Batman: Dark Age #4 – Mark Russell, Writer; Michael Allred, Artist; Laura Allred, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray – Mark Russell and Mike Allred have been building a fascinating alternate version of Batman – one who wasn’t present for his parents’ murder, and as such didn’t have the same driving force of justice as a child. The Batman that emerged from it was different – one created in the harshness of prison and the fires of Vietnam, one who learned as much from Ra’s al Ghul as he did from Alfred, and one who faced a Gotham far more out of his control. As this issue begins, it’s time for this Batman to find his Robin – Dick Grayson, here a teenage bagman for Carmine Falcone. Dick at first wants zero part of Batman’s attempts to recruit him – until he returns to Falcone to prove his loyalty, and Falcone rewards him by attempting to eliminate him as a loose end. This harsh wake-up call is enough for the young man to commit to Batman’s mission – and a new era of Gotham begins.
This is kind of a breather issue between main events, as the overarching plot of Pariah is nowhere to be seen. Instead, we see villains make their moves as one gangster of Gotham falls and another ascends to their throne. We see Batman and Catwoman continue to dance around each other, as the former rivals (Selina betrayed Bruce pretty viciously in this version) start to form a championship. And we see the connection between Batman and Gordon start to form despite the initial bad blood. But at the same time, another ally turned enemy of Bruce is about to return to Gotham – and a much larger war for the city is about to begin. The art of Allred and Allred is brilliant as always, and it’s a testament to Russell’s writing that he can find so much meaning in even the quiet moments that don’t usually get as much attention. The longer run and slower pace of this series works as a really nice contrast to Superman: Space Age.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
