Oh holy mother of god this comic smells like month old sewage.

The first few pages, while having more in common with vomit after eating a bag of skittles, color wise, was a marked improvement from the last Batman mini that Smith wrote. The coloring was bright, but not in a Silver age retro way, so much as a "I just walked into a room with florescent lights after a 48 hour bender on tequila and alcohol I've distilled from my own urine."

I give full credit to that to Art Thirbert since after the flashback, the art went back to self published high school study hall doodles that made me hate the last miniseries. This art is fucking awful. (You can tell I'm pissed since I try to not swear in my reviews)

Other than that, the writing followed the same arc of tolerable to putrid. I think I'd be willing to pick up a Kevin Smith Dick Grayson era Robin story, maybe Nightwing. He seems to enjoy writing nonpowered individuals and the smiles and snappy patter would work, more or less.

However, he writes Bruce exactly the same way.

The whole dynamic of being dark and light between the two of them? Completely thrown out the window in any internal monologue box.

Then we get the same Arkham scenes we always get and Pam being the same slutty female archtype that Smith always writes.

Then we get one of the Jack Kirby creations that I hate 9 times out of 10, with the tenth time being written by Garth Ennis, Etrigan. I know he's been written with rhymes since he was created, but the juvenile stuff that came out his mouth was just annoying. And, since when does Blood need pot to keep him in check? Or was that just a ploy to introduce pot for the fans of Smith.

I found him especially grating on the nerves, because Flannegan's horrendous art was obviously trying to ape the Bissette version from Swamp thing. And I use the term ape loosely, since I think an actual ape could have done a better job. There was also the vines over Arkham image that needs to go in a swipe file.

Grr, horrible art.

I'm giving it a 1 since you won't let me give it anything lower