I just re-read Batman Legend Of The Dark Knight #64



It's a very dark little tale from Delano and Bachalo, using several points of vue.
It is one of the last Bachalo work before he super-heroized his style for Ghostrider 2099 and Generation X.
The artwork is stunning with very inventive use of bold lights and shadows, but more than anything, it matches the dark tone of the story to perfection, building a sense of unease felt throughout the streets of a grim Gotham by the outcasts. This reminded me a little of John Wagner's masterpiece "America", where the "hero" (Judge Dredd) is seen through the perception of the villain/victim to great and sad effect. This indeed is a thatcherian Batman, percieved as unforgiving, but then again, there is no communication to really establish it, the gap has grow too wide between the poeople and the rules, there's just fear and hopelessness, spiraling to a chilling end.



When Batman finally appears from a more objective and usual point of vue, everything seems fine. He turned up at the right moment to apprehend the perp and enforce the law.



But prior to that, you just turned 23 pages telling you a very different story, one where most crimes are the result of much more pernicious crimes, social ones...





Oh, and Jack Torrance from the Shinning also guest stars...

The July date was to commemorate the release of Detective #27, the first appearance of Batman, but DC/WB refused to license/sanction/acknowledge that day because they had their own Batman Day plans in motion for this day in September which has no connection whatsoever to Batman history but is a pure marketing move.

I prefer the date commemorating Detective #27 myself, and just kind of ignored this one.

-M