Batman: Killing Time #5 – Tom King, Writer; David Marquez, Artist; Alejandro Sanchez, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: For the first few issues, this miniseries was sort of esoteric—a collection of compelling but not all that clear events that seemed to be building to something. What was the mysterious object stolen from a vault in a Gotham bank? Why did the villains, Batman, and even the US Government want it so much? It’s all been building to this, in an issue broken down by seconds. The story opens with one of the most brutal fight scenes ever put to a comic page, certainly one of the most intense ever in a DC Comic. As the forces of the federal government clash with an army consisting of hundreds of the Gotham villains’ most brutal henchmen, dozens die in fairly graphic ways that earn the Black Label designator—and it’s hinted that some big players may be taking the opportunity to get their blood in personally. How did this begin? The story flashes back to earlier for a tale of greed and arrogance.
While villains like Catwoman, Riddler, and Joker have loomed large in this story, much of it also hinges on two original characters—The Help, the ruthless and highly competent villain-for-hire who has formed an unlikely alliance with Batman; and Nuri Espinoza, the quick to anger federal official who has been played by Catwoman and is now ready to kill anyone she needs to in order to get her hands on the eye. The flashbacks to the origin of the eye are creepy and well-executed, but after the clever twist ending, whatever it unleashes next issue had better live up to the hype. The action here is among the best I’ve seen in any Batman issue in a while, capturing both the high-stakes stunts and the brutal, street-level combat. The opening segments ensure I’ll never look at henchmen the same way again. Finally, this seems like it’s rising to the level of King’s other elite works.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
