Reviews, ruminations, and (occasional) ramblings.
Batman Annual #14 – “The Eye of the Beholder” – Andy Helfer/Chris Sprouse/Steve Mitchell
This was meant to be the definitive post-Crisis origin of Two-Face. Some of the details have been superseded by Long Halloween, but that story mostly expands on this one without making it obsolete (although Long Halloween’s timeline needs to be compressed, as it would push Two-Face’s debut into Year 3). Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman Annual 14, Detective Annual 3”
Batman #457 – “Master of Fear” – Alan Grant/Norm Breyfogle/Steve Mitchell
Last issue, Batman found out Scarecrow was the one behind the recent spate of murders around Gotham, committed by ordinary people seemingly on a whim. Unfortunately, Batman ran right into Scarecrow’s trap and was captured. Scarecrow brags to Batman (and Vicki Vale, who’s also his prisoner) about how he mailed his new hypnotic drug to random people, knowing it would bring out any latent aggressive tendencies they had. The fright masks were an extra touch, since Scarecrow knows how freeing wearing a mask can be (as does Batman, of course). Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 457, Detective 624, Legends of the Dark Knight 13”
Batman #456 – “Without Fear of Consequence” – Alan Grant/Norm Breyfogle/Steve Mitchell
Last issue, an epidemic of so-called “Crimes of Whim” started, where seemingly ordinary, law-abiding people suddenly decided to become homicidal maniacs, all while wearing skull masks. Batman stops the latest one, a department store Santa who went on a killing spree. The cops tell him the perpetrators have nothing in common and don’t seem to be acting under the influence of drugs or hypnosis. When one of the cops mentions Vicki Vale’s investigation of a guy named Marcuse, he goes to check it out. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 456, Detective 623, Legends of the Dark Knight 12”
Batman #455 – “Identity Crisis: Part One” – Alan Grant/Norm Breyfogle/Steve Mitchell
This one starts with Batman hearing gunshots and rushing to the scene of the crime, where someone in a mask is shooting people at random. Batman takes the shooter down but when the mask is removed, it turns out to be an old lady. She shows no remorse for her actions, but says it was just an old woman’s whim. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 455, Detective 622”
Batman #454 – “Dark Knight, Dark City Part III” – Peter Milligan/Kieron Dwyer/Dennis Janke
Last issue, Riddler (who’s been acting much more homicidal than usual) kidnapped a bunch of babies and has been leaving clues for Batman to find them. He found the latest one in the sewers, choking on a ping-pong ball, so he had to perform an emergency tracheotomy with a knife he picked up in a bar. Batman performs the operation and gets the baby to hospital, but isn’t sure if he’ll live or not. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 454, Detective 621, Legends of the Dark Knight 11”
Batman #452 – “Dark Knight, Dark City” – Peter Milligan/Kieron Dwyer/Dennis Janke
This one starts with a journal entry by a guy named Jacob Stockman, who writes about a satanic ritual he performed in 1764 with some other men (including a pre-Revolutionary Thomas Jefferson) on his farm outside Gotham. Stockman and the others were attempting to control a “daemon” (Barbathos) by sacrificing a drugged-up girl. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 452, Batman 453, Detective 619, Detective 620, Legends of the Dark Knight 10”
Batman #450 – “Wild Card” – Marv Wolfman/Jim Aparo/Mike DeCarlo
This one starts with the cops finding a judge (known as the “Hanging Judge”) hanged in his apartment. Commissioner Gordon is sure the Joker is behind it, even though he supposedly died in issue 429. Gordon still hates the Joker for crippling his daughter Barbara, something his fellow cop (Hanrahan) tells the other cops … and us, just in case we forgot. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 450, Batman 451, Detective 617, Detective 618, Legends of the Dark Knight 9”
Batman #448 – “Pawns” – Marv Wolfman, Alan Grant/Jim Aparo/Mike DeCarlo
This is the first chapter of “The Penguin Affair”, which crosses over into Detective before returning here to conclude next issue. The story starts three months ago, with an ugly hunchback being pounded by some punks. Penguin (and his sexy chauffeur, Lark) pick the hunchback up and Penguin says he’ll help him. Apparently, he feels a kinship with the guy since they’re both physically unattractive by the usual standards. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 448, Detective 615, Batman 449, Detective 616, Legends of the Dark Knight 8”
Batman #447 – “Earth Day! Demon Night” – Marv Wolfman/Jim Aparo/Mike Decarlo
Last issue Batman confronted NKVDemon, a rogue Russian super-agent who’s killing off various government people he thinks are responsible for weakening the Soviet Union since the beginning of glasnost. Batman and NKVDemon were fighting on a high catwalk and Batman was wounded and knocked off. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 447, Detective 614, Legends of the Dark Knight 7”
Batman #446 – “Underworlds” – Marv Wolfman/Jim Aparo/Mike DeCarlo
Last issue, Batman went to Russia to stop a nutcase called NKVDemon from killing a bunch of government officials because he thinks they’ve gotten too soft with the West. Batman ran into the NKVDemon (who’s been enhanced to be superhuman), but he got away into the sewers. This issue starts with Batman staking out a likely target (Aleksey) at a hockey game with the help of a local cop named Krakov. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 446, Detective 613, Legends of the Dark Knight 6”