There’s nothing like a giant comic book battles like the one in this week’s episode of Nightwing or the surprisingly crazy brawl that ensued in Josie and the Pussycats. A fun combination in today’s Subway Shorts
Josie and the Pussycats 2
Written by Marguerite Bennett and Cameron Deordio
Art by Audrey Mok
In their second issue, the newly-formed band has achieved what few bands do for just their second gig: they’re on a tour bus! But while the gig went well – despite being in a dive bar filled with bikers – the ramifications were a bit unexpected. The bar owners trick the girls into an exclusive contract to play there indefinitely. Definitely not anything the girls wanted.
So what do you do when you get conned into signing an exclusive contract? You challenge your new owners to a drag racing competition. Outfitted with a second-rate racer thrown together with a speaker system and amp the girls busted while playing their gig at the bar – this is important – the girls have to use their brains to win and get out of the jam. Thankfully, the racer was thrown together with a busted speaker system and amp. Why, you may ask? Well, exhibit A:
Yep, Valerie connects the speaker system and amp to her guitar and starts wailing in order to get an added boost for the racer. As the panel says: comic book science!
Throughout the second issue of Josie and the Pussycats, the fourth wall gets broken, pop culture jokes and the little comments about living in a world of comic book logic surprisingly don’t get old. Combined with the great writing, the art from Audrey Mok is top notch and adds to the fun in the issue.
Another win for the new Archie Comics universe.
Nightwing 8
Written by Tim Seeley
Art by Javier Fernandez
Since the start of Rebirth, Nightwing has been under the tutelage of the Raptor, who was working towards taking down the Court of Owls from the inside. With that goal accomplished, Raptor went about his real mission of remaking Nightwing in his own image, instead of working the way that Batman taught him. But Dick Grayson doesn’t really do well when he’s pushed in directions he doesn’t want to go. So Raptor had to do something a bit extreme.
He kidnapped Bruce Wayne. Yes, Raptor kidnapped Batman.
Now, let’s get past the somewhat unbelievable conceit that this character we’ve never heard of was able to get the drop on the World’s Greatest Detective. The important part of the story comes in Nightwing’s refusal of Raptor’s teachings and his fight to overpower him. Of course, we get the (somewhat contrived) backstory that Raptor grew up with and loved Nightwing’s mother. And with that kind of overused history, is it any wonder that Raptor’s death traps are so silly?
Yes, Raptor was going to kill Bruce Wayne with a sharpened silver spoon.
Of course, the death trap doesn’t work. Bruce Wayne gets out alive with the help of his protege, and Nightwing is able to defeat his aggressive hopeful mentor. Grayson puts Raptor down in particularly violent and gruesome fashion and he reasserts his partnership with Batman. And all is well with the world.
I’m hoping that Raptor stays put and we get some new directions for the Nightwing book, maybe even addressing his relationship with Barbara Gordon that’s been teased in the first arc. This was advertised as the back half of a two-issue arc, but it’s just as tied to the first 4 issues, broken up only by the Batman crossover. Let’s see what writer Tim Seeley has to offer next.