Batman: Urban Legends #16 – Vita Ayala, Josh Trujillo, Che Grayson, Mark Russell, Writers; Nikola Cizmesija/Hayden Sherman, Rosi Kampe, Serg Acuna, Karl Mostert, Artists; Nick Filardi, Marissa Louise, Ivan Plascencia, Trish Mulvihill, Colorists
Ray – 9/10
Ray: It’ll be a whole new book next month, because this month sees the conclusion of three ongoing storylines—including two six-month epics—and a one-shot. How does this installment shake out?
First up is Vita Ayala’s “Bound to Our Will,” the magical saga exploring the strange bond between Batman and Zatanna. In this final chapter, Batman and Zatanna go up against some powerful demons with the help of Constantine, but honestly—the special effects feel kind of besides the point. The real meat of this story comes in the last few pages, as the two long-time heroes finally hash out their long-standing issues and come to a new understanding. The last few pages are genuinely warm and funny, with a Bat-family guest appearance that makes me think Ayala would be great on a central Bat-title.
Josh Trujillo and Rosi Kampe are the creative team on the only new story of the issue, “Some Things Remain,” a flashback story focusing on Alfred and set years ago. For once, Alfred takes the lead on a case. When a series of mysterious deaths hits an old-age home in Gotham, Alfred goes undercover as a harmless old man to solve the murder of an old friend of his. At first it looks like the culprit might be the Ventriloquist, recently committed there, but the truth is actually darker and far closer to something we might see in the real world. It’s also a great spotlight for Alfred’s spy career, and the subtext of Alfred confronting his own mortality takes on much heavier tones given his current… absence.
The final chapter of Che Grayson and Serg Acuna’s Birds of Prey story in “Memory Lane” delivers in action, but doesn’t quite come together into a clear narrative. The entire story played out over only around thirty pages, which isn’t quite enough for the complex tech-drug conspiracy it’s dealing with. The reveal of a traitor this issue sort of comes out of nowhere, as does the reveal of a new power for Lady Shiva. It does set up some interesting stuff for Miracle Molly if it ever gets followed up on, but it didn’t really deliver as a Birds of Prey story.
Finally, it’s the conclusion of Mark Russell and Karl Mostert’s “Hounded,” as Batman finds himself in a brutal cage match against a trained bear—who only recently was part of Ace’s makeshift team of super-pets. It’s a surprisingly brutal final chapter, with some bloody fights and close calls for Batman. But once Ace finally shows up, you’ll be jumping out of your chair. This is one of the better things Mark Russell has written in a while—sometimes his satire gets a little too caustic—and I think this deserves to be collected as a trade on its own down the line. Although kid fans of the Super-Pets movie might be in for a surprise.
Overall, three out of four stories here hit on all cylinders and get a full recommendation from me.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
