Batman #22 - A Review

Following the trail of The Reverse Flash back in time, Barry Allen and Bruce Wayne find themselves in the alternate timeline Barry dubbed Flashpoint. The problem is that Flashpoint shouldn't exist anymore - a fact that is doubly worrying to the Batman of that reality, Dr. Thomas Wayne, who is rather annoyed by the fact that he still exists...



The plot thickens in this third chapter of The Button but it still feels like we're largely running in circles regarding some grand, epic reveal regarding the nature of Life, The Universe and Everything in the DC Rebirth Reality. Thankfully, there's some wonderful character material in Joshua Williamson's script. The best moment involves the touching interaction between the two Batmen, as father and son see the depth of their love for each other.

The artwork by Jason Fabok and Brad Anderson looks amazing throughout. There's little in the way of action apart from a battle with the allied forces of Atlantis and Themyscira. This fight seems to occur only because there needs to be -something- to add urgency to Barry and Bruce trying to leave Flashpoint apart from the universe falling apart but it's brilliantly depicted in spite of that.

Final Analysis: 8 out of 10. Another solid issue, though most of the material in it is extraneous in terms of plot.

Batman #21 - A Review

Returning to his investigation of the mysterious blood-soaked button that materialized in The Bat-Cave shortly after the return of the first Wally West, Batman makes a shocking discovery. Summoning Barry Allen to ask for assistance after he detects the influence of The Speed Force at work, Batman quickly finds himself facing a new foe - one who claims to be an old enemy!


Those hoping for quick answers to the mysteries posed by DC Universe Rebirth #1 in this issue will be sorely disappointed. Batman #21 ultimately does little but give us more mysteries to ponder. It must be said, however, that those mysteries are well-presented and that Tom King's script - based on a plot by Geoff Johns - does a fine job of setting up the story to come.

Apart from the titular Button, there is little obvious connection to Watchmen in the main plot of this issue. Subtextually, there is a mirror story, seemingly unrelated to the main action, which parallels the battle between Batman and the apparent villain of this issue in a way similar to the stories within stories of Watchmen.

The influence of Watchmen is more obvious in the artwork. Most of the pages - saving a few splashes - display the three-by-three grids utilized throughout Watchmen. Jason Fabok masterfully constructs surprisingly detail-driven pictures within the confinement offered to him, with Brad Anderson utilizing a perfect palette to finish it all.

Final Analysis: 8 out of 10. A solid start.

Batman: Rebirth #1 - A Review

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I always felt that a #1 issue should serve as an introduction to a series. Granting that it is rare even outside of comics fandom for a person not to know who Batman is at this point, it would not be unexpected for the first book in a new series to be somewhat accessible to new readers. Unfortunately, while Batman: Rebirth #1 is many things, "user-friendly" isn't one of them.

The plot for this issue continues on from the previous Batman series, as if nothing had changed. Given the success of the book under Scott Snyder, that's probably for the best. Yet I can easily see new readers attracted by a #1 issue being confused by who Duke Thomas is (apparently he was a character in We Are Robin) and what is going on with The Calendar Man in this issue. The script by Snyder and Tom King is well written but I felt like I was walking into a movie theater when the film was half-over.


For all the problems I have with the accessibility of the story, I have no complaints about the artwork. Mikel Janin is a great artist, whose previous work on Superman and Justice League Dark I enjoyed immensely. And colorist June Chung completes every panel perfectly.

Bottom Line: If you liked the previous Batman book, you'll love this one.  Nothing has changed. Everything is as it should be. But if you're just now getting into the New 52 Batman, you'll want to go read the last five year's worth of material first.