[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers!]
Writer: Tom King
Pencils: Mikel Janin
Colors: Jordie Bellaire
Letters: Clayton Cowles
Reviewed By: Steven Brown
Summary
Still on their journey in the desert with the remains of Martha Wayne, Bruce and Thomas are on a dangerous mission to the Lazarus Pit to bring her back to life! Will they succeed? And if they do, what exactly becomes of Batman and Gotham?
Positives
Batman #74 starts off with Batman and Flashpoint Batman aka Thomas Wayne, still in the desert on their way to the Lazarus Pit. Along the way Thomas is entertaining Bruce with stories about his childhood. Although it’s just conversation, King gives us great insight into Thomas’ personal viewpoints on Bruce as a child, and his own relationship with his wife Martha. Personally I enjoyed Thomas giving us such insight on their relationship on such a personal level, and you can see the pain he has in sharing his stories. Bruce sympathizes with Thomas, and as they continue their journey you find out that Thomas’ true intentions. He joined forces with Bane to strip away everything that Batman stands for or fights for–just so he could be only Bruce Wayne.
Negatives
Batman #74 gives us a twist when it’s revealed that Bruce secretly moved Martha’s body in dead of night–leaving Thomas with an empty coffin! After the startling revelation at the pit, the two began a showdown in the almost bottomless cavern, beating each other bloody! Thomas tells Bruce that this is impossible because Batman has been broken– however Bruce says otherwise. As the fight continues, Bruce tells Thomas that the only absolute from that night is that he was the only survivor–and that truth won’t be denied. I wish King would’ve gave us a little more insight on Batman’s choice on not to help his father though. Although the dialogue in the fight was pretty good, I hope King perhaps addresses Bruce’s choice at some point in the future.
Verdict
Batman #74 is a good read and although I’m not surprised that Bruce chose not to resurrect his mother I am shocked. I can only guess it’s because he knows the dangers of the pit through his interactions with the League and Ra’s, but also I’d like to think it’s because of the idea of Batman. He knows that without him Gotham City would fall apart, and he would refuse to let that happen. Now Bruce begins the dangerous trek back to Gotham City–and back to Bane!
