Comic Book Review: Batman: Gotham Knights #50
by R.J. Carter
Published: February 15, 2004
Title |
Story |
Creative Team |
Publisher |
Price |
Grade |
Batman: Gotham Knights #50 |
"Pushback"
part 1 |
A.J. Lieberman
Al Barrionuevo
Francis Portela |
DC |
$2.75 US
$4.25 CAN |
A- |
For more information: DC Comics link |
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"Hush" was probably the biggest mind-job that was ever pulled on Batman... and by the time it was over, no one was 100% certain who or what Hush really was. But what they did know for certain was that a long-time Bat-villain--the Riddler--had figured out that Batman was Bruce Wayne.
But Riddler is in prison, quite happy to keep the secret to himself.
But the mystery continues apace without his involvement, starting with Bruce Wayne spotting a woman whom he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt to be dead--after all, he was the one nearly convicted of her murder! Meanwhile, Ridder begins receiving messages in his cell--messages that form a countdown of the number of days he has left to live. And with the countdown at two, he prepares a desperate gamble--if he can get a message out of the prison to the right person:
Prisoner: The Joker?
Riddler: Yeah. I gotta get word to the Joker.
Prisoner: You sure that's a smart move? Not like you're his favorite person right now.
Riddler: I have something he wants.
Prisoner: Like what?
Riddler: A name. The answer to a twelve-year-old riddle. Now, who can get a message outta here?
 Lieberman's Joker is definitely of the "Killing Joke" variety (whoso readeth, let him understandeth), and his Riddler is the standard egomania we've come to expect. As a story setup goes, it's enough to bring me back for the next installment just to see where things are going. Barrionuevo and Portela's artwork is servicable--not the Jim Lee stuff we had in the first Hush epic, but that's not a fair comparison. It fluctuates between really good stuff and take-it-or-leave-it (the latter usually on the face close-ups, the former on just about everything else.)
This run has some big shoes to fill--I'm taking a wait-and-see stance on this one before I get too caught up in it.
In stores Wednesday, February 18, 2004.
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