Bingham spends so much time on the flashback art—I think it’s colored ink washes—it’s like he doesn’t have the enthusiasm for the present day stuff. Especially not since Guggenheim has him matching it all, sometimes splitting the panel between past and present down the center.
Both stories, past and present, are more action oriented this time and Guggenheim has less room to do a bad job with his writing. It’s still bad writing—and Guggenheim still misses a lot of opportunity, like the idea of Batman fighting an alien—but it’s not as bad as it could have been. Opening with a terribly written issue means Guggenheim probably will just improve as the arc continues.
None of those comments mean the issue is worth reading. It’s a pointless waste of time—though half the Bingham art is interesting—and there is a train wreck quality to Guggenheim’s plotting.
