Batman: Arkham Unhinged #3 (Comic)

Early last month, I took a look at the second issue of the Arkham Unhinged tie-in material for the outstanding Batman: Arkham City. While it managed to be a pretty good follow-up to the first issue, its art could have been better, since the odd penciling and inking proved to be distracting. This issue, which is very self-contained compared with the previous one, not only shows how well Derek Fridolfs can write Batman characters, but the art is also a better step in the right direction.

Before I truly begin, I want to say that I am aware of the length of time it is taking me to review the Arkham Unhinged issues. The thing is, I'd like to review them quicker, but at the same time I have other things going on and plenty of other reviews planned, be they video games or otherwise. At this point, it's the best I can do based on how I've prioritized things (the DmC comic in fact was reviewed before this because it was a collection of a completed comic, which has higher priority for review than a comic still being published).

The story of this issue, "Ruffled Feathers", deals this time with The Joker and The Penguin, more specifically their relations from the latter's point of view via narration (this is despite Joker being prominent on the cover). Basically, a deal conducted by The Penguin for supplies has gone awry, thanks to Joker's intervention. After scolding his remaining henchmen, Penguin decides to explain how his "no clowns" policy came into being. The execution of the plot in this manner creates a pattern that is obviously influenced by the book originally being in three digital parts, but it works well for separating the story into a good beginning, middle and end coupled with an effective framing device. What motivation is revealed for the aforementioned "no clowns" policy actually makes sense, since it's revealed that it has to do with Joker publicly humiliating Penguin, as Oswald Cobblepot, at the Iceberg Lounge. Based on how Penguin explains this, I can understand the animosity toward Joker and its influence on his actions. I'm not quite sure what to think of the last third of the book, since I'm not sure when during the game that could have happened, but it does end the story on an interesting note that seems to be there only to cement this animosity. Overall, the writing proves to continue being good.

Thankfully, the art is also up to par. This time, however, there are two pencilers, Simon Coleby and Bruno Redondo, whose art styles seem to better match the tone of the Arkhamverse than last issue. Gabe Eltaeb's coloring is also good, with darker colors to compliment the atmosphere nicely. The only chink in the art this time, I'd say, is the inking. I can't tell who of the three inkers, Coleby along with Santi Casas and Cliff Rathburn, did which section, but there's an odd bit of over-inking that seems to emphasize the circle around the eyes a little much, as well as making Penguin look just a little older than necessary (yeah, he's old, but come on). Still, I like the art better and I hope that this quality, with a little tweaking, persists in future issues.

Arkham Unhinged thus far hasn't been able to legitimately disappoint me in these rereads. The writing continues to be strong and the art has only gotten better (though it did hit a low last time, so it's more noticeable). The inking is a little off, but otherwise everything comes together well to create a Penguin-centirc issue that is worth reading to understand what's going through his mind during Arkham City.

Batman: Arkham Unhinged #2 (Comic)

Last month, I began reviewing the Arkham Unhinged series of tie-ins for Batman: Arkham City. The first issue left good impressions when I first read it last year, but I knew that I was going to keep buying the physical print issues no matter what. This leads me to my review of the second issue, in which I will try not to discuss how it compares to the first issue, but rather review it as a story on its own. Having reread it though, I noticed that while it did make some connections to previously reviewed material, it manages to do something different, though not entirely well.

The story this time, titled "Observations", concerns Commissioner Gordon, as seen on the cover (I didn't mention this last time, but if you notice from here on out, you can tell who will have the issue's focus based solely on the cover art). This time, there is a framing device in which Batman and Gordon are on a familiar roof discussing what they've managed to find out about Hugo Strange and his involvement with Arkham City. Since the story is laid out in this fashion, I found it to be a nice attempt at something different. The book not only manages to tell this story well, but does so without violating any previous established continuity, including a callback to the Arkham City digital material and what is basically an extension of the events of the first Arkham Unhinged issue. Derek Fridolfs manages to do a pretty good job once again within the limitations he is given.

Where this book begins to fall apart however is the interior art. The pencils and inks for the issue were done by Brian Ching and John Livesay respectively, and while it seems like they have an idea of what they're doing, it seems their combined skill can't even match Mark S. Miller (though I didn't really expect them to). The art seems to have a sort of webcomic feel to it, since the construction of each character's heads actually feels a bit off when they aren't conveniently covered up by a mask, as with the Tyger Guards, or cowl, as with Batman. Unfortunately, the problems don't stop there. As I went through the story, and through skimming through an additional time, I couldn't help but notice that Ching seems to have a problem with drawing eyes and mouths, since I only counted about eight panels with visible eyeballs and fewer with open mouths that weren't just parted lips. It kind of gives the feeling that the characters are speaking even though their mouths are closed the whole time (try to say "They've been thorough." without opening your mouth and you'll understand), as well as how clever Ching is in trying to hide what he can't draw, since when he does draw an open mouth he's pretty bad at it. There are specific panels where a bit of structural genius shines through, but those are few and far between, especially considering that there are a couple where Gordon's cigarette seems to float between his fingers and another where the fingers appear to be broken to fit a certain position. Livesay's inks and Tony Aviña's colors do a good job of making everything look better, but they can only do so much to salvage it.

While Derek Fridolfs continues to tell a pretty interesting story, it is the art that becomes the weak link. Thanks to the pencils, the art has some noticeable patterns in demonstrating what the artist can't do, and yet it is clear that Ching can do a layout pretty well. Though this issue is overall not as good as the first, it's still worth picking up for some nice background information on the events before the start of the game.

Batman: Arkham Unhinged #1 (Comic)

Soon after reviewing the amazing Batman: Arkham City video game, I learned of the existence of a tie-in comic called Batman: Arkham Unhinged. I had already read the Batman: Arkham City comic, and later reviewed it, but I was curious enough to pick up this book, especially since I had enjoyed the game and wanted to read the expanded universe. As promised in my review of Batman: Arkham City - End Game, I'm finally going to share my opinion of the Arkham Unhinged material, though I have opted from the start to review each print issue individually. The reason for this is that even though they all have the same writer, each story is pretty self-contained and the artist, and by extension the art quality, varies between issues. Today, we'll be taking a look at Arkham Unhinged #1 to see how well it creates a first impression.

The story of this issue, titled "Inside Job", takes place before the events of the game and, according to the credits, is based on a teleplay by Marly Halpern-Graser. At this point in time, Two-Face and Catwoman are the only criminals who have not yet been taken by Tyger guards to the recently constructed prison known as Arkham City. After Selina Kyle suits up, she receives a call from Harvey Dent, who has decided that she will go to the prison instead of him. Just then, a group of Tyger guards invade her apartment in an attempt to capture her, but she manages to fight back and flee through a window before they are able to react. As she witnesses her wall safe being emptied, she encounters Batman, who plans to take her out of the city. Inside the Batmobile, she decides she'd rather get her stuff back before trying to leave with the masked vigilante.

Inside Job goes at a pretty good pace, wisely spending its 30 pages setting up the background for Catwoman's story in the game proper. As I was reading, I began to understand why Catwoman felt animosity towards Two-Face and why it was important that her side of the story play out the way it did. Though the story was conceived by Marly Halpern-Graser, Paul Crocker and Sefton Hill, Derek Fridolfs manages to channel their idea into a script that reads pretty well. Everyone's personalities worked well on each panel and I could hear the character's voice actors saying each line, at the same time mentally fitting it neatly with the game proper. In the end, I have no real complaints story-wise and don't really have any major questions about events. The only thing I will say however is that I know it collects three digital issues, and at certain points I could tell where a section might have been from those digital issues, which just gives it the effect of being slightly awkward.

Aside from the good cover art by Dave Wilkins, the interior art by Mark S. Miller, with colors by Gabe Eltaeb, really fits the art style of the games and is great to look at. However, I do have some issues with it. While the characters feel like they do in the games, there are some things that come off as a little awkward and actually feels like it was meant to be a digital comic. Miller's art is definitely meant to work for specific lighting and angles, since sometimes the texture of the lines doesn't seem quite right, like a shot of Hugo Strange where it almost feels a little too smooth. Batman also has a rather awkward pose at one point, which may be good perspective wise, but just feels plain odd with all of the elements that are in the shot; this is to say nothing of the one panel that makes it look like he might have an 8-pack chest (or maybe there are different muscles highlighted as well, I'll admit I'm not an expert when it comes to that).

The majority of my complaints are directed at Catwoman, since she gets the most screen time. Sometimes, her expressions seem a little off, though I can't quite put my finger on why. It's not that they make her unattractive, it's more like they seem a little too expressive (ex. mouth open a little too wide). Then there's her figure. I'll admit, even in this comic she's easily one of the hottest characters in the DC universe; the comic even takes every opportunity it can to show off her cleavage without being spine-breaking in posture (so props for that). Unfortunately, I have something to say that's a little hard for me to admit, but here goes: her breasts seem a little too big. I'm going to ignore that the size is a little different from her appearance in the game, it's more of an issue of practicality regarding her flexibility and stealth. There's one scene that depends on her to drop down from a corner to knock out a Tyger guard, but I think gravity would have made that feat more difficult. Big breasts can be a sign of how powerful a woman is in a fictional universe, at least according to the "Boobs of Steel" trope, but the size just doesn't seem to suit her and I'm a little surprised that no one tried to disarm her by taking advantage of that weak point. But I play stealth games, so what do I know?

Overall, this comic is a pretty good example of what a tie-in comic should do. It uses the characters rather well and gives a solid background for one of the sub-plots in the game proper. However, the art, while commendable, is a little disappointing in some areas. Still, I felt that Mark S. Miller clearly has some real talent and Derek Fridolfs proves that he can write something well for an expanded universe story without Paul Dini (the scriptwriter for both Arkhamverse games). If you've played the game and see this issue either in print or online through a reputable vendor, do yourself a favor and pick it up. I think you'll find the three dollars to be well spent.