NML Crossing, Episode 066 – Batman Chronicles #16 (1999)
NML Crossing, Episode Sixty-Six
Batman Chronicles #16 (Spring, 1999)
“Two Down”
“The Comforts of Home”
“Harold”
Writers – Greg Rucka, Scott Beatty, Denny O’Neil
Pencils – Jason Pearson, Damion Scott, Chris Renaud
Inks – Cam Smith, Wayne Faucher, Sal Buscema
Colors – Digital Chameleon, Ian Laughlin
Letters – Rick Parker, Clem Robins
Edits – Vincenzo, Gorfinkel, Illidge, Carlin, O’Neil
Cover Price: $2.95
We’re back in Anthology Land, and we’re kicking off that other Renee and Harvey partnership! We also meet a couple of No Man’s Landers who happen across a supervillain hideout, and find out a bit about Handy Harold!
NML Crossing on Youtube
I really enjoyed the Two-Face and Montoya story. I’m wondering if there was some kind of delay behind the scenes that pushed this story from the previous Chronicles to this one. That could even explain why the previous story was a text piece. It would have been easier and faster to do the text andone picture per page story that we got last time. I’m sure that editorial didn’t care much what stories were going into what issues of a book like Chronicles as long as all the pages were filled with something. By the way, I counted, and this story had 22 pages. I’m pretty sure that is full comic legnth. So it could have been a one and done.
It is almost impossible for every flip of Two-Face’s coin to come “good” side up every time. I think that the flip, when confronted by the gang members asking him to join them came up “good” side up too. If it was “bad” side up he would have joined them. But “good” side up made him fight them off. I’m wondering if that particular coin is Two-Face’s coin, or perhaps it is non scarred two headed coin. The villainous Two-Face side may need the coin to make decisions, but perhaps the good DA Harvey Dent side, after seeing all the destruction and need in Gotham after the quake chose to cheat the flips by substituting a coin that would only allow Two-Face to do good. But only Montoya knows for sure.
The second story answered one of my long lingering comics questions. What happens to all the supervillain secret lairs after the supervillains get caught? Seeing two normal, if dense, people stumble along a former Joker lair makes me wonder why this kind of thing doesn’t happen more often. Cute story though, I enjoyed it.
I never cared for Harold. This is actually his last appearance until the Hush storyline in 2003. His departure from the Batman mythos has always felt like when Julius Schwartz got rid of Bat-Mite. He wasn’t wanted or needed anymore so he just disappeared never to be seen or asked about again. Wouldn’t it be funny, if after No Man’s Land is over, Bruce goes back to a rebuilt Wayne Manor and sits down in his study and says to Alfred, “Hey, where’s Harold at?”
I also don’t really care for Harold as a character. I do think there’s a need for someone who builds Bruce’s tech and other stuff, but I always thought Harold was one-note and never developed because he was inconsitently shown.