Wednesday Comments – Batman Pros & Cons

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So, while I was over in our fabulous forums I got caught up in a discussion on the Batman thread. Soak announced that he was done with the title and while I echoed his sentiments, I decided to stay.

I’ve decided to weigh the pros on the cons, as i see them, with the title.

Con: Tony Daniel as the writer – The only stuff I’ve ever read that Tony Daniel’s written has involved Batman, but it feels to me that he’s making things over complex. Having read his run on Batman, it feels like he’s throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks.

Pro: Tony Daniel as the artist – Whatever shortcomings he has as a writer, he impresses as an artist. His work is very dynamic and actually quite a treat.

Con: The reintroduction of Gotham’s crime families – I’m not really a fan of adding crime families into an already congested Gotham Underground scene. It feels like not only overkill, but also like it’s riding on the coattails of The Long Halloween.

Pro: The introduction of Catgirl – But if there’s a silver lining to the crime families being reintroduced it’s that we get Catgirl out of it. Sure, it’s sort of derivative, but I kind of like the dynamic of Selina having a sidekick of sorts.

Con: The recidivism of the Riddler – The Riddler had undergone a pretty awesome change, become a private detective and trying to show up both Batman and GCPD. But now he’s a crook again. Perhaps the change was brought about because of the speculation that he’d be a villain in the next Nolan Bat-flick or maybe it’s because it’s what Daniel really wanted. Either way, I miss The Riddler when he was a unique character and not a stereotypical Bat-rogue.

Pro: I-Ching – He’s a cool character and I dig him. I wish more writers dusted off forgotten characters from the DC vaults more often.

Con: The Riddler’s Daughter – I get that DC is really pushing the whole concept of “legacies” but didn’t they learn from the mistake that was The Joker’s Daughter? Just because Bruce had a long lost child, doesn’t mean that his Rogues should have them too.

Pro: Creating mysteries – I may not have liked the payoff, but I couldn’t wait to find out who the new Reaper was. Ditto for the new Black Mask. And now Daniel has given us a mysterious new woman flipping Harvey Dent’s coin. Consider me hooked.

Um, I think that’s it. And according to my count it’s all tied up, so I guess I’ll be sticking around for a few more months.

Still, I’m curious on which side you weigh in on, so feel free to leave a comment.