Batman #104 Review
Writer – James Tynion IV
Art – Ryan Benjamin, Danny Mimi, Bengal, and Guillemot March
Colors – David Baron
Letters – Clayton Cowles
Publisher – DC Comics
Coming out of Joker War, Batman has been on a steady pace to redeem itself from the letdown of the finale issue to the arc. Although the series has been a slow climb, it is going back in the right direction now with the new Ghost Maker arc and James Tynion has really piqued my interest again with this new arc, specifically this new issue. I think the downfall to Joker War was that each issue made readers feel like there was going to be a climactic even in the next issue and it just kept repeating that sequence and ultimately failed to provide one but with this new arc, Tynion has gotten away from that setup and has gone back to the way he set up the series originally with Their Dark Desores and so far it’s working and I’m excited to pick up the new issues again.
Writing –
Batman #104 picks up right where the last issue left off with Batman and Ghost Makers confrontation while Clown Hunter tried to kill Harley at the same time. Both event concurred simultaneously and really upped the overall excitement of the issue with Tynion doing a great job keeping both events concurrent and upbeat. For this issue Tynion follows the same writing style that builds up the events through the issue and leaves readers at a shocking conclusion that leads to the next issue but keeps the current events interesting enough to where readers don’t feel they wasted their time. In the issue Ghost Maker set up Batman, Clown Hunter, and Harley in a room to which Batman discovers is really a test and the events that ensue play right into Ghost Makers plan. Even though Batman tries to interfere and stop the events from progressing, ultimately it doesn’t work and sets up the event to continue into the next issue which was one of the more exciting moments recently in Batman and really had me on the hook. This issue also sees a bit more participation from the Batfamily which is what I have really been wanting to see since Batman rallied them all together during the Joker War and made it seem like they would play a bigger part in the future of the series but we really haven’t seen much from them in the solo title since then. Ultimately, Tynion delivers excitement and suspense and hooks readers into wanting to know what’s coming next without making it feel like a wasted issue where the exciting events will come in the following issue.
Art –
I’m not quite sure what is going on at the moment with the art team for this series. The last couple issues have seen multiple artists working on one single issue and we again see it in this issue. The last issue o felt the art worked together overall and felt fluid but for this issue it really was obvious and at times some of the art was very plain Jane and almost giddy looking at times. There are several panels in the beginning half where we see Nightwing and several other characters and the character designs used for him especially looked more like an Archie Comic character to me with very cartoon like designs and a lack of detailing in his face. It felt almost lazy and like they were rushing to hit the deadline. You could see instances where Danny Miki tried to help beef it up a little bit with his inks and give the pencils a little more detail but it still fell a bit short of what we have seen previously in the art of the series. Not all of it is terrible though, only those few panels for some reason. Then the art shifts clear as day once we get to the pages Guillemot March provided and everything feels as it should be and up to par with the overall aesthetic we’ve been used to seeing. The art by March is much more detail oriented and is much more appeasing to readers but it’s a very obvious shift and it looks like two completely different comic books merged into one which really takes away from the fluidity of the issue overall for the reader.
Overall, Batman #104 delivers the excitement and tones that Tynion is capable of delivering and feels like a solid series again however some awkward art and the transition of multiple artists really takes away from the visual satisfaction that this series has managed to maintain overall through the bumps and jumps but it does redeem itself later on and feels like the Batman we’ve come to know.
Batman #104 is available now at your local shops so be sure to pick up a copy and let us know what you thought of the issue by leaving a comment down below!
-Wes Greer
Art – Ryan Benjamin, Danny Mimi, Bengal, and Guillemot March
Colors – David Baron
Letters – Clayton Cowles
Publisher – DC Comics
Coming out of Joker War, Batman has been on a steady pace to redeem itself from the letdown of the finale issue to the arc. Although the series has been a slow climb, it is going back in the right direction now with the new Ghost Maker arc and James Tynion has really piqued my interest again with this new arc, specifically this new issue. I think the downfall to Joker War was that each issue made readers feel like there was going to be a climactic even in the next issue and it just kept repeating that sequence and ultimately failed to provide one but with this new arc, Tynion has gotten away from that setup and has gone back to the way he set up the series originally with Their Dark Desores and so far it’s working and I’m excited to pick up the new issues again.
Writing –
Batman #104 picks up right where the last issue left off with Batman and Ghost Makers confrontation while Clown Hunter tried to kill Harley at the same time. Both event concurred simultaneously and really upped the overall excitement of the issue with Tynion doing a great job keeping both events concurrent and upbeat. For this issue Tynion follows the same writing style that builds up the events through the issue and leaves readers at a shocking conclusion that leads to the next issue but keeps the current events interesting enough to where readers don’t feel they wasted their time. In the issue Ghost Maker set up Batman, Clown Hunter, and Harley in a room to which Batman discovers is really a test and the events that ensue play right into Ghost Makers plan. Even though Batman tries to interfere and stop the events from progressing, ultimately it doesn’t work and sets up the event to continue into the next issue which was one of the more exciting moments recently in Batman and really had me on the hook. This issue also sees a bit more participation from the Batfamily which is what I have really been wanting to see since Batman rallied them all together during the Joker War and made it seem like they would play a bigger part in the future of the series but we really haven’t seen much from them in the solo title since then. Ultimately, Tynion delivers excitement and suspense and hooks readers into wanting to know what’s coming next without making it feel like a wasted issue where the exciting events will come in the following issue.
Art –
I’m not quite sure what is going on at the moment with the art team for this series. The last couple issues have seen multiple artists working on one single issue and we again see it in this issue. The last issue o felt the art worked together overall and felt fluid but for this issue it really was obvious and at times some of the art was very plain Jane and almost giddy looking at times. There are several panels in the beginning half where we see Nightwing and several other characters and the character designs used for him especially looked more like an Archie Comic character to me with very cartoon like designs and a lack of detailing in his face. It felt almost lazy and like they were rushing to hit the deadline. You could see instances where Danny Miki tried to help beef it up a little bit with his inks and give the pencils a little more detail but it still fell a bit short of what we have seen previously in the art of the series. Not all of it is terrible though, only those few panels for some reason. Then the art shifts clear as day once we get to the pages Guillemot March provided and everything feels as it should be and up to par with the overall aesthetic we’ve been used to seeing. The art by March is much more detail oriented and is much more appeasing to readers but it’s a very obvious shift and it looks like two completely different comic books merged into one which really takes away from the fluidity of the issue overall for the reader.
Overall, Batman #104 delivers the excitement and tones that Tynion is capable of delivering and feels like a solid series again however some awkward art and the transition of multiple artists really takes away from the visual satisfaction that this series has managed to maintain overall through the bumps and jumps but it does redeem itself later on and feels like the Batman we’ve come to know.
Batman #104 is available now at your local shops so be sure to pick up a copy and let us know what you thought of the issue by leaving a comment down below!
-Wes Greer
A Look Inside
