Review: Batman: Killing Time #3
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Tom King
Artist: David Marquez
Colors:Â Â Alejandro Sanchez
Letters: Clayton Cowles
Reviewed by: Carl Bryan
Summary
“At 5:34 AM, Jon Dies…His face pressed into the dirt.” –Narrator
Positives
Tom King lets us know that we have an entire seat at the table, but we only need the edge. That is exactly where he puts us as this new entry into the Rogue’s Gallery… The Help… is far from needing any. An expert on fighting styles, The Help recognizes everything that Batman lays before him. In fact, Tom King writes this villain as an intriguing homage if you will… he takes elements of Batman’s past training and arguably is a Bizarro Alfred.
This is all only a fraction of the book, as Catwoman rides on planes, trains, and automobiles to save The Riddler. Tom King pulls out all the stops in regards to quickening the book to the kind of pace we normally only feel in cinema. Imagine the Ozark soundtrack playing while reading this book!
Clayton Cowles’ work in lettering provides the pace as your eyes dance from the dialogue to the narration.  That yellow is as important as the bubbles. In fact, the narration is the star of the show.
David Marquez compliments both Cowles and King as his renderings are precise, bright, and violent. His art is on point and works in synergy with both Cowles’ letting and King’s narration. Check out The Help below as he puts the Riddler in peril and, subsequently, look at how Penguin is displayed as well. This art is cold…. in a great way!
Negatives Â
Crickets chirp and the wind blows. Nothing to see here!
Verdict
Tom King’s leaving his stamp on the Batman universe. This intense pace of narration back and forth with time stamps, battles, and name-dropping galore is repainting the Batman landscape. You may need to take a hit from an oxygen tank as your heart flutters with every turn of the page!
