Post by Accord_Royal1738 on Jul 4, 2011 16:43:17 GMT -5
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Tim Sale
I. Fear
Rating - 9/10
The great thing about this opening section was how many times Batman was threatened - both physically and mentally - throughout the course of this Halloween weekend (during which all the storylines take place). First, he has to deal with not having slept for three days (due to his crime-fighting obsessions). Then, he soon finds out Scarecrow is planning on wreaking havoc and further exploiting fear across Gotham City. If that's not enough, he's forced to choose between taking on the responsibilites as a heroic vigilante and spending the rest of his life as a content billionaire with a beautiful new girlfriend.
Loeb, despite having drawn heavy criticisms for his short-lived run on Hulk, was born to end up a Batman writer. He knows how to balance the easy-to-relate-to sensitivity of the icon with the fixation on laying the hammer down on Gotham's underground. That's not easy to do, given the complexity of Bruce Wayne.
II. Madness
Rating - 9.5/10
This was the best of the three, IMO. Loeb makes sure not to wind up falling into the easy trap as a Batman writer, which is keeping the focus too one-dimensional. He takes the time to craft the storyline around Commissioner Gordon, a young Barbara Gordon and, one of the most complex figures among the Batman rogues, Mad Hatter. This was the type of storyline that best makes Batman vulnerable: one that brings up dreary memories from a once-promising childhood. As a longtime Batman fan, I enjoy seeing him vulnerable because that's the moment when we get to view the intangibles that far outweigh his physical abilities. The intangibles that truly make him a legendary hero.
III. Ghosts
Rating - 5/10
A disappointing finish to an otherwise great mini-series. I'll just keep it short and simple: Wayne gets sick off of an earlier meal of Shrimp and falls into a Scrooge-esque limbo after defeating Penguin. The storyline was played out and predictable, to say the least. None of us are really going to be blown away while reading Batman seemingly become as better person after experiencing a few vivid nightmares and a food poisoning recovering. Cool to see Lucius Fox featured in this one, though, and the general theme was one we can all come to terms with.
