Batman: Killing Time – Chapter 5: A Very Good Price
Batman: Killing Time #5 is the penultimate issue of the DC Comics run by Tom King and David Marquez. I think this issue is stronger than the last. Issue #4 had a bit of a fall in its stakes and tension but with A Very Good Price, we get an insight into more character motives and, finally, the overarching villain is revealed. Let’s start with a quick recap.
The opening five pages showcase a slaughter. In Moldorff Park, 623 miles west of Gotham, 234 named but unknown characters dressed like classic villains are absolutely hammering Federal agents, and each other at times, with weapons big and small. At this stage, we have no idea why or how this mob began murdering and being murdered; however, with the use of time stamps (as always), the reader knows all will come to fruition with this storytelling model.
In this issue, we are made privy to the “powers” of the mysterious object being thrown around from day one. Whoever so holds the Eye of Christ—a stone eye in a box—holds the world. This sentiment is repeated multiple times throughout the story, shown in thousand-year flashbacks. It does not touch on Ancient Greece, where, from memory, I think it originated but goes through Sparta and Achron, and Constantinople, showing The Eye of Christ’s journey to the hands of Ra’s al Ghul (shown in Issue #3).
As the story goes on, we see Nuri Espinoza planning a sneak attack with federal agents to take back the Eye of Christ from Riddler without paying him the money she promised. This ambush will, supposedly, provide her with the goods while also taking out some of the most prominent villains—Riddler and Catwoman—via snipers. But unbeknownst to her, Penguin has also organized an ambush. It is he who gathers all of the wannabe villains in the Iceberg Lounge and proposes the mission to take out Riddler and get the Eye of Christ.
Meanwhile, Batman and The Help are powering towards Moldorff Park on a motorbike and arrive just in time to save Catwoman from Espinoza’s point-blank shot. This tackle sends the Eye of Christ rolling down a hill, narrated by the all-knowing, time-loving voice who has narrowed these events down to the second. A hand pulls the coveted prize from the grass and the panels pull up to reveal William Tockman: The Clock King.
As I said earlier, this is a much stronger issue than its predecessor. Beginning with a gangland slaughter and naming the murdered characters got my brain into overdrive. I’m not privy to every DC Comics character but I have a good handle on it; however, Tom King decided to give names to the unnamed henchpeople who tried to emulate their favorite villains. I particularly liked seeing ripoffs of Victor Zsasz, Zatanna, and Firefly. What I’m getting at, is King has gone back to the roots of the storytelling with Issue #5 by leaning heavily on the time-structured mystery and tension, coercing us to piece the story together rather than spoon-feeding it to the reader.
The artwork by David Marquez is brilliant as always. Those opening pages of the fight really allow him to exhibit his skills by grabbing aspects of all Batman villain lore and showcasing each of their power skillsets, i.e. frozen bodies à la Mr. Freeze or a Mad Hatter look alike. Not only are the drawings and inking done superbly but the colors by Alejandro Sanchez are also really poignant at times. There’s a frame of an aspiring Joker that is doused in a purple and red and pink hue, almost giving this melodramatic framing that only the real Joker would love. And then having Tockman standing still in the midst of the melee really juxtaposed the madness behind him.
With one issue left to go, we have a few unanswered questions but it might end in a typical fashion—Batman beating the bad guy. But, in saying that, this comic run has not featured Batman that heavily at all so it might be nice to see a different kind of ending. I’m in two minds about this. On one hand, I love seeing Batman outwit his opponents, but then in the same breath, I want something new and exciting and something that feels worthy of the story that came before it. Whatever happens, I’ve had fun with it.
Batman: Killing Time #5 is out now.
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