Batman finds a room of dead bodies and finds that Gotham may be behind them all.
Time has passed, and things are not going well for the two new metahumans in Gotham City. Fans of the book were all waiting for the turn, but the reasoning makes sense, and it brings back an old DC villain, which is working from the shadows here. Once again, writer Tom King delivers a lot of story in a short amount of time. However, that's a bit of a double-edged sword for the overall issue.
What's really working is that King and artist David Finch (and company) are delivering something that feels old and new all at the same time. The problems Batman faces in this issue and story are more than "a villain is on the loose." The issue introduces Amanda Waller and a group she's closely tied to. This is all setting up a story down the road, when King will give Batman his own Suicide Squad. There is a lot of building here, which at times, can detract from the main story.
There is a lot of great things going on with the art. Finch did the pencils, Sandra Hope and Matt Banning did inks, and Jordie Bellaire did colors. As we've stated before, this is some of Bellaire's best color work to date. It's dynamic, moody, and complex. Finch does some great work as well, and the problems I had with some of his art on Wonder Woman are not an issue at all here. The only confusing thing is Amanda Waller. She's back to her original look in Suicide Squad: Rebirth, but looks more like her New 52-counterpart here.
The problem within the issue comes from some weird pacing moments, later on. Batman is full-on in conversation with Amanda Waller, then there's jump to Batman talking to Gotham. It makes sense within the context of the story, but it's a jolting moment. On top of that, while there is a lot of great stuff being weaved into this issue, at times, it can feel like a pile-on of information. The overall issue doesn't progress the main story as much as many fans would like.
Batman is throwing a lot at the reader, but all of it is really interesting. It's a book that seems to be always building towards the future. However, the main story, in this issue, is a tad lacking. Regardless, this fantastic creative team is really delivering some great moments and a story that mixes the old and the new. We highly recommend checking this series out.