BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #4 Author: Chris Clow
July 31, 2010
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: Grant Morrison's can't-miss Batman story rolls on as Bruce Wayne's next stop on his amazing journey through time brings him to the Wild West -- but will he escape alive?
The late 19th century was a vibrant time for the United States. Much of the North American continent was largely unexplored, the law often came down to being upheld by a single man with a shining star on his chest. Or at least, that's the mass perception. However, such a perception makes for an interesting story when you place a man like Bruce Wayne, a modern guardian of a giant city, into the middle of that kind of world. A man like Bruce Wayne feels that if he's not the law, he is justice incarnate. And within the first five pages of this issue, it becomes very clear that this is exactly how Wayne operates in this era. The "darkest, truest angel of retribution."
While much of the DC Universe's exploits in comics are explored in the context of the modern world or the future, there are a handful of characters that operate in this era on DC's Earth. The most popular one, the gun slinging bounty hunter with a face full of violence, Jonah Hex, makes an appearance here. It's an interesting character study, looking at Batman and Hex compared. Hex operates on a personal code of honor that, considering his profession and the era in which he lives, is very respectful of the lives of good people. Batman views life as sacred, and his mission is nothing less than holy to him. In their short confrontation in this issue, there appears to be an understanding between the two that the other characters don't share, especially Vandal Savage. As a Batman fan and a mild Hex fan, this issue was really fun in that regard.
Georges Jeanty's work, like the others in the series, seems to be very appropriate for the era presented. His line work allows shadows in the environments, but, like some classic Westerns, the heroes seem to light themselves in some spots. The inking and coloring is pretty complimentary to the pencils, and much of the work is very dynamic, which works out well for the narrative.
We've now arrived at the Gotham City as it was known by Thomas and Martha Wayne at the end of this issue, and given the state that Bruce is in by the last page, it seems like he could use a doctor. Is this the opening that I think it is going into issue # 5? Maybe not, but I'm still left with feelings of anticipation, as the end is now in firm sight.
GRADE: B
Longtime Batman/DCU fan and BOF'er Chris Clow is a student at Western Washington University
He reviews comics, covers conventions, and is a BOF podcast "Roundtabler."
He's also an employee at Bellingham, Washington's oldest and best comic book store, The Comics Place.
