The Black Bat #2
Written by Brian Buccellato
Art by Ronan Cliquet
Colored by Mat Lopes
Lettered by Rob Steen
Covers by Marcos Martin, Billy Tan, Jae Lee, Ardian Syaf and Joe Benitez
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: June 5, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

Reading The Black Bat #2 will further cement what we now know as FACT. Dynamite Entertainment loves its pulp heroes and takes extra good care of them. I’m not sure just who it is, I’m guessing senior editor Joe Rybandt, but someone at DE goes the extra mile to see that all these books are treated with the utmost care and that they all have a genuinely sincere creative team working together to ensure that the best versions of these characters are hitting the stands.

Writer Brian Buccellato, best known for his work on DC Comics The Flash, takes what could’ve easily been a Batman rip-off and does something that’s not even remotely related to one of “those types of stories.” In fact, he goes out of his way to make the character unique and independent and stand out on his own. And we’re rewarded for all his hard work by having a great comic!!!

This issue, we learn a little bit more about The Black Bat and his origin, all cut in between chunks of a very engaging story set in the present. There’s some great mysteries, some killer action and some fantastic cliffhangers. All hallmarks to great pulp stories!

Ask one thousand comic fans what art should look like in a comic book featuring pulp heroes and you’ll get one thousand different synonyms for the world “moody.” This book is no different, because artist Ronan Cliquet does “moody” very very well. The book is chock full of atmosphere. Between back alleys and large, looming cities right down to guns blazing action, Cliquet takes total control over each page he touches. Some really nice looking art here, folks.

From start to finish, this comic is a lot of fun. Lots of action, lots of story, LOTS of reasons that you should pick this one up!!