‘Mother Panic’ Leads The List Of This Week’s Best Comics

It was always clear that Jody Houser was after Batman in her superheroine comic book for Young Animal, but Mother Panic #4 (DC Comics) brings just how she wants to explore Batman into a much sharper focus. And she does so by asking a simple question: What would happen if Batman weren’t just an orphan, but the victim of abuse

Houser and artist Shawn Crystal have been interrogating the Batman mythos for a while. Violet Paige plays the role of spoiled socialite a-hole to the hilt, although it’s not entirely an act, and this issue in particular looks squarely at the hypocrisy of both the basic idea behind Batman, which Houser articulates an argument for in the opening of the book, and Violet herself. Violet is getting revenge, and at least admits as much, but even if Violet can’t quite face the fact that what she’s doing is unhealthy, her book can.

All this is thrown in sharp relief when she finally meets the supposed villain of the piece. Except the two have common cause, and an unexpectedly deep emotional bond. And also, potentially, a deeply poisonous one, which we can’t wait to see the book explore.

Anthony Del Col and Werther Dell’Edera have the unenviable task of updating decades-old kiddie mysteries, and their wholesome heroes, into something a little more modern, and around the time a police detective smashes Frank Hardy’s head into a table, you realize that maybe they’ve pulled it off. Granted, Del Col has to chuck almost everything from the books short of the names to make this work, and there are some awkward fits here and there, with passing mentions of the Bobbsey twins (now spoiled rich brats) and Tom Swift. Still, it’s interesting to see a more modern take on these naive detectives, and the story itself, enhanced with Dell’Edera’s noir-toned art, is compelling enough to keep reading.

The terrifying Man-Thing returns, ready to strike fear in the hearts of… well, nobody, really, and that’s kind of the whole problem. Ted Sallis has gotten his mind back, he’s gotten his powers of speech back, and he’s trying to go Hollywood, despite the fact he’s a walking compost heap. This is a weird tack for R.L. Stine to take. (Yes, that R.L. Stine, who has a little horror tale as a backup story.) But those familiar with what, say, Steve Gerber did with Man-Thing will quickly twig to the fact that there’s more under the surface. Besides, Man-Thing arguing with his agent and getting bumped off a flight by Ant-Man is unexpectedly hilarious.

Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins team up for a story about a town of sorts that’s off the grid and technically independent of the United States. They’re not survivalist kooks, so much, as just people who more or less want to be left alone by damn near everybody. Kindt’s fascination with ad-hoc societies and subcultures formed under a specific pressure is on full display here, but he adds an element of mysticism to it; the land around the Grass Kingdom is haunted, in a way, and those living on that land may have been living there in spirit for much longer without knowing it. It’s a fascinating book, enhanced by Jenkins’ watercolors, and definitely unique.

Matthew Rosenberg and Jeff Dekal continue their slow burn take on Marvel’s most notorious gangster, leaving open the question of whether he’s really reformed or all of what we’re seeing is a scam. After seemingly tipping their hand at the end of the first issue, they draw back a bit, revealing that Kingpin has a conflicted view of going straight, and is fully capable of violence. At one point, he flat-out admits that if it were even slightly easier to kill one of his fellow gangsters, he would have done it already. But also that there really is, underneath the muscle and crime, a decent person luring. Maybe, and figuring out just where he really falls should keep readers engaged.

Motor Crush #4, Image Comics: Babs Tarr continues to be the star of this book, as Brendan Fletcher and Cameron Stewart basically just write her great fight scenes and cool races to draw. Not that this is a complaint, mind you.

Astro City #42, DC Comics: Kurt Busiek and guest artist Matthew Clark deliver a shipwreck story unlike any other, with an ending that’s simultaneously cheerful and almost unbearably sad.

Charmed #1, Titan Comics: While the art sticks to drawing from publicity stills, this will warm the hearts of fans of the long-lived TV series.

Josie And The Pussycats #5, Archie Comics: Maguerite Bennett, Cameron DeOrdio, and Audrey Mok continue their gentle satire of the music industry with Josie going to war against a preteen at a state fair. Hey, nobody said being a professional musician was dignified.

Sky Doll Sudra #1, Titan Comics: It’s a bit difficult to discern exactly what’s happening in this translated Eurocomic, but the lush art and cheeky humor carry this story of a robotic saint on a world full of oddities to some interesting places.

Astro City: Reflections, DC Comics (Hardcover, $25): Collecting some recent arcs, Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson’s human, genuine stories of superheroes and the city they live in is always worth having on your shelf.

30 Days Of Night 15th Anniversary Edition, IDW (Softcover, $20): More than a decade later, the horror comic that launched a thousand imitators still holds up surprisingly well on its own terms.

New Mutants Epic Collection, Marvel (Softcover, $40): Just in time for their movie to be announced, you can get caught up on some classic ’90s comics.