Well, Gothtopia has ended. John Layman's run is over. I must admit, when I got Detective Comics #27, Layman's introduction to Gothtopia was among my favorite of the stories, and I found it very intriguing. The last two issues, however, haven't lived up to the start of this story. And I think the fault of that isn't necessarily on Layman, but more on Lopresti (on art). And I don't mean to knock on the guy. He did a nice job on art. It's just that his style is so different from Fabok (who did the first issue of this story), that it's kinda jarring to read through. I'm not familiar with Lopresti, and I'm assuming he is newer to the industry, but it seems as though his storytelling could use some work.
I did enjoy as Batman walks us through what he is experiencing as he is hallucinating. Turning Scarecrow's drug against him, without showing us, and giving us a fake teaser twist to the story was a neat experience. I enjoyed the moment that Batman and Catwoman had near the end of the story. It reminds me of their pre-52 relationship.
I did like the concept of this story. I just think I would have enjoyed it more if it was executed better. I would have liked Layman to go out on a higher note than what he did, but I also hope this isn't the last time he writes for a Bat-family book.
Detective Comics #29:
Reviewed by Corbin Pool
