All's well that ends.............
We come to the final chapter of Kubert's brief take on Damian Wayne donning the Batman cowl.
And while there's a sense of closure here, it's very apparent how much of a failed project this was.
Kubert leaves a lot of threads (some he introduced just for the sake of it) hanging here and this issue feels like a filler for something that (hopefully) will never come.
Damian's characterization and inner monologues are confusing here. And those computer text lines grate me for what may be the final time.
The art is fine as usual but the content continues to disappoint.
SPOILERS FOLLOW.............
Damian has located a beaten up Bruce at the hands of a new Joker and his gang...........and he starts the fight by thinking this Joker is uglier than the last.
What? Why would this Damian even think that?
And even his actual dialogue comes off hackneyed. This isn't Dick or Tim, to whom these words would have been more suited.
Alfred the cat (no, Kubert isn't going to explain that mess) watches Damian on the Bat-computer screen as Damian reiterates his promise of non-deadly action for the umpteenth time before killing the homicidal chimpanzee attacking him.
Damian is portrayed as a tragic figure here, caught between his father's legacy and his own natural instincts. But it doesn't feel as such.
And then we get an entire page of Batman killing Joker chimp with a rod. (reminds anyone of anything?)
The new Joker's voice through appears Joker-like thankfully as he tells his gang to kill Batman while standing safely away near a bleeding Bruce.
Then we get a big inner monologue from Damian as he tries to psycho-analyze why he became the Batman and what he needs to do to get 'respect'. Hint: It starts with a K........
It's Knock Out! Damian apparently learns to exhibit some self control and takes down his enemies without killing them.
As Damian groans and gasps for respite, the new Joker decides to take out Bruce Wayne (oh you forgot he was there? Well, bully you!) to cement his status as the Joker.
But Damian is quick and beats up the guy quickly and painfully, leaving him with broken bones. The familiar threats of 'rinse and repeat' goad Damian into ripping out the new Joker's intestines and rib cage.
Leaving him for dead, Damian unties Bruce. As they are leaving, the new Joker gains consciousness long enough to aim at the duo (how is he still alive?), but before he can pull the trigger (and maybe kill Bruce or something), the actual Joker shows up and puts a bullet through the newbie's brain.
Yup, the real McCoy is here and we're almost near the end. Do we get a final confrontation between Bruce and the Joker...........
No, we don't.
The issue comes to a close without much more happening (Batman beating up random guys doesn't count) and Damian finally 'coming' to terms with becoming the Bat.
There's a lot of eye's popping and bloodied faces in this issue (too much actually, even for Damian the Bat and this dystopian future), so definitely not for kids. Though I wouldn't recommend this book for sane people in general.
No Joker-Bruce final battle. No Father Gordon back-story. No Barbara becoming Commissioner. No explanation of how Alfred is now apparently in a cat.
Oh, who cares? Right?
SPOILERS END...............
The story fell off the rails a long time ago and we're yet to recover the remains.
Kubert tried to do too much in too little, and instead missed much of what could have been a look at a post-Bruce Wayne Gotham.
The art continued to be great, but with such disputable content, it was little more than eye-candy.
And the several threads left unresolved makes me fear Kubert may return to this story latter.
Brrr...........
So, I give it 3.0 out of 10
+The art is excellent
-Terrible dialogue
-Too many unresolved threads
-The whole issue felt like filler, which is really bad for a series finale
-An important character addition felt undeserved and was superficial
-Too many gratuitous visuals
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