BATMAN #25

[ BATMAN SALE NOW ON ] 

Riddle me this, riddle me that, what do you get if you impregnate a bat? Would you get a cat, a rat, or a gnat? Or would you get some shat created by... by... by? Oh hell. Damn this rhyming lark for a game of soldiers. Just read this issue, will you? One created by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo; Publisher by DC Comics, in November, 2013. I thank you.

Using GENERAL terms, answer the following 5 questions about this STORY entitled 'Lights Out'.

• WHAT'S THE MAIN THRUST OF THIS TALE: 'What the f*ck is going on in Gotham City?', says Batman to himself, disparagingly. 'First the Riddler turns off all the lights. Then I hear the news that a storm is on the horizon. And to top it all off, the police chase me all around town, whilst I'm trying to figure out whose turning those scientists into disheveled plants!!!!'.
• ARE THE MAIN OBJECTIVES ACHIEVED: Let's just say that a start is made, thanks to a Doctor Pamela Isley.
• ANYTHING ELSE HAPPEN: Bruce Wayne and Lieutenant James Gordon have a rather strained confrontation, at the foot of the newly developed Bat-Cave.
• HOW DOES THIS STORY END: With Lucius Fox tipping his hand in Doctor Deaths favour.
• WHAT'S THE BACK-UP FEATURE ABOUT: During the black-out, Harper Row tries to reassure her scared little brother that everything will be OK, by telling him about all the hero's who've embraced the dark and cold Gotham night.

All in all, what is the most memorable SENTENCE OR CONVERSATION spoken in this issue?

Although it isn't very apparent how the 'army sequence' actually fits into the overall tale as of yet, that's not to say that I didn't love reading the expression...

'Holy door in the floor'...

... because it reminded me of the camp sixties Batman television series.  

What are the BEST bits about this issue?

(+) Without beating about the bush, I'd say that this issue was great. No. It was better than great. It was f*cking amazing. In fact, it was so amazing, I want to take it out to dinner and impregnate it with some veal. I mean, the art was spot on. The story was an intriguing one. Plus the overall package was a sheer pleasure to follow. Nirvana even.

(+) Can you please put up your hands if you smiled like a loon when you first noticed Pamela Isley in this adventure? Go on. Lift. Hmmmm. One. Two. Three. Hmmm. Twenty. Errr. Forty. Uhhh. Thousand. Ish. Yeah. That sounds about right. Now... can I join your Poison Ivy fan club please? Ha!

(+) Oh! While I'm in a 'put your hand's up' kind-of a mood, who of you out there didn't get a kick out of seeing Batman's new car? Go on. Show yourselves. What? No one! Ah-ha. I thought as much. Cause this jazzy automobile was bloody fantastic, wasn't it? It's as though Batman stole Austin Powers car and then jazzed it up in the Bat-Cave afterwards.  Groooveyyyyy!

(+) Now while I'm on the subject of the Bat-Cave, one of the stand-out scenes for me was that one where Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon had a strange confrontation at the foot of it. I mean, what was that all about? Does this tête-à-tête imply Gordon was around at the time of Bruce's parent's death, and is somehow involved with its aftermath? Hmmm. Intriguing thought. Huh?

(+) Another scene I got a right kick out of was that one involving Doctor Death, Lucius Fox, and Bruce Wayne. Now without giving too much away, wasn't that altercation a right turn up for books? Whatever next I wonder! That's what I love to know.  

(+) In my eyes the magical Harper Row back-up feature was just pleasure to follow. As I just loved the way in which it introduced the subsequent 'tie-ins', without it seeming too overt or forced in the process. Bravo guys, on a job well done.  

What are the WORST bits about this issue?

(-) I suppose if I had to pick something about this issue I wasn't too keen on, it would have to be how it's initial chapter was a bit too long-winded in exposition, before it actually got around to explaining what was really going on. Not that this was a bad-bad thing of course. It was just slightly more jarring than intriguing.  

Choose TWO CHARACTERS out of this comic book, and then compare them to FRUIT.

A PEACH AS BATMAN: Yes. That is correct. I've compared Batman to a peach. And do you know why I've compared him to a peach? It's because his head now looks like one, plus I'm sure that the more he ripens, the more bitter he'll become.

AN EGGPLANT AS THE NEW-BATMOBILE: Oi! Don't groan. If you think about it for a moment, they're both purple, and work well in raw form. Say no more.  

What QUOTE would be appropriate to sum-up this story?

'Botany, the eldest daughter of medicine' -- Johann Hermann Baas

What SONG, THEME-TUNE, or MELODY, would complement this tale, as well as add and extra dimension to it by default?

'LIGHTS OUT' BY RICK ASHLEY: Granted. I know this song is no 'I'm never going to give you up'. But what it is, is a song about finding someone lurking around in the darkness. Simple as that.

ANYTHING Else?

As I've previously stated, I found one of the most intriguing aspects about this book to be that scene where Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon loosely spoke about the circumstances surrounding Bruce's parent's death.

But what could it all mean I wonder? Plus why is it that Gordon's involvement got on Bruce's nerves so much, that he doesn't want to talk to him about it?

Personally speaking, I presume that this 'secondary sub-plot' has something to do with Joe Chill, because who else but the Wayne's eventful killer can rile Bruce up so badly.

You know. Maybe Gordon let Joe free by accident prior to the killings? And that is why Bruce isn't in the mood for a tête-à-tête. Then again, maybe this 'stale air' has something to do with Bruce and not Gordon? Insinuating that it was something he did that caused the rift between the two. Something to do with his so-called 'death' for example.

Anyway. That's my two cents worth, folks. All I have left to say is that this issue of 'Batman' was one hell of a great read. The story was both timely yet enveloping. The art scores full-marks all across the board. And overall, wow, I can't wait to see what Scott and Greg have in store for us next month.

Nuff said.