Written by Geoff Johns.
Art by Gary Frank; Jon Sibal; Brad Anderson; & Rob Leigh.
Cover Art by Gary Frank & Brad Anderson.
SUMMARY:
In 2021, DC Comics released this 160-page hardcover completing the Batman: Earth One trilogy. In Earth One’s alternate reality, Bruce Wayne’s late mother was Martha Arkham making him the last heir of both the Wayne fortune and the controversial Arkham legacy. Amidst Martha’s haunted childhood, her parents were both lost to bleak fates.
In the present day, along with allies Alfred Pennyworth and Killer Croc, Bruce secretly excavates his way underneath Arkham Asylum to set up the first Batcave. The GCPD’s Captain James Gordon remains Batman’s trusted police contact.
Shocking DNA evidence is uncovered proving that an elderly and mentally deranged transient is Wayne’s long-believed-dead maternal grandfather: Adrian Arkham. Bruce desperately tries to connect with Adrian, who grimly believes that his grandson will inevitably soon fall victim to the Arkham family curse.
Simultaneously, Batman and his allies encounter the first wave of mass quantities of military-grade weaponry being smuggled into Gotham for an incendiary criminal revolution. Bruce isn’t sure how much he can confide in his ally and would-be girlfriend: Mayor Jessica Dent. Currently, she is still recovering emotionally and physically from her psychotic brother Harvey’s recent death.
Worse yet, it appears that a zombie-like Harvey is somehow the ghostly mastermind plotting Gotham’s imminent destruction. Another wildcard in this combustible mix is a goofy-looking Catwoman (possibly Selina Kyle), who may join the Bat-team for the right price. As both Bruce Wayne and Batman, Gotham’s Dark Knight races the clock to uncover the murky truth before he falls to shadowy forces targeting him.
Threads are left teasing a potential Volume Four, including this reality’s Joker and a young Outsiders team.
Note: This title is also available digitally.
REVIEW:
Akin to their prior DC works (i.e. Superman: Secret Origin), this project’s art squad again delivers top-caliber visuals. Yet, such reliable artwork compensates only so much for Geoff Johns’ middling storyline.
Negating Two-Face’s intriguing new incarnation (two thumbs up for some originality), Johns’ ‘realistic’ Bruce Wayne/Batman struggles to be compelling as an old-school masked man pitted against such evil adversaries. Volume Three, in that sense, falls short of conveying Gotham’s Dark Knight as the human force of nature fans are hoping for.
Instead, it focuses far more on Bruce Wayne comingling his Arkham family heritage with his Bat-destiny, which frankly isn’t that interesting come the final few twists. Pitching a woefully underwritten Catwoman (whose ridiculous fashion sense far more befits Harley Quinn) into this mix doesn’t improve the situation. As for the dubious Adrian Arkham sub-plot, one might say its ‘mind games’ climax is just too reminiscent of Batman: Under the Red Hood.
In that sense, Johns’ simplistic take on Batman is disappointing. The excitement and fun he generated years ago with stellar pre-52 creative runs on Wally West’s Flash, Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern, JLA, and Superman: Secret Origin is sorely missed upon reading this underwhelming adventure.
Resorting to occasional profanities and gore doesn’t hide that a third round of Earth One’s Batman is frankly a nonessential Elseworlds caper. For Bat-fans, it is unfortunate that Batman: Earth One, Volume Three’s stellar visual look isn’t matched by an engaging mystery/horror tale worthy of this vibe.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
In a two-page art gallery, two different panels are sampled depicting the evolution from sketch (Frank) to inked version (Sibal) and then on to the finished product (Frank, Sibal, Anderson, & Leigh). The last page provides paragraph-length bios on the creative team – excluding Sibal.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5½ Stars
