To The Bloody End
*SPOILERS WITHIN*
Yet again Scott Snyder crafts another fine Dick Grayson as Batman yarn - tying the story together brilliantly with yet another anecdote told from Dick's time as part of the Flying Graysons. And it pays off, big-time, come the end of this issue. I will try my best not to ruin the ending of the story, but I can not stress enough that if you are the type of person who feels faint at the sight of blood and gore, be warned for the finale has it all packed together in a single, horribly gruesome page. It's not at all my cup of tea, but some people are able to stomach such things.
The introduction of Dick's new villain, Tiger Shark, is much welcomed after the disappointment of Roadrunner from the previous two issues. This is a villain who oozes mystique and intrigue from his red bandanna to the tip of his bi-forked tongue, raising more questions than he leaves answers (such as: Where does he come from? Why has only he surfaced now? And what exactly do the hieroglyphics on his tongue say?). Yet, it's difficult to imagine how we're to find time to answer any of these question when there are only a few issues left in Scott Snyder's run and two equally intriguing villains with stories begging to be finished properly. One is left with a feeling of regret that Tony S. Daniel was allowed to write Dick for so long - depriving us from seeing Snyder's vision for Dick Grayson come to fruition.
The Villainy of Tiger Shark comes highly recommended to Batman fans who prefer their stories to be darker and grittier or Scott Snyder fans who prefer their stories to be a little more Batman-y.
I give it 4/5 Stars.
