rashthedoctor's review
3.0
So this is a prequel story to War Games and as prequels go this wasn't all that bad , it involved one major story involving a new crime lord of the hill gang, attached to it was a decent story about a pregnant woman who was shot but with no bullet were ever found . The detective work involved was fantastic , the art work decent but the overall stort at times got convoluted. This book also had the tale of Stephanie Brown's short run as Robin, which was again Okay.
tshepiso's review
3.0
This is technically my first batman comic and I'll say I'm not all that impressed. i find bruce as a character more often aggravating than indearing. which made the first handful of detective comics issues a bit of a drag to get through.
the plot of the comic overall hones in on the shifting power of Gotham's street gangs. seeing batman's attempts at manipulating the power vacuum and following other vigilantes like tarantula onyx and Orpheus was fun enough but nothing on that front of ever-building mystery ever truly hooked me.
the book did lift up with its introduction of Stephnie brown's robin. Stephanie is an incredibly charming character. her spunk and determination made her a compelling character and she softened batman's hard edges in a way that made him a more appealing character to follow. her time as Robin was unfortunately shortlived but it was fun while it lasted
another reason the back half of this s comic was overall more engaging than the front was Damion Scott's art. while Pete woods did a fine job in his work on detective comics the noticeably dark and muddled aesthetics of that series became honestly a bit boring to read. the switch to the more lively robin series with its bouncy aesthetics and bright colours more suitable for teen heroes added some much-needed vitality to the art.
Overall Batman: War Drums was fine. It's clearly setting up a larger story but the self-contained arc in this story like batman battling against the Santa priscan murge and Stephanie brown's time as robin were entertaining enough to read on their own
the plot of the comic overall hones in on the shifting power of Gotham's street gangs. seeing batman's attempts at manipulating the power vacuum and following other vigilantes like tarantula onyx and Orpheus was fun enough but nothing on that front of ever-building mystery ever truly hooked me.
the book did lift up with its introduction of Stephnie brown's robin. Stephanie is an incredibly charming character. her spunk and determination made her a compelling character and she softened batman's hard edges in a way that made him a more appealing character to follow. her time as Robin was unfortunately shortlived but it was fun while it lasted
another reason the back half of this s comic was overall more engaging than the front was Damion Scott's art. while Pete woods did a fine job in his work on detective comics the noticeably dark and muddled aesthetics of that series became honestly a bit boring to read. the switch to the more lively robin series with its bouncy aesthetics and bright colours more suitable for teen heroes added some much-needed vitality to the art.
Overall Batman: War Drums was fine. It's clearly setting up a larger story but the self-contained arc in this story like batman battling against the Santa priscan murge and Stephanie brown's time as robin were entertaining enough to read on their own
littlesmaug's review
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
3.25
Pros:
- Steph!
- Cass!
- Babs!
- Onyx!
- Multiple female villains
- Bruce having friendships (well okay Alfred and Leslie but still)
- Mentions of Jason and Dick
- Detective Bats
- Orpheus was an interesting character
Cons:
- I didn’t like the art from the Steph POV chapters (her hair just distracted me)
- Very stereotyped “gangster” behavior from a white author — also the popstar storyline made no sense
- Pacing was off — too fast at points, just right at others
I’m torn on if Bruce firing Steph over things other Robins definitely pulled was a con. I think it truly shows how much he learned from Jason and that pulled at my heartstrings hard. But it also feels like another iteration of sexist Batman (slightly odd considering he’s got Babs and Cass).
Anyway, I landed on my ⭐️ rating because I don’t think the story will stick with me and it didn’t make me think “I have GOT to read War Games now.” But it was still a fun read and I’m sure it set up the continuation nicely.
- Steph!
- Cass!
- Babs!
- Onyx!
- Multiple female villains
- Bruce having friendships (well okay Alfred and Leslie but still)
- Mentions of Jason and Dick
- Detective Bats
- Orpheus was an interesting character
Cons:
- I didn’t like the art from the Steph POV chapters (her hair just distracted me)
- Very stereotyped “gangster” behavior from a white author — also the popstar storyline made no sense
- Pacing was off — too fast at points, just right at others
I’m torn on if Bruce firing Steph over things other Robins definitely pulled was a con. I think it truly shows how much he learned from Jason and that pulled at my heartstrings hard. But it also feels like another iteration of sexist Batman (slightly odd considering he’s got Babs and Cass).
Anyway, I landed on my ⭐️ rating because I don’t think the story will stick with me and it didn’t make me think “I have GOT to read War Games now.” But it was still a fun read and I’m sure it set up the continuation nicely.
virginiaduan's review
4.0
Oooh... this is what a graphic novel should be all about! I loved the artwork and story lines and all the ancillary superheros that were involved. The story isn't finished yet and I look forward to reading the next three volumes. Good stuff.
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