This issue is a little dull, since it mostly just sets up the ending of this "final act." Unfortunately, it sets up an ending that I'm not sure that I care to see.
From the start of this arc, I was hoping that we would see Batman eventually challenging the Riddler with a riddle that stumped him, setting up their final confrontation when the Riddler responded petulantly to his loss. Instead, Bruce never tells a riddle; he simply babbles about the Riddler's psychological profile in order to distract the Riddler long enough for Lucius Fox to tap into his secure system and track the feed to his actual location. It's disappointing how much Snyder squandered this opportunity. The best Riddler stories revolve around Batman and him really matching wits, not him watching while Batman fights lions. Unfortunately, we get the latter, not the former.
If anything, this issue reminded me that I'm not sure where we stand with Lucius. He appeared in the Dr. Death arc of "Zero Year" because he had worked with Hellfern when they first joined Wayne Enterprises. I'm not sure, though, if Lucius has the relationship with Bruce yet where he designs tech for Batman and they don't talk about the fact that he knows that Bruce and Batman are one in the same. I think that they do, since Batman specifically goes to get him to join Gordon and him as they plot to take down the Riddler. But, it's annoying not to know, a consequence of both the uncertainty over Batman's relationships in his first year under the cowl as well as the opened possibilities that came with the New 52! reboot.
I'm not saying that this issue is terrible, but, between the missed chance for Batman and the Riddler to engage in a battle of wits and my confusion over Lucius' now-muddled history, I can't say that I fully enjoyed it. Snyder has kept this story engaging throughout the year, but I found myself, for the first time, glad that he's wrapping up the story shortly.
** (two of five stars)
No comments:
Post a Comment