BATMAN #693

Review by: Neb

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Avg Rating: 3.3
 
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Size: pages
Price: 2.99

What’s happening to the Batman line of books? First, it was Batman and Robin’s poor issue this week, and now, after reading the newest issue of Batman, I’m wholly disappointed in what DC is doing with the two main titles of the Batman line. I was really enjoying Judd Winick’s run with Mark Bagley, and when Tony Daniel stepped in, I wasn’t too worried. Battle for the Cowl was no masterpiece, but it was a pretty decent story with great action and great visuals. I mean, how bad could his Batman book be? Well, two issues into his most recent run and I can tell you that his Batman book is pretty bad. I always hate writing something like that because I know he probably worked hard on this issue. I think what’s lost in translation is that he has all of these things in his head, but he’s just not conveying them to the reader. The storytelling is a mess as it leaps around with no transition of any kind. Seemingly important story points are established in a few panels, while much of the book meanders on story points that aren’t really that interesting. Chasing around Elliot, the Riddler’s return (?), a mysterious girl who blows something up, and the Black Mask are mashed together in this story that tells nothing at all.

One of the more disappointing aspects of the issue is the art. I thought that throughout Batman R.I.P. and Battle for the Cowl that Daniels pencils were dynamic and filled with motion. There was an intensity to his art that made it special. But in these past two issues, it’s felt flat. There’s a rushed look to it, and it’s missing some of the dynamism that made his previous art so fun. Some of his perspective seems off, and a lot of his more emotional moments with faces fall flat with either being too close or too obscured. I know that Daniels is made of stronger stuff, and I just wish we could see that version of him for this story.

Story: 2 - Average
Art: 3 - Good

Comments

  1. I felt this way about his first issue of Batman.  I also enjoyed Battle for the Cowl, but his first issue of this was not good at all.  It’s been a while since I dropped a book that quickly.

  2. Great review, agree with every word. This story seems to be going nowhere and just getting more convoluted.

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