Written by Brian Azzarello
Illustrated by Eduardo RissoFLASH FACT! He spends his days running Wayne Casinos!
I’ve always been a bit of a skeptic towards Brian Azzarello, and even more of one towards event tie-in minis. Even so, I figured I would give this mini a shot, if only because I’m interested in finding out more about the Flashpoint universe. Plus, who can say no to Eduardo Risso’s art? No one with taste, I tell you. Follow the cut for more.
As I said before, I normally don’t care too much for Azzarello. I would certainly never go so far as to call him bad, but his work has never really struck me like it seems to have done to some other people (though I did love Luthor). And I think that this issue really shows why this is the case. It’s a pretty well done comic, yes, but it isn’t anything I’ve never seen before. All we really have with this issue is a sort of cross between Batman and the Punisher, something that has been done countless times. It doesn’t help that Azzarello’s efforts to make his dialogue seem gruff just ends up making it a bit dull instead. I will credit him, though, on his action sequences. From when Thomas enters the sewer until the second to last page demonstrates that Azzarello really does know how to pace things on a page-by-page basis. Everything moves at just the right speed, guiding the eye along at a tempo that allows us to pick up on everything, while still seeming fast enough for the action-heavy sequences contained within. Honestly, Azzarello is at his best when he knows when to be quiet, and those pages prove this.
I am honestly interested in the Gotham City of Flashpoint. The relationship between Thomas and Jim Gordan, and how Gotham’s police seem to regard Batman, hints at a variety of stories, even though I doubt they will be told in this mini. Oswald Cobblepot’s new role in the city is certainly pretty neat, and I do hope we see more of him as the series goes on, but it does beg the question: where is Alfred? I’ve heard rumor that he’s the mysterious Outsider, but I don’t see why the Martian Manhunter would be his greatest foe. Oh well, we’ll just have to see. Thomas Wayne himself strikes me a bit as a mixture between Bruce from Batman Beyond and Bruce from All-Star Batman & Robin, only a little less crazy. That might be another thing that bothers me about Azzarello; that is, his tendency to seem derivative.
Possibly one of the weakest points of the issue, though, that may end up ruining the whole mini, is the final page. Azzarello adds a little bit too much emphasis on something in particular that strongly hints at The Joker’s identity. There are a couple of clues early on that suggested it, but that last page has me thoroughly convinced, and we’re only one issue in. Once Tom Wayne drops the big reveal, which I’m sure will be the climax of this mini, I’ll lay a few bucks on me being unsurprised and disappointed. Of course, this is assuming I am right, but you know what? I’m fine with assuming that in this case. And no, I’m not going to tell you who I think it is in the review, in case some people don’t want any hints.
The selling point of this issue, though, is easily Eduardo Risso’s art. A common problem with artists who aim for that street-level, gritty look that you see in crime comics and the like is their tendency to make things too rough and busy, resulting in something that’s more jagged than anything else. Comics that take place in the gutter still have to feel organic – just a very grimy kind of organic – and Risso knows that. Compared to a lot of artists that aim for similar end products, his work is relatively simple; not, of course, in a negative way, but in the way that he doesn’t cover his work in stray pencil marks to make things seem rougher. The result is something that is reminiscent of Frank Miller, not in the sense that it’s derivative, but in how it is able to get dark and edgy while still retaining a sense of dynamism and expression – something that many of Rissos’s contemporaries lack.
This isn’t a bad issue, but it isn’t a great one either. But damn is it great looking. If you’re someone who will occasionally buy something solely for the visuals, then you definitely will have no hang ups on buying this. If you need solid writing, though… well, I’m not saying not to buy this, but you may want to wait until issue two (if not three) to decide.
Final Verdict: 6.5 – Browse, maybe buy it later.
