SYNOPSIS: Arnold Wesker had been thought cured—he’d left the Ventriloquist moniker behind and started a new life. But now his ol’ pal Scarface is back, and he’s pulling Wesker’s strings once again. Meanwhile, Batman and Robin find themselves at odds over how to handle the recently apprehended Quiet Man, who may have more in common with Batman than it seems. A convergence of evil is on the horizon—will Batman and Robin be able to work together to stop it?
As this title starts to wind down, the story heats up, with Scarface (or The Ventriloquist, if you prefer) making his play for The Penguin and Two-Face’s turf! Opening with a deadly salvo at the GCPD Storage and Archives, the personality of Scarface, still seen as Blair in Wesker’s mind, takes back their power.
Meanwhile, The Quiet Man sits in Blackgate, injured and chained in a cell where no one can get to him…well, no one except the guards on The Penguin’s payroll…and Batman and Robin.
PKJ uses this moment to have The Quiet Man rationalize his story to the Dynamic Duo, which later causes dissent between the Caped Crusaders. This is by far the best scene in the book.
Robin sees The Quiet Man’s actions one way, since his origin is born out of personal tragedy, making him similar to our heroes. Batman sees it another way, stating The Quiet Man is no better than Joker or Two-Face. The Dark Knight doesn’t want this difference of opinion to rest and swerves, pulling the Batmobile over to a stop so they can get out and have this discussion in the pouring rain.
Robin highlights the great privilege that Bruce Wayne has had and that The Quiet Man, Mercer, was all alone without those resources or masters to instruct. What really eats at Damian is that without Robin, he would be far worse, and given the derision his father carries for their enemies, it reflects on how he feels towards his son deep down.
Of course, the irony here is that we are in a time where Absolute Batman exists, and that has a Bruce Wayne without any of those advantages…and he’s still Batman.
Batman takes his son’s points in, lauding him for his bravery and stating they will discuss this later. This is what I love about PKJ writing this dynamic-it could come off stern, but we see Batman get down on his son’s level, put his arms on his shoulders…and smile. The art doesn’t depict it as sappy or “touchy-feely”. It still has that moody atmosphere we all love with Batman, but his affection and admiration for his son is evident.
What follows after that is a massive setting of the stage as all the players violently fall into place for a showdown. Ossio continues to impress on art. His Scarface reveal, as he thins out the ranks of The Penguin’s men, depicts the terror Wesker feels and the vindictiveness and brutality of Scarface. I love his Batman, too, with a flowing cape and shadowed face that is on par with the best of Bat artists! I hope that when this series ends, we see him stick around Gotham in some fashion. It would be a shame to lose him so soon.
There you have it, folks. Maybe not a splashy issue, but a rock-solid one yet again. I can’t think of any quibbles or flaws. Beautiful art and coloring to match a personal story make this a book to enjoy! – Javier E. Trujillo
GRADE: A