Batman: Secret Files #3 Review

Writers: Phillip Johnson, Dan Watters, Mariko Tomaki + more

Artists: Riley Rossmo, John Leon, Sumit Kumar + more

Rating: 7 of 8

Batman

Secret Files #3

 

That's what I love about a box of chocolates - you never really know what you're gonna get. That's the great appeal of any anthology, such as this. You get a world and characters you're familiar with, with new takes on the familiar.

But, with different creators, different artists, it makes sense you'd get a bit of a mixed bag. For example, Vita Ayala's story is good, but doesn't do anything to make it stand out. Though it's refreshing seeing Batman try to reach an enemy and try to take them off the path they're on, given this is a more seasoned Dark Knight, it felt oddly naive. It also didn't make sense for him to do this while fighting, as at that point, there's a more important matter at hand.

Johnson's, though a simple tale, is definitely better. It's inked beautifully, which really fits both Gotham and the night itself. There's also an early shot where we see a small, dim moon in the background, which cast a beautiful light on the two heroes. It was also nice seeing Green Arrow giving advice to Batman something I don't see often. It's him that brings up a pretty good point about Bruce's cape, something I don't think I've seen brought up before, at least with Batman. Johnson also creates some fantastic moments between the Knight and Merlyn, which fits the Dark Knight perfectly. 

Tomaki's tale is definitely the weakest, largely due to Rossmo's art, which I'm not a fan of. I didn't like the panels being laid out in such a haphazard way and didn't like how simply Rossmo drew the Caped Crusader. I did like how Mr Teeth was revealed, which was pretty clever. Watter's story's definitely my favourite. Like Tomaki's, it's centered around a newer Bat-foe in Gunsmith, someone who can turn anything into a gun. Though perhaps not as impressive as Bullseye, who can turn anything into a weapon, he does work along a similar line.

Despite this, his mentality interests me, as well as what he thinks Batman's actually afraid of, so I wouldn't be against seeing more of him. Batman's monologue to a kid who's deadly afraid of him was brilliant and really helps explain his stance against guns, beyond the night his parents were killed. 

Last but not least is James Tynion IV's Deathstroke tale, which feeds in nicely both to his opening Batman arc and what comes after, which is pretty brilliant. For anyone interested in Punchline, Joker's new sidekick, this is good place to look, though she definitely gets more of a chance to shine in this week's Batman. I loved how, in a short amount of time, Tynion gave us an insight into the Joker's current mentality, one which I found intriguing. He also has a good handle on Deathstroke's character, which he shows expertly through both action and dialogue.

Overall, despite some weaker stories, this was a very good issue. For those wanting an insight on a newer character like Gunsmith, an older one like Deathstroke, or just those looking for a good read, this is definitely a good place to look.