Originally Posted by
Zorkel567
While I think it was a little too early to do a Bat-family event, I'm excited for Fear State and I've been enjoying Tynion's run, so I'm excited to see how this goes. I'll be picking up Batman #112 and Batman #113, though I'm not sure how I feel about it going back to double shipping. I've been trying to limit how many monthly books I've been buying for my wallet's sake. I am really interested though, in the Clownhunter back-ups. I've liked the little bit I've read of him so far, and having been missing since December, it'll be fun to see him come back in August for his Secret Files issue, and then in September for the back-ups. I'm hoping this leads to a more consistent presence for him.
Miracle Molly is not who I would have expected for the next Secret Files issue, when I feel like there's a good amount of classic/pre-existing Bat-characters that could use some love. But she's been fun in Batman so far, and it makes sense to tie into Fear State. She seems to be following the Punchline/Clownhunter path, with Tynion writing a special to flesh out their origin story/backstory before launching more into the character. I wonder how long until we get Ghostmaker's origin story.
I think this'll be the first Urban Legends issue I don't pick up, as only one of September's stories interests me- Cass in Future State- and the rest don't hold any interest to me. I'm curious as to how long those stories will be, and how soon until we return to more present-day stuff.
The Joker seems to be digging in more, and I'm glad to see the Punchline back-up seems to be making some real progress. I'm enjoying both stories a lot, and am looking forward to seeing where they go. I am surprised it seems Babs is just now fighting against the Talon from the most recent issue. While #5 is a flashback, I figured that would be dealt with in issue #6.
Nightwing is joining Fear State, and I know that's likely to be controversial. While I don't think it was necessary, especially so early into Taylor's run, I think it'll be fun to see him join in on the action and flesh out the Fear State story more. I just hope they don't totally ditch and derail Taylor's story, otherwise, it'll start to feel like Higgins' run all over again.
Robin's just now getting into the tournament itself. It's definitely taken longer than I would have expected from the beginning, but the first couple issues were laying a lot of the groundwork and characters, while 3, 4, and 5 all seem fun and interesting in their own right. I'm just glad to see Damian getting some focus and his own story.
I enjoyed Second Son a lot, so I plan to pick-up I Am Batman as well. The solicit doesn't give much of an idea what the plan is currently for the book, but I like what Ridley's done and it feels like a fresh, new take that I'm excited a lot for. It reminds me a bit of the Batman Reborn era, with I Am Batman serving kinda like the Batman and Robin book, a chance to flesh out the new Batman and give them their own story and villains. I'm hoping that Ridley is able to build Jace his own rogue's gallery, rather than just leaning on existing Bat-villains.