Is there any other comic creator that has burned as much goodwill with me as Mark Millar? Well, Bendis. Ooh, Kevin Smith. Claremont, when I'm in a bad mood and he's hitting all his tropes. Late stage Frank Miller...Y'know what, we're getting off-topic: Millar. I made it through Wanted, the Unfunnies, and Ultimates II before being pretty much done with him. I'm so soured on his work I can't even read the stuff I liked before from him, with the possible exception of his Superman Adventures issues. So is today's book good Millar or bad Millar? From 1996, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #79, "Favorite Things" Written by Mark Millar, pencils by Steve Yeowell, inks by Dick Giordano.
Bruce Wayne has ditched his Christmas party, since a burglar hit Wayne Manor, and Batman has to track them down. Although Alfred tries to make light of it, Bats isn't having it, making it an imperative to get back whatever was stolen, and going the traditional two or three days without sleep. Working the streets and roughing up the snitches, Batman hears the robbery was the work of a gang called the Chessmen; and Gordon tells him they've taken hostages. After thumping the Chessmen up for four pages or so, Batman tracks the stolen goods down, but the man holding them had already returned them: he had been trying to make money for his kids but couldn't go through with it, and had earlier tipped the police off to the gang. Batman lets him off with a warning.
Back at the mansion, in his childhood room, a shirtless Bruce (still wearing the rest of the Bat-outfit, including utility belt) plays with a somewhat gaudy train engine: the last present he ever got from his parents. This is trying to be sentimental, get you in the Christmas feels or whatever, but I have to ask: the train appears to be a wind-up, how old was Bruce when he got that? And how old was the train? It would be more authentic if less schmaltzy if his last present from his parents had been a classic GameBoy. And the issue ends with Alfred suggesting that sad shirtless Batman stop playing with his toys and go to bed, which leaves you thinking about Batman's case of arrested development. Fun. Moreover, I just realized I'm starting off our 'holiday' season here with Batman shoving a guy's head in a toilet; a portent that I'm sure bodes holly and jolly for the next couple months...
This isn't 'bad' Millar, but not the best, either. Luckily for him, he's got that ever-popular dump truck full of Netflix money, so I don't think he's losing any sleep over it.
2 comments:
I'm with you on Millar these days, where he's basically a shameless huckster, who has recently struck it big with that Netflix deal. I'm curious to see how it all ends.
When he's good, he's good and when he's bad, it's unabashed hack.
The last things I liked of his was Jupiter's Circle and Starlight. Other than that, his current stuff is more miss than hit, depending on your tastes.
These days, well for some time now for various reasons, I haven't been all that high on Christmas, so I hear ya.
But shit, the image of Batman giving a crook a much-needed swirlie? I can get behind that.
Yup, you pretty much nailed my feelings about Millar. And Frank Miller and Bendis for that matter.
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