SYNOPSIS: The sinister serial killer Mr. Zsasz has escaped Arkham and is targeting victims who had previously escaped his clutches. But will the hunter find himself the hunted? And last but certainly not least, Batman teams up with an unlikely ally for a supernatural trip through some of Gotham’s darkest shadows.
Here we are, the penultimate issue of this iteration of The Brave and The Bold, and we’ve got three Batman tales to discuss!
First up, “The Hum”, by writer Zac Thompson and artist Stefano Raffaele, finds The Batman at Arkham Asylum, brokering the release of The Scarecrow to assist him on a case with the fate of all of Gotham in the balance.
A low-frequency sound is sporadically scrambling technology and driving the citizens of Gotham mad. It’s so pervasive and dangerous that the Robins, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Batgirl have all succumbed, leaving Batman to turn to the Master of Fear to aid him, particularly as the mystery villain seems inspired by Crane’s past research.
Thompson does an excellent job setting the stakes, and Raffaele’s art depicts the devastation-wrought city in spectacular cinematic fashion. As Gotham burns, The Scarecrow looks on with sinister fascination, and I feel a slight unease every time he glares on the panel.
I love Raffaele’s Batman, too. This time out, his design is slightly tweaked based on the mission requiring him to don protective ear coverings, giving him a more Detective Comics #27 flair to his appearance, sans purple gloves, of course.
Thompson makes a great character piece with the pages he is allotted, dealing with themes of fear and hope, but doesn’t forget to deliver on suspense and even throws in a twist for good measure. This is a solid Batman story through and through.
Next on the docket is part 2 of “Robin Season”, with Brendan Hay reteaming with Marco Santucci to deliver the finale of their story that sees Tim Drake and Damian Wayne up against a vengeance-seeking Killer Moth. The kicker is Moth doesn’t even realize with Robin he is after and has trapped the wrong ones. Hay’s script gets some humor out of the situation and plays up the contrasts between Tim and Damian beautifully. Of all the Robins, these two have been the most at odds and I would love to see more of them together.
Santucci’s art is crisp and reminds me of Eddy Barrows. Not only does he make Killer Moth look cool, but it’s easy to differentiate between the two Boy Wonders. For a story I was going to blow off, I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Finally, we come to the fifth story of the issue (but the third Batman-related one), “Leftovers”. Kind of fitting that it ends the book with a title like that, but it’s not to be dismissed. Written by Rich Douek with art by Stevan Subic, it could have almost been a Batman: Black & White story, other than it’s in color and just a titch longer than the normal page count those tales get allotted.
Opening on survivors of Mr. Zsasz’s support group meeting, their worst nightmare comes to life again when he visits them, leaving Batman too late to save everyone.
Subic’s artwork is chilling, particularly the splash page of Zsasz’s entrance. His panel work has a great flow and his Batman is always cloaked in shadows, capturing the Grim Avenger of The Night aspect with a flare of mystery and menace.
The mood established is unsettling, one that doesn’t even let go by the final panel. Like Zsasz to his victims, the story will leave its mark on you and serves as a counterpoint to the tone of the ending of “The Hum”.
Once again, while I can’t speak to the quality of the non-Batman stories, the three Gotham-set tales in this issue deliver. I was pleasantly surprised by how enthralling I found each one and it’s an easy recommendation for anyone looking to scratch a Dark Knight itch without having to worry about an ongoing narrative. With dramatic stories and exciting art, it is definitely worth your time. – Javier E. Trujillo
GRADE: A
