Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point #3 – Christos Gage, Donald Mustard, Writers; Reilly Brown, Penciller; Nelson Faro DeCastro, Inker; John Kalisz, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: Easily the most offbeat comic DC has put out in years, this crossover between Batman and the wildly popular video game has surprised with how good the story is. While this issue doesn’t quite reach the emotional highs of last issue’s Catwoman-centric issues, it packs a lot of surprises—including a massive crossover guest star. The story is narrated by the mysterious masterminds, who are becoming increasingly worried about just how good Batman is getting at the game. He’s communicating with himself and getting closer and closer to exiting the loop with every cycle. Desperate to slow him down, they activate one of their best assets—one of the few characters as notorious for their prep time and tactical skills as Batman himself. I don’t know if there’s ever been a crossover between them before, but seeing Batman and Snake Eyes face off promises something great—and it delivers.
The fight scenes are top-notch, but much like Catwoman before, Snake Eyes is a fellow hero and it doesn’t take long for he and Batman to figure out that they’re being played against each other. I’m still far from a Fortnite expert, but it seems to be a zero-sum game—only one person can win, so any sort of teamwork is by its nature temporary and often counterproductive. So after a while, Batman is by himself again, and that’s where things get really interesting. Twice the game-masters’ attempts to unbalance Batman have failed, and twice he’s started getting closer to the answers he’s seeking. So at the end of the issue, they decide to change the game—starting with someone breaking one of the fundamental rules of the board. This works as a video game tie-in, but it also works as a straight-up strong Batman comic that emphasizes his greatest skills as a hero.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
