SYNOPSIS: It runs through all of us—corrupting hope into fear, love into apprehension, and our strongest selves into our weakest. Its name is doubt, and when a mysterious new villain arrives with the ability to wield it as a weapon, Batman will face an inner journey unlike any he’s ever experienced!
Before we begin the review proper, it should be stated that my enthusiasm for this title has waned in recent months. The dropping of the Black & White backups, four issues without a main Batman story as the headliner, and the announcement of the title ending with December’s #20 has sucked the wind out of this book’s proverbial sails.
So, I wasn’t exactly chomping at the bit to crack this open and read it for this review. What stories have been sitting in a drawer will they dump here?
Well, I don’t know if this is an inventory story that’s been laying around, but it’s a damn good tale worthy of your time!
Writer Christian Ward (Batman: City of Madness) is joined by artist Patric Reynolds as they bring “Doubt” to Batman’s world and what follows is a simple, yet trippy, story inside the mind of The Dark Knight, looking at where his real strength of character comes from.
When street-level con artist Benjamin Bilk (love that name…so old-school), aka Doubt, uses his metahuman abilities in a crime wave whose latest victim is Diane Morgan, the Caped Crusader lays a trap, only to have it backfire.
Bilk’s power is to bend people to his will with but a whisper of doubt, subtly manipulating them to do his bidding, including handing over all their financial assets…or questioning their reason for being.
Batman, of course, is prepared for this, carrying a liquid muzzle, which feels very Batman ‘66 to me, but Doubt has planned, too. When he plays a recording of his voice to Batman, stating, “I doubt you’re Batman anymore”, well, that’s when this story really kicks into gear.
Reynolds’ art is wonderful throughout, but when Batman gets back to the confines of The Batcave and his self-doubt escalates, his game steps up exponentially, delivering Batman into a lushly surreal dreamscape against his greatest villains. Something about it reminded me thematically of Batman: Ego, though visually the style is more similar to David Mack and Mike Perkins than Darwyn Cooke here.
It should also be mentioned that there is a flashback to the Waynes’ funeral and a pivotal moment between young Bruce and Alfred that resonates in the present. While echoing Batman Begins, it’s a tender moment that is so integral to the plot and makes me miss Alfred in the current books.
There’s also a Robin story in this issue, “Robin Season, Part 1”, shining a spotlight on Tim and Damian as they wind up on a case together when Robin cosplayers get embroiled in a revenge scheme. By Brendan Hay and Marco Santucci, it’s a fun read that highlights the differences between the two “brothers” and has some pretty solid art to go with it. If you like either of these two iterations of Boy Wonder you should not miss it!
Based on the strength of “Doubt” alone I highly recommend this book, despite the higher price tag on the anthology. It’s a Batman story you can hand to anyone to show the internal strength of the character. It’s wonderfully written with some jaw-dropping visuals. Christian Ward gets Batman! – Javier E. Trujillo
GRADE: A+