Review: Batman: The Dark Knight #13
“The Undead Past”
Published by DC Comics
Written by Gregg Hurwitz
Art by David Finch
The Plot
Scarecrow is apparently beginning to have some guilt over experimenting on the children due to the actions of one of them. Scarecrow then has flashbacks pertaining to his tortured childhood. Batman appears to suddenly awaken and suffers a brutal assault from the Scarecrow; however, it is shown to only be a hallucination. Batman truly becomes conscious as he is strapped to a table and Scarecrow comes out with a gasmask because he himself is unfamiliar with the supertoxin he’s about to unleash upon his enemy. Batman then suffers through a brutal and dark re-imagining of his life. There are more flashbacks pertaining to Scarecrow when he was a young child enduring the experiments conducted on him by his father. Afterwards, Scarecrow goes to find his scythe (presumably to finish off the Batman) and returns to find Batman free and ready to fight.
The Breakdown
This appears to be the penultimate chapter in this particular story arc. The art in this book is the highlight of this comic. Some of the panels are great to just look at. The Scarecrow also has a creepier look to him as he genuinely looks more malicious with how his eyes and mouth are rendered. The inks in this arc provide the art with a grittier look, which matches the tone of this story. Scarecrow actually does come across as a bit more of a threat than usual and I liked how angry he was in general. Batman’s take on his own life was good and it made the Scarecrow’s new toxin more interesting as it really messed around with his mind. Scarecrow showing some regret over his actions with the children did make me want them to elaborate more on what happened during his childhood…and they did include it this issue, which was a bonus. There were some good elements to this book.
BUT…
This story actually could’ve been more effective had it been a slow burn. They’re trying to show more on what made the Scarecrow what he is, but I think that this whole story could have been structured differently. This comic could include more ongoing plot threads and it wouldn’t be going from arc to arc. The one issue that I’ve had with this comic from the beginning is that it could be more. It has just felt as though the pieces were there, but something has been lacking. This comic doesn’t have to just serve as a vehicle for great looking Batman art. I know that this issue is supposed to be a bit trippy with Batman experiencing the new toxin for the first time, but it became a bit too abstract for me. Batman was confused and trying to figure out what was going on and subsequently I felt the same way a few times. The part near the end when Batman and Scarecrow were switching narratives during the same phrase was confusing as well. While Scarecrow did look more menacing, he also looked too ragged at the same time. He had a dozen lines under each of his eyes and his skin and nails were so strangely coloured. He looked sickly. Was there something that happened to him recently to alter his appearance so much? Maybe this will be answered next issue or perhaps they got carried away with making the Scarecrow look as grotesque as possible. There were some interesting ideas with the Scarecrow’s childhood and I was frustrated because I thought it could’ve been more effective if structured differently.
Buy It, Borrow It, Shelf Read It, or Ignore It?
Borrow this one. The art team does a good job on this issue and their work should be appreciated. However, I am currently picking up Batman, Batman Detective Comics (trying it for Layman because I applaud DC for trying a new talent on a main book yet again), Nightwing, Batman Incorporated, sometimes Batman and Robin, and other titles on occasion and I cannot place this comic above most of the aforementioned books. Some people I know genuinely enjoy this comic though and I can’t argue that they have no taste or that they’re idiots because there are some good elements in this book. It’s not a terrible book, but I just feel that it could aspire to be so much more.
