“Battle Royale” – Part Five, and “She Lies at Midnite”
Artists: Geoffo, Giannis Milonogiannis and Adam Hughes
Letterers: Troy Peteri and Steve Wands
Review by Fay Clark
The series has been smashing it lately, so I’ve been anxiosuly awaiting Future State Gotham #17. If you’ve been keeping up, we have 3 too many Batmen and a whole bunch of trauma. It’s been fantastic!
The Bats are Back
It’s been a long time coming, nut we’re are finally here. Everyone seems to be gathering in the same area and Dennis Culver is blowing my mind. Honestly, this is such a great series. I cannot explain how much of my monthly comic entertainment solely rests on this series and the latest issue has stepped up to the plate and smashed it.
Culver has somehow made all of his threads coalesce into one massive mash-up. I loved seeing the interactions and the dialogue was terrific, everything was so good. There was even a bit of a re-cap just in case you may have missed an issue. Normally I don’t like info dumps, but Culver manages to do it in a greatly entertaining way.
The high stakes and tension have been building for a while, and Culver has been doing a fantastic job of building up to a crescendo. The best bit? I love that we can tell that the pressure’s still climbing.
Hauntingly Good
Geoffo and Giannis Milonogiannis work so well together. Their styles seem to really merge, to the point where I couldn’t tell who drew what. All of it was brilliant, though. Future State Gotham #17 kept me captivated, there were so many details to look at and take in. Then there’s the last page… which, I mean, WHAT THE HELL! From both the writing and the artwork, everything about that was unnecessary, yet outstanding. I sat shocked for a very long time before being able to appreciate the work that had gone into that image. So much work, and effort.
Lying in a Horizontal Position
Oh, my. That was something else. Adam Hughes you twisted genius. Honestly, props to the chef for your work on the issue’s second strip. That was some next level plot twisting. Selina, what a… character. There are just some things you don’t do… please read “She Lies at Midnite” and find out what’s on the list. ALL OF IT. However, the tale’s very entertaining and true to the characters. Hughes clearly knows these folk on deep levels. The artwork is a mixture of both comic book and realism that I love. It’s leaning more towards realism, which must take so much time to complete.
Conclusion
WHY WOULD YOU LEAVE IT LIKE THAT?!? Honestly, I had such a mix of emotions about that cliffhanger. It was so good, but I felt so bad. I need the next issue, right this second. I mean it… please! Every time you think your going to be okay, they drag you onto the rollercoaster again.
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment