Writer: Tom King
Pencils: Clay Mann
Inks: Danny Miki, John Livesay and Clay Mann
Colors: Gabe Eltaeb
Letters: Clayton Cowles
Batman #27 brings an interlude to “The War of Jokes and Riddles” story. In this issue, Charles Brown makes an appearance and we see a well-done origin story for Kite Man. He’s not the most prominent of villains, but he’s been a part of the Batman lore since 1960 when he first appears in Batman #133. It’s an interesting choice, but Tom King finds the perfect (and heartbreaking) scenario for him. He’s caught right in the middle of the war between the Joker and the Riddler, which also puts him in Batman’s sight.
Tom King continues to bring interesting stories to his run on Batman and this story inside a story shows just that. He’s creative and he’s extremely knowledgeable on the characters he uses. The Joker and the Riddler are in this issue, but it’s really not an issue about them. It’s about Charles Brown and what he’s going through and they’re just side characters in his life. It’s refreshing to see someone put the Joker and Riddler as bench warmers, even if it’s only for one issue so far.
Clay Mann fills in on art for this issue and he does a great job. His Joker and Batman bring a sense of personality to the issue. The Joker is stone-faced in a lot of the panels he’s in and it’s the perfect feel for what he’s dealing with. He’s not having a blast and cracking jokes as he usually is. As for Batman, he overwhelms in this. He’s intimidating, but also caring when it comes to Brown’s son. It’s a good mix for Batman and that comes through in the art. The team does a nice job keeping it cohesive with the Janín issues.
There’s a lot that can be said for this run on Batman. If you haven’t checked it out, you’re definitely missing out on some good stuff.
Verdict: Buy. This probably isn’t surprising based on the past Batman issues I’ve reviewed in this run. Tom King continues to impress and this is quite the interesting story he’s created. I plan to see it through and think you should, too.
