The Black Bat #2 cover image - Cover A with art by Jae Lee

Rated T+

Dynamite Entertainment recently returned another classic pulp hero from the 1930s to comics.  This one is “The Black Bat,” a character that appeared in Black Bat Detective Mysteries, and influenced the creation of The Batman (to some extent), as well as a second version of The Black Bat.

Dynamite’s The Black Bat comic book stars Tony Quinn, a brash defense attorney for the mob who compromises his ethics for financial gain.  When Tony refuses to commit murder, his gangster employers torture and blind him.  It is a covert agency that rescues and gives Quinn a chance to make amends.  Tony dons a cape and cowl and becomes the Black Bat in a quest of redemption to right the wrongs of his past

The Black Bat #2 opens with Tony as the Black Bat about to break up a drug shipment for the city’s drug lord, Oliver Snate.  Tony’s baptism in fire becomes literal when a moral dilemma complicates the mission.  Meanwhile, anger in the city continues to rise over the unsolved case of the missing policemen.

THE LOWDOWN:  The first time I saw images of the cover art for The Black Bat #2, I was struck by how much it all looked similar to various Batman images and graphics.  [I wonder how many times you can poke the lion that is DC Comics’ legal department?]  Actually, instead of Batman, The Black Bat #2 reads like a blending of Doug Moench’s Moon Knight and Mike Baron’s The Punisher, and I rather enjoyed it.

Writer Brian Buccellato is more than competent, offering familiar “street level” comic book tales, with a character made interesting because his determination is matched by his ignorance.  Ronan Cliquet is also more than competent as a graphical storyteller, and his composition and page design is nice.  Cliquet’s art improves Buccellato’s script in terms of storytelling.

I liked The Black Bat #2.  I might read future issues, but as I have access to digital review copies from Dynamite Entertainment, that declaration might be something of a cheat.  Still, The Black Bat has promise.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Fans of comics like Daredevil and Moon Knight may want to try The Black Bat.