What do You think about Batman, T.2 Miasto Sów (2013)?
I have been enjoying story arc of the Owls and while the writing/story line doesn't suffer in this novel, the artwork does.There were so many artists, inkers and such on this I have trouble keeping them straight. So, let's see how this goes...I am learning that I might not be a fan of Greg Capullo. His faces are terrible. Backgrounds are good, Gotham is fine, clothing and costumes are acceptable but his renderings of people are anything but. Bruce seems to suffer the most, looking more like a drug addict than a rich man. Alfred fares a tad bit better but looks like a starving homeless man, nevertheless. His lines are clean, crisp and that I like. His costumes are well done but I just can't get over his badly drawn faces. "OK, here is Bruce talking to a younger version of himself. No, wait. Oh! That's just Dick dropping by for a visit."Mid way through the 8th issue, Alfred sprouts collar-length hair and a full mustache as oppose to the previous page's pencil 'stache and bald spot. I think this is where Rafael Albuquerque came in, or else Capullo was having a bi-polar day. These faces are a step up but the colors and painted look with bad lines distract from it. This same art pops back up mid issue 11 which since this is a flashback story, I can let the hazy lines and sloppy color slide since again, it is easy to tell who is who.And here comes Becky Cloonan who makes me wish for Capullo back. Her backgrounds are lazy, child-like and undefined. And where I could at least tell which was the brother and which was the sister...not so much as they got matching haircuts.But the book is saved by Jason Fabok's artwork. He looks like he should get paid to do this for a living, unlike those people that apparently won a contest or was granted a wish by the "Make-a-Wish" foundation. I like his Mr. Freeze, he looks bad ass. But Fabok does suffer a bit from the cookie cutter male drawings. If not for Victor being blonde and Bruce, dark-haired, they could be brothers. Same brow lines, wrinkles and mouth.Just as in vol 1, all of the men look alike. Wayne, March, etc. If it wasn't for cowls, masks and mustaches, I wouldn't know who was who.Scott Snyder's writing is why I keep reading. I like his style and the direction of the stories. I just wish that his words had better art to keep the story flowing. If it wasn't for his superb prose and dialogue, this is one Bat-title that wouldn't be worth perusing. It's a shame that Snyder's work is overshadowed by mediocre drawings but I guess it can't always be a win-win deal. (Jeph Loeb and Michael Turner kind of win-win) Snyder's gets the difference between Bruce and Batman and he showcases that. He gets the personal interaction that is Bruce and Alfred and the different bond of Batman and Alfred. His words bring this volume to life and I hope that he continues to do so in vol 4 and etc. Just hope that he gets a penciller worthy of his story arc next time around.
—anniie
I think, I might give up on these kind of comics. Completely uninterested in whatever happened there and again - seemed rushed. An the art is a bit too, cartoony (?) for my taste. Maybe because it's a new villain, but tries to sell it as something that has gone way back and maybe that's the tough part.HOWEVER - the two short stories tied to the Court of Owls at the end. I think, they were pretty good. Definitely seemed more interesting than the 300 pages of the Court of Owls storyline. One's with the couple of teens who encounter Batman, and though not a new concept it's always kinda interesting when the original protagonist takes the form of a sort of a mythical being that's in the background and you get the people's perspective on the hero.Second one's with Mr. Freeze, which was a sort of a new origin story (I suppose, with "the new 52" reboot). And though also short - it did *more* than the main story with the Court of Owls with far less. And the art there was better.
—Jean
Loved it. Intriguing story. Awesome artwork. All rounder :-D
—Carinah24
