From the start of this run I’ve been waiting for a Wow moment to happen. still waiting. This whole arc for me has been a mix of existing stories done worse(city of bane, endgame, a little batman R.I.P with
hallucinations)and attempts to make Wow moments but not delivering

Why does joker suddenly care so much about Gotham? Why is their rivalry based on who owns the city? That’s not what comic Joker is about, that’s Heath. You can’t change a character to fit your story without saying why they’re different and showing how they changed. The prelude before this run didn’t say why either

This arc has been a let down, funny moments didn’t land, Harley foreshadowing Joker’s death wasn’t deep. Joker wearing the batsuit was enough to stop me buying this after #100 which we all know will have some fight that’s supposed to make this run good. more

This entire arc up until now could've been done in 2 issues.
What's even more disappointing is the fact that the previous arc also led up to this.
Will be dropping this book after #100

Another issue where nothing happens. Batman gathers the Bat Family together and says I will take down the Joker. Harley says she'll kill him and chaos still reigns. We see the Joker take a ride in his Joker limo and go to Ace chemicals and kill all his henchmen.

What little happens is of the tell, not show variety. That's bad writing. We see the villains go to the hq of the Planner or the Designer or whatever his name is. There's no clever plan, no strategy.

So let me get this straight? Catwoman's plan steals all of Bruce's money despite the fact that there are a thousand laws and regulations in place to stop that kind of thing. That money is used to buy an army of goons despite the fact that there would be a paper trail a mile wide that would give authorities leverage to stop said transfers. Joker is killing goons and they keep on being loyal? All law enforcement authorities just stand by? Money doesn't work that way.

Joker is collecting bodies to reanimate and when Bruce gets to Ace Chemicals one of the bodies is Alfred. Bruce just clobbers the body and says this isn't real. It's real all right, but Alfred is just a reanimate corpse. I really am hating this part of the story.

To quote Tony Stark. Not a good plan. Even the Clownkiller is just seen and not actually does nothing this issue.

Batman once again says yeah, I should have brought you guys in sooner. So his family just stood on the sidelines waiting for the coach to get them off the bench? They have aboslutely no free will? They are essentially bat robots? No not buying it.

This whole story arc is just a lot of waiting around until Batman 100, when once again it will end with Batman punching out the Joker and giving a declaration of principles that ends with "I'm Batman."

Harley actually makes a very compelling argument that the Joker should die. I like Batman's no kill rule, but authors keep wanting to have the definitive Joker story, so they keep upping the body count, so four or five times a year, the Joker kills dozens and dozens of people. That makes the stories boring and repetitive with no sense of style or wit. And it makes Batman and the authorities look SO LAME. Put the Joker on the shelf and keep him there until someone actually does come up with a definitive Joker story (and it's not the Three Jokers).

This is not good story telling folk. Stop deconstructing Batman to the point where he is shown to be counter productive and in the wrong all the time.

Or I could be wrong.
more

I am devastated of Batman lying and being humiliated by Harley and punchline for 3 issues. Hopefully he finally gets up, but it is too late. Batman can be beaten by no name new lady who hasn’t even trained as the league of assassins. That’s awful. And art is so bad sometimes. I can’t read and get cringed anymore. Somebody stop this madness.

I bought this as well as the previous issue after a small discussion with Tynion. The art is really beautiful and so are the colors. But good art is not enough to make a comic good. The plot here is nonexistent. The plot in the whole arc is nonexistent. There is no risk, no sense of danger, of urgency. The Alfred dialogue was unnecessary and it lacked emotional depth. But the worst part of it. Oh my god. It's the Harley vs Punchline scenes. There's not a single woman in the planet who talks like this. It feels more like a teen drama parody. Perhaps it is intentional. But I doubt it. Perhaps this was rushed after the plans for 5G changed. Still with the lockdown there was plenty of time to change things, to edit the dialogue.
Tynion's run suffers from the same problems of King's run. Good, excellent art trying to hype weak plot and weak dialogue. Tynion can do better. His non superhero work is proof of that.

Punchline is literally pushed so hard (which is understandable, she's a new character and the team wants her to stick for various reasons) but I already hate and have become bored of the character and believe she needs a break for a couple of months.

Same with Joker. There's too much Joker in everything. In conclusion, the art is 6.5/10 beautiful but Jimenez has a tendency to focus on 90's "exxxxtreme boobs duuude"
Plot is 0. Therefore 3. more

Maybe it's me and my expectations coming into it, but this run so far isn't anything I thought it would be.

The story feels like an airplane in a holding pattern waiting to land. Waiting for the Air Traffic Controller to give the OK to get to the final issue.

I do like Punchline, although I wish her background and reason to 'exist' was different.

Art is fantastic.

Wish this run felt more like a War. more

I feel like most of this issue is just a repackaging of what came before. We haven't had a face to face talk between Bruce and Dream Alfred, but almost everything he says is something that's already been explored in this run. And then with Punchline... She's just the worst. Her reason for being trash is not a good reason. She's just an insufferable twenty-something brat who buys into the Joker's bullshit. And while I'm sure there's a huge swath of edgelords who are just like that (and I would not be surprised at all if this was somehow a reaction to the Joker film), I don't empathize with that at all. At least Harley's reason for becoming the Joker's "main squeeze" is not trying to be based in some sort of logic. I really hope things happen in the next issue and it's not just *another* issue of Batman being broken. And no this isn't a "Batman can't be sad" argument. He can be sad all he wants, it's just that this arc is over halfway done and he's done almost nothing but react to whatever the Joker has planned and, when he's not doing that, he's having sad drug hallucinations. more

Didn't we just see this arc less than a year ago. A villain takes control of Gotham. Bruce is beaten down and has hallucinations. He realizes he's stronger with allies than alone.

He yells "I'm Batman" and takes down people. The Alfred dreams are something new, but he'll be back. The funny thing is that the Justice League issue that also came out today also had a Batman is tied up and dreaming, this time due to Black Mercy. It tells pretty much the same story.

We get it. Seriously, how many times in the past few years has this same plot gone on. Batman talks about the vow he made to stop crime and prevent what happened to his parents not happen to anyone else? I will give Tynion points when Bruce says he's a failure. Given the Joker's body count alone, he's failed big time, but he keeps getting back up to fail again. DC has to reconfigure Bats' motivation because this one has been worked to death.

Also, Harley and Punchline fight. Harley tells Punchy that Joker cares only for Batman, and that Punchline doesn't matter. Punchy takes that badly. I guess denial is more than a river in Egypt.

Catwoman wants to leave Penguin's hidden lair and promises to make Pengy a billionaire if she can leave. I guess this is where Tynion's promise that Bruce will no longer be super, super, super rich in the future comes into play. Catwoman gives his bucks away to villains. The problem with that is that lately Bats' villains have all been crazy. They don't care about money, they just want to indulge in their neuroses and kinks. So money is not the motivator.

All my past complaints still hold. Nothing really happens. The plot is a rehash of something that just happened. The fact that people just stand by and let Gotham burn because of "reasons" is a bridge too far when it comes to willing suspension of disbelief. The plot to steal Bruce's money is a rehash of several comics plots and "The Dark Knight Rises" and money doesn't work that way.

I can't wait for all of this to be retconned away. (Bruce will definately get his money back. It was like when Denny O'Neil took half of Superman's power away in the early 1970s. His power creeped back up because Superman being super powerful and Batman being super rich are foundational aspects of that characters. Just learn to deal with it, writers).

Or I could be wrong. At least the art was nice. more

A comic that is 2006 in all the worst ways. No imagination or resonance on display here, just the fan-baiting mystery box crap. Great art, though!

Let's see. Batman escapes Theater and Harely Quinn detoxes him with Poison Ivy stuff.

Joker appreciates Clown Killer throwing out rules and give OK for Punchline to Kill Harley.

Detox stuff causes Bats to hallucinate Alfred.

That's it. Is it just me? Because I don't actually see anything happening here. Back in the day when the kids would stay off my lawn, each comic issue of a multi-issue story would be filled with action and dialog and inner monologues. There would be battles and explanations on why this battle was tough for the hero.

My point is that there would be a lot to read even if the plot advanced only a little.

Stan Lee was a genius in making the story breathless and making you want to "tune in" the next issue. You wanted to see where the thing was going. Here, I can guess where it's going because it's just another rehash of a story that's been done a lot since Bane Breaks the Bat, which was almost 30 years ago.

The art was nice, but today's artists really need to learn how to actually draw action.

Also, why do the clowns follow Joker? That's a question worth answering.

This "big" story just isn't going anywhere.

Or I could be wrong. more

Wow, again nothing happens. Batman wakes up after being drugged last issue. Harley was taking care of him, I guess, by watching Batman sleep, and he goes to Monarch Theater where Joker has dug up allt he corpses of the people he has killed. Guess people don't get cremated in Gotham.

And there's a guy with a batarang in a baseball bat who is killing clowns. At least someone is doing something. Tynion says lawyers have prevented cops from stopping Joker thugs. Huh? That's not how the law works.

Basically, this is one giant issue of treading water. Oh, Harley isn't dead. She stitched up her throat cut. What do you want to bet that after this run is done, no one will mention the cut again and we will never see the scar?

Imagine if this was taking place monthly instead of bi-weekly? A lot of issues where nothing happens.

Just get on with it? The art isn't bad.

Or I could be wrong. more

The plot is basically the same as The Dark Knight Rises movie. Enemy claims all of Bruce/Batman's resources and captures Batman. He must now fight back without resources.

The Worf effect (TV Tropes) is in full effect. Punchline is so badass, she takes down Batman.

We see the Joker buy the theater that the Waynes left to be killed. It's also filled with bodies or corpses or people trapped via joker gas. Don't know, don't care.

I truly feel that the Joker is played out. He's used so often that no one's done anything new with him for a long time. Keep him on the shelf until someone comes up with a plot like the Laughing Fish (which only lasted two issues and we're still talking about it more than 40 years later).

This whole run is just a rehash of previous stories - The Dark Knight Rises, City of Bane. It seems like writers want to outdo each other in terms of damage to Batman/Bruce and body counts. The net effect is a bland sameness to the stories. No clever plots that keep us guessing, no fun or surprises. Frankly, at this point I am of the opinion that Gotham should just be left to die. I hated the whole Gotham is cut off from the world plot, but it makes sense. Just evacuate the city and call it a day.

I read an interview with Tynion on CBR and he said he's writing a story about Bruce and wealth and his contribution to violence and stuff. He said Bruce was always rich, but not SUPER RICH (Not true) and that he is playing with ideas of what happens when this wealth is used for evil instead of good. Yawn. Like I said, this has all been done before in The Dark Knight Rises.

I am bored and unimpressed.

Or I could be wrong. more

The purpose of this issue is to set up what's to come, and that's the very axis of the plot. There's not much of substance happening here, just loose ends getting resolved, characters put where they need to be when The Joker War starts, and the message of dark designs nicely making a full circle to close this arc and its themes. It's a competent transition, similar in a way to Scott Snyder's Batman #7, simulataneously closing The Court of Owls and starting The City of Owls. And because of that structure and purpose, I guess it eventually will grow on people once the trade paperback edition hits the store shelves, and we can read the entire arc start to finish without having to wait two weeks for the next chapter. For now, though, I can fully understand why people have relatively mixed feelings about the comic.
One thing we all can agree on, I think, is Joker's takeover of Gotham is way more engaging than Bane's last year, which truly was a storytelling trainwreck. more

Let's sum up the action - nothing happens. Selina was taken to a hospital and survived her gunshot wound and was later kidnapped by the Penguin, who has created a hide-out with all the free Gotham villains.

We flasback to when Bruce met the original detective who swore to teach Bruce how to lose.

We find out that Bruce is broke and wanted for embezzlement and is all alone - again.

This plot device is overused. It was the plot of the Dark Knight Rises, Batman Eternity and a story going back to the 1980s. King used a variation of it for City of Bane, which was just a repeat of Knightfall.

Yes, we get it. Break the Bat, the Bat comes back. The story ends with Batman jumping out of the window of the now-empty Catwoman hospital room being shot at by Joker goons. A whole issue that moved the plot ahead by about three inches.

The art was inconsistent and Selina's face was odd. And we also see her dressed only in a bra and panties for the entire issue. Lacks class and suggests catering to the lowest common demoninator of male gaze. Not a fan.

This whole Joker War is just a riff on City of Bane. One would think the Gotham PD and FBI and National Guard would actually do something and that many Joker goons would get killed in the arc, but I predict that they will do nothing.

Tynion has boasted about this run, but it's more of the same. Yawn.

Or I could be wrong. more

After King's disastrous Batman arc, leaving more loose ties and unresolved plot points I can possibly name, DC decided to play safe for once and give fans a more... conventional story, one that wouldn't try to reinvent and deconstruct avery aspect of what it means to be Batman, one that wouldn't feature more filler than actual plot, and one that certainly would not smell its own farts pretending to be deeper and more intelligent than it really is. You know, exactly like a certain controversial game everyone hates and mocks, released few days ago.

Tynion crafted a big mystery that instantly captured our imaginations. It was big, it was convoluted, and and it was made with a plan in mind. It wasn't yet another War of Jokes and Riddles, promising a huge event and then turning out to be a shallow, pointless shell. No, the stakes were seemingly real and you never knew where the plot leads really. It lead here.

Depending on whether or not you've been a fan of Tynion's arc so far, this issue will either satisfy you with several important revelations and answers to questions you may have had, or it's going to convince you it was all just a marketing apéritif leading to the main event, Joker War. That I'll leave to your personal interpretation. To me the comic was definitely good, finally providing a ton of long awaited explanations and also setting up few new twists to be explored in the foreseeable future. Was it outstanding, though? Nah, I wouldn't say so. Not when it comes to uneven art drawn by several artists, not when it comes to storytelling. It's an example of a good, solid book, but as the grand finale, conclusion of an arc, especially in Batman series, I guess I expected a bit more. more

I really don't get this issue. It's supposed to show Bats is smart, but the plot can only happen if Batman is stupid.

The Planner or whatever his name is actually an animated corpse that can actually fence with Batman? The Joker has really seen an upgrade in his skill set. Yes, the Planner or the Archvillain or wahtever his name is was actually killed by the Joker and his corpse is being controlled by the Crown Prince of Crime.

Batman figures that out but actually just doesn't destroy the corpse while fighting it. Moron.

Oh, Catwoman puts her plan to steal Bruce Wayne's fortune into place to prevent the Archvillain from doing that, but guess what - the Joker is one step ahead and actually needs Catwoman's bank account info to steal Bruce's fortune. Oppsie.

So Catwoman trying to save Bruce's fortune causes it to be lost. That's actually the definition of irony.

All this happens because people acted dumb. Instead of securing Bruce's bucks, Catwoman steals it? Instead of just destroying a corpse, Batman engages in a fencing match and hero/villain monologue?

Also, the villain costumers are ugly. I just don't get this. Also, after King spent years building up Bat and Cat, Tynion has taken a few months to destroy the relationship. I like Bat/Cat and I hate it when new writers destroy all the work of previous writers. It destroys the sense of a story progressing and it makes stories just the playground of one writer and not the work of many over years.

Don't like this arc. Can't wait for it all to be undone in the upcoming event when Alfred returns.

Or I could be wrong. more

It's always tough to return to something unfinished after a longer break. Try to start reading a chapter in any book, put it down for a month and then figure out where exactly you've left and proceed like nothing happened. And now, granted, it's my fault I did not revisit previous issues to get up to speed on the series' events, but I honestly don't think remembering thee exact context of everything would change my rating much. I remember the general layout of the plot and thus had no problems understanding who's where and what they're doing... but I can't say what they're doing is super engaging. It's all okay, with few scenes making me invested (Penguin and Bullock conversation especially, but exchanges between Bats and Deathstroke were fun to read as well), yet th comic for the most part left me indifferent. I remember the highlights, like Punchline's introductory sick burn of Selina and Harley, as well as the very last page with a huge cliffhanger, but overall I can't say the comic exceeded my expectations. Out with the Jim Carrey-like abomination of Riddler, he's neither funny, smart nor threatening. Give me more substance and interaction between characters that matter. more

I can't say I was excited about this issue. For one thing, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, it's been so long since the last issue, I've kind of lost my place in the story. No one's fault. Who could have predicted this?

But Punchline is not actually an interesting sidekick. She just likes killing people. Harley Quinn started out as a cartoon character, so the voice actress brought real pathos and emotion to the story of her.

Punchlike just strikes me as a cynical attempt to catch lightning in a bottle a second time. Her "origin" is in the Joker 80th anniversary issue and she apparently is just some college chick who wants to be a killer and auditioned for the Joker. Whatever. Doesn't work for me.

So having Harley and Punchline fight does nothing for me. Having Batman fight the Riddler did nothing for me. I did like how Batman called on Riddler to stick the "rules" of the Riddler's game, but we don't actually see Batman sweat, so there's no tension, no sense of "boy, I better solve these riddles or people will die."

Also, Slade knows who Batman is? I don't like that. I don't as a rule like villains knowing heroes' secret identities. If forces all kinds of twists to justify having the villain not do anything with that fact.

So we finally get to the main villain on the last page. He is in his dumb costume and has a picture of Alfred and another one of the Waynes with young Bruce on the table next to him. So this shows that another villain knows who Batman is. Hey writers, either get rid of secret identities or due justice to the tropes about them. None of this well everyone knows, but no one does anything about it stuff. All right?

So the action wasn't exciting and we still don't know the real villain's ultimate identity or goals. Not great. (Also, again the virus delay also really took steam out, but like I said, no one's fault. But it does have an impact in how I view the story. Just want to put that out there.)

So nice art, but all in all, not a great issue.

Or I could be wrong. more

Apparently, people liked this issue more than I did. The art, again, is great. And I appreciate the fact that Selina hatches a plan on her own, and is affiliated with Batman, but not a mere soldier.

Basically, Harley is helping Selina penetrate Riddler's lair. They talk. In this latest version of the DC universe, Harley doesn't know who Selina is and associates her kitten with a whip act with "naughty" librarians. OK.

Batman fights Deathstroke and pleads with him to give up his contract because Batman MUST save Gotham's nine million souls. (Boy, the vanity and ego of that statement bothers me. I know it's supposed to show Bruce's state of mental well being, but it's not a nice look and I want my Batman sane. But that's me.)

Selina says she bobby-trapped Riddler lair, but then Riddler appears and says he's still in play.

Selina tell Harley she worked out a plan to steal the biggest fortune and will just have to steal it before the Designer does. Nice. This issue twice shows how smart she is. First she reveals when she visited the Riddler, she rigged his gear so she could act, then she is taking the bull by the horn and will steal Bruce's fortune first. Again, nice.

But Batman fighting Deathstroke is just filler. Bruce's whole plan is to talk Slade out his contract? That's not how Slade works.

So great art and great Catwoman. Tynion is actually giving a sense of character and agency. She goes along with Bruce but does it her way. So much better than King, who basically said Meow and followed Bruce around like a puppy. Most uncat-like.

So a 5.

Or I could be wrong. more

The ending of this story arc was in par with the entire arc. In other words not that good. The story and the characters just sucked. I'm so glad this ends Jones's run on the comic. Now maybe we can get some good stories told. I hope so anyway.

That being said there was some good parts to this comic.....

1. I loved the blue flashback art. It was masterfully done. That alone got it the 6.5 rating
2. Loved that Selina's sister has woken up so to speak.
3. It's finally over yay!!!

Didn't like......

1. All the unanswered questions.
2. The new question it ended on. Didn't Creel add something to that jar that had the Lazarus water in it to make here zombies in like last issue or the one before that? Just before giving it to her guest to Zombie out on?
3. The entire Zombie story was lame and B comic. (as appose to B movie lol ) I find it insulting that such a terrific character was thrown into such a ridiculous, unbelievable story. ZOMBIES seriously !!!
4. What was Creel supposed to take away from Catwoman's story? I don't get it at all. I understand it as Catwoman's story I just don't get how Creel would take anything from it. more

Better than last issue, but Catwoman feels so forced into this story. The Designer is calling Gothams biggest Villains together& he rather thinks of Catwoman than of Scarecrow, Mr. Freeze, Killer Croc or Black Mask? Doesnt make any sense.
Joker is also annoying in this. Why does it always have to be Joker? Wish there was no Joker war coming up. Im already bored.
What is funny, that Catwoman wanted to steal Bruce‘s Fortune, so almost marrying him worked out for her after all I guess. Still hope these 2 finally break up. It’s so annoying & lame.

The art is great though. more

i really love the art. A LOT, actually!
but i just do not care where the story is headed. it doesn't grab me at all.

i'm mostly checked out of this all by now.
seeing this through out of morbid curiosity more than anything.

Great art. But I don't think the writer realized how his grand plot really makes Batman's traditional enemies look like chumps.

Apparently the DESIGNER is some super criminal who fought a previous "World's Greatest Detective" and realized that he had to change. (Think Prof. Moriarity vs. Sherlock kind of vibe) and evolved the way he fought his enemy and offered early Joker, Riddler, Catwoman and Penguin plans that would allow them to pull off their ultimate heists.

Joker apparently killed the guy and thus started his dark descent into total depravity. Catwoman's plan was to steal the ultimate forture, which DUN, DUN, DUN, turns out to be the Wayne Fortune(tm).

Also, the corpse in the grave was the Designer's? I guess.

My problems are that coming up with yet another ultimate villain we've never heard of is, one, a cliche. Two it makes all of Batman's regular villains look second rate. They're not scared of Batman, but they're scared of THE DESIGNER. That means he must be a heavy weight. Total Worf effect. (See TV Tropes).

I always have a problem when a writer introduces backstory that we've never heard of to long-standing characters. It usually doesn't work, gums up a simple and elegant back story. (The Waynes were killed by a mugger. No that mugger was hired by a gangster who got amnesia and forgot he hired Joe Chill to kill the Waynes, so Bruce gets to solve his parents' murder again. See what I mean?)

Also, King spent time showing Bruce's weaknesses and had him reveal his greatest sin, but now Tynion has Catwoman have to reveal a secret you'd think she would have already revealed, if only to safeguard the fortune she's marrying into.

So now the issue ends with Batman rushing to thwart the Designer's plan, which I guess is being carried out by the Joker? He has to save the Wayne fortune. Which shouldn't be hard because a diverse portfolio is created just so a wealthy person doesn't put all his eggs in one basket. Bruce anticipates everything, so I have to believe he has a rainy day fund with hundreds of millions init for just such an occasion. So I am not buying the premise of the story. It doesn't work for me.

Or I could be wrong. more

a lot of this was a slog to get through.
i will say that at least the story had some beautiful art, and great action to make up for the slow parts. but overall, i just don't know if this is really something worthy of keeping in my already over-encumbered collection. not sure if this is anything i'll ever want to revisit.

the story that's being set up in the epilogue, it's been done too many times in recent years.

Joker Knows the identity of the Bat-family. Scott Snyder has actually done it twice in his Batman run. it's kind of played out by now.
oh well. here we go again . . . . . . AGAIN. more

5G is coming and apparently there's not a lot of interest in good stories. Apart from one last page detail it's pretty standard bread and butter DC stuff. Nothing exciting. I originally thought about giving it a 5 but this comes right after an entire run of slow pacing. Tynion needs to ramp it up very fast. Everything feels slow and unexciting.

Okay, I gotta admit, this story arc finally captured my attention. After a tiny, tiny bit underwhelming beginning, finally side arcs begin to connect and create a bigger picture. The issue didn't answer any questions, in fact only introduced more, but i wasn't its point. The point was to connect few dots, without progressing the plot much further. Build the tension, make the mystery feel deeper and more complex, which I for once welcome. It's not the kind of pointless filler Tom King's Batman has become infamous for, nor Bendis' slug-paced heavily overthought bore. It feels like omething that shouldn't be told quickly, and with this particular issue, it works.

The art for the most part is beautiful, detailed, vibrant and dynamic. It's joy to just browse the comic, and analyze up close how it was inked and colored. March did really good job bringing Tynion's story and characters to life. With one notable exception, whose mug is on my avatar. Yeah... her. Harley, while surpriingly not annoying character-wise, like she usually is since Dini stopped writing her, looks... weird. And by "weird" I don't mean she's a victim of a mass murdering lunatic clown who abused her for years. Positioning of her eyes, nose and mouth look jut plain odd, unnatural. I have no clue why she's the only one who looks like she's mentally disabled, while the rest of the characters is perfectly fine, but I guess that's the way it is. more

Great art, rushed story.

We see Harley save Catwoman in the graveyard and Batman track down the various assassins. (He sends a fleet of drones to get Deathstroke).

Batman reaches Riddler's lair and there is video with no sound showing DESIGN or whatever his name is confronting Riddler. (Penguin is wounded in this episode and threatening hospital workers).

The action is being watched by a "mysterious" woman and Joker has a murder board with Batman's sidekicks showing hero names and real names.

Finally Harley and Catwoman catch up with Batman and Catwoman says she's sorry and that we'll have to wait for the next issue to find out the conspiracy.

A lot of plot happens but too much of it is told via text boxes of thoughts as opposed to us being shown what is happening.

Like I said great art, but I feel that the reveal of the plot is awkward, very mechanical. Can't say the conspiracy is doing it for me. I think Catwoman might have told Batman about this before her hand was forced by circumstances. This kind of ruins the work King put in showing that these two have unburdened their secrets to each other. It's, to put it simply, a bit comic booky. Like the old Superman covers where's he's turning his back on Jimmy and Lois with a thought bubble reading "I have to get away from them, if they knew my true secret they'd flee in terror."

Or I could be wrong, though I have to laugh when Catwoman is drawn carrying an unconscious male assassin over her shoulder as the artist draws her as a woman who weighs 105 pounds soaking wet.

Or I could be wrong. more

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

really beautiful art, but the story is just not grabbing me.

this just feels like it's trying way too hard.

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. more