You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
Collecting issues #1062-1065 of Detective Comics, writer Ram V. (Catwoman, The Many Deaths o[image]
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
Collecting issues #1062-1065 of Detective Comics, writer Ram V. (Catwoman, The Many Deaths of Laila Starr) teams up with artist Rafael Albuquerque (American Vampire, Superman/Batman) to explore a brand-new era for the world’s greatest detective. Told with an operatic flair and a grander vision of the darkness that haunts all that live and breathe the eerie air of Gotham City, the story unfolds with a new threat arriving from far to retrieve what they claim is rightfully theirs while the Dark Knight looks to demystify the mystical and supernatural danger that lurks in the shadows and the strange melody that bedevils the streets of his city. Unusual and undermining, Bruce Wayne also finds himself battling with his own inner demons, painstakingly haunting him and forbidding him from understanding the source of this dread that he constantly feels within him.
Following a gruesome encounter with a bizarre and transformed Bruno Maroni, Sal’s nephew, who happens to now possess a terrifying and uncontrollable strength, Batman is forewarned by Talia al Ghul of an incoming threat that he’s not ready to take on. Feeling inexplicably weak despite no indication of anything being physically wrong about him, Bruce Wayne struggles with a demon appearing by his side, chanting and warning him of his looming mortality, as he goes out into Gotham’s nights to solve the mystery around an ancient melody and the trouble stirring in the wind. As he seeks help from questionable individuals who happen to also be struggling with their own identities muddled by their pasts, the clues might, unfortunately, lead him a bit too late to stop what’s coming to the city he vowed to rid of its criminals.
Now, this is what I’m talking about! I can’t say if it’s the numerous disappointing story arcs that I had to trudge through to get to this point but writer Ram V. and artist Rafael Albuquerque hit all the right notes with this overture, brilliantly transforming Gotham into a gothic opera and hinting toward a supernatural threat growing in the shadows and consuming on the fear of those that it causes paths with. Channeling into Gotham City’s rich history, they cautiously set the foundation for new and powerful forces ready to lay siege to this land and make sure that its people never forget who both the Orgham and Arkham families were and where they came from. Although four issues are too few to delve any deeper into this visionary lore, it serves as an excellent prelude that is bound to expand into more substantial narrative pieces to come. Impressively enough, this story works wonderfully as a stand-alone chapter that doesn’t require readers to read any of the previous stories to appreciate what’s in store for them here. On top of the brilliant exposition, there’s a fantastic exploration of Bruce Wayne’s character achieved throughout these issues as his long years of crusade finally show signs of wear, especially with age, not only on his physique but now his psyche. The internal monologues also give him an authentic voice exposing a glimpse into his mindset, one highlighted by a sense of endurance and resilience unlike anything found in anyone else as a bat-shaped creature haunts his mind.
The first three issues also contain a three-part story called “The Coda” written by Simon Spurrier (Star Wars: Doctor Alphra, The Dreaming) that follows Jim Gordon in a new mystery that gets him back into the action, having been mostly falling off the map ever since he was forced out of his job as commissioner for the Gotham City Police Department. His internal monologue is probably going to be a hit-or-miss element here but remains the main forte of this short story, poetically written like something found in a noir detective mystery. Dani’s artwork is also extremely fuzzy and rough, somehow brilliantly fitting with the tone of the story. While the tale does lead up to some interesting alliances, it’s even more satisfying that it eventually ties up directly with the main story in the final issue. Speaking of which, the final story also includes the first of three parts of another short story still written by Simon Spurrier called “A Tale of Three Halves” but drawn by Hayden Sherman. This offers a unique look into Harvey Dent/Two-Face’s mind as he becomes a key character in Ram V’s new story. It is a bit more on the nuttier end of the stick, both narratively and artistically, as it splits his character into two entities. It is the voice of his evil side that isn’t exactly what I’d have expected but it remains to be seen if parts two and three achieve the desired effect though.
Although the story doesn’t wrap things up neatly by the end of the fourth issue, clearly just setting up the pieces for bigger things to come, it does help readers understand the direction and tone of Ram V’s Detective Comics series. And, based on everything I’ve read so far, this definitely seems more promising than anything written by previous writers of this series in the past months.
Batman: Detective Comics (Vol. 1): Gotham Nocturne: Overture is a fantastic step-up to the series as it opens up with a mysterious gothic tale where the world’s greatest detective fights his inner demons while in pursuance of answers about the emerging supernatural menace....more
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Writer Chip Zdarsky (Spider-Man: Life Story, Daredevil, Jughead) continues his exploration o[image]
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Writer Chip Zdarsky (Spider-Man: Life Story, Daredevil, Jughead) continues his exploration of the Dark Knight’s legacy alongside artist Mike Hawthorne (Happiness Will Follow, Despicable Deadpool) in this story arc collecting Batman #131-135, as Bruce Wayne, after his tiresome battle with Failsafe, ends up in a never-before-seen and utterly hopeless Gotham City where he must return to his roots to save a city under terror.
Bruce Wayne, now awake with only a dead yet very much lively Commissioner Gordon haunting him around, finds himself wandering the streets of Gotham City only to realize that its citizens are terrorized by Batman’s usual Rogues’ Gallery with the additional asset of being jacked up by Bane’s venom concoction, and that, without a Batman to save them. With the help of the young and lone orphan Jewel, he sets out to find help before the mysterious Red Mask, the superpowered mastermind behind the army of monsters ruling the city, finds out about his existence and ends his meddling once and for all. Before he could reach the source of this terror, he has to face some unexpected obstacles, from Harvey Dent to Selina Kyle, if he’s to find the answers he needs to this multiversal problem.
The first four issues (out of five) promise an odd time in an odd world. It’s essentially a what-if story about Bruce Wayne finding himself in a Gotham City that never had its own Batman to strike fear into the hearts of all things evil. With many of its occupants reminding him of their counterparts of his own world and what they turned out to be, unmistakenly evil or reformed, he fights his way through the villainy, always helping those in need along the way, until he finally sees hope at the end of the line to not only saving this world but also finding a way back home. Convinced that he must give birth to his vigilante alter ego into this world, the criminal underbelly soon hears the word of a terrifying “Bat-Man” while Bruce Wayne works his way into the depths of this look-alike world for the people responsible for the chaos.
While the premise itself is intriguing, something à la Grant Morrison and his own quirky, creative, and completely ambitious vision, it feels far too outlandish for readers to effortlessly immerse themselves in this universe. Some elements are reminiscent of writer Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One, while others are fully original yet not sufficiently convincing in execution. The numerous Easter eggs regarding familiar faces, especially those who meant a lot to Bruce Wayne but are now dead in his world, also fail to deliver the desired emotional punch. Even more frustrating are the cliches, the behaviours that transcend all universes and still apply to certain characters. One particular scene was also completely unbelievable, awkward, to be honest, pertaining to a confrontation between Bruce Wayne and his superpowered best friend… Then again, there’s a lot of comic book nonsense that requires suspension of disbelief, especially when it comes to Bruce Wayne enduring pain. And I’m telling you, he goes through A LOT so far in writer Chip Zdarsky’s stories. Even as a die-hard fan, it’s very hard to believe much of what Bruce Wayne endures here.
The final issue, which also marks the beginning of DC’s new era, Dawn of DC, as well as the return of legacy numbers for single issues, making it the 900th one of the series, is, however, on a whole other level. This issue is a wild ride into the multiverse and a beautiful hommage to stories pertaining to the Caped Crusader across time and space. It is magnificently accomplished, utilizing distinguishable and unique artistic styles directly related to each universe and captures the heart of the characters of these worlds magnificently. This does arrive a bit too late into the story to praise the story arc as a whole but does single-handedly justify picking up this second volume into writer Chip Zdarsky’s comic book run, giving readers hope that the upcoming stories could just maybe live up to the hype built with this final issue.
Similar to the first volume, these single issues also come with a side-story split across the first four issues called The Toy Box which follows Tim Drake, also known as Robin, who puts it upon himself to save Batman from whatever universe he must have been sent to by Failsafe. Convinced that Batman might also be mentally broken and needs help more than ever before, he sets out to find Toyman to rebuild the weapon that was initially used and manipulated by Failsafe so that he could be sent after Batman to pull him back home. Once again, what’s especially appreciated here is the mere fact that this story is directly tied to the main story and isn’t just there to promote some other comic book series or just there to superficially tell a short story that’ll be forgotten just as fast as it was read. However, it’s difficult to praise anything else of this story that could’ve just as well have been fit into the main story. At least it gives poor Tim Drake the chance to prove why this Robin is still relevant in the grand scheme of things.
Batman (Vol. 2): The Bat-Man of Gotham is an unusual yet somewhat fun detour into the multiverse that sends Bruce Wayne into a Gotham City without a Batman to reestablish the raison d’être of his vigilantism....more
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Collecting issues #1059-1061 of Detective Comics, writer Mariko Tamaki teams up with artist [image]
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Collecting issues #1059-1061 of Detective Comics, writer Mariko Tamaki teams up with artist Ivan Reis for one final story with the Dark Knight before handing over the reins to a new creative team. Teased at the end of Batman: Shadows of the Bat: The Tower, she now brings into play a once-dormant Riddler who now casually targets innocent citizens of Gotham in a manipulative mind game that might have something to do with their latest criminal behaviours. While there is an amusing idea hidden somewhere in between the few issues she wrote for this story arc, her grand exit from this comic book run turns out as forgettable as the rest of this saga which, in fact, was mostly saved by fantastic artwork from start to finish.
Streamed every morning with numerous viewers, Edward Nygma, also known as the Riddler, takes to the airwaves his riddled schemes as a wave of crimes committed by what seems at-first innocent citizens sends Batman gliding through the city he protects trying to solve this mysterious coincidence before more lives are lost. Contained within this volume is also a side-story pertaining to Gotham Girl who was now released from Arkham and out in the city trying to find the imposter who took her identity on social media. Still battling with her demons, now desperately desiring solitude within this world, she then discovers a murder that sends her chasing after the killer before making new unlikely friends.
This volume was doomed to fail the moment deadlines had to be met with a maximum of three issues to tell a story before a new creative team takes over. Writer Mariko Tamaki clearly stuffed in as much as she could, trying to tie together all the loose plot threads in hopes to wrap up her story as integratively as possible, plugging in Talia Al Ghul (mostly seen in Batman: Shadow War), the Arkham Tower (a new home for the deranged and criminal), and even Deb Donovan (the newly-introduced incorruptible and skilled investigative journalist). Unfortunately, the final result is a bland, rushed, and uninspiring story that tumbles its way to the finish line, never allowing readers to connect to the characters or their fate. Not only does this volume also present another awkward romance between Bruce Wayne and a side character related to Deb Donovan, but it also poorly ties things together with the Riddler, making every single plot device coincidental and improbable. It’s mostly thanks to Ivan Reis’s penciling, Danny Miki’s inking, and Brad Anderson’s colours that this story even stands on two feet.
Even more frustrating is the ludicrous side-story featuring Gotham Girl, a character that had completely fallen off the map since writer Tom King’s Batman comic book run. Just like the main story, this is told in three-part, each becoming increasingly incoherent and dull, clearly lacking direction and purpose. It also somehow served as an opportunity to plug in the Huntress, another character that Mariko Tamaki tried to focus on throughout her comic book run. David Lapham’s artwork is decent but ends up conveying the mediocrity of the dialogue and the story more than anything else.
While writer Mariko Tamaki’s Detective Comics comic book run has only continuously failed to find its identity, it will now be in the hands of writer Ram V to revitalize this series and, hopefully, for the better.
Batman: Detective Comics (Vol. 4): Riddle Me This is a poorly-executed and short story arc marking the end of writer Mariko Tamaki’s comic book run featuring the Dark Knight as he faces the Riddler in an unexciting mystery....more
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Collecting the side story featured in Detective Comics #1047-1058, alongside writer Mariko T[image]
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Collecting the side story featured in Detective Comics #1047-1058, alongside writer Mariko Tamaki’s twelve-issue Gotham City event Batman: Detective Comics: The Tower, this stand-alone volume presents a story of trauma, perpetual misery, and homelessness as a young boy grows through the cycle of violence infesting the city that took everything away from him as a myriad of supervillains teach him valuable lessons to survive the cruel world of the rich and powerful despite the unjustifiable means to an end embraced by Batman’s rogues’ gallery.
On one faithful night, an unnamed child witnesses the murder of his parents by the Joker as Batman arrives too late to prevent the tragedy. Blaming him for the Joker’s actions, the child resents Batman for the rest of his life. Now orphaned by the hands of evil born from the darkness of Gotham City, the child is sent to Wayne Manor, one of the only two places—the other being Arkham Asylum—where the broken is sent for a roof over their heads instead of a facility where they can receive the care they need following traumatic events. Unfortunately, the life before him only spirals further into the abysmal recesses of Gotham City’s alleys and sewers as he meets Batman’s rogues’ gallery against all odds and learns along the way how many of these villains perceive the city’s pitfalls and compensate through their respective endeavours within criminal parameters.
Let it be known that this story has nothing to do with comic book writer Mariko Tamaki’s Detective Comics run. It was simply grafted onto her The Tower story arc and served as a neat little distraction from the murder mystery occurring there. The upside here is that it reads as a stand-alone story and doesn’t require readers to get through any previous volumes. However, throughout the course of the story, this little kid with no name grows through—thanks to time jumps—several iconic Batman events, from Knightfall to No Man’s Land, and serves as a nice Easter egg for anyone knowledgeable about Batman’s canonical stories. However, that’s just fan service, not the sexual kind though. The story itself is a vehicle to a larger more conceptual idea where this protagonist allows us to understand how Gotham treats the broken, the innocent, and the forgotten. Writer Matthew Rosenberg thus uses his protagonist to show his own growth, his own resilience, and his own transformation in this unforgiving world. Unfortunately, the execution fails to embrace a more sophisticated approach to this idea, forcing readers to show suspension of disbelief as this kid ends up attracting and encountering multiple supervillains who all find some kind of interest in this kid and share valuable lessons about the world in which he lives, what he’s up against, and what he should be doing to seek happiness or success within it. Yes, they all show signs of excellent mentorship that everyone should strive for. Along the way, this kid also often finds himself running to a friend he’s made along the way who also tries to navigate as best as he can through this universe but has a much more decisive approach about what he’s going to do to survive and it’s definitely not about doing good and being kind to those around him.
Towards the final moments of this story, when the kid is no more a mere child trying to fit in, readers are presented with the ultimate confrontation that inevitably becomes a crucial turning point for the protagonist but the mediocre or simple story-telling style makes it difficult to fully appreciate the impact of the ending. The poor characterization and the unlikeable nature of the kid also prevent this story from being emotionally charged, from delving deeper into the environmental effects of Gotham City on a child with no one to love and who’s at the mercy of the city’s deficiencies. While the story itself is not bad per se, Fernando Blanco’s artwork and Jordie Bellaire’s colours do brilliantly capture the gloomy and depressive Gotham City and offer us some memorable character designs. Unfortunately, the linear story-telling and unconvincing encounters and interactions will likely be a hit-or-miss with readers as we follow this kid maneuvering through a sad, sad world.
Batman: Shadows of the Bat: House of Gotham is an intriguing yet undistinguished stand-alone tale about the forgotten amidst the terror of Batman’s villains in Gotham City....more
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Collecting the twelve-issue Gotham City event from Detective Comics #1047-1058, writer Marik[image]
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
Collecting the twelve-issue Gotham City event from Detective Comics #1047-1058, writer Mariko Tamaki rallies the Bat Family in this fourth volume of her comic book run for an intriguing mission, at least at first, to debunk the mystery at the heart of the newly-created state-of-the-art facility, Arkham Tower. Told in a non-linear fashion, overly stretched-out, with a central whodunnit mystery to try and keep things afloat, the story unfolds until tragedy takes place and forces all concerned parties to an all-out brawl in what’s supposed to be the new symbol of Gotham City’s healing journey, only to miss its target, drowning its non-existent commentary on mental health and criminality with unremarkable bombastic spectacles.
Initially created as an initiative by Mayor Nakano to change the city’s tendency of punishment toward one centered around the treatment of prisoners, focusing all the more on being holistic, humane, and practical, Arkham Tower is now home to countless criminals of Gotham City and Dr. Wear wishes to prove the city that the rehabilitation of his patients who are under his care works to receive the much-needed funding from the mayor. Convinced that the institution hides more than what meets the eye, under the guidance of Oracle (Barbare Gordon) and the assistance of Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) and Spoiler (Stephanie Brown), Batwoman (Kate Kane) infiltrates Arkham Tower as the psychiatrist Dr. Lisa Frow to figure out what Dr. Wear might be keeping a secret from everyone. Meanwhile, Nightwing (Dick Grayson) also sneaks into the workforce to check up on their friend The Huntress (Helena Bertinelli) who was admitted as a patient following her own recent troubles with Vile and the parasitic infection that gave her the ability to see violent acts happen through the eyes of victims. While the results seem promising to the public, Dr. Wear clearly seems to be hiding something, also unable to convince Dr. Meridian of the treatment and medication that he utilizes, as he continuously avoids questions about his methods. But once tragedy strikes Arkham Tower, who will come to the rescue and prevent the loss of innocent lives?
This turned out unnecessarily long but who didn’t see that coming in the first place? For Batman to suddenly have to disappear to handle things with Abyss already forces writer Mariko Tamaki to work tenfold to get readers invested in the main heroes here. It didn’t help that there was no mention anywhere of this reason for his departure, making it seem like he just bailed on everyone just when Gotham City needed him most. The first couple of issues, especially with artist Ivan Reis, do, however, a pretty good job in setting the table, luring readers into the mystery, and teasing at something bigger happening right under everyone’s eyes but then the story becomes flimsy, tossing in too many mediocre pieces onto the chessboard, especially by tying in the Penguin and the Party Crashers with their respective interests in Dr. Wear’s business. Although writer Mariko Tamaki does a decent job in giving each of the members of the Bat Family something relatively unique and important to do, she never delves deep enough into their emotional investment to capture these characters’ level of commitment. The non-linear structure also quickly gets old, with the first teaser of the tragedy given away early, readers will quickly want things to pick up instead of lingering around uninteresting dialogues that change nothing to how events are perceived or unfold.
Unfortunately, the surprise cameos later on and the shoehorning of additional villains into the main narrative becomes exhausting, inevitably hinting at an all-out brawl that will only seem superficially fun, effortlessly reminding readers of the missed opportunity with this tragic tale to further discuss mental health and crime in Gotham City. Luckily, the artwork is mostly in good hands, despite being switched around twice, and remained consistent in style, tone, and visual direction, without ever feeling jarring. The colouring is also fantastic, with plenty of opportunities to plunge the narrative with colours as the story mostly always takes place within Arkham Tower but still cleverly utilizes shadows to accentuate elements of mystery or darkness.
Batman: Shadows of the Bat: The Tower is an unduly lengthy but action-packed mystery thriller centered around Arkham Tower and its newly-appointed purpose of healing rather than punishing criminals....more
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Here’s the thing about these Batman and Detective Comics comic book series: I collect and re[image]
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Here’s the thing about these Batman and Detective Comics comic book series: I collect and read them as single issues. While I don’t necessarily crack them open as soon as I’ve picked them up at my local comic book store, preferring to wait until they’ve officially announced what single issues are contained in the corresponding collected editions, there are plenty of upsides to it and I like the advantages that come with it (e.g. original cover art, ads reflecting a specific period in time, the ever-evolving value of the comic book, early access to the story unlike those who wait for them to be collected). But here we are with a significantly annoying DC Comics business model. This third volume in writer Mariko Tamaki’s Detective Comics comic book run collects issues #1044-1046 and Detective Comics 2021 Annual #1. However, the previous volume supposedly already collected issues #1040-1046. So what’s the deal? Well, apparently, volume 2 didn’t contain the unimpressive short stories and instead well all gathered into this volume for a short four-issue trade paperback…
What is Batman: Detective Comics (Vol. 3): Arkham Rising about? This volume contains three stories. The first one presents a tragedy surrounding the construction of Arkham Asylum and the madness that the institution creates as Batman desperately tries to prevent the destruction of the new Arkham Tower alongside Harley Quinn. The second story is the epilogue chapter of the previous story arc and focuses on Ana Vulsion’s shenanigans while Huntress and Batgirl step in to save the day. It also teases what’s to come with the construction of Arkham Tower and the key roles given to Dr. Meridian and her supposedly unique approach to therapy. The final story from the annual issue presents young Bruce Wayne’s father’s rule around whose life he should or shouldn’t save while current-day Batman is challenged by Nightwing in his stance around mental health cases amidst criminals.
Let’s get it out of the way already, DC Comics really pulled off a sleazy move by separating the backup short stories and putting them into a separate volume. Not only are these featured short stories in single issues usually quite mediocre, sometimes just there to draw in new readers to some other ongoing or soon-to-come-out series, but they’re also relatively short, rarely ever having enough pages per issue to actually achieve much that could build on a character’s plight, emotional challenges, or background. Therefore, by putting them all together in their own trade paperback, their flaws are just much more conspicuous. Lacking in depth and barely any attempt at originality, the stories featured here only exist to set the table regarding the upcoming twelve-part event and present the core dilemma that will be at play around mental health and how Gotham City will need to handle criminals with those antecedents if they are to do better and achieve an ideal future for all of its citizens.
There’s nothing spectacular about the artwork in these, with most of it being completed by artist David Lapham. His artistic style focuses much less on the darkness and presents the characters and the action almost in the light, unfolding in a colour-popping scheme more often than not. The more violent and action-packed moments still take plan at night but fail to truly convey terror whenever it seems necessary. While the artwork isn’t bad, it isn’t particularly mind-boggling either, mostly forgettable, and feels toned down to prioritize the narrative. In fact, it did feel like the volume as a whole intentionally focused on the mental health conversations rather than sticking to a more traditional Batman/Detective Comics story. With these stories trying to desperately hype up the upcoming event and the whole story around the new Arkham Tower, I fear things aren’t looking too good for this comic book series. At least for a while…
Batman: Detective Comics (Vol. 3): Arkham Rising is a disappointing collection of uninspiring short stories serving as a prelude to an upcoming Gotham City self-contained event....more
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Released around the same period as writer James Tynion IV’s Fear State story arc during his [image]
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Released around the same period as writer James Tynion IV’s Fear State story arc during his time as the leading writer of the Batman comic book series, this latest volume in writer Mariko Tamaki’s Detective Comics: Batman comic book series sees Batman get an unhealthy dose of an induced state of fear as he confronts evil, unlike anything he’s faced before, desperately clinging onto his own sanity and sense of justice as evil splurges out into Gotham city. Collecting issues #1040-1046 of Detective Comics and the one-shot issue Batman Secret Files: Huntress #1, this volume sees the return of artist Dan Mora and colourist Jodie Bellaire alongside writer Mariko Tamaki as Batman looks to save Gotham from drowning in a parasitic chaos that would only cause more harm than good to the city’s foundation, already trying to recuperate from its recent struggles.
What is Batman: Detective Comics (Vol. 2): Fear State about? Following the events in Neighborhood, Bruce Wayne surrenders himself once more for the sake of Batman, remaining the prime suspect in the murders of Sarah and Lydia. Meanwhile, the Penguin looks to help Mr. Worth with his new obsession with Bruce Wayne and Batman and presents to him Vile, now also known as the Jury, as the ultimate weapon in his quest for vengeance. Gotham also sees its underground realm infected, leading to a desperate and terrifying encounter where Mayor Nakano must accept Batman’s helping hand if he and his city is to survive what’s growing below their very feet, and that, even if he doesn’t believe that the city needs costumed heroes to thrive toward a new world.
Despite being a decent adventure for what it is, this volume shows signs of a writer starting to lose control of the multiple plot threads that they want to tackle. With the first volume, writer Mariko Tamaki does an impressive job of resetting the life of Bruce Wayne, relocating him, and presenting him as a civilian trying to fit into his neighbourhood while figuring out new ways to be Batman and save Gotham from trouble that it shelters. Instead of moving forward with new dilemmas, she insists on bringing back Vile and making Batman his own enemy, requiring the help of the Huntress, who has been getting a lot more attention in her comic book run so far, and Barbara Gordon. The first half of the volume is, however, quickly dealt with, as a too-easy resolution comes too promptly to allow readers to properly enjoy the moments of chaos and the central idea of a Batman unchained.
The second part of the volume has writer Mariko Tamaki juggle with the ongoing Fear State comic book event but allows her to focus her attention on Batman’s complicated political relationship with Mayor Namako. The story veers toward a horror thriller where both Batman and Mayor Namako race against time to save each other from impending doom with a giant parasite monster on the verge of escaping and wreaking havoc on Gotham City. Once more, although fun and nothing more, it is the brutally prompt resolution that makes the story somewhat disappointing, preventing writer Mariko Tamaki from properly utilizing the heroes of Gotham City in their efforts to save their city amidst adversity. It also quickly introduces and then un-introduces a new and intriguing villain, Nero XIX, who looked to overthrow Mayor Nakano, making it seem like a missed opportunity more than anything else.
The story then ends with an epilogue chapter teasing Batman’s hiatus and the inevitable construction of an Arkham Tower where Dr. Meridian would lead and overlook the promotion of a new therapy focused on the mental health of its evil detainees. The volume also contains several short stories, mostly inconsequential to the main narrative, such as a tale serving as a swan song for Kirk Langstrom’s good deeds after his villainous days as Man-Bat, a story to promote a new Task Force Z comic book series featuring the newly-introduced journalist Deb Donovan (who has been promoted so far as a top-notch, do-only-good journalist in Gotham) and Red Hood, and a story revisiting the foundations of Arkham Asylum and the tragedies that give birth to these institutions. Unfortunately, none of these stories really matter at the end of the day, mostly only there as a distraction.
When it comes to artwork, there’s absolutely nothing to reproach of artist Dan Mora’s visual style. His clear, expressive, and sharp style gives Gotham City and all of its occupants a life of its own. Just looking at the conceptual designs of his characters showcases an exquisite grasp of these characters and this gloomy and beaten world. With a little bit of help from artist Viktor Bogdanovic for one particular issue, right when things really got into the more horrifying aspects of the main story, artist Dan Mora delivers some fantastic panels that elevate writer Mariko Tamaki’s ideas in quality, despite being restricted to remaining superficial due to the script at hand. Nevertheless, some excellent moments were still beautifully drawn, helping a lot in attenuating the flaws present in this volume. It’s also worth mentioning that colourist Jodie Bellaire, as she’s done many times in the past, continues to contribute wonderfully in terms of tones and shading.
Batman: Detective Comics (Vol. 2): Fear State is a prudent story arc with an average execution that juggles with ongoing events and ventures into a little bit of horror and monster mayhem....more
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Sometimes you need to be five steps ahead if you’re not to encounter an unwelcomed surprise.[image]
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Sometimes you need to be five steps ahead if you’re not to encounter an unwelcomed surprise. Life can turn out to be a game with devastating consequences without exploring worse-case scenarios and elaborating contingency plans. For the Dark Knight, such plans need to be devised when it comes to the world’s finest heroes. Despite their pure intent to save the world, it only takes one bad day to see them turn against those that they serve and protect. And with that kind of mindset, plans need to be laid out to stop himself if he’s to ever veer too deep into the darkness. Now the lead writer of the canonical Batman comic book series, Chip Zdarsky (Spider-Man: Life Story, Daredevil, Jughead) teams up with artist Jorge Jiménez (Justice League, Batman) to continue the legacy of the Caped Crusader in this latest volume, collecting Batman #125-130, as Gotham’s guardian of the night faces off against a startling new enemy, a nightmare of his own making.
What is Batman (Vol. 1): Failsafe about? Gotham is changing. The wealthy are not safe anymore, hunted by a predator who has twisted the narrative in his favour to justify his acts. When Batman (Bruce Wayne), already tormented by nightmares of a future he can’t stop, witnesses Robin (Tim Drake) go through a near-death experience, unearthing terrible tragedies from deep within his mind, he goes after the person behind it all only to inadvertently fall into a trap where he’s framed for murder. Unaware to all, this triggers the activation of Failsafe, a programmed AI machine hidden away within the recesses of the Bat cave with only one mission: to put an end to Batman when he crosses the line. What follows is a story of survival as Batman attempts to fight off against a machine that harnesses all of his strengths without restraints or weaknesses.
It might not be a perfect return to form but writer Chip Zdarsky has given fans the first solid Batman story in a very long time. Right from the get-go, he establishes a vulnerable Batman ruminating on his recent nightmares and the fear of being unable to stop the worse from happening to those around him, those who put their lives in his hands to fight a war he originally wanted to embrace alone. Serving as a spiritual expansion on creator Mark Waid’s JLA: Tower of Babel, this volume introduces a fearsome new enemy born from Batman’s own fear of himself if he was ever to do the unthinkable, to cross that line he has always set for himself and his allies, that is to never kill. Being now framed for murder, this unstoppable freight train in the form of an indestructible AI machine, he must outthink himself to put an end to this chaos generated by Failsafe, a devastating force that does not hesitate to put his loved ones at risk, no matter the costs.
Writer Chip Zdarsky wonderfully ups the stakes in this tale, drawing in help from all kinds of corners of the world, allowing readers to better gauge the devastating strength of Failsafe as he faces off against countless of Batman’s greatest allies; sure, some heroes do get destroyed too easily but watching it all unfold is loads of fun, especially to discover the how it gets it done. Readers are also rewarded with a neat reference to a classic character known as Zur-En-Arrh, as Batman is forced to hide away from the psychological attacks by calling upon help within his subconscious. Although the thrilling pace amidst the constant action makes for an engaging and exciting story, making readers restlessly wonder how the Caped Crusader will succeed in stopping this AI from wreaking havoc, there are some nagging plot holes or illogical instances that do take you out of certain moments. Nevertheless, these moments are too few and inconsequential to deter readers from appreciating this exciting new story told by writer Chip Zdarsky, especially with the crazy cliffhanger by the end of this volume.
Where no complaint whatsoever can be done is in the artwork department. Having always been a die-hard fan of his artistic style, artist Jorge Jiménez achieves once more a gorgeous portrayal of Batman’s universe. From his ability to depict emotions to portray movement, it is astonishing what he achieves in this volume, from environmental to character designs, with only writer Chip Zdarsky’s quality material to work with. The fantastic colouring by Tomeu Morey also elevates the artwork to undisputable grounds of exquisite visual storytelling. As if the action-packed narrative wasn’t already enough, the artwork in this volume makes it all even more exciting to read through. In fact, even the two short stories drawn respectively by artists Belén Ortega and Leonardo Romero have excellent artwork that brilliantly fits with the stories being told there. If anything, it is a relief to find artist Jorge Jiménez coming back for this volume, giving readers at least one sure thing to love in this new series.
As mentioned, this volume also contains two short stories. The first story, titled Two Birds, One Throne, follows Catwoman who is tasked by The Executor in finding 10 specific people for the reading of a major villain’s death. The second story, titled I Am the Gun, is a Year One story for Zur-En-Arrh, giving readers the chance to better understand the origin behind the personality splitting of The Batman as he goes after The Joker, as the story explores the age-old conflict of either stopping the Clown Prince of Crime definitively or to live with the idea that he may escape and take more lives. Both written by Chip Zdarsky, these stories turned out to be surprisingly complementary, original, and just as engaging as the main story, which is in itself quite uncommon in previous story arcs helmed by other writers. Not only do they tie into the main narrative wonderfully, but they also delve into some of the characters’ motives and actually add something useful and consequential to ongoing events.
Batman (Vol. 1): Failsafe is an action-packed and visually breath-taking high-stake survival story pushing the psychological and physical limits of the Dark Knight against an almost invincible fail-safe....more
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
With writer James Tynion IV’s Batman run completed with the Fear State story arc, DC Comics [image]
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
With writer James Tynion IV’s Batman run completed with the Fear State story arc, DC Comics assigned writer Joshua Williamson as the temporary writer to continue the Dark Knight’s adventures. He began to do so with the introduction of a new villain called Abyss and teasing a new tale featuring Batman’s son and her mother. In the middle of the Batman comic book series, two issues of the canonical run were dedicated to a crossover event centered around Deathstroke, Robin (Damian Wayne), Talia al Ghul, and Batman. Reading both of those issues physically and the rest of the relevant and mandatory issues pertaining to this event digitally, there’s no hiding the hassle behind these comic book events but also the poor overarching narrative inevitably butchered by this publishing business endeavour. This nine-issue crossover event collects all the parts of the Shadow War story from Batman #122-123, Robin #13-14, Deathstroke Inc. #8-9, Shadow War: Alpha #1, Shadow War: Omega #1, and Shadow War Zone #1.
What is Batman: Shadow War about? Batman’s legendary adversary and international criminal mastermind, and also a twisted environmentalist at heart, Ra’s al Ghul, decides to surrender to the Markovian Embassy alongside his daughter Talia al Ghul and give the world surprising and unique access to the Lazarus Pits in the name of science and a better future for their world. During the press conference, Ra’s al Ghul is assassinated by Deathstroke who successfully manages to escape Batman and Robin’s sight afterward. With her father dead, Talia now sets off on a rampant quest for revenge and sends a group of assassins known as the Demon’s Shadow out to hunt down Deathstroke and Deathstroke Inc. Meanwhile, Batman suspects that something doesn’t make sense and reaches out to the mother of his child for clues that could elucidate the lingering mystery around this assassination. What follows is a manhunt and a race against time to find the truth before any more casualties fall to this devious scheme.
Diving into this with low expectations played in favour of writer Joshua Williamson’s largely uncreative and lackluster story. This disappointing crossover, like many others in the past, suffers once more from the usual trappings of choppy story-telling mostly focused on incorporating as many characters from the different inevitably-involved comic book series in hopes of presenting wild, far-fetched, and ridiculous action scenes across splash pages without a care in the world for readers to be emotionally invested in these heroes or villains. The dialogue and reasoning that are squeezed in between all the chaos also stick to the bare minimum to introduce these characters, present a couple of silly lines to establish their core personalities, and quickly put them in a battle where no one wants to take a moment to investigate, listen to facts, and act intelligently. Even Batman seems a bit slow on his feet, desperately trying to play the middle-man, and unconvincingly trying to get everyone to stop the violence through words rather than action.
The story also loosely ties in with countless past stories, including writer Brian Michael Bendis’ Leviathan and Checkmate, making them quintessential to better understand the underlying motives of certain characters or even the big reveal by the end of the crossover event. While the story does contain key moments that are sure to affect future DC stories, it mostly serves as a transition story arc as the DC universe moves forward into Infinite Frontier. As for the artwork, it’s a terribly huge mixed bag where most of the artistic styles, never the same across this story, are more often than not mediocre, overly-crowded, messy, and rough around the edges. Thankfully, the two Batman issues, at least visually, aren’t that bad, but throughout this crossover event, readers are presented with an incredible array of styles and visions, almost like an exposition to give us all a chance to discover new artists within the comic book business. It would be difficult to say that any of them actually left a lasting impression though.
Batman: Shadow War is an unadorned crossover event playing around with a couple of sleuths in their quest for the truth amidst an all-out war between shadow-sworn ninjas and assassins....more
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
It used to be quite simple for billionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne to set out in the nigh[image]
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
It used to be quite simple for billionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne to set out in the night to fight crime while masquerading during the day by hosting or attending events and parties with far too many faces for anyone to remember him in particular. Now without his wealth, his mansion, or some of his closest allies by his side, he must find a new way to obtain the people’s support and continue to stop criminals in Gotham City from getting away from the terrible crimes they senselessly commit. While the task is daunting in itself, it’s by believing in his ideals and doing what he does best that he will eventually be able to revamp his methods and embrace his purpose. Beginning a new chapter into the World’s Greatest Detective’s life and collecting issues #1034-1039, Eisner Award-winning writer Mariko Tamaki and superstar artist Dan Mora explore the Dark Knight’s resurgence.
What is Batman: Detective Comics (Vol. 1): Neighborhood about? Set after the events in writer Peter J. Tomasi’s comic book run, the story begins with Mayor Nakano, leader of the Anti-Vigilante Movement, attempting to present the elites of Gotham with a new vision for the city. However, his grand moment is overshadowed by the brutal crime wave affecting the city, and most notably, a tragic death that sends the notorious Roland Worth on a quest for revenge with Bruce Wayne and Batman in sight, clearly framed for a crime he’s never committed. Matters are further troublesome when another villainous force lurks in the background and thrives in his impunity while his kill count grows. With unexpected help, Batman must race against time to find the real culprit before innocent casualties fall and their blood is put on his head.
This volume begins on a deceptively wonderful note. Right from the get-go, it clearly establishes the new parameters by which Bruce Wayne must comply and how he has to adapt to these unusual circumstances if he’s to continue his vigilantism. To do so, the story focuses on his character living in a much more modest residence and being implicated in his neighborhood’s affairs. The story then builds up with a tantalizing layer of mystery with a sudden murder that allows Batman to channel his detective skills and begin his search for a killer. There’s even a secondary ally tied into the story in a creative fashion and a supernatural twist that keeps things intriguing. Things suddenly then derail in the most frustrating and ungraceful fashion once Mr. Worth’s character takes over the narrative not only through his incredible and inhuman proportions but also in terms of importance. When he starts to wreak havoc, which implies loads of ridiculous destruction, every other story element is overlooked and everything veers towards the ludicrous, forbidding this volume from ending on a solid and memorable note.
There’s, however, no surprise when it comes to Dan Mora’s crisp, detailed, and gorgeous artwork. Incredibly adequate for this particular comic book run, it effortlessly elevates the narrative through dynamic and stylish designs. The raw and expressive characters also immediately establish the emotional atmosphere and even hint at the motives hidden away in the finer details of each character’s face. Jordie Bellaire’s colouring is also meticulous, beautifully directing attention in the right corners and guiding readers through chaotic panel placements, whether it would be in action sequences or splash page multiple-character dialogues. This volume also contains multiple additional stories that aren’t necessarily written by Mariko Tamaki or drawn by Dan Mora. Although some of these pertain to side characters and actually add something to the main story (which is quite uncommon), others are irrelevant or poorly executed, ultimately being a distraction or a reminder of the larger flaws in this volume.
Batman: Detective Comics (Vol. 1): Neighborhood is a decent yet still ill-fated adventure marking writer Mariko Tamaki’s debut with the introduction of the vengeful Roland Worth and an unremarkable vile villain....more
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
How does one confront evil when it continuously succeeds in pervading the world, bringing ev[image]
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
How does one confront evil when it continuously succeeds in pervading the world, bringing everyone down on their knees, begging for change, peace, and justice? Despite having the most virtuous beliefs, for a single person, it sometimes just isn’t enough when your whole police department is overflowing with corrupt authorities and the city you constantly try to protect sees lunatics roaming around, destroying everything that they set their eyes upon, killing innocent lives, and taking away, inch by inch, the little good that there’s left out in the world. Collecting issues #32-40, this final volume in the Eisner and Harvey award-winning Gotham Central series concludes in the hands of critically-acclaimed writers Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker and contains four stories: the stand-alone saga titled Nature, the four-part murder mystery titled Dead Robin, another stand-alone tale titled Sunday Bloody Sunday, and the three-part finale titled Corrigan II.
What is Gotham Central, Book Four: Corrigan about? The first story presents the corrupt life of a police officer within the Gotham City Police Department. This is followed up by a larger murder mystery that begins with the discovery of a boy found dead wearing a Robin costume. With no one but Batman and several other superheroes aware of the boy’s real identity, the cops must proceed on the presumption that it is the real deal and that Batman is their prime suspect. Tying into the once-upon-a-time ongoing events of Infinite Crisis, the following one-shot story brings Major Crimes Unit’s detective Crispus Allen to discover the truth regarding detective Renee Montoya and what she had to do about Crime Scene Technician Jim Corrigan to exonerate him. The final story sees MCU’s detective Crispus Allen take matters into his own hands and try and rid once and for all the GCPD of their most corrupted crime scene technician.
Focusing once more on the core cast of detectives, these stories remain grounded and ever-so-engaging, bringing writers Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker to restrain their usage of the supernatural, to focus on the police procedural elements and shine a light on the character drama at the heart of these stories. While short cameos of Gotham’s superheroes and even a quick nod to the events of Infinite Crisis, limited to the story titled Sunday Bloody Sunday, are inevitable, most of these stories continue their exploration of the GCPD’s corruption and their complex relationship with the press, constantly breathing down on their necks while they are already pummeled and tormented by the pressures of their job in a world where justice cannot strive without people believing in it. Writer Greg Rucka, who was the last of the co-creators to still be writing the series, does a fantastic job with the final story arc, brilliantly unveiling a tragedy while allowing the emotionally-troubled detective Renee Montoya, whose life has been in constant turmoil lately, to experience a character-defining episode and end the series on a high note, one where readers are brought to reflect on the onslaught of evil faced by heroes who only want good for those they are trying to protect.
With co-creator and artist Michael Lark having also left the series back since issue #25, the artwork by Kano, Steve Lieber, and Stefano Guadiano manage to once more capture the essence of the original artwork, without necessarily matching or improving it. The monochromatic background, subtlety evolving page by page, also helps establish the crime procedural tone, portraying a depressed and vice-ridden world. The unexpected cameo of a team of beloved DC Comics teenage superheroes in their vibrant primary-coloured costumes also made for a contrasting reminder of this series’ artistic vision. That being said, the artwork goes hand in hand with the stories presented in this final volume, and had these original creators of this series all stayed, Gotham Central could’ve easily continued its realistic exploration of by-the-book heroes within a city protected from above by a man dressed as a bat. Nonetheless, the series now brilliantly ends with this fourth volume and will surely be revisited in the future.
Gotham Central, Book Four: Corrigan is an astounding finale further highlighting the meticulous work of Gotham’s Finest detectives and the weight of their duty on their own psyche amidst the evil in their city....more
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
When accustomed to a world where crime surges from the darkest alleys, it is difficult for h[image]
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
When accustomed to a world where crime surges from the darkest alleys, it is difficult for heroes to find respite, recuperate, and return to the battlefield fueled with an overwhelming sense of justice. Always looking out for the smallest sign of trouble, always hoping to find ways to prevent crime before they even occur, heroes remain tormented and obsessed with their raison-d’être and that alone is enough to keep evildoers away from their usual activities. With writer James Tynion IV’s run completed, the mantle is now given to writer Joshua Williamson, only temporarily, until writer Chip Zdarsky takes over, the canonical Batman series as this story arc collects Batman #118-121 and #124 to fill in the gap and keep fans on the edge of their seats with the introduction of a new villain who turns the darkness into the Caped Crusader’s greatest threat.
What is Batman (Vol. 6): Abyss? With Gotham now having survived Fear State, the Magistrate out of sight, and Scarecrow sent to the newly-constructed Arkham Tower, Batman is left wondering what he should be doing with his nights as everyone is out celebrating. Upon learning that Batman Incorporated, heroes that form the Club of Heroes (Dark Ranger, The Hood, El Gaucho, Bat-Man of China, and Man-of-Bats), has been arrested for the murder of a dangerous night-crawling monster called the Abyss, the Dark Knight leaves Gotham on a brand-new adventure to Badhnisia where he must confront Batman Inc.’s new benefactor and solve the mystery around this murder.
This was no surprise. Writer Joshua Williamson has yet to write anything inspiring and whenever his name pops up, my expectations are at their lowest, as he comes up with some of the most typical stories to tell. It does help to know that he was never meant to stay long with Batman but that doesn’t make what he does write any less boring. From the very instant that Batman Inc. was mentioned, trouble was around the corner and not because of the reintroduction of Grant Morrison’s creation but because Joshua Williamson was clearly never going to properly utilize the international heroes within a forgettable five-issue story arc. As much as I would have liked to see him surprise me, what occurs in this tale is a bunch of ah-ha moments that never quite land their punches, told too fast, and with too little care in the world. If anything, this allowed him to create a new villain while maintaining the status quo. For DC, that’s probably a win-win situation, allowing the next writer to not get to work with unstable foundations.
As much as I’d like to say that the artwork saves this volume from being any worse than it is, I can only say that the artwork alone is brilliant, detailed, and grandiose in style. If it was void of the words that guided the events, it might actually be quite impressive, especially when you’re following up on artist Jorge Jiménez’s artwork on James Tynion IV’s run. The concept design behind Abyss is also decent but nothing mind-boggling, mostly looking like a hybrid between the already-new Ghost-Maker and Batman, very much like a cartoon-ized version of the Grim Reaper. With that being said, the artwork might indeed be the only reason to push on forward until the epilogue teases the upcoming stories within the DC Universe.
This volume also contains two short stories, completely unrelated to the main story and simply there to mix things up, definitely not to carry the volume and bring home big money. The first story, written and drawn by Karl Kerschl, is split into three parts and is a Gotham Academy adventure featuring Mia Mizoguchi, a young girl, dressed up as a Robin and out to solve the mystery around her missing friend Lindsay Okamura as the case leads to the discovery of kappas and their devilry. The second one-part short story, written by G. Willow Wilson and drawn by Dani, is found in the final issue and serves as a prequel to Pamela Isley’s own comic book series, quickly brushing over her future as Poison Ivy following the events in Fear State. Cute and inconsequential, these stories are also meaningless and irrelevant at the end of the day.
Batman (Vol. 6): Abyss is a mediocre and forgettable filler uninspiringly reintroducing Batman Incorporated and unveiling a new and uninteresting villain called Abyss....more
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
To stand tall and face the streets of Gotham city with a virtuous and honorable conviction t[image]
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
To stand tall and face the streets of Gotham city with a virtuous and honorable conviction that justice should be administered by the book can be pretty difficult for the cops at the Gotham City Police Department, swarmed on a daily basis by freaks dressed in colourful and sometimes disturbing costumes. While some of these deranged folks claim to be on the same side as the uncorrupted cops, many who withhold legitimate authority in the streets of Gotham can’t help but put them all in the same basket, a basket full of nutcases who should be put behind bars. Collecting issues #23-31, this third and penultimate volume in the multiple award-winning Gotham Central series continues with acclaimed writers Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker, containing the two-part story arc titled Corrigan, the one-shot tale titled Lights Out, the two-part story titled On the Freak Beat, and the four-part story titled Keystone Kops.
What is Gotham Central: On the Freak Beat? In the midst of a brutal gang war in Gotham City, the Major Crimes Unit’s detectives Renee Montoya and Crispus Allen find themselves sticking their necks into trouble as they encounter the Black Spider. As the case becomes complicated, Montoya, now forced to embrace her sexual identity as a lesbian, outed with blackmailing intent by Two-Face, is off to do whatever it takes to prove her partner’s innocence. Meanwhile, the GCPD decided to put an end to the bat signal, retiring it from their roof, and declared their intolerance of the masked vigilante’s activities. While trouble doesn’t ever want to end in Gotham City, a tragedy implicating a heroic cop sets the MCU’s attention on the sketchy and notorious Doctor Alchemy.
With most stories collected in this volume are written by Greg Rucka, whilst Ed Brubaker is put on the passenger seat, there was doubt formed beforehand regarding the quality of these tales to be read. Fortunately, Greg Rucka does an impressive job of capturing a realistic and grim atmosphere as he went on to focus the volume on Renee Montoya and Crispus Allen. While it did feel like some of the stories were missing some oomph, something unpredictable and noteworthy, they managed to further develop the interpersonal plights of these characters, especially on the emotional front, with Renee Montoya’s own mountain of adversity that she struggles to confront, whether it’s with her colleagues or her own father who refuses to acknowledge her existence. Even more satisfying is for this volume to further antagonize Batman, creating a conflictual climate within the department as cops either commend or condemn his role in the realm of crime-fighting.
Surprisingly, the artwork is consistent and coherent from cover to cover. It continues to accentuate the gritty and grounded style of the narrative and offers plenty of subtle hints at the characters’ emotions and general state of mind. Similar to previous volumes, certain pages still have a monochromatic overlay that genuinely captures an old-school crime procedural tone. As per the narrative’s lack of pizazz, the artwork also conveyed the shortfall despite some unforgettable moments in the final story arc that masterfully portrayed some fantastic yet tragic moments. There is however little to criticize in terms of character design, as most of the story revolves around everyday humans, wonderfully drawn at that, making it effortless to follow and distinguish everyone. Although typical of a series that focuses on these detectives, this volume does limit the number of freaks, but whenever there is one, you’re sure to notice and remember them.
Gotham Central: On the Freak Beat is an exceptional, grounded, and genuine chapter illustrating the integrity and resilience of Gotham’s Major Crime Unit’s finest detectives amidst the terrors brought upon their city by costumed freaks....more
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
In his quest to rid Gotham of the villainy and treachery that pervades its streets, Batman h[image]
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
In his quest to rid Gotham of the villainy and treachery that pervades its streets, Batman has always hid in the shadows, striking fear into the hearts of those he encounters, forcing the intent to commit crime out of the molecules of their skins, and sending them cowering, hoping that they’ll always think twice before ever dancing with the devil. But what if there was something far more frightening, ruthless, and unpredictable hiding in the shadows than a billionaire dressed as a bat? What if this thing didn’t have human consciousness and could terrorize Gotham in unimaginable ways, leaving the criminal underworld so shaken that only a pool of blood and crippled bodies are left behind? Legendary comic book writer Garth Ennis teams up with artist Liam Sharp to deliver a bizarre six-issue DC Black Label stand-alone title starring a brand-new and terrifying threat to Batman’s rogues’ gallery.
What is Batman: Reptilian? The story is set within Gotham City with Batman following the tracks left behind by a cruel and unforgiving freight train of a monster who happens to only be hunting down the villainous powerhouses of the criminal underworld, such as Penguin, Riddler, Poison Ivy, and so on. With only Alfred and a Russian thug with connections by his side, this mystery leads him to shocking crime scenes that further corroborate the sole fact he’s got: there’s a monster out there. Inquiring the streets for clues to pin down the nature of this threat but also this unstable creature’s prime motive, Batman finds himself confronting Killer Croc only to discover a shocking truth that will require him to take drastic measures in solving the world’s strangest case.
What in tarnation is this? You’d think that any idea oozing out of writer Garth Ennis’s (The Boys, Preacher, Punisher) mind would be dark, twisted, and marvelous. This time around, he indeed presents readers with a gritty, crude, and ugly tale but fails completely in all respects, whether it’s characterization, as he butchers Batman’s persona and offers an irritatingly verbose, sassy, and unamusing take on the superhero, or the narrative structure, as the mystery at the heart of this tale is the only driving force of the story and is ridiculously solved in the final issue to make the whole adventure effortlessly forgettable. The twist of this story is also an astounding disservice to Killer Croc’s character (you wouldn’t believe me even if I told you what it was), tastelessly butchering his background and nature for the sake of delivering a ludicrous, unoriginal, and dull surprise regarding the story’s mysterious main antagonist.
Although this graphic novel was originally going to be drawn by the late Steve Dillon, artist Liam Sharp dedicates his work in honour of his friend to bring about a murky and bleak artistic vision to writer Garth Ennis’s story. His style, unfortunately, is an acquired taste, at times painting (yes, the whole story is painted) some depressingly gorgeous panels, but at other times portraying characters in odd and absurd designs or with comical expressions that seem incredibly out of place. There are also some serious creative liberties taken for iconic characters, notably the Joker, who look nothing like anyone would’ve ever imagined for these characters. The reveal of the main antagonist is also enthroned through impressive artwork but doesn’t strike as a novel concept, mostly reminding readers of cult classic figures. In the end, this graphic novel is not the surprise any fan would’ve expected to get and, hopefully, isn’t the beginning of this creative team’s descent into mediocrity.
Batman: Reptilian is a phenomenal disappointment that mutilates a beloved villain’s background through a lackluster and mediocre horror mystery....more
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