Batman: The Dark Knight #22 Review

Where's my origin story?

The Dark Knight has been a hard book to recommend.  The Mad Hatter story arc seemed to last for ages and the individual issues were hit or miss.  With a new arc promising an origin story of Clayface, the hope is things will finally start picking up.  Sadly this isn't the case...yet.

My main problem is that we are getting the same old Clayface.  Yes, there are questions about his motives and allegiances, but in the end it is still Clayface.  Someone we care about does something totally out of character and Surprise! It's Clayface.  Furthermore, the origin story is nowhere to be found.

Greg Huriwitz does show how tough an SOB James Gordon is.  The scenes with him are the highlight of the issue.  I wish we could see more of this Gordon, a man taking control of the situation without relying fully on Batman. Instead we get a moping Batman, still reeling from a recent loss.

The art style and colors fit the Dark Knight.  Alex Maleev does a fine job and I really like the gritty look that is missing from most of the other Batman books.

When all is said and done, I cannot recommend this book.  The art is good, but the slow pace the title has been criticized for is still there.  The few dangling questions about Clayface could prove interesting down the road.  Let's just hope it's a shorter road then what we just drove down.

5/10