[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers!]
Writer: Tom King
Pencils: Mitch Gerads
Summary
When a murder is committed in the towers of Gotham, Batman and Gordon are there to investigate! However things take an unexpected turn when Swamp Thing shows up! What connection does Swamp Thing have to the victim?
Positives
Batman #23 is a good read from start to finish. It’s good to see Batman work with someone outside of the Justice League, and Swamp Thing was a nice change of pace. This issue has a couple of funny parts as well, and I didn’t expect that at all. A personal favorite is when Swamp Thing first appears at the crime scene. Gordon of course is completely caught off guard and freaked out, however Batman isn’t. Batman gets right to work on the case, and its pretty funny.
Negatives
My only negative about this issue is the reveal of the murderer at the end. It wasn’t what I expected, however King plays it out brilliantly because it causes a fallout between Batman and Swamp Thing. Overlooking the reveal of the murderer, and focusing instead of it’s consequences was pretty central here, and it’s apparent that the fallout between the two heroes will continue to the next issue.
Verdict
Overall I thought Batman #23 was an entertaining read. As I stated before, it’s always good seeing Batman work so well with other heroes, and as always–he calls the shots. Mitch Gerads does a wonderful job of giving a film noir type look to the book itself. Each page shows the grit and grime of Gotham and I enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to the next issue as we find Swamp Thing leaving an angered Batman questioning his next move.
