Batman (Dick Grayson) is being held captive by the new Tiger Shark. Will he be able to escape or become a snack for a whale?
The Good
I have been waiting to talk about this issue (don't worry, I will not spoil things). I liked last issue but I really liked this one. Man oh man. My one complaint last issue was the new villains we were seeing in this story. Roadrunner was okay after his origin was told but he still lacked a little something. With the conclusion of Hungry City, the pieces all fall into place. It all makes sense and of course I should have had complete faith in Scott Snyder's writing.
We get to find out about the new Tiger Shark. He doesn't seem like your typical Batman villain and that's a great thing. Well, maybe I should take that back. I was going to say he wasn't as insane as your average Bat-villain but...maybe he is a little.
If you're looking for a good Batman fight, you will get one. What about James Gordon Jr? We haven't seen him too much lately. His last couple appearances have left me completely on the edge of my seat. We get to see some interaction with him. Normally I'm not a fan of character histories being tweaked but I can buy the fact that James could have been part of Barbara's or Dick's childhood. He wasn't around a lot so it's possible there was some interactions that occurred off panel. Any update on James Jr. is worth checking out.
If you're wondering about my rating. It was a very good issue. I loved how Tiger Shark was fleshed out and would love to see more. Normally this issue would have been a solid four out of five (on our new rating system which does not allow half stars). What easily pushed it to a perfect five was the ending. I will say no more. I will not hint at who or what it is about. When you see it, you will see it's a "holy $#!&" moment. When I think about it, I literally have to pause to let it sink in.
Jock's art captures everything nicely. You could look at the images with out reading the text and still get an idea what's going on by the expressions on the faces. The fight scenes with Batman in a different...element were depicted perfectly. And of course those last pages along with David Baron's colors are a treat.
The Bad
Not a thing. I've said it before and will keep saying it, Scott Snyder's Detective Comics is the best Batman comic on the stands.
The Verdict
Buy this comic. It ties up all the loose ends in the "Hungry City" storyline. We find out (have updates) on Tiger Shark, James Gordon Jr and Sonia Zucco. Reading a Scott Snyder story, you can easily see how meticulously he has had everything set up. Each issue makes you wonder what he could possibly have in store for us next. As insane as this issue gets, I can only imagine what next issue will bring. Snyder and Jock are a perfect pairing for this story. There will be some lasting repercussions from this arc. The new villains Dick is developing are going to be keeping him busy. This issue is definitely a game-changer.