THE WIDENING GYRE moves into issue #5, and this is a story I'm sorry to see wrapped up.
Part of the reason is that this issue in particular doesn't feel like a penultimate issue, which means it may be at risk of "crashing to the end." We're just starting to get more development on Baphomet, and this issue ends really strongly with a great character moment between the new vigilante and Batman. At the beginning of this series, I was convinced that Baphomet would turn out to be a villain of sme kind, but after Smith divulges his reasoning and drive for being a vigilante, I'm not so sure now. Smith may still pull that trick out of the bag in the last issue, but as it stands without having seen the end of the story, it seems pretty unlikely with only one issue to go. Still, I've eaten crow on comics before.
One of the best moments in the issue, that would later include Baphomet, is the moment withTthe Joker. Smith's nailed how to make him seem comedic on the surface while being horrifyingly deranged underneath that surface. For two pages, the Joker wreaked havoc on Arkham Asylum and Gotham City and racked up a sizable body count in the process. Smith also devoted some time to Tim Drake, giving him some comedic swagger while maintaining his extreme level of skill in dealing with Gotham's usual suspects. There wasn't a single moment in this issue that any of the familiar heroes or villains didn't feel in character, and that is definitely appreciated.
Walt Flanagan's artwork is still very strong, and improving with each passing issue. His facial work in this issue is the most impressive, as his characters emote appropriately and strongly with every situation. I didn't like Robin having "Nightwing hair," but overall it's a small detail that I'm just being a fanboy about. Other than that, I thought everything was rendered clearly, and that the inks and colors were all very complimentary to the pencils.
WIDENING GYRE has been a blast to read. With all of these pieces in place, it'll be interesting to see where this particular story ends and perhaps what it will lead into, but as of right now, this is a strong Batman story that's worth a read. If the sixth issue sucks (which I don't think it will), the first five issues have been well worth any Batman fan's time.
