"The Batman Strikes!" #9 Talkback (Spoilers)

[Clayface]

The Batman Strikes! #9

http://www.dccomics.com/media/covers/3005_180x270.jpg (http://www.dccomics.com/media/covers/3005_400x600.jpg)


Written by Bill Matheny.
Art by Christopher Jones and Terry Beatty.
Cover by Jeff Matsuda

The Joker's back! But he's never been seen like this before. Why is the Clown Prince of Crime claiming that he's sane? It's up to Batman to find out before the Joker is free of Arkham forever!

Comments?

[James Harvey]

Much like the cartoon this book is based on, The Batman Strikes seems to be coming together quite nicely. It might have something to do with the excellent timing of the script, namely celebrity trials, but Matheny delivers a pretty solid issue. The dialogue slips a couple times, but overall he delivers a pleasing story with a couple nice plot points to keep it moving. The trial scenes, in particular, seem like something right off "Court TV" (or should that be "E!"?), and rings true, given the limitations of the format.

I can never tire of praising the artwork of Christopher Jones. He's certainly come a long way from his animated beginnings in Justice League Adventures to what we see now. His artwork seems to fit the Matsuda-styled designs, and he's able to change them just a bit to make them seem more dynamic and more fluid.

It's shocking to see just how easy he can make any style his own. Just look at the Jeff Matsuda drawn cover, the creator responsible for the majority of the character designs for The Batman, and then look at the interior. It's like two sides of the same coin.

Also, be on the lookout for a cameo by Matt McNabb, owner of the Legions of Gotham website, portraying a lawyer.

Overall, a pleasing installment of the comic and probably the best issue to date. I'm looking forward to Christopher Jones getting a crack at some of the "season two" villains in the comic, namely The Riddler and Clayface.