Flashpoint Batman looks to complete his family in Batman No. 73

After having his back broken by Bane in the last issue, we now find Batman at the hands of his father, from an alternate timeline, in the middle of the desert.

Writer Tom King has made Batman run the gauntlet during his 73-issue run thus far, and the center of every story there has been one central theme that has connected all the stories. That theme is hope and the subsequent taking away of said hope. Hope for a future without him, hope for love and stability and, now in Batman No. 73, King has given Bruce hope for one of the things he has been missing since before his time before Batman: the hope for a family.

That hope, which will inevitably be taken away just as quickly as it was promised, has become a repetitive theme King has used in his run to deconstruct Batman as a hero. And in issue 73 of Batman, it starts to lose a little bit of hits luster and importance, as it seems to be déjà vu for the Dark Knight.

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In “The Fall and The Fallen, Part 4,” we find out why Thomas Wayne, Flashpoint Batman, was willing to help Bane bring down his own son, and that was for the selfish purposes of trying to reunite his family by having Batman’s soul and body crushed and, wait for it, bringing back Martha Wayne from the dead, by using Ra’s al Ghul’s “Nain Pit.” This is different from the Lazarus Pit in that the former brings back those who have decomposed, while the latter restores life to those who have recently passed.

Even though this is a new and interesting premise, one can’t help but feel as though it will all end the same. With that being said, King has been able to rebound after some low points in his run so, hopefully, with the introduction of the “Nain Pit,” we can get a different ending than the one that we are expecting to happen.

Credit to DC comics and artist Mikel Janin

Even if the writing in the book may leave something to be desired, the Mikel Janin art in this book is a thing of beauty, and having to draw a rugged and worn out Bruce and Thomas Wayne really brings out Janin’s strengths. The desert landscape also brings out the best in Janin’s talents and made the comic book a page-turner in the art department.

The aesthetic for this issue is very much like the “Darkseid Nightmare” scene from Batman vs. Superman, if Scott Snyder actually did something with it. For that, both King and Janin need to be praised for bringing the book back to this world, as we have visited earlier in the run during issues 33-35 during the “Rules of Engagement” story arc.

Credit to DC comics and artist Mikel Janin

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6.5/10

A very interesting premise can’t really save this issue from becoming what seems to be a repetitive narrative in Tom King’s run. But while repetitive, the book still give us glimpses into a promising future and, thanks to Mikel Janin’s art, the book stands out as a work of comic book art.

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