This
issue features two stories. The first is “Ends of the Earth,” part 2, in which
Batman follows Pamela Isley out into the desert in the hope of enlisting her
help. A child has been infected by an unknown pathogen let loose by Victor
Fries, and he hopes Dr. Isley has a means of counter acting the lethal
infection.
It
portrays Isley – aka Poison Ivy – much more sympathetically than I recall.
She’s no longer an obsessive plant maniac, she’s become a victim. She claims
what she has become is the result of Bruce Wayne and his corporate
manipulation, a corruption of the botanical research she conducted on behalf of
Wayne Enterprises. Of course, she
sees things that way, but we know better: she’s a terrorist, plain and simple,
using plant toxins as a weapon.
One
thing I am uncertain of is Batman’s costume. Yes, he wore it out to the desert,
somewhere between Death Valley and the Nevada border. I’d love to see the look
on Alfred’s face when Batman returns to stately Wayne Manor with a sunburn
around his mouth and chin. And with temperatures soaring over 100 degrees in
that part of the world, no doubt the full-body bat-suit will be better of
burned than washed.
But
I digress.
Batman’s
costume is gray and green. I’m not sure why, but that’s only one of the puzzles
in this book.
In
the second story (“The Cursed Wheel, part 6”), Batman is facing down the
Riddler. At least I think it’s Batman. He’s wearing a variation on the costume
(sans cape), heavy on gold accents. It looks like a costume department reject
from Batman & Robin (1997). It
turns out it’s not Batman, and it’s not the Riddler.
“Batman”
is actually Duke, who appears to be Batman’s latest candidate for teen
sidekick. He has a score to settle, and despite Batman’s pep talk against going
off half-cocked, the kid goes off half-cocked. It’s a brief tale, with the
promise of more developments in the next issue.
I
can’t say I care much for Tula Lotay’s work. It has an sketchy quality that
does not appeal to me, though others may feel differently. Francisco
Francavilla’s work also seems unfinished. I normally enjoy his artwork, but
here it seems rushed. But the coloring (which I assume to be Francavilla’s as
well) helps elevate the rendering, and adds a great deal of mood and
atmosphere.