Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Batman : Nevermore #4

By Koppy McFad
July 14, 2003 - 14:21

Old-hand Len Wein has teamed with artist Guy Davis to produce this five-part DC Elseworlds story, teaming up Batman with Edgar Allan Poe, no less. This is a period piece but one that historical references and footnotes have not burdened or attempts to sound "authentic."

In the previous three issues, we see Poe, a newspaper reporter, joining forces with Batman to solve a series of grisly killings, known as "the Raven murders" mainly because someone spotted Batman lurking near the scene of the crime, mistook his costume for a raven and leapt to the conclusion that he was the killer. Poe later decides to trust the Batman after this masked figure saves his life. Despite being warned off by his editor, Poe digs further into the crimes, which include someone being sealed alive into a wall and a man having his heart torn out.

Wein and Davis do a good job of setting the mood to the story and of keeping the reader guessing what will happen next. Without giving away too much, we are introduced to several suspects/potential victims, including M. Valdemar, Mr. Usher, Arthur Gordon Pym and the lovely Leonore. Those with even the slightest familiarity with Poe's works will realize that the story is supposed to show how the events of this case inspired the writer, to produce the stories that would later make him famous.

Wein and Davis are remarkably restrained in depicting violence and horror. We see the dead bodies but are rarely shown the actual killings. In the fourth and second-to-the-last installment of this miniseries, two major characters are killed and Batman and Poe escape a "Pit and the Pendulum" trap. The escape is a bit of a disappointment since it involves so little ingenuity from Batman (and the writer.) Still, the mystery facing the heroes is genuine, even if the identity of the ultimate mastermind seems rather obvious.

Poe, who was both a master of suspense stories and a pioneer in detective stories is depicted here as a rather well-meaning but soft-hearted fellow. There is little sign of his deductive abilities or his alleged drunkenness. Wein and Davis make him a rather sympathetic figure who falls all to quickly for Leonore and is all too vulnerable as he comes closer to the truth. Yet he also comes off as something of a bumbler who is totally unsuited for crime-fighting.

Batman however, is shown as a shadowy figure who just happens to pop up at the right time to rescue Poe. We see little of his motivations or his methods. Apparently he is shadowing Poe but seems content to be relegated to the rescuer-in-residence, rather than the hero of the story.

Frankly, the presence of Batman partly dilutes the suspense and mystery of the story. We all know that he is going to come to the rescue and solve everything in the end. Bat-fans can also figure out that another key character-- Professor Jonathan Crane-- is a lot more than just an eccentric doctor. Oddly, this story might have been even better if Batman and his supporting cast hadn't been shoe-horned into it. Of course, then, it wouldn't have gotten green-lighted by DC.

Len Wein, creator of Swamp Thing and the original "new" X-Men, shows that he can still come up with something new. His story doesn't have the weirdness or fascination for the grotesque that has become the standard at Vertigo. However, neither is it just another super hero story set in 1800s. It has its own tone, quite different from the standard Bat-fare.

Guy Davis is a good complement for Wein's story. Despite the gloomy tone and detailed backgrounds, the art never overwhelms the narrative or becomes so heavy that it becomes incomprehensible. It was a refreshing change from other "mystery" comics that pour on the dark shadows to create a sense of menace but only ends up looking muddy.

One disappointment of the series are the Berni Wrightson covers. It should be a treat to see Wein and Wrightson together again. Nevertheless, Wrightson's covers seem rather pedestrian, not equal to his work on the covers of Swamp Thing or the House of Mystery back in the 70s.

Last Updated: November 29, 2025 - 16:51