BATMAN #2

[ I ALWAYS CATCH A BARGAIN ] 

When a game is played between Bat and Owl. Sometimes the results are known to be cruel and fowl. But this is not always the case – especially when Batman shows his face – and that is why I don’t scowl at the cowl. As Written by Steve Scott; Drawn by Greg Capullo; and Published by DC Comics in November 2011.

So what’s the story morning glory?

Now in this issue called ‘Trust Fall’, the simple question posed is – why has Bruce Wayne been kicked off of the top of Wayne Tower, seemingly to tumble to his death?

Well, the answer to this question begins to unravel 24 hours earlier, after three different scenarios play out in Bruce Wayne’s life as Batman.

Firstly, Batman intercepts a trafficking ring on route to their final destination – to the traffickers chagrin.

Secondly, Batman speaks to Commissioner Gordon and Nightwing about the death of ‘John Doe’ – learning that this victim was a one time fighter – that he has a owl mark left on his carcass – and also that he came into contact with Nightwing in his civilian guise (Dick Grayson), which is why Dick’s DNA was on ‘John’s’ body.

And thirdly, Bruce speaks with the next prospective Mayor of Gotham, Lincoln March, at Wayne Tower about a ‘matter of the heart’ – when suddenly a Masked saboteur attacks Bruce – thus pushing him out of the window.

A'ha!

However, by grace of design and fortune, both men manage to survive this fall – Bruce, thanks to a Gargoyle – and the saboteur, genetics.

What is the most memorable sentence spoken in this issue?

I liked Bruce’s summation at the end of this issue, which reads ‘Whoever it was that tried to kill me, he was good. But he made a mistake. He tried to use Gotham’s legend against me. But I am the only legend that this city needs’.

Was the story any good?

Yes-sir-re – this was one great issue of Batman. Now I liked it because it was a story that I kind of knew the results of at the beginning of the tale (Bruce wasn’t going to die, huh!), though it did still manage to keep me intrigued just enough, to try to figure out who it was that pushed Bruce out of the window.

Heck, when I first saw Lincoln and Bruce speaking at the top of Wayne Tower together, I though to myself that Lincoln was the one who committed this grizzly deed – especially when he started to talk about his ‘parents deaths’.

Thankfully, I was wrong – because it was this unknown quantity, ‘Owl man’, which I am presently not too sure about myself – no comment.

Was the art any good?

Yes-sir-re mark two – the art by Greg Capullo is just out of this world, and – to me – illustrates what Batman should look like in all of his dark and brooding glory.

As I surmised in my previous Batman review, Greg’s artwork is somewhat reminiscent of Marshal Rogers – because he has that clean, simple, and expressible style, that is one half modernistic and manga looking, and one half silver age and charming.

Granted, inker, Jonathan Glapton, and colourist, FCO, do aide quite a lot in the overall presentation of this - by enhancing and tweaking the compositions and depth, to give the layouts a much more vibrant quality.

What is the best thing about this issue?

Personally speaking, I enjoyed the opening remarks by Bruce, the scene between Batman and Nightwing, as well as the closing section of this book too. I think that this is because these three segments spoke to me on a personal level, about how a man can appreciate history, acknowledge partners, and can sometimes be blindsided by ones own perceptions.

Well, Batman is only human, right?

What is the worst thing about this issue?

OK, I may be on my own here, but I am not too sure about this whole ‘Court of the Owls’ malarkey that is currently running through this storyline. To me, this is tried and tested ground for a Batman title, and does feel a bit ‘samey’ where this new ‘masked assassin’ is concerned.

However, as I said up above, I am not too sure about this overall, and I will wait for next issue until I give my judgement in the matter. 

Also, in addition to this, as much as I enjoyed seeing Batman ‘play chicken’ with the human traffickers, I found that this section did not present anything relevant where the story was concerned – making it kind of redundant as a scene.

If you could sum up this issue in a phrase or saying, what would that phrase or saying be?

‘You can never have too many Gargoyles on your towers’.

If this issue were a movie, an object, or a piece of music, what would that be and why? 

OK, picture the scene. It is a hot summer’s day, you have your girl by your side, and you are both strolling through the park wanting something to eat? Then suddenly, from the corner of your eye, you spot an ice-cream van selling ice cream – so what do you get?

Correct – a Magnum Ice Cream – because like this issue, it is chunky, tasty, refreshing, and leaves a slightly bitter aftertaste that is palatable all the same. 

What do you think would have made this issue better than it was?

I would have liked to have seen a slightly more focused issue all in all, with less ‘idol distractions’ and more character. Please note, this is only a minor grumble really – because by in large this was a great issue.

Final thoughts...

Now compared to the previous issue, this second one was still good, just not as good as the opening gambit – by a touch. Still, I am sure that this current creative team can turn all of this around by issue three, and make me backtrack all of my slight negativity towards this tale. 

Marks out of 10? 8.5