DC Comics Review: Batman and Robin #4

Rating: *** 1/2

A little bit of a letdown with this issue relative to the three previous ones, but it was still very good.  I think the letdown for me came more with the artwork by Philip Tan.  The previous issues with artist Frank Quitely were very good because he tells a good story visually with his artwork.  Tan’s, however, doesn’t do much for me in the issue.  Some parts of the story are too dark and I didn’t enjoy the panel-to-panel storytelling.  Quitely’s artwork gave me a grand epic feeling.  Tan’s work seems cramped and jumbled.  However, the story of this opening arc is still very good.

We open with a villain by the name of Lightning Bug collecting some money from a club owner.  Just as he’s about to pop this guy, the Batmobile swoops in and hovers right behind him.  Lightning Bug makes a break for it and crashes through an apartment window.  He makes his way out of the apartment into the hallway and meets up with who he thinks is Batman and Robin, but is instead the Red Hood and his new partner Scarlett.  The Red Hood has decided to go a different route to fight crime and instead of handing this guy over to the police, the Red Hood cuts his throat and kills him.  “Let the punishment fit the crime” is his new slogan for punishing criminals.

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