Batman: Killing Time #2 – Tom King, Writer; David Marquez, Artist; Alejandro Sanchez, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: Tom King’s books seem to be going in the direction of getting more and more esoteric, as he plays with timelines and perceptions. It’s especially clear in his Bat-work, as this stand-alone heist thriller feels more in-line with Batman/Catwoman this issue. Much like that eerie issue of Batman that focused on an incredibly morbid fairy tale Bruce was obsessed with, a lot of time in this issue is dedicated to the gory story of a King in ancient times who attempts to put down a rebellion of seemingly-insane women in his Kingdom, only to fall prey to a bloody ambush that includes some of his own family. I’m not sure how this fits into the issue, aside from increasing the tension and setting up a general theme of people getting into more than they bargain for (although it could be tied to this mystery heist). But with every page taking place in a different timeline, it’s a little distracting to suddenly flash back millennia.
As for the main plot of the issue, we’re still slowly piecing together the details of the heist, and it’s something that goes back years. Selina and Riddler are hiding out at a safe house, waiting for details on the heist, and tensions are rising fast between them. Meanwhile, Killer Croc is locked up in Arkham and Batman aims to interrogate him—and his mysterious fiancee, who has an agenda of her own. Penguin is in a coma after Riddler’s beating, while Joker is lurking around the fringes of the story. There’s a Tarantino-esque edge to this story that’s intriguing, but the problem is there really isn’t anyone to connect to. Batman is a grim specter without much character here, Selina is oddly brutal (casually breaking the neck of a guard with her whip at one point), and all the other villains are just one-note evil. It’s an impressively paced thriller, but it’s lacking anything much to connect to at the moment.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
