When I started reviewing
BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL for
BOF, I had no idea that I would be reviewing its final issues so soon after I began. Therefore, this final review of the title will not only cover the last story arc from issues #50-54, but the series as a whole as well.
So this final arc, entitled “Super Powers,” focuses upon The Dark Knight’s first encounters with super-powered beings. Again, it’s not exactly the kind of Batman story I’d rush off to read, but since the premise actually matches what BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL is supposed to be about, it automatically scores a few extra points in my book.
Issue #50 in particular does a great job of setting the story up. Since it’s kind of an “anniversary” issue, there’s some great extra content as well. Essentially, there’s a dual storyline taking place. One before Bruce becomes Batman, and another early on in Batman’s career before he encounters The Justice League.
In the past, a young Bruce Wayne explores a Chinese province that has been taken over by a mysterious villain. In the present, Batman investigates a mysterious string of murders in Gotham. The cool thing is that the art style shifts when the storyline does. The present storyline is your traditional comic-book style, while the past is illustrated in a painterly fashion.
What really makes the issue shine, however, is the addition of a “lost issue” of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA from the 60s. This fictional tale is illustrated in a retro style and features Green Lantern, Flash, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and Martian Manhunter battling a “vampire from outer space.” Perhaps this “old” tale will provide hints at what is to come (hint: it does).
The remaining issues manage to explore Batman (and Bruce Wayne) from a number of interesting angles. In both storylines, Bruce Wayne is pitted against a villain with “super powers,” one being a supernatural samurai, the other being that “space vampire” mentioned earlier. And in both instances, he’s forced to accept help from a group of super-powered beings. Some really great and unexpected story points come from this, such as the purpose for a Bat-symbol on our hero’s chest.
All things considered, even if you don’t like these “super powered” Batman stories, the way the story is told is masterfully done. It’s not quite the best arc of the series, but it’s definitely one of the most innovative. It certainly has a lot going for it, and it managed to retain my interest through the entire arc -- which is more than I can say for a majority of the stories throughout the title’s history.
And with that, BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL comes to a close.
At the end of the day, why was this title so troubled? In my opinion, it boils down to two things: the quality and length of the stories, and deviation from the initial premise of the title. If something like “Batman…in SPACE!” wasn’t your thing, it wouldn’t matter if the tale was only one or two issues long. And again, only a handful of the story arcs stuck to the “stories from Batman’s early career” angle. And guess what? The stories that did were the best ones. Let’s go over those really quick:
“Work That's Never Done” (#49)
James Patrick and Steve Scott’s tale about what Batman goes through within the timespan of one night on patrol. It manages to cram great writing and great art into the only single-issue story of the series. A must read.
“A New Dawn” (issues #26-28)
Written by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir, this story brings the King Tut villain (from the 60s TV series) into comics continuity—with marvelous results. They managed to turn what was a pretty hammy character into a formidable adversary. The artwork by José Luis García-López and Kevin Nowlan also brings a great retro vibe to the story.
“Wrath Child” (issues #13-16)
Originally introduced in the 1984 BATMAN SPECIAL #1, the Wrath is a sort of dark mirror villain of Batman. Tony Bedard and Rags Morales resurrect the character in this arc, to great effect.
“Super Powers” (issues #50-54)
I’m also going add this latest (and final) arc to the list, for the reasons mentioned in the review above.
While BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL won’t leave a lasting legacy for years to come, I wouldn’t say that it’s a long shot for DC to try another title like it or LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT in the future. Hopefully, they’ll take the lessons learned here and create a quality title that will consistently be on everyone’s “must read” list.
