“Shadows of the Bat” concludes, with various threads tied up, some left dangling and setup for what’s to come in Detective Comics #1,058, written by Mariko Tamaki, drawn by Amancay Nahuelpan, colored by Jordie Bellaire and lettered by Ariana Maher. And in the final chapter of “House of Gotham,” The Boy finally gets a name of sorts, as his story reaches its tragic ending in a backup written by Matthew Rosenberg, drawn by Fernando Blanco, colored by Jordie Bellaire and lettered by Rob Leigh.
As Two-Face and company rescue the rest of Task Force Z and run afoul of a certain Dark Knight, the questions of how this all came to be and who is pulling the strings are answered in Task Force Z #6, written by Rosenberg, drawn by Jack Herbert, colored by Adriano Lucas and lettered by Leigh.
As we gear up for next month’s “Shadow War” crossover, we dip our toes into a series we have never touched. So this week it’s time to check in on Will’s (least) favorite Robin, Damian Wayne, as he returns to Gotham with a vial of Lazarus Resin and a location in mind: the grave of Alfred Pennyworth. Robin #12 is written by Joshua Williamson, penciled by Roger Cruz, inked by Norm Rapmund, colored by Luis Guerrero and lettered by Troy Peteri.
Matt Lazorwitz: I think I might have commented on this at the beginning of an earlier column, but I’m too lazy to go back and check, so I’ll say it again: It feels like we’re really at the end of something here. The phase of Bat books that started with Infinite Frontier and A-Day seem to be resolving, and we’re entering one of those weird in-between periods, probably until after DC’s next big event and status quo shift.
Will Nevin: Yessir. We’ll find out what Bane’s master plan has been, and we’ll get a sense of what the next couple of years might be like.
But, Matt, before we move on, let me tell you this: If you have the chance to bring me back from the grave with a vial of magic go-go goop, pull that trigger, bud. Bring ol’ Will back, would you, please?
The Tower Stands
Matt: This is it, the grand finale. Or, I think more of an epilogue.
Will: It’s a coda, which I reckon is fine. Maybe I expected more? It’s reasonable to think that If we’re going to have our favorite hard drinkin’, strong chargin’ reporter Deb Donovan come in for a debrief, it’s going to be one that answers a bunch of our questions. And this answers … some? Wear gets buried as a small-time hood who tried to go too big too fast. Chase Meridian becomes the new head of Arkham Tower. Anything else catch your passing fancy?
Matt: The question of what Bruce’s angle is with Psycho-Pirate. I’m wondering if this is a bigger DCU question, actually, with the Pirate’s connection to Crisis-level events and the Dark Crisis set to start soon. Batman has a part to play in the runup to that event, even though he “dies” in the prelude, so I’m thinking this might be part of the setup to all that. Whether Tamaki planned for that initially, or it got added at the end as the event was planned, well, I can’t say.
Tamaki also continues to keep the Penguin in the spotlight. I’ve always felt like Penguin would serve well for the Bat titles the way Lex Luthor has for the Superman titles since the ’80s, as a recurring supporting cast member as well as a rogue, and I think this is a good start for that.
Will: I know we’ll get to the backup, but it too did its part to keep the Penguin strong — he’s a real option if someone, say like a certain writer with a spectacularly good ongoing series on crime and the mob, were to come on one of the main Bat titles.
Matt: Yes, I think there is strong potential there.
I like the rapport between Deb and Batwoman in this issue, and I am hoping that keeps up; they’re both tough and have caustic tongues, so I can see them really bouncing off each other. Batman is of course the central character of Detective Comics, but Batwoman’s first ongoing appearances were in the Rucka/Williams ‘Tec run, and with Batman “dying” I would not be averse to Kate Kane taking over this series until Bruce makes his triumphant return, and it feels like Deb would be a natural fit to become part of her cast.
Will: Deb, in her own way, is an Oracle sort of character. She has sources and answers and methods that are a bit foreign to our lead heroes — and she can give us the exposition-y bits that really make a story feel satisfying.
Matt: That’s one of the reasons reporters make up the supporting casts of so many superhero comics, I think, along with cops. And with the way of the world and issues of copaganda, reporters certainly make for less problematic characters. The writer just needs to do something to make them not just a clone of Lois Lane, and Deb’s sarcasm and hard-drinking demeanor give her that unique twist.
Artwise, rarely have I seen an artist on a Batbook show combat as viscerally as Nahuelpan. The hits the Batfamily lands on Penguin’s thugs who are trying to take out Psycho-Pirate, I feel them land. Especially Cass kneeing that one guy in the back. He’s going to be having kidney problems for quite some time.
Will: Does the Penguin carry henchperson insurance? I hope he does.
Matt: If any rogue does, it’s Penguin. I bet he sets up 401(k)s, too.
Now, you mentioned it before, but the backup … This one ends with a bang, and I don’t mean that in a punny way, despite it working that way. I’m glad this wound up not being the origin of Nero XIX. This is a more interesting story being about The Forgotten.
Will: “House of Gotham” or “Dancing Between the Raindrops of the Last 30 Years of Continuity.” And that fake title gets to the point of Pengy’s last line, which was a real punch to the chops — a quiet sort of finish for a story with lots of loud, noisy bits.
Matt: Rosenberg is a writer who does loud really well (See our next book) but also can swing into these really quiet moments, something I loved about his 4 Kids Walk into a Bank. What could have been a massive confrontation between The Forgotten and Batman instead becomes a conversation. And that’s what The Forgotten has needed since he was The Boy; someone to actually listen to what he has to say. If someone had just been there for him, rather than shuffling him off to someone else who they thought would take care of him, maybe all of this could have been avoided.
Will: All he wanted was kindness — certainly not his fault it was only the baddies who showed him that.
A Conspiracy Blooms
Matt: This issue, as opposed to the end of “House of Gotham,” shows Rosenberg at his most bombastic. This is a book of explosions, gunfire and car chases. Which is pretty much what you’d expect from the zombie supervillain comic.
Will: And plots within plots and more nefarious characters than you can shake a decapitated corpse at. I’ll be honest, this is on that Metal-level of “I have so many questions about who these people are and what the shit is going on,” but at least this book doesn’t take itself too seriously. Say, did you notice the detail on Waller’s bulletin board in re: Bane?
Matt: Indeed I did! Of course, if anyone would be aware of what Bane is still running around and that this “Bane” is someone else, it would be The Wall. And yes, this series relishes its deep dives. I’m assuming you have no idea who Resurrection Man is, huh?
Will: Not one single, solitary fucking clue, Brother Matt.
Matt: I happen to really like that character, so I was pleased to see him back. Mitch Shelly was created for an eponymous series in the late ’90s that ran somewhere just shy of 30 issues. His whole thing is he dies, he comes back, and each time he comes back he has a different super power. It was originally suspected it was some kind of tech thing, since he had no memories, but it turns out he was pretty ancient and was one of a couple of immortals who were around to counter Vandal Savage. One of his co-creators was Dan Abnett, hence the name of the bar they were talking about, Abnett’s. Because everything in Gotham is named after a creator.
I’m not expecting this to be the last we see of the members of the team who have disappeared or were seemingly destroyed either. This is a superhero comic to begin with, and one built on resurrection. I’m glad the book handwaves away their deaths, since we all know it’s not permanent.
Will: Seems like as long as they have resin and a few body parts, anything is possible.
Matt: The big moment, aside from seeing Bloom’s plan and how it’s come together and how Two-Face got involved, is Jason confronting Batman. And while we don’t see exactly how it comes out, the discussion they have, while smacking each other around, is a great piece of character. For one, I like that it takes place during combat. There are times where that old chestnut feels overplayed or hackneyed, but with these two characters, two people who channel their anger and frustration through their fists? It actually makes sense.
Will: And that was a scene that drew on the history between those characters in a way that felt real — even more so given the chaos and nonsense surrounding it.
Matt: And in the end, Bruce chooses to trust Jason. It’s something that might not have occurred a few years ago, so, hey that’s growth!
I have to add an art quibble in this issue. The senator Bloom is using to front this project? I really wish he looked less like Jim Gordon. That flashback to the recruiting of Two-Face has the two of them standing next to each other, and I swear I thought that was Jim for long enough to completely throw me out of the scene. I think Jack Herbert does a fine job in general on the comic, but that little detail bugged me.
Al Ghul Family Drama
Matt: This is your first issue of this book, which anyone who knows you isn’t surprised by, thanks to your well known hatred of Damian Wayne. How did it strike you?
Will: You know, I didn’t hate it! I liked this Damian as more of an adult and less of a trained killer brat. I did, though, agree in principle with the fake, hallucinatory Damian.
Matt: The whole arc of this series has been about Damian coming to terms with a lot of the things that make him such a little shit, so this is the logical payoff of that. He went through this whole ordeal, a martial arts tournament, trying to process his grief over the death of Alfred. Damian had never really had to process grief before. Sure, Bruce “died” shortly after Damian met him, but they barely knew each other. That grief was a crucible that forged something better out of Damian.
Will: And this issue certainly puts Damian’s grief over Alfred on display with some high-ass stakes. You can’t get more “life and death” than literally standing over a grave with a vial of magic resurrection goop in your hand.
Matt: And Damian makes the right choice for the right reason. He has spent time with now three previous generations of his family, all of whom have been through the Lazarus Pits, has seen it, and knows that this is not what Alfred would want. And when he’s presented with a chance to do what Alfred might have wanted him to do, to make peace with his mother, he chooses to. This is not the snotty kid from even a couple years ago, let alone from his earliest appearances.
Will: I like how this is framed as a real temptation with consequences — as we’ve seen in the earliest Ra’s stories and as Damian mentions, what goes in the pit ain’t what comes out. Now, I don’t think they’d do something as corny as “Well, there were a few drops from the smashed vial that managed to hit the ground, and presto change-o, Alfred’s alive again,” but it shows that the unknowable mind of DC editorial remembers that they’ve got one of the core Bat family members on the shelf, and that one of these here days, he’s coming off of it.
Matt: That stuff was all very good. I was less thrilled with the big twist at the end. Oh, Ra’s is dying. Maybe it’s because we just read certain stories for the podcast, for an episode to be released soon to tie in with “Shadow War,” but that isn’t anything we haven’t seen before. There might be something novel to be done with it, but it wasn’t a hook that has me dying to see what happens next. Talia and Damian trying to be a family is actually something I find much more interesting, and I could have used a couple more issues of that before some big event.
Will: At least said big event is only nine issues, right? If we can get through 16+ issues of Sean Gordon Murphy’s “ideas” on Batman and other “super cereal” topics, we can get into and out of nine books written and illustrated by people who actually know what the fuck they’re doing.
Bat-miscellany
- This week, the BatChat podcast features three stories written by Paul Dini, one set in the Batman: The Animated Series universe, one in the main DCU and one that touches on some autobiography mixed with some Bat characters.
- Making sure the foil on the Champagne bottle read “champagne” was probably an unnecessary add in Task Force Z, but bless any artist who puts in detail work.
- Rosenberg certainly writes a salty Amanda Waller. Her takedowns of Two-Face, the senator and the fish monster are brutal and hilarious.
- Why DC has settled on the “Alpha” and “Omega” branding for their one-off event books is … well, unknowable.
Matt Lazorwitz read his first comic at the age of 5. It was Who's Who in the DC Universe #2, featuring characters whose names begin with B, which explains so much about his Batman obsession. He writes about comics he loves, and co-hosts the podcasts BatChat with Matt & Will and The ComicsXF Interview Podcast.
Will Nevin loves bourbon and AP style and gets paid to teach one of those things. He is on Twitter far too often.
