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Post by shaxper on May 4, 2014 0:44:23 GMT -5
Detective Comics #532
"Laugh, Killer, Laugh!"
writer: Doug Moench
art: Gene Colan and Bob Smith
Grade: A
An interesting illustration of my previous post about how this stretch of the Batman run has everything going for it but plotting. This has got to be one of Batman's best run-ins with the Joker ever. The writing is beyond masterful, the relationship between the two characters is developed beautifully, and, from an editorial point of view, Joker's scale model of Joker Land even contains the rock-face sculpture he attempted to carve back in Batman #353. On the other hand, almost nothing happens in this highly decompressed issue.
Essentially, the Joker ties Batman to a Joker train, ties Vicki to the tracks, and spends the entire issue watching Batman attempt to escape and save Vicki. Fortunately, he does describe a more intricate plot to assassinate a military leader, thus sparking a Guatamalan civil war, and then using the confusion to take over and create a nation-wide Joker Land (I assume this will come into play next issue). There are also two incredibly brief B and C plots in which Harvey Bullock continues to show impressive characterization in apologizing to Gordan in a coma and Alfred meets his estranged daughter, Julia.
All in all, this was still an immensely enjoyable issue, but it was a bit disappointing to arrive at the end and realize that the entire plot could have been compressed into two pages of storytelling.
The plot in one sentence: Joker ties Batman to a train and Vicki to the track; Batman breaks free and saves her.
Also, Batman's solutions to the trap are absurd. Jumping up just in time, grabbing a stalagtite and breaking it off, using it to cut his ropes, and then using a batarang to make the train jump right over Vicki's body at the very last second, seems entirely absurd. Oh well.
Art-wise, Colan does an incredible job as usual (perhaps a bit better than usual as he draws a storm of scattered skull bits flying over a deranged Joker), but the art finally dropped off at the end. Moench finally uses his writing to set up a rich visual, writing that the Joker's eyes "...alone--trapped at the center of a face locked in perpetual mirth--blaze for a long moment in pure hatred and fury..." and the art conveys none of this. The next panel, in which Joker's laughing mouth extends from his nose to his ribcage, is even more disappointing.
Since the writing in this issue was absolutely some of the best I've seen in the series yet, I feel compelled to share a few choice quotes:
"That part of him which is Bruce Wayne stares in horror at Vicki Vale--but in the long, dark times of night, his psyche permits Bruce Wayne no more than a small and fleeting role...And so when he speaks, his voice altered in both tone and pitch, the words are cold, grating, and hard."
What a great take on Bruce's relationship to Batman. I wonder if Moench is the first to suggest that Bruce alters his speaking voice as Batman.
Batman: You really ARE mad, Joker. A plan like that could never succeed!
Joker: Perhaps not, Batman, but at least the sheer lunacy of the attempt peculiarly appeals to my quaint sense of humor.
Joker in a nutshell.
Batman: All the bullets in all their guns won't stop me from reaching you...The adrenaline of all the years between us will carry me straight to your throat, Joker...And when the bullets finally bring me down...I'll drag you with me.
Joker: I do believe you would, Bats.
Moench does so much to expand upon their deep relationship, here.
Joker: Murder is hardly something I shy away from, Bats. But I've never really wanted to kill you. If memory serves, I've had the chance several times...I've even passed up the opportunity to unmask you. Where's the fun in that?
This has always been one of my favorite aspects of the Joker, and I wonder if it began here with Moench.
Lackie: Wh-What's he doing, boss?
Joker: He's being the Batman, dolt.
This was such a key line for me. If anyone here has ever read Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, what has always impressed me most about it is its awareness of its own genre. Not only does it take traditional comic supporting cast and make them into the romantic leads, but it features a villain who is so cruel and sinister precisely because he realizes that he's a villain in a comedy. The genre's conventions will never allow him to win.
Joker takes that a step further. He knows the conventions so well that he's actually smart enough to surpass them, but he prefers to play his role well. He wants the Batman to escape, and he watches with mixed expectation, frustration, and admiration as Batman does so, refusing to run away or resort to a Plan B as it happens. After all, Batman's escaping was Plan A all along.
In a sense, this makes Joker a far more terrifying villain. Usually, we know the villain can't win. In this case, we're depending upon a villain who can win to choose not to win. Considering how unbalanced the Joker is, it seems convincingly possible that, this one time, he may have miscalculated. Most villains are sanely attempting to kill Batman and fail. Joker insanely doesn't want to kill Batman, and he may one day fail at that, too.
Great issue overall, even without a plot!
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Post by shaxper on May 4, 2014 0:44:37 GMT -5
Batman #366
"The Joker is Wild"
writer: Doug Moench
art: Don Newton and Alfredo Alcala
Grade: B
As uninspired as the title of this story may seem, it's legitimately earned here. Moench begins by backing off on his vision of the Joker a bit, portraying him as a thoroughly unbalanced mind that alternates between playing the villain role and being aware of the role he's playing, even arguing with himself and commenting "Wait a minute! Why am I getting mad?...This is exactly what I wanted--another sterling challenge from old Bats." I liked him a little more even keeled and unsettlingly sane and wise, but Moench goes for an easier answer: a villain who can see the predictability in his universe but can't even find predictability within himself.
This Joker is a lot more fallible; a lot less threatening. All it takes is Batman to gain an unexpected upper hand once for Joker to decide that he doesn't want to play the game anymore and to start panicking. He's certainly not the same villain from an issue earlier who stood and watched as Batman escaped his trap, as impressed and pleased as he was disappointed and frustrated.
The good news is that this issue packs in a lot more plot as Batman confronts the Guatamalen rebels, has a heart to heart with Vicki about Bruce Wayne, thwarts Joker's assassination attempt, bridges a level of understanding between the military dictatorship and rebellion that Joker sought to exploit, and pursues the Joker to a climactic battle.
There are some significant developments in the side plots as well. Bullock stands up to Mayor Hill, refusing to do anything more against Gordan, Alfred gets some more back story on his daughter, Julia (though I felt this was skimmed through quickly and handled tactlessly--particularly the life-long adoptive father's note to her on the occasion of his death, which is terse, to the point, and merely seems to exist for the sake of furthering the exposition), and, of course, there's a major surprise development for Jason in this issue.
Jason began the issue bored and alone at the mansion. Moench gave Jason a little more characterization through inner monologue here. I found his debate about whether or not to order a pizza out of boredom surprisingly real. Then he stumbled into Dick's bedroom and found something shocking in his closet (later revealed to be his Robin costume). Cool idea for a plot point, but why the heck would this be sitting in Dick's closet, especially when he doesn't even live there anymore? Surely he either needs it with the Titans or should at least leave it in the Batcave. Dick won't quit being Robin in the pages of the Titans for two more months, so that isn't the explanation.
Anyway, at the climax of Batman's battle with the Joker, at which point the Joker has finally and completely lost it, so inexplicably rattled by losing control of his game against Batman that he's ready to murder him with a machine gun, Robin jumps in to save the day. This would have been a breath-taking surprise if it weren't for the poorly planned panel arrangements. The eye easily picks up Robin's primary colors against the dreary backdrop a page and a half before he enters. This should have been saved for the next page!
Jason goes on to wipe the floor with Joker and then explains himself to Batman. He found enough cash in Bruce's drawer to buy a ticket to San Mateo, but how did he get there so fast?? It's still the same evening as when Jason first found the costume.
Finally, Batman's major objection at the end of the issue is that Jason is wearing someone else's costume. It's a legitimate objection, but he seems far too upset about it. Whatever feelings underlie that objection, they've not been hinted at prior to this moment. Like the attraction with Nocturna, this is another time that Moench does not do anything to clue us in to the important feelings that are occurring beneath the cowl.
All in all, this story had a lot of good ideas in it, but there were a lot of half considered moments, from Robin's timely arrival, to the Robin costume in the closet, and even the randomness of Joker finally being inexplicably freaked out by Batman's predictable ability to beat him when he was unusually aware of this ability just last issue. I guess Moench can't plot and write well in the same issue. Oh well.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on May 4, 2014 0:44:50 GMT -5
Detective Comics #533 "Look to the Mountaintop" writer: Doug Moench art: Gene Colan and Bob Smith Grade: A- I know JKCarrier has been waiting on baited breath for this one  This was a very touching issue in which four former con-men (or had they escaped?) attempt to kill Commissioner Gordon while he lies in a coma at the hospital. The story employs "Look to the Mountaintop," an enigmatic piece of advice Gordon once gave to his daughter, Barbara, throughout the story. It's used as a metaphor for Barbara's struggle for excellence, Gordon's struggle to live, Batman's struggle to rescue Gordon, and even Bullock's struggle to understand and respect Gordon, the man he worked so hard to undermine. Essentially, the hit is made while Barbara is with her father, she manages to get him to the top floor and put in a call to police headquarters before being knocked out by gas, Bullock gets the news and sends in Batman (a huge indication of his progress as a character), and Batman gets Gordon to the roof, fighting off the attackers along with a now conscious Barbara, only to have Gordon revive himself at the end. A touching conclusion, to be sure. I give this issue an A- only because it could have been even better. Some issues I had with it: - I just can't see a younger James Gordon telling his distressed daughter "Look to the mountain top" and then walking away. He's a practical man, not an enigmatic mentor. The entire premise of the issue depends upon this fact, and I just don't see it. Maybe it would work if he confessed at the end that he read it in a fortune cookie or something? That he thought it was something Barbara would have wanted to hear? But it goes unexplained. It just seems out of character. - I think Bullock deserved more time in this issue. I would have loved to have seen him play a greater role in the story. We don't even see him talk to Batman. He fires up the signal, and suddenly Batman is at the hospital. Bullock is the most fascinating character in this story undergoing a tremendous transformation. I would have liked to have seen more of it. - I would have liked more of an ending. Yes, Gordon wakes up, but there's no time spent on that powerful reunion. I would have cut out some of the lengthy setup of the crime (3 pages of watching them prepare before it happens) and spent more time on this. - I don't buy the motivation for the killers. Criminals upset at having spent so long in jail probably won't be quick to commit a crime that's almost guaranteed to get them put away again and, even if they were, why take your frustration out on the police commissioner? Wouldn't the D.A. be a more likely target, or Batman, or the arresting officer, or the foreman of the jury, or your own crummy lawyer? Who even considers the police commissioner when they're sent to jail? When I saw the cover for this issue, I naturally assumed Mayor Hill had put the hit on Gordon and Bullock would be placed in the conflicting role of taking orders from Hill and having to choose to defy him. Wouldn't that have made for a more interesting and more believable premise? - Finally, the art was off in this issue. In one panel, a young and impressionable Barbara looking to her father for guidance has no eyeballs. In another, Jason Todd's face is at the height of Bruce's bellybutton. Even Gordon's features vary wildly from the second page to the third. It all looks very nice, and the panel arrangements are quite artistic, but the consistency isn't there at all in the beginning. So, all in all, it was a strong issue that could have been even stronger. I was moved, but I'm the kind of sappy guy who will cry at almost anything, and this issue didn't get a tear out of me. It could have with a little more effort. |
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Post by shaxper on May 4, 2014 8:16:51 GMT -5
Batman #367
"The Green Ghosts of Gotham"
writer: Doug Moench
art: Don Newton and Alfredo Alcala
Grade: B
The strengths of this issue are simple. Moench's narration flows even stronger than usual, finally finding that balance of the perfect amount of dramatic eloquence without going over the top, and Jason has his first official patrol/adventure with Batman, though not yet as "Robin."
There are, however, problems as well. For one thing, Poison Ivy bores me, and this latest plot to create vegetable men and control the brains of powerful executives, feels thoroughly unoriginal and uninteresting, especially since Ivy attempted both plots less than two years ago in this same title (heck, she even refers to them in this issue!). Additionally, absolutely no characterization comes through for her, and plants are still just her M.O., not her passion, as is clearly evident when she burns her entire lair to the ground (plants and plant men included) simply to cause a distraction and to allow herself an easier escape.
A bigger problem is Newton's art, which is getting worse. His faces are getting simpler and more cartoonish, his half-naked Poison Ivy (I believe this is the first time she goes for the mostly naked, barely-covered-by-vines look) looks sickening, and he's even got Gordon wearing a leisure suit. We get some great pages at the climax, but it just isn't enough to make up for it. I've been sensing an unevenness in Newton's art for the last few issues, and I've wondered how much of it is Newton and how much of it is Alcala's inking, which gets applied more powerfully at dramatically rich moments but holds back perhaps a bit too much at other times.
Finally, a few minor points that bothered me:
-Moench describes Ivy's new hide-out, a dilapidated townhouse in a suburban neighborhood of other townhouses, as being part of "Crime Alley." Am I the only one who's always thought of "Crime Alley" as being part of an urban setting?
-How did Poison Ivy only end up serving less than two years in prison for brainwashing the entire board of Wayne Enterprises into turning over the company to her?
-Why is Alfred so secretive about the fact that he has a daughter, and why is he leaving for Montreal for an unspecified amount of time? Moench isn't doing a good enough job dropping hints about this as no secretive agenda was in anyway hinted at when Alfred and Julia were talking just last issue. Once again, Moench fails to clue us in properly, just as he did about Batman and Nocturna having some mutual attraction, and just as he did about Bruce having reservations about Jason becoming "Robin" in place of Dick.
Adequate issue, over-all. If it weren't for the narration, this would have been a C story.
I don't have the second part of this story, which appears in Detective #534, but I don't suspect I'll be missing much.
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Post by shaxper on May 4, 2014 8:17:09 GMT -5
Batman #368
"A Revenge of Rainbows"
writer: Doug Moench
art: Don Newton and Alfredo Alcala
Grade: A++
Why don't people ever discuss this issue?! I had no idea!!
This issue marks the first official appearance of Jason Todd as Robin. Coinciding with Dick Grayson's resignation in New Teen Titans, this could have been the simple passing-of-the-torch story that I'd always expected it had been. It begins that way -- light, mildly touching, and a few big speeches about responsibility and legacy, but Moench refuses to let it rest there, compelling Jason to respond with the same concerns that any ordinary boy would. It all feels very real and very endearing. For the first time, Jason truly feels like a real character, wrestling to feel and comprehend every aspect of the enormous legacy he's agreed to take part in.
Bruce gives some very earnest responses to Jason's concerns, solidifying their relationship and making Batman more human at the same time. It's the kind of realistic but endearing banter that I've always wanted to see between Batman and Robin, and Moench lays it on us in spades.
We go on to see a particularly fantastic first outing for Batman and Robin, in which they constantly discover each other through teamwork. It's almost romantic in a way, yet this doesn't come off as weird or sexual at all. To quote Moench here:
The brawl was hardly funny--danger and ugliness hides within every moment of violence--but now that it has ended in such splashy success, a certain giddiness takes hold of the aftermath. They have ridden a true roll, these two, locked together in a sure groove, every aspect of their teamwork smoothly meshing...and despite himself, the Batman finally concedes a smile.
Newton's artwork does wonders to enhance this moment as Batman and Robin discover each other from across a room after the battle has ended, truly seeming to see each other for the first time.
That could have ended the story, but it didn't. Despite the amazing success of their first outing, Jason seems to become increasingly haunted by his new responsibility, and Alcala reflects a sense of forboding in Jason's face amazingly well.
Meanwhile, Crazy Quilt, the only Batman rogue whose hatred for Robin exceeds his hatred for Batman, has been developing a plan for revenge in parallel, and the idea of Jason continuing a legacy begins to take on a darker meaning. Executing a plan that never should have amounted to more than a sparring match with Dick Grayson, Crazy Quilt manages to get Jason Todd alone, hits him, and then hits him again and again. It becomes a savage beating...one that I NEVER would have expected in this comic, nearly on the level of what Joker dealt out to the post crisis Jason, only without the crow bar. The horrifying murderous fervor seemed the same.
By 1984, there was already a lot of shock value in comics. We'd seen Gwen Stacey and Thunderbird die, Norman Osbourne take drugs, Yellowjacket beat the Wasp, and Green Lantern confront his own racism...but an innocent adolescent Robin getting savagely beaten by a D list villain?? I doubt Meltzer would have had the guts to put that in Identity Crisis.
As Batman discovers Jason's broken body at the close of the issue, wailing by his side in total anguish, an impressive lesson has been learned -- Bruce and Jason truly have jumped into something bigger than they'd realized, and boy sidekicks will no longer enjoy immunity in comics, now subject to the same cruel and dramatically rich semi-reality that Batman confronts on a bi-weekly basis.
"And indeed, Jason Todd desperately tries to fight back--but he has been blinded by the light of Dick Grayson's colorful legacy...and Crazy Quilt wreaks havoc on his innocence and ignorance."
"For two nights they were a good team--a GOOD one with the makings of greatness...but now...the Batman no longer smiles".
A few small side-notes:
-Newton s=really stepped it up in this issue. I'm still sensing that weird inconsistency in the art at times, though, and my eye still isn't sophisticated enough to understand how much of it is coming from pencils and how much from inks.
-So...is Jason going to keep his hair dyed 24-7, or is he going to stop to dye it every time the Bat Signal lights up? If he keeps it dyed, isn't someone going to find it strange that his hair color changed JUST as Robin reappeared at Batman's side. Vicki certainly came close to believing Bruce was Batman before, and she's hyper aware of Robin's reemergence by Batman's side.
-How is everyone accepting that this is the same Robin when he's suddenly shorter, younger, and was leading the Titans just a month ago?
All in all, this issue impressed the Hell out of me. I mean, this is one of those issues I'm never ever going to forget. Moench really explored what it means to be Robin on every possible level, ending with the most important aspect of them all -- the risk involved.
I absolutely cannot believe that I don't have the second part to this story, in Detective #535. If anyone has it and would be kind enough to post a brief synopsis/review, I'd GREATLY appreciate it! I'll comb all my local comic shops tomorrow in search of it, but I don't expect success.
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Post by shaxper on May 4, 2014 8:18:43 GMT -5
Batman #369
"Target Practice"
Writer: Doug Moench
Art: Don Newton
Inks: Alfredo Alcala
Letters: Ben Oda
Colors: Adrienne Roy
Editor: Len Wein
Grade: B
From now on, I think I'll list the full creative talents. It forces me to keep them all in mind, and largely ignoring inking up until this point may have been a large oversight.
So, Cei-U, this issue is timed perfectly with the question of Alfredo Alcala's contributions. For the first time in a very long while, he is credited solely as an inker, no longer as a second artist. So I've studied the art in this issue VERY carefully. It's a strong issue in terms of art, and Newton is doing a very nice job in panel arrangements without help. The faces still come and go, but there's no doubt that there are a few choice pages where the tone gets appropriately darker and Alcala pours on the inking to the extreme -- lots of added lines and shadows to amplify the tone.
Maybe that's the answer right there. If in fact, Alcala has never been penciling, perhaps what I've been seeing is a mostly talented but somewhat uneven artist getting uneven assistance from a masterful inker. Thus, in big dramatic or climactic moments, Alcala contributes a lot more to a page, almost making it look like it was done by an entirely different artist. The contrast can be jarring. So, if Newton is having a rough time on an issue, and Alcala only amps up a few choice pages in contrast, the difference really does feel extreme enough for it to seem like two different artists divided up pages.
So, Cei-U, you're probably right.
Sigh.
I am so not up for editing all those old entries where I praised Alcala as a penciler.
Anyway, on to the issue, itself:
Alfred and Julia discuss her adoptive father's role as an agent for the Canadian or French (?) government, attempting to steal back priceless art that had been taken by the Nazis during World War II. Deadshot is trying to kill them as they attempt to solve the mystery of who killed said adoptive father. Batman enters and helps take down Deadshot, forcing him to confess that it was, in fact, Julia's adoptive father who had hired him.
I feel like I missed a TON in the last issue of Detective. Harvey Bullock, who was last tripping over himself to do anything he could for Gordon last issue is now bitterly complaining about how Gordon is holding him back and attempting to get in on an illegal gambling operation. I'm hoping this is just a cover, and Bullock is planning to take them down, proving he's a good cop after all. Additionally, Jason is neither seen nor mentioned in this issue. How injured is he? How has the beating changed him as a boy and as Robin? I desperately want to know.
Moench provides an interesting take on Deadshot that largely clashes with his previous depiction during Conway's run. Since I've never read a Deadshot story prior to those, I wonder whose is more authentic. Moench plays up the idea that Deadshot's signature move is to ricochet his bullets in a sort of domino effect to strike his target in the least direct way possible. I love this idea and did not see it previously. Additionally, he depicts Deadshot and Batman as exceptionally bitter enemies, seemingly more personal in their conflict than even Batman and Joker are. For Batman, this seems to be because Deadshot relies on the very weapon that killed his parents. For Deadshot, the personal nature of this conflict seems to be a generic revenge story. I'm not buying it.
Perhaps the oddest change in Deadshot this issue is how quickly he confesses to Batman about who hired him. The last time they met, Batman had to lock him in the Batcave for days on end and still couldn't get a confession on who his employer was. Deadshot would not budge. Clearly, Moench either didn't read that story or doesn't care.
Decent issue, all around. The art was good, the writing was good, but the plot didn't wow me. I truly don't care what happened to Julia's dad because I truly don't care about Julia. There's nothing endearing or authentic about her character. Additionally, Alfred only manages to annoy me as her bewildered father who has no idea how to deal with her or this problem.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on May 4, 2014 8:24:18 GMT -5
Detective Comics #536
"Facing the Dark Blindly..."
writer: Doug Moench
pencils: Gene Colan
inks: Bob Smith
Letters: Ben Oda
Colors: Adriane Roy
editor: Len Wein
Grade: B-
I'm impressed by how unimpressed I am with this issue. The Colan art is great (other than the worst Alfred face I've ever seen at the bottom of page 3 -- is that an inking problem??), the writing is strong, the plot is adequate, and yet I'm so spoiled by the quality of this run that I'm not at all impressed with this issue. Five years earlier, the quality of a story like this one would have stuck out like some sort of exquisite sore thumb but, when compared to all the great stuff that's coming out of the Bat titles at this point in time, this issue is outright lacking.
Essentially, Julia chooses to believe Deadshot, wishing that her father were alive and having some elaborate reason for hiring an assassin to kill her instead of accepting his death. Alfred is still useless and doting. Deadshot escapes (okay, ricochetting a rock into his captors' heads was kind of awesome), a pursuit ensues, Deadshot flees to the house where the stolen art and the terrorists that hired him are hiding, Julia sneaks in looking for her father, Alfred follows her, and the Batman enters at the last moment as an all out battle ensues. Naturally, Batman wins, Deadshot loses, and no one dies.
I'm not sure whether or not the terrorist plot with the stolen art will continue into next issue. A lot of questions weren't answered, but I don't care about those answers, and I'm not sure whether or not Moench cares at the end, either. Things seem to have wrapped up.
There's also a small development in the Bullock subplot from last issue as the crook that Bullock shook up for money and involvement in the organization reports back to his boss, the mysterious Doctor Fang, who proceeds to bite him on the neck as punishment. Moench's narration later reveals that "Doctor Fang" is a made-up role being performed by a skilled Shakespearean actor. I wonder where the heck this is going.
Still no news on Jason or on whether or not Bullock is indeed going corrupt.
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Post by shaxper on May 4, 2014 8:26:07 GMT -5
Batman #370
"Up Above the Sin so High..."
writer: Doug Moench
pencils: Don Newton
inks: Alfredo Alcala
letters: Ben Oda
color: Adrienne Roy
editor: Len Wein
Grade: A
In my mind, this is the issue that truly defines the pre-Crisis Jason Todd. I've been trying to understand who he is for months now (and, I suspect, Moench, Batman, and even Jason have been attempting to do the same) and it all clicks in this issue.
First off, I am disappointed to see that Jason's savage beating on his first outing a few issues back has had absolutely no long term impact upon his character. He has returned in this issue, perfectly healthy, undaunted, and willing to throw himself into perilous situations on his own again. In fact, as he took on two goons with crowbars, I had yet another eerie flash-forward to his Post-Crisis death. Combine the beating last issue with the near beating this issue, add the Joker and a bomb, and there you are.
Still, if Jason hasn't carried anything away from that previous beating, Moench has. The theme of Jason's role being a dangerous one is carefully echoed throughout this issue as he seeks out crime-fighting like a childish adventure, yet shows understanding of the dangers and his limits. This comes across most clearly, perhaps, as he tries to let loose the wise-cracks while fighting beside Bruce later in the issue, and Bruce responds with, "Save the humor until we're home-free, Robin. And remember EVERYTHING I've taught you. This is death we face." Sure enough, as the tides begin to turn, even Bruce makes a lame attempt to join in on Robin's playful video game metaphor with "Don't count your free games yet...because the action has yet to reach its final level of difficulty."
All in all, we see a caring, protective, worrisome Bruce who nevertheless allows himself to let loose and have a little fun with Jason. Jason, meanwhile, can finally carry a decent internal monologue on his own (the beginning of the issue as he pursues Dr. Fang) amuses us with his frustration in not being able to inform Bruce about Fang's location before Bullock does, and finally walks that fine line between reckless childhood abandon and Dark Knight apprentice seriousness.
We also find out in this issue that Bullock is playing for the right side after all, though this info is delivered without any significance. Moench really could have built this up, making us worry for the soul of a man who was beginning to show signs of goodness, maybe even having Bullock struggle with temptation himself, but Bullock just unceremoniously reveals he's playing Dr. Fang, and that's the end of that subplot.
Fang doesn't impress me at all. He's a bald guy with fangs in a Dracula cape who likes to bite people. There MUST be more to him than that. In the previous issue, it was suggested that he was an actor playing this role, but that didn't seem to be the case anymore when he tried to take a bite out of Robin.
Newton's art is fantastic, as usual, in this issue, and Alcala's inking does wonders for it as well. I particularly enjoyed a panel on page 16 that homaged the classic Batman #9 cover with Batman and Robin caught in a search light. Very nicely done.
I've never had a complaint with Adrienne Roy before and, indeed, most of this issue is colored very well, but it was very distracting when Robin's boot turned yellow as his foot took up the primary focus of a panel on page 5, kicking a thug into a pinball machine.
The plot: Jason's on his own while Bruce is in Canada. He goes on patrol, against Bruce's orders, out of sheer boredom and manages to intervene as a few thugs working for Dr. Fang decide to shake up a local arcade owner. Robin trails them back to Fang's hideout, hiding on the back of a truck and then running for miles and miles to keep up with their car. When Bruce returns from Canada with Alfred and Julia (who will now be staying with them for a while), Jason is not able to tell Bruce about Fang's hideout before Bullock busts in, informing Bruce that he's pretended to be "on the take" from Fang and has found out that he's gunning for a takeover of Wayne Enterprises. Jason is frustrated as he and Bruce take off for Fang's place, only to be ambushed by dozens of henchmen. During the fight, Fang attempts to flee, and Robin attacks him. Fang nearly manages to bite Robin as Batman hits him with a Batarang. Fang flees as Bullock arrives to see all the knocked out hoodlums, as well as Batman demanding to know what Jason was doing there on his own the night before.
All in all, the first GREAT Jason Todd Robin story.
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Post by shaxper on May 4, 2014 8:27:08 GMT -5
Went back and acquired Detective #535 (as well as all the other Detective issues I'm missing from this point onward) because I feel like I missed a lot in that issue. So let's jump back two months...
Detective Comics #535
"One Hole in a Quilt of Madness"
Writer: Doug Moench
Pencils: Gene Colan
Inks: Bob Smith
Letters: Ben Oda
Colors: Adrienne Roy
editor: Len Wein
Grade: B
What was so imperative to me about finally reading this issue was the need to see how Bruce and Jason both react to Jason's severe beating by Crazy Quilt on his first night out. How would such a terrifying, brutal event transform Jason and his understanding of what it means to be Robin? How would Bruce's feelings about taking on a new sidekick change? The creative team behind this issue seemed to understand that, too. After all, the cover even promises "The New Robin -- Unleashed at Last!".
It begins strongly enough. Colan portrays a grim Batman carrying a limp Robin home by foot in the pouring rain as Moench's narration promises, "This is certain: Even if Jason's injuries are neither serious nor permanent, they will prey on the Batman's conscience forever..."
Unfortunately, that does not end up being the case. Sure, the situation is treated with appropriate grimness for a while as Colan pours on some disturbingly expressive faces throughout the ensuing recovery and Smith bathes them in creepy shadows, but Jason isn't seriously injured after all. Just some bruises and a few blows to the head. Not even a broken bone.
I was starting to lose all hope for this story when Batman took Jason off-duty and he dutifully agreed. However, a short time later, Jason comes out of the Grandfather clock, fully costumed, and (in an incredibly cool moment) knocks Bruce out with the Joker's scepter so that he can take on Crazy Quilt on his own.
Wow wow wow! It finally seemed like Jason was changing, allowing such a powerful experience to fundamentally alter his identity as Robin.
Of course, it turned out he'd been hypnotized by Crazy Quilt to knock out Batman and return so that Crazy Quilt could finish the job. Lame lame lame. And, as much as Crazy Quilt has been enjoying a steady rise in his depictions over his last few appearances from a D list villain all the way up to a near A-lister in this issue, the hypnotic lights thing just isn't working for me, especially when Jason is able to reverse-hypnotize him by deflecting his lights back at him with a homemade fan. Just a little too silly for me.
In the end, nothing has really changed for Jason or Bruce. It took Jason less than 24 hours to recuperate physically, and apparently no time to recover emotionally. Bruce has no further reservations at the end about Jason being Robin either. Everything is back to normal.
Two other quick developments shown in this issue: Bullock and Gordan have a new relationship. Bullock now respects Gordan, but he's still stubborn and insists on doing things his own way as he charges off to investigate Dr. Fang while Gordan instructs him to wait. Also, there's some relationship building between Julia and Alfred as Julia tells him that she forgives him and loves him more than anyone in the world other than her mother. Of course, none of thi is earned or emotionally conveyed. It's just said. I still don't give a rat's ass about them.
All in all, a key issue that I was missing, but Moench has really pulled his punches. The end to Batman #368 was added strictly for shock-value, not because Moench planned to do anything particularly bold with Jason.
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Post by shaxper on May 4, 2014 8:27:23 GMT -5
Back to the present (or at least the "present" of this thread)
Detective Comics #537
"Down Below"
Writer: Doug Moench
Pencils: Gene Colan
Inks: Bob Smith
Letters: Ben Oda
Colors: Adrienne Roy
Editor: Len Wein
Grade: B
The cover to this issue had me completely fooled. It shows Batman staring on as a muscular yellow hand emerges from beneath a manhole. Even the first page of the story sets the same menacing tone. I was sure this would be a Solomon Grundy story and, looking back at that cover and first page again, I wonder if it hadn't originally intended to be. The scrawny Mexican immigrant who comes running out on page two hardly matches what we were set up for.
Were I still a kid reading these comics, I'd have been disappointed to get a human story about a homeless man living in the sewer, preferring the familiarity and flamboyance of a super villain. However, as an adult, I was unimpressed with Grundy the last time he fought Batman and therefore really wasn't looking forward to this issue. Sixto Morales, on the other hand, made for a relatively interesting character and story. This attempt to put Batman and the reader in touch with the kinds of people usually relegated to the background in a story felt very Wein. Though I still haven't gotten over the dismissal of the lovable band of homeless people Wein introduced more than 60 issues earlier, Sixto Morales makes up for that. He's a little less lovable, but he's more desperate, solitary, and well-developed -- a fantastical yet less idealized look at the homeless.
The plot in one ridiculously long sentence: Sixto Morales is a homeless Mexican immigrant living in the sewers who has just discovered a dead body, so he runs above ground screaming "Murder!" gets the Batman's attention, and brings him back to see his pathetic home in the sewers, which he has been hiding in since he was forced to flee Mexico for killing the son of the chief of police when he attempted to rape and subsequently killed Sixto's wife, causing Sixto to remain hidden underground and create an amazing scale model of the home he misses from sewer waste, but Batman is concerned about SIxto's well being and recognizes the murdered body as being a gang member's, so it's no surprise when Dr. Fang's men come looking for the body, leaving Batman and Sixto to battle them, and Sixto nearly kills one for wrecking his scale model city, at which point Bruce convinces Sixto to come above ground and rebuild his life.
Oh, and Julia is bothered by the fact that Alfred is a servant to Bruce. But really -- who cares?
The ending was highly anti-climactic as Bruce randomly says to Jason "Just thinking about the different directions men take when they're forced to make a move by the need for money." I think this was intended to parallel Sixto's story with Dr. Fang being on the run, but it just didn't work at all.
Still a solid story that I was glad to read. And Batman rising from out of the sewage to surprise the bad guys was definitely sweet. Funny though that he was so worried about what the sewage would do to Sixto, yet he was hiding under the sewage without any kind of breathing apparatus or protection.
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Post by shaxper on May 4, 2014 8:27:44 GMT -5
Batman #371
"Nine Cradles of Death"
writer: Doug Moench
pencils: Don Newton
inks: Alfredo Alcala
letters: Ben Oda
colors: Adrienne Roy
editor: Len Wein
Grade C-
Catman makes his inevitable return after nearly fifty issues away and, like Deadshot a few issues earlier, he comes back different. When we last saw him in Batman #323 and #324 he was a brilliant pragmatist, planning to create a safe-haven island for criminals who would pay him protection money. The "Cat" aspect of his personality only seemed to include the nine lives it gave him and a certain unspoken rivalry with Catwoman.
In contrast, this Catman feels a lot more ridiculous, speaking as if he were right out of the 1960s TV show:
"You see, Collins? Like taking milk from a kitten."
"My caterwauling alone would've alarmed anyone--but I knew the catacoustics of this place would utterly confuse him."
"And did you know that another name for wooden scaffolding is catafalque?"
"The catgut line woven from the strings of inmates' guitars is destined to work!"
"And I've had my eyes on this catawmba catalpa tree for a long time."
And all that happened in the span of two pages. He does a lot more of that before and after! It's both tiring and disingenuous. After all, he's a hunter/gamer seeking challenge, not some psychologically compulsive criminally insane guy. I don't know if Catman talked like this back in the Golden Age, but Wein had clearly taken this sort of obsession out of his personality when we saw him last and, while Moench acknowledges that storyline here, he puts the unnecessary corniness right back in again.
In general, this issue felt a lot more campy than the others. Take, for example, when Batman solves the riddle Catman has left for him:
"Yes! Bast was originally the Egyptian goddess of the home who later became equated with the lioness goddess of war, and Catman has left his 'home'--the prison--to wage war on me."
Those are quite a few leaps in logic, but it gets worse...
"His 'new reincarnation' on his 'nine lives' as well as to the museum display--and the Egyptian religion was based entirely on reincarnation."
" 'The double prize, same as ever' -- A cat trophy, the priceless Bast statue itself -- As well as the usual competition to outwit me."
Add to all of this wild logic a ridiculous amount of unnecessary exposition as everyone seems all too willing to recount irrelevant previous events in the title, and it just begins to feel like Moench is messing with us in this issue. Maybe he's found the 1960s show on reruns and felt inspired.
Another obnoxious aspect to this issue is that, all throughout, Batman has this foreboding sense that this will be his final mission -- that Catman will finally kill him. Really? The man who strikes fear into the hearts of criminals is afraid...and of Catman? No explanation for this is given. Catman has never posed a serious threat to him before. Why didn't we see this anxiety with the Joker or even Deadshot? It's just totally unwarranted, and when Moench tries to make us believe for several panels that Catman actually did destroy Bruce, it's more insulting than exciting. I couldn't decide whether or be annoyed by this deception or livid that Moench would actually let such a thing happen.
And I'm getting VERY tired of Vicki Vale at this point. Ever since Moench came on, she's been totally devoid of personality, only showing up every now and then to get pissed at Bruce again, and it's obnoxious. This time, she calls the manor and gets Julia Pennyworth on the line. She immediately decides Bruce has another lover there and overreacts as usual. Let's be honest. At this point, there's no way Moench is going to get someone this desperate and possibly clinically insane to date Bruce, so why keep including her in the comic? Does he think it's funny to demean lovesick women?
As always Newton's art made up for a lot of the crap in this issue, and there was one moment in the story that actually impressed me as well: In recounting the story of Catman to Robin, Batman acknowledged Batwoman's involvement in his history. I wonder if this is the first time Batwoman has been mentioned/acknowledged post-Atom Age.
The plot in one ridiculously long sentence: Catman is in prison and makes a deal with his cell mate that if he can break out, take on the Batman, and steal a famous statue, he will get the cell mate's hidden money that's in a catacomb somewhere, so he breaks out and leaves some thoroughly enigmatic clues for Batman, so Batman gives a brief history of the character to Robin, and they figure out his clues, leading them to the museum, where Catman traps Robin in a giant cat's cradle (still not sure how he did that) and beats the living crap out of Batman, but as Jason runs in to help (too late?), the scene cuts away to a newspaper headline, explaining that Catman got away and Batman was severely beaten, but it was all a deception to get the cellmate to break out and give away the location of his hidden money (yeah, I still don't understand how that's going to work).
All in all, a very silly story that doesn't seem to understand how silly it is.
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Post by shaxper on May 4, 2014 8:29:06 GMT -5
Detective Comics #538
"Clothes Make the Cat (Man)"
writer: Doug Moench
pencils: Gene Colan
inks: Bob Smith
letters: Ben Oda
colors: Adrienne Roy
editor: Len Wein
Grade: D+
Continuing from last issue, Batman knows that a cat burglar has hidden a stash of loot somewhere in Gotham's catacombs, so rather than methodically search the catacombs (which Bruce knows better than anyone), he and Gordan decide to fake Bruce's near death (theoretically inviting criminals to have a spree), let the cat burglar escape from prison (causing the severe injuring of a policeman thrown out of a moving car), and protect him from harm as he unwittingly leads Batman to the loot (causing Batman to make a truck veer dangerously off the road, nearly killing an innocent driver). This makes even less sense when the burglar attempts to jump from a great height, at which point Batman exclaims, "No Collins, you'll break your legs!" Well he certainly wasn't worried about keeping anyone else's legs safe.
Add to this the fact that no explanation is ever given for the importance of the loot. It's never given a backstory, a value, or even an owner. It's just a bunch of old loot that no one seems to be missing, so why all this sacrifice to get it back?
The "joke" of the story (and I use the term lightly) is that the cat burglar is in Catman's suit and thinks it's the suit's nine lives that keep saving him, not Batman.
There is one particularly fun moment when Collins stumbles into the Batcave, and a fight between he and Batman takes place there. Catman rolls the giant penny on him and takes a swing on the dinosaur. It's pretty fun.
Of course, at the end of the issue, Collins is captured, and no mention is brought up of the fact that he now knows where the Batcave is. Quite a big oops. It seems like, since last issue, Moench has downshifted from taking his stories too seriously to writing garbage kiddie fare.
Oh, Vicki Vale is back again, pining over Bruce for half a sickening page, then showing up at the end and berating him about Julia being there. Bruce and Jason smile at each other knowingly, and I want to hit them both. The Vicki side plot is so thoroughly obnoxious at this point. This is not a 1940s radio serial with quirky side-characters that are only good for one running gag.
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Post by shaxper on May 4, 2014 8:29:36 GMT -5
Batman #372
"What Price, The Prize?"
writer: Doug Moench
co-plotter: Don Newton
pencils: Don Newton
inks: Alfredo Alcala
letters: Alfredo Acala
colors: Adrienne Roy
editor: Len Wein
Grade: A+
Fortunately, one of the worst Batman covers I've seen in a long time (Dr. Fang as the victorious boxer as Batman is getting counted out by the Grimm Reaper) had very little to do with the actual story within. This was a damn powerful issue, perhaps the most important (and certainly the riskiest) one told thus far in this run.
In this issue, Doctor Fang (who I still couldn't care less about) decides to arrange a rigged boxing match between the champion and a nobody. The intention is merely to create high odds and benefit from them, but it quickly becomes an issue of race for everyone involved, including the general public, since the champ is black and the underdog is white.
This theme is explored constantly throughout this issue and from all perspectives, from the champ's assistant who believes that whites are a kind of poison, to the boxing commisioner who thinks the public will eat up a match in which whites can triumph over blacks again, to the would-be assassin in the audience who must kill his favorite boxing legend for allowing himself to be sullied by an interracial match, and finally the boxers themselves, who come off as genuine, authentic people, far more interested in chasing their own destinies than in being defined by the racial issues that everyone else applies to them.
Essentially, this issue wasn't a Batman story. It had very little to do with heroes, villains, and crime fighting. It was an exploration of boxing, celebrating what makes it exciting and condemning what makes it a corrupt and brutal sport. As someone who doesn't have any interest in boxing, I found this fascinating. It truly opened my eyes to something I'd never shown an interest in before and made me care.
Of course, it was also a bold exploration of racial relations, taking no holds barred and allowing a white character to use the "N" word, the primary sympathetic black character to concede that whites might be a kind of poison after all, and even having the white underdog's black ref psych him up for the match by telling him that his genes are once removed from black genes in terms of athletic ability and then smacking him across the face. It seemed to capture what many sides were thinking/feeling about race but not saying at the time, especially in relation to professional sports. Bold, bold stuff that rang very sincere.
I also notice Newton helping with the plotting and Alcala taking over on letters this issue. Wonder what caused that shake-up. I didn't notice any difference in the quality of lettering this issue, but this certainly was a stronger plot.
My only complaint with this issue is that Moench's narration seems more confusing than usual. It might simply be the fact that I'm sick and a bit out of it today, but there were certain narrative passages (particularly at the end), that I could read four times and still not understand. Certainly, adolescent readers in 1984 would have had the same problem.
I also alternate between loving and resenting the fact that the plot, itself (and especially the climax), has nothing to do with the racism issue raised throughout. Greene isn't killed for being black, his ending isn't tragic because he's black, and Dunfey's profound remorse over Greene's death has nothing to do with the fact that he's black, either. In a sense, I'm impressed that Moench didn't attempt to fix racism in this story, but it's also a bit odd to make it so prevalent and yet not at all a part of the actual plot developments. Like I said, I go back and forth on how I feel about this.
The plot in one ridiculously long sentence: Dr. Fang reveals that he was once a boxer named Cobra and an actor who played Dracula (thus the fangs), decides to fix a match between the champ and an upstart, and sends his lackey to convince the upstart to seek out the match, so Tommy Dunfey (the underdog) seeks out Greene (the champ), and the two have a sincere discussion about ambition and race, ultimately deciding that they have a lot in common, so the match is set, and the boxing commissioner promotes it as a chance for "The underdog white hope" as well as by bringing reclusive boxing legend Jake Demansky out of retirement to ref, but a young racist decides that he must kill Demansky for participating in an interracial boxing match as Dr. Fang sends his man to bribe Greene to throw the fight, so the fight begins, and Greene clearly isn't trying, and Dunfey doesn't like it because he respects Greene and wanted to win honestly, so he chides Greene and even kicks him while he's down, sending Greene into a rage and causing the two to fight outside of the rules in a savage, non-stop battle, all while Batman catches the assassin at the last moment, ending the fight, but as Dunfey goes to apologize to Greene after the match, and Greene tells him he wasn't throwing the match for money (it seems implied that Fang had threatened his kids), an assassin of Dr. Fang's guns Greene down for not trying to lose, leaving Dunfey profoundly saddened and perhaps seeking vengeance.
What a powerful story. I highly recommend this one to everyone and anyone.
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Post by shaxper on May 4, 2014 8:29:54 GMT -5
Detective Comics #539 “Boxing” writer: Doug Moench pencils: Don Newton (“guest artist”) inks: Bob Smith letters: Bed Oda colors: Adrienne Roy Grade: B Inevitably, it was going to be hard for this issue to follow in the wake of the previous one, and Moench’s plotting doesn’t seem troubled by this. Whereas the previous issue instilled a sense of the characters, the crime, and the tragic climax, this story is just falling action and resolution. Predictably, Tommy Dunfey starts trying to track down Greene’s killer, and the Batman decides to help him. Perhaps the silliest part of the issue is that a random guy on the streets who loves Tommy Dunfey for the wrong reasons (“I’m only doin’ this cuz I reco’nize ya, Dunfey. I wanted you to humble that nigger, y’know? I loved it when you kicked him, y’know? When he was down, y’know?”) is able to direct Batman and Dunfey directly to Dr. Fang, who seems to have only four guards protecting him and absolutely no one guarding the door. They walk right into his gym, at which point Fang challenges them to one-on-one boxing matches, one after another. It’s just plain silly. And, by the end, I still don’t give a damn about Dr. Fang. There was absolutely nothing compelling about him. Dunfey, in contrast, proves to be an impressive guy, decking Dr. Fang even after taking a bullet in the shoulder. Too bad we don’t see more of him. Now that his boxing days are pretty much done, it would be easy for Moench to find a place for him in regular Bat continuity, but I’m assuming he doesn’t since I can’t find anything on the guy in wikipedia. Also, Newton’s art is FAR less impressive without Alcala’s inks on it. I’m beginning to understand how I used to think Alcala was assisting on pencils, Cei-U. The art really is completely different without him. It’s still strong and expressive, but to a noticeably lesser degree. (Yes, I fully realize you are now pulling out your copy of this issue and will proceed to tell me I'm wrong ) And wow! Don Newton co-plotted the previous issue of Batman while penciling it and penciled this issue of Detective all in the same month. He must have really been into this storyline (or, perhaps, Colan really wasn’t?). The plot in one ridiculously long sentence: Dunfey starts looking for Dr. Fang based on the few leads he has, Batman offers to assist, Jason is frustrated that he has to stay home so that Julia doesn’t think it’s suspicious that he and Bruce are both gone all the time, inadvertently causing her to want to leave (boohoo), Bullock laments that Batman gets all the action, and Batman and Dunfey find Dr. Fang, Dunfey fights him in the ring, a body guard shoots Dunfey in the shoulder as he starts to win, a battle ensues, Dunfey still kicks Dr. Fang’s butt, and he takes the championship belt from the boxing commissioner, returning it to Greene’s family at the close. It’s still a somewhat touching issue, and it still explores the racism angle to some extent, but it’s mostly cleanup for the previous story. Also, the idea of Batman spending all night walking down the streets with Dunfey, asking for information, seems ridiculous. He’d be a sitting target, and criminals everywhere would know exactly where he is and isn’t. So…is Moench just incapable of writing women? Vicki Vale is obnoxious, Julia Pennyworth is dull and tiresome, and we’ve already seen how much of this community feels about Nocturna. This seems to be his big failing, thus far. So, not a bad issue, but it’s an expected let down after the previous one. |
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Post by shaxper on May 4, 2014 8:31:52 GMT -5
Batman #373
"The Frequency of Fear"
writer: Doug Moench
pencils: Gene Colan
inks: Alfredo Alcala
letters: Albert DeGuzman
colors: Adrienne Roy
editor: Len Wein
Grade: B
Hmmm. More switch-ups in the creative staff this issue. Alcala is doing inks here, and I'm not familiar with DeGuzman (then again, I can probably name three Bronze Age letterers if I try really hard). The letter column is also missing this issue. I wonder what's going on.
Look, any time you put Colan and Alcala together and give them a script that calls for lots of darkness and creepiness, the story's going to score at least a B with me. Sure enough, the visuals here are BEAUTIFUL. But I'm not loving Moench's contributions to this one.
Forgive me. Many of these criticisms with Moench in this issue are petty and unlikely to bother anyone other than me:
For one thing, the issue begins with an eerie foreshadow...Jason having a nightmare about losing his parents, then losing their bodies, and then even losing Bruce. It's powerful stuff, but it's also a lame teaser as it really is just a nightmare. Scarecrow hasn't entered the story yet. You'd think Moench would then use this powerful and understandable fear within Jason somewhere in the story, but no, Scarecrow is able to give Jason a fear of heights (he was a trained acrobat!), but not of anything meaningful like that first nightmare.
The same is basically true of everyone he induces with fear. It's all the same cliche spiders and bats. Do something different and a little more cerebral, or at least give Gene Colan something more interesting to draw!
At least Batman's fear is deeper -- a fear of failing to save everyone dear to him (parents, the Todds, and even Jason), but Moench has him announce this out loud to no one in particular like his inner monologue is broken. It just comes off silly to me. For a guy who's main goal is to instill fear in criminals, he certainly wastes no time removing the cloak for Scarecrow, announcing exactly how much the fear inducer is emotionally crippling him. He does end up resisting far more than Crane had expected. but the outer monologue hurt so much of the tone here.
Oh, and even though Bruce fights through Scarecrow's fear inducer, it still seems to take him an absurdly long time to follow him up the stairs...even though he knows Jason is hopelessly waiting for him there. Instead, we see Jason take on the scarecrow, pursue him across a zip line (using it as a tightrope) and get halfway across a tightrope between buildings before Batman is able to intervene. What was he doing in that time? He was still on his feet and moving forward when we last saw him at the foot of the stairs. And, by the way, pursuing the villain by walking his zip line like a tight rope has got to be the dumbest thing Jason could have done. No matter how well trained an acrobat (note: acrobat, NOT tightrope walker), there's no way you're going to overtake him before he gets to the other side and cuts the rope. Granted, he was pushing through some serious fears here, but this still seemed a tad ridiculous.
While pursuing Scarecrow, Batman tells Jason to go home...and he honestly believes he will! Apparently Batman hasn't been reading the same previous issues that I have, in which Jason ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS goes off on his own when Batman tells him not to.
Vicki Vale and Julia Pennyworth are now working together. Can Moench mix up any ingredients to make that B plot even less interesting? Thank you for putting the two most tedious characters in the comic TOGETHER. Well, at least, that's fewer panels for each of them.
Mayor Hill wants to put a hit on Bullock for disobeying him about trying to ruin Gordan, and yet Hill wasn't even willing to put a hit on Gordan. The well-meaning politician who was coerced against his will into getting corrupt way back in the day, who was later understandably resentful of (and threatened by) Gordan to the point of wanting to mercilessly ruin him, has been reduced to a two-dimensional villain. I'm disappointed. I assume this means Moench is looking to eliminate him, which is too bad. I liked the realistic complication of Batman and Gordan having to work under a mayor who doesn't support them. I guess this also means Dr. Fang is coming back. Oh boy...
When retelling Scarecrow's origin in this issue, Batman explains that he's fueled mostly by resentment about being socially ostracized AND a desire for more money. He makes this the biggest part of Crane's motivation, talking about needing more money for clothes in order to gain acceptance by his colleagues and taking on the Scarecrow identity only partially because of the fear thing and more for the symbolic tattered clothes appearance. I don't know if this literal rags to riches ambition is something that's been with Scarecrow from the start, but it certainly doesn't match the egomaniacal villain bent on revenge motivation that Moench gives to him this issue. This guy isn't trying to make money, here. He just wants strictly illogical revenge. In fact, his decision that "If the Batman is too much the fool to let me rid him of his greatest enemies, one by one -- then I'll simply have to eliminate him first" is so illogical that it's absolutely crazy. I'd say he has a much better bet of taking on the other criminals than he does of eliminating Batman. Wouldn't any semi-sane criminal think so? After all, he was only in Arkham because his own fear gas got turned on him. He's not supposed to be crazy, as far as I can tell.
Oh, and how did Batman know Scarecrow was about to take down the Joker? He got there awfully fast. That never got explained.
Something of actual importance in this rant: This is the first appearance of Scarecrow's now famous fear-inducing sonic skulls. Batman and Robin arrived at the scene with nose filters, still expecting the old trademarked fear gas.
The plot in one ridiculously long sentence: Jason has a nightmare about losing his parents as a visiting professor comes to Arkham Asylum hoping to consult Crane about a book he's writing about fear, but Crane has recovered from his muteness and has been released from Arkham since he's now "rehabilitated" (and, technically, he committed no crimes the last time he was out of prison in Detective #526), we discover that Crane has returned to his old home on the campus of the school he used to teach at, Vicki Vale gives Julia a job, Crane becomes Scarecrow all too quickly and decides to get revenge on the Joker for humiliating him (again in Detective #526), so Scarecrow busts into the courthouse where Joker is about to stand trial, and Batman intervenes, but Batman was expecting the old fear gas and falls under the spell of Scarecrow's new sonic skull, so Scarecrow escapes to the roof and takes on Robin, but Batman intervenes at the last moment, still failing to stop Scarecrow, and meanwhile Jason's teacher contacts a social worker about the fact that Jason is always tired in school and asks her to investigate the parents, and Gordan finally thanks Bullock for saving his life (back in Detective #533), while Mayor Hill makes a deal with Dr. Fang's men to free him if they kill Bullock for disobeying him about taking down Gordan (I believe in Detective #532?), and Batman gives a summary of the Scarecrow's history to Jason, while Scarecrow explains how his new sonic skull works to no one in particular, and Batman goes off on a wild goose chase to stop Scarecrow at the zoo and ends up falling victim to a fear trap, thus causing him to fall into the crocodile pit, and Jason (who he ordered to stay behind) goes off (of course) and follows a hunch, pursuing Scarecrow at his old home and getting ambushed by him.
Lots of random references to old continuity in this issue. Perhaps Moench is out of ideas?
So, it's a sloppy story. Not really bad, per say, but very illogical in minor ways. Still, as mentioned at the beginning, the art more than makes up for it.
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