Batman #700 Review
For a comic that's exactly 60 years old, it managed to insert all its history without dealing with the leftover bulk. This is not only a visit through all of Batman's history, it also has an engaging story that manages to link the past, the present, the future, and the beyond, all into one. It is my honor, to make the review of Batman #700.
The plethora of artists contributing to this issue is outstanding in itself. Tony Daniel, Frank Quitely, Scott Kolins, Andy Kubert, David Finch, the list is impressive. I was quickly enamored with how much care they have taken to make this story look every bit as commemorative as its numbering, and they did not disappoint. The gallery that follows after is equally impressive, with contributions from artists that had the shot of giving their renditions of Batman. When I saw Tim Sale do his rendition of Batman, it quickly reminded me of The Long Halloween, which gave me a nostalgic euphoria that was greatly appreciated. Bill Sienkiewicz's rendition as well as Phillip Tan's and Dustin Nguyen's renditions were marvelous to just look at every detail it garnere, and that's just the sampling.
Onto the story, Grant Morrison has done it again with managing to co-relate events and characters that were from different eras of Batman into a single, enjoyable story. In the "Yesterday" section, he has captured the loony vibe of how Batman was when it came out with Issue #1 back in Spring 1940, with a little hint of modernization, as detailed when the section concludes. Jumping into the "Today" part, it shows how Morrison manages to keep sections connected, while paying tribute to events that passed as well, noticeably including Frank Miller's mutants from The Dark Knight Returns, albeit less animalistic. However, the sudden switch from Frank Quitely to Scott Kolins caught me off-guard, but it was easy to get into, to a point that it was a welcome change of pace. The "Tomorrow" part was easily the most intriguing to read, for it's easy to tell that this takes place after Batman #666, with a shocking twist that no one could've thought of. As it becomes more and more obvious, the running motif in all the stories is the number of minutes left from one case till the other, hence overall time. And to cap it off, the "And Tomorrow" arc not only manages to include one aspect of Batman in the future, but it also includes different aspects, such as SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content. Truly, this is an issue that embraces its whole history, without boring you about it.
As I stated before, this is an issue that relies heavily on readers to know the previous incarnations of Batman, so this may alienate readers, but not to the point that it's a complete utter WTF moment that Morrison has done infamously in Final Crisis. And this is just purely an aesthetic complaint, but couldn't the cover be imprinted on a glossy cover like in The Return of Bruce Wayne? At least I would've appreciated that if I'm going to pay $5 for this issue.
This issue is not one to overlook, to miss, or to just simply discard as a "flavor of the month". This issue, mark my words, is a grand achievement amidst the current hoopla of The Heroic Age and such. I definitely recommend this issue to be bought, you will not be disappointed. 5/5 MUST-OWN
The Good
The plethora of artists contributing to this issue is outstanding in itself. Tony Daniel, Frank Quitely, Scott Kolins, Andy Kubert, David Finch, the list is impressive. I was quickly enamored with how much care they have taken to make this story look every bit as commemorative as its numbering, and they did not disappoint. The gallery that follows after is equally impressive, with contributions from artists that had the shot of giving their renditions of Batman. When I saw Tim Sale do his rendition of Batman, it quickly reminded me of The Long Halloween, which gave me a nostalgic euphoria that was greatly appreciated. Bill Sienkiewicz's rendition as well as Phillip Tan's and Dustin Nguyen's renditions were marvelous to just look at every detail it garnere, and that's just the sampling.
Onto the story, Grant Morrison has done it again with managing to co-relate events and characters that were from different eras of Batman into a single, enjoyable story. In the "Yesterday" section, he has captured the loony vibe of how Batman was when it came out with Issue #1 back in Spring 1940, with a little hint of modernization, as detailed when the section concludes. Jumping into the "Today" part, it shows how Morrison manages to keep sections connected, while paying tribute to events that passed as well, noticeably including Frank Miller's mutants from The Dark Knight Returns, albeit less animalistic. However, the sudden switch from Frank Quitely to Scott Kolins caught me off-guard, but it was easy to get into, to a point that it was a welcome change of pace. The "Tomorrow" part was easily the most intriguing to read, for it's easy to tell that this takes place after Batman #666, with a shocking twist that no one could've thought of. As it becomes more and more obvious, the running motif in all the stories is the number of minutes left from one case till the other, hence overall time. And to cap it off, the "And Tomorrow" arc not only manages to include one aspect of Batman in the future, but it also includes different aspects, such as SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content. Truly, this is an issue that embraces its whole history, without boring you about it.
The Bad
As I stated before, this is an issue that relies heavily on readers to know the previous incarnations of Batman, so this may alienate readers, but not to the point that it's a complete utter WTF moment that Morrison has done infamously in Final Crisis. And this is just purely an aesthetic complaint, but couldn't the cover be imprinted on a glossy cover like in The Return of Bruce Wayne? At least I would've appreciated that if I'm going to pay $5 for this issue.
The Verdict
This issue is not one to overlook, to miss, or to just simply discard as a "flavor of the month". This issue, mark my words, is a grand achievement amidst the current hoopla of The Heroic Age and such. I definitely recommend this issue to be bought, you will not be disappointed. 5/5 MUST-OWN
