Written by: Chip Zdarsky
Art by: Mike Hawthorne, Adriano Di Benedetto
Colors by: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Letters by: Clayton Cowles
Cover art by: Salvador Larroca, Matt Herms
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: August 7, 2024
Batman #151, by DC Comic on 8/7/24, sends Batman and Catwoman to Okinawa to steal Amanda Waller's mother box and cripple her Absolute Power operation.
Is Batman #151 Good?
Meh, this is fine. Chip Zdarsky sends the Dark Knight on a heist mission that somewhat, sorta fits into the events of Absolute Power with an issue that employs a decent amount of spycraft, action, revelations, and a strong cliffhanger. On the plus side, this issue is loads better than the wasted opportunity of issue #150, but the one thing this issue lacks is urgency.
When last we left the Caped Crusader in the milestone Batman #150, Batman helped a two-bit crook who decided to use his recent discovery of Batman's real identity as a quick payday. However, keeping a secret and selling a secret are two different things, and the crook soon finds himself on the run. In the backup, Batman tied into the Absolute Power event by deciding to enlist help stealing Amanda Waller's mother box (which is different than how it played out in Absolute Power #2).
In Batman #151, the Absolute Power event continues. Batman enlists Catwoman to help him steal Amanda Waller's mother box. Catwoman doesn't know what a mother box is, but she's all in for an undercover heist for a bit of fun.
Chip Zdarsky's setup for the mission is perfectly solid, but the key element missing, coming out in the same week as Absolute Power #2, is the same level of dire, energetic urgency. Waller is hunting every hero with relentless vigor, so there should be no time for standing around in idle chit-chat. If this issue was a standalone Batman adventure, it would be perfectly fine.
Bruce and Selina take a private jet (Bruce has his money back) to the U.S. military base in Okinawa, disguised as employees of a private military contractor known as Sentryglobe. Bruce meets the base's commander with a proposal to dump a pile in the commander's lap if he can off up an unused section of the surrounding jungle for contractor training maneuvers. While Bruce and the commander talk business, Selina sneaks off and follows a contingent of the Suicide Squad when they just happen to show up on base for guard duty.
All forces collide when the base commander gives Bruce a tour of the jungle area that just so happens to be near the nondescript bunker where the mother box is kept. At the same time, the Suicide Squad's transport arrives near the bunker with Selina secretly hitching a ride. When Black Alice uses her magic to detect and secure the area, she detects Catwoamn's presence, and a fight breaks out.
The issue concludes with the Bat and the Cat against the Suicide Squad, a Boom Tube to a graveyard in more ways than one, and orders to kill.
Overall, Zdarsky turns in a perfectly serviceable issue that tangentially has importance to the Absolute Power event and reveals an interesting look into Amanda Waller's psychology. This issue isn't the best Absolute Power tie-in, but it's not bad.
How's the Art?
Mike Hawthorne and Adriano Di Benedetto step in to run out the clock on Chip Zdarsky's tenure on the title. On the whole, the art team does a fine job delivering a decent set of visuals. The sharpness of the figurework suffers on the wider shots, but on average, the comic looks fine.
Backup Story
Tini Howard presents a story about Harley Quinn stepping up to save the Riddler from detonating a nuclear disaster in Gotham City. Riddler's plan and Harley's resolution make little sense, so don't bother.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
Follow @ComicalOpinions on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Final Thoughts
Batman #151 ties into the Absolute Power event when Batman and Catwoman head to Okinawa to steal Amanda Waller's mother box. Chip Zdarsky's adventure is a perfectly serviceable mix of action, spycraft, and stakes, but the issue lacks the same intensity and urgency as the main Absolute Power story.
6.5/10
We hope you found this article interesting. Come back for more reviews, previews, and opinions on comics, and don’t forget to follow us on social media:
Connect With Us Here: Weird Science DC Comics / Weird Science Marvel Comics
If you're interested in this creator’s works, remember to let your Local Comic Shop know to find more of their work for you. They would appreciate the call, and so would we.
Click here to find your Local Comic Shop: www.ComicShopLocator.com
As an Amazon Associate, we earn revenue from qualifying purchases to help fund this site. Links to Blu-Rays, DVDs, Books, Movies, and more contained in this article are affiliate links. Please consider purchasing if you find something interesting, and thank you for your support.
No comments:
Post a Comment