Comics Reviews: Flashpoint: Batman- Knight of Vengeance # 2 (of 3)

Written by Brian Azzarello, Pencils by Eduardo RissoPublished by DC ComicsIn Comics Stores Now!!

rating: 4

Coming from Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso, the team that gave us the seminal 100 Bullets and the brilliant six-issue Batman arc, Broken City, it should come as no surprise that this Flashpoint tie-in displays a synergy that few other creative pairings can boast. Azzarello writes to Risso€™s strengths, and Risso never lets him down, resulting in a mastery of tone and rhythm that gives the proceedings an unnerving sense of tension. The guideline on the book may read €˜T€™ for teen, but rest assured- this is truly adult material, with several moments throughout that will leave even grown men wincing. After the slow burning start of the first issue, everything ramps up considerably in this chapter, as the Thomas Wayne Batman and Jim Gordon try to track down the Joker in time to save Harvey Dent€™s children, building towards a dramatic last page that leaves you desperate for next months conclusion. It€™s the kind of plot reveal that, while completely unexpected, makes perfect sense, and I€™m sure more than a few people are kicking themselves for not having worked out the mystery earlier. It€™s so effective that you€™ll actually start to resent the fact there is only one issue left to deal with the fallout from this revelation. The world of Flashpoint Batman is so fully realized, and so humanly harrowing, that a mere three issues doesn€™t feel like enough to do justice to such a strong premise. It€™s frustrating to see Azzarello work in so many bold concepts when you know he won€™t be able to cover them in any greater depth, especially when you get the sense that every detail in this world has been thought out immaculately. Azzarello doesn€™t treat this like a throwaway series and, as a result, it never feels like one.