The past couple of issues of Batman: Arkham Knight have been unpredictable, to say the least. With the appearance of the Suicide Squad, the death of Captain Boomerang and the team-up between Deadshot and Batman all happening over the course of the last few issues, the series is introducing new characters and subplots back-to-back.
It is definitely keeping the book fresh. The Batman: Arkham Knight game released more than a month ago, but writer Peter Tomasi is still pushing forward with this prequel series. However, even while the book introduces new aspects of the Arkham Universe that we've never seen before, this series is at its finest when there is an overlap between the prequel series and the events of the game.
Issue #26, then, is a satisfying combination of both old and new. There are multiple new plot elements, such as Batman and Deadshot teaming up to learn more about the mysterious Project M, but it's grounded in the familiar. The pair is investigating a certain Project M involving Simon Stagg. That's a name that will instantly be familiar to anybody who has played the Arkham Knight game, so it's nice once again to see some crossover between the two.
Arkham Knight himself also makes an appearance this issue after an extended leave. If you've played the game, you know Arkham Knight's identity, but in a way, it makes reading this prequel comic even more interesting. You know the face behind the mask, and his voice and actions take on new meaning when the character is more than a "mysterious Batman wannabe."
The big surprise this issue is the introduction of a new type of villain, one modeled off of Clayface's shape-shifting tendencies. It's cool to see this comic try new things and introduce original ideas and characters, but it remains to be seen exactly how this shape-shifter storyline will play out.
Complementing Tomasi's story is the artwork of Victor Bogdanovic. This isn't Victor's first time on the series, but issue #24 isn't one of his best moments. The artwork is serviceable but lacks detail. It simply looks like Bogdanovic didn't have enough time to draw like he wanted to. Some panels are far better than others, but that makes it perhaps even more distracting because of the variations in quality throughout the issue.
This book is officially in uncharted territory with its new monster-hunting and unlikely dynamic duo in the form of Batman and Deadshot. It's certain to be an entertaining ride if the artwork can manage to keep up.
Story
★★★☆☆
Art
★★☆☆☆
Overall
★★★☆☆
More Comic Book Reviews:
Mortal Kombat #29
Batman: Arkham Knight #23
Batman #42
Mad Max: Fury Road: Max #1
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