Batman #698 - Mobile Edition

DC Comics
Batman #698
By Dan Horn
April 15, 2010 - 00:50

DC Comics
Writer(s): Tony Daniel
Penciller(s): Guillem March
Inker(s): Guillem March
Colourist(s): Tomeu Morey
Letterer(s): Jared K. Fletcher
Cover Artist(s): Tony Daniel
$2.99 US

I've been known to rag on Tony Daniel's previous work on Batman and Battle for the Cowl from time to time, but if Mr. Daniel keeps churning out stories like this, he's going to convert me to one of his biggest fans!

With the Black Mask finally out of the picture for the time being, Batman and Commissioner Gordon track a series of strange murders, all with the M.O. of a different villain from the Rogues' Gallery. The Caped Crusader and the police also find some unlikely (and unwanted) help in Edward Nigma. Plagued by self-doubt and insecurities, Dick Grayson reluctantly dons his mentor's cowl yet again and probes the mysterious spat of "numbers"-related deaths, only to find that the Riddler himself may be one of the serial killer's next victims.

There's no doubt that this is Tony Daniel's best writing on Batman yet. Perhaps it's that he has more time to hash things out now that he's not pulling double duty as the series' artist and scribe. Guillem March and Tomeu Morey's artwork is like a breath of fresh air on the title. With bright, pop-art colors, penciling with a manga flare, and a tasteful homage to Frank Miller thrown in just for kicks, these are some of the coolest interiors to hit Batman in years.

After counting the days until Tony Daniel would no longer be writing on Batman, I'm now wishing he had more time on the series to continue telling stories like this. If you're a Bat-fan and you've been unimpressed with Daniel's other work, you'll definitely want to hop on board this story arc. This is where Tony Daniel proves himself and makes me eat my own words.

Rating: 9/10