Batman: Arkham Unhinged #46

Slough of Despond

Arkham Unhinged has been in a race with Worlds’ Finest to be awarded the title of worst Batman series. They are both lousy competitors, but I think Arkham is winning by just a nose. The current story arc has shown a slight bit of promise, but my cynicism is in full effect. I find it difficult to imagine Arkham Unhinged becoming so much as a decent book, but if it gets its butt in gear, it could at least limp into second from last place. Does this issue increase Arkham’s stride, or does it cause Arkham to fall even further behind?

In this issue, Bookbinder kidnaps a judge from a talent show and reveals him for the fool he is.

I Never Thought I Would Say This

This was actually a good issue of Arkham Unhinged, and I am eagerly awaiting the next one. I was beginning to think that this story arc was going to end up spinning its tires and deliver a mediocre narrative, but the story found its pace this time. The artist is still less than stellar, but at least he manages to actually give a good quantity of panels as opposed to the last few issues where he has created giant lackluster page spreads with no valuable visual information.

The majority of the issue deals with Bookbinder, and we get a limited glimpse into his psyche. I am very intrigued by him, but I am a little nervous about who he might be. Commissioner Gordon says he believes he knows who the Bookbinder is, but James must be showing some seriously elite detective skills because I haven’t the foggiest. If he is a previously established recurring villain, I am a bit disappointed because a villain that wages a culture war is an intriguing new concept.

Conclusion

It happened. Arkham Unhinged had a good issue and thereby moved out of last place. As a standalone, this issue is worth purchasing, but you might want to wait until the entire story arc plays out before shelling out the cash lest Arkham Unhinged return to form.