In Absolute Batman #1, Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta went all in to make an absolutely worthwhile issue. Working-class by day, spiked-up suit by night, this Batman is an underdog fighting against an impossible system, the odds ever stacked against him. It's a story that everybody needs right now. It also works well even if it's your first-ever comic.

Absolute Batman #2 gladly adheres to the "rule of cool, each page turn feeling like a museum exhibit that reveals a newer, bigger, cooler thing at every corner. Unfortunately, the creative twists on Batman's iconography pushing him to his highest highs don't necessarily entail many new characterizations or fresh interpersonal drama absent from his other appearances. At least not yet. For newcomers, however, this buy is a no-brainer that will get you hooked on Batman comics in no time at all.

Absolute Batman #3 puts the pedal to the metal. In flashbacks, Nick Dragotta and Frank Martin produce bittersweet glimpses of Bruce's life full of friends and love. And in the present, they deliver a heavy metal batmobile chase unlike any other. All the while, Scott Snyder infuses tension in every lull and action with Batman having to make tough decisions that he never had to deal with before. As Alfred said in this issue, "I may actually love Batman.

Batman/Dylan Dog #2 dives straight into the supernatural side of things, sidelining the street-level superheroics for now, which may cause readers' mileage to vary. But what stays consistent is the gorgeous art that delivers the story's punch from the streets of London to the depths of the underworld. And the witty dialogue running parallel with the dark themes really mesh together wonderfully.

Batman/Dylan Dog #3 is a solemn conclusion to our duo detectives' team-up. The gothic story is paired with entertaining dialogue and beyond beautiful art. Though the stakes could be higher, Batman's interactions with Dylan Dog show that the two make for a great pairing and could provide for fun future issues if they ever decide to meet again. All in all, this three-issue crossover brings two different heroes not too far from their comfort zones, doubling down on their respective personas and personal philosophies, all painted in masterly strokes of shadows.

Batman and Robin #8 is an interesting break for the dynamic duo, showing these characters on individual adventures. But while this issue gives something interesting to Robin's character development, as Flatline melts his usually confident mask, it adds nothing new to Batman nor Shush. In the end, there are more questions than answers. We'll just have to wait and see if the payoff is satisfying enough for the journey.

Batman and Robin #9 is an important issue and a must-read for readers following the dynamic duo's adventures. It has a couple of the most stylistic artists working in comics today to provide gorgeous art, and Joshua Williamson packages it all in a fun and joyfully written story. Though Shush's reveal leaves more to be desired, Man-Bat is finally taking his much-deserved spotlight, soaring as a main antagonist. Let's hope the next issue keeps up the momentum and brings father and son together again on the same page.

All in all, Batman and Robin #10 is a fun conclusion to the first main arc of the series that highlights the father-and-son relationship more than anything else. For people looking for what the title promises, the dynamic duo back to their roots, working together as a team, they won't be disappointed. It's all about Batman and Robin here, both of them equally sharing a spotlight.

Batman and Robin #11 is an amazing beginning to a new arc. An arc that has dinosaurs, a fight with T-Rexes, and the return of a fan-favorite villain in Bane. It's also not without its mysteries, with how Bane is seemingly back as a pseudo-anti-hero as opposed to the capital V villain he has been previously. Oh, and also don't forget the dinosaurs.

Batman and Robin #12 is the culmination of Robin and Bane's conflict, him finally having closure through their duel. The action here is spectacular, the confrontation against Bane that many may have wanted after half a decade. Juan Ferreyra delivers panels that are both clear and colorful. Combined with the storytelling efforts of Joshua Williamson, this issue effectively makes the readers feel the full force of Damian's grief, both visually and narratively.

Batman and Robin #13 is about broken people being loved and how that act saves them. It ends Joshua Williamson's run with a heartfelt send-off, expressed through Juan Ferreyra's gorgeous watercolors. It resolves all loose ends and paves the way for PKJ and Javier Fernandez to take the helm for DC All-In in October. Damian Wayne is the heart of this whole book, and under Batman's loving shadow, he shines as his own star.

Green Lantern War Journal #8 is another chapter in the story of John Stewart as he battles his heroic responsibility with that of his family. The inclusion of Guy Gardner makes for great continuity and reminds us of the Lanterns' connectivity with each other even with the change of the status quo. Though the villain leaves more to be desired, John's dementia-ridden mother makes this a story worth telling and I can't wait to see how that plot thread gets resolved.

Jenny Sparks #2 could be an engrossing self-contained episode of TV. Set mostly in one room, it hooks you with a crazed fallen hero and a blas protagonist, not knowing where it's going to go. And with the title's short six-issue length, it could well be worth it. I mean, it already is for the art alone. Tom King excels at writing for specific artists, making his books perhaps the best-looking on the market. This one is no exception.

Jenny Sparks #3 starts to fizzle out and falls apart when read in context as something more than a superhero punch-up. It tries to say something meaningful but needs another jolt to be profound. But whatever it's doing, it never stops looking good while doing it.

Jenny Sparks #4 is an American story through and through. Jenny is the response to the government's failure in the war on terror and the financial crisis. In that, it's an interesting read. Who knows what the next issue will tackle? What's certain is there's nothing else quite like it on the shelves, definitely, nothing that looks as good.

Jenny Sparks #5 isn't afraid to say things, even if sometimes what it says gets jumbled up in capes and tights. On the upside, Jeff Spokes just gets better and better, making walking dialogue scenes dynamic with tilted shots of characters on Dutch angles. I would love to see him pair up with Tom King again in the future as their artistic sensibilities work well together. We get to see him render the main characters' backstories, giving them the trademark Tom King tragedy, which fills it with proper pathos. There's also Batman-Superman banter, which we could never have too much of.

The Penguin #9 is an important piece of the overarching puzzle portraying the avian-themed villain's return to power. The different captions used turn the whole issue into a unique collage of personal and subjective interpretations of events. The interplay between Batman and Penguin is a classic turned on its head. The art by Rafael de Latorre paints a dark and desperate Gotham on the verge of war. And by the end, as most good Tom King story does, it comments about love.

The Penguin #10 is poetic, impactful, and dramatic, all dressed in the mundane, of people talking in benches and not scuffles in tights. In other words, it is everything you'd expect from a Tom King book, and De Lattore and Maiolo's art only enhances the experience. If that is what you're looking for, then this is something that you definitely should not miss on the shelves.

As a penultimate issue, The Penguin #11 ramps things up at the cost of build-up. Every character reaps what they've sown, and Batman proves that if he is a symbol of anything, it is one of consequence.

Just in time for a new Penguin mini-series in a different medium, this one comes to a close. The Penguin #12 and this book as a whole is unabashedly Tom King's take on the character, from the non-linear time jumps, to how the characters speak. Personally, I'm a fan of it, but others who are looking for a more penguin Penguin may disagree. For those not having enough of the flightless bird, the HBO Penguin series will lay bare its beak soon enough, which seems to have the same feel as this comic, if not narratively, then thematically.