Batman Incorporated #12

Lyles Movie Files

The ending is a worthy conclusion to this run for the team with Brisson wisely not blowing up the team allowing for another writer — or himself (?) — to eventually revisit the team that deserved better than a brief, but entertaining 12-issue run.

Geek Dad

The quieter scenes with Ghost-Maker are probably the best part of the issue.

The Batman Universe

I’m disappointed that the series ends with this issue. However, I appreciate that Brisson ended the title in a way that leaves the door open for future missions. Batman Incorporated plays an important part in the Batman mythos. Despite Bruce not appearing in the series, you see his influence throughout the twelve issues. This was particularly the case as the team became willing to push back on Ghost-Maker as he pressured them to willfully kill members of Joker Inc.

ComicBook.com

Batman Incorporated's finale is a lot like the issues that preceded it – loud, action-packed, and superficial. As Ghost-Maker and the rest of the team form their last-ditch plan against Joker Incorporated, the resolution is snappy, but predictable, as is what happens to the team itself after that. Still, the earnestness and artistry on display from Ed Brisson and John Timms to make this worthwhile for those who have been following the series thus far.

Dark Knight News

Batman Incorporated #12 was a fun little distraction for the Gotham characters that no longer have a place in the mainstream Bat-books. That aside, this issue was just “ok”.

The Super Powered Fancast

The Story: The resolution of this arc feels anticlimactic. Brisson has created a great buildup of the conflict and the characters just for everything to fall flat at the end. The action is great, but the resolution of the Joker Incorporated storyline doesn’t live up to the stories that came before it. Even the resolution with Ghost-Maker doesn’t work because it gets reduced to a single speech and moment that are utterly forgettable. I think this team and story deserved a better ending. The Art: Timms delivers some great art in the issue and I loved the visual style of the series.

Derby Comics DC

There are three issues left for Grampá to establish his own perspective, but, as the review’s title implies, this story came off as Dark Knight Rises fanfic. And mediocre fanfic at that. When the pitch said the limited series was Grampá’s “twisted vision of the Dark Knight,” I didn’t realize how much this would echo Miller’s Dark Knight stories, including Batman planning to fake the death of Bruce Wayne. Such strong connections to those iconic tales make it hard not to compare the two and, unfortunately, Gargoyle of Gotham can’t stand up to Miller’s work. I worry that we are treading into the territory of DC wanting a really cool visual and being ok with whatever story was paired with it.

Batman-News

Ed Brisson just gave up? The entire book surrounds Ghost-Maker trying to live up to Batman’s standards, and then he doesn’t. In fact, the events of the second act entirely unravels the good will of the first. Overall, it isn’t saying anything, it doesn’t make sense, the art is often jagged and inconsistent, and neglects the team for most of the series. Batman put a killer in charge of a group of heroes and only accomplished to kill and traumatize them. I can forgive the book being goofy, but the biggest sin is ineffectually criticizing Batman’s effectiveness. Even if I don’t approve of crafting DIY electromagnetic weapons, making the impossible reasonable is what makes Batman special. In that sense, most of the team prove themselves worthy of the cowl, even if they clearly need to find less challenging professions.