Roy. Bruce. LOVE.

[buggery]

So, I have a shiny new copy of (publication date February 1997) Batman plus⁺ Arsenal.

Oh my BOB, I love this book. Why, Jack? I imagine you asking.

Let me count the ways.

1) Roy!

2) Roy and Lian! Roy is a good daddy, and Lian is adorable.

3) Written by Devin Grayson. And if for whatever reason that isn't a sure sign of a good read to you -- this is well-written, deftly plotted, and full of delightful character moments, as well as dialogue that had me laughing out loud.

4) Pencilled by Rodolfo DaMaggio (inks by Bob Campanella, who's no slouch, but beside my point) ...I didn't know who he was before I got my hands on this issue, either. Now, I know him as That Guy Who Consistently Draws Bulges In Guys' Costumes Large Enough To Accomodate Actual Male Genitals. Here, visual aid:



(You can't really tell from the cover there, so I included the one relevant scan I found.
That's Connor Hawke, Green Arrow II and son of original Green Arrow Oliver Queen.)

The book is cock chock-full of panels like that. In fact, the first panel on the first page is Dick (oh, like he wasn't going to turn up) flying over some goons and kicking one in the head; his legs are splayed, there's lovely highlighting on the curves of his ass, and there's an unmistakeable bulge in the front of his uniform pants. His musculature is well-defined and lovingly detailed, as well (more so than Connor in that scan, actually) but hey, there are lots of artists doing that. Anyway. Batman plus⁺ Arsenal is full of eye-candy shots of Dick and Roy, though there are fewer, oddly enough, of Bruce (his midsection tends to be shadowed, turned away, obscured or off-panel entirely), and the one panel showing the KGBeast's bulge is actually deeply scary, but the preponderance of pretty makes up for it.

5) Still not convinced? Check out some highlights...

a) As I said, the story opens on Dick, in Blüdhaven, kicking ass. Roy turns up and they converse while Dick continues kicking ass. (Mmm, multitasking.) A bit of dialogue: Roy says, "I need to talk to you, buddy. It's... kinda important." Dick, on the ground wrestling with one of his perps (and having the upper hand despite being on his back under the guy) responds, "Shoot." Roy fires a crossbow bolt through the perp's knife hand. "Roy!" Dick chides, "I meant tell me what's going on!"

b) After Dick finishes subduing all the perps in that opening scene, he slings their unconscious victim over one shoulder, takes the guy's briefcase in one hand, *throws* a grapple-line with the other, and swings off as easily as if he was unburdened. GUH.

c) Roy goes to Gotham to meet with Batman, as arranged by Dick. He's standing on a gargoyle head, high over the city; it's night, and it's raining. Bruce appears out of the shadows behind him, moving utterly noiselessly until he starts to ask, "What do you--" "Whoa--" Roy yelps, startled, and loses his balance. Bruce steps up close enough behind him to share body heat, catches Roy's outflung arm by the tricep to steady him, and continues, "--need?" Just one of a number of panels in this book that resemble nothing so much as gay porn.

d) So they need the plans for a decommissioned military base, and it's so old the blueprints were never entered on anyone's computers. Bruce drives the Batmobile up to a government office and says, "I assume you're capable of getting into a locked federal building on your own?" Roy quips back, "Sure. I'll just grenade the door. Hope you don't expect me to be able to read, though."

e) Bruce wading in and kicking the KGBeast's ass hand-to-hand. No dialogue worth quoting, but... starts off by kicking him through a wall, then charges in, dodging projectiles, landing a left to his chin, ducking under the Beast's clumsy swing to jab at his midsection with another left and following up with a right to his jaw. Poetry in motion. Brutal, violent poetry, but no less poetic for that.

f) Roy catching a crucial detail during the hostage exchange that Bruce missed. You go, Roy!

g) Bruce holding his rebreather mask to Roy's face. (Man, I wish I could scan these pages for you guys!) Damned if it doesn't look... tender. And gay.

h) Roy finally going off on Bruce ...and Bruce letting him get it out of his system, and then getting right in his face and saying "Roy... I miss Ollie too." (And I do mean *right* in his face; if he ever got his mouth that close to Dick's in canon, people's underpants would catch fire.)

i) Roy's turn to go toe-to-toe with the KGBeast. Things don't go quite as smoothly for him as for Bruce, but when it seems like he's in over his head, what goes through Roy's head: Quick! What would Dick do? A high, kick, of course, and he breaks free. I won't spoil what his answer to "What would Ollie do?" was, later in the fight.

j) Dick showing back up at the end of the issue... which I also won't spoil the details of. But really, Dick. What more do you need?

There are, of course, many more choice panels, situations and conversations, and a truly priceless founding-Teen-Titans flashback -- this isn't like a coming attractions trailer that consists entirely of the five good jokes in the whole film.

6) The entire issue's on glossy paper. Not that big a deal, no, but it does make the art stand out better, and shows age more slowly. Unlike some glossy-coated paper, also, this stuff resists fingerprints.

7) Subtext out (up?) the wazoo. Roy/Dick and Roy/Ollie, of course... and a little Roy/Bruce, as a title with both their names should have.

8) Bruce! Rrrowr.

9) Last but decidedly not least-- wait, yeah, actually least. He has more than a cameo role, but not by much. Still --Dick!

All in all, well worth your money, up to or even a little over the original US$2.95 cover price, if you should have the good fortune to come across it in a back-issues box or on eBay.

ETA even more reasons to love the nummy book!
ETA2 OMG ratcreature is a GODDESS and scanned the first five pages! Links in comments.

Comments

[some-stars.livejournal.com]

h) Roy finally going off on Bruce ...and Bruce letting him get it out of his system, and then getting right in his face and saying "Roy... I miss Ollie too." (And I do mean *right* in his face; if he ever got his mouth that close to Dick's in canon, people's underpants would catch fire.)

This made me *swoon.* And clutch the issue to my chest, and then stop for fear of crinkling it. But--but--man, Bruce just knows EVERYTHING. *adore*

[buggery.livejournal.com]

This made me *swoon.*

YES.

And clutch the issue to my chest, and then stop for fear of crinkling it.

Oh, no, mustn't crease the comix!

Bruce just knows EVERYTHING.

World's Greatest Detective. (...in bed.)