BATMAN #19
by Scott Snyder, James Tynion, Greg Capullo and Alex Maleev
That flower guy in the beginning must be Poison Ivy's unpopular, less badass little brother. But he's still badass.
It's nice to see Snyder slowing down for once on this series. Batman has been quite the wild ride so far, but I think I like the series better as it is. Here, we get a mystery on a much smaller scale than the arcs before it, but it's still very engaging. We have a B:TAS-like tale that evokes the early (and better) issues of Layman's Detective Comics. Clayface's plan seems intriguing and the flashback is a nice heartwarming Damian tale that's a nice break in the action. My only gripe about this issue is that the mystery practically solves itself by the end of the issue, leaving not much more room for anything else to reveal itself.
Capullo's art uses a more vibrant color palette (as he did in #0) and the pencils feel much more energetic. The opening scene pops with flashy colors and the Clayface fight is well detailed.
The backup story featuring Superman (by James Tynion and Alex Maleev) is less spectacular than the main feature but is still very entertaining. Superman seems to have come out of nowhere, but plays an important role nonetheless. Maleev's art is dark and gritty, and it looks stunning. But it's definitely not suited for a Superman story, sort of making it seem out of place.
The backup story featuring Superman (by James Tynion and Alex Maleev) is less spectacular than the main feature but is still very entertaining. Superman seems to have come out of nowhere, but plays an important role nonetheless. Maleev's art is dark and gritty, and it looks stunning. But it's definitely not suited for a Superman story, sort of making it seem out of place.
Batman #19 redeems Snyder and co. for the less-than-Snydertastic #18. The writing and art is up to par again, and even though the backup isn't does't match the level of quality as the main story, this is still an amazing issue.
STORY: 4/5
+ Jinkies, Batman! A mystery!
+ The Damian flashback is a nice revisit to the late (and missed) Damian Era
+ The Damian flashback is a nice revisit to the late (and missed) Damian Era
+ Snyder does a surprisingly good job with a lighter (than usual) tone
- The mystery is practically solved by the end of the issue....
ART: 5/5
+ Pops with vibrant colors
+ Capullo brings a lot of energy to the book
+ Very detailed
+ Very detailed
BACKUP: 3/5 (Because I'm feeling merciful)
+ Entertaining
+ Maleev's art looks nice
- What is Superman doing here?
- What is Superman doing here?
- What is Maleev doing, drawing Superman?
VERDICT: 4/5
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