“Cacophony” features two major super villains in the shape of the Joker and the mysterious and Onomatopoeia. Both of them are after Batman’s blood but it is a mystery if they are they working together or is it merely a coincidence. Batman’s agenda is to capture these two miscreants and stamp out Gotham’s new designer drug “Chuckles” whilst trying to stay alive.
I don’t normally read superhero books but I do have a certain soft spot for Batman though mainly due to the movies rather than the comic books. I picked up this book as an impulse buy without reading any reviews (If I had read the reviews I probably wouldn’t have bought it) and it is the first Batman book I have read in many years. From the point of view of someone who doesn’t read Batman but listens to Kevin Smith podcasts regularly, I actually found this to be an enjoyable and engaging read. I thought that the story was interesting and the “Joker” was well done (suitably psychotic) and I was impressed by the new super villain “Onomatopoeia”. The dialog was a little corny at times and there were some inexcusable spelling mistakes in the text but It didn’t distract from the plot.
Many of the reviews I have read on Cacophony really slate Walt Flanagan’s artwork but I actually enjoyed it. The joker looks a little strange at times and Batman doesn’t look like I think he should without the mask but the action is well done. The book uses a good color pallete and crisp clean art to good affect. It was a combination of the art and Kevin Smith’s name that made my impulse buy. Overall I thought it was a good super hero type adventure. and I will be buying the next TPB in the series.
Perhaps this is a just a book that appeals to people who dont read Batman, or superheroes in general, but I thought it was worth a read. [ISBN-13:978-1401224196] . 7/10
