Batman: Master of the Future

by Brian Augustyn

[celinenyx]

Summary: It's the turn of the 19th century, and the mayor of Gotham decides on having a fair to celebrate everything new and advanced. A mustached villain threatens the fair though, and only Batman can stop him.

What I liked:
- On a purely conceptual level I really like this book. There was plenty of resistance going into the twentieth century, and it's an interesting subject
- All the usual Batman characters make an appearance
- There are a lot of cool action scenes

What I didn't like:
- The execution of the story was downright terrible. There are plot holes the size of the Gotham slums
- The villain had no motivation at all. NONE. And he was constantly announcing himself and his evil master plan
- The art was different from the art in Batman: Gotham by Gaslight. The art in Batman: Master of the Future was kinda dotty and meh
- I'm fine with (older) graphic novels not having many proper female characters. It's sad, but I like men just fine. However, it annoys the crap out of me when the only semi-decent female character only gets page time when she's running away from an explosion and half her bust is falling out of her dress. I get that this was the nineties, but really?
- There is absolutely no tension whatsoever
- The resolution didn't make any sense, because of aforementioned plot holes

Verdict: Master of the Future is often sold together with Gotham by Gaslight. Honestly, unless you're a hardcore fan, you can skip this one. It's not worth your time. Just stick with Gotham by Gaslight.