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    DC

    REVIEW: Batman: The Dark Knight #4

    Stephen SchleicherBy Stephen SchleicherDecember 31, 2011Updated:January 1, 20126 Comments3 Mins Read

    When you’re just a man, there are a number of ways to die. If you’re Batman, there are a number of ways you can prevent that from happening… ice cream may be one of them.

    BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #4
    Writer: Paul Jenkins
    Artist: David Finch
    Inker: Richard Friend
    Colorist: Jeromy Cox
    Letterer: Sal Cipriano
    Cover: Finch, Friend, and Alex Sinclair
    Editor: Mike Marts
    Publisher: DC Comics
    Cover Price: $2.99

    Previously in Batman: The Dark Knight: Villains show up, Batman fights them. There’s a sexy new thing in lingerie and bunny ears, and something’s happened to Poison Ivy.

    SOME OLD SONG AND DANCE

    Though I haven’t been reading comics for 90 years, when it comes to Batman, I’ve read nearly all of them, and though it can be difficult to remain fresh, when a story feels like it is a rehash of something else, it becomes frustrating to read. This is how I feel when I picked up this issue of Batman: The Dark Knight. There is simply more of the same – Batman follows the clues that points to Poison Ivy in trouble somewhere on a swamp island we’ve never heard of (in this universe), and while flying there, is attacked out of nowhere by Deathstroke, who uses his big blade to slice the Batplane in half – IN HALF! And then of course The Scarecrow shows up. There’s not even a lot of sense in the sky battle, the clues being left behind, or the seeming random way the villains keep showing up with visible signs of being on all-natural creatine.

    I don’t want to crap all over what Finch and Jenkins have put together, but this series so far feels like two super-fans sitting in the garage coming up with the best Batman fight scenes ever, then trying to connect those big splashy scenes with something that doesn’t seem thought out. Don’t believe me? How does a scene of Batman eating a pistachio (or mint) ice cream cone sound to you?

    AT LEAST THE ART IS PRETTY

    One thing I do love about this issue is the art. Yes, the jacked up villains look odd, but that’s what happens when you juice, I guess. I like Finch’s Batplane design, and though the White Rabbit villain doesn’t make a lot of sense at the moment, at least Finch knows how to make the costume, or lack there-of, interesting.

    BOTTOM LINE: PASS

    So far, Batman: The Dark Knight feels a lot like Hush, but not in a good way. My interest level for each successive issue continues to diminish, and if it wasn’t for Detective Comics, this would be the Batman book at the bottom of the stack. The art is pretty to look at this go around, but the story is a jumble of scenes that don’t connect well. Unless you’re dying for something with Batman in it, I say pass on this issue. Batman: The Dark Knight #4 earns 1.5 out of 5 Stars.

    Rating: ★½☆☆☆

    Batman david finch dc comics paul jenkins Review The Dark Knight
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    Stephen Schleicher
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    Stephen Schleicher began his career writing for the Digital Media Online community of sites, including Digital Producer and Creative Mac covering all aspects of the digital content creation industry. He then moved on to consumer technology, and began the Coolness Roundup podcast. A writing fool, Stephen has freelanced for Sci-Fi Channel's Technology Blog, and Gizmodo. Still longing for the good ol' days, Stephen launched Major Spoilers in July 2006, because he is a glutton for punishment. You can follow him on Twitter @MajorSpoilers and tell him your darkest secrets...

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    6 Comments

    1. Martin on January 1, 2012 1:21 am

      Minor quibble, it’s still Finch doing the art, he went from writer/artist to artist. Paul Jenkins was brought aboard to handle the writing duties going forward.

      Reply
      • Stephen Schleicher on January 1, 2012 1:48 am

        It’s far from a minor quibble, and the fault is mine for not reading the credits closer.

        Reply
    2. G on January 1, 2012 2:59 pm

      “feels a lot like Hush, but not in a good way”
      There’s a good way to be like Hush?

      Reply
    3. TaZ on January 1, 2012 6:52 pm

      Apparently this book’s arc is a cheap plug for the Batman/Bane movie since a lot of readers may not recall the “Knightfall” arc. Who else is going to be giving all the Bat-villain more HGH than Batista ever took in his career?

      Reply
    4. Trey on January 3, 2012 9:21 am

      I don’t like how it seems like Bruce is ignoring things lately. He’s supposed to be always 3 steps ahead but he ignores calls from Gordon. He has been ignoring offers of help from Nightwing. He seems to do very little for Damian’s training when the death of Jason Todd taught him to make sure his Robin is ready. And he is relying on his technology more than doing real detective work. Whether its silly contact lenses connected to the bat-computer or Alfred analzying video input and coming up with plot progressing evidence on the microscopic scale. This really isn’t the Batman that I love.

      Reply
    5. salvatore pinna on August 29, 2015 9:47 am

      I think there should be another dark knight movie as I recall at the end of dark knight rises Alfred sees bruce wayne and selina kyle in a bistro

      Reply

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