DC Comics Review: Batman: Confidential #28

Rating: ***

The final part to the King Tut storyline is here. This was a very good story. It’s funny after reading this story, I almost wish DC went with the funny 1960s version of King Tut, but as I said before DC has Maxie Zeus to fit that role so it would be redundant here.

The Riddler and Batman continue to match wits as they work together to take down King Tut. When we last saw them, it looked like the were caught in Tut’s trap and died in an explosion - obviously they escaped. Similar to the old movie serials we are shown exactly how they escaped just prior to the explosion. I like the relationship here between Batman and the Riddler. I think writers Christina Weir and Nunzio DiFilipis do a better job of this pseudo good Riddler than what Paul Dini was doing in over in “Detective Comics”.

Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez is still a master with his artwork. Some great action sequences that help tell the story. Batman and Riddler save the day and send King Tut off to jail. However, by the looks of the things, this will not be the last time we see Tut as he now has a queen to help him rid Gotham of Batman.

“Batman: Confidential” continues next month with the return of the creative team of the previous story arc Andrew Kreisberg and Scott McDaniel. They team up once again to to tell the story of the police officer who has gone insane thanks to the actions of the Joker. See you next month for the beginning of the two-part storyline entitled: “Bad Cop.”

DC Comics Review: Batman: Confidential #27

Rating: ***

This months issue of “Batman: Confidential” is a continuation of the first appearance in comic book form of the 60s television show Bat-Villain King Tut.  As I mentioned in my post on part one of this storyline, this King Tut is different in appearance than the one on television show.  Which is fine, since today’s Batman doesn’t really need to fight a big fat guy.  He’s got the Penguin for that.

To recap, employees of the Gotham City museum are being targeted by Tut. He’s speaking in riddles as he commits the crimes, which results in the Riddler wanting to take him down just as much as Batman.  So much so that the Riddler escapes from Arkham to take Tut out .

The artwork provided for this storyline is done by veteran artist Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez.  I wasn’t reading DC back when Garcia-Lopez was at his peak, but it’s nice to see him get some work at his age (He’s 60).  It’s too bad veterans like Jose aren’t getting more work.  His work reminds me of when I first started reading Batman when Jim Aparo was the main Bat-artist. 

Click to continue reading DC Comics Review: Batman: Confidential #27

DC Comics Review: Batman Confidential #26

In my previous reviews for “Batman: Confidential”, I’ve talked about how much I’ve enjoyed the previous storyline. The previous storyline dealt with Batman’s first effort to bring the Joker in for booking and it was great. I read the advanced solicitations for this issue a while back and how DC would be introducing the 1960s Batman television show villain King Tut into comic book continuity and I decided I had to check out how they would do it. Well, although the character is much different from the television show, I really enjoyed this first issue of the King Tut storyline.

In the television show, King Tut was a Egyptologist named Professor William Omaha McElroy who worked for Yale University. After hitting his head, the professor developed amnesia and began to believe that he was King Tut reincarnated. I think the reason DC didn’t go with a character similar to the television show was not because the character was so campy, but because DC kind of already has a character who acts like this in Maxie Zeus.

In this issue, King Tut is going around and killing people and he’s doing it while saying some riddles. This causes Batman to go visit The Riddler in Arkham Asylum to see if he is somehow connected or even behind these murders. The Riddler denies that he’s involved and he offers Batman is help to catch him. Batman of course turns him down as he doesn’t trust the Riddler.

Tut has killed two people already and the Riddler provides Batman with a clue to the next victim. Batman is too late and the victim is dead. Batman heads back to Arkham to confront the Riddler again about his possible involvement in these crimes, but he finds him missing from his cell.

This story is being written by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir - the writers who wrote for Marvel Comics’ “New Mutants” and “New X-Men”. This team is very underrated and they write some good stuff. The art is provided by veterans Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Kevin Nowlan. It’s nice them getting some work. I don’t even remember the last book Garcia-Lopez worked on.

If you’re big a big Batman fan like I am, pick this up and have some fun.