Comics Roundup for 12/12/12

Batman #14 - The "Death of the Family" story continues in this issue, and while it doesn't move the story along as much as I might have liked, there were enough compelling ideas to keep me interested.  For one, does The Joker really know who Batman and his various sidekicks really are?  He claims that he does, but beating the crap out of Alfred doesn't necessarily prove anything.  I suppose the conversation would be over if he called him "Bruce" though, wouldn't it?  Anyway, I like the back up stories that this series has been featuring. They add a new dimension to the main story and don't feel like filler.

Winter Soldier #13 - Not nearly as much fun as last issue.  Looks like the next issue will be Brubaker's last.   Let's hope he can make it as poignant as his last issue of Captain America.  Let's face it; even if he didn't create Bucky, he basically defined the current incarnation of the character.

Batman and Robin #14 - As much as I liked the first couple of stories from this series, my plan was to drop the book as I've been suffering from a bit of burnout.  I figured I'd give it another try though as it's dealing with the whole "Death of the Family" story.  It's a good issue, but I don't feel particularly compelled to get the next issue.

The Amazing Spider-Man #699.1 - This was a good issue, but let's all be honest.  It's more of a zero issue for the new series featuring Morbius than it's an issue of Spider-Man.  Spidey appears at the beginning, and his story doesn't move forward at all.  Instead, we get the origin of Morbius.  Interesting, but there's a lack of truth in advertising here.