New Titans #61 (December, 1989)
"A Lonely Place of Dying, Chapter Four: Going Home!"
Co-Plotter/Writer - Marv Wolfman
Co-Plotter/Layouts - George Perez
Penciller - Tom Grummett
Embellisher - Bob McLeod
Letterer - John Costanza
Colorist - Adrienne Roy
Associate Editor - Jonathan Peterson
Editor - Mike Carlin
Cover Price: $1.75
Welcome to the... ahem, penultimate chapter of A Lonely Place of Dying. It's weird the things you notice about a cover when you really pay attention.
I don't really hide the fact that the pictures I include here are a result of... well, snapping them with my iPhone (aah, that explains the crookedness!). The covers often prove to be a challenge... because, it seems like I can either get the title straight... or the UPC box in the bottom corner straight... but very rarely both. When taking this picture, however, I noticed that it was devoid of a UPC box! What's more, it's also missing the Comics Code Authority Stamp! Not that this is a hyper-violent or sexually suggestive book... but, another example of the differences between newsstand comics and direct-market only books... and another nugget I'm going to have to remember to comment on when Reggie and I finally get around to that Direct Market episode of Weird Comics History!
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We open... in the Batcave, and it's a bit of a stutter-step from the ending of the last chapter. It seemed like we closed with Dick in the Nightwing duds and Alfred kinda hinting that Tim might be the next Robin. Here, we have Dick in the Nightwing duds, sure... but instead of Tim standing there shocked, he's literally chasing him down holding... Jason Todd's Robin costume! Like, he pulled it out of the trophy case and everything! Not that he wants to wear it, mind, he wants Dick to wear it! Dick gets pretty ticked off, and tells Tim to back off... he says that the Robin persona died with Jason Todd.
We shift over to Titans Tower, where Raven receives a call from... someone looking for Nightwing. When they're told he's not in, the caller hits her with a high-pitched squeal... thinking that will stop the Titans from tracing the call. Turns out the *squeeeeee* was moot, as the Titans were sorta waiting for a call like this and were able to drop a relay on the line before he hangs up.
The Titans believe this might be the same creepy kid who dropped in on Starfire a night or two back, and head out to follow the trace. They arrive at a dirt road... and it looks as though whoever placed the call shimmied up a pole and plugged into the phone lines. Well, that was pretty smart!
Back at the Tower, the remaining Titans are analyzing that squeal... and it turns out that there's a coded message hidden in there! Jericho gets to the bottom of it, and hands it off to Raven to deliver to it's rightful recipient... Nightwing!
And so, Raven ports to Gotham City where she finds Nightwing atop GCPD Headquarters chatting with Commissioner Gordon under the glow of an unanswered Bat-Signal. She hands him a tiny data-disc, and suggests he pop it into his wrist-computer. While he checks it out, she offers some Titanic assistance. Dick thanks her just the same, however, says this is between he and Batman.
We pop back to Wayne Manor, and observe a weird little scene. Tim just won't shut up... he just keeps picking Alfred's brain about Dick and Bruce's relationship... to which, Alfred flat-out tells him he's asking too many personal questions. Tim's really coming across obnoxious here... between this and Danny Chase, maybe that's just how Marv Wolfman sees all kids!
We catch up with Dick, who is considering all the information he'd just received via data-disc... and it's basically all the Batman scenes from the last three chapters. He puts the pieces together and deduces that Two-Face's clues are leading he (and Batman) to a... four-themed location (we'll just call it two-squared)!
Nightwing arrives and meets up with Batman. It's a pretty contentious reunion... in which Batman comes within inches of telling Nightwing that he needs him... but stops before actually saying it. He points to their target building across the way, and tells Dick to cover the rear while he goes in the front. Dick objects, thinking that might not be the best idea... since Two-Face is expecting him. Batman informs him that when they're working together, he's not the leader of the Titans... and won't be giving the orders. Dannnnng!
The dynamic duo heads inside... Nightwing checks the perimeter, and notes that the only exit routes are a coal chute and a tiny basement window. He enters through the window. Batman, crashing through a front window... finds, something preeeeetty strange.
Batman calls Nightwing via wrist-communicator to try and talk through the situation. Even this is pretty contentious. Nightwing suggests they just call it a night, as they're both exhausted... and this odd situation might be too much for them to mentally work through at this point. Batman tells him he's free to leave whenever he wants. Yeesh.
After a few more moments of deduction... Batman solves the riddle. Two-Face has literally turned the house upside down... meaning up is down... and the basement is actually... the second floor! As he says this, Two-Face makes his presence known in the basement!
Two-Face flips his coin... and it comes up scarred. And so, he triggers a bomb... which somehow causes Batman and Nightwing to get caught in the blast and resulting cave-in... but not him, even though he's only standing a few feet away. Oh well, we'll allow it... he probably had it all planned out.
We wrap up back in the Batcave. Nightwing tapped the homing signal on his wrist-comm before the walls came tumblin' down. Alfred traces it back to the corner of 4th and 4th. Tim pleads with Alfred that they must do something... and the "camera" focuses in on... Jason's Robin costume.
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Okay, we're kicking things into high-gear here... it feels like we are exactly where we need to be at this point.
We've got a little to unpack here... let's start with Batman. I really enjoy his keeping people at arm's length... though, I'd imagine if I were reading this from month to month (or week to week with the multiple titles) at the time, it would've began to grate on me by this point. I mean, there's only so many times we can look at "wounded bird" Batman, trying to hide his insecurities. I dig it because it's a novelty... but drop me back in 1988, I think I'd have grown tired of the act by now.
Let's stick with him for now though. He refuses to outright tell Dick that he needs him. This is a real indication of just how strained their relationship had become... and really illustrates why Bruce was so quick to bring Jason into the fold. Last year we discussed one of my favorite single-issues of all-time, Batman #416, where Bruce pretty much conceded that to be the case. Alfred posits here that while Batman was bringing in a new sidekick... Bruce was bringing in a new surrogate son (to replace Dick). It's pretty deep, and I do enjoy it... but again, I bet I'd be tired of it by now if I were reading back then.
Batman's snippiness toward Nightwing was off-putting, but didn't feel out of place. I can appreciate that he... I dunno, begrudges him his success as a solo hero... and as a leader. I mean, look at Dick... leader of the Titans, responsible for the lives of a handful of other heroes... meanwhile, Batman can't keep one sidekick from being murdered. I think Batman almost calling Nightwing "Robin" a few times was a bit... I dunno... forced? I mean, by this point Dick has been Nightwing for a long time... and they two have worked together under this dynamic. I dunno... I get what they're going for, but it kinda misses the mark for me.
Let's talk Tim! Boy is he annoying. From the first page, I was hoping somebody would sock'em in the face. I gotta say, jumping from the end of last issue to the start of this one was rather jarring. The shift in tone was so drastic... you'd almost think it was more than one guy writing this arc! Batman #441 ended on an almost somber note... with Alfred hinting that Nightwing has some Robinesque plans for young Tim... here, Tim's literally chasing Dick down demanding he return to his Robin persona... while Dick is adamant that Robin is, literally and figuratively, dead! Just doesn't add up for me. It did tickle me a bit when Alfred told him to cool it with the personal questions though!
The Titans... oh yeah, this is their book, isn't it? Well, they play a bigger role this chapter than they did last time... so they've got that going for them. Not a whole lot to say about them, however. Just like last time, if I were solely a Titans fan/reader... I'd be pretty miffed reading this arc. I would really want to see the scene of Batman shimmying up a telephone pole to contact them though!
Overall... if you've made it this far in A Lonely Place of Dying, it would be foolish to skip this chapter. No circus nonsense to speak of and a true feeling of story progression. Some interesting interpersonal conflict and solving impossible riddles occur, and, as with the other chapters... it's well worth your time. Tomorrow we'll put this one to bed.
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Batman #441 (November, 1989)
"A Lonely Place of Dying, Chapter Three: Parallel Lines!"
Writer - Marv Wolfman
Penciller - Jim Aparo
Inker - Mike DeCarlo
Letterer - John Costanza
Colorist - Adrienne Roy
Associate Editor - Dan Raspler
Editor - Denny O'Neil
Cover Price: $1.00
We've hit the midway point in A Lonely Place of Dying... even if you're a newsstand-only kid. We don't really get filled-in on what happened in New Titans #60... so, if you wanna know... here's your hook-up.
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We pick up right where we left off in New Titans #60, with Batman perched... and Two-Face lounging... here, however, it doesn't seem like Harvey's watching Batman. Perhaps I took what he was saying a bit too literally last time. Anyhoo, the foes are busy brainstorming ways to lure each other out... and it's really well done. They seem to have very similar ways of thinking and planning... being careful not to tip their hands too much. They each go over some (very similar) scenarios before coming up with the perfect plan (in unison!).
We shift to Wayne Manor where Dick has arrived with... that kid. Weird that he'd take him in without ever getting his name! The kid does finally say his name is "Tim", though... and he's totally psyched to be there... oohing and aahing over many of Mr. Wayne's valuables. Alfred doesn't appear to have all that in the way of patience... and demands to know what's going on. It's about time somebody pressed the issue! Tim runs down what he knows about the Bat-Family, which only makes Dick and Alfred even more uncomfortable. Finally, they sit the boy down... and tell him to spill everything. Turns out this Tim has a last name... Drake! He's the lad who sat on Dick's knee in that photo taken the day the Flying Graysons were murdered... but, we already knew that, right?
While Tim tells his story, we pop over to check in on Two-Face. He's busy trying to get the radio to speak to him... and all it wants to talk about is the news! What he learns, however, is that Club Gemini is holding the World Series of Poker, with a $22-Million prize! Why that's almost two good two be true! Two bad he already set up his Bat-trap elsewhere!
A brief aside with Batman confirms that the Gemini Club was his plan... however, a call from Commissioner Gordon informs him that the Wright Twins have been kidnapped! Seems like both men have their own traps set... ones which they just may have to abandon!
Back at the Manor, the fellas discuss the murder of John and Mary Grayson. Tim says that when he saw Batman swoop in, he thought for sure he was there to hurt Dick... but then realized he was there to help.
We pop back to another "parallel" page, where Batman waits at Club Gemini... and Two-Face waits at Hawk Bridge where he has the Wright Twins tied up. They both sit tight for a moment before abandoning their posts. Batman couldn't sit by and allow for children to be hurt, while the thought of $22M makes Two-Face's mouth water too much to focus.
Back with the boys (and Alfred), Tim recounts a recurring nightmare he'd suffered in the years that followed the event. Years? Wow, he might have more baggage from this than Dick himself! Anyhoo, his dream features Dick doing his trademark quadruple somersault while his parents fell for an eternity. Dick demands "Jeff" explain what this has to do with anything. Jeff? Whoops!
He continues... recalling a day where he saw footage of Batman and Robin fighting the Penguin on the TV news. In it, this "Robin" performed... Dick Grayson's trademark quadruple somersault! A maneuver he knows like he knows his own name... which, I guess would be Jeff! Some critical thinking led the lad to consider that Dick Grayson and Robin were... one in the same! And, if Dick Grayson is Robin... the likeliest suspect to be Batman is Bruce Wayne! Ruh-roh...
Tim kept up with the Wayne news of the day... and found a correlation between his adopting of Jason Todd... and the emergence of a brand-new Robin. Also, after the news of Jason Todd's death hit the news... there was no longer a Robin at Batman's side! It's funny, everything he's saying makes total sense... just how crappy are DC's detectives and supervillains if they can't figure this out?!
Back on the streets, Batman rescues the Wright Twins... and Two-Face busts into Club Gemini. Batman has to perform some Riddler-esque deduction to locate the lads... which starts with some graffiti in the Wright Brothers bedroom... 2B (over) CC... he eventually translates this to mean "To be over two seas"... and thinks of the Hawk Bridge which covers the "twin rivers"... and also pays tribute to some more famous Wright Brothers... minus the "Kitty". Good gravy, I've seen Pee-Wee Herman make a less complicated breakfast than this!
Back at the Manor, Dick brings Tim to... the Bat-Cave! Wow, we're moving a bit fast, no? He shows Tim around before hopping into his Nightwing duds. Tim's confused... he feels Batman needs a Robin... not a Nightwing. To which, Alfred suggests that's exactly what Dick had in mind in bringing him here.
We wrap up the issue with both Batman and Two-Face retiring to their corners... waiting for the next "round" to begin.
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Well, this's more like it. After a bit of a dud (or at least a lull) with the New Titans chapter, our mid-point piece overachieves and gets us back on course.
This is definitely a Robin story... with some background Batman, rather than the other way around. I was pleased that there was so much time spent with Dick and Jeff Tim, and how we actually get an explanation about how the latter knows so much about the former... and the former's friends 'n family.
You'd almost expect this issue to end with Tim putting on the Robin costume for the first time... buuuut, we're not quite there yet. Oh yeah, spoilers... Tim's going to be the third Robin, sorry 'bout that.
His deductive methods... dang, like I said during the synopsis... how in the hell hasn't anyone (or everyone!) else figured out that Bruce Wayne is Batman? I mean, if a kid who is just passively watching the TV news can figure it out... you gotta figure Gotham's forensic detectives would have gotten to the bottom of this years ago! It doesn't say much for the elite supervillains of the DC Universe either. Actually, it says a lot... just none of it all that flattering.
While I appreciate moving the story forward... it does feel a bit soon to let Tim into the Batcave. I mean, Dick only knows what Tim's told him... nothing more. For all we know, it could be revealed that Tim's working for... I dunno, Deathstroke the Terminator? I mean, that sorta thing already happened once on Dick's watch, right? This is like Bruce Wayne letting Vicki Vale into the Batcave during the 1989 Batman movie levels of quick. I get that Dick wants to always see the best in others... but this behavior is almost dangerously naive.
Especially when he can't even keep the kid's name straight...
Over to Batman and Two-Face. This was less a story, and more a ballet. The two took part in a mirror-world synchronized dance, and it was wonderful! Sure, the 2B/CC thing was a bit precious, but overall I really enjoyed it. It shows how equally driven the pair are... at least at present. This may be representative of how erratic Bruce is behaving since the death of Jason Todd... the realization may lead to that moment of profundity he's so desperately needed for the past little while. Really well done.
Overall, a very strong (and information filled!) middle chapter to A Lonely Place of Dying... and an issue important to Bat-fans and Bat-historians alike. Well worth your time.
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New Titans #60 (November, 1989)
"A Lonely Place of Dying, Chapter Two: Roots"
Co-Plotter/Writer - Marv Wolfman
Co-Plotter/Penciller - George Perez
Inker - Bob McLeod
Letterer - John Costanza
Colorist - Adrienne Roy
Associate Editor - Jonathan Peterson
Editor - Mike Carlin
Cover Price: $1.75
Now here's something interesting... at least to me. A Lonely Place of Dying is a crossover between Batman (found at newsstands and comic shops) and New Titans (direct-market only)... which means, if you're a newsstand-only reader... or didn't have access to a comic shop, you wouldn't be getting the full story! I hadn't considered that before... we'll have to give it a mention when we get to that Direct Market episode of Weird Comics History we've been threatening for over a year now!
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We open at Titans Tower, and a warning not to proceed until we've read Batman #440! Starfire and Cyborg are conducting a search for Nightwing, however are coming up dry. They call Wayne Manor, and don't learn much. Next, they check in on Donna and Jericho who have popped over to Dick's apartment... and learn that they've been joined by our old friend Speedy! Apparently, Dick asked Speedy to grab some files for him (as well as fill in for him while he was away). Jericho notes a suspect path of dust by the wall, which indicates to him that there might be something hid behind it... and whattayaknow, the titanic trio finds a safe! Roy cracks the combo, and inside they locate a photo album, with a few pages torn out... hmm.
We shift scenes and meet up with the missing man... Dick Grayson! He's heading into Haly's Circus and observing how run-down it's become. The lions seem less interested, the elephant is filthy... the paint is chipped... it's just an ugly little scene. Luckily, there's a bucket of water and a scrub-brush next to Elinore the filthy elephant, and so Dick gets to scrubbin'. It's not long before the carny-folk notice, and take a bit of exception... I guess they like their animals dirty. Anyhoo, they eventually realize it's their long-lost pal, "Little Dickie", and a nice little reunion takes place. It's here we meet Harry the clown, who is having a rather rough time of it... he stumbles over to the group, drunk as a skunk, before passing out in Dick's arms.
Dick breaks off and heads into Mr. Haly's trailer to see what's going on with the circus having to close down. Haly talks about the circus being an antiquated relic in the age of video games, and cable television... and I can't really argue with that. Even as a kid, the circus bored me to tears... plus, on every class trip to the big top, at least one kid would always throw up. Wasn't a pleasant experience. Haly mentions that since turning down a particular buyer, they've been experiencing "accidents". Hmm. He invites Dick to hang around to see the "best show in town"... by which, I would assume he means the circus... which also means that he's lying.
Dick walks past a talent-tent, and overhears a bit of hub-bub. Inside, the lion-tamer is laying into the drunk clown... blaming his drunkenness for Haly's inability to sell the show. He mentions that his contract stipulates should Haly sell, he gets to leave this fleabag "pony show" (while the others are stuck there with the potential new owner). When the dust settles, Harry goes for another slug of booze... before throwing his bottle at an acrobat. Luckily, Dick (and his lightning-fast reflexes) is there to nyoink it out of the air before it busts open her face.
That night as the show is about to start, we talk a look at the set-up and the gathering audience. I gotta say... this is a pretty impressive crowd for such a down-on-its-luck circus. I can't imagine these are all comped class trips, right? Anyhoo, there's one person in particular present... it's the shutterbug from the previous chapter! He's almost positive that Dick Grayson is there.
We get to see a whole bunch of circus... stuff. I guess this show is called "Circus 2000"... twice as boring as circus 1999! While our enigmatic Ansel looks on, we see the lion-tamer wrasslin' with a big cat... until he gets pounced on and eaten!
Okay, not completely eaten... the lioness only takes out his throat. He's still dead though, and that's what matters here. Crew members armed with tranquilizers enter the cage... and unfortunately they're all pretty bad shots. They miss the lion completely... which makes me wonder if some folks in the audience were just kayoed... I mean, the ones that weren't already sleeping, because the circus is boring. Anyhoo, our attention goes to a clown on the trapeze who drops a net over the lioness so they can hold her down. Our shutterbug pal knows that's gotta be Dick. This is also the first look we get at the photo-fella, and we can see that he's... a child?!
Moments later, we join Dick and Haly in the latter's trailer. He thanks Dick for his help... because, while that was quite the scene, it had the potential to be far worse... and quite a bit more litigious. Dick leaves, and finds a pair of janitorial-types trying to catch... that kid! Dick rushes in to see what's up, and gets judo-tossed for his trouble. Luckily, Dick Grayson ain't no shlub, so he immediately rebounds and flips the kid. The kid is overjoyed to see Dick and informs him that he thinks the drunken clown is responsible for the death of the lion tamer!
Dick asks the kid to 'splain. He says he overheard someone say that the cat was doped, and so he took to the trash to see if he could find any evidence. What he found was Harry the Clown's liquor flask. Dick tells the tot to stay put while he looks into it.
We shift scenes to Harry the Drunken Clown sitting at his make-up table. He's approached by the circus strongman and a very nasty little guy (Samson and Pedro). It's soon made clear that this duo was actually behind the whole thing, and did it in a way to incriminate Harry. The strongman is instructed to kill Harry... and make it look like suicide. Gotta wonder how that would work... "yeah, officer, it looks like he was so overcome with guilt that he crushed his own throat!". Anyhoo, it's not actually Harry... it's really Dick Grayson in Harry's paint! Dick beats up the big guy... while Pedro goes to flee.
Unfortunately for him, he doesn't make it all that far. Turns out our new pal nabbed him and trapped him under... I dunno, some circus thing... like the thing an elephant puts it's foot on. Harry the Drunk thanks Dick and asks how he figured it out. If ya remember, Dick caught the thrown flask earlier in the day... so it couldn't have been him.
We jump back to Haly's trailer, and learn that Dick has offered to become co-owner of the circus and keep it open. He meets up with the kid again... who tells him that Batman needs him... and provides pictorial evidence to suggest same. Oh yeah, he also reveals that he knows... everything.
Speaking of whom, we wrap up the chapter with Batman sitting atop a Gotham City building... while Two-Face looks on from his apartment.
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Boy that was a bit too much "circus" for my liking, but still enjoyable enough... plus, we get our first look at whoever that young boy might wind up being. I could be all cheeky and say "He'll probably never show up again after this story..." but I'm guessing we all know the score by now.
I think if I were a reader of New Titans and not Batman... I might be a bit irritated by this little detour. I mean, the Titans (other than Dick) only appear in the first 2-3 pages... at least they show up on the cover, I guess. Then again, Danny Chase is there too... so we'll just call that a "push".
Dick saving the circus (with the help of that kid) was a decent enough story, I can't help but to feel like it shouldn't have taken up the entire issue though. Then again, I can't think of a single way to shorten it... so, I'm just talking out my backside here. Dick gets to act heroic as well as altruistic... which is pretty much exactly what you'd want from the character.
I will say that that kid comes across as particularly obnoxious. Maybe this was just the era of the "know it all" kid hero... or maybe I'm just projecting. Either way, I didn't really like him here. He was a bit too "right on", and hell... he wouldn't even tell Dick his name. Not sure if they were trying to keep him cagey, or if they wanted to save the "reveal" for a Batman chapter of this story. Either way, he kind of annoyed me.
Perez's art is great as usual, however, I will say that the Baxter Paper is doing him no favors. I feel like the Baxter books always had this really "flat" look to them, never looking as "rich" as on newsprint. Regardless of the book or artist, I almost always rather see their work printed on the "cheap stuff" than on this thicker stock. It feels like when in the 90's when comics switched to that glossier paper. I mean, it was a baby-step in the right direction as far as production quality... but the art (in my opinion) suffered... instead of looking "flat" like with this, it looked "muddy".
Overall, if you want the most out of A Lonely Place of Dying... this is an integral chapter. This is Dick's first meeting with... that kid, and readers of this blog know I'm a sucker for stories like that. While I found that kid a bit abrasive, it cannot be denied that this is one of the more seminal Batman stories of the time, and shaped the title (and family) from that point on... even to today! Worth your time... just don't go into it thinking this is a straightforward Teen Titans story.
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