"Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain't heard nothin' yet!" Kevin Smith’s second part of a twelve part story arc really helps you forget about what a disappointment issue one of the Widening Gyre was. And Walter Flanagan’s depiction of the dark knight is a less distracting one.
Widening Gyre #2 has a much different mood and tone in comparison with #1, which fits the story much more appropriately. The issue starts off with Batman in pursuit of a child molester, whose name is quite humorous. These panels give you an excellent description of what Batman’s thought process is during this situation. We are yet again visited by the caped and masked character, once again helps save Batman’s skin. The story then cuts to flashback, again of Batman and Robin. We also get an opportunity to see the Blue Boy Scout, and might I add, thank god Flanagan is not drawing Superman. I am not quite sure what role these flashbacks play into the current story, but Smith writes them with a lighter and campier tone, which makes them quite fun to read. This issue also marks the return of two characters to the bat-books. Silver St. Cloud makes a surprising return to Wayne Manor, and Cornelius Stirk, a telepathic cannibal who poses a real threat to Batman. I really found that Smith used Silver St. Cloud’s return as an intriguing plot point. He doesn’t just bring her back for the sake of bringing her back. Smith once again drops little references to characters which made this issue that much more enjoyable.
However, while this issue was an improvement, it still maintains some of the problems that issue one had. While I found Walter Flanagan’s art less distracting, the art is still not any better. The main reason that the art is less of a factor is because Smith is telling a better story. I also find the flashbacks to be somewhat distracting. They really detract from the main storyline. During these flashbacks, Smith completely changes the tone and his writing style. While the main storyline and dark and eerie, with some horror elements. The flashback sequences are campy and display the dynamic duo facing off against these B level villains. I just don’t understand where Kevin Smith is going with the flashbacks.
In conclusion, I think the plot is an intriguing one. I think Kevin Smith in a way redeemed himself with issue two. However, I do fear that Flanagan’s struggles are going to hurt what Kevin Smith is trying to do with this story. All in all, I think Kevin Smith is developing a very interesting story and I look forward to picking up issue three.
Batman: The Widening Gyre #2:
Reviewed by Zfactor
