Batman #43 Review

Writer: Tom King

Artists: Mikel Janin and Hugo Petrus

Colourist: June Chung

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

This issue was slightly nonsensical. Who woulda thunk? This'll contain spoilers.

Tom King and Mikel Janin conclude their incredibly necessary and very poignant Poison Ivy story. In regards to whatever Tom King fans may think, a single reference to the relationship between Batman and Catwoman at the end of the book doesn't make this a Road to the Wedding story. I don't understand the impetus behind the story; Batman puts his plan into effect, but what did he need to wait three weeks for? It's made clear in the previous issue that three weeks have passed since Ivy took over the world. And also made clear in the previous issue, Harley Quinn is the key to all this. Batman's plan makes no sense. He somehow anticipated that Ivy would kill him in a fit of uncontrollable rage, and also anticipated that she would do her best to bring him back to life. And how did he expect to find Harley Quinn standing over his bedside exactly? She's not an expert surgeon! She's a doctor, yes, but she's a psychologist. That's why she was working in Arkham, evaluating the Joker all those years ago. King has a goal, and he'll do whatever it takes to reach it, no matter how far-fetched and illogical it is.

As for the second major flaw in this story, King finds a way to discount every Poison Ivy story ever told, at least stories where she kills people. The impetus, I use the word again, for her plan is that she's trying to atone for those murders she committed back in the War of Jokes and Riddles? At least five years ago from their perspective? She hasn't done anything worse to less innocent people than those thugs she killed in that park? Simply put, nonsense.

Mikel Janin's art is good in small doses. An overexposure to it and you start to detect the digital quality of the art. On top of that, Hugo Petrus jumps on for a few pages and I could immediately tell that Petrus was on a page. Petrus used to ink Janin sometimes so I can imagine the logic; get Petrus since his style can be similar to Janin's. But I could tell, Batman editorial team. I could tell.

So this issue is frankly kind of dumb. King appropriates characters to benefit his run and it doesn't make any sense. The art is mostly good but has some low dips in quality.