DC Comics reviews for week of 9/21/16 – Batman #7, Superman #7, Justice League #5

Batman #7
Night of The Monster Men part 1

Following the I am Gotham story and the outstanding Detective Comics #940, Night of the Monster Men is an ill-timed crossover. There’s more significant character fallout in the wake of those two events. Having Team Batman fight a bunch of monsters just doesn’t quite hit the same emotional chords. This definitely doesn’t seem like the best time to have a monster invasion story.

Gotham is bracing for a hurricane and Batman readies the troops, including Nightwing and Batwoman, to operate as first responders. If Gotham safety was truly a priority wouldn’t it make more sense for Batman to call in the Justice League?

Writer Steve Orlando addresses the events from the other Bat titles, but it’s lip service that at times doesn’t truly sound like Batman. The first issue is all about establishing the tone of all this arc and teasing Hugo Strange’s involvement.

Riley Rossmo’s pencils are creatively laid out and the character expressions are well done. Given the quality of the Batman titles, this was a bit of a letdown. Worst case scenario, Night of the Monster Men will prove a decent enough distraction to allow the regular creative team to get a breather and get ahead before their return.

Rating: 6 out of 10