Boy, there’s certainly a lot of Batman-related news in the air right now isn’t there? The Batman: Part II rumours seem to be coming everyday, a Clayface movie, the list goes on. It just so happens that this book is doing very well at filling in the wait time with some very good looks at these characters…
The Clay-Man Cometh
When I finished this book, I put it down, I took a breathe and thought something that I hadn’t thought in a very long time: “Man, I love Clayface”. Don’t get it twisted, I’ve never stopped loving the character, and neither has there been a lack of good Clayface media, he’s just not a character that I often think about. This thought shows what I think works best for this series: the characters.
My first and biggest concerns while reviewing this was that there would be too many characters. Mark Waid is obviously a big fan of this era, and when you’re a fan of something, the temptation is to include as much as possible. However, I’ve been pleasantly surprised. There hasn’t been any new characters in a little while and instead where getting a good look at what this reviewer considers to be very good characterisations of these villains and heroes.
At the start of the issue, we get to see Bruce’s psyche reveal itself to Dick when he very quickly and sharply informs him of his no-gun policy. That had me thinking that the issue was going to be all about that, which has been done more than a couple of times before. Not only did that not happen, but Dick turned out to be the star this issue. Well, him and Clayface at least. There’s a good balance to the cast and their time on the page. No one feels under baked or overshown. That balance helps a period that is often retreaded feel somewhat new and fresh!
A victim of success
If you readers haven’t noticed yet, I’m a big fan of this series. So much so, that I rarely have a bad word to say about it. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything holding it back from being truly great. It’s an issue I’ve found in many a comic, but has only really stuck out to me recently. Like many others, I have been reading Absolute Martian Manhunter (it’s great by the way and if you haven’t read it you absolutely should). Each issue is great because it feels like a complete story in and of it self that also fits into a larger narrative. I’ve enjoyed that so much that coming back to this is difficult in that regard.
Each month only feels like a part of the story. I suppose that’s kind of the point of a miniseries, but sometimes it really sticks out. I enjoy the book so much, that I’m always wanting more of it! Which makes the end seem even more abrupt than it should sometimes. Well, that’s all the problems I can find right now, so let’s get back to the good stuff.
Jim Gordon gets some good play here. There’s a short but sweet conversation between the commissioner and Batman, where the latter asks about being a parent. Seeing Bruce finally externalise his worries as a parent is great to see for once, and is a nice display of evolution from the very dubious man we saw in the first few issues. Oh, and of course I couldn’t finish my review without saying that Chris Samnee’s art is stellar, and injects a colour and life into the book that I don’t think it could work without.
Recommend If
- Hearing all this news about Flanagan’s movie makes you want to see some clay
- Heartfelt conversations between fathers as a post-fathers day treat
- You just want to look at Samnee’s work
Overall
It’s a very good read! Joyful for the eyes, good for the brain and the heart. It’s nice to see a couple of Robins in the spotlight, between this series and Lemire and Nguyen’s book. Looking forward to the next one and seeing where this Two-Face/Clayface partnership is going…
Score: 9/10
English (US) · 