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Bat-Reviews: Batman #693

Judging a book by its cover isn’t fair practice, but in some cases the exteriors say it all. With Batman #693, the cover art rivals the actual story for the biggest waste of time. That picture of Batman pasted on a disarrayed pile of cards boasting villainous faces? Take that idea and shuffle it, and then say hello to Tony Daniel’s “Life After Death Part 2: Charades.” (And stay tuned this weekend for my review of Batman #694 over at Impulse Creations.)

The previous issue shot off in a fresh direction. After the Harvey Dent fiasco of issue #691, Daniel’s new arc was a pleasant change as it spilled over with brainwashed False Faces, Black Mask and a jumble of fellow evil-doers like Fright and Doctor Death, the revival of the Falcone crime family … and even a, erm, Catwoman copycat. The alliteration might be a tad overwhelming, but the whole package was a decent read with steady footing.

Unfortunately, like all comics eventually do, that bright future crumbled with November’s #693.

So what do you need to know about the issue? Let me break it down into manageable chunks. Damian enjoys mutilating spaced-out False Faces. Dick Grayson loathes socialites. Fright pines over Black Mask, and it’s schemes ahoy for somebody with a dual-personality who relishes a good chess metaphor. Insert filler, filler, and more filler. A bomb goes off and Riddler cracks for no apparent reason, and Batman investigates dock-side homicides and the copycat (emphasis on the feline part). The bulk of the writing resembles soap opera fodder, and nothing worthwhile or terribly interesting happens.

But what could drag down a saucy kiss between Huntress and Dick Grayson? The book is sloppy. Not only does the art feel lazy at times (Doctor Singh is apparently blind, because he can’t see Tommy Elliot two feet in front of him), but after a few pages the story and action become confined to tight little boxes and posed stances. I mean, just check out that wink on “Bruce” aka Elliot. I’m pretty sure the woman in the background shares my chagrin.

One redeeming factor, though, can be attributed to the terse conversion between Elliot and Jeremiah Arkham. Elliot’s overbearing interest in the mechanics of the new asylum might be linked to Dick’s concern about Elliot’s real goal as Wayne’s doppelganger.

Recommendation: On this episode of The Bitter and the Brave, Helen locks lips with the dashing Dick Grayson and things heat up as Oracle gets the first-hand scoop. Plus, Dick looks like “Bruce” and Nigma looks like Elliot … you know, the real one.

Curious how the Bat-books stack up here on the blog? Look here.

Tags: Bat-Reviews, Batman #693, DC, Tony Daniel
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Bat-Reviews: Batman #691-2

Double the Batman, double the fun … right? Two-Face would say so, especially with that dual-colored Bat-suit he’s donning on the cover and first few pages of Batman #691. Harvey must have been having a field day—October dished up not one, but two Batman comics—and they even gave him his very own costume. It’s a little early for Mardi Gras (and I’m sure he would have fit right in), but he was just in time for Halloween. And yes, the costume is a trick. Now where’s the treat?

Batman #691

Well, Judd Winick doesn’t really give us one in “Two Knights, Two Faces” (Batman #691). Mark Bagley does take us on a psycho head trip with his art, which I’m rather fond of, actually. Unfortunately, the issue doesn’t follow suit (all right, I’m done with the puns, I swear). Two-Face manages to infiltrate the Batcave via magical hocus-pocus which you can find in your average spellbook between “bull” and “shit,” but let’s just go with it. Dent actually deduces that he’s not the only one in Gotham wearing a false face—the mannerisms and style of the suddenly not photo-shy Dark Knight tipped him off to the obvious, but considering the rest of Gotham has been shrugging their shoulders lately, it’s a bit refreshing that one of the city’s most classic villains hasn’t lost priority.

However, the comic might as well have been dunked in acid, because the story’s conclusion is in dire need of some hard justice. (Okay, so I lied about the jokes.) Batman (aka Dick Grayson) fools the notorious Two-Face with a little help from his trusty butler, and the bewildered ex-lawman can’t possibly believe he ever doubted the capable and ever-vigilant Batman. If you’re about as bored and annoyed with that prior sentence as I am, then we’re on the same sparkly page. Two-Face’s scheme could have actually led to an intriguing plot, but instead the issue ends in deus-ex-machina-esque cliches. What’s worse, Dent practically rolls over when Black Mask comes strolling by with an ultimatum. Eh, what the hell. Let’s get out of this crappy comic together, Harvey. At least Bagley reminds us that under all those scars, Harvey Dent was once a man with charming good looks … I’m not sure why that’s relevant.

So what saves it from a one-star rating? Winick throws us a young Dick Grayson-shaped bone, all wrapped in circus-themed paper and intrigue.

Recommendation: I bet Winick flipped a coin and landed on an Alfred masquerade.

Batman #692

Thankfully, Judd Winick finally went to hunt down a cup of coffee and Tony Daniel stole his seat to pen the follow-up October issue, “Life after Death Part 1: The Awakening.” The amazing Sandu Florea took over for Bagley, as well, making for an issue with a very different tone and style than the previous work—and that’s a good thing.

When Grayson discovers a trail of actual False Faces and two strange clues to accompany their corpses, the detective work begins between the Bat and Gordon. Their lead? An elementary school teacher named Trish Gumbracker, more recently known as the cause of a bloodbath courtesy of Black Mask’s brainwashing. The smartest brains at Arkham haven’t been able to crack Black Mask’s code, and with every second that ticks by the villain continues to keep the most vicious and dangerous of Gotham at his beck and call—and he’s not done building his army just yet. The issue brings several other evildoers into the fold, and while it almost feels like we have another Black Glove fiasco on our hands, Daniel does impress with rather solid character interaction and the reintroduction of sorts for Doctor Death.

Meanwhile, Dick and none other than Selina Kyle reluctantly join forces to bring down Black Mask’s house of cards, but in a very Catwoman-like twist, the place she leads him to isn’t exactly what he had in mind. The arrival of a gangster raises some interesting questions about the future of Gotham’s crime line-up, but Daniel adds yet another catty player into the mix who just might topple the deck before he’s ready for it to fall—if he means it to at all. It’s strange how the criminal order of Gotham has been changing; between all the Batman books, there seems to be no actual pattern to all the chaos and disaster striking the city. Are all of these organizations even aware that there are others moving onto the scene, or do we just have sloppy planning on our hands?

The issue might be juggling a lot, but the writing and art are both refreshingly well-executed and enjoyable.

Recommendation: It’s good to see Doctor Death make an ominous return in a new generation of crime, but Death might get trampled out of the gate by an unexplained stampede of villains.

Curious how the Bat-books stack up here on the blog? Look here.

Tags: Bat-Reviews, Batman #691, Batman #692, DC, Judd Winick, Mark Bagley, Sandu Florea, Tony Daniel
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