BATMAN #598
"Santa Klaus Is Coming to Town!"
Mildly Recommended (5/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Pencils: Scott McDaniel
Inks: Andy Owens
Colors: Roberta Tewes & Wildstorm FX
Letters: John Costanza
Editor: Bob Schreck
Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN |
This Christmas tale ended up being an uncharacteristically poor story in what has otherwise been an intricate and well thought out stint on the title. Brubaker uses a rather uninteresting villain for the second time since October, and the warm fuzzy ending just doesn't seem to make much sense. The art is still strong, and I remain impressed with Brubaker's incorporation of another writer's supporting character in his stories.
The holiday season is upon the citizens of Gotham City, and just in time for the yuletide, the maniac known as Santa Klaus escapes from custody and goes on a killing spree. Batman must track him down at a time year when Santa suits are far from a rarity. To make matters worse, it would seem the madman with the German accent and festive fetish has developed a new skill.
I was surprised to see Brubaker bring Santa Klaus back so soon. He turned up in during the Joker: Last Laugh crossover event in a lackluster tie-in in this title (only two issues ago), and the villain fails to capture my interest for a second time. It doesn't help that for the reader to believe in the circumstances of his escape, one must accept the notion that those charged with his imprisonment are completely and utterly incompetent. I was also disappointed to see the regular subplots derailed for this holiday story.
McDaniel's art remains one of this title's strengths, though I don't think his pencils mesh as well with Andy Owens's inks... at least, not as well as they did with the work of the previous inker on the book, Karl Story. The final page made for some confusion, though. Perhaps the problem lies in the script, but the failure to show the reader just what the gift is that so surprises and pleases the title character is frustrating.
Greg Rucka's introduction of Sasha Bordeaux, Bruce Wayne's supposed bodyguard, in Detective Comics has made for some great storytelling in that title, but what's more impressive is Brubaker's seamless incorporation of the new character into his take on the Dark Knight. She serves as an excellent balance to the grim title character.
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