It’s not necessarily the writing’s fault, while David Hine hasn’t proven to be the best Batman writer he certainly put a lot of thought and energy into the narrative he’s creating. It’s not really the artwork’s fault either, as the pencils are pretty clear and aren’t interrupting the flow of the story. Maybe it’s the fact that it doesn’t scream “awesome” at me, when it feels like the elements for it to do so are there. A weird sort of frustration.
Maybe part of it is that it’s unlikely that certain characters would be participating. BOTH Bruce and Dick AND Renee Montoya’s Question on one case? For a threat that doesn’t seem that large, why all of these characters? Part of that feels like Mr. Hine is using them to give his story more grandeur, which I don’t necessarily blame him for, but that’s what it feels like to me.
The story continues from Hine’s DETECTIVE COMICS ANNUAL #12, and sees these Gotham heroes going to France and trying to apprehend a villain named Korrigan with strong persuasive abilities that she uses through her voice. The Batmen enlist the aid of Nightrunner, a start-up French hero with something to prove. Starting on shaky ground, the Bats eventually enlist the young hero’s aid in bringing in Korrigan. By the end of the adventure, surprise surprise, Nightrunner is the “Batman” of France, this time in a far less literal capacity than we saw presented the new Mr. Unknown at the end ofBATMAN INCORPORATED #2.
There’s also a couple of co-features, one detailing an adventure of a white clad female Gotham hero assisted by Dick Grayson, followed by a more enjoyable story of Night Runner’s actual recruitment into Batman, Inc. and the harsh training he undergoes to be a viable part of the team. I’m not a fan of a $5 price tag by any stretch of the imagination, but there’s a fair amount that you get in this book for the price of admission.
Nightrunner is a character I’ll be intrigued to see more about; he’s a hero but also one who’s unsure of himself, his skills, and his place. But as the case often is, when Bruce Wayne sees potential in you, there’s a good chance that he’s estimating you at your worth.
All in all, the Annual was pretty good as far as Annuals go, but not the best of recent memory by any stretch. It introduced a fun new character, and I think that’s what it’ll largely be remembered for, but it seems as if several other writers at DC have to figure out how to exploit the new status quo in the Bat books in order to make this feel at the level of guys like Grant Morrison, David Finch, and Tony Daniel.
