Batman #103
Recap
Batman and Ghost-Maker go toe-to-toe to decide which of them will remain Gotham City’s hero. The city is changing faster than ever in the aftermath of “The Joker War,” and with this change comes increasing dangers as Gotham’s citizens demand that Punchline be released from prison! Plus, Harley Quinn faces certain death at the hands of Clownhunter!
Review
Just this morning, before I sat down to read and review this issue, I was commenting to some of my colleagues how excited I am to see Tynion’s run on Batman flesh out to wherever it may be headed. The return to a more stripped down Batman who is more reliant on his extended misfit family than his wealth or gadgets is refreshing. With that mindset headed into #103, I was not disappointed in the slightest. Issue #103 is a beautfully rendered, three-act play. The first act gives us a definite sense of just who Ghost-Maker is and where the difference in philosophies between he and Bruce lie. The second act serves to flesh out the future for Harley Quinn as well as giving incredible insight into young Clown-Hunter and paving the way for a fascinating team-up/mentorship situation between the two. And of course, in Act Three, all characters collide, motives are clarifed and we see our tragic hero felled. Of course, this is comics and there will be a seqeul but the narrative structure of this single issue, despite ending in cliffhanger, was a marvel of storytelling that I hope the board is paying attention to. This issue is, without doubt, one of the finest works of Tynion’s career to date.
Of course, none of that would have possible without the impeccable image storytelling from Pagulayan, Miki, and March. I’m not sure who delineates the workload between the art teams but where early on in the run it wasn’t working out to my taste, in recent issues they seem to have figured out how to maximize the talents of each different artist to maximum effect, leading to a gorgeous, incredibly well-paced book that has become one I look forward to each and every month. I can’t wait to see what’s next!
Final Thoughts
The farther this run progresses, the better it gets. Learn more about Ghost-Maker and Clown-Hunter in Batman #103 from #DCComics @JamestheFourth @GuillemMarch @carlopagulayan @DannyMiki_ @ClaytonCowles !
Batman #103: Clowns to the Left of Me, Jokers to the Right
- Writing - 10/1010/10
- Storyline - 10/1010/10
- Art - 10/1010/10
- Color - 10/1010/10
- Cover Art - 9.5/109.5/10