Batman is embracing darkness like never before. There are many moving parts in the storyline so far as all of these elements begin to build and build. I'm full of anticipation as we see each piece come into place for this giant macabre picture. From the looks of things, we're just getting started. Read Full Review

I really can’t speak any higher of this issue. If I could rate it an eleven out of ten, I would in a heartbeat. I am so thrilled with the decisions DC has made of putting this new creative team together and it makes me so happy to get this much excitement from Batman because it has been lacking for some time now. Batman #88 is available now, so please go pick it up ASAP and make it the first issue you read as soon as you get home! Let me know what you guys think of the issue and Tynion and anything else you want to add into my review by going to the comments section below! Until next time, Read Full Review

While the loss of Alfred still stings, Tynion has carved out a unique role for Lucius Fox without making it seem like hes simply replacing Batmans faithful ally.Guillem March is rising to the challenge of handling the art in this arc. He still finds the occasional cheesecake pose for Catwoman and Cheshire, but overall hes capturing the intensity and urgency this storyline demands. Tomeu Moreys colors play out the various settings of this issue from Riddlers computer screen hued lair to the rainy cemetery Catwoman visits. Read Full Review

It's been some time since I have been this invested in a Batman story and, I'm sure, the best is still to come. Batman (2016-) #88 is another stunning, must-read issue. Read Full Review

Guillem March delivers some beautiful, brutal and dynamic art throughout this issue. The characters and action look amazing and there are some stunning panels that deliver real jolts of potential fear for the characters. Even the reveals are done dramatically in panels filled with gorgeous detail. Read Full Review

Guillem March's art has improved a lot, although he still has elements of the cheesecake style he had on the Sirens " and fans of that series will be very glad to see the last page. Three issues in, I am fully invested in this mystery. Read Full Review

Batman #88(Tynion IV, March, Morey, Cowles) continues to develop the mystery of the new (old?) foe, The Developer. Read Full Review

Batman #88 amps up the pacing of the story arc. A lot happens in this issue, that I don't want to spoil, as Batman and Catwoman's storylines begin to connect. Tynion's excellent storytelling ability is finally coming out in the series as we move past everything that was leftover from King's run. That being said, the stand out winner of the issue is Morey's colors. His ability to create vibrancy while keeping Gotham dingy and dark is impressive. Fans of the Dark Knight who might have left the series should definitely jump back in. Read Full Review

The third issue of James Tynion IV's Batman has arrived and while the previous two issues have been a bit difficult, Tynion genuinely finds his footing in Batman #88. Read Full Review

The mysteries and excitements go up a notch as this story deepens and expands. Read Full Review

Tynion definitely has me really wanting more and more of this arc every issue. This is exactly where Bruce needs to be, and despite my skepticism, I'm growing in excitement with each issue. Read Full Review

DC Comics flagship title is in good hands. Read Full Review

James Tynion IV's sprawling epic, "Their Dark Designs," carries with it echoes of the classic "Hush" storyline, aided by some stunning artwork from Guillem March. It's the kind of story that touches every character in Batman's world, and every rogue in his gallery of villains. Read Full Review

"Batman" #88 comes out of the shadow of the previous run and proves that Tynion and March can collaborate exceptionally well on DC's flagship series. Read Full Review

This issue is a fast-paced, action-adventure romp thats gorgeous, fun, and exciting to read. It breathes renewed life into Batman in a way we havent seen in awhile, echoing a Dennis ONeil/Norm Breyfogle style in story and art that feels oddly refreshing. Read Full Review

Batman #88 is a solid piece of the puzzle. It teases out so much that spells drama's coming but in the end it'll be judged as to how this arc sticks the landing. As a single issue, it's entertaining and can be a starting point for new readers which is impressive a few issues in. It has us wanting to see where this all goes which is a solid accomplishment. To get us to want to read more, then a comic has done its job in entertaining. Read Full Review

A thoroughly entertaining issue and a real page turner, Batman #88 is another very strong entry into Bat-canon. With more rogues than anybody could wish for, the book is fully loaded. Where we go from here remains to be seen and I truly hope that the reveal of The Designer lives up to the build up. Based on what we've had so far, hope springs eternal that it's going to be something very special and well worth investing your time and money in. Read Full Review

Although the mystery of who "The Designer" is didn't make much headway, Batman #88 reveals enough to leave readers satisfied with the story progression and includes an action scene involving Batman, Deathstroke and the Penguin with a shocking end. Throw in a surprise villain entrance and a classic Lucius Fox moment and the latest issue of Batman ends up being a solid addition to what has been a great run so far. Read Full Review

While it continues to promise exciting development for the future, this issue is anything but exciting. Read Full Review

There are certain aspects where James Tynion is able to excel in Batman #88. The way he portrays Batman, Catwoman, Riddler and Lucius Fox shows why Tynion's has a solid handle on this world. Unfortunately the storyline around the Designer and his plans for Gotham City have left a lot to desired. There are a lot of little problems that combine together to drag the overall interest in Tynion's first story arc on Batman down. Read Full Review

While Batman continues to give us a large exposition dump, Tynion seems to have reigned it in a little bit as we are also treated to some great action scenes and get some of the first twists and turns of the story. Slowly we are getting answers about what's really going on in Gotham and we are getting exciting storytelling in the moments in between. Still plenty of room for improvement but a decent issue and I'm interested in seeing where Tynion will take us. Read Full Review

Tynion and March continue to deliver solid work, but they both seem to be so preoccupied with checking off so many different elements with Batman that I'm not sure if they're completely focused on simply telling a good story. Again, there's plenty to enjoy here, but I can't quite say that it's quality. If I were to compare it to food, I'd say this is more like fast food than a home-cooked meal. Read Full Review

The fascinating aspects of this issue were seeing a clash of intention versus execution. Whilst Tynion has written certain characters to be human beings the art style offers its own bipolar take on Tynion's writing. Read Full Review

While Tom King's run may have leaned heavily into metaphor, it doesn't seem like Tynion has quite found his voice with this run yet, and the result is an adventure that feels like a boilerplate approach rather an essential one. Read Full Review

The story is all over the place and had nothing really special about it. I do like the art but March doesn't get a lot of action to draw except for one extremely abbreviated fight scene. This title needs more life put into it. Read Full Review

Interesting

This story is getting pretty good. I'm enjoying reading it. I do have a few issues with it but we haven't gotten the full story yet so I'm not going to complain to much about it. I do hope that when ever it was that Catwoman helped come up with this story it was after one of the times Batman had hurt her in the past. Of which there was many. Lets face it at times their relationship was rather like she was his yo-yo toy. I want you Cat - we can't be together Cat - I love you Cat- I can't trust you Cat and so on and so forth. Which I believe is one of the reasons so many of us fans of their relationship got pissed over the marriage not happening. I know it still does me. As does the what appears to be cancellation of the Batman Catwoman maxi series. I for one was looking forward to it. And there has been no word of it since last year as far as I know.

One thing I didn't like was how the penguin is drawn. Over the years he has been shown to be very protective of birds so I can't picture him wearing bird feathers. It doesn't seem to be in his character to do so. Furs yes because he's never been shown as having any fondness to anything other then birds. But this may be just me being nit-picky.

The art was great more

Prelude:
I've been loving Tynion's Batman so far so let's see how he goes on this issue.

The Good:
I like the conspiracy with The Designer and how the four players of Penguin, Joker, Riddler and Catwoman come into play.

The end is interesting.

Love the tech.

March's art is great.

The Bad:
Nothing.

Conclusion:
Another great issue from Tynion.

" You haven't been just catwoman for a long, long time. Just a pale reflection from the wrong side of the mirror. "
- THE RIDDLER

Probably the strongest chapter so far. I'm interested in this secret deal the villains made with The Designer.

Damn, that was intense.

This time around I don't have anything bad to say except that the art was a bit inconsistent. But even then, I still enjoyed it.

Anyways, this issue was pretty good and I liked a lot of things about it:

I liked how the scenes with Catwoman felt as they came out of a Horror movie.

Catwoman is apparently involved with The Joker, Riddler, and Pinguin which makes for an interesting twist.

The new "Portable Batmobile" gadget was one of the coolest gadgets I've seen in a Batman comic in a long time.

The dynamics between Batman and Lucius Fox are super entertaining.

The way Tynion is building up The Designer is fascinating. It's intense, mysterious and most importantly, Interesting. I honestly can't wait to see who he is and what his plan is.

So all in all, this week Tynion delivered an intense, mysterious, atmospheric and (mostly) beautiful issue that will keep you guessing and invested in what's going on. more

Favourite one so far.

Way better than kings run. Glad to be back reading Batman. The mystery is interesting and just gets back to basics

This is what I’ve been missing, an actual story. The new tech thing in every issue is already getting a bit old but we at least have a real mystery now instead of whatever that crap was that came before. The art is beautiful and the writing is a HUGE improvement. I can’t wait to see more about where this mystery with the Designer goes.

That's more like it. You have my attention, Tynion.

It's a hell of a lot better than Tom King's trash run.

I'm enjoying Tynion's run so far, but I'm not loving it just yet. The thing that I appreciate the most from this issue is the dialogue. Tynion manages to give the characters their own voices which in my opinion is essential for Batman, his allies (in this case Lucius) and his enemies. The story has me intrigued, but I'm not quite hooked. I've enjoyed all of the action, but I also feel like not much has really happened in the first 3 issues of Tynion's run. However I do want to keep reading more because I am a fan of Tynion's recent writing in other books and believe that once the series gets going he will manage to deliver on the promise of this series. On the art side of things I have absolutely zero complaints about Guillem March. The art is gritty and action packed, just as Batman art should be. It's going to be interesting to see where this series goes next. more

Solid issue overall.

The plot is gathering pace, albeit at a leisurely pace.

New villain sounds intriguing, as well as finding out what the 'Perfect Crime' is all about.

Penguin's powers of bribery seem a little too extensive to be believable.

March's art suits Batman and remains very strong in this issue.

The arc seems like standard fare for Batman, which is somewhat refreshing after the pseudo-literary nonsense King served up for 3 long years.

Better than last issue, although I'm very skeptical. The ending doesn't get me excited. I just hope that there's a plan here.

"You want me to steal this car?"

James Tynion continues to deliver a good Batman story, while Guillem March provides a bit uneven, but still great looking art.

I am digging this story so far. I'm glad to know that this Designer is not Mr. J and I am looking forward to learning more about him and his "perfect crime".

Action is good, Bat-gadgets are getting crazier with each issue (I shudder to think what will Lucius create when his son will be wearing the cowl), the dialogue is good and the ending was a welcomed surprise.

I like this Batman. King who?

I feel like I should be more excited about this issue than I actually am. Maybe it's the comic, or maybe I just have a bad day, but either way I couldn't really get into it, get invested in the story and appreciate the groundwork Tynion is laying down for events to come and mysteries to unravel. It's all fine, nothing's missing, nothing's lacking, but while it is an entertaining read, I don't think it leaves a mark on you. It's like your typical action movie - it's fun while it lasts, and then you just move on, get interested in omething, anything else.

Is this supposed to be exciting?

Yine aynı burukluk devam ediyor. 86'nın iyi başlangıcı şu anlık devam etmiyor. Bu sayının sorunları ise yine 87.sayının sorunlarıyla aynı. Tekrardan yazma gereği duymuyorum. Beğenmedim ama şunu kabul etmem gerek. Her ne kadar sorunları 87.sayı ile aynı olsa da 87 kadar kötü gelmedi bana. En azından okuması 87'ye göre bir tık daha keyifliydi. Belki de aksiyonudur bunun sebebi. Bilmiyorum ama Tynion'ın daha iyi işlerini okuduk. Bu arcta olmasa da bir sonraki arclarda toparlayabileceğini düşünüyorum.

This is all FINE, but kind of boring? I don’t know, I just don’t feel super invested...

Good issue. It feels like a classic villain team up story. I especially liked the scene between Riddler& Catwoman. It was fun to see Riddler casting some doubt in Catwoman‘s relationship. Would be great, if Tynion finally ended this terrible Catbat relationship King built. But I doubt it. DC is constantly ruining characters, so why would Catwoman be the exception?
Penguin‘s scene was also nice to read. However I am annoyed, that Harley is once again in this story. DC is forcing her into everything. Would have prefered if Scarecrow or Mister Freeze was involved in this instead of her for the thousand time. So the story might turn pretty bad in future issue.

The art is really cool, so this issue might be worth it for The art along. DC definitely should keep the artist.
So overall good issue, that isnt boring. more

eh again. i'm just pulling this because it's batman still and it's not terrible yet. everything just feels too normal and boring, which you don't want from your main book. Also the Designer just looks like Hush and Azrael combined if you've seen Jorge Jimenez's teased art.

No. Just no.

I had hoped that King's successor would build on the good stuff that King did. And to be fair, for all my criticisms of King, I must acknowledge he did some good things - especially his relationship with Catwoman.

But that's where this issue really falls apart. It turns out that Catwoman, Riddler and Penguin were part of some cabal with a secret agenda. (Apparently they killed and buried the Joker, a Joker?)

And the Penguin also bribed guards, builders and that's why he was able to get the assassins out of jail so quickly. You'd think that Batman might anticipate a move like that in a city where corruption is a real thing. You know be on the lookout for bribes and such.

Riddler mocks Selina about her not telling Batman about her evil deeds and Lucius has some sort of holographic tech that can turn any car into some sort of "Batmobile" at least from the outside. (No armor, and I think we can all agree that a bullet proof capability is important for the cars of Batman and James Bond).

Also, Penguin tries to bribe the assassins he hired to leave Gotham but Deathstroke, when confronted by Batman, slits Penguin's throat and says that Batman can capture the paid killers who will kill again if they get away or he can save Penguin's life - the life of a mobster who has killed and will kill again. He lets the killers who will kill again to save the life of a man who will kill again. (I can't put my finger on it, but it seems like that's not the right choice but that could be me.)

It seems that Penguin knows who the real villain of the piece is and that villain hates Bruce Wayne. and Wayne is the real target. Dun, Dun DUNN!!!

So what's my problem? Simple. Selina keeping a secret from Bruce. I suspect that her saying she conspired with others to kill the Joker, a Joker (?) would be something she'd want to mention. If she didn't trust Bruce to understand the reasons why she did what she did, then their common-law marriage is built on a lie. Also, if she told Bruce and he freaked out, then he really didn't understand who he was in a relationship with. Frankly, killing the Joker is the only sane thing to do. No matter how many times Batman captures the Joker and locks him up, it doesn't stick. The Joker gets out. Letting him live condemns untold hundreds, if not not thousands, to death. Selina keeping this secret is so 1960s comics trope-y that I can only sigh in disappointment. Keep up with the times fellas.

So Tynion is starting his run with a bad portrayal of a relationship I've enjoyed reading about. Also, you'd think that Selina might mention being part of a conspiracy that had Bruce Wayne as the target. She is, afterall, essentially Mrs. Bruce Wayne. She is now in the line of fire.

So this plot goes forward only because of the Roger Ebert Idiot Plot trope, which basically says that the story only happens because characters act in an idiotic fashion and not in a logical fashion. I mean it might have been a good story if Selina came clean about his conspiracy befire it went into action. We could see Bruce having to grow the hell up and deal with the messiness of other lives. Have him show growth and say something like we all have a past, but it's the future that matters and as long as you don't pin me in the middle of a conspiracy where people get killed, I think we can manage.

So early on the Tynion run, I am disappointed. I did like the art, but can't say I'm crazy about how the Penguin was drawn. Did like how Catwoman was drawn - attractive without being all male-gazy to the point where she looks like a stripper.

Or I could be wrong. more

+ Like • Comments (2)

• Likes (1)

• JonnyO

Talon1load - Feb 6, 2020

King didn’t do any good stuff so what would he have to build on?

Quinn - Feb 6, 2020

Like I said, I liked that fact that he was serious about the Batman/Catwoman romance. As to whether that was really good, I'll say it was mixed, but understand if others didn't like it. But all in all, it was something new and there was enough there that I liked that I'll say it was good. Again, good not great. Or I could be wrong.

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