BATMAN WIDENING GYRE #1 (OF 6)
What did the
iFanboy
community think?
Pulls
Size: pages
Price: 3.99
If you enjoy Kevin Smith as much as Kevin Smith enjoys Kevin Smith, then this issue is for you.
We’re over a decade removed from Daredevil and Green Arrow, where Kevin Smith used his humor to temper the complex stories he wove. This is the Kevin Smith who winks so often at the audience that you’re pretty sure a mosquito flew into his eye. Every panel is a one-liner or a pop culture reference. And it’s not that he sucks at it. he doesn’t. He’s one of the best there is at writing clever dialogue. But it’s too much here.
It’s like you date a girl, and discover she makes really good marinara sauce. You crave her spaghetti day and night. But love that she only makes dinner for you once a week. Then, you move in with her, and the first night she makes that awesome spaghetti. The next night she makes chicken parm with that awesome marinara. Night three it’s salmon, which is entirely weird. And then she pours it over your ice cream, and you’re all like “ENOUGH WITH THE F*N MARINARA!!!”
There’s a bunch of your favorite villains scheduled to appear in this series. Thie one has Etrigan and Ivy. It also has a couple of Silver Age style villains who, I’m sure intentionally, reek of Red Skull.
The art, as in his Cacophany series, is done by a personal friend of his. And it’s passable art. it’s C + at best. It feels retro, but more as imitation than homage.
I have no plans to keep reading this, as I’m kind of done with the sauce, but if you’re in the mood for that chicken parm, open wide. It probably won’t be the best thing you ate this week, but it will certainly fill you up.
Art: 2 - Average
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Mmmm Chicken Parm….
Oh I’m sorry, you lost me with that food analogy 🙂
I’m very familiar with Kevin Smith the director, but being somewhat new to comics, I’ve never read any comics he’s written. I was planning on trying this, then I read the preview and I figured I’d be happier keeping the 4 dollars. From what you’re saying, sounds like I’m right.
@crazychris: If you want to read some of his comics, I highly recommend picking up Daredevil: Guardian Devil. It’s a fantastic comic that happens to be by Kevin Smith
@TNC: Stop drooling on my review!
I’ll do that, thanks for the tip!
I really hated Flannagin’s art in the last mini. He drew the beard on Joker’s face that looked like pubes
I thought the dude put a lot of thought into the way the Joker would look if he was laid up in a hospital for all that time. You have to remember that the Joker doesn’t have the best skin in the world after his accident so I wouldn’t be surprised if facial hair he grew looked a little raunchy as well. Well at least it wasn’t green…
I think the problem is his Batman reads like fan fic. He doesn’t seem to understand the character.
@robbydzwonar: Good call on Joker’s pube beard. I agree that it was probably intended to look like that, and has some grounding in reality. Though, I also agree with changingshades iabout hating it.
@BrianBaer: Yes, yes, yes, yes yes. Good fanfic, certainly. But fanfic.
Excellent review. I have not read this book (no desire). Agree that Kevin Smith’s penchant for witty, pop-culture filled banter, creates one dimensional, non-believable characters (plus it’s just overdone and has gotten OLD). I was once a fan of Smith, but he keeps going back to the same well, and that joke stopped being funny a decade ago. Snootchie Bootchies, Schnoogins, … whatever.
@zenman: Exactly. I have a roommate who listens to Smith’s Smodcast, and it’s the same joke every week. Different working, different punchline, but essentially the same joke. It’s funny the first couple of times, but it just gets tiresome.
Best.
Review.
Ever.