Has it already been almost a year since these new titles began? That's what went through my brain when I saw the big "11" on the cover of this week's
STREETS OF GOTHAM, but then I forgot all about it when I got sucked into the warm colors of Dustin Nguyen's knockout cover.
Nguyen has become my favorite modern Batman artist, and his interior work on this issue is just as amazing as his cover. We get the bloody return of his "Zsasz vision" filter and, on the first page, a truly inspired old-school monster movie moment as the little boy Bruce saved from the Scarecrow in HEART OF HUSHbegins his lurching, limb-by-limb transformation into the vigilante Abuse. (As always, the moody colors by John Kalisz and bold inks of Derek Fridolfs provide big assists to Nguyen's unique and handsome pencils.)
And Abuse needs all of that power and then some to help save himself and Damian Wayne from their current predicament -- forced to compete in Zsasz's underground arena fights pitting kidnapped children against each other in bloody knife-duels to the death. But when Zsasz decided to fight Damian himself last issue, oh did he have no idea what truly nasty business he was getting into...
I still maintain that Grant Morrison is the king of writing Dick Grayson as Batman, but writer Paul Dini continues to do what he's always done in this title -- even though it's Dick under the cowl, there's a consistency to how the image and presence of The Batman affects criminals. Dick gets a really great scene here to demonstrate that.
But this issue is Damian's show, and while I'll go to my grave wishing that Batman didn't have a kid, I do love how Dini has written Damian in this arc. He was humanized by his initial reaction to Zsasz killing kids, and has turned that rage into fiery and dangerous determination.
There's a primal moment for Damian in this issue that will take your breath away -- a shocking visual moment that goes right past the heart and into the darkest depths of the soul of a boy who was raised by the best of the world's worst not only to replace Batman someday but to become the perfect killing machine along the way. Seeing the kid with the self-decoration that he gives himself (which I won't spoil) and a makeshift samurai sword will incite both chills and cheers.
But Dini writes the other characters well, too, wisely having Zsasz figure out that even though Abuse is massive, he's still just a frightened child inside. This isn't a Captain Marvel situation -- the issues of crimes against children are far darker and uglier than anything Billy Batson contends with, and Zsasz twists that knife to his advantage both figuratively and literally.
If Damian's initial show of force is primal, his final, shocking actions are coolly calculated, building to a final page that will hopefully spark a lot of discussion and debate. Easily the absolute best issue of this title yet.
And of course there's the Manhunter backup, that continues to be so effortlessly fantastic. I'd love to see Marc Andreyko and Jeremy Haun inherit a regular Batman title after the stellar work they've been doing here. As if they haven't already raised Kate Spencer's professional stakes (as both Gotham's new D.A. and Manhunter) enough, we get a bigger continuation of a crisis in her personal life that she only just finds out about in this issue. It ends in a cliffhanger that's going to turn out badly for someone, and probably not obviously.
This issue is solid A+ material all around, and a great value even for its hefty $3.99 price tag. What do you think about Damian Wayne's actions? - John Bierly
