The Good
Batman teams up with Aquaman to take on some clone in order to get Damian body back. This story is pretty dang cool and feels like a really solid adventure. This is something fans will want to continue reading, even if this issue wasn't their particular cup of tea. While this book reads more of a Batman-centric tour of the DCU, Peter Tomasi keeps it fun.
On the art side of things, there are some problems with Patrick Gleason, but he also puts out some amazing work. One page in particular looks beautiful, featuring Batman running down a hallway, punching a few guys out. It's four panels and by far one of the stand-out pages this week in comics. Gleason does well with establishing shots that will really stick with the reader, hours after they've put the book down.
The Bad
So, Titus sneaks on board the ship with Batman, but there's no real point. We see him in the opening for a few pages and then again, in one panel, at the end. That's it. He's not a part of the book aside from that. Is that something we're going to see in the next issue? One would have to assume so.
The Batman/Aquaman relationship is pretty non-existent in other DC books, aside from JUSTICE LEAGUE, so seeing them together is pretty cool but at the same time, it feels unnecessary. Any time anything takes place underwater, Aquaman has to be there. The reason he's there, from his side, makes sense (finding out why whales are screaming); however, the reason these whales are screaming is pretty ridiculous and makes for a silly plot point, which then leads to Aquaman realizing he can use his powers to defeat the bad guys. All-in-all, Aquaman's existence in this issue serves no real good purpose other than the fun of seeing these two leaguers working together.
Aquaman doesn't really look like Aquaman. Sure the blonde hair and orange scales are there, but his face if huge. He looks like a bodybuilder, which is in pretty big contrast to the version from AQUAMAN which is much slimmer in the face and upper-body.
The Verdict
While the overall story of what Batman is trying to achieve in this story is the best part of the issue, the rest of it falls flat. The Aquaman team-up feels a bit pointless and way too coincidental. He also doesn't really look like Aquaman, but more like a beefed-up version of the New 52 version of Arthur Curry. While there are a lot of problems with this overall issue, the larger story is incredibly intriguing and worth the reader; however, I cannot recommend this issue.
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