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| BATMAN No. 19, June 2013 |
It is hard to believe that such a confusing and mediocre
magazine as Issue Nineteen of “Batman” was the biggest selling comic book of
April 2013, especially when Diamond Comic Distributors show it sold an
incredible 132,147 copies in order to do so.
For Scott Snyder’s twenty-page narrative, along with its perplexing fold-out
cover depicting Jim Gordon as “Bruce Wayne’s greatest foe…”, is a somewhat lack-lustre read which disappointingly seems to suggest the American author
was merely ‘going through the motions’ when scripting it. Certainly, despite
containing a gunfight with Gotham’s finest, fisticuffs with the Reaper and a ‘bat-a-rang
battle’ with 312 pound murderer Brian Wade, “Nowhere Man” lacks the tense dynamic
build-up and thrilling suspense usually associated with the New Yorker’s
writing.
Instead readers are arguably left with the disconcerting feeling
that the Brown University graduate was suffering from the fatigue and aftereffects of
having previously masterminded two lengthy multi-title story-arcs. Snyder
himself has stated that he wanted this two-parter to be a “fun mystery.” But whilst the prose
writer’s description of the “Death Of The Family” Joker saga is accurate in
that it was a “grim… grotesque and gruesome” storyline, his intention for this “ode
to... the animated series” to be a “…fast-paced action mystery” is not
particularly successful and not all that much “fun” either.
Most of the disappointment stems from the sheer
choppiness of the comic’s chronology, as it starts “now” with the billionaire overtly
committing an armed robbery and gunning down Jim Gordon, before suddenly
dragging events back six days in the past to a time when the Dark Knight is
battling the Reaper. However this van heist then turns out to be even further back
in the past when it’s unexpectedly revealed to be nothing more than an historical replay
from the “cowl archives.” Four pages later and proceedings have really
progressed as Batman breaks into the Wade Design building, battled the
overweight owner, identified the killer’s true identity as Clayface whilst in
the Batwing, and then confronted the shape-changer, now disguised as Lucius
Fox, during a meeting at Wayne Industries. Fast it may be, but ‘followable’ and
mysterious?
Infinitely superior is the back-up story by James Tynion
IV, a sinister supernatural thriller which also features the Man of Steel. At
just eight-pages in length “Ghost Lights” at first smacks of the sort of police
procedural yarn “Gotham Central” excelled at during its three-year run for “DC
Comics”. But then later turns into a disturbingly claustrophobic investigation
into the satanic manifestation known as “The Will O’ The Wisp.”
Drawn by “Daredevil” legend Alex Maleev, the artwork is
decidedly different to the crisp bright well-detailed illustrations of this book’s
lead penciller Greg Capullo. But the Bulgarian’s more angular, rough sketching
style really suits the tone of the thriller, especially when they’re combined
with the dank dark palette of colorist Brad Anderson.
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| The variant cover art of "BATMAN" No. 19 by Al Jaffee |
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