Last Week’s Comics 10/05/2011
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Batman: The Dark Knight #1
(DC – writer: Paul Jenkins and David Finch; art: David Finch)
Half of The Dark Knight deals with Batman as Batman – and is well executed in both writing and art. The second half of the issue, unfortunately, deals with Bruce Wayne flirting heavily with Jaina Hudson, a tight-dress sex kitten who helps usher in two pages of cliché. The interesting parts of The Dark Knight involve a prison break and a new Two-Face, but for a first issue it feels timid and uneven. I wasn’t crazy about The Dark Knight before; after this issue, I feel even less impressed.
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Similarly to Scott Snyder’s Batman, The Dark Knight focuses on Bruce Wayne being Bruce Wayne. He’s still pushing in the Gotham Revitalization Plan, but now he’s being confronted by the police about funding the efforts of a vigilante. Lucky for Bruce, when things look their darkest, he’s saved by Jaina Hudson – daughter of one of Bruce’s acquaintances. Next, there’s an Arkham jailbreak and Bruce has to go be Batman for a while. For some reason he searches for Two-Face, but when he finds him, ol’ Harvey is anything but normal.
When Snyder focused on Bruce Wayne, I was enthralled. Snyder’s Bruce directly foiled the main story being told. Finch’s Bruce, however, feels uninspired. He has none of the charisma displayed in Batman, and his six pages of face time drag the issue to a near halt. David Finch’s art here is uneven. In one panel, Bruce looks healthy and youthful. In the next, he looks emaciated.
That said, Finch’s Batman is visually incredible. Kevin Conroy will always be the voice of Batman for me, and that’s the dark, imposing voice I heard when I looked at Finch’s Batman. Where Finch’s Bruce looked old and sick, his Batman looks incredibly powerful and intimidating. I’d be happy to continue this comic if Finch promises that we will never see Bruce Wayne again. In this issue, Bruce is the worst part.
Jaina Hudson is also a poor addition. Her introduction should be followed by sexy saxophones and a tracking shot that follows her body from her toes up to her eyes. It feels so forced that I rolled my eyes when she first appeared. I don’t really give a shit about Bruce’s love interest. I just want to see him be Batman and beat up some bad guys. He does this, but not enough. When Finch draws him punching someone, I can feel it. I want more of this.
Scott Snyder balanced Bruce and Batman, but Jenkins and Finch aren’t as smooth in their attempt. Besides this, the story doesn’t have a clear flow. Much like Brilliant, it feels like three different scenes sewn together with a loose thread. Visually, it’s much more appealing, but for a Batman comic, it’s feeble and forgettable.
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