD and is teased by her frenemy Jubilee for being a perfectionist. She was a member of X-Factor Investigations until it is ended. She has super loyal twin siblings, one of whom is autistic, who make up for her evil brother. Alias: Excalibur Real name: Dr. Faiza Hussain Powers/Abilities: Paralysis, Living Cross-Section. Notable Appearance: Captain Britain and MI-13 Vol 1 # 1 “Secret Invasion” by Paul Cornell. Of course at least one Muslim character would have to be a Doctor. That is, after all, every Muslim parent’s dream profession for their kid. In Excalibur’s first comic book appearance, Captain Britain and MI-13 Vol 1 #1 , she appears on the dynamic cover in her hijab and scrubs! Which Muslim superhero do you think deserves more coverage? Which is your favorite comic issue that features one of these characters? Let me know on Twitter or Facebook! Batman Annual #28 – Review. By: David Hine (first story writer), Agustin Padilla, Andres Guinaldo, Lorenzo Ruggiero, Walden Wong (first story artists), Tony Avina (first story colorist), Paul Tobin (second story writer), Ramon Bachs (second story penciller), Mick Gray (second story inker), Trish Mulvihill (second story colorist), Kyle Higgins (third story writer), Trevor McCarthy (third story artist), Andre Szymanowicz (third story colorist) The Story: In the first feature, The Question works alongside both Batmen and Nightrunner to take down a Parisian cult from the inside. In the second, Veil helps humanitarian clinician Leslie Thompson find regret and fulfillment in her work. In the third, Nightrunner finds out how tough it is to wear a controversial icon amidst city riots. The Review: Series annuals are usually a mixed bag. On the one hand, the bigger page count offers an opportunity to tell big stories outside the continuity of the main ongoing. Many times, however, you get a bunch of unrelated short stories from various writers and artists, all cobbled together. This annual definitely falls under the cobbled category. The editors could have taken a little more care at least in figuring out which story gets placed where. The obvious connections between the first and third features make them shoo-ins to be companions, since they both involve the Parisian traceur Nightrunner, but they end up bookending the entirely unrelated second feature instead. This by itself makes the annual a disjointed read. The sense of disconnect invades the stories themselves. The first feature jumps around without offering much in the way of what’s going on, or even who some of the characters are. So much attention gets handed over to The Question (as played by Renee Montoya), it’s easy to forget the story supposedly ties into the Batman Incorporated banner. Too bad Nightrunner, the candidate to be France’s Batman, doesn’t get more page- time or stuff to do than he does in this issue. At least he fares better than Leni Urbana, the high-stakes intended victim of the story—at least, you assume so, because never once do you find out exactly who she is or what she does. If writers want to sell the idea of other heroes taking on Batman’s symbol, then they have to work harder at selling those heroes in the first place. What little Nightrunner gets to do in this issue is rendered moot by the American heroes. Even as the focus of the third feature, Nightrunner’s background remains largely mysterious and his personality gets grossly overshadowed by Batman—either one of them. Kyle Higgins introduces the interesting real-world element of Parisian racial conflicts, then spends too much time talking about them than showing their effects on Nightrunner. Higgins really would have profited from having more pages to tell his story than he got. Which brings us to the second feature. Don’t get me wrong—it’s not a bad story. Like Higgins’, Paul Tobin probably would have delivered much better with more pages. But as is, the story goes by so fast, you never get attached to either Veil or Leslie Thompson (both fairly unfamiliar characters, at least to me), and the heartwarming elements of it lose the impact they could have. It doesn’t help that Sedge Moslin, Leslie’s former patient with major anger issues, acts as a supremely silly antagonist. The big pluses of this annual are the artists. The first feature gets decent treatment, despite the mix of pencillers, but it’s nothing special, even muddy at times. The second and third features are the ones that really wowed me, art-wise. Ramon Bachs delivers impressive details, especially in character expressions, but he’s also successful in getting across dynamic movement when needed, and his attention to setting is no slouch either. Same goes to Trevor McCarthy, whose looser style of lines and more ambitious panel layouts keep the story energetic, even though it’s completely talky. Are these guys working for any ongoing titles? If not, DC better sign them up, because their art goes hard, despite the limits of the stories they’re working with. Conclusion: As annuals go, this one isn’t terrible, but you can’t come away from it without feeling like each story got short-changed a little. The art gets great treatment, however, and picks up the stories very well, so it’s not a total loss. Despite the Batman Incorporated stamp, the issue only sticks to that concept half the time, so don’t go in expecting a full tie-in.