If you've seen it once you've seen it a thousand times
Batman the Dark Knight issue 12 has issues. I wasn't expecting much from this month's Dark Knight since #11 was so lackluster.
The art for the cover is OUTSTANDING, hell it made me buy the issue. Then we get to the full page spread of the torture scene and the art just plummets...what happened?!? Batman's body is so disproportionate form his head and scarecrow looks looks like he's got a wandering eye, as well as everything else also looking "half-assed" and ridiculous. I usually thoroughly enjoy David Finch's art, but not here and my admiration continues to fall throughout the comic. Though I could see a lack of inspiration being Finch's problem since this arc has had a bad start so far.
Now to the story. Oh boy.... Scarecrow has family issue's in his past (which villain in batman's rogue gallery doesn't). Also, by now Batman should've developed an immunity to the fear toxin. The guy gets hit with it EVERY TIME. For somebody who's the world's greatest detective he sure as hell is unprepared. He's got plenty of gadgets to either nullify the toxin or at least able him to breathe it safely through a rebreather of some sort, but this is the same person that used a flying jump kick in broad daylight last issue to break down the door of Scarecrow's crack house. Gregg Hurwitz has yet to sway me positively in his ability to write Batman and as of now I hope this arc wraps it up soon to usher in another creative team. So far the new 52 Batman has just been a vigilante psychiatrist.
So we see reused material so far (Batman breathes fear toxin and the scarecrow does scarecrow things...yawn), but now we have to see the same scene's of Bruce's past that we've seen a thousand times before. The pearls falling and Bruce's parent's body's sitting next to him while he cry's in a pool of their blood, though it projects a particular morbid ambiance of which I expect from The Dark Knight....we've seen it!! Then we see the well scene...again. and then that's where it ends and probably where issue #0 picks up I assume because it would make since.
The Verdict
This is an arc I would much rather have been told to skip. It hasn't brought anything new in a creative sense and probably won't. Its the same old Scarecrow story we've heard again and again. Though now since I'm two issues in, and an avid Batman fan, I'm obligated in to continuing to pick it up every month....also I get to write more reviews about it, lol.
