Batman the Dark Knight #25

By Gregg Hurwitz, Alex Maleev and Dave Mcaig

One of the major draws of Batman The Dark Knight is that it gives focus to the many villains in his wonderful rogues gallery. The past few months have been used to flesh out clayface, who has not been that dangerous of a baddie, until recently.

Clayface kidnaps several of Gotham’s citizens and has them watch him perform on stage. Batman does some detective work to to track him down, but how will he be able to take him down, and more importantly, how can they keep him locked up for good.

Gregg Hurwitz has really done wonders developing some of Batman’s lamer villains, from the Mad Hatter to Clayface, he is making them all a force to be reckoned with. This issue flows smoothly and Hurwitz serves up another clever script. He also has some wonderful interaction between Bruce and Alfred, giving Alfred some of the more humorous lines in the issue. As the arc comes to an end, Hurwitz once again wraps things up nicely, and he shows us a Batman that does detective work and finds clues to solve the puzzle, while making the villain a real threat.

The art is dark and moody and fits the title well, but there are a few muddy spots. Alex Maleev is known for his gritty work, and he brings it in full force to this title, but some panels seem like they may be a bit rushed. He does have a sweet panel where Clayface has fallen into a gigantic barrel of lava, and a creepy smile appears, a chilling panel. Maleev does add a certain texture to this book that makes it feel like an old fashioned crime comic.

Batman the Dark Knight is a title that showcases the many foes that Batman has to face, and Hurwitz is giving them life on a monthly basis. Alex Maleev continues to draw art that fits the story being told, and he gives it a depressing and dreary tone. A quality book for any Batman fan.