Comics Fondle

This issue is a Will Eisner tribute–past the dedication, the hotel where the action mostly takes place is the Dolan–but the art doesn’t fit. For example, Don Newton simply can’t draw the Eisner-seque villain, the Squid, but he does get the mood and a lot of the angles right.

And Batman does get the crap kicked out of him, putting it very much in the Spirit realm.

But past the concept, it’s still a nice issue. Conway sets most of the action at the hotel, populates it with a bunch of thugs (and upset newlyweds), so the whole things a mix of Key Largo and a French film.

Obviously, it’s a done-in-one, but Conway really packs the issue. There’s a prologue, flashback, present action and epilogue. He fits in the newlyweds, he fits in some story for the hotel owner and the bar patrons. It’s quite full.

Of course, Conway does get to use thought balloons and, even though I’m not sure why I need to know Batman thinks a gas grenade will work if he’s just going to throw it and I’m going to see it work, this issue is another good example of why thought balloons should not have gone away. They really help the story, tonally, and they’re not intrusive, usually only one panel a page. But without them in this issue, the joke on the last page would be impossible to get across and it’s a decent joke.

Conway’s also reserved with his establishing exposition, using mostly to introduce characters and some setting.

Plus, it’s got the Batplane.

B

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