This issue has little to do with "Death of the Family," something that didn't bother me since I'm not really digging that event right now. But, despite the branding, it actually winds up being one of the best self-contained Batman stories that I've read in a really, really long time.
Layman gets to the heart of Clayface and Poison Ivy here, portraying Clayface as suffering from a loneliness that I haven't really seen attached to him since BTAS and Poison Ivy as more coldly manipulative than I remember. These nuances work well, with Layman playing them off one another to bring the duo together: Ivy needs Clayface to protect her from her enemies and Clayface needs someone to need him. Beyond just Clayface and Poison Ivy, I liked what Layman does with Bruce here. He shows him as holding some compassion for his enemies, lamenting that he's forced to break Clayface completely by showing him that Poison Ivy has been playing him all along. Bruce often lacks that compassion, putting the dark in the Dark Knight. But, we do occasionally need to be reminded that he's not a sociopath and Layman does that well here.
But, the most interesting twist, to me, was Layman turning Oglivy, Penguin's consigliere, into a villain. I doubt anyone had the intention of doing so when Oglivy first started to appear, so I really have to given Layman credit for the innovation here. But, it also makes sense. I totally buy that self-delusional Penguin hasn't realized that Oglivy really runs his criminal empire, so Oglivy seizing the organization from Penguin as he disappears into Arkham makes sense. Plus, I love that he's calling himself Emperor Penguin. Great stuff.
A new take on two old villains, the surprising revelation of a new unexpected villain: color me impressed. After suffering under Tony Daniel for so long, I have a new found hope for this series.
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