‘Batman #86’ (review)

Written by James Tynion IV
Art by Tony S. Daniel
Published by DC Comics

This is the beginning of a new era for this title.

James Tynion IV is the new writer on Batman! I really enjoyed Tom King’s run on this title but it was time for something new. I wasn’t a fan of Tynion up until this point but I was willing to give it a chance.

So, how did I like this issue?

Well, it started off okay. Batman is swinging in the city and ready to combat some evil. Tony S. Daniel is doing the art here, so it is automatically pretty cool.

Then, we get to see a villainous act. Somebody is murdered. And then we get a glimpse of the villain of the piece.

It is a pretty decent start to the book.

After this, we are transported to a party. There are a lot of familiar tropes that are used here. There are socialites everywhere! There are beautiful women! And guess what? Everyone is wondering where Bruce Wayne is! The difference this time is that Selina Kyle is covering for him.

This is actually a really cool moment and it cements and enforces the relationship between the two that Tom King established

Then we get to see Lucius Fox making a new vehicle for Batman. It is a nice scene that really does give us some nice set up. Things are actually going okay at this point. And that is when Deathstroke The Terminator shows up.

This is both a good thing and a bad thing. It is a good thing because Daniel draws one hell of a Deathstroke.

The bad part is that it feels a bit forced. The fight between Batman and Deathstroke is short and uneventful.

Everything moves incredibly fast and is weirdly paced. We are left with a cliffhanger too that barely registered to me at all.

This is a huge style change from Tom King’s run. And that’s okay. It just feels a little disjointed and that feeling is nagging. Also, it does feel like Tynion (much like his run on Detective Comics) is uncomfortable writing the Batman character himself. Or maybe he just doesn’t have a good take in him? Who’s to say?

The art is very well done. The action is crisp and I like the way things moved. While the art elevates the book, it can not cover the feeling like something is lacking. And that is a shame.

RATING: B-