For
no reason he can understand, Batman has made an enemy of virtually everyone in
Gotham. Even the police department wants to put him down – hard. Swarmed by
innocent citizens, he forced to battle his way out of harm’s way with both
fists tied behind his back. If only he had a partner to come to his rescue. Oh,
wait – he does.
MEANWHILE…
Bruce Wayne and Jack Ryder are on the trail of the source of Gotham’s ire, with
all clues leading to a new, latter-day version of the Scarecrow. The “new” villain’s
origin is a bit iffy, in my opinion, but no less so than Bruce’s when one
thinks of it.
Artwork is
in the hands of Will Conrad. Adequate, competent and no complaints other than
he is not the previous team of Hester & Parks, but then I am admittedly biased.
However, I do appreciate Conrad’s rendering of the future. He does have a
greater sense of detail, and is fearless when it comes to depicting the crowd
scenes of the current story arc.
Kudos to
writer Dan Jurgens for reinventing classic foes for the second-generation
Batman. He is crafting a larger world for the Terry McGinnis version of Batman,
from allies to enemies. It’s my own impatience to see that architecture extend
to Gotham City overall, and the greater DCU.
Rating:
9/10