Batman #6

[sherkahn]

Boy, the preview I posted sure painted a dire picture for the Dark Knight.

How would you ever get out of this one, Batman?



I am BATMAN!

Batman has been drugged from eight long days of his ordeal. He hungry, exhausted, stabbed and beaten to be as defenseless as a newborn, and willing to give up in order to stop the pain, the Court of Owls is ready to claim their prize.

1. Mistake #1: You monologued/gloated.
2. Mistake #2: You gave Batman hallucinogenic drugs.
3. Mistake #3: You reminded him that innocent people were in peril, or were your victims...

You f'ed up.





Batman is unleashed.

(And my fan-boy heart goes aflutter..)

Comments

[ex_cherrybomb869]

Oh my STARS that is some unfortunate looking art.

[darkknightjrk]

Oh yes, Batman unleashing a can of whoop-ass was rather glorious. :D

"I am SICK to DEATH of OWLS!"

Also the old lady that seems to be the head of the Court looks to be a sick customer. Actually reminds me a bit of Grandma from Preacher.

[darkknightjrk]

How is it unfortunate?

[shadowpsykie]

... i think i wet myself...

[ex_cherrybomb869]

His teeth! Batman has no gums!

[drmcninja]

Maybe so, but I absolutely love the way our Owl-y friend looks there!

[lonewolf23k]

He's Hallucinating at this point.

[darkknightjrk]

In that sequence yes, but he's, to put it lightly, tripping balls. In the issue he goes from being weak and defenseless like he was last issue to looking like the Incredible Hulk with fangs depending on how well he's going in the fight with Talon.

[ex_cherrybomb869]

Aaaah, okay. That makes sense, but I still don't like the stylized gumless Batman, especially since he's going all Liefeld on us in the bottom of the final page.

[jetblack927]

I know this is Capullo, but geez, when did Batman suddenly become Spawn?!

[ex_cherrybomb869]

I'm just trying to figure out how his outfit works.

[gerardotejada]

I grow up with Spawn (and Savage Dragon, and Witchblade, and Shadowhawk, ok also Darkness) and I always loved Greg Capullo's style.

This are Dark Times when everyone "swear" they readed Starnan or Sandman (and even try to buy old Issues to have some proof) and are ashamed to admit they ever owned anything IMAGE, yet Spawn had pretty good writters when Capullo was on pencils.

RAWR!

[glprime]

"Batman is unleashed."

Ah, shit.

When you know Batman is the beast inside of all victims who have been PUSHED. TOO. FAR.

[auggie18]

I was sorta hoping that this event would bring Bruce's brother back into continuity. Is it looking like that might happen?

[superfangirl1]

My what sharp teeth you have batman.

[atom_punk]

Just read this issue and HOLY HAND GRENADES! things are getting nuts.

I was practically cheering aloud when Batman tossed aside those crazy Owls and started grappling with the Talon.

Never would I have thought I would read the words "I am sick of owls" and think it was the most hilariously badass thing ever, but Batman and Scott Snyder proved it can be done!

Don't want to add spoilers but the next few pages had me rooting for Batman, worrying for Batman and the last panel had me going "Oh snap"

Definitely worth a read!

[thefiretonight]

When he started tripping out on drugs.

[bewareofgeek]

You and me both, Bruce.

[cypherfdp]

Wait what?

[auggie18]

http://comicsalliance.tumblr.com/post/14945724145/dear-alex-you-think-youve-got-problems-with-your


There used to be a funnier article about him out there, but I can't seem to find right now.

[aeka]

I'm probably alone in this, but the fact that Batman somehow "summoned" the strength to beat the shit out of Talon despite being eight days without food felt like such deus ex machina to me that I couldn't even tell if I was supposed to find Batman's 'triumph' over Talon climactic or not.

After eight days of no nutrients, there's no way your body's going to have the energy--let alone yet the strength--to stand up and literally punch a guy through stone walls (however soft they may be) and be able to sustain your momentum. Even on the attempt to get physical in such a poor state, your efforts will quickly be hampered by a sudden feeling of weakness, nausea, and lightheadedness, you won't even be able to move. Not even I or my fitness instructor friend (who's more fit than I am) can engage in any intense physical activity without experiencing those symptoms after one day of fasting alone.

So yeah, as much as I would've wanted to feel excited for Batman ultimately 'triumphing' over his enemy, I found the execution so implausible it felt anticlimactic to me instead. :/

[sistermagpie]

Earlier in the story Bruce talked about being trapped in a room as a child for something like 3 weeks. I couldn't figure out how he survived that either.

[espanolbot]

Not sure, possibly the same thing that allowed him to survive being buried alive in a straitjacket in RIP after being injected with crack cocaine and heroin? Or him realising that innocent people needed help caused him to have a massive burst of adrenalin akin to a parent lifting a car off of a baby or something.

Either way he's not really going to be in good shape when he gets to the end of the arc.

[mrstatham]

I don't know as it's meant to be a 'likeable' image. It's pretty much equivalent to the scary Monster-Batman Crane sees when he's under the influence of his own toxins in Batman Begins. It's meant to look like a monster.

[sherkahn]

You know he is on drugs....

[aeka]

Didn't know about the being-buried-alive-after-being-injected-with-drugs bit since I didn't read most of RIP, but yeah I'd still say it's a deus ex machina in either case. If you haven't eaten in eight days, your nervous system (being the *largest* consumer of energy) isn't even going to have the fuel to efficiently produce and release epinephrine for a proper adrenaline rush. That's like a car somehow being able to miraculously go at full speed on an empty gas tank.

[aeka]

But still low on glucose and thereby low on energy and not functioning at full capacity. Drugs are designed to either stimulate or depress a function, they don't get metabolised by the body. If anything even the drugs should've killed him by now...

[pyynk]

I owned the first Cable tpb, a good chunk of X-Force, the first two or three years of Spawn, two copies of X-Ecutioner's Song (one sealed, one opened), and MacFarlane's run on adjective less Spider-Man. And I thought Justice League International was stupid. Yeah, I own my sins.

I initially was REALLY hesitant when Capullo was announced on Batman. I got REALLY spoiled after a year with Jock and Francavilla, I can admit that. But Capullo is turning in work I'm really digging. His work these last couple of months is absolutely outstanding. By no means is he my favorite Bat artist, but the work he's doing is terrific.

[atom_punk]

Heh. After years of reading Batman comics, my disbelief is so suspended you could build a life-sized replica of the Golden Gate Bridge from it.

I agree that it does seem to be a deus ex machina moment, though when I read the comic the first time through I didn't really feel that for two reasons:

1) after seeing the Owls outmaneuver Batman for the last few issues, Batman being able to fight back in anyway was almost cathartic

2) Trying really hard to avoid spoiling but immediately after these scans, something happens that swiftly takes the wind out of Batman's wings so even this victory is a temporary one

[atom_punk]

The Talon's costume? Found this image that I'm guessing is from a future Nightwing issue (since he appears in the background) that shows some more details.

http://www.comicvine.com/talon/29-80530/all-images/108-550928/ntw_cv8/105-2164620/

It looks like its a black hood (since it appears to move and flex with his head and neck) with goggles on a strap around his head, with a crest and beak made of metal.

His body armor seems to be made of leather or some kind of Kelver-like material with decorative seams in an "owl-y" pattern

[sistermagpie]

I think what's maybe also nice about it is when Batman's in Mary Sue-mode it's because he's already thought of everything. But this part of him's vulnerable and imprecise and emotional. It's the thing that really gives him the strength to be Batman, but you don't often get to see it.

But still, everything's ridiculously exaggerated. So Batman after 8 days is more like somebody else after 48 hours or something.

[atom_punk]

Heh. Just imagined Batman as voiced by Christian Bale's ridiculous rasp:

"Well my extremely elaborate and possibly overly complex plan failed...

As did the equally absurdly prepared contingencies B through Z....

Time to punch people!!!"

[kurenai-tenka.livejournal.com]

All my love for this issue. Snyder and Capullo are amazing. <3