“People need to see that we’re in this together. No matter what uniform we wear.”
The first part of the Monster Men tie-in story arc begins here. This issue is based after the events of Detective Comics #940 in case one needs context for the whereabouts of Tim Drake AKA Red Robin. Before you read this issue, I highly recommend reading Detective Comics #949 before jumping on to this issue. The story opens up with Batman, Batwoman, Nightwing, Spoiler, Orphan (Cassandra Cain), and Clayface all meet up to prepare for the long and rainy night as potential terror is afoot in Gotham City. Meanwhile, at the Cauldron, located in an old city Morgue Hugo Strange is beefing up in his exercise before he kicks off his grand scheme, vowing that this night will be Batman’s final night.
As Batman and Co, prepare to evacuate as many citizens out of Gotham due to a nasty and stormy hurricane that’s occurring, there is a disturbance that calls for the Bat family’s attention that cannot be ignored. As the Bat Family get themselves situated, they find themselves fighting a large monster that while in appearance is alive is actually dead underneath. It wreaks destruction and knows no stopping of it. How will the Bat Family handle this new threat? What does Strange have to do with all of this ? Who is masterminding this attack on Gotham?
This is surprisingly a good quick issue. It flows really well to a point that makes the reader feel as though they sped through the comic. A very entertaining read. At first, I wasn’t looking forward to this tie-in event that happening across some of the Bat-books since I wanted to read a more linear story but, Steve Orlando and Tom King have gained my interest. This issue is well paced , and the dialogue is humorous, and despite the recent loss that the Bat Family has experienced since Detective Comics #940, Batman sounds more kept together than he usually did when it came to the Loss of Jason Todd (nowadays fighting crime as Red Hood), Damian (alive and kicking, soon to take part in new Teen Titans series), and Gotham ( Gotham Girl’s brother).. Batman, this time, around, he’s more focused on the present and not losing his mind over the recent loss of a beloved bat family character. Personally, for me, that’s great because by now, Batman as a character who has experienced loss should be more motivated to keep it together instead of lashing out and going off the deep end like he did in prior situations/ stories.
It’s refreshing to see Batman keep coordinated through it all. Nightwing , Batwoman, and Clayface are all written well. I enjoyed Clayface and his ongoing profession as a protagonist, making him one of my fave characters in this book or at least in terms of the Bat-related titles. There isn’t much to see of Orphan and Spoiler since they’re busy evacuating citizens. This was a nice issue, definitely different from what I expected since tie in issues can be really exhausting and annoying and sometimes lack in providing a good streamlining narrative. But this tie in event looks like it has potential to be great in execution. The art by Steve Orlando is fitting for this type of story dealing with monsters since it matches the dreary horror feel. But it’s not dreary, more like a fun eerie aesthetic where the monsters are terrifying but not psychologically horrific or surreal.
The colors by Ivan Plascencia do well in making a rainy day in Gotham feel like a rainy day in New York. It matches the story and art well, cementing the potential dread that looms in the air. My only honest criticism is that the next chapter for the Monster Men story will continue in Nightwing #5. If you’re interested in reading the next chapter of this event, then you’ll have to jump from this book to Nightwing. I know , I know, it’s not always fun reading tie-ins, but this one looks like it’s worth the read. I suggest picking this book up if you want to see where the story goes. Interestingly enough, this story is actually a call back to an old Batman story from Batman’s first solo publication after his first appearance in Detective Comics #27 in the 1930’s , where Batman’s first encounter with Strange dealt with giant monsters of Strange’s hand. It’s cool to see that mirrored in this current book. Whether you’re a Batman fan, a bit of a monster or body horror fan, you may like this current storyline. Check it out, you might like it.
Newsdesk