Batman Europa #2 Review and *SPOILERS*

Tik Tak

Written By: Brian Azzarello, Mateo Casali 
Art By: Giuseppe Camuncoli 
Cover Price: $4.99

Release Date: November 18, 2015

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

Last month, we found Batman in a very peculiar position for a set up; Both he and the Joker are infected with a disease that will end up killing them. Oh and the disease is traced to Europe, so now the Dark Knight and the Clown Prince of Crime, and a hacker that sent Batman the digital trail leading to Europe have to go across the country to find the villain behind all of this and the cure that will save their lives.

While the first issue was a good set up, it really dragged its feet as it dragged along talking about Berlin and its past. I enjoyed it, but it was a BIG annoyance, and I hoped it would die down as the series went on. So does it improve? Lets dive into Prague and find out...

We open to a flash forward where we see Batman fighting a giant flaming clockwork robot, saying how that he's going to die...and then flash of images of Prague, just like last issue with Berlin...HOW COULD SOMETHING START SO COOL AND INSTANTLY BECOME LAME!! This was a cool way to start the issue and it's tossed aside nearly instantly to have another talk about the history of a country!

We then finally get to the present where we see Nina, the hacker from the previous issue, waiting in the middle of a crowd for her contact so Batman can find out how to cure the virus. Batman waits in the sewers with Joker playing with insects, musing over the fact that they should be trying to enjoy what little time together they have left....way to stay on the ball Joker. I know that this is the Joker and we really shouldn't be surprised he acts like this, but I would like something resembling some kind of concern. 

HE IS DYING! IF JOKER WANTED TO LIVE ENOUGH TO SPEND HARD CASH TO GET HIMSELF TO EUROPE, THEN HE SHOULD CARE ENOUGH TO BE SERIOUS!

While the dynamic duo talk, Nina becomes surrounded by clockwork machine men. Joker and Batman spring into action...well not really spring, more like slug through because they're sick...and really its just Batman while Joker sits back and screams to save her...Yeah for a "Batman & Joker Team Up" Book the action heavily relied on Batman when it should be both characters in the fray. Perfect example of how this could work is the first pages of Snyder's Batman #1. They work off one another, even if it is a facade.

Nina ends up getting taken by the Clockwork Robots and we then cut to the point of view of the mastermind behind this entire scheme. He leaves with the creator of the robots and leaves a very nice gift for the pair to find: That robot from the beginning. While Batman and Joker "fight" the Robot, our mastermind ties up the loose end and kills the creator and flies off with Nina...That's all we get of the villain...we still don't know who or even why and the title is half-way done!

Back with Batman, he watches Joker get swallowed up by the giant robot, then throws incendiaries at it, hoping to take it down...Hey Bats your partner is in there! Well either way it doesn't work as the robot bursts into flames and swings harder and faster. Thankfully Joker does something to help(FINALLY!) by bursting out of it's chest allowing Batman to knock it into the river and drown it while it's distracted....and I'm left wondering why the hell the robot doesn't just burst from the river and more importantly HOW THE HELL IS JOKER ALIVE?! I get he's DC's favorite villain, but even with a Lazarus Pit he should be dust!

We end our story with Batman, now in the exact same position he was in at the end of the last issue,  telling Joker he put a tracker on Nina and is tracking her to Paris...which apparently is a cue for Joker to make Casablanca references...a man racing against the clock folks.

If I had to point out any positive to this book, it was definitely the art. Giuseppe Camuncoli did a fantastic job with how this book looks. I loved the design of the characters, the colors of the scenery, that scene where Joker bursts from the Robot's chest is hauntingly beautiful. It makes me wonder why don't we have just this guy doing the art across all the issues, it really fit the book over Jim Lee's.

Bits and Pieces

With such a great start, I expected this book to push forward with a cool team up traveling Europe...They got the traveling Europe part down. While the book is very pretty to look at, the story just goes absolutely nowhere from the ending of the last issue...AND WERE HALF-WAY THROUGH THE SERIES! Joker does nothing which makes me wonder why he is even here except to tell Batman to go one way or another. I really hope the next issue gives us something, but right now this issue was too nesmyslný(pointless) to enjoy.

4/10