Morrison and Kubert are taking a break from Batman. And with their departure, my interest in this title drastically lessens. Ostrander takes over the writing chores and Mandrake assumes the art duties for this story arc. I am pretty neutral when it comes to the work of both of these gentlemen. I don’t think that Batman #659 is going to do much for me. Let’s hit this review.
Creative Team
Writer: John Ostrander
Artist: Tom Mandrake
Art Rating: 5 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 5 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 5 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: The issue starts with two Gotham cops investigating a disturbance at the docks. They run across a man on fire. One of the cops shoots him to put him out of his misery.
We cut to a little later with the rest of Gotham PD on the scene along with Commissioner Gordon. Batman is already on the scene disguised as a forensic specialist. He is examining the body. Gordon tells Batman that this is the third killing like this. Part of the face is sliced away and the victim is set on fire. The other two were Jaqui Tremayne, who worked for Omnimed, a division of Zeits Pharmaceuticals and George Williamson, a black businessman with money. This third victim is Donny Lucido, a mobbed up loan shark who worked for the Russian Mafia boss named Perun. The media has named the killer “Grotesk.”
We shift to Batman in the Batmobile headed to Leslie Thompkins’ clinic where some thugs showed up last night. We cut to the aforementioned clinic. Dr. Stavrides is talking with Dr. Amina Franklin. Dr. Stavrides asks Amina if she has any connection to the thugs that showed up last night. Amina says that she has no connection with them at all.
We then see Perun’s thugs outside the clinic. Batman stops them from entering the building. Batman then brawls with Perun’s thugs. Suddenly, one of the thugs is blasted by a stream of dire. Grotesk has entered the scene. Grotesk continues to roast several more thugs. The remaining thugs retreat. Batman then attacks Grotesk. Grotesk claims that they shouldn’t be fighting. That they are on the same side. That all the people Grotesk has killed deserved to die. That Grotesk and Batman should work together to bring down these evil men. Grotesk then blasts a nearby truck trapping the driver in flames. Batman chooses to save the driver while Grotesk makes his escape. Batman tells Grotesk that “they will meet again.”
Batman then enters the clinic and talks with Dr. Amina Franklin. Batman tells Amina that her brother, Wayne Franklin, owed Perun money and that Perun was looking for Amina to pay her brother’s debt. Amina tells Batman that her brother has been dead for two months.
We shift to the Batcave. Batman mentions that Grotesk is snipping off bits of his victims’ faces and he dews them together to make a sort of mask. That Amina’s brother, Wayne, was a successful plastic surgeon. That Wayne Franklin died in an explosion and warehouse fires two months ago. Investigators said the fire was arson.
Bruce then thinks about how he used to date Amina Franklin. That at the time, Wayne Franklin was working on a device called the I-Gore that was a cybernetic robotic interface that would act as a surgeon’s hands even if her were miles away/ That two days after Wayne Franklin’s death, Omnimed, Tremaynes’ employer announced an almost identical device called Mimic. Bruce says he has connection and motive with one of the victims. Grotesk must be Wayne Franklin.
Bruce then buts on his mask and hops into the Batmoblie. Batman says he is going to start looking into the R&D Division of Omnimed where they supposedly developed Mimic. End of issue.
Comments
The Good: Batman #659 is a rather pedestrian read. Honestly, I don’t really have much to say about this issue. That is mainly because I am almost totally neutral on this issue. I didn’t dislike, but I certainly didn’t like it. Really, the only positive comments I can make about this issue is that Ostrander delivered a nicely paced issue that had a good flow to it. And Ostrander gave us some nice action in the big brawl involving Perun’s thugs, Batman and Grotesk.
Mandrake’s art just doesn’t suite my tastes. It isn’t terrible, but it isn’t anything great. It is just very run of the mill. It made no impression on me either positive or negative.
The Bad: Batman #659 read like filler. This story feels like your standard issue “paint by numbers” comic book story. This is a rather generic Batman story that involves an uninteresting villain and a transparent mystery that Batman is supposed to solve. The story is rather simple with the reader knowing everything just before the Batman discovers it. There really is not mystery or surprise in this story. The reader has seen this exact story formula numerous times in Batman or Detective Comics. These types of stories are exactly what cause me to lose interest in Batman.
I like it when the writer focuses more on Bruce Wayne and his complex issues as Batman. I also dig it when the writer develops a complex story that shows off that Batman is truly the world’s greatest detective. I also enjoy it when the writer gives up plenty of violent action to highlight Batman’s vicious streak. What I don’t really enjoy are stories like Batman #659. We see little of Bruce Wayne. We get a very bland version of Batman and a cookie cutter story.
Ostrander also delivers some dialogue that is average at best and hackneyed at worst. The “banter” between Grotesk and Batman was so horrendously common. The dialogue of this issue seemed to be inspired by hours of watching old episodes of the A-Team.
Overall: Batman #659 was very ordinary. Ostrander and Mandrake failed to make much of an impression on me. This story arc comes across as pure filler and it completely fails to excite me or get my interest. Unless you are a big Batman fan, I’d recommend passing on this story arc.