Reviewer: Chris Delloiacono
Story Title: More Perfect Than Perfect
Written by: Paul Bolles
Penciled by: Shawn Martinbrough
Inked by: Shawn Martinbrough
Colored by: Jason Wright
Lettered by: Todd Klein
Editor: Bob Schreck
Publisher: DC Comics
Fill-in stories can be a very mixed bag! More times than not they don’t work, and can louse up the flow of a good run. Of course with any number of delays that can mount up in the production of a monthly periodical, they are the nature of the industry. Picking a good team and strong editing are keys to a successful issue, thereby telling an interesting tale that the reader doesn’t feel like he/she wasted money on. That said, I would strongly recommend DETECTIVE COMICS #783 for anyone that would like to read a solid stand-alone Batman story.
Writer Paul Bolles filled-in with a pretty good story back in ‘TEC #776, but I think he does an even better job here. Batman’s adventure this issue is a timeless tale of the Dark Knight; his reliance on gadgetry is minimal and he fights a very human adversary. Bolles, like in the Hush storyline in BATMAN, attempts to humanize the lead somewhat. The infallible, single-minded, world-beater Batman was written as in books like JLA could be very trying on my patience. Recent stories like this one have been a welcome breath of fresh air.
While it’s great to see the Joker, Two-Face, or the Riddler cross paths with Batman, I always enjoy a more down to earth menace. Alan Tuck brings to the profession of “Efficiency Expert†many of the same charms that Norman Bates brought to “Motel Managementâ€. Bolles builds up the villain well, expertly interspersing a couple of flashbacks to turning points in Tuck’s life that clearly led to his current mental state. The character of Tuck is someone that you almost know, Bolles gets us into his head and shows us what can come of years of not living up to ones own or others expectations.
Shawn Martinbrough has worked on Batman many times before, and it shows. His work impressively captures the Dark Knight with a retro flavor. The flashback scenes of Alan Tuck are static and very banal, and in direct contrast to the action at present which is dynamically captured. The storytelling is enhanced by the great work on the central villain for this tale.
All told, this is an issue that you should pick up. Comics have become a world of multi issue arcs that are meant for nothing more than a trade paperback. While it’s nice to read such intricately plotted tales, I do so enjoy a well done complete story that’s told in 22 pages within two covers.
