Batman: Cacophony #1 Review - IGN (original) (raw)

Few comics have left me feeling so torn - both before and after reading them - as Batman: Cacophony #1. The thought of reading a new Batman story penned by Hollywood darling Kevin Smith is enough to make most fans salivate, assuming they can forgive Smith the chronic lateness of his past few projects. And I have to admit my interest waned a little when DC indicated Cacophony would take place in a pre-R.I.P. time line, which was hardly the impression they fostered during its announcement this summer. Actually reading issue #1 brings up a similarly conflicted batch of emotions. There's no denying that Smith turned in one hell of a script on this one. Much like Grant Morrison, Smith manages to find a fresh voice for one of the industry's most heavily exposed characters. On the other hand, this issue displays just enough odd idiosyncrasies that my overall impression is a bit dulled.
Surprisingly, Cacophony is as much about Joker as it is anyone else. In a situation not unlike the recent Joker graphic novel, the Clown Prince of Crime is unhappy with how his legacy is being tarnished whilst locked up in Arkham. An unexpected encounter with the oddball villain Onomatopoeia provides Joker with the chance to hit the town and sully his good name once more. Muck Like Joker, Batman feels like more of a second-string player, though not quite to that extreme. Smith devotes far more attention to Joker and a handful of C-List Bat villains, all to largely winning results. I can't say I've ever cared about Maxie Zeus, and I long ago wrote off Mr. Zsasz as a one-note gimmick. Here, both villains get their own chance to shine for a while. That's to say nothing of Onomatopoeia, who all but steals the show from Joker in his brief appearance.

As expected, it's Smith's dialogue that carries the day. His writing in Cacophony is every bit as witty as his movies. Formerly joke villains become, if not outright threats, then at least compelling antagonists. Smith's Batman is a bit too wordy in his monologues, but he comes across as perfectly menacing when he actually opens his mouth. My only complaint with Smith's script is, unfortunately, a fairly major one. Smith's penchant for gross-out humor is more apparent in this issue than it really needs to be. Joker in particular suffers from a severe case of sexual deviancy. It's best not to even describe his escapades, but rather let you read them for yourself and decide if they're really in character. Personally, Smith's Joker reads as if he were being played by Jason Mewes, and that's not an interpretation I can fully get behind.

The art in Cacophony is handled by Smith's longtime friend Walt Flanagan. It's always interesting to see in cases like this whether the personal relationship between creators leads to better end results. Flanagan is no slouch as an artist, but it's tough to name any one area where he really excels. His storytelling is clear, and he seems to have a particular handle on Onomatopoeia. On the other hand, his backgrounds tend to be sparse, and his facial expressions are all over the map. Flanagan seems determined to vary Joker's expressions from panel to panel as much as humanly possible. Even for an extreme character like Joker, this effect never works like it should.

Cacophony should prove an enjoyable read for most Bat-fans as long as they keep their expectations in check. This isn't anything more than a self-contained and particularly well-written story that could fall anywhere within the past few years of Bat continuity. And for all the good work Smith does with many of the characters in these pages, it's hard to ignore a few glaring faults in his writing. Still, as long as the book doesn't hit any shipping snags in the remaining two issues, I think this Cacophony will be anything but to Batman readers.

Jesse's Score: 8.3

Another Take by Daniel Crown

Kevin Smith has a dirty mind. In all seriousness, he's quite twisted. Don't get me wrong - I say this in an endearing sort of way- it's just that while his warped skew on the superhero genre works rather effectively when applied within the proper trappings, sometimes his lovingly debauched humor can also cause too much of a distraction from the creative flow of his stories. With that said, even though Cacophony isn't perfect, it's fairly clear that Smith was born to write Batman. Of all the fictionalized worlds that constitute the comic book medium's collective playground, Gotham is as naturally suited for Smith's personal propensities as any he could have come up with himself.

Now before anyone chimes in with the inevitable accusations usually aimed towards reviewers as they approach Hollywood converts, like say Joss Whedon, it should be known that I am no Kevin Smith fanboy. I've enjoyed a few of his movies (notably Dogma and the first Clerks), but I would in no way characterize myself as a die-hard Askewniverse junkie. So I'm going to put a preemptive kibosh on the argument that this book is immediately overrated due to any inherent Hollywood luster. The truth is, Batman Cacophony is pretty damn good, regardless of who wrote it.

Whereas Smith's adult-oriented approach came across kind of creepy in Spider-Man/Black Cat (maybe even inappropriate considering some of the subject matter he chose to deal with), his risqué, violence-driven narrative fits naturally within Cacophony, mostly because of the pieces he's allowed to play with. To start with, Onomatopoeia is one of the coolest new villains of the decade. The character's introduction in "The Sounds of Violence" was enticing enough that I'd been anticipating his next appearance, and it seems that Smith has found the perfect role for the criminal as he continues to develop his mythos.

As for his handling of the Joker, with the exception a few weird (though admittedly funny) sexual jokes, I warmed up to his take on the Clown Prince as the issue progressed. There have been so many characterizations of Batman's arch-nemesis over the past year, that it's almost as if there are multiple versions of the character running around the DC Universe, and we as the reader are left to figure out which one of them is authentic. But then again, one of the best things about the Joker is his mercurial nature, so I wouldn't condemn this phenomenon outright.

Smith has gone with the quippiest version of the character; imagine Mark Hamill's interpretation from Batman the Animated Series, only with a potty-mouth. A lot of the sexual stuff seems slightly out of place, as I've always seen the character as a sort of asexual being who is far too deranged to concern himself with such matters, but this doesn't completely derail Smith's interpretation as most of the character's dialogue seems spot-on.

When I heard that Smith was dragging along Walter Flanagan into the Cacophony mix, I admit my initial reaction was to cry about a blatant fit of "cronyism". Not that I doubted Flanagan's abilities, I just wasn't sure how a guy with limited experience in mainstream comics would handle such a marquee undertaking. In the end, his pencils go a long way towards accentuating Smith's dark humor, most notably in how he handles the Joker, but there are also a few annoyances involving variances in proportion and disposition. Though, for the most part, these issues are minor, and he manages to tell his story fairly well.

Regardless of any underlying, pre-affixed opinions of Kevin Smith (be they good or bad), I'm fairly sure every Bat-Fan will enjoy Cacophony. The idea behind the "Chuckles" drug is solid, and the resulting struggle stemming from its existence should make for a chaotic, unpredictable second chapter. This issue was a lot of fun from beginning to end, and as long as the author can meet his deadlines, I think we're all in store for a rather memorable mini-series. Smith feels right at home in Gotham, and I can't wait to see what kind of depravity he has in store for us next month.

Crown's Score: 8.7