Forever Evil: Arkham War #1 Review

Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artist: Scot Eaton

Although the Villains Month prequels in the Scarecrow and Bane issues weren't as good as I hoped they would I have still been looking forward to this series, with this being the only mini-series from Forever Evil that I'll be getting bar Forever Evil itself.

Plot

With Bane's arrival near, Scarecrow turns to Penguin for advice on how to deal with him.

Review

This was surprisingly a very good opening issue for the series, as I half expected the first issue to be of the same quality level that the Villains Month prequels were. Peter J. Tomasi did however do a very good job of kicking this off, giving people who missed Villains Month a reader friendly issue, whilst also allowing people who read the prequels a better reading experience. The issue itself was also brilliantly paced, as even the slower sequences had the perfect mood and tone, with the exciting moments also being very explosive, and dramatic. Tomasi also did a great job of adding as many villains as he could without it feeling forced, and I was very happy that he added a smaller villain like Professor Pyg.

The artwork on this issue was also amazing, and Scot Eaton did a fantastic job. The detail throughout the issue was brilliant, with everything being very consistent. I also really enjoyed the way that Eaton laid his artwork out, as it helped with the overall pace of the issue, adding a lot of depth, and also being very dynamic. Eaton also did a brilliant job with the character movement, and expression in this issue as well, as it allowed for so much more excitement and drama, also adding even more depth to the issue. I also loved how Eaton drew Bane, as he managed to make him look like the monster that he is, showing the intensity that he brings, which isn't easy considering you can't show much facial expressions.

The main theme of this issue would be Bane's imminent arrival, and due to this the issue would see Scarecrow frantically going about trying to find ways of stopping Bane. This would included Scarecrow having interactions with both Professor Pyg and the new mayor of Gotham, the Penguin. Now I really enjoyed this, as although I have found Scarecrow's personal fear to be a hindrance for his character, it was handled in a brilliant way in this issue. I also really enjoyed the Penguin's lack of concern over this, as it showed his characteristics perfectly.

This issue would also see Bane on a rampage, with his main target in this issue being Blackgate Penitentiary. Bane was easily the most enjoyable character to read in this issue, and Tomasi really seems to know what he's doing, as although his Bane Villains Month issue was rather slow, he has made up for that big time in this issue. I also really enjoyed seeing Bane exert his dominance, and how it was extremely clear that he didn't care about anything besides taking control of Gotham. I also enjoyed how Tomasi showed Bane's intelligence, as although he doesn't care what he has to do, he still very much has a plan about how best to accomplish his goal.

Another thing that I enjoyed about this issue was that we got to see how the Gotham City Police Department was dealing with the sudden carnage, with Commissioner James Gordon making an appearance. Now his appearance wasn't long in this issue, and that was probably a very good thing, as it didn't take away from the two main characters, Bane and Scarecrow. I did however feel that it was a great addition, as with Batman gone there needed to be some sign of protection for the city, as although they may not be winning, it wouldn't be right to show not attempt at all to stop these villains.

Final Verdict

This was a fantastic issue, and much better than I originally thought it would be. It was however still not perfect, but did set the series up brilliantly, and I'm expecting a lot from the future of the series now. This issue itself was also very dramatic and exciting, being perfectly paced, with the slower parts even having brilliant tone to counter that. Due to all this I'd highly recommend this issue, as it is well worth giving a try.

Rating: 8/10

Detective Comics #23.3 Scarecrow Review

Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artist: Szymon Kudranski

I wasn't originally going to get this issue, but after deciding to get all of the Villains Month issues from Detective Comics, as well as the fact that this will follow into Forever Evil: Arkham War I thought I'd give it a try.

Plot

Scarecrow is continuing his recruiting whilst also preparing to go to war against the Blackgate prisoners.

Review

This was a good issue, being better than the last Detective Comics Villains Month issue, but still nothing overly brilliant. Peter J. Tomasi did a great job of setting up the upcoming Forever Evil: Arkham War series in this issue, but at the same time it took a little away from Scarecrow as a character, which will upset fans of the character who aren't bothered about Arkham War. I did however like the direction that Tomasi is taking Scarecrow in, as although he didn't delve into his characteristics too much, he's shown him in a more powerful position, as over the last few years he's been rather pathetic. I also loved how this wasn't an origin story as we already had plenty of that in Batman: The Dark Knight: Cycle of Violence.

I wasn't too happy about the artwork in this issue, as although I've enjoyed Szymon Kudranski's art in the past, I didn't like his artwork on Scarecrow, and with him being the main character in the issue that's a big problem. The rest of Kudranski's art was very good, and I especially enjoyed his artwork on Mr. Freeze in this issue, but Scarecrow himself looked like a common robber, which I didn't like. I also felt that it was slightly too dark at times, as although that suited the issue as a whole, it didn't suit other characters such as Riddler. I did however love his layouts, and if he had drawn a better Scarecrow it would have been some of the best artwork of this week, but unfortunately that wasn't the case.

Due to Scarecrow going around trying to recruit villains to fight alongside him in his upcoming war there was a lot of cameo appearances, all of which I enjoyed. The two that I personally enjoyed the most were Mr. Freeze and Riddler, as although Tomasi got all the villains characteristics right, it was the interaction between these two and Scarecrow that I enjoyed most. I did however also enjoy seeing Poison Ivy and Killer Croc, though I did feel that Croc's entrance was slightly sudden, even though there was a key hint the page prior.
Scarecrow wouldn't be alone in this issue, as besides talking with other villains he would have somewhat of an assistant in the form of Hudson. Now Hudson is never going to win lackey of the year, but he was a brilliant addition, giving Scarecrow someone slightly less complex to work off, as well as someone who's going to agree with his actions. I also loved how Hudson would get the short end of the stick at times, which really amused me, even though it was simplistic.

As I said this issue was mainly set-up for the upcoming Arkham War, but it hasn't half got me excited for it, as well as next weeks Bane Villains Month issue, as it would appear that he'll be Scarecrow's main competition in the series. I also love the concept of the series as although we've seen both sides fight alongside, and against each other in the past, it will be interesting to see it without Batman's presence. I also loved how the issue would have the upcoming war as it's main concept, and I especially enjoyed the small additions like Riddler pulling out Art of War by Sun Tzu.

Final Verdict

A brilliant set-up for the upcoming Forever Evil: Arkham War series, but not the best Scarecrow issue character wise. The issue did however have plenty of brilliant cameos, also being suspenseful, and dramatic. It was however simply too much set-up, which although interesting meant that it wasn't anything special, and due to this I'd only recommend the issue to anyone who's getting Arkham War when it's out, and wouldn't recommend it to someone wanting an amazing Scarecrow story, or a story that shows the best of Scarecrow's characteristics.

Rating: 6/10

Batman: As the Crow Flies Review

Writer: Judd Winick
Artist: Dustin Nguyen

After reading, and reviewing Batman: Hush I decided that I'd gradually go through my Batman collection which I own nearly every issue since Batman #608 (only missing one) but in graphic novel form as it'd take ages otherwise. Anyway this is my third review, having also reviewed Batman: Broken City, and I hope to do as many as I can as soon as possible, but due to only reading them casually (a story here and there) it might take a while to review them all.

Plot

Penguin is using Scarecrow to make a new Fear Toxin to use on people, but a mysterious new monster with similar abilities to Scarecrow appears.

Review

This wasn't a bad story, but it was far from brilliant. Judd Winick has done some tremendous Batman stories in the past, with Under the Hood being one of his best, but this was far from that. Don't get me wrong it wasn't terrible, but not startling at the same time. For the first three issues of this story it's quite slow, and tedious, and doesn't have much of a mystery towards what's about to happen. The story did however get better in the last two issues, and I was very interested. Winick did a marvelous job near the end of the story, and it was very entertaining, whilst also showing signs of things to come, but unfortunately it was too late to make a huge effect on the overall quality of the story.

Dustin Nguyen did a brilliant job on the art in this story, and although he's not one of my favourite artists on Batman I do like his style. His art is marvelous, and the detail in it is outstanding. What I really like about Nguyen's art is the way he draws ordinary people. Although there are a lot of artist that draw Batman, or Robin (Tim Drake) better, I couldn't be more happier with the way he drew the ordinary people, like Alfred, or the mobsters. The character that I felt Nguyen drew best however was Penguin. I loved how he made him look awful sinister, and haggard, as it really mad him look more menacing. I also liked the way he drew Scarecrow, and the Monster Scarecrow, but there were a few people I didn't like his art on. The main one's are Tim as Robin, and Scarecrow as Crane. I felt that Crane did look realistic enough out of his Scarecrow costume, as I felt Nguyen's art made his face look awkward. I also felt that Tim looked too young in this story, and although Robin's meant to be you he looks even younger than he's meant to be.

I'll start by talking about the new Scarecrow monster. I liked this new Scarecrow monster, but felt that it didn't add much mystery. To be fair it had the slight questioning of who the creature really was, and if it was Crane, or some how connected to him, but it still wasn't much of a mystery. I did however like the extravagance in the look of this new Scarecrow monster, and liked that it's attitude was to simply create fear, and kill. I also loved the reaction to anyone that meet this creature, as besides Batman, Robin, and Alfred, everyone was in hysterics, like they should be. It was however nice to see a Scarecrow frighten people again.

This story also marked the first appearance of Fright (Linda Friitawa). To be honest due to forgetting what Fright's real name was, as well as forgetting she appeared in this story I didn't recognize the character. In away this made the re-discovery of Fright enjoyable as if I'd remembered that she was in this story I wouldn't be surprised. The thing I liked about Fright, or should I say Linda Friitawa, as that's what she's called, in this story was that she appeared all innocent throughout, and seemed to do nothing more than help Crane. I did however have my suspicions of her throughout, but it was for a different reason than the one revealed. When you have a character that appears so innocent, along with a bunch of known criminals, and add the fact she has a checkered past it's obvious that she isn't a saint. But overall it would have made a nice surprise to people who haven't read the story, or like me forget she was in it.

Batman vs. New Scarecrow

There was a huge fight between Batman and the new Scarecrow, which was amazing. The thing I liked most about this sequence was the thought boxes, as Winick did a brilliant job of showing how an expert like Batman thinks in situations like this, whilst adding in something unexpected. The fight was also brilliant visual wise, as Nguyen did a fabulous job of drawing the action. I do however think that the core of the fight was nothing overly special, and if it wasn't for the good art, and thought boxes it wouldn't have been as exciting. There was however another fight between the two that was much better, and very exciting. It was also written, and drawn very well, and Winick couldn't have ended the story any better.

Batman in the Batmobile

Although the first three issues in this story was good I liked how Winick used Batman. The thing I probably liked the most was that Winick made him scared, with the new Scarecrow monster affecting him. With most modern Scarecrow stories Batman doesn't get affected as he's found antidotes to the toxins, whereas this time he is. This added for what I classed the most interesting sequence in the story, in which Batman sees his fears. Besides that I also liked how Winick wrote Batman, as he showed him as the great tactician he is, and that although he was affected by this new Scarecrow that he still had some tricks to combat him.

Like Batman: Hush this story also gave hints towards the Under the Red Hood story, which like I said was also written by Winick. Whilst affected by the new Scarecrow Batman starts to see his nightmares, and when Tim comes to help him he sees the former Robin, Jason Todd. It's fitting that Winick would add this in this story, as the next Batman story he wrote was Under the Red Hood, which featured the returning Jason Todd. The sequence in this story was however still very emotional, and it shows that despite acting strong that Batman does have regrets, with the death of Jason being the biggest. I also liked that this showed question in Tim, as he questions whether he's still be Robin if Jason was to return.

Final Verdict

Although not brilliant this was still a good story. It shows a new Scarecrow, and puts Batman in unexpected situations, making for some interesting sequences. It also gives some brilliant hints for things that would happen in a late story. I would recommend this story, but unless you're a huge Batman fan I wouldn't rush to buy it, as there are plenty of better stories out there.

Rating: 3.5/5

The next book I'll be reviewing from this series will be Batman: War Games Act 1: Outbreak.

Batman: The Dark Knight #15 Review

Writer: Gregg Hurwitz

Artist: David Finch

This series has overall been disappointing, and although this story's been better than the rest it's been far from perfect, and I was actually considering dropping the series, for the second time, if it wasn't for this decent ending, and the next story featuring Mad Hatter (one of my favourite Batman villains).

Plot

This issue sees Batman trying to save Gotham City, which has been affected by Scarecrow's Fear Toxin. He realises the only way to make an antidote in time is to syphon it from his own blood (as he's built up an immunity, hence storing a cure).

Review

I was pleasantly surprised about this issue, as it was a brilliant ending to a mediocre story, and especially considering Scarecrow is barely involved. Despite the overall story being mediocre, I do have to thank Gregg Hurwitz, as he's taken this series, which was doing very poor, and turned it into a decent series, and I have ever faith that he'll do a better job in the next story. What I really liked about this story was that it was a bit more up beat than the rest of the story, as most of this story's been dragged out, with very little action. I also loved that Hurwitz made Batman a hero in this issue, and showed that he was willing to do anything to save Gotham. Although I think this story's been too long, and focused on Scarecrow to much, I have liked the new take on Scarecrow, and hope to see a more of him in the future.

Although he wasn't a brilliant writer on this series, David Finch was however a fabulous artist, and I will miss his art on this series, but will be looking forward to seeing his art on the upcoming Justice League of America series. I've always loved his art, and it's brilliant for a Batman series. Although I wasn't overly keen on the gigantic Two-Face, and Joker in the earlier part of this series, Finch has wowed with the rest of his art, and I have especially enjoyed it during this story. I love his take on Scarecrow, as he makes him look like the evil, psychotic individual all Batman fans will know, but at the same time makes him look innocent, and almost as much a victim, as anyone else. Besides that he's done an excellent job drawing all the other characters in this issue, whether it be Alfred, Damian Wayne, or anyone else. I also loved his version of the Bat Plane, and all the action sequences. There was also ton's of detail throughout Finch's art, and in backgrounds.

Toxic Gotham

Seeing Gotham in this state was brilliant, but I questioned if it was at the right time. With Gotham also in peril throughout the Death of the Family storyline, it wasn't necessarily the best time to have a similar, yet completely different scenario at the same time. Besides that small complaint I loved the sequence, and thought it was brilliant seeing Scarecrow turn an entire city like this. I've not read a lot of Scarecrow stories, mainly due to him not appearing much over the last few years, but none of them had him turn out this psychotic, and it was nice to see him cause all this chaos. At the same time I loved how Batman handled this situation, and like the true hero was willing to sacrifice himself in order to save Gotham. The thing I probably liked the most during this sequence was that despite Alfred's pleads for Damian to bring Batman back to the cave, that Damian wouldn't because he promised that he wouldn't till everyone was saved. I liked this part because it shows the respect Damian has for Batman, and that despite his love for his father, he'd rather honour his wishes.

Scarecrow Caught

I was however slightly disappointed that Scarecrow was barely in this issue. Between the big fight Batman, and Scarecrow had last issue, and the way it ended, with Scarecrow poisoning the whole of Gotham, I expected a bigger fight between Batman, and Scarecrow, but we didn't even get one. Although I would have preferred a fight, I did like that the sequence featuring Scarecrow showed that he himself was a victim, and that if it wasn't for what his dad did to him as a child he wouldn't have done the things he's done. It was also nice to see Scarecrow timid and scared, but not intimidated, as he doesn't want to go to get captured, but at the same time doesn't want to show his fear.

One Happy Spectator

It was also nice to see Natalya in this issue, as I've enjoyed seeing her throughout this series. It reminds you that Bruce Wayne has his playboy image, plus it's also nice for him to have someone to care about, besides his family. The way Bruce entered Natalya's performance was also very interesting, as once everyone leaves, due to her terrible playing, he enters saying that he loved it. I hope that we get to see more of this relationship in the future, and that it's not overshadowed by the main stories, although at the same time I don't want it to take to much away from the main stories.

Final Verdict

This was a brilliant end to a mediocre story. Although I've enjoyed the new origin for Scarecrow, it was stretched over too many issue, and I hope that Hurwitz doesn't do this with the next story. Although this was a good issue, due to it being the end of a story I'd only recommend it to people who have the rest, or parts of the story, or are considering getting the rest of the story. I'd also probably recommend the entire story, as it had a brilliant start, and ending, but unfortunately dragged in the middle. I'd probably overall rate this story a 4/5.

Rating: 4/5

Batman: The Dark Knight #14

Writer: Gregg Hurwitz
Artist: David Finch

I have never been overly keen on this series, and in fact dropped the series after issue 9, but after hearing good things about the series since Gregg Hurwitz joined the creative team I decided to give the series another chance. So far this story has been a lot better than what the series was like before Hurwitz joined, but it's not been anything special, and I hope the next story involving the Mad Hatter is better.

Plot

This issue sees Batman finally escaping from Scarecrow. Once outside Batman is then rescued by Robin who takes him home. Meanwhile Scarecrow isn't done and decides to bring out the super toxin.

Review

This was a good issue but the story is still nowhere near from perfect. I like how Hurwitz has given this series some new life, and made it a decent series. I still however think there is still more needed to make this series match some of the other Batman series, and with Detective Comics getting better since John Layman took over writing, this series has once again dropped to the worst of the solo Batman series. I did however like how Hurwiz put a bit more action in this issue, a most of the story so far has been Scarecrow experimenting on Batman, whilst the story showing Scarecrows past. Although this has been interesting, it was starting to get a bit boring, and I wouldn't have been surprised if the whole story was just that one big sequence, spliced with flashbacks.

I am happy that David Finch is still doing art on this series, as although the plot was very poor when he wrote the series his art was always stunning. This issue is no different, and there is only one thing I can fault about it. There is a sequence later on in the issue featuring Penguin, and I personally didn't like the way he drew him. I've liked how Finch has drawn most of the Bat villains in this series, even the overgrown Two-Face, but Penguin just didn't look right. Although Penguin is known for being very round it looked too unrealistic in this issue. His facial features were also a bit too much and slightly inconsistent from the Penguin we've seen in other series. His hair also looked very stupid, as Penguin always prides himself in looking tidy and well dressed, whereas in this issue his hair's all over the place which doesn't look right. Besides that the art was brilliant and I like how Finch's work really put's the Dark in Dark Knight. Whether drawing facial expressions, or fight sequences, it's always brilliant and a pleasure to look at.

The fight between Scarecrow and Batman at the start of the issue was good, and although it had it's imperfections, it was still good, and a nice change from the other issues, which have been filled with too much dialogue and nearly no action. The fight itself is very strange, and this is probably due to the fear gas. At one point Batman throws himself on Scarecrows scythe. He must have been really desperate, or really out of his mind if he was willing to impale himself to get a hold of Scarecrow. Scarecrow's expressions at the start of the fight was brilliant, as you could see he was happy with his work, and that he enjoyed seeing Batman go insane. It was also fun to see the expression change when he got Batman's Grapple Gun through his jaw. It is a bit weird how the claw on the end of the gun, which is the same size or bigger than a human's jaw could get through without hitting anything else. Batman must have either used all his skill to hit only the jaw or been that out of his mind he couldn't care, either way I enjoyed this mini fight.

It was nice to have Damian find Batman, and I liked how he mentioned that he'd been out every night looking for him. I also loved how the sequence with Batman recovering in bed how this showed more of the growing father, and son relationship between the two. I also liked how Damian was written in this issue, as some series, where he's not one of the main characters, they make him more serious than he should be. I like a more immature, Damian as it shows that he's still a child. It was also nice to see that Damian still had time to crack a joke whilst talking about how worried Alfred, and himself were.

I liked that the little girl Scarecrow had chained in his cellar got a chance to speak in this issue, as all we've heard her say is how she's scared whilst she pleading with Scarecrow not to scare her any more. Later on in this issue the girl has a conversation with Commissioner Gordon where she tells him about her time locked up in Scarecrow's cellar. I'm happy that her involvement in the story has been a little more relevant than just a test subject for Scarecrow to work on prior to capturing Batman, but I hope that she has a role in the final issue of this story making her even more relevant to the story.

Final Verdict

This was a good issue, but I hope this series starts getting good, and if the next story isn't better I will be considering dropping it again. I don't know whether to recommend this issue as it is good but isn't great. If you are a big Scarecrow fan, and open to the fact of his back story changing a bit I would recommend getting this. I would also recommend it to people who have the story so far, as it makes sense, but otherwise I'd recommend waiting till the next story featuring the Mad Hatter starts in issue 16.

Rating: 3.5/5