Peter J. Tomasi: writer
Patrick Gleason: penciller
Mick Gray: inker
The Solicitation
Batman finally discovers NoBody's lair and must confront Robin and NoBody in an explosive, brutal battle that will shake them all to their very core!
Preview
The Story
Batman vs. Nobody. What else did you expect?
This was a nice issue to have the artist flex their muscle in drawing a nearly issue long fight scene. In looking at the story, there are some great steps taken here to show a little inside each character's minds.
When Batman first arrives on the scene and asks Nobody if he expects to live, it was just an awesome moment. It had me going the whole issue wondering if Bruce would actually kill. What makes this situation different than others is the fact that Damian was going to be killed. And the comic had me going until the end.
Bruce was ready to leave Nobody behind after beating him (don't be surprised that Batman won, this is a freaking Batman book). Then Damian goes and kills Nobody. That moment was just awesome. It is exactly what I would expect out of Damian. My big qualm with it all was the final line of the book. That just seemed out of character and out of context for Damian. Something along the lines of "I did it to protect our family, father" or something similar would have worked better. The "forgive me father for I have sinned" line is just full of cliche and this moment deserved something better. Again, it was strong build up that just got a little wobbly at the end. With all the other great dialogue that Tomasi has wrote so far, I don't know why he went into the world of the cliched for some inspiration.
Here is what have worked great: have Damian giving the look back at Batman with a tear or something in his eye, a bottom lip quivering, something to show emotion and almost immediate guilt. Deliver the line "He threatened our family, father. I just...reacted."
It makes me wonder if Bruce is going to do anything to try and cover up this murder. That's going to bring an interesting dynamic to the story of Batfather and Batson.
The Art
The battle really flowed well here. It just didn't seem like a series of random punches and kicks, there was a choreography about it. It got knocked out of the park again in this issue just like previous ones. I have no problems with this art and I appreciated it very much.
The Cover
That left arm looks a little awkward coming from Nobody. other than that, the colors and the tone work well. You wouldn't think that this was a pretty intense conclusion to the first story from this cover. While the colors all work well together, it just seems like something else could have been used besides a generic Batman has half his mask torn off because he's fighting that intense type of cover.
Grades
Words: 8/10 - a bit on the cliche side for some dialogue an otherwise great story.
Pictures: 10/10
Recommend: Indeed I do. This is the type of story that has earned a Batman slug fest issue, and it delivers.
Buy Next Issue: Yes. The last time a Robin killed, at least in the old DC universe, He wasn't a Robin for much longer due to a slight case of death. While I imagine Damian won't have the same ending, I am interested in seeing how everyone else reacts next.
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