It’s a busy night for the Batman Family. Having been tipped off that Police Commissioner Vandal Savage and Mayor Pamela Isley have declared war on them, the race is on to protect their secrets.
The plan is that if the police get too close the booty is blown up, while items secured will be stored by Azrael’s cult until things calm down.
Damian isn’t happy to be, in his eyes, relegated to back-up so, after a talk with Imaginary Alfred, Bruce changes tack.
Steph, meanwhile, is wondering why they’re one Robin down.
Batman seemingly isn’t going to interrupt Tim’s break, but surely the most responsible of Robins will know he’s needed.
As for Batman, he’s ready to jump in when one of his protégés needs a hand.
What a load of bollards… are we really meant to believe Batman can pepper the streets of Gotham with metal rods, ready to pop up and wreck police cars? To be fair to writer Matt Fraction, he does have the Bat Teens as incredulous as me.
Anyway, this is a pretty diverting issue, with plenty of chunky character moments and loads of action. Steph’s irritation at her ex-boyfriend taking an indefinite break to play house with his insipid young man is a nice touch. Duke’s stoicism is good to see, heck, it’s good to see him full stop, he’s a character with potential who should be around more. And Damian… actually, I don’t know why he’s sulking about being assigned as rescue guy, that’s a massive level of trust his pop’s putting in him.
As for Batman, I love how non-intense he is under Fraction, but conjuring up a walking, talking shade of Alfred makes him look like a Fruit Loop.
Batgirl Barbara Gordon never gets into costume, so enjoy Jorge Jiménez and Tomeu Morey’s cover illo and then forget it. The issue is important to Babs, though, as it sets up the coming Barbara Gordon: Breakout mini-series.
One thing I don’t get is how Savage knows where the Bat-Bunkers are.
Ryan Sook guests on the art and his pages are typically lovely. His elegant figures dance across the pages, the vehicles zoom convincingly through the streets. Facially, nobody looks generic. And I never before realised how much I wanted to see a Batcave changing room. Every page, coloured by Morey and lettered by Clayton Cowles, is a pleasure to look at and read.
The basic premise of this story, though, I have real difficulty with. How could criminal caveman Vandal Savage, surely a known figure in the DC Universe, be put in charge of Gotham law enforcement? Who would vote for Poison Ivy to be Mayor? Why does Batman not have Superman or similar zoom through the city and clear his mini-Batcaves? I realise we’re in a world of super-powered beings and general weirdness, but there has to be an internal logic, and two supervillains at the top of Gotham’s tree feels as stupid as the No Man’s Land’s abandonment of Gotham citizens by the US government.
Why do so many DC writers resist just using villains as villains? In Superman we’ve recently had Lex Luthor desperate to be Superman’s Pal. In Justice League Unlimited a whole bunch of bad guys – including Luthor – are offered a chance to be probationary heroes.
Maybe it’s just me?
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 
I don’t know, man… seems to me that putting supervillains in positions of power in government IS using villains as villains. I mean, look around! Government is literally what villains do these days.
Similarly, I can no longer be incredulous at these stories in a “who would vote for that” way, because again… look around.
I’m a few months behind on Batman, but I’m looking forward to reading this one.
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Well yes Rob, but I need escapism, and heroes fighting villains in a more traditional way would hit the spot nicely.
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Ah, there’s the problem! I’m looking for cathartic release.
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