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Oct 07, 2011 Web Exclusive By Jeremy Nisen

Wish I could say it was burnout from reading all of DC’s New 52 that led me to think that Batman: The Dark Knight #1 was a subpar comic. So I waited a few days, cleared my palate, and tried again. Nope, still bad.

I don’t even really need to quantify what’s wrong with this book; one of DC’s many other new Batman titles, Batman #1, did it for me. It had many of the same elements: a little action, a breakout in Arkham Asylum, a black-tie event where Bruce Wayne needs to play at being a billionaire playboy/CEO—and contrasting the execution between the excellent Batman #1 and this not-so-great book tells you all you need to know.

But I will quantify: I did commend Paul Jenkins for his ongoing first-person narration in DCU Presents: Deadman #1, but here, his similar efforts aren’t introspective, they are overblown and rather trite (“fear is this, fear is that, blah blah blah.” You know what? You had me at “Criminals are a superstitious, cowardly lot,” way back in 1939). The art—which I guess is the whole reason for this book, that many people enjoy how David Finch draws the Batman—wasn’t my cup of tea. It’s weirdly sketchy and full of ‘90s style noodling that obfuscates rather than provides heightened detail. The action and dialogue surrounding the Arkham breakout are equally stilted, and that also coincides with the resurgence of Batman’s internal treatise on “fear.” And then there’s the glimpse of sexy bunny girl (less than intriguing) and the reveal of an oversized Two-Face, now claiming his name is “One-Face”—I think that the visual of a hulked-out Two-Face may have actually finished the issue on a decent note if it didn’t have the ridiculous dialog.

Since this is my final review of these New 52 first issues, I’ll take the opportunity to say that I admire DC’s efforts. There is seriously something for everyone in the New 52, and I am sure that this book will appeal to certain sensibilities. Just not mine. (www.dccomics.com)

Author rating: 3/10