“Verity“
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artists: Jorge Jimenez
Color Artist: Tomeu Morey
Letterer: Clayton Cowles & Jorge Jimenez
Review by Max Byrne
Batman #12 is an interesting issue that puts the newest addition to the Bat-Family front and centre. Enter Verity Pennyworth, seen at the very end of the previous issue. Turning at the Wayne’s door to fill the void left by her late Great-Uncle, she certainly wastes no time in getting her feet under the table. Certainly a chip off the old block, this issue showcases her skillset that makes her a worthy successor to Alfred. Both as an aid to the Wayne boys and to their costumed alter egos, IF she is all she seems to be then the keenly felt absence of Mr. Pennyworth is bound to lessen over the coming years. That said, comics being comics and all, I won’t be surprised if he comes back from the dead next time there is a status quo changing crisis event or continuity reset.
But that is for another day. For now, Verity is an interesting substitute. As adept at banter with Damian as she is with hatching an elaborate trap to capture a variety of contract killers in Gotham City, she is going to help our titular hero operate more efficiently now. Bruce’s awe/admiration for her independent thinking is a wonderfully comedic moment at the end of issue. Used to always being the smartest person in the room, his moment of pause as he contemplates somebody coming up with an idea better than his is a lovely moment.
‘Batman’s Gang War
Elsewhere, we get a subplot involving various contract killers at work in the city, and what a colorful bunch of rogues they are. Mexican wrestlers, German scientists, masters of disguise and wannabe ghouls are the order of the day here. It is an intriguing section of the book, watching them dispatch their prey in a variety of inventive ways. It hasn’t been made totally clear why they are all in Gotham at the same time, but it would appear that Bruce Wayne is in their crosshairs too. Maybe the work of Vandal Savage? We shall see.
The finale of the issue is a welcome visit back with Joker, still incarcerated in his iso tank, now bloated and relatively sane. The air of mystery Fraction uses in this section is highly effective. Has a mystery figure come to pay him a visit? Is it his criminally insane psyche coming back to the fore? Or something else altogether? The breadcrumbs dropped by the writing make me feel it is his disturbed personality emerging again, but we must wait to find out.
Conclusion
Batman #12 is an issue that offers a big change to Batman’s existence with the introduction of Verity. The overall story arc doesn’t take a great leap forward but her introduction warrants a slight pause in the narrative. The family dynamic has changed and it will provide ample material from here. Now, that she is in suit, I would like to see events portrayed at a brisker pace moving forward, with a touch more action and urgency. I have faith that all the pieces are on the board now, so let’s move up a gear please.
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment