Batman #454 (1990)

Batman #454 (September, 1990)
"Dark Knight, Dark City: Part III"
Writer - Peter Milligan
Pencils - Kieron Dwyer
Inks - Dennis Janke
Letters - John Costanza
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Assoc. Edits - Dan Raspler
Edits - Denny O'Neil
Cover Price: $1.00

Alrighty... let's get straight to it...

Of course, if you need/want to catch up, you can check out the previous two chapters here and here.

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When last we left Batman, he was about to perform a tracheotomy on a newborn.  Armed only with a dirty butcher's knife and his wits... he cuts a hole in the baby's throat... before rushing out of the sewer and delivering him to the hospital... where he would lay on life support.

Batman meets up with Jim Gordon at the hospital, and we learn that the baby is named Michael and is only eight days old.  On his diaper was pinned yet another clue...

Only one left, a little boy crawler...

You'll find lots of him, though shorter and taller...

Well, my mind went straight to fun house mirrors, howsabout you?  Batman has the same idea in mind... though he humors Alfred's attempt at referencing a Thomas Pynchon novel.  When Cooney's Circus Land is popped into the Bat-Map, the locations of the last several riddles appear to be an unfinished question mark, hmm... When Batman proactively "finishes" the question mark, he believes the Circus is just one stop before the final showdown... Stockman's Square.  Hey, where have we heard that name before?

Oh yeah... back in 1793, we visit with our old friend Jacob Stockman... he's busily jotting away into his journal.  His mind keeps going back to "that night"... no, not the one where he and his parents went to see Zorro... the night when him, Thomas Jefferson, and some other wigged goobers locked a poor woman (who'd undergone preparations to become a "human bat") in the cellar with the daemon Barbathos.

Back in the present, we join Batman at the circus.  He heads straight into the Hall of Mirrors... where he finds himself standing before the baby and... a goat?  A confused Batman is then shot with a flamethrower by one of Riddler's men.  He narrowly avoids the flames by engaging in some aerial antics.  When the smoke clears, Batman finds himself alone with the goat... and the final (unharmed) baby.  He sits in a disturbing silence looking his surreal surroundings... shattered mirrors, a baby... and a goat.

Batman hands the tot off to a passing squad car and, remembering that the question-mark labyrinth on Gotham City map ends at Stockman's Square, makes haste.  Minutes later, he finds himself standing outside of Q&A Storage.  Inside, the Riddler's goons are surprised when Batman leads with a goat!  In the distraction, Batman swoops in and kayos one of the henchmen but good.

This must be a pretty old building... Batman's batline breaks one of the rotting beams near the ceiling, and he crashes to the ground.  Just before the Riddler's flamethrower goon barbecues the bat... the Riddler shoots him in the gut.  If it hasn't been made clear already... he needs Batman alive.

Some time later Batman wakes up.  Before him stands the Riddler, who is wearing some sort of robe... and reading from an old tattered book.  We pan out and come to find that Batman has been tied to an altar... and there's some symbols on the wall behind him.  Riddler explains that the book is in fact the journal of Jacob Stockman... the same journal we've been visiting on and off throughout this tale.

He explains to Batman about the sacrificial ritual that was never completed... even going as far as showing him the skeletal remains of the poor young lady from our flashback bits.  He continues, telling Batman that the young lady had been prepared... prepared to become a "human bat".  She completed several trials, willingly, to be the sacrifice... we learn that all the hoops Batman has been put through over the past several chapters were fulfilling those same requirements.

The first step... kissing the lips of a hanged man... which Batman unwittingly did when he gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the hung security guard at the Gotham University Library.

Next, bathing in blood... which Batman did at the transfusion center.  Third, taking part in a danse macabre... which occurred at the Gotham Military Cemetery when the zombies attacked.  Fourth, slaying a wild dog (hopefully not that Wild Dog!) with a silver knife... which happened when Batman stabbed the attacking pit bull terrier.  Next, and perhaps the most disturbing slitting the throat of an unbaptized child... which Batman had little choice but to do when that child is choking on a ping pong ball.  Finally, a "Black Sabbath Dance" (I... am... Iron Man) which is when you dance before the devil (in the pale moon light?)... which is a bit of a stretch here... Batman did acrobatic maneuvers to avoid flamethrower fire... in front of a horned goat?  Ehh, why not?

Now, Batman is fully "prepared" to be sacrificed.  Before the Riddler does the deed, Batman asks him what's going on.  In a really neat bit, he plays to his rationality... offering that he always thought they had a kind of respect for one another.  The Riddler, however, ain't buying it... just as he's about to plunge the blade into Batman's chest... a "presence" makes itself known.

The Daemon Barbathos begins speaking to the pair.  He mocks the Riddler, claiming he was nothing more than a means to an end... what it wanted was the Batman.  The Riddler frantically beats a hasty retreat... and re-boards up the underground temple, leaving Batman to die alongside the poor sacrificial woman from two centuries prior.

Barbathos turns its attentions to Batman, who by now has freed himself from his bindings.  It shows Batman the events of that tragic night in 1765.  Stockman, Jefferson and the whole gang all flee like cowards... and leave the young woman behind.  We watch her scratch at the door until her fingers bleed.

We learn that the bat-shaped figure that swooped into the unholy temple was... get this, just a bat.  These geeks ran away from a normal bat.  Barbathos uses the skeletal remains of the bat as a means to communicate with Batman.  It laments the fact that it has been trapped in this underground temple for 200 years... and demands that Batman finally free the young woman, and in so doing... free Barbathos.

Batman and the woman, who we come to find is called Dominique share a moment's conversation.  They feel a sort of kinship between them... almost as though they share a bloodline.  As they chat, smoke starts billowing through the cracks in the hatch.  The Riddler has set the building on fire!

A few panicked moments later, the hatch opens.  Alfred has saved the day!  Batman takes Dominique in his arms, covers her with his cape... and runs out of the burning building.  Outside, when Batman opens his cape, we find that he was carrying Dominique's remains.

Time passes, and we join Batman at the Wayne family crypt... where he'd had Dominique interred.  On her plaque, she is referred to as "My Sister".  We learn that the baby, Michael survived... and may just get a visit from Mr. Wayne the next day.

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What a crazy story!  This is one of those gems that it's so fun to revisit once every bunch of years.  As I think I'd mentioned previously, it's been about a decade since I last read this... so, most of the finer points of the story were forgotten.  I had a blast experiencing this bugger again.  The main thing I remember from my last read through was that I walked away from it satisfied.  It was a tight, well-paced, beautifully rendered tale that made sense and ended with a pay-off.

I know there'd been mention of Barbathos during Grant Morrison's run on Batman & Robin before Flashpoint, which isn't much of a surprise.  I remember hearing that before taking over the Batman-ship, so to speak, Grant Morrison read every single issue that came before.  I could definitely see this Peter Milligan story catching his eye... I can't remember just how deep the mention went, and I would have to dig through many longboxes to find the answer.

It was interesting that Batman was sorta-kinda given a sorta-kinda sister at the end there.  I cannot find any reference of Dominique "Wayne" following this story... but I think it was a pretty neat addition to the mythos.  If I were to guess, I'd figure there may have been an "Easter Egg" or two referring to her the the subsequent decades... but I cannot say for certain.  Maybe one day we'll get another visit to the Wayne family crypt and see if she's still there.  Do the Waynes have a crypt?  I always thought they just had a grave site... hmm...

I suppose I gotta mention the man of the hour... The Riddler.  Wow, what a take on this classic character.  Truly disturbing... and a fun approach to Nigma.  I really appreciate how the entire event was weaved through riddles... I would say that the Riddler would be an odd fit for such a dark and occult tale, but given the circumstances, I really dig it.

Even though I just spoiled the entire thing... this one should definitely be tracked down.  There is such a wonderful flow throughout these three issues, that I'm sure my spoilery synopses didn't do proper justice to.  This is a story all Bat-fans should experience!

That's gonna wrap up our impromptu Bat-Week... we'll do something special for Independence Day tomorrow... and then...

Christmas on Infinite Earths... in July???

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Batman #453 (1990)

Batman #453 (Late August, 1990)
"Dark Knight, Dark City: Part II"
Writer - Peter Milligan
Pencils - Kieron Dwyer
Inks - Dennis Janke
Letters - John Costanza
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Assoc. Edits - Dan Raspler
Edits - Denny O'Neil
Cover Price: $1.00

There's that episode of The Twilight Zone people like me (compulsive comic book collectors) like to refer to from time to time... we keep buying books... fleshing out our collections... in the hopes that one day in the future we will be faced with TIME.  Nothing but time... all the time in the world.  Time, when our books will no longer go unread.

Because today... between work, school, and family... when faced with a scant few moments to read (and write about) any given comic... my choices are so vast... overwhelmingly so, that I fear I will ultimately come up empty-handed.  Like, pick a number between 1 and 10... okay, 6.  Now, pick a number between 1 and 10,000.  Ummm... err... uh...

With the amount of choices available, and so many books I want to share... it's just so hard to pick just one.  I see a Legion of Super-Heroes book that kinda interests me... oh, but there's Doom Patrol... and Catwoman... and, All-Star Squadron... ooh, Watchmen!  Hawkworld!  I want so bad to read everything... that it's almost easier to read nothing at all.

Now, why in the bluest of hells do I bring this up today?  Well, I feel like I lucked out in being reminded of this story line earlier this week.  It took away all of the pressure from picking this weekend's books.  That's truly half the battle!

Enough of that stream of consciousness that will probably only make sense to me... and on to our second chapter.  Of course, you can still check out my coverage of the first part, right here.

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When we last left Batman he was about to be attacked by what appeared to be a zombie at the Gotham Military Cemetery.  As it turns out, he's actually about to be attacked by a good half-dozen of them!  The Riddler and a couple of flunkies look on from a nearby "control center" style van.  The toadies seem to think the Riddler may just be losing the few marbles he's got left!

The battle continues on, and Batman winds up tearing off one of the zombie's arms to find that it's clearly not organic.  This "danse macabre" consists of several robo-zombies... and one Riddler thug in Walking Dead cosplay, who we'll call Jimmy.  As the tide turns in Batman's favor, the Riddler triggers an explosive device he'd affixed to Jimmy's neck to keep him from squealing.

Poor Jimmy lay dead, having just had his throat blown out... and the Riddler's other henchmen begin to protest... after all, Jimmy was their pal!  The Riddler ain't having none of it, and threatens to do the same or worse to the rest of them.  He instructs them to drive off.

As they pull out of the cemetery, Batman flings himself onto the windshield.  The driver jams on the brakes, and sends Batman flying.  The driver then stomps the gas, with designs of making Batman into roadkill... only to be stopped by the Riddler.  The strangeness of this event is not lost on Batman, and he now realizes that the Riddler wants him alive for a certain reason... so much so, that he'd even go as far as saving his life were it in peril.

Batman returns to the site of the danse macabre to investigate.  He finds poor dead Jimmy... and thinks how much the Riddler's M.O. has changed of late.  Nearby, he hears crying... he's found the second baby, safe and sound laying in front of a tombstone... which sounds strange to say, but here we are.  On the tombstone is a riddle... You'll find another little tot at the 25th who was shot.

We jump back to the late 1700's, and the fallout of that bat-shaped daemon appearing during the unholy ritual being conducted by Thomas Jefferson's secret society.  Being the manly men the society members were... they run out of their little underground clubhouse/temple (leaving the young woman they were to sacrifice behind with the daemon, mind you)... and hammer boards over the entrance.  We're then treated with an awesome page (that kind of reminds me of R. Crumb's A Short History of America) depicting how the area that the underground temple inhabited had changed over the past two-hundred years... as in, it's now a real seedy area of Gotham City.

What next?

Back at Wayne Manor, Bruce is trying to figure out the latest riddle.  He's positively stumped, and falls asleep in mid-thought.  His dreams... okay, you know what Bruce dreams about... I know what Bruce dreams about... let's just get into it.  He dreams about a night he and his parents went to see The Mask of Zorro... ring any bells?  It's kind of a lucid dream this night... he remembers passing McKinley Street.

He wakes up in a panic... knowing the answer to the riddle... but this answer begets more questions.  McKinley was the 25th President of the United States... and he was assassinated... does this somehow tie in with the murder of the Waynes?  Does the Riddler know Bruce is really Batman?  Too many disparate things are lining up for Bruce to completely dismiss this only a coincidence.

We shift scenes to the Riddler and two of his henchmen.  One is testing a flamethrower, and the other is holding the (leaky) third baby.  Nigma is juggling ping pong balls, and appears to be overly concerned with their size... There is a third henchmen, however, he appears to be partially eaten by the Riddler's newly delivered "pets".

Batman arrives at an all-night tavern on McKinley Street... and pops in to ask some questions.  At the bar, there's a bartender and a blotto fellow, both appear to know nothing.  Just then, a van backs through the bar's window... and flings it's back doors open, revealing a pair of angry, and hungry pit bull terriers.  The dogs start taking chunks out of the other patrons in the bar!

The darker furred dog gets shot by the blotto... who turns out to be an off-duty GCPD officer.  The lighter furred one, lunges right for Batman, who is able to just barely hold it at bay.  He's handed a silver knife... by somebody (perhaps the bartender), and proceeds to plunge it directly into the dog's heart.  When the dust (and fur) has settled, Batman notices that the bartender has beat a hasty retreat.

Thanks, citizen!

Batman checks out the van, and finds that it's been wired for sound.  The Riddler is giving him his next location... clearly he knew the dogs would only serve as a brief diversion.  He tells Batman where to meet him, and flat out threatens that the third baby may soon be dead from choking.

Batman is led to a manhole at Hamilton and Wright.  Once descended, he is blinded by rather powerful spotlight... and beaten with clubs by Nigma's men.  Batman narrowly beats the geeks, employing some fancy bataranging... and is then faced with the Riddler.

The Riddler has set the third baby down in a crib... and plainly states that there is a small (but not too small) ping pong ball lodged in its throat... and the baby is currently turning blue.  Nigma casually walks off to let Batman try and work his way out of this one.

Batman tries patting the baby on the back to dislodge it... and when it doesn't budge realizes that the Riddler intended this ball to be almost perfectly stuck in the child's throat.  There's no time to get help, or make it to the hospital... if Batman wants to save this child, he will have to take matters into his own hands.  We close with Batman standing over the crib... brandishing a knife.

--

Heavy stuff here... and man, the Riddler is a scary dude.  It's insane watching him toy with Batman... a guy who's not used to being toyed with... a guy I'm not used to seeing anybody toy with!  Here's this silly, campy villain... and he is just wrecking Batman... physically, emotionally, and psychologically.

I neglected to mention the art when I discussed the first chapter, as I was planning on discussing that after finishing the entire arc... but, Dwyer delivers here!  This is truly amazing stuff.  Add to that the Mike Mignola covers, and this is one damn fine looking funnybook.  Everything from the danse macabre, to the fight with a pair of dogs... looks amazing.  This (and the first chapter) are bloody books... yet, never come across as looking flat-out gory.  That's a testament to the talents of Dwyer, Janke, and Roy!

My only complaint about this issue is the reliance on "that night".  I know it's just something that happens in Batman books, hell, we got a reference to it just a few days ago when we discussed the Mud Pack story line.  I really feel like each creator, when given a Batman assignment really wants to be able to include that scene... it's not a bad thing in and of itself... but it can (and does) become tiresome.

Overall, a great middle-chapter for this disturbing Bat-tale... one that's definitely worth seeking out.  The cliffhanger is riveting... will we actually see Batman try a perform a tracheotomy on a week-old baby?  We'll get to the bottom of it tomorrow... 

... and next week, it's beginning to look a lot like... something...

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Batman #452 (1990)

Batman #452 (Early August, 1990)
"Dark Knight, Dark City: Part I"
Writer - Peter Milligan
Pencils - Kieron Dwyer
Inks - Dennis Janke
Letters - John Costanza
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Assoc. Edits - Dan Raspler
Edits - Denny O'Neil
Cover Price: $1.00

Never planned on doing a full-blown Batman week... but here we are.  Over the past several days I've covered the four-part Mud Pack story line that ran through Detective Comics during the Fall of 1989.  While doing so, I lamented the fact that the story was never collected... or so I thought.

On Facebook and here at the blog I was corrected.  One of those folks who tipped me in was a fella named Jules Boyle.  As a matter of fact, he also discussed the Mud Pack story in a post he wrote in 2015 about his Essential Batman stories.   While reading his fantastic post, I was reminded of another great turn-of-the-nineties Batman story... the one we'll begin discussing today... Dark Knight, Dark City.  Thanks again Jules... for the correction, and the reminder about this story!

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We open in the year 1793, in the township of Gothame.  A secret society is preparing to perform a ritual sacrifice in order to summon (and make subordinate) a daemon called Barbathos.  Among this society is future President of the United State, Thomas Jefferson.  We watch as Jacob Stockman (whose journal entry we appear to be reading from) raise his knife above the prone chest of a "prepared" young lady... 

... before shifting scenes to present day (or night) Gotham City.  Batman is meeting Commissioner Gordon on the roof of the Gotham City Police Station.  Apparently, the Riddler had been making several threatening crank calls to the Station.  As the pair discuss their options, they are joined on the roof by a woman... who appears to have scaled the building with her bare hands.  She is speaking, as though in a trance... telling Batman a riddle.

Generally my leaves aren't turned at night...

Usually, I'm full of worms all day...

Lots of words but deathly quiet...

She repeats her riddle a couple of times, and when she's sure Batman's gotten the gist of it... throws herself off the roof.  Batman grapples her feet Spider-Man/Gwen Stacy style... with a similar result.

We shift scenes to the Riddler... he appears to be in a library where he is holding two guards hostage.  One is precariously teetering on a stack of books with a noose around his neck, while the other is bound in a chair.  The fella in the chair starts giving the Riddler lip... and gets his brains blown out for his troubles.  I never knew the Riddler to be this cold-blooded... very interesting.

Back outside the GCPD... Batman and Gordon are working out the riddle.  Gordon believes they're being lured to the Gotham Memorial Cemetary, but Batman knows better.  Still, he lets Jim follow his hunch... and he heads to the Gotham University Library.

Back in 1793, Thomas Jefferson stops Stockman from plunging his knife into the young woman's chest.  Jefferson claims that he never thought things would go this far... and instead assumed they would only seek a symbolic sacrifice.  The rest of the society says it's far too late for anything like that.  Before they commence with the stabbing, a large bat-shaped shadow stands overhead.

In the present, Batman arrives at the Library... to find the Riddler reading a copy of Franz Kafka's unfinished masterpiece, The Trial.  As Batman approaches, the Riddler kicks the stack of books (which included a copy of Seduction of the Innocent) the guard had been teetering on... lynching him in the process.  

Batman is able to batarang the rope and give the guard some mouth-to-mouth, but for the most part, the damage has already been done.  The guard's life is saved, but his spinal cord has been severed.  While this is going on, the Riddler casually walks away.  

An officer at the hospital hands Batman an envelope containing a cassette tape labelled "The Hanging Man".  The Riddler's got a whack way of labeling his mix tapes!  He also informs Batman that the some gunmen had recently kidnapped four babies... each a week old.

Back in the Batmobile, Batman gives the tape a listen.  In between a Dire Straits track and a taped-off-the-radio Welcome to the Jungle, the Riddler left another clue.  This is an easy one, that leads Batman to the West Gotham Blood Bank.

Outside the blood bank there are some ne'er do wells lurking about.  Rather than asking any questions, Batman simply proceeds to beat the holy hell out of them.  Once they're prone, he finds out that the Riddler's holed up inside.

Inside, Batman finds Riddler sitting atop a tall shelf full of blood samples holding what appears to be a baby.  Batman attempts to reason with him... which only causes Nigma to drop the "baby".  Batman lunges for the child, and catches it just in the nick of time... Hey, that's not a baby!

Instead of a real-life baby... it's a plastic doll... that explodes, covering Batman in blood.  As Batman tries to compose himself, the entire corridor of blood samples explodes... absolutely drenching him in the stuff.  He mentions that his eyes are full... he's literally blinded by blood.  What a crazy scene!

Batman hops back into the Batmobile and gives chase to the Riddler... He nearly catches him, but notices a baby lying in the middle of the road.  Batman just barely brakes before running over the newborn.  He picks the baby up, and finds that it's holding a tarot card of The Hanged Man.

Back at Wayne Manor, Bruce is taking a well-earned (and much-needed) shower, while sharing the events of the day with Alfred.  Alfred proceeds to read the riddle on the back of the tarot card...

I've still three brats, all plump and round.

Hey, Bats, let rip as in Byron's Parisina.

Seek Out--Less often sought than found.

The two put their heads together, and quickly conclude Batman's next stop will be the Gotham Military Cemetery.

Batman arrives at the cemetery... and is shocked to be greeted by... a Zombie?

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I keep forgetting how dark Batman can be.  It's funny... it's always kind of a "dark" book, but I only recall that when I stop and think about it.  I love it when I'm reading a mainstream comic... and I'm thinking to myself, "Nah... they're not gonna..." when a potentially disturbing or gory scene comes up... only to have the creators actually follow through!

Dark Knight, Dark City is a wonderful piece of work.  Truly disturbing, and a really interesting look into how dangerous somebody like the Riddler can be.  I've always considered him something of a joke... a relic from a campier era.  Here, he's a vile and twisted individual... and proves to be an actual threat to Batman.  The whole time, Batman keeps mentioning how the Riddler thinks he's so "clever"... he almost seems personally offended that the Riddler is trying to outsmart him throughout the caper.  You'd figure Batman would be above things such as that... but he seems really quite annoyed, and it's such a novel thing to see!

I love how he appears to be playing with Batman... just leading him along by the nose, and always having a suitably horrid surprise awaiting his arrival.  We get the feeling that this is all building to something huge... at least as it pertains to this arc.  It's been probably about a decade since I read this... and I purposely didn't read too deeply into Jules' coverage of the story for fear of re-spoiling myself... so I am quite excited to experience this one again.

Further, the inclusion of, of all people, Thomas Jefferson was quite interesting.  The idea of secret societies is always one that has kinda shaken me.  These devotees make me feel a bit uncomfortable... but, that's just part of the fun.

This story line has been collected.  Twice, in fact.  In 2011, it was reprinted as a DC Comics Presents: Dark Knight, Dark City Special... and just last year (2015) it was collected in an actual trade collection.  Definitely worth a pick-up!

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