Written and Illustrated by Various
Published by DC Comics
This is an awesome little treat that DC is giving us while the City of Bane storyline is going on! This gives us some side stories for some of Bane’s collection of villains and shows them in confrontations with Batman. It’s actually a pretty entertaining read that I wasn’t expecting to enjoy as much as I did. There are some real gems in the stories in this book!
The first story in this book is written by Andy Kubert and Illustrated by Amancay Nahuelpan.
It’s a strange, but fun tale about the Joker having Batman strung up. Basically, the entire short story is about the Joker trying to remove Batman’s mask. It’s a one joke story but the creative team really explore it to its fullest. By the end, I was fully engaged and loved the twists. The art by Nahuelpan is also pretty spiffy and I really quite enjoyed this.
The next tale is beautifully illustrated by Carlos D’Anda. He really brings the story written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly home.
Here, we see the Psycho Pirate in all of his glory. He is controlling various people. That is, until Batman comes along and destroys his reign. It’s a pretty straightforward story but I enjoyed it enough. It’s simple, but it works.
Next up is a Riddler story that is written by Mairghread Scott and Illustrated by Giuseppe Camuncoli. It is pretty awesome as well. What I liked best about it, is that it was that although it was short, it really felt like it had a lot of texture. It’s beautifully illustrated for sure, but the story also has brains. I really enjoyed this. Scott should write more Riddler stories. She’s got a great handle on the character that is definitely unique.
The Hugo Strange story in this book is definitely my favorite story in this whole comic. Steve Orlando writes a very psychological tale that borders on being sick. Strange dresses up in the Batman suit and basically wrecks havoc as Batman. It’s brutal to read and brutal to look at. The art by Eduardo Risso is tops here as well. It is a short story that has a lot of impact in it. This is the best story of the book.
Finally, we have a beautifully illustrated Bane story that finishes up the issue. The art by Patrick Gleason is absolutely wonderful here and but the script by Tim Seeley falls a bit short for me. It does have a few nice moments however.
The comic as a whole is an above average book that does better than most of the “side books” that come out. I enjoyed it very much.
RATING: A-
