Collects Detective Comics #790 to #796, plus Robin #126 to #128
Writers: Andersen Gabrych, Bill Willingham
Artists: Various
Publisher: DC/Titan Books (ISBN 1-84023-969-7)
This book is a prelude to the upcoming blockbusting War Games trilogy of trades, and by virtue of only being in a position to collect ten issues leading up to that crossover, there’s some story jump from the last Bat-trade produced to this one. So much so, you get three pages of “The Story So Far” to wade through before you can kick back and enjoy this one – and you really do need to read it too. Artistically the styles vary wildly, from pseudo-realistic Dark Knight to pop-art, cartoony light-weight entertainment – as such the book suffers badly from a lack of a cohesive style, a necessary evil perhaps for this sort of book, but it makes it not so much a graphic novel as merely a trade paperback. The distinction is small, perhaps, but important, because you need to look at this book as merely one partwork in a multi-part saga, rather than a standalone work.
So the final comments can come right here – if you’re a Bat-fan, and you have the previous Bat-books, and you have even the slightest interest in the War Games saga, then you need this book. If you’re mildly interested in Bats, or just want a one-off read, then look elsewhere for your jollies.
Story-wise it’s a logical development of what has gone before, coupled with some standard bat scenarios. The GCPD don’t fully trust Bats but give him a chance now and then. His gang of comrades cluster around him like flies. Tim Drake has retired as Robin and Bats goes mad in appointing his successor on the cuff. A long-running plan for control of gangs to be under Bats’ ultimate control continues. There’s not a huge amount of detective work going on (the best bits are the detective training scenes for the new Robin, which last only a couple of pages sadly), and there’s very little Bruce Wayne development, almost as if Gabrych has more of a handle on Bats than Bruce. The best characterisation, in fact, comes from Robins old and new, rather than Bats himself. Basically, an okay Bat-book, a harbinger of more to come, but dire as a standalone read.
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