The last arc, Knightmares, was a bit controversial. For some, it was paced a bit slowly and felt disjointed. Personally, I did not have any qualms with it. Those who didn’t quite take to Knightmares, however, should respond to the beginning of this latest arc positively.

Tom King, Mikel Janin, Jorge Fornes, and Jordie Bellaire ramp up the pace right from the get-go. If you like seeing a Batman who is all punchy-punchy, you get your fill of that in this issue. Batman spends the issue making his way through Arkham punching his way through most his entire rogues gallery, with the singular focus of getting to Bane.

Fornes bookends this issue with Janin handling the main work throughout. We get an opener that quickly highlights each issue of the Knightmares arc. The color palette that Bellaire uses for Fornes’s and Janin’s work feels different but similar enough that it works well in binding the issue together as a whole, She is a supreme professional who knows how to really bring the best out of each artist’s work. The greens that she uses to light the scenes help convey that groggy I-just-woke-up-from-a-nightmare-machine kind of feeling. I also appreciate playing against type in how she lights Mr. Freeze yet still stays on his color palette as she bathes the panels in a complementary-to-his-eye-goggles red. The issue is a good jumping on point as the series ramps up towards a confrontation with Bane.