Batman: The Adventures Continue #3 – Paul Dini, Alan Burnett, Writers; Rick Burchett, Artist; Monica Kubina, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: After last month’s two-part Court of Owls adventure, this month’s Bat-adventure is a little more low-key—but no less exciting. Rick Burchett steps in for the ill Ty Templeton this issue, and his art is well-suited for the story although a bit less of a mimic for the original style. Also significant—Batman partially takes the month off, only appearing in a few pages of this done-in-one story. He and Batgirl are both on the trail of a notorious Jazz-themed gangster who has information on Black Mask, but while Batman wants him for the usual reasons, Batgirl’s interest is more personal—he shot Commissioner Gordon a while back and Barbara’s father barely survived. She wants to bring him in personally—and maybe get in a few shots—which is why Batman has benched her from the case. But she’s not the most extreme hero hunting for him—Huntress is as well and has only one goal, to put an arrow between his eyes.
This issue is a little more mature and violent than you’d expect for a cartoon tie-in, and I like that the comic isn’t afraid to try some things that wouldn’t be possible on a kids’ show. There are some intense flashbacks to the night Huntress lost her family, and the villains don’t hold back. The story first pits Barbara and Helena against each other before they’re briefly forced to work together when the Jazzman manages to pull in backup. The action is tense, the banter is funny, and it has the vibe of a noir comic that reminds me a little of the fantastic Night of the Phantasm without any real superhero elements to lighten it. It’s a done-in-one, too, which means the story should get back to bigger-scale stories next month. But it has a clever ending with some moral ambiguity that works really well. I’m glad to see just how many Bat-characters are being brought into this story for team-ups.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
