Tell Me All The Horrors That You See
The Dark Knight has been a series that has received an excessive amount of criticism, most of which has been aimed at David Finch. Being another artist turned writer, he's been scrutinized for his development on this series in which he's credited as co-plotter with Paul Jenkins. My only minor complaint with the series has been the pacing and plot development. Where is the series going? This issue yet again reveals nothing about what lies ahead.
The pacing and plot of this issue were very poorly handled. The issue flies by and upon finishing it, you feel as if nothing really happened. At least nothing of any significance. The story opens up in the midst of a fight between Batman and Scarecrow. Injected with a new toxin my Scarecrow, Batman begins fighting Superman who appears seconds after the injection. Both Batman and Superman fight each other for the remainder of the issue and obviously Superman beats Batman almost effortlessly. I feel like this could have been wrapped up and done quicker instead of dragging out for nearly the entire issue because I think we all know Batman isn't fighting the real Superman. He's under the effects of this new, more powerful and potent toxin. With Bane set to appear next issue, I'm not sure how this first story arc is going to wrap up and deliver closure. Jenkins and Finch have left a lot up in the air so far and will be forced to cram a lot of story into a small amount space. As a writer that's not exactly the ideal way of finishing up a story arc. Pacing is everything. We'll have to see if this story suffers from it in the end.
David Finch continues to do what he does best; draw incredible artwork. I'm a big fan of his art style. I loved the new design for Scarecrow and was digging the pages that had all of Batman's villains in them. I enjoyed the concept of the cover as well. It was probably the best cover for this series so far.
This series I will admit, has been a little inconsistent which is no doubt part of the reason its taking all the negative criticism it has. This was not one of the better issues as it fails to advance the story in any way. I wouldn't write this series off completely just yet. I'm giving it an opportunity to finish out this story arc. Hopefully it will end on a good note because I'd hate to drop a Batman title.
Rating: 2/5
