Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsTragedy Befalls the Batmen When the Victim Syndicate Strikes Again
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2018
James Tynion starts the undoing of his team of Bat family crime fighters in this new volume that sees the group tearing themselves apart over the question of how to deal with Clayface. With news spreading of Batman's escalation in recruiting his own Gotham-based team (and Red Robin going into overdrive to try to prevent his dark future self from coming to fruition), the team is on uneven ground. With Clayface on the eve of being permanently cured of his condition the Victim Syndicate (along with a spurned Anarky) strike at the heart of the group by torturing Clayface and removing his control mechanism that helps him maintain his human form and balance out his emotions. Driven to a rampage, Clayface is revealed once again to Gotham as a monster (further deteriorating trust in Batman's choices for trying to redeem the villain). The team tries to subdue their ally, but with time running out and the Victim Syndicate's attack on their base of operations leaving them in the wind Batwoman makes a controversial decision that ends in tragedy and drives a wedge in the team. Take note Marvel, this is how you do a dramatic and emotional "team member vs team member" conflict without it devolving into some forced event. To round things out, the volume includes a touching retelling of Clayface's origins with an emphasis on his doomed film career and his childhood obsession with monsters.
