Thursday, December 30, 2010

Batman: The Dark Knight #1

As a general rule I'm a sucker for first issues, but there were several reasons to pick up Batman: The Dark Knight.

You have to give DC credit for nerve, since "The Dark Knight" title really belongs to Frank Miller for his amazing series about an aged Batman - I'm somewhat surprised to see them allow a different creative team to bring out a series under that title.

The art is by David Finch (with inking by Scott Williams), and he's a terrific artist, known for his outstanding covers. He holds up that end of the deal nicely here - the art is detailed, moody and very well-crafted.

The story is written by Finch, as well, so the question is: how does he stack up as a writer? The answer: it's too soon to tell. I can't say that anything about this issue really amazed me or indicated that he's a force to be reckoned with - but it's not a bad beginning at all, and I'll wait until the end of this first story arc before deciding.

The story follows Bruce (Batman) Wayne as he searches for a missing woman from his past. His search brings him up against a couple of well-known enemies... and that's about it for this issue.

If I gave out "Incomplete" grades, this issue would get one. It holds promise, but things seem to be moving slowly, with scenes included that don't seem to move the story forward.

I'll be hanging around through the first story arc, but unless the quality of the story picks up, that'll be it for me.

Grade: B


--------------------

No comments: