For those of you out of the loop, Bruce Wayne is dead. Long live Batman (and Robin)!

It’s an arduous task, introducing a new Dynamic Duo to the world, and the creative team of Batman & Robin # 1 pull it off masterfully.  Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne’s former protégé, is the Batman while Bruce’s son, Damian, takes up the mantle of Robin.  Gotham City hasn’t seen the Caped Crusader or the Boy Wonder in the months since the Final Crisis took Batman’s life.  They were dark times, but that’s about to change.

Morrison and Quitely show us Gotham in a state it hasn’t been in a long time: fun.  Batman and Robin (in their brand new Batmobile) chase Mr. Toad through the streets of Gotham City.  Each twist, turn and disabling missile give the villain a wild ride that can only end in his defeat.  Batman and Robin are back in town and crime is doomed.

This issue, while predominantly set-up, is how you introduce a new status quo.  Every panel of this book is flooded with detail and nuance.  Through banter, clever facial expressions and clever panel layout, Misters Morrison and Quitely communicate more about these characters and their world in 22 pages than I’ve seen since their last collaboration (All Star Superman).

The Batman’s been with us since 1939.  He died at the age of 70.  I can only hope his replacement, so long as he’s handled as ably as he’s been so far, will last as long.

Viva La Bat!

The show was part of the “TRL National Tour.”  The set list was comprised of fan-voted favorites like “Los Angeles” and “Burning House of Love.”  X’s original line-up shredded through hits like “Johnny Hit & Run Pauline,” “Under The Big Black Sun,” “Los Angeles;” hell, pretty much all their classics.  I couldn’t help but feel the exhuberance throughout the near two hour set.  John Doe’s and D.J. Bonebrake’s energy was awe-inspiring.  Billy Zoom, stood to the left of the stage, smiling, nodding and playing perfectly in tune.  Exene even broke her usual seeming disinterest for the situation by occasionally bantering with the crowd.

Just before going into “The Have Nots,” John Doe made a comment about the song being responsible for too many DUIs and how he was happy to play it in New York, since the locals don’t drive.  A fairly innebreated woman then screamed, “We’re New Yorkers!  We don’t fucking drive, we take the train!”  With a mix of disdain and a hint mischief, Exene looks the girl dead in the eye and said, “That’s what he just said.  You people don’t drive.”  She rolled her eyes and X played the song.

This was one of the most high energy show’s I’ve ever been to.  There was a symbiosis between the band and the audience.  The more excited the crowd became, the more enthused  got and vice versa.  The crowd, many of whom were well into their forties or older, were more lively than an audience at a grindcore show.  There was one gentleman in particular who kept on moshing outside the pit.  Despite the best efforts of those on the edge to keep him in, he still found his way into groups of perfectly psyched folks who just wanted to enjoy their beers or waters.  Naturally, his flailing prevented such enjoyment.  I could have sworn John Doe shook his head when the guy knocked my friend’s beer all over the girl to his right.

Other than that minor incident, the show was fantastic, absolutely fantastic.  They’re playing at the World Cafe in Philadelphia on June 4 and making their way west.  I highly recommend checking out one of the remaining shows on the tour (you can peep the show dates here).

Fair thee well,

Ian

Drag Me To Hell follows the story of Christine (Allison Lohman), a loan officer at a small California bank. When Christine refuses to grant an old gypsy woman an extension on her mortgage, the woman places a curse on Christine. Christine has three days before a demon drags her, body and soul, into the pits of Hell. The plot is that of many a Hammer or Universal horror movie that cam before, but Mr. Raimi, aided by a well-rounded cast, play all the beats just right. There’s a fight scene in a parking garage between Christine and the old gypsy woman that is both terrifying and hysterical. The scene is a masterpiece of macabre absurdity.

In a summer of remakes and rehashes capitalizing on your childhood memories (I’m looking at you McG and Michael Bay), I urge you to check this flick out.

Be seeing you,

Ian Gonzales