Reviewer: Mathan Erhardt
Story Title: Tic Toc
Written by: Dan Slott
Penciled by: Ryan Sook
Inked by: Wade Von Grawbadger
Colored by: Lee Loughridge
Lettered by: Mike Heisler
Editor: Dan Raspler & Valeria D’Orazio
Publisher: DC Comics
This series was designed to showcase Arkham, its staff, and those incarcerated within its walls (old, new, and forgotten.)
Fish, who up to this point was the star of the book, takes a backseat to other happenings. Here we finally find out what happened to give Aaron his prosthetic limb. This occurs during a riot that triggers a flashback. We also learn how Arkham spends his nights. We finally find out why Magpie wanted the shard of mirror. We also witness the reunion of the Ventriloquist and Mr. Scarface. Plus we find out how the current happenings tie into a case from Etrigan’s past.
I like Slott. HE makes new characters like Humpty Dumpty interact with seasoned rogues like they’ve known each other for years. He also makes us sympathize with Fish, which if you know the character is a feat. I admit to not liking Etrigan, but that’s my bias against magic. I just trust it won’t get too magic-y.
I love Sook’s pencils. His work on Spectre blew me away, but here it’s much better. His rendition of Two Face is spot on. I’m not too keen on how larger than life Croc is. But Arkham has never looked scarier or more disturbing. I hope Sook gets a regular book soon. Wade makes his first visit to Arkham and makes a splash. The look of his inks is different, and not in a bad way. I have been a fan of his since Starman. Since Arkham is supposed to be drab there isn’t much for Loughridge to do, but that is what makes it so beautiful. The subtlety of the colors is outstanding.
This has been a great mini series so far. I hope it ends with a bang.
