Review: Batman #22

Quick Summary

Pros: Interactions and emotions dealing with Batman are incredible and are something fans have never really seen before, in continuity. This issue pays a nice homage to the Flashpoint universe.

Cons: For a comic book event titled “The Button” this issue has surprisingly little to do with “The Button” or the mystery behind it.

Overall: Part three of “The Button” crossover event sees less focus placed on the actual mystery behind “The Button” itself and more placed on Batman’s interactions with the Flashpoint universe. On its own, this is a fascinating story as it offers actions and experiences which fans have wanted to see forever. However, as a part of this larger event, this issue ends up feeling like a side-story rather than contributing to the event itself.

Story

The last few issues of “The Button” saw Batman and The Flash investigating the mystery of “The Button” and eventually landing in the Flashpoint universe and seeing the Flashpoint version of Batman, Thomas Wayne. This, quite obviously, leads to a reunion between father and son which will, no doubt, be one that will have long lasting impacts on Batman’s life. These moments, and the return of story elements from Flashpoint (Review), make Batman #22 great but also steal the story away from any further investigation into “The Button.” Personally, I liked what happened in this issue but felt almost as if it could have be done elsewhere, rather than right in the middle of an otherwise epic story.

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The absolute greatest part of this issue was the interaction between Bruce and Thomas Wayne. The death of his parents has always been the most prominent tragedy in the life of Batman, so him having another chance to see his father again is simply fantastic. Their conversations are really touching to hear and the entire situation is heartwarming. Specifically, Bruce telling Thomas that he is a grandfather is a scene that will give anyone chills as the emotional impact it has is incredibly potent.

In addition to the general “feel-good” aura that the Wayne’s interactions have, there is one moment which stands out more than the others: Thomas Wayne’s final message, “Don’t be Batman.” Bruce overcoming Batman and freeing himself from his own pain has been a subject of fan discussion for decades and is a topic with many interesting aspects. It almost seems like Thomas telling Bruce this could be a setup for future storylines; after all Bruce is only Batman to honor his parents, so how can he keep being Batman if his father does not want him to be? It is an interesting question which I hope will be explored further at some point in the future.

Another, more minor, positive for this issue is how it brought back the Flashpoint universe, if only for a little while. DC Comics put a lot of time and work into crafting a unique and interesting history for the Flashpoint universe. This made the conclusion of the event, and thus the entire universe, pretty upsetting. Revisiting it like this issue did was a great way for DC to acknowledge its existence and give fans of the universe a special treat. In addition, it may just be me, but this issue also make me feel like this is not the last we will see of this alternate world. Something about Thomas Wayne’s final message and the way he ran toward the light give me a little bit of hope that he and the rest of the universe may end up returning at some point.

Along with the positives in this issue, there were also some negatives. The biggest of these is that this entire story doesn’t feel as if it belongs in this crossover event. On its own, this is a great story about Batman having a chance to reunite with his father. However, in terms of the storyline of “The Button,” this is a sidetrack along the way to the main event. The last issue did not answer any questions relating to “The Button” but at least it made it a central plot point. I almost feel like this issue would have been better to see as a prelude to this event, rather than as a quarter of the entire event itself.

This negative also casts some doubt over the future of the event itself. With two issues of what was essentially exposition and now one issue of a completely separate plotline, a lot of action and explanation is going to need to be shoved into one issue in order to deliver a satisfactory story. I still have a great deal of faith in the creative team behind this effort, however finishing this issue left me feeling more nervous about this event than ever before.

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Art

Jason Fabok returns for art and the results are as impressive as the last time. To see a more in depth review of the art check out our review of that issue right here.

Continuity

This comic is a direct follow-up to the events of The Flash #21 (Review) and a spiritual sequel to the events of Flashpoint (Review). It will then be continued in The Flash #22.

The storyline as a whole mostly flows out of the events of DC Universe: Rebirth and Flashpoint (Review) and does not rely much on what has happened in the previous Batman storylines. Thus, new readers will be able to jump into “The Button” crossover without having read the previous storylines from Batman and The Flash.

However, this event as a whole references other comics. Themes, ideas, and other vague references to Watchmen, Flashpoint (Review), and DC Universe: Rebirth are littered throughout the storyline of this event, so readers should read those before reading this.

Besides all of this, this issue also makes references to the following comics:

• The story of Batman falling into the Batcave and being saved by his father originally comes from the “The Man Who Falls” story in Secret Origins of the World’s Greatest Super-Heroes. This entire issue is currently only collected in the Secret Origins of the World’s Greatest Super-Heroes paperback but the “The Man Who Falls” story can also be found collected in Batman: Secrets of the Batcave