Batman #15 Scott Snyder: writer
Greg Capullo: penciller
Jonathan Glapion: inker
Back-up co-writer: James Tynion IV
Artwork: Jock
Solicitation and Preview
Review
Let's pause our regularly scheduled event to bring you some exposition and minor advancement in the story.
There isn't anything bad about taking a break like that, but we are only a couple issues into the event in this book and the rest of the Bat-family of comics have really only just begun their crossovers. So much like the batarang had an origin story for it a couple issues back, let's take a look at that Joker card that hangs in the Bat-cave.
But first observation - how the hell did the bat-gloves come off? I followed the panels and he has them on, on ,on and then suddenly they are off. Usually when something like this happens, Capulllo has done a good job of showing them coming off or something like that. But we literally get a panel where they are there one moment and then gone the next. And they were gone before Bruce went through the fire. It was really weird, and only seemed to serve a purpose of having Bruce get drugged when he punched Joker, which really wasn't needed. Since the waters below already had a toxin, you just had to find a way for Joker to literally throw Bruce over the edge and then away he would go into slumber land. I don't see why they would have him go down the way that he did.
Each supporting Bat-character in the following sequence each gets their chance to shine. We get the leadership aspect to the group that Nightwing brings. Jason and Damian both have distinct personalities that come through when they speak. Tim and Barbara are a little different. They don't really shine as much as the others do. One thing they all have in common is constantly calling Bruce by name. I understand that it helps to have each character name checked at some point in the book, but I think there are a couple pages where the name Bruce gets dropped about 5 times on each page. That is a tad excessive, unless there is a meaning behind that.
After many pages of Bat-family discussion, we get four pages where the story actually progresses before being cut-off by the frowning face of Arkham Asylum. Seriously, that is another one of those little artistic touches that Capullo puts in there that just tells me he knows what he is doing.
We get to the back-up featuring more of the Joker recruiting super-villains theme from last issue. It seems that Riddler is as obsessive with questions marks on his clothing like Doctor Who was with them back in the old series of the TV show. Personally, I like this take on the Riddler. Master genius who has to leave behind clues for Batman to find. Super intelligent. i like that, and it makes perfect sense why he doesn't want Joker around. He looks like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders, like his intelligence is something that weighs him down and sets him apart from society. Interesting.
Looking back on the comic, if having that card hang in the cave is something that will drive a serious wedge between the Bat-characters, I find it rather lacking as a plot device. If it is only something small that sorta acts to get the ball rolling, then I can kinda go with it.
Grades
Words: 7/10
Pictures: 10/10 - We get a Capullo and Jock one-two punch. This is top notch talent here.
Buy Next Issue: I'm a Bat-fan, it will happen.
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