As of this issue, I am officially taking over for BOF contributor John Bierly on this series. John is a magnificent comic review writer, so I hope I can do the title justice. That said, here we go…
?
First and foremost, I do want to say that I am a big fan of the artwork on this series. Finch is very good at drawing Batman and his cast of characters. The issue with the story is the strange occurrences that I can’t help but put a spotlight on. I’ll cover each as the review moves forward.
So we open up on Bruce tangled in some vines. The Flash is running real fast trying to metabolize poison inside him, and this new White Rabbit has already fled the scene. The inner monologue of Batman is very unsure of himself, and he can’t shake the feeling that he is going to fail. The Dark Knight escapes the trap and realizes he is now left on his own when the remainder of the Justice League cannot free up to aid him. Now, here is weird occurrence number one. Robin, never mind the League could handle the situation Wonder Woman speaks of. Speaking of which why is Batman going straight to the JL when he could easily get help from Robin, Nightwing, Red Robin (I am increasingly annoyed each month that Tim is not a major player in the Bat-Family), Catwoman, Batwoman, Batgirl, Batwing, have I made my point. Hell, lets cross over on my other title and bring in The Red Hood. Bruce Wayne has many options, and he only calls Wonder Woman, I just don’t get it.
Ok, next on the list, is Gordon’s phone call. Why doesn’t he just contact Batman and say leave Forbes alone instead of calling Wayne, kind of strange.
Only a page later, we get hit with another occurrence, ice cream cones. That was so out of place I cannot even begin to describe my face as I read that page. Did anyone notice that Batman’s kneepads are bat heads?
So, we hit a fast paced conclusion as Batman takes the Bat-Jet to follow a lead, and a package appears inside the vehicle. Random?
Then an attack happens, and The Dark Knight is forced to abandon his vehicle and swing to safety. He approaches a cabin, and inside, his worst fears are realized. Fear -- hint, hint.
Now, I actually took a break from the review and went back to skim through all previous issues, and the pieces are falling into place. With Scarecrow being behind this, I can see a plot actually somewhat forming. If this were a Scarecrow/Mad Hatter team up I would be all over it. I’m willing to see where we go from here next month. Batman obviously was dosed with a new version of Scarecrow’s toxin from issue #1. If you hold that in the back of your head, the rest begins to be more forgivable. ONLY IF, they actually give an explanation to some of the occurrences I mentioned earlier. I’m hopeful. - Tone Purzycki
SYNOPSIS: Batman must race against time to save a friend's life. But his mission may prove impossible as he reels under the weight of three hundred chemically enhanced super-criminals who stand against him. All clues point to one psychotic criminal, and all roads to a solution that will lead to one secret location... but will Batman arrive too late to stop the rage let loose on his city?
