Batman #701

Grant Morrison gives us the missing story between RIP and Final Crisis. I should say "one of the missing stories" because Final Crisis was so convoluted and crummy that I have to assume that Grant Morrison had a myriad of great ideas that made sense but the big, bad editors at DC overruled his creative control.

When he writes a comic book, Morrison either gives us a fantastic story or nonsensical garbage and the jury is still out on this storyline. Part one is interesting enough that you want to read part two, and Grant Morrison writes a great Batman.

I would also mention that Tony Daniel does a great job with the pencils. He has come a very long way from his early Image days and his style really fits Gotham City.

Tale of the Tape

Cost: $3

Length: 20 minutes.

Is it worth yet?: Yes, but that could all change with part 2...

Batman #700

Grant Morrison can be pretty frustrating. Sometimes he creates some of the best comics ever, and sometimes he creates artsy incoherent garbage that we are all supposed to worship in awe. Thankfully his work on Batman #700 is just nice solid storytelling.

I won't go into much detail, but it is a time travel story of sorts, allowing Bruce Wayne to be part of the action even though he isn't the current Batman. The tale also showcases Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne as the current and future version of the Bat. Different artist contribute to the different time periods, which works nicely for an anniversary issue.

If you are a Batman fan you probably already picked this one up, but if you feel like giving Gotham city a chance this is a great jumping on point.

Tale of the Tape

Cost: $5

Length: 30 minutes

Is it worth it?: Yes. This is comic book storytelling at its finest. 

Challenge Mode

So I completed all the Ridder's challenges last night and now I must master challenge mode to finish up my trophy collection. Wow, this mode is crazy hard. I have only about 6 medals in the predator (stealth) challenges and 1 medal in a combat challenge. I have to get 24 medals in each to ace the game! I'll keep giving you updates, but my quest for the platinum could end here.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

I finished Batman: Arkham Asylum yesterday. It is a solid, solid game that is much better than the standard super-hero fare that you see on consoles. If I am being honest, it is actually the best super-hero game ever (and that is not hyperbole). Excellent story, great voice-acting, nice use of powers and super-hero abilities, and a great secret riddle campaign. The game plays like a meld of Metroid Prime and Metal Gear Solid with a tight combat system thrown in. Check this game out you will not be disappointed. While we are at it here are some other great super-hero video games:

• Marvel VS Capcom 2 (multi-platform)
• X-men (arcade)
• Spider-man (PS1)

And here are some to avoid:

• X-men (NES)
• Wolverine: Adamantium Rage (SNES)
• Marvel Superheroes: Rise of the Imperfects (multi)
• X-men/Spiderman: Arcade's Revenge (SNES)