Is it a dream or is it a reality? As the Scarecrow plays the role of the ghost of Christmas past he leads Batman through a series of visions.
Visions that illustrate what would have become of Batman’s rogue’s gallery if he didn’t exist. Many questions arise in batman’s head as he ponders about the very things that Scarecrow is showing him and whether or not these visions are real. The burning questions that plague Batman as he suffers from his trip are this:
Does Batman do more harm than good? Is Batman necessary for the benefit of Gotham or is it for Bruce Wayne’s own benefit to fill the voids that have grown since childhood?
What I like about this issue is how Peterson presents and explores the idea of Batman’s existence and whether or not it proves counterproductive to the goals that Batman strives to achieve. Many people have talked about such topics in regards to Batman and whether he is wasting his resources warring against crime instead of making more philanthropic efforts to fix Gotham City with more legitimacy. As a comic book fan, I’ve had many discussions about content like this with friends, collaborators, and co-writers. There have been a few creators that have touched upon stuff like this especially Sean Gordon Murphy who has explored some of those themes in his Batman: White Knight series. While this series is out of continuity and self-contained it is a nice complimentary story that easily fits in the mold of Kelley’s 90’s Batman run seamlessly.
I feel that If you’re a fan of Kelley Jones classic Batman run in the ’90s then you’ll enjoy this issue and most likely enjoy this mini-series. I enjoy that Peterson made this issue heavily focused on the complications of Batman’s existence for better and for worse. Despite these hallucinations, it’s interesting seeing Scarecrow as the devil’s advocate question that has been presented a few times before, but in a way that fits for this story which reflects one of the many fears of Batman. While Murphey’s White Knight has explored these themes in a similar manner that was very effective as an out of continuity story. Now it’s not fair for me to try and compare two distinctly different stories, I think Peterson presents nice complimentary reading material examining a very vulnerable Batman who can’t seem to reconcile his reality and the potential truth that maybe his efforts leaves nothing but inevitable defeat.
In terms of the art, Kelley Jones art is distinct as it’s ever been with every silhouette, shape, and panel! Personally, for me, I am a fan of Jones Batman work since I grew up as a kid reading a lot of Batman and Detective Comics books. I grew up on a lot of back issues that contained Jones exaggerated yet uniquely stylistic work that left a strong impression on me (thanks to my dad and my cousin Edwin). Whether it’s his Batman Vampire trilogy or one-shots readers will immediately recognize the distinct horror aesthetics of Jones Batman. If you’re a fan of Jones artwork, or you’re the neophyte that likes to see different interpretations of Batman then I believe you’ll enjoy this Jones work and the themes of this issue as a whole. There are some solid panel work and pages that really stand out in this book that the narrative of this story is enhanced by the work of Jones. But double page spreads in this issue, especially with the Scarecrow is an amazing example of Jones chaotic art style. The colors by Michelle Madsen and the lettering by Rob Leigh help to emphasize the story and voices that are scripted and illustrated in this book.
Although despite my appreciation for Jones work, I understand and would like to make it clear that his artwork is not for everyone. If you are looking for a Batman book with a more modern and traditional style to the likes of modern comics, then it may or may not be for you. I’d say that this book will bode well for more hardcore fans of that era of Batman and the work of Kelly Jones. But if you’re a comic book fan that would like to explore content that deconstructs aspects of Batman and his efforts to fight a never-ending battle that may prove to be futile, then I think you’ll like this issue and this mini-series. I definitely recommend this issue and series to Kelley Jones fans who are looking for a more stylistic out of continuity story that they could pick up and have good food for thought reading beyond all the fast-paced action of superhero comics.
Newsdesk