Batman #121 – Joshua Williamson, Karl Kerschl, Writers; Jorge Molina/Mikel Janin, Karl Kerschl, Artists; Tomeu Morey, Dave McCaig, Colorists
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Joshua Williamson seems to be steering the entire direction of the DCU now, but I wonder if that means he won’t be on Batman too long. After all, it’s hard to stay on the book when you’re killing off the main character. Still, he’s clearly making the most of the time he’s here. This first arc, which sends Batman abroad to investigate a mystery involving Batman Inc. and Lex Luthor, has pitted him against a ruthless new villain in the form of Abyss. Using a mysterious power over darkness, Abyss successfully blinded Batman and sent him up against his former team—which now seems to work for the villain. In this concluding chapter, Williamson manages to pull the rug out from under us not once but several times.
With Mikel Janin and Jorge Molina sharing art duties, the art on the fight scenes is fantastic. Anyone who thought certain characters were acting out-of-character in this run… you’re not wrong, and the reasons why will become clear. While Abyss remains somewhat of a blank slate in this series, the design on the character is fantastic and I’m sure we’ll learn more about him when he appears again. Williamson’s take on Luthor is fantastic and the way he’s dealt with in this issue is perfect—you can always beat Luthor, but you can rarely vanquish him for long. The ending sends Batman back to Gotham to deal with Arkham Tower, but it nicely sets up some major future plotlines and a potential spinoff.
The crown jewel of this issue, though, is definitely the final chapter of the Maps Mizoguchi backup. As Maps tries to prove herself as a possible Robin to Batman, she and Batman barely escape with their lives from the Kappa and rescue her friend Lindsay. But while Maps acquits herself well in some ways, Batman isn’t amused and makes clear that he has no intention of inducting her into this life. That leads to Maps striking out on her own to investigate one last mystery—with possibly deadly consequences. A surprise guest appearance and a very affecting final few pages end this run on a great high note, but it really cries out for more. Let Kerschl continue this story in a stand-alone graphic novel, DC! Gotham Academy was before its time.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
