“Echoes” – Chapter Six
Writer: Sam Hamm
Artist: Joe Quinones
Color Artist: Leonardo Ito
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
Review by Eric Lee
Minor Spoilers Ahead!
Batman ’89: Echoes #6 concludes with a wildly rushed ending that smashes so many disparate plots together, but never giving them adequate space for any one of them to breathe properly.
Nostalgia and Nightmares
Between this series and the previous Batman ’89 mini-series, it is clear that writer Sam Hamm struggles to properly pace his stories. Both times, the series started a slow burn of ideas and then rushed an ending where it feels confusing and poorly thought-out. Here, we see four different villains, but none of them get proper time to make a huge impact.
Yes, it is fun to see artist Joe Quinones‘ 90’s aesthetic applied to the expanded universe of characters. His art is fun and energetic. However, even the visual storytelling suffers from the over-stuffed last issue. Because each scene lasts 1 or 2 pages each, Quinones needs to pack his panels with a thousand different action beats, causing their action to be disjointed. It is even worse when Hamm inserts a brief flashback scene in the middle of the action. The flashbacks not only stop the momentum of the action scenes dead, but it gives the feeling that Hamm forgot to write motivation for a character and then inserted a scene to explain their actions.
In fact, everything feels like an afterthought. The Scarecrows’ ultimate fate felt like an afterthought. Barbara Gordon’s transformation into Batgirl was a rushed afterthought. Even Batman himself feels like an afterthought and barely a part of the main action.
Conclusion
Batman: Echoes #6 is a jumbled mess of an issue with beautiful art. It is a shame that the script does not let the art shine. A disappointing ending to a mini-series that also suffered massive delays.
All images are provided by DC Entertainment.
