Batman #21
Writer: Tom King
Artist: Jason Fabok
Colorist: Brad Anderson
Publisher: DC Comics
We are finally underway with the Button arc. It is basically our first major story arc, that concerns the Watchmen mystery. We have had various hints, here and there, but this is really the main event. This story is a 4 part crossover, with two issues from Batman and two issues from Flash. It was really smart to give us a crossover between the world’s greatest detective and Barry Allen, who is a pretty good forensic scientist.
FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS REVIEW I WILL TRY TO KEEP SPOILERS TO A MINIMUM. HOWEVER I WILL TALK ABOUT PLOT POINTS SHOWN IN PREVIEWS.
Tom King starts off this story, in a similar way he starts off a lot of stories. He has an unrelated event, which basically foreshadows or is similar to the event which would soon take place. He did this in his Vision book and also has done this in a bit of his Batman run. This is perfectly fine to do, but does seem really repetitive and overdone. King is a great writer, so it’s a shame he relies on repeated tactics. In my opinion to some extent it also hinders the progression of the story, as pages are used for this foreshadowing and not really to delve into the mystery. Having said that, the way that the book continues after this particular event is really cool and shows how great Tom King is as a writer.
As shown in the previews the Reverse Flash appears and when he does it is awesome. King writes Reverse Flash so well, and keeps his cocky and proud nature. The moment that he rips up the letter that Thomas Wayne gave to Bruce, is so like him and causes the reader to actually feel for Batman. However King also writes Batman well, in that, he is not down and out for the count against Reverse Flash.
There are also clever cameos and the end only really adds to the mystery, and now I really cannot wait for next week’s issue and how this crossover will continue.
It is rare in a lot of reviews that I often talk about the art. Not because I don’t appreciate the artist, but because it is usually very good and you can only really range from good, bad to alright in your reviews. However Jason Fabok is one of my favorite artists, his work in Darkseid War was phenomenal and the art he does here, continues to impress. He uses the 9-panel structure as a harken back to the original Watchmen Comic and also DC Universe Rebirth #1. One thing that is cool about the 9-panel grid is that it’s simplistic and also limits the artist, so a really good artist has to be able to work with it.
In conclusion, although I had some minor problems with this book, it was overall really good and I highly recommend it. I have really been enjoying Williamson’s Flash run, so I do hope he can keep up with what he has been doing and the great issue that King just did. If you were not planning to read this before, I suggest you change that decision.
Artist: Jason Fabok
Colorist: Brad Anderson
Publisher: DC Comics
We are finally underway with the Button arc. It is basically our first major story arc, that concerns the Watchmen mystery. We have had various hints, here and there, but this is really the main event. This story is a 4 part crossover, with two issues from Batman and two issues from Flash. It was really smart to give us a crossover between the world’s greatest detective and Barry Allen, who is a pretty good forensic scientist.
FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS REVIEW I WILL TRY TO KEEP SPOILERS TO A MINIMUM. HOWEVER I WILL TALK ABOUT PLOT POINTS SHOWN IN PREVIEWS.
Tom King starts off this story, in a similar way he starts off a lot of stories. He has an unrelated event, which basically foreshadows or is similar to the event which would soon take place. He did this in his Vision book and also has done this in a bit of his Batman run. This is perfectly fine to do, but does seem really repetitive and overdone. King is a great writer, so it’s a shame he relies on repeated tactics. In my opinion to some extent it also hinders the progression of the story, as pages are used for this foreshadowing and not really to delve into the mystery. Having said that, the way that the book continues after this particular event is really cool and shows how great Tom King is as a writer.
As shown in the previews the Reverse Flash appears and when he does it is awesome. King writes Reverse Flash so well, and keeps his cocky and proud nature. The moment that he rips up the letter that Thomas Wayne gave to Bruce, is so like him and causes the reader to actually feel for Batman. However King also writes Batman well, in that, he is not down and out for the count against Reverse Flash.
There are also clever cameos and the end only really adds to the mystery, and now I really cannot wait for next week’s issue and how this crossover will continue.
It is rare in a lot of reviews that I often talk about the art. Not because I don’t appreciate the artist, but because it is usually very good and you can only really range from good, bad to alright in your reviews. However Jason Fabok is one of my favorite artists, his work in Darkseid War was phenomenal and the art he does here, continues to impress. He uses the 9-panel structure as a harken back to the original Watchmen Comic and also DC Universe Rebirth #1. One thing that is cool about the 9-panel grid is that it’s simplistic and also limits the artist, so a really good artist has to be able to work with it.
In conclusion, although I had some minor problems with this book, it was overall really good and I highly recommend it. I have really been enjoying Williamson’s Flash run, so I do hope he can keep up with what he has been doing and the great issue that King just did. If you were not planning to read this before, I suggest you change that decision.
A Look Inside
