“This Little Piggy” – Part Two
Writer: Ed Brisson
Artist: Michele Bandini
Color Artist: Rex Lokus
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Review by James Attias
Batman Incorporated #7 Shows us that sometimes villains can do better work than the heroes, and Heroes can do more damage than the villains. This little Pyggy is proof!
Better than Batman?
Batman is the greatest superhero. This is an opinion (shared by many) that has been proven many times. Superman is up there as well, of course. However, Superhero fans, have you heard about the next best one? This guy incapacitated 8 of Gotham’s worst villains and left them gift wrapped for arrest. Who is this masked man? None other… Then the sick twisted Professor Pyg. This begs us to raise the question if Pyg could do it, why couldn’t Batman, or any member of the Bat Family?
In this issue, El Gaucho jokes that maybe they should recruit Pyg for Batman Inc. I couldn’t agree more. I know that this was a device to tell this story and show off Clownhunter’s detective skills (big whoop), but you can’t have someone take out so many of Batman’s rogues with such ease and not question our favorite hero’s methods.
This story was a short one, as after only two issues and we’re moving on to our next arc. From the tease I’m actually very excited about what’s coming.
I’m sad that this story featuring nine of Batman’s most famous rogues was done and dusted in just two issues with a minimum of fuss, as there could have been a much bigger story here showing how a team like Batman Inc copes against the likes of Riddler, Croc, Clayface and Freeze, to name but a few. Alas, although this was a big missed opportunity, hopefully the next storyline will give us something along those lines (in case you couldn’t tell by my tone, that was said with a large helping of foreboding).
Faces
These two issues really felt like they were showing character growth for both Ghost-Maker and Clownhunter. These are two people who’ve been around for a few years now, and still not much is really known about them. We’ve had convoluted origins for both, as back up stories or separate runs, but do we really know that much about them? This issue felt like the first step into seeing the men these guys are becoming. Be that good or bad, it was definitely interesting to see after a long while.
The writing was good once again, if not a bit dismissive of many of Batman’s foes. The way that Ghost-Maker was written this issue was the absolute best I think he’s ever been handled. Don’t believe me? Read this issue and see for yourselves. The art was great as per usual, although I’m at the level now when I would like to see another artist draw some of these characters, just to give a little more perspective on some of their looks and sizes. That’s just me being greedy, as this issue was well drawn and well written.
Conclusion
Batman Incorporated #7 was over too soon, and I want more of the same, please. I’m very excited for the next storyline, because it feels like it could be great, but it could also fall massively flat. Only time will tell. #NoSpoilers
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment
