Comics Fondle

Brian K. Vaughan presents “The Secret Origin of Matches Malone!” Really. He does. These three issues feature Batman going “native” as a gangster, out to kill the Ventriloquist for killing the real Matches Malone. Again… really.

DC’s reprinting this crap in a Vaughan Batman trade in a couple months, which I imagine will kill lots of brain cells as interested readers find out what Vaughan’s take on Batman is like. It’s bad, firstly. But it’s also idiotic. Vaughan takes Matches Malone and tries to literalize him (as much as anyone can literalize with the atrocious Scott McDaniel art). It’s not just the story being dumb or poorly told (Vaughan loves having the cast–Nightwing and Oracle mostly–explain the obvious to each other), it’s the setting. Vaughan sets the story in definite continuity… Matches Malone coming off like something out of a white I’m Gonna Get You Sucka and Batman coming off (not “the best,” like Oracle says) like a rank amateur. So amateur, I actually said ‘rank amateur.’

Vaughan’s conclusion to the story is offensive, the kind of tripe more suited for one of the more vapid Batman movies (possibly The Dark Knight).

It’s bad–terrible thanks to McDaniel, a good artist would have at least provided a visual diversion–and dumb… though I guess the first issue is kind of okay, but when Vaughan starts playing with points of view and multi-layered narratives….

F

Technorati Tags: Batman, Brian K. Vaughan, Comic Book, DC Comics, Scott McDaniel, Review

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