(W) Tom King
(A) Mikel Janin
(CA) Tim Sale

“I AM SUICIDE” part four!
As Bane decimates Batman’s team, the Dark Knight must decide how far he’s willing to go-and who he’s willing to sacrifice-for those he left in Gotham City.

The fourth installment of “I am Suicide” hits shelves today, and with that comes the realization of what the title actually means.  (And here we all thought it was because Batman was forming his own Suicide Squad.)  Like everything from King’s current arc, some people are going to love it while others will be cursing his very name.  For all of you Catwoman fans who were on the verge of brandishing your pitchforks and torches, I can’t wait to see your reaction to the twist that King has decided to add to Batman’s origin.  I read it with slack-jaw and bewilderment.

Issue 12 feels very much like a mirror to #10.  Both feature an action heavy plot that unfolds as we read a letter.  But where as #10 featured a letter from Catwoman to Batman, this issue features the reverse.  In the aforementioned issue, I found it peculiar to be following Batman’s story visually while simultaneously reading a letter from Catwoman that didn’t coincide or relate with what was unfolding on the panel.  The same can still be said of this issue, but at least this time around we get to read Batman’s voice while watching him.  Still, I felt like I was reading two separate stories.  One involving a self evaluation on Bruce’s part and the other a surgical strike on a compound.

The single greatest element this issue has to offer is the outstanding artwork provided by Mikel Janin.  I’d go so far as to say it’s the best I’ve ever seen from him.  Aside from the first and last page, everything else in the book is a stunning two page spread.  As such, the story goes by very fast.  But if you take the time to enjoy each spread for the amazing artwork put on display, I’m sure you’ll get more enjoyment out of the issue than just from the story proper.  In a way, it almost feels like a portfolio showcasing all of Janin’s talents.  We’ve got collages, closeups, sprawling exteriors, dynamic layouts, explosive action, facework, perspective shots, interesting angles, and even some straight up artistic shots.

I also really appreciated certain elements of Bruce’s letter.  Specifically, the self evaluation he undergoes.  How, at his core, Bruce realizes he is just a child; that the way he has chosen to carry out his war against crime is, in fact, very much actualized from the mindset of a child.  Any adult would have found more practical ways to deal with their pain, but he is still dealing with it in the limited way a child would approach it given their narrow understanding of the world.

It’s also interesting to hear Bruce discuss the realistic perspective involving the absurdity of a grown man, being dressed as a giant bat, fighting crime.  As longtime purveyors of comics, we don’t usually give this a second thought.  Of course Bat-Man fights crime.  That’s what a Bat-Man does.  But if we had no basis in this for comparison, we would think it was strange.  If I said I was going to dress up like an alligator and hand out saplings on Arbor Day, I’d imagine I’d get some pretty large sideways glances.  And that’s got to be the same way some people see Batman within the comic world.  We like him because he is a cool badass character seeking vengeance.  But without the concept of Batman being ingrained in all of us to some degree or another, it is a strange idea to take at face value.

My third and final positive for the issue is the fact that Batman, single-handedly, takes out Bane’s entire complement of mercenaries.  He systematically works his way through the prison, taking out bad guy after bad guy.  It’s almost like a video game where you have to clear every level before you make it to the boss stage and finally get to fight the big bad.  Admittedly, I would have preferred it if some sneaking about had been integrated into the montage, but I’ll take what I can get.  While I don’t care for the head on attack strategy displayed throughout the story, I never found it in question that Batman should be able to take all these guys out, given the right circumstances.  So, it’s nice to see him doing it, whether or not I approve of the exact methods being utilized.  With that, let’s just jump to the negative, where my first one directly correlates to this positive.