Review: Batman Kings of Fear #1 (of 6)
So, another month and another book from DC’s, arguably, most bankable character, the Batman. With the comic racks already weighed down by the amount of product, and with the upcoming Black Label Batman: Damned due up next month, I have to ask, how much disposable income do comic companies think that their readers actually have?
The book is pretty much a straight up issue without any pretensions. The Joker is captured by Batman, who carts him off to Arkham. From there, the Joker escapes and helps release the usual bat villains, all whilst Batman is there to round them up. If you think you have seen this before, then you would be bang on right. This type of story has been seen, most obviously in the Arkham Asylum video game and a variant was used back in Detective Comics #1 from the New 52 run.
Scott Peterson is a comics veteran who has spent time in the bat universe, mainly in the form of Cassandra Cain’s Batgirl book from 2000. Here, I would love to say that he has the beats of the story down well, but with the comparisons with previous stories ringing in my ears, it is hard to see the differences. Everything is there as you would expect; the Joker is mouthy, trying to get under the cowl; Batman is his usual angry self. There is even time for a “you contribute to their condition” speech from another nameless new doctor at the Asylum. It could be argued that the villains in Gotham are like unruly kids, looking for any attention from a disapproving parent, proving that like press, any attention can be seen as good attention. Throughout the book, Peterson shows us how capable Batman is, so the climax is a little surprising.
Kelley Jones brings his usual caricature style faces and extremes poses, drooping cape and long bat ears to the book. His art is stylised enough to be instantly recognisable. It’s atmospheric and at times, very dark proving that Batman can be a nightmare of sorts to those who stand in his way. The pace of the art ebbs and flows; Jones may be one of the few artists that seems to excel at the quieter parts of the story. When it comes to action, he uses camera angles to highlight certain parts of Batman and the various take downs effectively, giving Batman an almost always there type of movement. Michelle Madsen who is on colors, adding some vibrancy to counter the use of black that Jones loves to employ.
Looking at this issue, it is clearly an out of current continuity book. The costume is neither the original or the one Batman wore “when she…”. It is almost a throwback to times gone by. I don’t mind that so much, if only the story had more original facets. As it is, this book doesn’t accurately represent the talents of a pair of creators who, in the past, have delivered much stronger work.
Writing – 3 Stars
Art – 3.5 Stars
Colors – 4 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Written by; Scott Peterson
Art by; Kelley Jones
Colors by; Michelle Madsen
Published by;Â DC Comics
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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