Written by Ty Templeton; Hillary J. Bader; & Kelley Puckett
Art by Bo Hampton; Brandon Kruse; Joe Staton; Terry Beatty; Rich Burchett; Stan Woch; Lee Loughridge; Linda Medley; Timothy Harkins; & Albert Tobias De Guzman
Cover Art by Ty Templeton
SUMMARY:
Released by DC Comics in 2018, this 240-page trade paperback consists of Batman & Robin Adventures # 19-25 and Annual # 2 (all from 1997). Primarily written by Ty Templeton, these eight Bat-tales inspired by Batman: The Animated Series are:
- Issue # 19: Duty of the Huntress. A grief-stricken Helena Bertinelli is among the few survivors from a mob massacre at a family party in her honor. Vengefully pursuing justice as the masked Huntress, Helena relies on her late father’s secret journal for guidance. The Dynamic Duo try to contain a desperate Helena, as her vigilantism may prove more dangerous than she realizes.
- Issue # 20: Through the Long Night. Batman & Robin pursue a cache of deadly guns. Meanwhile, the Gotham City Police Department (Harvey Bullock among them) has an ongoing betting pool re: how many goons the Dynamic Duo will nab that night.
- Issue # 21: Why Is a Raven Like a Writing Desk? With Batman temporarily out of town, it’s up to Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) to decipher some baffling clues one night to rescue her abducted dad from the Riddler.
- Issue # 22: Fifty Fifty. Batman & Robin search for a kidnapped and partially-reformed Two-Face, who is using a temporary coin to make his ominous heads-or-tails decisions. When a bloodthirsty gangster’s thugs threaten a mutual female friend of Harvey Dent & Bruce Wayne, the Dynamic Duo ultimately finds out that Two-Face has some unexpected tricks up his sleeve.
- Issue # 23: Crocodile Tears. Gotham reporter Summer Gleeson nonchalantly badmouths the Dynamic Duo on television while expressing less-than-sincere sympathy for Killer Croc. She doesn’t realize that the fugitive Croc now has a romantic crush on her.
- Annual # 2: Token of Faith. In a sequel to the animated episode, Zatanna, the Dynamic Duo faces the decrepit Hypnotist (a forgotten adversary from Bruce’s past) when a mystical amulet is stolen from Wayne Manor. To recover the amulet, Batman contacts the Hypnotist’s next likely target: Zatanna Zatara. Remembering their youthful past together, it’s up to Batman & Zatanna to rely on her late father’s tutelage to thwart the Hypnotist.
- Issue # 24: Touch of Death. Batman contends with Poison Ivy and ominous government agents who are pursuing Ivy’s new acquaintance: a young boy, whose skin exudes a lethal chemical.
- Issue # 25: Demon in the Sky. Claiming to have tapped into the massive power of an alien flying saucer, Ra’s Al Ghul forces an injured Batman & Robin to pursue him to the edge of Area 51 and potentially beyond to stop his latest global destruction scheme.
REVIEW:
As expected, these mostly kid-friendly stories adhere to the visual style of the cartoon series. Yet, as a parental heads-up, there’s a rare glimpse of mass murder and blood on the opening page of the Huntress tale. Of these eight stories, it’s impressive that they all could have inspired excellent TV episodes.
While Token of Faith, Why is a Raven Like a Writing Desk?, and Fifty Fifty are this collection’s best tales, Through the Long Night scores re: Bullock’s inept efforts at cheating on his squad’s betting pool. Also, Crocodile Tears makes for an unusual read, as both Killer Croc and Summer Gleason take surprising turns. As for the biggest surprise, Demon in the Sky shifts Batman’s long-standing feud with Ra’s Al Ghul into a previously-unexplored direction re: a purported UFO encounter.
Extra credit goes to writer Ty Templeton for some terrific cover art, as he is the primary asset for making this book as entertaining as it is. Batman & Robin Adventures, Vol. 3 proves a real winner for Bat-fans.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Full-page renditions are included of the covers by Ty Templeton (Issues # 19-25) and by Joe Staton & Terry Austin for Annual # 2. A random image from the book’s various stories add an extra decoration to mark the beginning of the next tale.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars
