Friday, September 20, 2024

I wouldn't be 100% comfortable hearing that from anyone, but particularly Hal Jordan.

Even though I liked when Palmiotti and Gray brought Jonah to the future for a bit in All-Star Western, I haven't liked some of the modern-day type Hex stuff I've seen recently. Maybe this issue will turn things around--aw, Bendis? Boo. From 2019, Batman Universe #4, reprinting stories from Batman Giant #9 and #10, written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Nick Derington.
On the trail of a Faberge egg stolen by Vandal Savage, Green Lantern and Batman end up in western times, in front of none other than Jonah Hex! The egg had belonged to his great-grand-daughter Jinny and somehow zapped them there; and a strangely deferential Batman talks things through with "Colonel Hex." (I'm not sure, but I think this whole story is a kindler, gentler Bats than the usual scowling "my way or the highway" know-it-all; which I maybe don't mind?) I don't think there's really continuity to speak of at DC anymore, so despite the fact that they hadn't met each other before, and Hex probably hadn't been back-and-forth in time or anything, he still believes them because their story is too much hogwash to not be true. They take a break to pick up period clothing, although Hal is concerned that his ring only has 39 minutes of charge left. (Was it a 24-hour charge again? I don't remember.) Still, he is able to fly them to the mining town where Jonah had seen Vandal, before his ring weirds out and he disappears! (I suspect Bendis only wanted to use Hal for a bit in the story, and this was the easiest way to get him out of it. Or maybe he was just sick of Hal.)
Jonah and Batman are left to face Vandal Savage, and his army of ninja-type assassins; and oddly enough Batman still tries to talk it out? Perhaps just as a means of exposition between chapters, but still. Vandal considers leaving Batman in the past, where he would probably be happier? But, he can't ignore the fact that Batman would probably "build a time machine out of rocks and pond water just to spite me," so he and Hex are gonna have to go; but that's why he was paying the assassins anyway, so...Hex puts a couple square into Vandal, which just annoys him, and Hex, and me: I thought Vandal was originally just long-lived, not necessarily Wolverine-type unkillable. In the ensuing fight, the egg again does something weird, picking up Batman, and zapping him back to Gotham, to Crime Alley!
Batman is momentarily worried that he isn't back to his present, but Alfred quickly reaches him on his earwig communicator. Bats isn't worried about the stuff he left in the past, saying it was built to self-destruct; but he's mildly concerned Vandal had seen his face. Still, he's thrilled Alfred took the Lamborghini to pick him up, except Alfred hadn't left yet--it's Vandal Savage, who had been waiting--and planning--for 150 years for that moment! He blasts Batman with a ray gun and grabs the egg, leaving Batman dying in the rain under a streetlight...to be continued? 

These were originally in the Wal-Mart exclusive Batman Giants, and checking my shelves, as typical for me, I had a couple random issues of it? The distribution locally could be spotty, and I'm not sure I would clamored for it every month since I already read Hush, which was reprinted again there; but there were also Batgirl and Nightwing New 52-era reprints. An earlier chapter of this egg storyline involves Gorilla City, the Riddler, and Thanagar; I think Bendis was trying to play with as many toys as he could!

2 comments:

Mr. Morbid said...

F$&k Bendis.

Anyhoo, this one looks fun & is a good argument for why those Walmart magazine comics shouldn’t be slept on.

CalvinPitt said...

That Batman does seem oddly mellow. Like, I'd expect him to have more issues with Jonah shooting Vandal Savage, useless as it may be.

(I have no idea what Vandal's deal is, beyond being a caveman that's just lived a long time. Did he get experimented on by aliens and that's how he's still alive, or is that the Alpha Flight villain The Master?)