Reviewer: Chris Delloiacono
Story Title: Made of Wood: Part 3
Written by: Ed Brubaker
Penciled by: Patrick Zircher
Inked by: Aaron Sowd, Steve Bird
Colored by: Jason Wright
Lettered by: Todd Klein
Associate Editor: Michael Wright
Editor: Bob Schreck
Publisher: DC Comics
It was just recently announced, and quite honestly came out of the blue, that Ed Brubaker’s excellent run with Batman is coming to an end. First on Batman then more recently on Detective Comics, Brubaker has brought us high quality Batman stories regularly for three years now. He excelled telling tales where Batman got the chance to flex his detective muscles. While an obvious snit with DC ended his run, and this doesn’t seem to be the last issue as originally planned by Brubaker, it ends up being a great finish for Ed.
This issue concludes the three-part “Made of Wood†arc, in which Batman is working with the “Golden Age†Green Lantern, Alan Scott. They must track down a serial killer that’s copying a string of unsolved murders that dates back to 1948. While the previous extended storyline “Dead Reckoning†built up the detective elements quite well, the conclusion fell a little short of the buildup. The final part of “Made of Wood†though succeeds in laying out the villain’s motivations quite well, and comes to a superb conclusion.
Brubaker throws in more memorable moments in this one book, than a lot of comics see in a year, or more. Some of the best moments the story offers are when Bruce and Alan travel as reporters. They even get to lay waste to some crooks while traveling incognito. Alan gives Batman a little help in “projecting†the menace inherent in the Dark Knight, even though he’s sans costume. Alan Scott and Batman working together is something you’d think would happen more often, considering their Gotham roots, and Brubaker delivers on this rare pairing.
Initially not happy with the prospect of teaming with Alan Scott, by this the third part of the story, Batman is not only warming to the idea, but he actually seems to be enjoying the camaraderie. Brubaker also throws an imperiled Jim Gordon into the equation, which gives Batman a chance to interact with, and show some emotion for a change. Guys like Brubaker, Ed Rucka, and Jeph Loeb have attempted in the past year or so to really return some humanity to the character of Batman, and I for one am very glad for it.
Patrick Zircher added a nice artistic touch to this arc, and I’m happy to see him moving over to the pages of Nightwing. His style worked well for the darker elements of Gotham, as well as the lighter side that was slipped into these stories as well. I’m sure he’ll excel with Dick Grayson’s stories, as they often have this light, yet dark tone.
Ed Brubaker’s departure from Detective Comics, after only nine issues, is quite surprising, and more than a little suspect. While not as bad as Marvel’s recent move of Mark Waid off Fantastic Four, I must say that I’m pretty upset at this situation. Next issue sees a fill-in by Brian K. Vaughn (writer of Y: The Last Man and Runaways) which is followed by a two-part story by Paul Bolles. Then the real fun begins as new writer Andersen Gabrych takes over, with his first monthly comic assignment. To say the least, Mr. Gabrych has some very tough shoes to fill.
