The evil organization known as T.H.R.U.S.H. has organized a breakout at Arkham Institute. Six of Batman’s deadliest foes have escaped and been brought into the service of T.H.R.U.S.H. The agents of U.N.C.L.E. are trying to recruit Batman to help them capture their main suspect, Bruce Wayne.
The Positive
Batman has figured out that this breakout was more than something the Penguin could’ve organized by himself. It’s fun to see him use the Penguin’s ego against him.
The Arkham escape has captured the attention of U.N.C.L.E. and they believe it may be connected to the meetings they broke up in the previous issue. They think that Bruce Wayne may be behind it all. Of course, it’s a classic sixties Batman idea to have a plot like this.
We see more of the inner workings of U.N.C.L.E. and as someone who is not familiar with the old TV show, it was helpful and presented in such a way so that anyone could follow the story and easily figure out what the organization was about. They tell us about the organization in a fun way as the agents are filming an informational video.
The second half of the issue has the agents attending a party at Wayne manor to investigate Bruce Wayne and his connections. The escaped villains show up and steal a Wayne Enterprises satellite. It’s a fun action scene as we see all our heroes engaged in the fight. By the end of the issue, they see that they all have a common enemy and need to work together.
The Negative
The artwork in the book is fairly similar to all of the recent Batman 66 titles, but here it felt a bit off. During the party at Wayne Manor, it became difficult to recognize some of our classic Batman heroes out of costume, they didn’t really look unique or anything similar to the classic actors. They haven’t had any problems in the past with giving them a likeness similar to the actors.
The Verdict
The fun crossover story continues. All of our heroes finally get to meet and begin to work together. We see the first parts of the villainous plan as the rogues gallery is recruited into T.H.R.U.S.H.
Two issues in and I’m really starting to enjoy this series a lot more than I expected I would. The writer gives enough backstory and exposition to fill in for those who don’t know everything about the older TV shows, but it doesn’t drag down the story.
