BATMAN #32

[ GUESS HOW MUCH IT COST? ] 

Many years ago Batman went up to the Riddler and said to him, 'Hey, chump! Why do you keep on sending me all those riddles every time you commit a crime?'. In turn the Riddler just shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, and said back to him, 'Beat's me!'. And he did. Starting off in this adventure created by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, and Published by DC Comics, in July, 2014.

To QUOTE Albert Einstein: 'You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else'.

THE STORY:

Racing against the clock, Batman, Jim Gordon, and Lucius Fox, all try their collective best to diffuse the Riddlers mechanical hold over the city. What's more, once Batman can finally manage to get away from one hell of a devilish trap, he then has to track down this vile villain or else Gotham will be blown to smithereens.  

Shaken. But not stirred.

THE GOOD:

Despite not being completely blown over by this penultimate chapter of 'Savage City', more or less I did like quite a few of the scenes it had on offer.

For instance, I did enjoy reading that prose piece Bruce sent to Alfred, telling him how much he really respected and cared for him. Well. Let's face it. Wasn't it about bloody time he told him that he... coff-coff...  'loved' him? Especially since Al has been such a pillar in Bruce's life since his parents popped their clogs. 

Oh! And while I'm on the topic of time, something else about this issue I rather enjoyed was how it had that significantly suspenseful tone to it -- almost optimized by Scott's enveloping premise and Greg's amazing looking artwork. In around about way it was this timely tone that elevated this issue in both scope and plot. A tone, I might add, that wore a feeling of dread and hopelessness around its Riddler shaped neck.

THE BAD:

The only aspect about this adventure I wasn't too keen on was how the first part of it was fairly dialogue heavy on the page. In my eyes it read, 'dialogue, dilemma, dialogue, dilemma, and dialogue, dilemma,' until Batman eventually had some respite so he could explain what he and the rest of the gang had to do next.

Of course I do mean this with all due respect, dear readers. Cause it wasn't like this section was very difficult to plough through. It's just that from a tonal perspective this type of weighty piece did weigh down the pace and momentum of the overall tale.

THE MUSIC:

I suppose if you look at this adventure from the Riddler's perspective, I'd guess he'd be looking at it as if it were some sort of warped yet jovial game. And to me, nothing says 'jovial game' more than the ABBA classic, 'What's The Name Of The Game?'.

THE COMPARISON:

Now I know that it may sound a bit cheeky of me to compare this Batman comic book to another Batman comic book. But if you've ever had the pleasure of reading Peter Milligan's and Kieron Dwyer's 'Dark Knight, Dark City', you'd know exactly where I'm coming from with this comparison.

This was the first comic I ever read where the creators took the Riddler seriously. This was the first comic where the Riddler almost beat the Batman. And this was the first comic I could think of when I wanted to come up with my comparison.

Ha! Sorry about that, folks. But I'm only being honest.

THE CONCLUSION:

At the end of this installment the Riddler presented to Batman a very shinny game for him to play. But what could this game be I wonder? Surely not...

1. Hopscotch -- Except with landmines placed upon the ground instead of numbers.
2. Dance-Dance Revolution -- You know. That game you can find in arcades where you have to dance to some cheese song. Preferably the ABBA one I mentioned previously.
3. An Amish Version of Gladiators -- Trust me, folks. Those Amish really know how to kick ass with cotton wool.
4. Nintendo Wii -- But knowing the Riddler, he'd want Batman to 'wee' his pants. The git.
5. Twister -- Hey! Maybe Wonder Woman, Catwoman, and Power Girl will have some free time to join in? I wish! Ha!
6. Musical Chairs -- Yet in this case there is only one chair, and it's made of fire.
7. Dodgeball -- And I don't mean the movie starring Vince Vaughn, plus the ball has to be of the 'cannon variety'.
8. Kiss Chase -- See answer number 5 for more details.

Nuff said.