by Tony Daniel (writer/ artist), Sandu Florea (artist)
The Story: Batman works with Catwoman to bring down villain Black Mask’s False Face Society, while a familiar crime family returns to Gotham City.
What’s Good: I didn’t have the greatest confidence in my enjoying this issue when it was originally solicited. The return of Tony Daniel to the art chores was not something I was happy about. There are artists who bring Batman to life, and then there are artists who simply draw him, and Daniel has always fallen in the latter category for me. However, the artist has submitted a much-improved entry into his Batman run this month, and I’m pleasantly surprised that’s the case.
It seems that the downtime Daniel’s had between this issue and last Spring’s Battle for the Cowl miniseries has allowed him to recharge, as his pencils are much more vibrant this time around. The full-page image of the Dark Knight on Page 1 alone is a testament to Daniel’s improved handling of the character. This feels like Batman. Ian Hannin’s color choices also work well here. He’s gone for a darker tone than has been used in previous story-arcs, and it suits the tale well. His decision to go with varying shades of gray for Batman stands out particularly well, as I’ve felt that the more common blue cape and cowl always seemed to be an odd choice for an avenger of the night.
Complimentary to his improved art this issue, Daniels’ scripting abilities have followed suit. While in no danger of breaking new ground with the character, he does seem to have a good handle making this new Batman still feel like The Batman, while maintaining the Grayson persona under the cowl.
What’s Not So Good: I’ve never been a fan of Black Mask’s new look. We already have a Red Skull in the Captain America title, so I really don’t need a Black Skull running around in my Batman books. Despite that the fault for his new design doesn’t lay with Daniel, the artist does give the villain a new Hellraiser-esque costume this issue that really doesn’t help things. Not only is it ugly, it seems out of place and out of character. I also must confess that I’m uninterested in the mystery of the character’s true identity. It’s been dragged out for months and I sincerely hope that this is the beginning of the end for this tale.
Also, Daniel’s inclusion of a character from Jeph Loeb’s and Tim Sale’s amazing Long Halloween and Dark Victory miniseries, along with some possible plot points carried over from those stories, only serves to remind me of better-told Batman mysteries. While I hope the writer/artist manages to come through on the promise, he certainly is setting himself up for possibly unkind comparisons.
Conclusion: While far from perfect, Tony Daniel has given a surprisingly solid performance after a few months away. Despite the story not being my exact cup of tea, it’s a marked improvement over the previous story-arc. That said, the jury’s still out on where Daniel will go with this.
Grade: C +
-Joe Lopez
Filed under: DC Comics Tagged: | Batman, Batman, Batman #692, Batman #692 review, Black Mask, Catwoman, Comic Book Reviews, Tony Daniel, Weekly Comic Book Review
