Fawkes/ACO

Jim’s Review

Keeping in mind everything I’ve said about Future’s End; I haven’t followed the main title, these storylines are apart from current ones, etc… Batman’s installment is really only a little bit better than that of the New Suicide Squad. The story is certainly more coherent and cohesive. I have a better grasp on what Batman is trying to accomplish, but we aren’t told nearly enough in terms of how Batman arrived at the point where we find him. Of course, this is part of the idea. Future’s End doesn’t want to show all of its hand, but the execution of it feels coy. This may be because Batman feels out of character. He’s desperate and slightly irrational here, and without knowing what got him there, it’s harder as a reader to accept it. In the end, all I can say is this issue feels like another stalling tactic on our way back to current day Gotham City after the events of Zero Year. There’s really no satisfaction in the outcome, and for that reason, it doesn’t even work as a one-and-done.

Verdict: Skip it.