Robin has been captured and is about to be killed by Flashpoint Batman. Will Batman and Catwoman arrive in time to save him? Spoilers for Batman #81 follow.
“City of Bane” has been a roller coaster so far with much of it being phenomenal. It truly has proved to be a great send-off for Tom King’s run on Batman, at least through the first six issues though. In fact, there has rarely been a lackluster issue, except for Batman #57. Well, add Batman #81 to the lackluster column. For most series, this would be a decent issue, but for how strong King’s Batman has been, it simply doesn’t hold up. There are some great elements to this issue, but it’s weighed down by others.
This issue isn’t bad by any stretch though as the best part is the fight between Flashpoint Batman and the Bat-family. It’s a clever way to bring the Bat-family back into Gotham while also developing the mindset of Flashpoint Batman. Of course he’s not willing to kill someone he considers flesh and blood. He’s had that taken from him before, so why would he willingly take it by his own hand. The thing is though, the actual Bat-family view him as the aberration he is. For being a fight scene with very little dialogue, there’s a lot of subtext to it.
The problem of this issue runs into Batman explaining everything to Catwoman. Like during “The Fall and the Fallen” this issue explains everything that’s happened up to this point, making everything fit into the story in the right place. However, unlike “The Fall and the Fallen,” it’s not the effective. It’s not that it’s poorly written exposition, it just doesn’t seem to work. It doesn’t really flow with the issue or present any huge revelations, minus Clayface being on Batman’s side, which is a continuation of James Tynion IV’s Detective Comics run. It’s not that it’s bad, it simply doesn’t flow with the rest of the issue.
As for the art in the issue, I’m generally not a fan of John Romita Jr’s art. There are some obvious exceptions to the rule, i.e. Daredevil: The Man Without Fear and The Eternals, but generally, I’m not big on his art. And that’s kind of the same with this issue. None of it is bad, but it never really pulls you in the way it should. Like the exposition, it doesn’t really flow and just feels like it’s there to be there. There’s nothing of note going on besides, again, the Clayface stuff. The fight is interesting, but it’s not the most dynamic thing ever.