Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Batman #38Batman #38
DC Comics
Snyder, Capullo, Miki & Plascencia

Batman continues with the Endgame story with another fantastic issue. This comic book really begins to fold in the previous Batman arcs that Snyder has written, which provides a nice payoff for the long-time reader and probably makes the newer reader curious about what's come before. The book is definitely entertaining and provides a dense read that may keep the reader on the edge of their seat. Things certainly appear to be bleak for the caped crusader. I highly recommend this comic.

Batman rescues Gordon only to realize Gordon's been infected the same as the rest of the citizens of the city. Batman then gets in communication with an old ally to try to figure this all out. What comes next is Batman trying to track down how The Joker got this virus and how Batman could possibly stop it.

The book is great because it’s complicated. There isn't one virus but two at work here. The Joker is covering his tracks just enough to keep Batman guessing, but at the same time, keeping true to his general motive of making Batman a little nuts as he attempts to figure it all out. The joke is always on Batman.

The only downside to this comic is that it felt like Batman had to have things explained to him. I've noticed in the post-re-launch era where Batman seems to be less detective and more reliant on others to tell him information. In this issue it seems he doesn't even need to intimidate anyone, the person of interest just offers it all up. While I like the complex and in-depth explanation I think I would have preferred Batman work it all out on his own rather than have the information dumped on him. Even if that means making sense of something that doesn't make sense.

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsCapullo shines on art. There are several breath-taking pages and the scene where Batman is getting chased in the streets is among the best of his work to date. The art juggles the emotional mindset of the characters well with the general insanity of this kind of story. The book is a visual classic.

Batman is the best book DC publishes. The stories are all epic. The characters are all A-list. The details are all clever. This issue is no different and brings the same high level of storytelling we've come to expect. The comic includes a backup story that sort of ties into the main story but isn't essential reading. It will be interesting to see how Batman gets out of this one.

4 out of 5 Geek Goggles