Batman '89 (2021)

[Silver Nemesis]

Here are my immediate thoughts on issue three. Minor spoilers ahead.

I felt lukewarm about the previous issue and I was hoping to be more positive about this one. But to be honest, I thought this was another rather middling chapter in the story. Not terrible, but not as good I'd hoped it would be. I really want to love this series, and I'm very grateful that we're even getting it, but I'm still waiting for that moment where it clicks for reasons more substantial than nostalgia.

We're now halfway through the series, and while there's been plenty of character development there still isn't much in the way of a central plot. The main antagonist still hasn't really stepped up, although the psychological groundwork has been thoroughly laid for him to do so. I thought Two-Face would finally embark on his criminal career and state his main objective in this issue (and by 'main objective' I mean his practical aim – destroy the city, kill Batman, etc – rather than a vague ideological goal), but apparently we're going to have to wait at least one more month for that. If this was a twelve-issue series, I'd be fine with the pacing. But we've only got three issues left.

I still think Harvey is the most interesting character in this story, but did he really need to spend an entire issue ruminating on quantum mechanics and parallel universes? He should have become the antagonist by now. This slow burn approach to his character arc would have worked better if there was another main villain, like the Riddler or Scarecrow, to pick up the slack. But without a central antagonist for the first half of the series, it feels like we've been left with a bunch of B-plots rather than a strong central villain-propelled A-plot. Hopefully this will change when Two-Face breaks bad in the next issue.

Regarding Catwoman, you can tell it's not Daniel Waters writing her. She doesn't really feel like Pfeiffer's version to me. Other than that one line about her psychiatrist, her dialogue is more what you'd expect from a generic comic book version of the character. Which is how Hamm wrote her in his Batman II script. This might change when we see the vulnerable Selina-side of her personality later on, but right now I'm thinking it might have been better to have left her out of this series and then perhaps have Waters write a proper Burton Catwoman comic further down the line.

Maybe it would have been better to focus on a love triangle between Bruce, Barbara and Harvey. Sure, it would have been similar to The Dark Knight, but this series is already taking so many cues from that film that I don't think it would have mattered if they'd pinched one more plot point. I don't find this particular version of Barbara terribly interesting so far, and I wish they'd develop her relationship with her father more. Speaking of which, where is Commissioner Gordon? It would be nice to see him reacting to some of the events unfolding in his city, or better yet becoming involved in them. I know Jim got sidelined a lot in the Burton-Schumacher movies, but he played a bigger role than this in the 1989 film.

In general I'm really feeling Burton's lack of involvement. The comic is missing his twisted gothic sensibility, both in terms of the visuals and the storytelling mechanics. But then I appreciate that this isn't really the third Burton Batman movie many of us were hoping for – it's Hamm's continuation, and it needs to be evaluated as such. Even on that score, if you were to strip away the Burtonverse window dressing I think it would be a fairly routine retelling of Two-Face's origin story. Imagine if Batman didn't look like Keaton and Dent didn't resemble Billy Dee Williams – would this story really stand out?

I'm starting to think this comic would have worked better if it was set between B89 and BR. Then it could have been a direct sequel to the 1989 movie. Vicki could have been the main love interest and the narrative could have depicted the breakdown of her relationship with Bruce. The Joker's reign of terror would have been fresh in everyone's memories, with some of his henchmen still at large and a vacancy existing at the head of Gotham's underworld. The transition between mayors could have been depicted, and Max Shreck could have appeared in a minor role foreshadowing his political machinations in BR. Dent's absence from BR would make more sense if he'd already become Two-Face in between films. They could even have depicted the earlier Red Triangle Gang attack on Gotham that Gordon alluded to in BR. Then, if the series was a success, they could have got Waters to work on a sequel series set after BR. That second series could have tackled Catwoman's return and Robin's origin.

Sorry to dwell on the negative. I am enjoying the series, and I'm thankful that it exists. I just wish I could think of more positive things to say about it. But it could still pick up. I suspect the best part of the story is yet to come, and that it'll really come to life in the second half. I just wish the events of the first three issues had been condensed into two so that we could have gotten to the meat of the story much sooner.

[Gotham Knight]

I think #3 kicks it up another notch and I'm loving it so far. I was pleased (though not shocked) that they refused to pull the trigger on Harvey and instead allow for the descent, then end the issue with a decision rather than a payoff.

Catwoman and Robin are great and in Burton fashion they allow for Bruce Wayne to now properly have a more active involvement in the story as it starts to roll.

It was clear from jump street that Hamm was going to be more traditional. He always was more in line with the face values of the Batman mythos than Daniel Waters. That's not an out of line thing to say, nor is it an issue. He is careful about what he adds and how he adds it. It feels natural largely because he remains the chief and original architect of this version of the Batman universe.

Catwoman is more traditional, but Hamm uses her motivations from Returns to make the transition. Smart. It pointedly retains the schism between Batman/Catwoman's ideologies which is where Waters came the closest to tradition. Very smart. I also have to point out that, for my money, B89's Catwoman is nothing like her original Hamm Batman II counterpart. BII's Catwoman was an unsympathetic sociopath with no redeeming qualities. She was no more than a cutthroat assassin and fetishist who liked Batman because it was 'kinky.' Already, B89's has demonstrated that she is a genuine love interest whose alignment is that of a vengeful antihero who has even taken a stab at confronting the Batman wannabes. That isn't Batman II. Not in the slightest. Way to go, Hamm. Keep it up!

[Silver Nemesis]

Hamm's definitely not recycling his Batman II Catwoman, and you make a good point about her motivations. I think for me the main issue is that I always found the Burtonverse Selina more interesting than the Catwoman persona. That vulnerable confused side of her, who is awkward around men, is uncertain of her place in the world, and is struggling to reconcile the two conflicting sides of her fragmented identity, is what distinguishes the Burton Catwoman from all the other versions. So far we haven't seen that side of her in the Batman 89 comic. I think we will in the upcoming issues, and perhaps then it'll start to feel more like Pfeiffer's Catwoman for me. But so far, her dialogue – which lacks Waters' distinctive spark of acerbic wit – could have been spoken by any version of Catwoman. It could be Pfeiffer's version, but it could just as easily be Hathaway's Selina chewing Baleman out for fraternising with corrupt one-percenters. I do like the way Quinones has drawn her though.

I could be wrong about this, but I strongly suspect Catwoman's inclusion is a plot point that's been foisted on Hamm by the editors. The same goes for the inclusion of Robin. Hamm's a good writer, and given the choice I don't think he would have chosen to base his Robin on deleted material from another writer's treatment. The editorial team most likely mandated that he use this particular version of Robin. If I'm right, then this would explain why the series is so overstuffed relative to its six-issue length. I think they're trying to juggle too many storylines at once, and this is what's slowing down the pace and making the whole thing feel unfocused. Burton quite rightly chose to cut Robin from B89 and BR for this very reason, but here I sense that wasn't an option. I'd say the cast of characters and subplots needs streamlining, or else the series needs to be extended beyond six issues.

Just to reiterate, I don't think issues two and three were bad. I think issue one was a good start to the series, but that issues two and three were mediocre. If things pick up in issue four, as I'm expecting, then the series as a whole could still be a success. One thing I am concerned about is the riot storyline. Remember last year when people were arguing online about how Batman would respond to the George Floyd protests? If Hamm attempts to answer that question in this comic, the result could prove divisive.

[Gotham Knight]

[Silver Nemesis]

This might well be the sexiest-looking Catwoman ever. The yellow border's a nice touch too, and evokes the old Batman 89 trading cards.

[The Dark Knight]

This might well be the sexiest-looking Catwoman ever.

I'd have to skim around other comics to be sure, but indeed, that's my initial thought too. I like that they're taking their time fleshing things out with Harvey, but hope things don't feel rushed towards the end. The Batman/Catwoman dialogue didn't feel authentic to me, and I'm also apprehensive about how they'll handle these riots. How things wrap up will play a huge role in my overall assessment. I have to admit though, your sequel to the original film idea is great, and would've justified the B89 moniker even more.

[The Laughing Fish]

Those sketches of Selina Kyle resemble more like Sharon Stone than Michelle Pfeiffer. I'm getting Basic Instinct vibes by looking at the first two sketches on the left.



I read the latest issue. I thought it was the weakest out of the three chapters released so far, but it's not terrible. It's just a mixed bag.

SPOILERS:

The Harvey Dent backstory continues to develop rather nicely. I liked how he lived the perfect political life he could've asked for a year since he rescued Drake from the fire, when in reality, he had been unconscious for only a few minutes. It reminds me of this story a guy told on Reddit, who claimed he thought he spent the next ten years living a great life, until he regained consciousness from an assault he had suffered moments earlier.
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/oc7rc/have_you_ever_felt_a_deep_personal_connection_to/c3g4ot3/?context=3

The explosion that erupted from the garage and struck Harvey reminded me a little bit of how he got disfigured in the end of Two-Face Part I in BTAS. Nice to see a Prince homage that was traced wearing a pro-Dent T-Shirt during Dent's dream. I totally bought how Dent dreamed of all these delusions of living in different universes and quantum physics because of the sulfuric acid he breathed in during the fire would've contributed an enormous factor to his psychosis.

What holds the issue back is the dialogue. It was too soapy for my liking, and Batman and Catwoman's encounter on the rooftop was the worst offender, in my opinion. The only thing you could appreciate is Catwoman implying she's seeing Dr. Q, aka Harley Quinn as a callback from the previous issue.

So the saga is halfway done. I hope we get to read a compelling reason for Catwoman's return and see Barbara speaking to her dad.

[Travesty]

I was hoping to see more adventures following Batman in this, and instead, it's just all the other characters with a tiny bit of Batman.

I dunno, I haven't been enjoying this as much as I thought I would. It's only 6 issues, and we just got to the Two-Face transformation, while we're still juggling Robin and Catwoman. Batman feels like an afterthought.

[Gotham Knight]

Sweet Jesus!
BATMAN '89 #6

[eledoremassis02]

Sweet Jesus!
BATMAN '89 #6

Best thing to come out of this so far!