“ You’re not used to facing a problem you can’t punch, are you, Batman?””
Tynion lV and Eddie Borrows continue upping the ante with the terror of The Victim Syndicate in the 2nd chapter of the Victim Syndicate arc. After interrupting a gala and making their message clear against Batman for creating the existence of these new antagonists. As Batman and the Bat-family (Batwoman, Orphan, Spoiler, and Batwing), face off against these villains, they realize that they may be way over their head.
Tynion lV is really pushing the stakes a bit with this series thus far. The Victim Syndicate are refreshingly terrifying and sinister, and possibly surpass Scott Snyder’s Mr. Bloom in terms of the creepy factor. There is one scene where one of the Victim Syndicate members Mr. Noxious causes one of the Bat Family members to kneel and hurl by simply making it happen with his mind. Tynion lV continues to do a good job balancing the characters in a way that makes them all feel different. The main focus is that Tynion is crafting convincingly intimidating antagonists that are not afraid to make batman and the Bat families live a living hell. The head of the syndicate seems like another Scarecrow at first, but unlike him, they have powers and they are not afraid to go to any lengths to get to Batman.
Eddie Borrows art continues to be fantastic and does as much scene-stealing than Tyrion’s strong writing. The way he illustrates The Victim Syndicate makes them possibly a great addition to the rogue’s gallery and hopefully they won’t disappear after this arc. I really enjoyed the knights of the round table moment where Batman, Batwing, and Batwoman are having a war room meeting. Ferreira inks are solid, providing life and energy to Borrows already energetic pencils. The colors by Adriano Lucas does a good job at coloring the book with a noir/stark feel that is eye-catching as it is dark in theme. Overall this is an enjoyable series that continues to have progress and live up to its process. I hope Tynion and Borrows continue to tell the kind of story that they want to tell. If you want to read a series that has a lot of focus on all the events that have happened since the events of DC Rebirth. I feel that Tynion and Borrows have a lot more stories to tell after this arc. It’s a good read with new vicious villains, that seem to challenge Batman and the Bat Family in a variety of ways. Definitely, pick this title up or add it onto your pull list.
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