I had the most difficult time thinking about if I will recommend this to anyone but the answer, as it turns out in the end, is a resounding YES--but with some reservations that need to be expounded upon. This review will serve to do just that. I feel like I should tackle the good and the bad of this package on equal terms, seeing as Batman-Superman is a very polarizing New 52 title so far but I also believe that it's getting some undeserved hate or complete dismissal from most of the hardcore comic fanbase. I can get behind their reasoning because those are the same reasons that let me down when I read this first volume (collecting issues #1-4 and JLA #23.1). However, it's not entirely irredeemable.
It could be a matter of taste, and a matter of a different perspective because I confess that I could give writer Greg Pak a pass with this line-up but still be more critical with his other run, Action Comics which stars Superman since my expectations has more weight with the latter. I think that my state of mind going into this collected volume affected my overall judgment which also helped my enjoyment of the story and characterization. I would also want to disclose that I'm a Bats-Sups shipper (I adore their relationship, platonic or OTHERWISE) so that bias is my rose-colored lenses while reading this.
Nevertheless, I would still remain objective in this review because I don't want to give misinformation to anyone who is interested in perhaps giving this a try; as you well should. It's not everyone's cup of tea but it might just be yours so don't dismiss it based on the very negative reviews you may have encountered.
THE BAD
The direction of Pak's writing is something that doesn't fit from what you might expect in a tights and cape comic book. This for me is actually okay but I do acknowledge that the delivery of the plot and characters as a whole can be the most jarring and nonsensical thing ever produced on a superhero story yet. The first four issues deal with more character exposition which for someone who likes that sort of thing would easily get into it, but might be detested by readers who expect more from the plot development. However, I can't even say Batman-Superman is a character-driven story because I don't think the approach has been done well in the four issues I've read. There are paper-thin moments among chief characters and some interactions do feel quite stiff. As for the plot in general, this is the most aspect of this volume that has been criticized and rightly so. Truly nothing remarkable happens in the storyline for the the four issues (and arguably nothing at all). The action sequences can feel diluted too when you don't know what the hell is supposed to be happening at the moment.
In addition to this, the Batmen and Supermen of two worlds don't really have much impact to the storyline. They serve more as chess pieces to a bigger game that they're not actually going to be players of; at least that's how I viewed it. This is easily frustrating then, because this is the World's Finest we are talking about; a pairing of overwhelming strength and legacy most especially when you have them together, fighting for the same things. I never get a sense of that urgency and awesomeness for the four issues and it therefore made the plot even more underwhelming when it reaches its conclusion. My review for issue #4 was particularly lukewarm. I was unhappy with how it wrapped up. It was already in a shaky ground to begin with and then we get that kind of pay-off which isn't satisfying at all. Sure, I could give a pass because history dictates that most World's Finest stories haven't been in any kind of superior standard in comparison to other DC titles (Green Arrow-Green Lantern issues are more exciting and the more commendable superhero pairing, truth be told). But with the New 52 launch, I've always maintained a gravity of expectations that have been fulfilled by other titles (Bat-family mostly) so I wanted Batman-Superman to be one of those. In some aspects, it was.
THE GOOD
A great number of comic book readers will agree unanimously that Jae Lee's artwork is the most amazing thing about this volume (even those who don't consider Lee to be one of their favorite artists in comics right now have some good things to say about his style and layout). I admit that this is the second draw for me when I bought the volume. The majestic cover depicting Superman and Batman together that resemble a huge statue of some kind in real life is just so damn visually pleasing to look at. Lee's uniquely styled illustrations and quaint structural panels got me through reading the issues, and even increased my enjoyment some more because his drawings are just an adventure to peruse through by themselves.
As I've said before, being a Bats-Sups shipper makes me giddy over anything that includes them both in the pages (I'm prepared to enjoy the Dawn of Justice film coming out in 2016 only because I'll finally get to see live-action Bats-Sups together on screen). It's an added bonus that other JLA members are not in focus (sure, Wonder Woman makes an appearance but she hardly does anything substantial except fight pretty which is saying something horrible about the writing as well). My favorite moments will always be the character monologues between New 52 Batman and Superman that highlight how much they don't like each other and cannot work together, and that flashback sequence where we find out how Earth-2 Bats and Sups became besties in childhood. This is why the third issue is my most favorite of all because it made my shipper heart skip several beats while reading. But again, this is a very subjective way of reading Batman-Superman that you will not share unless you consider World's Finest as a great pairing in general (which I do and you don't need to agree with me because I frankly won't give a damn if you don't).
Finally, I think it's worth mentioning that this volume has got to have the best bonus material in the last pages. New 52 DC titles lately when they go deluxe or hardcover editions would only feature variant covers (maybe a copy of a manuscript for a select issue) and that's it. But with Batman-Superman, we get pages of the writer and artist talking about the process of writing and illustrating their issues. It's a great read because you get an insider's look on how a comic book is made. It features the pencils stage for Lee's artwork all throughout while we get interviews from the people who worked for this title discussing the decisions they've made and why they chose that layout or panel sequencing, etc. For this alone, I'm glad I bought the volume.
FINAL VERDICT
However, don't buy the volume if you're not completely a DC fan, particularly of Batman and Superman together in one book. I still recommend you give this a chance and read it but not own a hard copy yourself because I don't think you will get your money's worth if it turns out this is not your cup of tea. Even though I'm giving this a better rating than most, I still have several things I dislike about this volume but they are ones I could overlook. But you might not, so that's an important difference between you and I.
Well, this is unfortunate. The last two issues were great follow-ups to the lukewarm premise of the first issue but this one, which concludes the story, is not as spectacular as I hoped--and the shameful thing is it could have stuck its landing if only it didn't succumb to a mediocre resolution that was so predictably bland that it deeply saddened me. Greg Pak's Batman-Superman run has potentials but I felt like the writing is not pushing itself enough to stand out and truly make a statement. I'm one of those fans who consider the World's Finest pairing to be the best thing there is in comics, but it's fair to say that their titular team-ups haven't always lived up to the fanfare.
Not everyone likes World's Finest storylines though or consider them their cup of tea, even among hardcore fans of either hero. I can understand why most would overlook or despise altogether this New 52 title because history of Bat-Sups team-ups outside JLA have proved to be disappointing.
Issue #4 could have defied that long-held belief. It certainly had the makings of it. I cannot emphasize more just how enjoyable and insightful Pak's characterizations of the Batmen and Supermen have been, even if the plot was wearing rather thinly. This issue has exposed those flaws more than ever which is why it failed to deliver a satisfying conclusion to an otherwise intriguing premise. Jae Lee's art was also the perfect complement to Pak's meditative monologues and narrative, making the story visually engrossing even when the possibility of the pacing dragging has always been present.
I'm just really disappointed that Pak decided to close with that cliche of an ending. It completely undoes all the build-up he had established in the last three issues. The most redeeming part of these four issues will always remain the characterizations and interplay between Batman and Superman, both in their respective counterparts for New 52 and Earth-2. I could tell that he did put a lot of thought and care in making sure that he is able to write their relationship with the emotional weight and resonance that these two amazingly complex characters and allies deserve--and that is all I could really hope for as a fan. I believe that Batman-Superman team-ups should happen more frequently and with integrity.
The very set-up of this issue starts all right but it was really the ending that failed it. I can only hope that Pak works on his narrative framework and plot ideas more in the coming issues because I still plan to read more of this title. I'll be reviewing the collected edition Cross World first volume after this, in fact, because I would still recommend Batman-Superman to people but, in doing so, I feel like that it should come with a warning label so readers can calibrate their expectations better.
RECOMMENDED: 6/10
Okay, yes. The issues are getting better at least while the artwork remains remarkably superb. I think this third issue entitled Split Screen is the one I had fun with the most. We finally get the overdue explanation of the villain's motives and some action sequences in between. We get all the Batmen and Supermen in the same pages (whose interplay provided me with some amusing moments) and I think I can't remain too objective much longer because my shipper heart approves of anything BatSups together.
I honestly just bought and started reading this title because of that so please allow me this irrational fangirl moment at least before we get serious again. HOW CUTE IS NEW 52 SUPERMAN ACTING LIKE SOME SURROGATE SON TO HIS OWN OLDER COUNTERPART IN EARTH 2? Why does this make my insides gooey all of a sudden? Also, WHY DID MY SHIPPER HEART JUST SKIP A BEAT WITH THAT PANEL WHEN EARTH-2 BATS AND SUPS WERE REACHING OUT TO EACH OTHER AND WERE JUST ABOUT TO TOUCH HANDS BUT THEN THEIR NEW 52 SELVES WERE LIKE "BRO, DON'T TRUST HIM!" (Seriously, they shouted it in unison and Earth-2 BatSups just looked at them, dumbfounded, if not slightly annoyed, that their bromantic moment was interrupted).
That said, I'll try to contain myself lest this review becomes a saccharine indulgence of how much I "wuv Bats and Sups togther". There is an interesting shift in artwork here too that I thought was the most fantastic aspect of the issue. Drawn by artist Yildiray Cinar, Superman of Earth-2 had a flashback sequence pertaining to the first time they met.
It was the sweetest thing in the world, really. Alfred drove to Smallville with young Bruce (for some unexplained and unimportant reason, OKAY?) and their vehicle broke down so he was working on fixing the engine when young Clark spots Bruce in the car and asks him to play baseball with him (because, in his words, "I have never seen a car so big and a kid so...sad" SHUDDUP CLARK YOU ADORKABLE THING!). And then Jonathan Kent steps in when he saw the kids not getting along that much but Alfred tells him that it's going to be okay. Everything about that flashback might as well be a fanservice to anyone who adores Bats and Sups together as much as I do (if not blatantly SHIP THE FUCK OUT OF THEM as much as I do). I don't want to give too much of this flashback away but I will say that I love the idea that in this parallel world, Clark and Bruce are childhood besties and are therefore supportive of each other as the World's Finest heroes.
This, understandably, confounds the shit out of their New 52 counterparts who are still annoyed and distrustful towards each other. I think it is disturbing for them to see their counterparts have so much faith in one another. Given that these versions of Bats and Sups have found each other at a young age and have been inseparable since, it's probably the reason why both of them have a well-adjusted and harmonious relationship as superheroes.
Meanwhile, our New 52 Batman and Superman have grown fearful and angry of their own shadows. Both lost their parents tragically (yes, Clark's parents for the new continuity got killed in a car crash he was unable to prevent, if I'm recalling correctly). Instead of helping each other heal, they are antagonistic against one another. But I think seeing their counterparts as better men in every way is also making them question and re-think about their own relationship (or the lack thereof).
Anyway, I need to stop talking about my DC OTP because I don't want you rolling your eyes at my obsessive fixation on them. Not everyone enjoys Bats and Sups together since most fans of either heroes have some sort of competition going on with who's better and whatnot. I will say that this issue ends with a revelation as to why the villain felt the need to make these four superheroes meet each other under such dire circumstances--and it's a pretty good one, I think. I won't spoil here. I might just in the next one, though.
RECOMMENDED: 9/10
Now this is more like it! It's always great to have lower expectations every once in a while with a comic book, especially when your feelings for its premise issue are only lukewarm, and Pak's Batman-Superman is exactly that for me. Nevertheless, this follow-up issue entitled Double Time had a good pacing and narrative to it that kept my attention in place while reading. I'm not really sure about the purpose of the plot here yet but in the meantime, I'm completely eating up every character interaction between the Batmen and Supermen.
That I think is the overall strength of this issue. As much as I'm still unconvinced about the way Pak is weaving the plot (if there is even any at this point), he's surely doing a great job making me care enough about the contrast and conflict between the two different versions of Bats and Sups. I may have a softer perspective going into this, seeing as I'm quite an avid shipper of BatSups (because anything about them together is immediately my cup of tea). Objectively speaking though, Pak's Batman-Superman wears thinly in some edges, sometimes even indulgent with the character focus as oppose to the story it's supposed to be telling. Nevertheless, if you just adjust your perspective a little and enjoy the ride for what it is instead of reading too much into the details then I suppose this could be a lot of fun considering there are genuinely touching moments for this issue, particularly when New 52 Superman meets another version of his parents, the Kents, from Earth-2. I thought this was warm and poignant.
Meanwhile, New 52 Batman was more unexpectedly quick-witted than Sups, being able to make sense of where he has been transported to and how best to react to it with a clearer sense of objective. Both Batmen are intrigued by the scenario at hand and are more willing to cooperate even if they are wary of each other. This is not the case with the Supermen, at least on our New 52 counterpart's side. He's curiously paranoid, if not a little envious, of his Earth-2 version. Earth-2 Superman is the very epitome of nobility and heroism as we know it--although there are a few noticeable cracks in that armor. I get the sense that his inscrutability is an indication of something underneath that's less...Superman-ish. Yes, I don't know else to put it. I just think that New 52 Superman's distrust toward his counterpart is justifiable. Surprisingly enough, I think new 52 Superman is the most dynamic of all the characters. I appreciate the rawness of his youth and impulses. I love how lost and unsure he is of himself. It reminded me so much about Superboy which is oddly endearing somehow.
In addition to this beguiling dynamics among the Batmen and Supermen, Earth-2 Catwoman, Lois Lane and Wonder Woman make an appearance and that's pretty cool. I especially took note of New 52's awkwardness toward Lois since he's just friends with her in his world while she's clearly (and always been canonically) Superman's girl in this parallel world. I also laughed a little that New 52 Superman is obviously smitten with Wonder Woman (who apparently he has yet to meet in our world? Considering I believe the timelines more or less pre-JLA, I could get on with this). They would later on hook up in the New 52 continuity which I still feel weirded about but I'm not ready to talk about this just yet.
Can we talk also about New 52's T-shirt and jeans costume for Superman at this point? It's quite cute and very hipster. He can't fly yet as well, just leap which is like a callback to old-school Sups back in the first few years of the golden age where he has yet to have a more nuanced backstory. So far, I'm still liking Pak's Batman-Superman. We get a better sense of the villain here but I need more details which will hopefully be provided in the next issue.
RECOMMENDED: 8/10
Understandably enough, I had my reservations when I bought the first of Greg Pak's run of Batman-Superman issues. But, just like with Before Watchmen: Ozymandias, Jae Lee's art style has caught my eye. Indeed, the cover for this issue is something very majestic to look at. Besides, I have always liked Superman and Batman together even when it's just in theory. The contrast between what they stand for as heroes and how they became heroes is something that keeps their interactions interesting and tension-filled for me. But again, I did not have any sort of high hopes for this run (even if I did enjoy the annual issue of this run which I read and reviewed two months ago).
It was surprising then that Cross World had a great premise and storytelling potential to it after all. Visually enhanced by Jae Lee's incredibly unique art composite (there are great panel designs here that made me go "ooh, that's creative"), Pak's story is more character expository than plot-centered. I was really more intrigued with New 52 Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent here. They're obviously very prejudiced toward each other. There was a lack of respect in both their parts bred out of sheer pride and an unwillingness to see the perspective of the other. I'm...liking that angle. When they did put on their costumes and had a fight, I enjoyed the series of their respective monologues that contradict and disagree with each other.
I suppose it's really the character dynamics and construct of their personalities that reeled me in for this issue (aside from the illustrations). Speaking of which, the last few pages had another artist who worked on it, Ben Oliver. The change from Lee's art to his wasn't jarring at all, considering the circumstances of how the plot progressed later on. Basically, our world's version (the New 52) of Batman and Superman were transported to an alternate universe (otherwise known as Earth-2) where they meet their more mature counterparts who are long-time allies and best friends. New 52 Superman lands in Smallville and meets the Earth-2 Batman who used a kryptonite to get him to calm down. New 52 Superman is obviously not pleased. He's fairly young too and volatile--not a trait I would associate with Superman EVER, really, so I kindda started calling him 'Superboy' while reading to myself. But then again, if you've been following the new Action Comics, then the characterization for today's Superman makes perfect sense. So I can live with the fact that he's...less attuned with what he stands for (truth, justice and the American way) since he's still coming to terms with who he is as a man with such godly powers. There are now flaws to him that I think are written in to make him more recognizable to a new audience. After all, he's always been criticized as being a paragon of perfection which is more of a bad thing than a good thing for Superman bashers out there because to them, it makes him 'unrelatable'. I personally understand the complaint but I don't share the extreme dislike or disregard over Sups. I love Sups, not as much as my Bats, but he's quite important to me too nonetheless. Superman represents an ideal that we should all aspire to live up to, but yes, I think I would appreciate his character to be more nuanced, to be more flawed. And Pak does write him like a young man in his twenties with lots of repressed rage and self-doubt. It's refreshing.
Still, the concept is working so far. The villain here, some trickster god, is yet to reveal the motives for transporting Bats and Sups to Earth-2 but I'm sure that will be the focus of the next issue. Overall, a rather compelling premise so far. I'm loving the artwork because it's just so freaking gorgeous. And I like tension and loathing between New 52 Batman and Superman. I'm definitely interested to see how they would react to the different versions of themselves in another world.
RECOMMENDED: 7/10
The foremost thing I have always loved about Batman and his stories is the air of dark mystery and malicious intrigue that surrounds its pages. I also grew up with detective fiction and I remember that the very first Batman comic book I read in passing had the same elements I enjoyed about said genre in the first place. I was so drawn to this brooding and reticent watchful guardian of the night in a very inexplicable sense, and I knew that he needs to be a constant thing in my life from there on.
Reading Bryan Augustyn's self-contained story Gotham by Gaslight unearth those nostalgic feelings. This fifty-paged comic book is set in an alternate universe where Bruce Wayne, Batman and Gotham City are in the nineteenth century. It actually does work well, considering that the general atmospheric theme of a lot of Batman stories belongs to a gothic criteria anyway, and the very essence of the Dark Knight blends with shadows and ghouls running amok in a lawless and godless city. This comic book explored the same events in Bruce's life as we know it in canon but are depicted as if we traveled back to a simpler yet just as malevolent point in time.
Batman's costume is something that could be akin to a steampunk version. I especially loved the mask that resembled a rustic-styled goggles for bird-watching, giving his face a menacing yet old-fashioned look. I also think that the overall visual choices for this comic (the font of the texts, the structural panels and the washed-out color palette) are at par with what the writing is trying to embody. Having a copy of this story is like owning an antique parchment of some sort where the sketches and illustrations are fading and are uneven in some place, but it only adds more to its haunting appeal.
The plot had a good pacing and suspense to it that makes it feel like I'm watching a movie set in the Victorian age that is remarkably well-preserved and true to its time. This is a marvelous, worthwhile read. I'm glad someone thought about writing Batman in this setting and century because it made perfect sense for someone of his nature and origins to fit in such a murky landscape. Gotham City itself after all has that kind of vibe already--something so ancient and dark that you always feel a chill in your spine when you're reading about it. Augustyn's Gotham by Gaslight sings that eerie tune all the way.
RECOMMENDED: 8/10
I'm going to level with you now: you must pick this up one of these days and read it. I spent about a week reading and reviewing each issue included for this stellar graphic novel written by the current Batman writer for New 52, Scott Snyder, and illustrated by artists Jock and Francesco Francavilla alternatively. Comprised of ten issues from Detective Comics #871-881 from the old DC continuity, The Black Mirror is set right after Bruce Wayne's supposed death and so, in his absence, the role of Gotham's Dark Knight was filled in by no other than Dick Grayson, the first Robin. Though it's not Wayne underneath the cowl, Dick as Batman is definitely a daring and compelling one.
In Snyder's stories about him being Batman and as illustrated by Jock, Dick faces questions similar to a person who is having an identity crisis, particularly on the aspect of his roots. Though intimately familiar with Gotham's horrific landscapes and feels personally obliged to protects its people, Dick never felt that he belonged in this city of nightmares and most of his character conflict stems from the fact that he's a bird constantly trying to be imprisoned in a cage by forces which he could not always comprehend but nonetheless fights back with much vigor and resilience. In Dick, we get a Batman whose contemplative monologues are as self-centered and personal as they could get with some touch of vulnerability and self-doubt here and there, the likes of which we have never seen in Bruce Wayne before (though Snyder will go on to write Bruce in a more humanized sense in Zero Year for New 52 later on).
His issues follow him in his investigations and findings pertaining to Gotham's usual scum and criminal element yet more often than not he gets caught up in a cycle of deception and greed that forces him to re-examine the way he views Gotham and his role and participation in all of its endless stream of violence and despair. I found Dick to be remarkably admirable yet pitiful as well especially in those quiet moments when I see glimpses of the Boy Wonder who is still lurking somewhere in the more matured and fiercer fighter Dick has become after leaving the Robin persona behind. It gives his Batman a presence that lacks the hardness that Bruce placed into it but still manages to be just as formidable. Jock's art and illustrations of Dick gliding across pages or diving into places remind you that this is the Robin we all love and who is now all grown-up and yet someone who remains as an adventurous aviator who longs for freedom and can only achieve it when he's flying over the dark city he is bound to serve. In fact, those brief moments he soars in the skies are the happiest that Dick has ever been, right until he lands back on earth and faces the evils and malevolence that is required of the Dark Knight he now has to embody.
The secondary key character for the other half of the issues is Commissioner Jim Gordon. His issues are illustrated wondrously by Francesco Francavilla whose limited color palette of dark colors (hues of orange, red, blue and purple) make the stories a chilling visual adventure as it is able to echo the depths of horrors that Snyder's writing purposefully and, at most times, masterfully brings out with atrocious clarity. In these issues, we see Gordon stumble upon an enigma he could never seem to get a hold of in solving, one whose dark nature perplex and wound him most: his own son James Jr. whose psychosis brings devastation wherever he goes. Now that he's back in Gotham, James Jr. has unleashed uncomfortable memories that his father had buried for so long. Each issue builds up to the ultimate collision and, just like with Dick, Jim Gordon needs to meet the reflection he sees in the glass and recognize that its potential for evil has gotten stronger and he may not have enough time to stop it.
The Black Mirror may as well be Snyder's audition for becoming the current writer for New 52 Batman and if that is the case, then it was rewarded graciously with much deserved praise in the end because this was such an impressive body of work, I must say. His poetic prose when describing Gotham City as a living character and not just a setting piece in his stories is something we can now read and appreciate in his The Court of Owls storyline. I would recommend this to anyone, long-time Bat-fan or novice.
This is a rather moving yet very tragic story about the inconvenient truths in people's lives and how chaos can be the most undiscriminating force of nature that often rules the choices we make; and that the ideals we cling onto and comfort ourselves with may be more fragile than we are led to believe--much like the people we love the most can be the very ones who will have the ability to betray and destroy who we are. This definitely now belongs to my all-time Bat-faves!
RECOMMENDED: 9/10
Sometimes when I write reviews for the last issue of a story arc in a Batman comic book, I don't feel so sure about the best way I can convey my journey with the previous issues leading to the conclusion. But I must say, Scott Snyder's The Black Mirror series has been an invigorating reading experience. This story falls on the old continuity of DC so it's nice to be able to take a break from the slightly uneven New 52 Batman titles. Though there are comparisons to be made here and his writing for the new Batman series, particularly for the Court of Owls saga, The Black Mirror manages to stand on its own as Snyder's freshman effort to characterize Gotham City as its own living and breathing creature as oppose to just a static setting piece for the Dark Knight's adventures. It's very enjoyable to read passages in every issue where I could tell Snyder applied some careful consideration and insight on how to best depict Gotham to us readers; to bring both color and darkness to this city that would enable it to come to life across the pages.
This finale issue entitled The Face in the Glass was, in general, a satisfactory ending for a deliberately murky and infectiously depressing story that centered around the horrors within men who welcome it and among the men who seek to extinguish it. For the former, we have the criminal element of Gotham City and the main star of the show, James Gordon Jr., son to Gotham's finest Commissioner. My favorite issues Lost Boys and Skeleton Key are all about him because those are the stories that really captured my attention and kept it in place. Now two artists worked on The Black Mirror: we have Jock for the Batman-centered issues and Francesco Francavilla for the father-and-son Gordon issues.
For the finale, we got a bit of both. Francavilla lays down the foundation first with his signature use of limited color palette once again, this time applying more shades of red to make this issue visually intense as we read through. Jock wraps it up neatly in the final four to five pages where an honest conversation between Dick Grayson and Jim Gordon offers an optimistic message...right until we get to the last panel that would suggest otherwise.
One could say that The Face in the Glass is the climax and the resolution divided between two artists with vastly different styles and approached when it comes to illustrating Snyder's content on page. We see their art side by side for reference for this finale issue and I must say that they're both amazing artists and I really couldn't say I prefer one over the other because both of them used their medium effectively to suit the needs of the narrative. This could extend to the duality symbolism of Snyder's story in general. The Black Mirror does speak about reflection and deception. These elements are present in each issue. There's the Gotham that we know and the Gotham that we bury. There's Batman who under and without the mask. There's Jim's allegiance to his life of lawful service and his devotion as a father to a monster of a son. And the more obvious comparisons between Dick Grayson and James Jr. is something Snyder did not shy away from lavishly describing in this villain speech by the latter.
Said speech also highlighted another Gotham-centered set of descriptions:
"My mother's comment that night, all those years ago, sitting there on the bed with my father; her assertion that Gotham is a city of nightmares because she was right. Gotham is a city of nightmares but not in the way you think it is, Dick, not in some simple, scary bogeyman way. No, it's a city of nightmares in the truest sense. Because what is a nightmare if it isn't a warning? A dream so scary it makes you think, makes you change your ways. A vision of yourself in your weakest...You see, this place is special, Dick. It's a city of nightmares. And I'm yours. I am the face you see in the glass...Gotham made me to challenge you, my father and Barbara...I am Gotham's son."
James Jr. never seizes to creep the fuck out of me, yes. But there is something very pitiful about him too, but I won't go into detail because I think you should read the pages pertaining to his realizations about his psychosis because that was when I actually started to sincerely feel sorry for him and others like him. I shouldn't be afraid of this sort of men at all. They're...beyond saving and that's pretty sad. I also felt bad for Jim Gordon himself who, in spite of his goodness and public service, is, shall we say, burdened with a family relative who is as dysfunctional as he could get. It only goes to show how life can be so random and that chaos is undiscriminating.
There are great character moments in this issue again particularly the scenes with Barbara and James Jr. But the one that struck me the most is the moment when Dick Grayson as Batman finally shows up to apprehend James Jr. before he kills his sister. SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER He found Barbara on the floor with one of the two knives still lodged in her thighs (a cruel joke by James Jr. to make sure that removing either of them would make her bleed out). Dick then held her against him and it reminded me of the scene in issue #873 where Dick had a nightmare where his legs were cut off and Barbara was about to stab him. It was a meaningful echo of the said nightmare which fits what James Jr. said about Gotham being a city of nightmares, exposing you in your weakest and what you are most afraid of. For Dick, it's the loss of his own legs, being an acrobat and all, and the possible estrangement with Barbara whom he had always loved and cared about. It's such a subtle mirror effect of two events juxtaposed quite brilliantly. I almost missed it until I started thinking about the scenes more and make the necessary connections and interpretations.
Another one I liked is SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER when James Jr. escapes from Dick and ends up being shot by Jim Gordon while they're standing on a bridge which I assume was the same bridge where an infant James Jr. fell and was rescued by Batman years ago. James Jr. falls off the ledge again but his father caught him just in time. It was such a heartbreaking scene especially when Jim says that he won't let James go this time. It's a symbolic gesture of how much this father wants to cling onto the belief, to hope against hope, that there is still a chance to claim his son's soul back from the blackest pits of the damned city that is Gotham.
This was a splendid issue to end the saga as a whole though it's not something I would consider perfect and outstanding across the charts (that distinction still belongs to Lost Boys and Skeleton Key, to be honest). But I can honestly say that I consider The Black Mirror to be one of my favorite Batman graphic novels of all time.
I'll be posting my general review of the trade paperback first thing tomorrow.
RECOMMENDED: 9/10
This is quite a misleading issue. And I like it. I like it A LOT.
It's been established that the Batman-centered stories have Jock as the main artist and, in a sense, this should understandably be about Dick Grayson as Batman especially since it focuses on the Joker and where he is after he escaped Arkham Asylum from last issue. However, I did state that I feel that the Joker is not going to take a significant role in this series and that James Jr. is the 'star' as Snyder himself put it in his reproduced script for the trade paperback release.
Still, we're zeroing in on the Joker's whereabouts for this issue and we get Jim Gordon's monologue to begin the search which is something I actually quite loved so I'll quote it:
"Gotham. It's a city of glass and concrete, of steel and brick. and yet for me, like most people here, there's a city beneath the one I can see and smell and feel below my tires right now. A city of memory with a geography that I only know. Where the biggest buildings, the most important landmarks are the ones where something happened to me. Some tragic bullet. A first kiss. And after all these years, my city, the one beneath the glass and steal is full of plenty of bright streets and dark alleys. But the darkest spots on the map, the looming black towers, were almost all created by one man--the Joker. In many ways, he is Gotham's darkest and most brilliant architect."
It's resonant of the very first pages of The Black Mirror where Dick Grayson also talks about Gotham in a manner that is intimate and foreboding. I'm not sure I should talk about the issue in detail because that would spoil all the fun. But it's paced in a thrilling way as Dick and Jim hunt down the Joker, going through certain locations and finding out that the Joker's real hiding place is somewhere less complicated in reality. I also enjoyed the character moments shared among our heroes, particularly that scene with Barbara. Anyone who has read The Killing Joke knows that Barbara has a score to settle with the clown prince of crime and I admire her bravery and tenacity. She was not shaken at all and was very much ready to answer the door when the Joker comes a-knocking.
But as I suggested earlier in this review, this side story about the Joker is more of a red herring. When Dick does find out where he is, the Joker immediately recognizes that he is not the same man underneath the Batman mask and implores him to tell the real Batman, his Batman, that he misses him so and that he wants him to come back. Dick interrogates him for a few minutes about the deadly toxin going around the city but the Joker laughs it off, half-scolding Dick for not being able to figure out that the gag is not the Joker's but someone else's. He also taunts Dick that the real Batman would know that by now. This is quite a suspenseful revelation especially when it's spliced with a scene with Gordon at the hospital where his ex-wife Sarah was resting after she was attacked by someone they all presumed was the Joker. Meanwhile, Barbara tries to locate the Joker using camera sensors in the elevator but as it turns out, she was the one who had just been found.
Overall, this issue entitled My Dark Architect delivers its promise from the summary in the back of the trade paperback: Dick and Jim will face an evil that has emerged from their own doorstep. And if you have been reading my detailed reviews of the previous issues, then you should know that it can't possibly be anyone else but--
RECOMMENDED: 8/10
My level of discomfort about Scott Snyder's characterization of James Gordon Jr. has finally reached an apex in this installment entitled Skeleton Key. I have to say, the anticipation has built up since the Batman-centered arc Hungry City which I quite liked but not necessarily enjoyed all throughout. So the sweet agony of finding out some more about this specific story arc has been killing me and so I rushed to finish this issue and the next earlier before I went to work (and I am now typing this review). I managed to steady myself though, and save the finale issue for later tonight. Delayed gratification is the essential key to any satisfying conquest, and that applies to my reading habit of Batman comics, or any book in general--especially when it's this good.
Francesco Francavilla makes a return as the artist for yet another Gordon father-and-son issue and this time it reveals significant pieces of the enigma that is James Jr. This review WON'T BE SPOILER-FREE because it deserves some lengthy discussion and reflection from me. So don't read on unless you don't feel like reading The Black Mirror anyway and are just interested in reading about someone's thoughts about its content. On that note, I'll try not to disappoint. Before we get to that, I first want to quote Snyder from one of his scripts (which was reproduced in the trade paperback GN). It was a correspondent shared between him and the said artist.
"This [James Jr.] is the star of your story. We're going to make him one of the scariest mothers in DCU. The idea is that he is a true psychopath--devoid of empathy. He's been away for a long time, wandering, staying away. No one knows where he has been, but his last encounter with Jim was bad--years ago. Jim has always known something was "wrong" with him, but how wrong is a mystery to him. That's the idea: James Jr. is the worst thing Jim could have for a son--an unsolvable mystery. Jim cannot figure out what Babs (one of the very smartest in the Bat-family) knows instinctually--that James isn't just someone with an anti-social personality disorder. He's a killer. A true psychopath. For Jim, the evidence is never there, and even the reason for James' nature is a mystery to him. Was it the fall from the bridge that damaged him? Was it the fact that Jim worked long hours, wasn't around? Was he just born that way? Or was it...Gotham? James is the twisted, mirror reflection of Dick and Jim, in that Dick is all about empathy and compassion; James has neither. Jim is all about solving things, James is unsolvable...Let's have some fun."
Upon reading this, I just can't help but feel more extremely drawn to James Jr. than I already was after reading Lost Boys (which is now my most favorite issue...but I'll hold up until the finale). Snyder knows what he wants to showcase in his characterization of James Jr., notably on how he will contrast him with Dick Grayson and Jim Gordon themselves. So in that symbolic essence, he could be considered the titular black mirror of the story in general and I would accept that eagerly. Before I get to the meat and bones of this issue, let me start first by saying Francavilla's limited color palette is a genius choice of art style. As I've mentioned previously, he works with hues of orange, purple, dark blue and black, giving his illustrations a haunted and shadowy look every panel which only serves to emphasize just what a dark story Snyder is writing.
The Joker also makes an appearance in this issue (or should we say, finally?) He was mumbling about a story between a boy and a girl; and that it's a story about love. His story about it serves as a narrative background for the rest of the issue with Jim, and I don't think the Joker was supposed to be relevant to the scope of this issue because Snyder himself was straightforward about who is supposed to be the star for The Black Mirror series. But I did like that he serves as a sidenote to add a more chilling perspective to an already despairing atmosphere. We can't have too much of that, oh no.
Now, Skeleton Key is a horror story where we explore the horrors of men; the very incarnate of such a force himself (James Jr.) who is also the one that keeps Jim Gordon awake some nights, unsafe with the knowledge that his one and only son is a monster. Gordon needs to confirm his suspicions at this point, distrusting even Dick's judgment about James Jr. when they met in issue #878 because even Dick himself was fooled by the mild-mannered appearance and demeanor of said young man. So Gordon goes to the only person who understood James Jr.'s nature from the very beginning, and who is no other than Barbara. Before that, he visited James in his place of work in a hospital administration. Leslie Thompkins, his boss, had stated how impressive and diligent he was, but Gordon was not at all convinced and actually just went there to get a sample of the pills James Jr. was taking, which were supposed to help regulate his amygdala so he will develop empathy. He takes the pill back to Barbara and she examines its contents.
The one thing that jumped at me during their earnest conversation was that Jim asked Barbara to keep it in the family which meant he also doesn't want to get Dick/Batman involved. I think he is taking partial responsibility of how James Jr. turned out and Barbara agrees that they both should. The thing is, I know Jim still loves his son very, very much, but he can't turn the other cheek anymore--and rightfully so. After examining the pill, Barbara arrives to a startling discovery: James Jr. altered the substance in the pill which meant that the medicine is doing the exact opposite of what it should be doing (the medicine is now actually blocking his amygdala's responses). James Jr. is cutting off any traces of his humanity, psychologically speaking. AND THAT IS NOT EVEN THE WORST PART.
After discussing it some more, Jim realized that James Jr. has a more heinous plan than that. He altered the medicine so he could have other people ingest it. When Barbara assured him that it won't have much effect on adults anymore because their brains have matured already, Jim put another piece together and rushed out of the room, claiming that he knew whom James Jr. plans to use that medicine on. He recalled that his son volunteers to pick up baby formula from the market which would give him a chance to tamper with that--and that means he plans on turning Gotham's infants into psychopaths like him. It's...sickening. I was at the edge of my seat then while I'm about to reach the last three pages of the issues.
Jim went in his son's apartment, gun already in hand. This was shortly after we get a panel where it is revealed that the Joker once again escaped Arkham Asylum but right after he released some deadly toxin, rendering the staff incapable of rational thought which made them murderous. So now Jim creeps inside the apartment and his attention was caught by the closet that was ajar. A red metal box was inside it. He approaches the closet, kneels down and opens the box. Harvey Bullock appears in the doorway, presumably to tell him about the Joker. He asked if everything is okay and to which Jim dishearteningly replies that nothing is okay. We get a full-paged panel of the box where a multitude of keys are inside (keepsake from people James Jr. have killed, maybe?) and the one that stood out from the bunch is the bat key-chain, one that belonged to Barbara's friend Besse, the girl who disappeared. By then, Jim has confirmed that it wasn't the Peter Pan killer who killed Besse.
It was James Jr. It had always been his own son all along...
RECOMMENDED: 10/10
This issue and last installment of Hunger City story arc is a definite improvement from the previous issue. Right off the bat, we get an exciting confrontation between Batman and the pirate Tiger Shark who captured him based on the last scene of #877. Now Dick Grayson is hanging on a hook over a killer whale who is eager to bite a chunk of him (well, let's face it, maybe even more than a bite). While this was going on, Dick calmly remembers a memory from the circus about a man named Francis Roy whose gig is to jump from a diving board and into a tank that's filled with water only three feet deep. Dick recalls that Francis told him that it's about judgment. You need to assess the situation before you take the leap.
Right now, Dick clearly didn't, hence being a whale bait. To make matters worse, he has to listen to bad-guy speeches delivered by Tiger Shark's two henchmen. I really do not like this egoistic pirate who doesn't speak at all and allows his goons to do it for him. He just reeks of self-importance and I can't wait for Batman to kick his ass. But let's not dwell on this scene anymore because this is actually not the thing to zero-in for this issue. It's the overdue meeting between Dick and James Jr. It's been twelve years since that picnic (which I was disappointed not to get a flashback sequence of. I would have loved to see Bruce make a cameo in there). But they did talk about it anyway and James Jr. cracks some really inappropriate jokes and it's making me really uncomfortable because his humor is so dry, and his material is always about him poking fun at his murderous tendencies. I mean, come on! It also doesn't help that James Jr. looks like some gawky nerd with glasses and is quite mild-mannered. There's a modesty there that's suspicious. I really cannot trust this guy.
After that we get a rather...cutesy (?) scene with Dick and Sonia. I don't want to make it sound like I'm actively shipping them because their conversation was not at all that amiable, but do we really have to see Sonia in swimsuit? There's nothing gratuitous about the way she was drawn or anything, but the scenario is about the fact that Dick is not happy about her lying to him and sending him off on a mission when she has ulterior motives to keep him blind-sighted. I suppose he could ignore her soaked, half-naked body when he's not in the mood to notice any of that, but I don't know. It seems to me that given how Snyder spelled out that he might be attracted to her, this kind of scene is not accidental or completely innocent. I really wouldn't be surprised if these two share a private, less professional-like moment in the next issues. And frankly, it wouldn't bother me because I get the sense that Dick believes something is wounded about Sonia--and he might want to repair her wings somehow, like the sweetie he is. But hey, he's Batman so business comes first before any possible, er, entanglements of the passionate kind.
But the real kicker is the last scene. Gosh darn it, I KNEW IT! Dick starts talking about Francis Roy again as the closing monologue.
"It never got old, his act. As a boy, I watched Roy do it dozens, even hundreds of times. I was even watching the day when he got it wrong. The day he misjudged and hit the water just a degree or two off point. He broke his neck, dying instantly."
Now that is one hell of a foreshadowing! It's sinister because it has something to do with James Jr. in the last panels. Overall, Hunger City was not as strong as a story like The Black Mirror (issues #871-873) but it gave us enough thrills. Jock's illustrations of Dick Grayson as Batman gracefully gliding across or diving from the sky are definitely my favorite visuals for this series.
RECOMMENDED: 8/10
"Every time you try to get some purchase, the city changes beneath you, surprising you in terrible ways. So why try? I can't help it though. I'm built differently. There's something about Gotham from the sky that energizes me, gives me hope, if only for a moment before I come back down to earth." ~ Dick Grayson, issue #876
This all feels familiar by now. Just like in The Black Mirror three-issued arc, Dick Grayson's Batman finds himself trapped again for the second time here in Hunger City part II but with it's a less dangerous scenario and one that I know he will escape from anyway even when it ended as a cliffhanger in the last issue. Dick gets to have witty monologues as he catapults out of the trap and captures Bixby Rhodes, an arms dealer who fancies himself with the name Roadrunner because why not. He had a set of mechanical legs, apparently, which Dick casually steps in when Rhodes gives him a lecture about Metropolis being more intimidating with the criminal element because a god (read: Superman) practically walks its streets. Meanwhile, Gotham only has Batman who is still a man nonetheless underneath the cowl. How arrogant is that? Well, Dick handles it professionally and with good taste, but it turns out Rhodes doesn't really have that much connection with the whale carcass and the dead woman inside.
This issue had its moments but certainly not one that was engrossing like the previous ones. I really have nothing else to say about the story because that would give the game away some more so I'd like to talk about character interactions now, particularly between Dick and Sonia Birch (Zucco). As I've previously mentioned, Sonia's father is the mob boss who had Dick's parents killed during one of their acrobatic acts. There's an understandable discomfort that should stem from this but I must say, Dick is handling himself with good grace but I do get the sense that he's drawn to Sonia for that reason and Red Robin (Tim Drake) was quick to point out that he may be attracted to her. Um, foreshadowing? I'm not sure. I wouldn't mind that kind of angle because Dick is such a sweetie that him having a love interest, even a half-baked one at that, might be interesting to see play out, especially with the given history.
For some reason, my gut tells me to believe in Sonia. I do believe she wants to stop being associated with her father's infamous legacy. There's this great two-paged spread where Sonia talks about how sometimes our fathers' shadows are larger than we'd like. I wonder if Dick thought about Bruce then. I had a feeling that he might have had. Though we never really get characters talk about Bruce Wayne in the story, you do feel that emptiness that is so strong that putting it in words wouldn't do it justice at all.
In any case, this second installment of Hunger City wraps up quite nicely for the last part which should have more action and substance to it, hopefully. I think Jim did ask Dick to meet James Jr. just to get a read on him so I think that's something we should look forward to. This issue had an even pacing but nothing that remarkable, plot-wise. After his conversation with Sonia, Dick follows a new trail and this time around it's the man who did murder that woman and put her inside a killer whale.
RECOMMENDED: 7/10
