Ce que je cherche à?!
Written By: Brian Azzarello, Mateo Casali
Art By: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Diego Latorre, Pat Brosseau
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: December 30, 2015
*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*
Last time we left the group, Batman, Joker and their new friend Nina arrived in Prague but she soon gets captured by clockwork robots. Before Batman can find anything about what happened, he fights a giant one on a bridge while the still unnamed mastermind escapes in the direction of the city of lights...Paris.
While the art was good, it couldn't save the fact that I was bored and felt like absolutely nothing was accomplished. This was the middle of the story, and we don't know the origins of the virus, the villain, why he aimed for both Batman and Joker etc. We are now on issue 3 of 4 and we have another artist switch as Batman and the Joker arrive in Paris to save Nina. Will they find Nina in time before the disease takes them? Lets find out...
We open up the same way as the last two issues; in the middle of the end...which in all honesty was neat in the first issue and alright in the second...but now it feels like the writers ran out of ideas for an opening sequence. Batman is fighting Gargoyle-like creatures on top of Notre Dame while, big shock, Joker stands there and is doing nothing. Soon Batman's cord snaps and he falls...right into the next thing that is repeated, except it is unwanted; Talking about the history of the current city they are in! Because that's what you wanted when you bought a Batman comic! The only difference this time is that the Joker tells the history of how some of Paris' greatest landmarks were considered eyesores at the beginning...and laughs the entire way! Hey Joker remember that detail that you're dying?! Take things seriously!
When we actually get to the story, we find the dynamic duo walking in the sewers of Paris talking about how they are going to save Nina from her kidnapper, known as the Trojan Horse. That's when Joker hears something coming from a wall near the end of the tunnel...and reveals that there is a group of psychos that like to cosplay as the Joker and follow his teachings and has connections that will help them find him. How? No explanation as we cut right to the next sequence where Batman tries to glide into the room where Trojan Horse is when Joker decides to be annoying and mess with his grappling wire which causes him to crash into the room...this wouldn't bother me so much if the stakes weren't so high. YOU ARE DYING! YOU AND BATMAN ARE SUPPOSED TO WORK TOGETHER! That is my biggest problem with this series. The Joker has become so anti-life, he'd try and take the life the man trying to help him!
Batman finds the body of the Trojan horse, the inventor of the clockwork robots last issue. I recognized him because of a swirl that reminded me of his hair...that's all I could see that could remind me of him...lets just say this art really isn't the best for identifying characters. As Batman tries to figure out what happened, Notre Dame's bells rings, signaling the Dynamic Duo to come for the girl.
The pair arrive to find gargoyles, one created to look like the combination of Joker and Batman, holding an unconscious Nina hostage. The Bat-Joker Gargoyle muses over how they will now suffer and sends the two smaller ones flying at Batman and the fight from the beginning starts. While Batman takes care of the Gargoyles, he orders Joker to get Nina to safety, as the head disappeared without a trace...but Joker just stares at Nina like some creeper as Batman goes over the edge with the Gargoyles. However this is when we get to the most action packed part of the story and something I've wanted to see since this book began...JOKER HELPS BATMAN! No, not like last issue where he jumped out of the flaming robot, but actually grabbed Batman's grappling hook and shot it down to save him. It's two panels, but i finally am happy that we got something!
When Batman gets back on top, he scolds Joker for not helping Nina...except Joker tells him Nina was already dead, making her character, you guessed it, ENTIRELY POINTLESS! I know we won't get a sequel series, but that's no excuse for killing off a character that started the entire plot! Have her make a heroic sacrifice! Have her just ride off into the sunset! We got neither! Just another body pointing the way to the next place.
We end with Batman, noting that she was killed with hot coal, an ancient form of torture by the Roman Empire, tells Joker they have their final location...to which both men agree that its Infernal and they'll fit right in...
Bits and Pieces
Oh boy did I not like this issue....There is some plot development in comparison to last issue, but some is not a lot to enjoy. A huge misstep in the issue was the art, as the darker images worked for scenery and the cover, it didn't impress when it came to the actual characters. It makes me wonder what this book would have looked like if Giuseppe Camuncoli, the artist of issue 2, did all the art for the entire series. For a penultimate issue it fell hard on its rear. Just one more then we can put this bust of a road trip behind us.
3/10
The artwork is the main draw for this book.
ReplyDeletedon't hold me to it, but i think i read when it was first announced that it was meant to show some of Europe's comic talent. Personally I would love to see Giuseppe Camuncoli's art more!
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