Ahhh, it's Schwarzwald! BIG O!
Selina rejects, Steph directs, Barbara aims to correct, and Croc? Croc just wrecks. All this happens in this twenty-seventh installment of the weekly Batman escapade. A new player called the Ferryman, or "Mr. Bone", appears, hoping to punish Catwoman for past encounters. We also see the return of a Grant Morrison villain, Eduardo Flamingo, a face-eating maniac with flamboyant tendencies. But the bulk of the issue deals with a crime boss looking to leverage what a child knows about Catwoman to get his own vengeance against her. But honestly, he's not a very compelling character.
So... is he the Ferryman, Mr. Bone, or...? Wait, is his actual last name "Bone"?
At least he has kind of a Greed (from FMA) thing going on for him.
Obviously the intended focus on this issue is the relationship between Batman and Catwoman. In the old continuity they were quite close, especially after the first Hush storyline, and it continued on from there, and obviously they were rather intimate in the New 52 too, or so it seemed at first. While their relationship does seem to have the same make up as it did before, it seems thinner thanks to all the different directions other writers have Selina off in and the shorter New 52 timeline. I'd like to actually see how Batman and Catwoman first met according to the new canon.
Aw, her father didn't do his job. Didn't keep his baby off the pole.
But since we already know where Selina is heading from the fast-forward issue Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV wrote in the midst of Zero Year, we knew that this moment had to come. I don't know if this is the defining turn for Catwoman, but it certainly seems like the beginning. Despite her having actually been in a version of the Justice League for a while, right now she has no problem taking the money she pulled off the goons she and Batman were fighting for herself. She also doesn't mind pitting all the mobsters against each other, even though there's already still gang warring from the power vacuum left by Falcone and Cobblepot. Batman offers her a chance to put the notions of person satisfaction behind her and work for something bigger, but Catwoman feels patronized and rejects him.
Batman's thoughts: I'd go after her, but I need to stand here and look at that ass.
I think if Selina is waiting for Batman to come to her after playing hard to get, she's got another thing coming... aside from a bat to the head. Right now he's on a hunt for Hush and while he's offering the friendship and bond the Bat family shares, he can't be chasing her around everywhere just to convince her. And when he doesn't, I'm guessing that'll be her reason to turn into a crime lord.
"Well, I'll just use Dust Crusher and..."
I just love the note Stephanie leaves Batman pinned to Flamingo. Bruce, you really ought to be more aware of social media. I know you've been busy, but come on, somebody as paranoid as you should already be doing counter-intelligence operations, reporting false leads on yourself as other people, setting up decoys. The thing is, when Batman picks up the note, he has this strange almost-smile, kind of a, "Huh. How about that?" look.
"Huh. You know, you get so few hand-written letters these days. This made my day."
I'd like to see where this thing with Babs and Jason Bard goes. I hope it goes into him being in a world of hurt. That man is terrible.
But then, so am I.
Next issue: Selina's Boned!
- Penguin Truth
(2014)
Story: Scott Snyder & James Tynion IV
Script: Tim Seeley
Consulting Writers: Raw Fawkes & Kyle Higgins
Art: Javier Garron
Colors: Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
Lettering By: Dezi Sienty
Cover By: Clay Mann, Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
Editor: Chris Conroy
Asst. Editor: Matt Humphreys & Dave Wielgosz
Group Editor: Mark Doyle
Batman Created By Bob K--AHAHAHAHA, NO. Batman Created By Bill Finger
