You know how sometimes, when reading a first issue comic, you really WANT to like it more than you did? Well, I guess that's what second issues are for, because
THE WIDENING GYRE just jumped quite a few levels on my "like scale."
BATMAN: THE WIDENING GYRE #2 by Kevin Smith and Walt Flanagan moved the narrative forward with a great pace, some fun call-backs to previous Batman supporting characters, and threw in The Man of Steel in a great character moment for good measure. Walt Flanagan's artwork has steadily grown on me. Not being a big fan of CACOPHONY, I vaguely noted more dimension added to his pencils and improvements in the coloring in WIDENING GYRE's first issue. #2 lets the jack out of the box, he's done a better job with expressions than I've seen in his previous work, and the overall dynamic nature of the action scenes was really quite eye-catching. With the story points set up in #2, it'll be fun to see how Flanagan renders the forthcoming issues. Although, I still think the Bat-ears are a little long, but that's mostly just my personal preference seeping in.
Smith's dialogue in the issue is fantastic; my problems with Batman's over-intellectual attitude from the first issue were pretty much laid to rest. In this issue, Batman was the analytical detective we know him to be, and his language reflected that razor-sharp detective skill with some genuine desire to see terrible people (such as a thinly-veiled child molester) savagely beaten. One particular moment that I will divulge, that I absolutely loved, was in a hostage situation. The aforementioned molester holding a little girl on a roller coaster. Batman thinks to himself, "You're so lucky, you bloated turd...so lucky you're holding that kid." Nice mixture of the desire to go to town on the sick S.O.B., yet the overwhelming desire to ensure the safety of the child. When the bad guy throws the girl knowing full-well that Batman will pursue the innocent instead of the villain, Smith added a remark that resonated with me because it maintains Batman's intelligence and his overwhelming care for people:
"Dammit...I hate being so predictable."
We, as the audience, know that Batman will go after the innocent first. Not often do we get the internal monologue where Batman acknowledges that predictability, while still not regretting it. That's a large contributor as to why I'm such a big fan of the character from an ideological standpoint. He's tactically brilliant, and nearly physically unbeatable, but he abandons all of that to save a little girl. Or as we've seen in previous stories, a little boy (THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS), a homeless person (YEAR ONE), and even his arch nemesis (MAN WHO LAUGHS, THE DARK KNIGHT). It may be sappy, but it doesn't matter. As the boy in BATMAN BEGINS says, "Batman will save us."
Kevin Smith tapping into that subtle, but defining character mentality made the other fun moments in the issue that much better. The return of an old love, Alfred readily waiting at every dawn, and even Batman's beginning lack of trust toward his own...well, non-trustworthiness. Smith has me satisfactorily convinced that he can write Batman now...
...although, we still have four issues to go. It's nice to have something to look forward
BATMAN: THE WIDENING GYRE #2
