“Last Batman Standing” – Part Six, and “Clay”
Writers: Dennis Culver and Cliff Chiang
Artists: Justin Greenwood and Cliff Chiang
Color Artist: Brad Simpson
Letterers: Troy Peteri and Jared K. Fletcher
Review by Fay Clark
I can’t believe this is the last time I’ll get to do this, we’ve come to the end of an Era. So, let’s do this one final time for Future State Gotham #18 and make it a good one. You should know what’s been happening in the series, and if not you need to immediately go and catch up, then come on back and share with me the last issue of this superb series.
No Gratitude for Grayson
I have to start off, once again, with a round of applause for Dennis Culver. Honestly, what a guy… what a writer! Every time I read an issue of this series it makes me smile, cry, laugh, and gasp. If Culver can elicit such an emotional response out of his readers, you can only imagine what he’d deliver in the series’ Finale!
The dialogue’s always spectacular and Future State Gotham #18 is no exception. The conversations between characters and the one-liners are so well crafted. There are a lot of personalities to keep track of in this series and the fact that they all have unique voices is amazing. Culver can make sure you know who is talking even if they are off-panel. Now that is talent.
The second half of the issue was, well it was a rollercoaster. I only understood what was going on just as it was happening. Culver really pulled the wool over my eyes with that one. What a great lead into something spectacular! I do only have one comment though. After something major happens to one of the main characters it’s never addressed again. It was a pretty major plot point and it seemed like no one really noticed it happening. Even that only put a slight dampener on an outstanding end to the series.
What’s this? What’s this?
A colorist… are you kidding me?!? What a surprise that was (although, DC only gave us black & white art for the review)! Brad Simpson’s done some great work on this issue. We’ve always had a crack artistic team on this series, but they seem to be pulling out all the stops for Future State Gotham #18. I have nothing against this and loved the surprise reveal. How the color was added into the issue was done brilliantly, it worked really well with the plot line.
The artists have changed for Future State Gotham #18 also and, again, it’s a very good choice for the direction the story ends up going in. Justin Greenwood has more of a classic cartoon style of art, and that really matches up with everything that’s happening. I loved seeing the same characters with different looks and having another artist come in and mix everything up was very exciting. The whole issue was done in a way that moved from the style that we’ve been used to until it was something brand new. That’s what it’s all about, watching the old bring in the new.
Robin’s first sculpting lesson
The final backup strip at the end of this issue was great. Who doesn’t love young Dick Grayson as Robin and hearing stories about him? This was a smash from start to finish. I love the interactions between Dick and Bruce, which are somehow different from Batman and Robin’s interactions. Cliff Chiang does a great job of separating the two worlds. The way Cliff uses Dick’s lip-reading skills is awesome, and I loved that little injection of personality into the comic.
Conclusion
Oh boy, I’m really going to miss this series. What a rollercoaster we’ve been on, this has been all kinds of epic. The twists and turns have kept me on the edge of my seat and super entertained. The final issue was great and I’m really impressed with the direction everything went in, and couldn’t be more grateful that I got to review this series. Thank you, Dennis Culver and everyone who worked on Future State: Gotham!
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment
