BATMAN #706

[ MY OTHER CAPE IS IN THE WASH ]  

• WRITER: TONY DANIEL
• ARTIST: TONY DANIEL
• DC: $2.99 – January 2010

THE STORY:

Somewhere in Chinatown, Lucias Fox is being tortured by the Sensei for certain information’s about ‘the Society’. Meanwhile, over in North Avenue, Dick (Batman) Grayson, is being beaten up by the Riddler and his daughter, Enigma, for the shear hell of it. Thankfully, Damien (Robin) Wayne answers a secret call to repel this attack, and then leads Batman to safety, all the way back to the Bat Bunker. Here, Batman figures out that the Reaper may have stumbled onto the Sensei’s plans, leading him to order Robin to go and find out more about the Riddler, before he goes by himself to question the Reaper at Arkham. However, the Reaper is too deranged to help Batman in his probing, do he then questions Catgirl because she has recently followed the Reaper, and she takes Batman to a Butcher shop in Chinatown, discovering that I-Ching has been here in the process. But before he can look any further into this matter... BOOM! The Sensei arrives on the scene... to be continued.

THE REVIEW:

Punchy – dynamic – fast – bold – and simple, all of these words can be used to describe this issue of Batman, as Tony Daniel has presented yet another solid tale of Dick (Batman) Grayson in all his bumbling glory. Bumbling – that’s right – this is another word which I can use to describe this issue of Batman, a word that I’ve never associated with Batman before. OK, there have been a spattering of issues of ‘Legends of the Dark Knight’ (may god have mercy on it’s soul) in which Batman (of the Bruce Wayne variety) did stumble over clues and fudge his way through a case. But this was because it was depicted during his earlier years as Batman! What’s Dick’s excuse? In comic book terms he has probably been adventuring for approximately ten years by now (seventy years in real terms), so why has Tony Daniel turned him into the secret Marx Brother all of a sudden? OK, I can understand if it was a key plot-point, or something to do psychologically between Dick and his Batman alter-ego. But to have him beaten up by some unknown villain, the Riddlers daughter (no comment) and the Riddler himself!!!!!!! Come on! This is Batman for Christ sake, not the Adventures of Captain Carrot and the Amazing Crew (which was a good comic book, by the way). Now this is my only criticism with this issue, as apart from that – as well as Catgirl (no comment again) – I found that Tony’s story and art, both drove the story to yet another cliff hanger ending. Nice issue, disappointing in places. 

THE RATING: B