Written by (See Credits Below)
Art by (See Credits Below)
Cover Art by Dustin Nguyen
SUMMARY:
Published by DC Comics for October 2011, this 80-page one-shot consists of seven 10-page tales where Bruce Wayne’s Batman stars in six of them. The stories are:
“Intervention.” Writer: Eric Hobbs, with art by Ted Naifeh; John Kalisz; and Dave Sharpe. In a Gotham City slum, Bruce Wayne is frustrated in his efforts to aid young drug addict, Jade (not DC’s emerald super-hero). As Batman, he combats the new drug, ‘Intrepid,’ which may have infected Jade. The Dark Knight suspects this insidious substance is related to Scarecrow’s fear toxin.
“Short Straw.” Writers: Troy Brownfield & Matt Brady, with art by Thomas Nacklik; Rachelle Rosenberg; and Dave Sharpe. Wearing his employer’s enhanced armored suit, a paramilitary mercenary named Deckard is hired to test an irritated Dark Knight by knocking off Gotham’s diamond exchange. Calling this heist a ‘bad idea’ is an understatement.
“Unspoken.” Writers: David Skelly & Jennifer Skelly, with art by Cristina Coronas; Bill Sienkiewicz; John Kalisz; and Sal Cipriano. This narrative-free romance depicts a restless Bruce Wayne’s jealousy over seeing Selina Kyle with a suave gunrunner prior to a Batman vs. Catwoman confrontation.
“On the Waterfront.” Writer/Colorist: Guy Major, with art by Eric Nguyen & Wes Abbott. The psychotic Mister Zsasz finds that he now has his own Harley Queen wanna-be. Worse yet, Batman mistakenly believes Zsasz is holding this female psychiatrist-turned-serial killer captive.
“Danger Drive.” Writer: Terrance Griep, with art by Peter Pachoumis; Rodney Ramos; Dave Sharpe; & Wes Ozioba. The Riddler and his entourage hold the Jeopardy-styled Imperiled! TV game show’s mustachioed host (who curiously resembles the Prankster), the blonde hostess, and studio audience hostage at gunpoint. Another of their captives is contestant Dick Grayson. It’s left up to Renee Montoya’s Question to serve up the necessary answers.
“Fearless.” Writer: Caleb Monroe, with art by Geoff Shaw; Jack Purcell; Chris Beckett; & Dave Sharpe. Coolly making a play against the Scarecrow, would-be super-villain Nick Pierce reveals his origin as Batman’s next nemesis: the Falcon. Pierce is fully aware that his occupation remains a work-in-progress.
“One Lock, Many Keys.” Writer/Letterer: Joe Caramagna, with art by Joe Lauch; Jack Purcell; & Wil Quintana. Blue-collar parents Evelyn & Jack bicker over their handicapped young son’s inability to speak. Late that night, the boy becomes involved in a Batman vs. Solomon Grundy showdown.
Note: Despite their presence on the cover, Batwoman; Huntress; Black Canary; Zatanna Zatara; Man-Bat; Stephanie Brown’s Batgirl; Oracle; Tim Drake’s Red Robin; and Damian Wayne’s Robin don’t actually appear in this issue.
REVIEW:
All seven stories are coherently written, but some (i.e. Short Straw and the vile On the Waterfront) are definitely not kid-friendly.
Unspoken’s romanticism is the issue’s highlight, as Bruce & Selina’s timeless bond is creatively left open to interpretation. The sole comedy is the amusing Danger Drive, as Renee Montoya’s Question is a spot-on adversary for the Riddler. The story’s sole gaffe is: why would the Question stay and chat with her long-time boss, Commissioner Gordon? One can only presume, if Gordon supposedly couldn’t ever recognize Bruce Wayne & Dick Grayson as Batman & Robin — let alone his own daughter as the original Batgirl, then Montoya’s secret identity must be safe, too.
Intervention is an intriguing read, though the actual backstory of Jade meeting Bruce Wayne isn’t addressed. Judging by his black-and-gray hair, the art team oddly depicts Bruce Wayne as middle-aged in this story for some reason. Still, Intervention offers something for DC Comics to expand upon, in terms of Bruce Wayne’s approach to aiding poverty’s victims in Gotham City. The grisly On the Waterfront, however, would have worked better had Zsasz’s new female groupie faced either Batwoman or the Question. Short Straw and Fearless are both audition stories, as the villain’s narrative takes precedence. If developed further, either villain might be worth adding to the rotation of Bat-villains.
As for One Lock, Many Keys, this one is the hardest to analyze. One could assume the Batman vs. Grundy battle occurs in the boy’s imagination or a dream (inspired by a comic book he has just read). Yet, correlating a breakthrough in the boy’s severe speech impediment due to meeting Batman is much too self-congratulatory to DC Comics. Unfortunately, despite the writer’s good intentions, this story is insulting to real world struggles with this medical condition.
To this one-shot’s credit, all seven stories are nicely illustrated (including Dustin Nguyen’s cover montage). Their diverse visual styles make for a considerable creative asset. The different writing approaches, however, aren’t cohesive enough to make a compelling read. Unspoken and Danger Drive are the most deserving to merit inclusion as back-up tales padding a Batman hardcover or trade paperback. The others, less so, to varying degrees, with On the Waterfront meriting a parental advisory label.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
This issue’s Table of Contents proves a helpful aid to navigate through these Bat-tales. The single-page “DC Nation” is a Green-Lantern themed ad for the DC Universe Online video game.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6 Stars
