Batman #57
Publisher: DC Comics
Released: October 17th 2018
Rating: 
Batman has been teetering on the edge for a while now. We’ve all noticed it. I think it goes back farther than the wedding-that-wasn’t, but said catastrophe certainly didn’t help his mental state much. The point I’m trying to make is this; I can’t be the only one wondering how much Batman can take before he breaks. How much he’ll put up with before he stops caring about the values he holds the closest to him.
To be fair, Batman is easily the most stubborn character out there right now. It’s half the reason why he’s never wavered on those values. Sure, he’ll leave a guy horribly maimed, but he’ll never kill him. Even if it’s the easiest solution to the problem (looking at you: Joker).
So the question is; could a villain ever get Bruce to break that point? Would it Nightwing’s killer? Now, personally my vote is no in this case. I mean, he’s seen all of his protégée go down at one point in time, including his son. Hell, that’s the whole reason Red Hood is so mad at Batman half the time; his inability to get revenge even then.
Still, that belief of mine wasn’t enough to allow me to relax while reading this issue. Knowing that Batman was tracking this guy down, and likely minutes away from finding him…well let’s just say that they set up the situation perfectly. I was on the edge of my seat.
The story being told between the pages seemed silly at first, but very quickly turns dark. Upon the revelation of what is really happening…yikes.
The conclusion is a bit of a cliffhanger, but also not. If that makes any sense at all. It’s the sort of inconclusive ending they love in Batman, so I’m neither surprised nor disappointed.
The artwork was well done in this issue. I loved the cooler color palette – appropriate both for the emotions here as well as the colder setting itself. The storybook images were somewhere between cute and macabre, which is perfect really.
Quirky Cats Comics 
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