COMIC BOOK REVIEW: Batman #17 [SPOILERS]
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Greg Capullo
Every once in a while, we’d get a massive comic book crossover story that has all the makings of a winner.
A story that features beloved characters in legitimately life-threatening circumstances, shrouded in mystery thanks to the machinations of an intelligent and dangerous foe who is completely and murderously insane. A story that promises major developments and heartbreaking casualties, presented in a compelling and brutally efficient manner that creates an unbearable itch that just NEEDS to be scratched by skipping a month and finding out what happens in the next issue.
Sadly, there are also stories that are, well… lackluster. The kind of story that promises everything, but delivers nothing.
Death of the Family is a mix of both, which is a terrible, terrible shame.
Batman #17 is a mess. A part of me strongly believes that editorial mandate got in the way of Scott Snyder getting to tell the REAL ending he wanted to tell. Somehow, I have this feeling that the “tragedy” Snyder wanted to leave in the Bat-books was something more…substantial than “the entire Bat-family has a falling out.” Then again, the title of the story IS Death of the Family. Snyder could have done SO MUCH with this story, but he blew it.
Spoilery questions ahoy: Were you expecting Alfred to be under the Joker’s cloche? Were you expecting something truly horrifying under the cloche – or should I say, cloches – that totally wouldn’t be undone and invalidated in the SAME comic book? Were you looking forward to a no-holds-barred slugfest-cum-battle-of-wits between Batman and the Joker that ends in a conclusive and absolutely not cliche manner? Were you anticipating a logical explanation – or at least, a shocking twist – about whether or not the Joker truly knows Bruce Wayne’s identity? Were you expecting a brilliant ending that totally would NOT hinge on a terrible asspull of a joke involving, of all things, the chemical symbol for the obsolete name of an element?
Well, tough.
Seriously, it’s like Snyder came up with a brilliant first act, added a magnificent second act, and then had no idea how to end his own story. I’ll give him points for managing to creep me out during the middle of the book, though. I thought there was something meaty and appropriately rancid hiding under all the exposition and baffling character actions. I guess I was wrong.
Even Greg Capullo’s pencils here seem stressed and chaotic. And by chaotic, I don’t mean his regular “order in chaos” style that actually combines gruesome and beautiful. I mean “chaotic” as in “what the hell am I looking at” chaotic. Not bad art, but art that feels… rushed? Pressured? Confused? I don’t know.
I had such high hopes for this story. This is just like Dan Slott’s Alpha story in Amazing Spider-Man last year, on a much grander scale.
Hell, Hush was better than this, and that story wasn’t even close to excellent.
VERDICT: 2/5
Disappointing.
This review is powered by Comicx Hub!
Fully agree with your “rant”.
We got NOTHING out of this story-arc, at least nothing that matters. So there is some mistrust in the Bat-family, that is really nothing new. They where getting a bit to close lately, so I’m not hating it, but the hype promised so much more…
As for the art, seems like Capullo is suffering from the old-Image disease: they peaked, they sold out, and now they are just phoning it in. Shame…
I have no qualms about the art. Love it.
Could not agree more.
When Snyder starts this arc, we have a great joker. A scary one, not just the crazy clown we’re used to fear and love, we have a realy psychopath. Even Harley Quinn doesn’t recognize him
(read Suicide Squad 14 and 15 by the way, it’s genius work)
In the middle of it, we don’t understand. Expectations grow, and grow, and grow, and finally? NOTHING ! Just a god damn reference to the killing joke (or else?) and Snyder destroys everything he worked on !
I don’t know how the man is gonna rise again after that. To me, the end of this arc killed my interest for batman’s future under Snyder.