Catch Me If You Can
The criminals from Arkham Asylum are running lose throughout Gotham. It's up to Batman and the rest of the Bat Family to round them up before things get out of hand.
My Thoughts:Out of the four Batman series from the new 52, I think this one has received the most negative criticism. I will admit I was on the edge about how this series would turn out after the end of the first issue. David Finch and Paul Jenkins manage to kill any doubts I had with this second issue. Now I won't go so far as to say it's one of the best series out of the new 52. I'd still rank it last out of the four Batman series. That's not to say it won't be a good series. I have faith it will and think it may end up surprising some people if they just give it a chance. It's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be.
One particular moment I enjoyed that may not stand out to others was the meeting between Batman and James Gordon. The whole mood of his speech just sucked me right in. Finch captured the scene well with some emotional panels. Gordon tells Batman he's his only friend left only to look over and see that Batman already left. I thought that was well scripted and right on character.
The issue picks up and becomes real fun when we see the criminals running wild throughout the city and Gotham's heroes doing everything they can to subdue them. Damian Wayne, Nightwing, the Bird of Prey, Batwoman and Batgirl are among the characters who make an appearance. Towards the end we get another glimpse of the mysterious White Rabbit character as she tells Batman to chase her only to find her in the arms of a certain villain. I won't ruin it for anyone who hasn't read but thing sure look like they're going to get interesting now.
One of my favorite things about this series is David Finch's artwork. It may not please everyone but I've always been a fan of his style. I like his interpretation of Batman and just Gotham City in general. He manages to capture that gritty feel Gotham is so renowned for. I also loved the way he draws Two-Face's face.
I'd recommend picking this series up and giving it a shot. As I stated earlier it's nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be. So far it's managed to be pretty entertaining and it looks like things are going to be picking up even more.
Rating: 4/5
