It would seem that jumping into this series on this issue was a mistake. I’m all for mixing things up, especially when it comes to the 8,000 Batman books DC has going on at any given time, but something here just feels… off. The book is extremely heavy on the dialogue, but does little to draw new readers in. For a guy in a giant mech suit, this issue is surprisingly lite on action and gets lost in a convoluted story that feels likes it’s trying a little to hard to be The Wire and just ends up being just one step shy of POOCHINSKI (look that shit up for a laugh).
Come on, we essentially have Gordon (isn’t he like 70 by now) in a Japanese Gundam, yet we are still trying to play things straight even though this changes everything about what makes Gordan and Batman different. The weirder things get in Gotham (I’m pretty sure the money spent on that stupid suit could have built a number of schools) the more the words of Ra’s al Ghul from Batman Begins ring true. For how cool Batman is, Gotham City is a pretty terribly depressing place.
While I’m not a huge fan of how things are going so far with this arc, I picked up this issue only because the Teen Titans Go variant cover is just flat out fantastic. That in itself almost makes this one worth your money; that and if you really dig Shogo Mobile Armor Division (800 Internets to anyone that knows what that is). The funny thing is, is that the very first panel of the book plays on this idea of just how insane the Gotham PD is running around town with a god damn Bat Gundam.
I do have to give credit to the story trying to show us that this is a learning process, but let’s face, nobody really wants to see Batman (in any form) be on the short end of the stick because of experience. Sure, I get that this is a special case, but for gods sake you have a man in a giant Batman Mech! Let’s get to him kicking ass and taking names.
Unfortunately we instead get bogged down with internal political drama within the department. Both of these routes are all well and good, but they really seem fit to be individual stories, instead of tied together. Those that want to see Bat Gundam kicking ass will be at a loss, and those wanting some riveting drama will feel shortchanged.
Things in Gotham are a little messy right now and it feels like the writers really wanted to do a true Gotham PD series, but were forced to add in a silly Batman angle to please readers and fans. In the end it’s all a bit disjointed, but there are bits where you can see greatness emerging. I only hope that comes soon because it’s already starting to feel like this Batman Gordon thing is nothing more that a play to grab readers.
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