Batman #115

This story has been giving just about every member of Tynion's larger Bat-family the chance to shine, and the end of the issue escalates the threat to a new level. Scarecrow continues to be a terrifying presence in the background, but one who prefers to let others do his dirty work. And that makes this story feel very different from past Bat-events. Read Full Review

Bright, fun, and fresh, Batgirls serves as an excellent introduction to what looks to be a promising run on a long-awaited team. Read Full Review

Batman #115 is another great chapter of Tynion's ambitious Fear State event. Tynion has positioned all the pieces on the board, and now it remains to be seen how the endgame plays out. Hopefully, the ending lives up to the buildup that he has given it. In any case, it will be an exciting blowout of a battle as Batman fights to save Gotham from the Scarecrow's Fear State. Read Full Review

Batman #115 is a more sedate issue than its predecessor, but no less enjoyable. Pulling on the various threads, and giving them all a bit of their time in the sun, it feels like each one is building up to a violent crescendo. As the Tynion era starts to approach the final furlong, all parties concerned are going to be feeling the after effects for some time to come. Read Full Review

This remains an exciting storyline, even if this issue leans a little too heavily into new, hastily-introduced characters being the key to everything. Read Full Review

Bengal and Jimenez deliver some solid art throughout the issue. The contrasting styles are fine on their own, but together they contribute to the disjointed nature of the story. Read Full Review

Fear State is coming to an end along with Tynions tenure on the title. So far it hasnt been the grand finale expected given the tremendous start of his run. Read Full Review

Batman's Fear Statestory carries on here, but it progresses in a much too slow way. Bouncing from multiple plots with little action makes for a rather boring fourth chapter. Expect to find some table setting in an okay chapter that could have used the zing of Jimenez's art a lot more. Still, the backup is enjoyable which makes the overall package worth a look. Read Full Review

This book looks good, but there is barely a story going on and what little we do get is boring.  Tynion can't decide who the main villain should be, and almost all the significant plot developments get forced in.  Fear State keeps becoming more and more a mess as it goes on, and that is not a good trend at all. Read Full Review

Batman #115 further expands upon the Scarecrow plot at the heart of Fear State, and it feels far smaller than the grandiose promises of an event book. It's not necessarily bad, but it's far from what this event was advertised as. Read Full Review

There is just too much going on and anything important feels poorly jammed in. This is not a good Batman story. Read Full Review

At this point, I'm checked out on Tynion's "Fear State." It's not offering anything " other than Jorge Jimenez's art " to keep me interested or invested. Once again, Tynion is writing around his story, and despite a solid set-up to the arc, there's just no substance here. Because of that, I can't recommend it. Read Full Review

cincyfan

Oct 24, 2021

Tremendous as usual! The dialogue and the depth and multiple layers of tynion's run. I'm very excited to see more of one my favorite characters Cassandra Cain as well

Screaming Enigma

Jul 29, 2023

Another good issue for Fear State, but not quite up there with the best issues of this story. The plot progresses forward a bit and, while there is some action here, the pace does slow back down. Not quite as slow as it was before the previous issue, but it’s noticeable. I also wish Jimenez was drawing the whole thing, but it is what it is, I suppose. Bengal isn’t a bad artist whatsoever. One thing I am very happy about is the backup story. If you read my review for the previous three issues, you would know I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Clownhunter story despite my defense of his character. This new Batgirls backup was actually pretty good and helped me solidify my 8.5 rating over giving this an 8.0, as I just thought it was a fun t ime with some great art. It actually sold me on trying Cloonan & Conrad’s Batgirls run. more

UxasIs

Nov 08, 2021

Batman - 8/10 Batgirls - 7.5/10

Robin

Oct 19, 2021

Kinda better then previous one still to much dialogue to the point it's not interesting sometimes, plus the book has little to do with Batman, I don't know what it is about writers writing 'Batman' but not about batman. It is not a like couple or like even a six issue arc thing, all Tom king wrote was Batcat in every story he did like all he knew about batman was his relation with Catwoman and not Tynion only writes about the new characters he has created, I get that writers earn money for characters and it might benefit him but it doesn't benefit the story or the character whose book it is. I really didn't want to say this but I can't wait for Tynion to leave and Williamson to take over. just like the issues all year it focuses a lot on the new side characters, and the whole fear state even it still kind of a mystery even though we are in the middle of it I don't know what is the actual threat, if it is just scarecrow and because of him its called 'Fear state' than it is pretty boring. It doesn't fit as a thriller because of so much information it is less interesting/ entertaining to read. more

TSMack

Oct 22, 2021

There's not a whole lot that's exciting or interesting going on in this issue. Scarecrow is going to mess with PK-01's head to forward his Fear State. Bengal is definitely not on the same level as Jimenez. Jimenez does pencil the panels featuring Scarecrow. The Batgirls backup story was OK.

KFuqua

Oct 22, 2021

I typically enjoy books written by Tynion, but this run has been torture. It's really time to move on from all of this Fear State garbage.

Gorr

Oct 20, 2021

You can tell the artwork was rushed this issue. I am a fan of Tynion, but honestly, it feels like he's focusing more on his indie titles, substack, NHOTL, and joker. However, I do find that I am enjoying Miracle Molly more with each issue. 6.5/10.

K-23

Apr 26, 2022

This issue shows what a critical piece Jorge Jimenez's art is to this run. I'm enjoying Tynion's run but do see how things get dragged out and parts feel boring or cheesy without being elevated by Jimenez's art.

Federico Liguori

Aug 11, 2023

Nope, this is not ok. I loved the entire story arc, but we're jumping the shark here. A machine that can erase trauma? Scarecrow stealing it and taking an enormous web of computers in the sewers without anybody noticing? Ivy's underground world being found out of nowhere with a simple scan? Why ruin this with useless crap?

Mout

Oct 22, 2021

at least batgirls seems nice...

retcon_D

Nov 27, 2021

So close, but so far to the end.

Comics Code Authorities

Nov 21, 2021

This is mostly just a filler issue with nothing real to add to an already bland story. If you miss it you don't miss much. I figure I could read #114 then #116 and not wonder what happened between at all. And all it cost was $5. I'm not really in suspense to see what happens next. I remember when I would be back when Part 1 ended in a cliffhanger. Then part 2 wrapped it up nicely. These days it's part 27, not much. That'll be $5. Part 28, nothing interesting, $5 please. I'm not following Batgirls so the backup story was of little interest. The only plus side is no Tynion original character in the spotlight. Save your money. If #118-121 don't improve things, I'll be doing exactly that.

Lal

Oct 19, 2021

It's a batman book with way too many side characters taking the lead and Batman himself as a supporting character. The art is inconsistent, and overall the plot is just mediocre. I'm just waiting for this event to end.

Afre

Oct 19, 2021

It's not bad. It just isn't interesting at all. This whole storyline feels very crowded. Batman feels like a side-character in this storyline. And worst of all, I don't care about anything. There just really isn't much to care. I reread Tynion's run a while back. When collected, it's actually pretty good. But when there are so many players and very little happens, it's hard to stay invested. I mean, this whole Fear State and it's prequel Cowardly Lot has been going on for over 7 months. That's a long time for one storyline. And it shows. So little happens in each part.

daspidaboy

Oct 19, 2021

It's not bad but it's not good either. Yynion has a lot of exposition here and it's the worst issue. Too many side characters as well

Psycamorean

Oct 26, 2021

This is a super bloated and boring event. I don't understand why Tynion put *so much* into this arc, with such little payoff storywise. At least, thus far. Tynion has two issues to make this all come together and my hope for that is extremely low. Jorge Jimenez isn't even drawing all of it anymore.

egonnn244

Oct 23, 2021

"Pretty sure he could punch Superman and he'd feel it" The title of this book should be "Miracle Molly #115 featuring the appearance of Batman" because the story in this issue would go in the exact same way whether the Dark Knight is or is not in it and Molly is the one doing all the heavy lifting. The first thing I noticed is the art. There must have been some script changes, probably to accommodate Tynion's departure, because the majority of the issue is in this bland, weird, manga-ish style that doesn't mesh well with Jorge Jimenez's pages. I also can't get over the fact that all of Tynions derivative characters have links to the originals and the villains in the story. Ghostmaker (discount Batman) has ties with Batman and he s tudied with Scarecrow. Gardener (discount Poison Ivy) was Ivy's girlfriend. And now we learn that Mister Wyze is discount Mad Hatter aaaand he worked with the original Hatter. Fresh and original. Just like the villain taking over Gotham again. I hope there's going to be some editorial mandate forbidding villains from taking over the city for like five years. Assuming DC survives that long. There's also a backup in here by Cloonan and Conrad duo that is bland and forgettable just like their issues of Wonder Woman that I've read and just adds to the messy continuity of the "event". more

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Merlyn - Oct 23, 2021

Cloonan and Conrad have this awful ability of turning any story, regardless of the concept, in a boring one. I have yet to read ONE good issue of WW from them. There's this Trial of the Amazons event coming up, sounds really interesting. Problem is, it's written by them so that's a no-no for me.

Stormwrath

Oct 19, 2021

This issue was really bad. Too many characters, plotlines and none of them work well, Tynion is a great writer, but his Batman is just mediocre and lacks soul. Bengal's is not great and has no impact. Batgirls was fine, Jorge Corona is a great artist and the writing was okay, but not great

Merlyn

Oct 19, 2021

This book should honestly be called "Miracle Molly" since Batman is just a sideshow for Tynion's pet character. Not even the art could save this because the art was also shitty. As was the backup. As is this whole event, Tynion can't go away to Substack faster.

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Mingthemerciless - Oct 19, 2021

2 issues left for Tynion and I hope Williamson can bring something much better to the table. This "event" has been a dud from the start and gauging by other reviews here the sidelining of Batman in his own by Tynion hasnt been well received.

DDJamesB

Oct 21, 2021

I really cant say there was much to like with this issue. Just more of the same and not on a good way. Its getting old and kind of boring.

Batman Jones

Oct 22, 2021

When Tynion prepared to take over the main Batman title, he promised to make Scarecrow into a major villain. I'm only a fair to middling fan of his writing but giving Scarecrow his due? I was thrilled. Fear and dream villains like Scarecrow or Dr. Destiny give us insight into our heroes' unconscious minds, which is where the action is at with all fictional characters and all human beings as well. So those characters aren't used enough. They can't be used enough. And Scarecrow has been the most overlooked and underused villain in all of Batman's gigantic rouges gallery. So great, I thought! Finally, I thought! A run that focuses most of all on Scarecrow? I wanted to buy every issue twice. Jimenez is my favorite DC artist in a long, long t ime and that made me doubly excited. But however many issues in now (it feels like 50), the character has yet to be used in really any way at all. He's been made a bit player in a Magistrate story that doesn't know how to end, hardly knew how to begin, and has been running in place ever since Future State. But not only has he been window dressing in a Magistrate story, he's also taken a backseat to somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 new characters. (Way to go after that sweet IP money, JT. Throw as many new characters as you can at the wall and maybe one of them will stick.) Meanwhile his eyes glower yellow in a pretty terrific new look from Jimenez and he does absolutely nothing. It is just so damn disappointing. With The Scarecrow, that potential that has lain dormant for somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 years now remains untapped. Nifty new look, truly. But that's about the size of it. He's an empty suit. Overall Tynion's run hasn't been especially bad, it's just been blah. I'd rather a story swing for the fences and be bad for missing. But no story at all is better than a boring one. In this issue the disappointment wasn't even fully leavened by Jimenez's gorgeous art because he only drew a few pages. This issue and this run gets a (very generous) 3 from me and not less for three reasons: 1) Jimenez (even if he only gets a few pages in this issue) 2) Miracle Molly, along with her Unsane Collective, is probably the only interesting new character from this run and she gets focus here 3) It's not TV's Titans, which I won't even get into here. The bastardization of The Scarecrow in that series has been laughable but that series is at least dependable in its awfulness. In the comics and on TV we were promised great things from The Scarecrow. That his treatment was so bad on TV was unsurprising. I expected more from Tynion. After a year like this, it seems Scarecrow fans will probably have to wait another 60 years before he finally gets his due if he ever does. I never really thought I'd look forward to a Williamson run on Batman, but here we are. What a drag. more

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Kmld6805 - Oct 22, 2021

This doesn’t even come close to the quality of Gregg Hurwitz’ Scarecrow arc in Batman: The Dark Knight.

Quinn

Oct 19, 2021

They have a new artist and the style is a bit jarring from what came in the past. I don't blame the artist. I always feel this way when one artist does eight issues for an arc and they then bring in another for the nineth. It's sort of a me thing, but it does affect how I enjoy the story. Sorry. Now to the meat of the issue. There's no meat. It's all healthy vegetables that explain what's going on. All tell and now show. We get, by my count, Simon Says, Batman and Ecstasy Girl, Poison Ivy and Scarecrow, all saying what the next step of their plans are. What little action is Batman and Club Drug taking down a 400 pound brute but not actually accomplishing anything. We also learn what brain machine does. It erases memories. The third Ty nion action group would then erase trauma memories to heal Gotham. The machine also apparently stores said memories. A couple of problems. How do you erase the trauma of a couple million people? Even if people stood in line and it took one minute to do the voodoo and ran 24 hours a day, that would be 1,440 per day. That is 525,600 per year. So it would take about 4 years to erase all the trauma. Not a good plan. What the machine really is is a deus ex machina. Too many people know the bat-family secrets. I predict the machine will be used to erase some memories to protect some secrets. I also suspect it is one of those you can't unring the bell devices. In the old days, when Wonder Woman had her purple ray, it was used for like one story and forgotten. Now the purple ray has become one of the foundations of the Wonder Woman universe and wars have been fought over it. The Black Mercy flower is another. It was a plot device for one Alan Moore story in like 1986, but now pops up all over the place. A machine that forgets for people might only be written for this story, but I predict it will be something popular in years to come. Think Lazurus Pit. Ra's was a villain who exposed himself to Batman and purposely kept the locations of pits secret. Now they are used to empower miniature corpses from Kandor in a Superman book. Everyone knows about them and where they are. It's another issue with all set up. There are other books, Nightwing, Catwoman, that are also setting up their role in the plot. I won't comment on those, except to say that they are also all set up. This big event has so much set up that no climax can compensate for the waiting period. (Make your own porn joke here). We have so many people with so many agendas that Batman is almost forgotten in his own book. Just keeping track of everyone slows down the action to a crawl and just makes the story drag on so slowly. Now it's expanding and dragging other books down as well. I am so done with this. AARRGGHH. Or I could be wrong. more

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Mingthemerciless - Oct 19, 2021

Lol Quinn your reviews of Tynions "event" are more entertaining than the "event" itself. Tynion and King have succeeded in what I though was nearly impossible.. stopping me from enjoying in continuity batman books. I'm hoping Williamson doesnt make it a trifecta because Tamaki is running on fumes over at tec. Thankfully Tynion has 2 issues of this garbage left before Williamson takes over with globe trotter Batman.

Quinn - Oct 19, 2021

Thanks, I am quite proud of my Club Drug nickname. I also should have pointed out that soldier two-face hanging around in an open sewer with gaping wounds is just asking for a nasty infection. Just saying, at least spray on some Bactine.

Mingthemerciless - Oct 19, 2021

Tynions entire Batman run has been an open sewer.

Mingthemerciless - Oct 20, 2021

Two issues to go and an omega issue and Tynion cant get this "event" off the tarmac. He said it was supposed to be a horror story. It's actually a horror of a story.

Quinn - Oct 20, 2021

Congratulations sir, you have won the Internet today.