shawn87's Batman: War Games #2 - Act Two: Tides review

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    The Tides Have Turned

    The Story:

    The outbreak of crime and gang activity continues to plague the streets of Gotham City. This forces Tim Drake to break his promise to his father and reassume his mantle as Robin. Batman suddenly realizes the reason this all began in the first place. He remembers creating a contingency plan with this exact scenario. He pieces it together once the power goes out in the city. From there Batman tries to contain the madness while rescuing the person responsible for initiating this plan.

    My Thoughts:

    Act two of this epic Batman story arc called War Games continues in the same fashion as before. Batman and his team (Nightwing, Oracle, Onyx, Orpheus, Tarantula and Robin) attempt to control and contain the mayhem spreading throughout the city. A cadre of writers and artists come together once again to create this insanity. Their combined efforts are remarkable. You can feel the power behind their writing and see the emotion penciled on every panel. This whole scenario feels very realistic. You can feel the urgency, the panic and the fear as you flip each page of this story. They do a great job displaying Gotham for what we know it to be. The dark, gritty tone associated with Gotham is clearly felt. What I like about this story arc so much is that it doesn't involve any super-powered villain. Instead it's good old-fashioned street crime pandemonium. I like the street level villains especially in Batman comics. 

    I really enjoyed the dialogue in this comic, especially Batman's. The realism in it is what drew me in. With all the mayhem going on we see Oracle become frustrated (partially due to lack of sleep). When Batman takes over her computer system of course that offends her. Batman responds with "Grow up Barbara, you can pout and whine about your bruised feelings later. We've got a war to win. Decide now if you intend to continue doing your part in it." I thought that was spot-on-dialogue for Batman's character. 

    One of the first big events in this act is Tim Drake once again dawning the mantle of Robin. That's something that got me excited. I like Tim Drake and to see him jump back in action and answer the citizens crying calls of help was fun to read.

    This was basically the prelude to the Black Mask's rise in Gotham. We see him assume Orpheus's identity towards the end after torturing a certain hero. I'm definitely looking forward to reading act three now to see what Black Mask does next. I see why they called this act "Tides" as the tides have truly turned now.

    The art is the only part of this comic that lowered my overall score. It isn't horrible but it's not perfect. Overall I'd say it's about fifty-fifty. For every good issue there's a not so great issue drawn. The ones that are great, truly capture the tone of Gotham and the emotion in the script exceptionally well. The covers weren't so great. A couple seemed unfinished while others lacked detail. 

    Another solid act in this three-part story arc. Batman fans should definitely have this series in their collection. It's a great depiction of the Dark Knight and all his teammates that's sure to please all readers.  

    Rating: 4/5

    Other reviews for Batman: War Games #2 - Act Two: Tides

      The War Rages On 0

      I've recently decided to go through my entire Batman collection, and review them, but in graphic novel form as it'd take ages otherwise. This is my fifth review on the series now, and I'm onto the second part of the epic War Games crossover, which was a big changing point in the Batman series.PlotThe war for Gotham City continues, and there's been a major fatality, and people start to question are the vigilantes to blame. Also a big player reveals themselves.ReviewThis was a brilliant continuati...

      6 out of 6 found this review helpful.

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