Batman #23 Review

Writer: Tom King / Artist: Mitch Gerads / DC Comics Despite being a member of the Justice League and taking on Darkseid, Batman never forgets about the common man. He’s as much a superhero as he is a detective and issue #23 of Batman from Tom King and Mitch Gerads focuses on the latter. The “Jordan number” issue of the series produces “the strangest team-up in history!” by pairing Batman with none other than Swamp Thing. The issue is a bit of an ode to Alan Moore, who famously revitalized the character of Swamp Thing and wrote one of Batman’s darkest stories to date in The Killing Joke. Swamp Thing and Batman are both very dark characters, and Mitch Gerads’ art in this issue sells that tone with every page with a noir-type look. The issue starts when a man who lives the life of a lonely shut-in is found shot dead in his apartment. While Commissioner Gordon and Batman speculate on a suspect and motive, Swamp Thing grows out of thin air and appears behind them. Again, Gordon has the response you’d expect a normal person to – shock at a giant green mass suddenly appearing – while Batman doesn’t even flinch. It’s revealed the murder victim is Swamp Thing’s, or Alec’s, estranged father.

Back at Wayne Manor, Bruce – out of costume, by the way – and Swamp Thing discuss the loss of life. They’re both dealing with the loss of their fathers in very different ways. Swamp Thing, being a walking forest, believes in the circle of life and doesn’t view life as linear. He’s seemingly handli…