This story line just isn’t for me. I don’t buy the premise, so no matter how well it’s done, I remain unmoved. We see Bruce learn a bit about this world, but we don’t see him be smart and do actual deep dive research. He acts on minimal information and tries to contact a guy who is known for resisting this world’s police state. He meets “Selina” and they tussle.
He fights more cops. In the other story, we see Tim doing actual work to get Bruce back. It involves Toyman tech. Bruce also sees this world’s Alfred and we learn this world’s Bruce gave away his money and the world wasn’t saved.
I get what the writer is doing - answering critics who say “if Bruce gave away his money, Gotham would be saved.” No it wouldn’t., zdarsky replies. Chris Sims has answered that observation well in the past. One, it’s boring to watch a man cut checks for 22 pages. Two, the world is setup to support Batman. Third, fixing problems over a period of years is nice but the Joker is poisoning the reservoir right now.
I mean I get the point of this arc, Bruce with no allies, money, equipment or even information. So won’t it be great when he kicks ass and takes names. Batman refined to his most essential core, without all the detritus of years of stuff weighing him down. I get that, but the problem with that story is that we’ve it in the past and it really requires very smart writing to carry out. Plotting is hard, and frankly, most comic writers aren’t up to the challenge.
This story isn’t for me, but your mileage may vary. Also I don’t like Selina’s dress. It looks like a 13 year old boy’s idea of “classy and sexy.”
Or I could be wrong. more
By: Chip Zdarsky, Mike Hawthorne
Released: Feb 8, 2023
The mean streets of Gotham City have gotten meaner as the likes of Harvey Dent and Killer Croc roam free, brutalizing the population. Where is Batman and why hasn't he responded to the cries of a city in peril?! Can Bruce Wayne find the answers before the mysterious Red Mask captures him? And in the backup story, Tim Drake's hunt for Batman continu...