Written by Tom King
Penciled by Jason Fabok
Cover by Jason Fabok
Published April 19, 2017
Cover by Jason Fabok
Published April 19, 2017
Inmates at the Arkham Asylum watch a hockey game between the Gotham Blades and the Metropolis Mammoths, when Saturn Girl realizes that THIS is the game where someone dies. She starts freaking out, talking about how our friends will die before being subdued by orderlies. Inside the Batcave, Batman studies the epic Watchmen era bloody Smileyface button and watches the same game. He rolls the button along the back of his hand and as the game begins to get violent, he turns it off. Dropping the button near the Psycho Pirate's mask, an electric shockwave emanates from it, knocking him back.
In an instant, he's sees himself as his father. Confused, he calls the Flash to meet him at the Batcave to discuss. Preoccupied, Flash tells him he'll be there in one minute. Thinking he's arrived early, Batman is taken offguard and punched by Reverse Flash. He introduces himself as Eobard Thawne, previously dead but woken by some power. In Watchman homage style, he's beaten mercilessly in nine panel progressions until he finds a letter written by Thomas Wayne to his dead son Bruce. Speaking in clue after clue to the events soon to unfold in this arc, he tears it up.
Batman tells him to get out of his cave, and distracts him long enough to stab him through the foot with a battarang. He rises, fighting back as the clock ticks to Flash's arrival. Reverse Flash throws him into the TV's, telling him he can't win. Batman knows he just needs to tread water for a few more seconds. Finally knocking him down, Reverse Flash curiously pushes the button and disappears.
He suddenly reappears but burned near death, saying he saw God. Just then, Flash arrives finding a burned and very dead Reverse Flash and an unconscious Batman. What happens next though will have to wait till Flash #21 - as this issue is left to be continued.
By now you know Tom King loves to throw a ton of stuff at you in the first issue of anything. What Saturn Girl has to do with things in the beginning might be a sign of things to come. As far as the button, this issue gleams with tributes to Dave Gibbons' Watchmen series. While a huge amount of the issue is Batman getting beaten up, as if he hasn't been beaten up enough lately, it's certainly enough to get you excited where it's going. I give it a 9/10 and look forward to seeing what's next.
You can also buy my physical copy of this book HERE (Issue sold..sorry:(
Like comics? Check out my ebay store HERE.
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