We’re getting down to the wire with the lead-in story to the
ARKHAM CITY video game, and Paul Dini and Carlos D’Anda continue their tale showing us a Gotham City fractured by the imposition of this new prison with the puppet master of Hugo Strange pulling the strings of even the Dark Knight. But if there’s anything you or I know about Batman, it’s that he hates being on strings. He also has a belt full of cutting tools, so that couldn’t have lasted long anyways.
ARKHAM CITY #4 tells a story of Batman’s cover being blown, and falling into the trap of an adversary with the cunning and intelligence rivaling that of the World’s Greatest Detective. Dr. Hugo Strange, now asserting himself in a more prominent fashion, talks of how he sees Batman as a fascinating subject for study, like a rat in a cage. Strange seems determined to keep Batman in that cage as long as possible, but someone neither he nor Batman himself could’ve anticipated just had to go and mess up the crazy doctor’s plans. When you realize who exactly fudges up the works this time, I’m sure an old, familiar smile will curl on your lips as you realize that you’re reading a true Batman story.
The fact that this is a tie-in for a video game should not dissuade the wary. Time and time again, Mr. Dini has proven that he’s a master of all things Dark Knight when acting as a scribe, going all the way back to the animated episode “Heart of Ice,” which I’m inclined to agree with Mark Waid about being one of the single best Batman stories ever told. This entire series has been surprisingly awesome, and is better than it really has any right to be because of Dini’s dedication to story here. He’s threading a rich tapestry when coupling this narrative with that of the first Arkham asylum game, but even if you’re not a gamer, the characters and situations are familiar enough that if you’re simply looking for a good Batman story, you’ll find it here.
Carlos D’Anda returns for this issue with exactly the same flare and attention to detail that I’ve come to expect, and I continue to be pleasantly surprised about the emotions he’s able to make the characters convey. Anger? Look at the ridges just above Strange’s brow. Annoyance? Check batman’s jaw. Playful homicidal tendencies? Just look into The Joker’s eyes. He also gives Batman the girth and physique (reminiscent of the game design, of course) to come across as truly foreboding, and the panel layouts and action choreography is visually interesting and easy to follow.
The last page of this one doesn’t drop any bombshells, but it does give hints at what we may see in the conclusion of this series, but also manages to show us what the main conflict of the new game will be. Doctor Strange is truly one of the most interesting and psychologically rich character in the entirety of Batman’s rogues gallery. To see this explored in another medium, much less the sequel to the best super hero game of all time, is a joy to take in. But even before we get there, this book does a lot to capture the intrigue of the first game’s plot, while slowly cracking open the possibilities that await our gaming consoles on October 18th.
For a publicity tool, this is one hell of a comic book.
