After the events of the I AM SUICIDE arc, Batman has surely painted a target on his head.
Although Psycho Pirate is in custody at Arkham, there have been numerous attempts for the Pirates kidnapping. All of these events are signs, which all point at the return of a venomously, pumped up for who is seeking revenge. The Bat family has five days to save Gotham girl and in those five days, they will be tested like never before. Will Batman manage to save Gotham Girl or lose his family in the process?
Tom King is really testing the waters of Batman in terms of characterization and story. Oddly enough there is a huge sense of humor in this issue which is very different from what he has written in the story arcs prior. There is a humorous scene where Bruce argues with Grayson, Jason, Damian and Duke about the place of meeting that they are sitting in, which is a fast food restaurant based on Batman and it is a humorously priceless moment aside from the gravity of the situation that Bruce is trying to address. Although, it is a little odd at times when Bruce interacts with certain characters because it’s like at one moment he is cool with someone and then kinda reacts awkwardly to them when he is around them again. And I don’t mean awkward teenager awkward, more like, someone, who is kinda passive aggressive and then ends up becoming more aggressive the next appearance. This isn’t too over exaggerate, I’m pretty sure that everyone who has been reading Tom King’s Batman run thus far feels the same way at times. But, it doesn’t take away from the story, so it’s just a minor nitpick of mine. It was still enjoyable and it’s the first time we see King writing the Batfamily within those series. He definitely has a good handle on Grayson, Todd, Damian and Duke in a way that would make for a cool mini series book.
David Finch returns to art duties within this arc. It’s been awhile since the last his art was displayed was in the I AM Gotham arc which was the first arc of this series. I’m not sure whether it was the coloring, but it really brought out a more fun and lively vibe to his work in this issue (which Jordie Bellaire does a superb job on). His artwork is great, and I enjoyed his grid pages, which made me think of Dave Gibbons grid pages from Watchmen a bit (or maybe it was meant to feel that way). There is no complaints when it comes to his art, it’s been enjoyable and delivers in its visuals. John Workman’s lettering delivers in dialogue placement and order, never interfering with the art, but complementing it. This was an enjoyable issue, and if it’s gonna be anything like the I AM SUICIDE arc, it may show some promise. Definitely, check the book out.
Newsdesk