“Echoes” – Chapter Five
Writer: Sam Hamm
Artist: Joe Quinones
Color Artist: Leonardo Ito
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
Review by Eric Lee
Minor Spoilers Ahead!
Batman ’89: Echoes #5 is a messy penultimate issue to a very slow series.
As much as I hate to beat the dead horse, but Echoes is such a slowly-paced series. There is only one more issue to go and there is still a lot of stuff that needs to be wrapped up or still introduced. Like, we have yet to see any inkling that Barbara Gordon will don the Batgirl persona. Similarly, we have strangely not seen Batman in action yet.
The ending of the last issue seemed to have promised a Batman fight sequence. Bruce Wayne finally suits up, both Harley Quinn and Scarecrow are on the loose with escaped Arkham inmates. And the police are also eyeing Batman. However, instead of an action scene, we see Bruce Wayne escaped off-screen and is hanging around Wayne Manor again.
A Confusing Narrative
The reveal not only makes the cliffhanger of the previous issue anti-climatic, but also sequentially confusing. While Bruce Wayne made it back to his home, it is broad daylight. Yet simultaneously, the Harley Quinn-led Arkham escape is happening at night. Also, Scarecrow somehow also escaped (also off-screen) to enact a completely separate plan that is parallel to Harley’s villain scheme. The confounding sequence of events makes one wonder if writer Sam Hamm had late additions to the script after artist Joe Quinones already drew certain pages. Unfortunately, it makes for a messy and baffling read.
Additionally, the late-game plot of the Scarecrow’s accomplices also makes for a disjointed reaction. So many plot elements needed to be introduced hastily and then there is an almost-immediate payoff. Once readers reach the end of the issue, the abrupt ending has a muted response.
All of this convoluted plotting and snail’s pace is exasperated by the book’s late shipping schedule. To be fair, the book runs late due to Quinones’ excellent art. Seeing his detailed, yet appealingly cartoony style is a perfect fit for this series. It makes the whole thing worth the wait.
Conclusion
Batman ’89: Echoes #5 is a tangled mess of a script that is only saved by the lavish art. At this point, the narrative is too slow to be compelling on its own. It is only saved by fans’ love for Michael Keaton’s Batman era.
All images are courtesy of DC Entertainment.